‘Is thisreallythe time?’
‘There’s always time to put you in your place, but I suppose we’d best get out of here.’ He coughs. ‘Come on, let’s go.’
He pulls us forward, his grip strong and unflinching even when I know I’m a dead weight, pain shooting up my left leg.
‘My leg,’ I say through a cough. ‘It’s burned.’
Salman pauses before he hooks an arm around my waist. I respond by fastening my arms around his neck and resting my head on his chest.
‘Hold on, you klutz, we’re nearly there.’
‘I prefer the termprincess.’
Salman doesn’t hesitate as he leads us outside, where the cool air touches my cheek first, then my arms and legs.
I gasp for breath in the fresh air. Salman does the same, not letting go of me. As he crumples to his knees, his grip on me tightens and I can’t help but reciprocate.
‘That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?’ I joke.
‘I just saved you from a fire. I think I get to have a dramatic moment,’ he retorts.
‘I guess I ought to say thank you.’ I feign being ungrateful but quickly become serious. ‘I thought you’d left.’
‘Of course I didn’t. I wasn’t going to leave you alone in the woods by yourself. I’ve seen enough films to know how that ends, and I’d rather not let my claim to fame be that I was the last person to see you alive.’
Even though my chest hurts, I laugh. Some of the smoke must have got in my lungs. ‘Thatisa pretty crappy rep to have, isn’t it?’
‘Probably one of the worst.’ He pauses.
‘I really am a walking liability, aren’t I?’ I groan, looking back at the cabin, watching the flames flickering through the windows.
‘That you most certainly are,’ he responds, and we break into laughter. Even though this is very much a serious situation, it’s nice to be able to laugh through it.
Salman calls emergency services and the fire brigade arrive fifteen minutes later, red and blue lights flashing, sirens wailing, along with an ambulance. Immediately, the firemen assess and attack the fire while the paramedics run towards me and Salman, carrying medical kits. Within minutes, we’re being evaluated for smoke inhalation and injuries. I answer their questions as if on autopilot, the whole time, I can’t take my eyes off Salman.
Salman, who ran into a burning building to save me.
Salman, who didn’t leave even though I told him to.
Salman, who held on to me as if he never wanted to let me go.
The fire is mostly under control by the time the paramedics place an oxygen mask over my face. While I breathe, the paramedic examines up my left leg, revealing a nasty burn on my shin. The sight of it makes me feel nauseous. I hadn’t thought the injury would be that serious.
‘The burn’s first-degree, bordering on second. I’ll clean it and cover it up,’ Callum, the paramedic, tells me in a reassuring voice.
I take off the mask and, even though I know it’s stupid, ask, ‘Will it scar?’
He smiles gently. ‘Not if I do my magic.’
I wince as he cleans the wound with a sterile solution, but the stinging doesn’t even come close to how I felt inside the cabin. When he’s done, he applies a kind of gel that instantly cools the skin, then wraps my shin with dressing and gauze.
‘I’ll call your parent or guardian to recommend a visit to the hospital to make sure there’s no infection. But don’t worry, you shouldn’t have to stay overnight.’
‘Can I call her?’ I ask, my voice meek. ‘I’d like to be the one to tell her, if that’s OK.’
Callum doesn’t fight me on it and I’m grateful. Having to pick me up and take me to hospital will be shocking enough for Ma: at least this way I can reassure her that I’m OK.
Not that she believes me, obviously. I try to downplay it, make it sound more comedic than dramatic, but she’s in tears whenever I tell her what’s happened. I have to remind her not to speed, hearing her frantically running around the house looking for her keys and shoes. I tell her that, before she gets in the car, she needs to take a breather. We don’t need another accidenttonight.
