The sounds of splintering wood snapped through the air. Korbin’s grip on my shoulder instantly tightened.
“Hurry,” I whispered, too late. Another crack like a gunshot vibrated through the air, and the floor beneath our feet cracked and splintered. The last things I saw were malicious red and orange flames lapping at our feet as the floor gave way beneath us, and we fell.
We fell hard.
Chapter20
Hansen
At first, I had no doubt in my mind they were dead.
Time passed in slow motion. A dreamlike sensation engulfed me in a low level of shock. From the time Korbin and Paisley were dug out of the rubble to the very moment we got them through the ER doors, unconscious but breathing, I had no doubt in my mind they were dead.
Somewhere near me, Jake and Tanner spoke quietly to each other. Julia, who had dropped Korbin off, said something to me and kissed me on the lips before heading back to her station. None of it registered. An ER nurse fluttered past us, barely looking up. Down the hall, the smell of coffee wafted in the air.
“Captain?” Jake woke me from the living nightmare. “Captain Hansen?”
I looked up from the discolored tile floor, straight into the eyes of the chief ER physician, Dr. Aaron Shaffer.
“Are they—?” I stood up, and the rest of my team flanked me on either side.
“They’re fine.” The doctor smiled a bit. “Their gear protected them. Korbin’s leg was pinned but still sufficiently undamaged. A few bruises and minor lacerations are all, Hansen.” He took a deep breath, nodding to me. “Honestly, they’re both lucky to be alive. Especially Korbin.”
“Especially Korbin?” Nick repeated. “How so?”
“Much longer trapped in that building, and the smoke inhalation could have killed him. He was lucky someone went in after him.”
“But they’re both okay?” I asked. “Paisley too?”
“They’re both okay.”
“Thanks, doc.”
With a smile and a nod, Doc Shaffer left us alone. I turned to my crew, relief flooding through my body. “We need some bodies at the firehouse,” I said. “Korbin and Paisley will both be okay. Let’s get back to work, okay?”
Relieved expressions and nods simmered through the crowd, and I watched my men dissipate before turning around to seek out Korbin’s room. When I opened the door to visit him, I stopped short, noticing the bruises on his face and a laceration with stitches that traveled just above his eyebrow. But as soon as I saw him there, alive and breathing, the tiny scratches didn’t matter.
“How are you feeling, man?” I sat next to his bed, grateful not for the first time that my good friend and the best firefighter was still alive. In a job like this, surviving every day was something to be thankful for.
“I’ve been better,” Korbin said. “But I should tell you, man, the nurses here are really hooking me up with the sponge baths and pain meds.” He flinched as he shifted on the bed, rolling his neck to the side.
“You’ve been here three hours, Korbin.”
“You’d be surprised what they can get done in three hours.” Korbin laughed, coughing, then winked at me. “Hey—how’s Hill?” he asked. “I mean, she’s still alive, right?”
“She’s still alive,” I confirmed. “But I haven’t been in to see her yet.” I hesitated a moment, unsure if I should say anything further.
“Ah, well.” He fell silent, pondering things. I thought he was about to ask me to thank her for him, but he didn’t.
“Hey, why don’t you take the next couple of weeks off?” I said, filling a plastic cup from a pitcher of water. I handed him the cup, and Korbin glared at it, shaking his head.
“Weeks?” he scoffed. “Nah, Captain, I’m ready to go back to work today.”
“Make it a couple of days,” I told him. Korbin opened his mouth to argue with me, but I cut him off before he could. “That’s an order.”
“Only if I get to stay here and keep getting pampered by the cute nurses,” he grumbled.
“You let me know how that goes for you.” I squeezed Korbin’s arm. “Just keep in mind you’ll be getting a written warning for entering that building without your entire crew on scene, so soak up the attention while you can.”
