My world tilted on its axis. West. It had to be West. Trapped. Unconscious. Maybe worse.
“No, no, no,” I repeated, my voice breaking. “This can’t be happening. West!”
As chaos erupted around me, all I could think was: I can’t lose him. Not like this. Not when I’d never told him how I really felt.
8
WEST
The world came back in flashes of pain and confusion. My eyelids fluttered open to darkness, dust tickling my nose. Where the hell was I? A crushing weight pinned my leg, and my head throbbed with each heartbeat.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” I called out, my voice hoarse. Panic clawed at my chest as memories trickled back—the fire, the collapsing roof. Shit.
I strained my ears, catching faint voices in the distance. Firefighters. Thank God. I just had to hang on.
“Over here!” I shouted, coughing as smoke filled my lungs.
Footsteps drew closer, flashlight beams cutting through the haze. I squinted against the sudden brightness.
“Sir, can you hear me?” A firefighter’s face swam into view. "West, is that you?"
“Yeah,” I rasped. My training kicked in as I cataloged my injuries. “Left leg’s trapped. Probable concussion. No other major trauma that I can tell.”
“Good to know. We’ll get you out of here in no time.”
As they worked to free my leg, I focused on staying calm, pushing aside the creeping fear. I’d seen plenty of rescues fromthe other side. Now, I just had to trust my fellow first responders to do their job.
“How’s it looking down there, Rodriguez?” I asked, gritting my teeth against a fresh wave of pain.
“Almost got it. You’re doing great, West. Just hang in there a little longer.”
I nodded, taking shallow breaths to avoid the worst of the smoke. My thoughts drifted to Drew. God, he probably thought I ditched the party. There was so much left unsaid between us…
No. I shook my head, wincing. I couldn’t go there right now. One step at a time. Get out alive first, deal with complicated feelings later.
“All right, we’re almost ready,” Johnson announced. "We’ll have to move the beam."
I braced myself, determined to help however I could. Whatever happened next, I knew one thing for certain—I wasn’t going down without a fight.
As the guys carefully maneuvered around me, I let my mind wander to Drew. His bright-blue eyes, that easy smile that could light up a room. God, what I wouldn’t give to see that smile right now.
“You still with us, West?” Johnson called out, snapping me back to reality.
“Yeah, I’m here,” I replied, my voice raspy from the smoke.
Just thinking about how I might never get the chance to tell Drew how I really feel. How his friendship had become so much more to me over the years. The way my heart raced every time he walked into a room.
“All right, we’re going to lift this beam now,” Rodriguez announced. “It might hurt, but we need you to stay as still as possible. Can you do that for us?”
I nodded, steeling myself. “I’ve got this. Let’s do it.”
“On three. One, two…”
As they began to lift, I bit back a groan. The pain was excruciating, but I forced myself to focus on helping them however I could.
“That’s it, just a little more,” I encouraged through gritted teeth. “I think I can wiggle my leg out if you can hold it there.”
Johnson looked at me skeptically. “You sure about that, buddy? We don’t want to risk further injury.”
