He lets out a heavy puff of air. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Okay. I’ll wait there until you do.”
“North,” he says, a question in his voice. Silence follows. Then, “Never mind. See you soon.”
The line goes dead, and I let my head fall back against the side of the wall and close my eyes. Leo’s hand is still in mine, and I get lost for a moment in the sounds of the rain beating down on us, and the tires over wet road, and the soft beep of the heart monitor letting me know that Leo is still okay.
And then suddenly, his hand twitches in mine.
“North,” he says, soft but clear.
My eyes fly open, but he’s still unconscious. I look over at Benny, who lifts a brow.
“Did he just?—?”
“Yeah,” Benny says. He double-checks Leo’s vitals, then shrugs. “He’s out, out. Must be having a nice dream.”
All I can hope is that he stays that way for a while so he has some time before he has to face his pain.
It’s a while before I can see Leo. They take him in for an MRI, an EKG, and an EEG. I find myself pacing the hall and feeling like my heart is going to beat out of my chest.
And then I hear someone calling my name and turn to find Easton rushing toward me. He flies into my arms, and I hug him tight.
“Thank you,” he all but sobs.
“It wasn’t me.”
He laughs a little as he pulls back. “According to Camilo’s ranting, it was all you. If you’d hesitated at all?—”
I should have assessed the scene better and gotten my fucking mask on, but Leo was at the door, and Chuck couldn’t keep him out of danger for much longer. I would have risked a lot more for a lot less.
“It’s fine. Anyone else would have done the same.” And I fully believe that. Easton’s family is our family.
He rubs the back of his neck as he rocks back on his heels. “How bad is the house?” I can’t stop my wince, and his eyes go wide. “Shit, really?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure how far the flames spread before we got there, but the entire front needs to be demolished and rebuilt.”
“Shiiiit,” he whispers, dragging the word out. “Leo is going to lose his mind. It took him forever to find that place, and he loves that neighborhood.”
I don’t really know what to say. “I mean…insurance?”
“Yeah, but…” Easton stops, then shakes his head. “We can worry about it later. Have you seen him?”
“They were just finishing up his EEG. He was out when we got here, but he was able to speak a little before he went back.”
“The burns?” he asks.
I grimace. “He won’t be walking for a bit, but I don’t think he’ll scar much.” I’m not even sure Leo cares about that though. He’s like me—he has enough of them, so what’s a few more.
Easton takes my arm and runs his fingers over a few tender spots. “Looks like no one treated you.”
They’re barely first-degree, and they were probably from the proximity to the fire as I was gathering him into my arms. “I’ll be fine. I didn’t even notice.”
He pulls a face. “Dude?—”
“Let’s not worry about me right now. They don’t even hurt.”
Easton falls quiet for a moment. “How did you know about the candles?”
