Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Hunter

Flashing lights and blaring sirens, followed by smoke and panic and screaming. For a moment, I froze, but then my brain kicked in and I quickly got everyone out of the room and into the hallway that was choked with smoke, telling everyone to get low and head for the stairs.

People were bumping into each other and frantic and I hoped someone had called 911 because I was going to make sure that everyone got out. Smoke filled the air, making it harder and harder to breathe. I didn't see any flames, but it was impossible to tell where the fire was coming from. We needed to get out. Now.

"Someone call 911!" I yelled and then had a coughing fit. I needed to check the rooms and the bathrooms but there was too much smoke and if I didn't get out now, I might get trapped. Just as I was debating what the fuck to do, I heard sirens. Thank fuck.

Crouching as close to the floor as I could get, I hustled in the direction of the stairs and started heading down. The air on the lower floors was clearer, but then I had a coughing fit and tripped, rolling my ankle and crashing to the landing on the third floor.

"Help!" I screamed through another coughing fit and streaming eyes. I wish I'd grabbed a towel from the room. I was only wearing a sports bra and my yoga pants, so I couldn't use any of my clothing to cover my mouth and nose to protect my lungs.

"Fire department!" a voice called out.

"I'm here!" I yelled as loudly as I could. "I'm here, help!"

Pounding footsteps on the stairs reached me and I looked up to find a firefighter in full gear looking down at me.

Everything took on a blurry surreal quality, and not just because of the smoke. The firefighter asked if I could walk and I pointed to my now-swelling ankle. Their voice was muffled through their mask. Several other firefighters pounded up the stairs to check the rest of the building.

Next thing I knew I was being picked up and fucking carried down the stairs by a firefighter as if I was an actress in a movie. There was a surreal quality to all of this. Like any moment someone was going to yell "cut!" and everything would go back to normal.

The firefighter set me down outside and an oxygen mask was put on my face and I inhaled cool, fresh air. Finally, I could breathe. I was never going to take that for granted again.

I shoved the mask off my face. "Did everyone get out? Please, you have to make sure they got everyone out. Oh my god, you have to get everyone out!" I should have checked the other rooms before going downstairs.

The firefighter took off their mask and helmet and held the oxygen up to my face again.

"Whoa, whoa. Easy there. Take a few deep breaths for me."

My entire body shook like I'd had about fifty cups of coffee and I couldn't really feel my fingers. How was any of this real?

I looked up into a pair of eyes that could have been brown, green, gold, or some combination of the three.

"That's it," the firefighter said as I took her in. Dark blonde hair cut shorter on the sides with the top that flopped over in a careless way. Oh.

"Don't worry. We're going to get everyone out, but let's focus on you right now. What's your name?"

I had to think for a second. The lights from the firetrucks and the commotion and the smoke were too much. Too much pressing in on me at the same time and I wanted to close my eyes and make it all go away.

"Hunter," I said. "I'm Hunter." Couldn't remember my last name.

"Well, hi, Hunter. I'm Stace. How do you feel about letting these nice paramedics look you over?"

She spoke with a soothing tone and I knew in the back of my mind that I was flipping out or going into shock or something. I saw the name STACEY on a patch on her jacket. Was there a special name for a firefighter's jacket? There probably was.

"Okay," I said, and Stace waved someone over.

The paramedics sprung into action and started asking me questions that I did my best to answer. Stace picked up her mask and helmet and I knew she was going to leave.

"Where are you going?" I blurted out, as if I had a right to ask.

"Just going to make sure the building is clear. Don't worry." She winked before she put her mask and helmet back on, obscuring her face again.

Stace was gone and then I was somehow in an ambulance and on the way to the hospital, in spite of me saying, repeatedly, that I didn't need to go to the hospital. They didn't pay attention to me.

Somehow, I'd remembered to grab my phone so I was able to call Cade and tell her what the hell had happened when I got to the hospital.

"Oh my god. Okay. Eloise and I are on the way. Do you want me to call Reid too? What about your parents?"

Right now, I didn't want to deal with my parents. And Reid didn't need to leave work for this. I informed Cade of my wishes and she said she would be there as soon as she could.

Time lost all meaning as I waited in the ER to be seen and then for x-rays and other tests to check my lungs. Cade and Eloise had arrived as a nurse was evaluating me, and it was such a relief to have someone with me.

One diagnosis of a sprained ankle and mild smoke inhalation later, I was more than ready to go home. The whole thing had taken hours. I couldn't have done it without Cade. She'd taken control of my phone, including speaking with the yoga studio owners to get the story of what happened, giving Reid updates, and seeing about my care instructions.

Eloise also made her presence known, which included interrogating the doctor to check his credentials and asking if I should get a second opinion, all of which made me roll my eyes. I had very simple injuries and they didn't need to make a big deal out of it. The hospital offered me crutches, which Cade and Eloise made me accept, even after Eloise questioned the quality and price. I just sat there and let her.

I tried to listen to the doctor, but my brain was completely checked out. My throat was raw, and I was still coughing from the smoke. At least they'd given me something for the pain in my ankle.

"Hey," Cade said, getting right in my face as Eloise made a call and I waited to get discharged. "You have two options right now. You can either go back to your place and I'll come with you and stay the night, or we can go back to El's house and I can take care of you there. Either way, you're not staying alone. And Reid might join us after her shift."

Of course.

"You really don't have to do that," I said in my new hoarse voice, but Cade clenched her teeth and shook her head. Her hair was a mess. Hopefully she'd let me fix it for her.

"I'm not arguing with you. And we should really call your parents. Maybe not tonight, but they should know."

She was right. I knew she was right, but that was one more thing I could not stomach right now.

"I want to go home," I said, my eyes burning with fresh tears.

"Okay, let's take you home," Cade said, hugging me gently. She and Eloise got me into Cade's car and then to my apartment. Eloise called a car to get back to her house after I told her she didn't need to stay and assured her that I would call if I needed anything. She'd done more than enough already, throwing her famous name around the ER on my behalf.

Cade helped me hobble to the elevator and then to my bathroom. Even more than laying down, I desperately needed a shower. My clothes reeked of smoke and it was making me sick.

Since I needed to keep my ankle elevated, Cade talked me into a bath, which took some maneuvering, but the painkillers were helping.

Once I was clean, I got myself into my favorite soft as hell pajamas and Cade put me into bed with my ankle propped up.

"I'm going to stay in the guest room, but I'm going to keep checking on you. If you need anything, send me a message. I don't want you hurting your voice if you don't have to. Oh, and here is some tea with honey and some cough drops."

Cade finally left me and I let the tears fall that I'd been holding back.

What a horrible fucking night.

The good news was that the firefighters were able to save the building and there were no deaths. The bad news was that the yoga studio was closed until further notice, and the fire was under investigation, but was probably caused by some old wiring. No one had been injured, other than me with my ankle and some smoke inhalation, and everyone had gotten out. Things could have been so much worse.

For me, it meant that I needed to find a new yoga studio to teach at after my ankle healed. The sprain was so minor that I was on track to be fully healed with only two weeks of down time, and my lungs were back to normal functioning after a few days. I did whatever I could to hasten the process, and I busted my ass filming, creating, and scheduling as much social media content as I could, since nearly everything else was off-limits.

Cade and Reid came to visit me a lot so I didn't lose my mind being stuck in my apartment, bringing me books and food and making me laugh again. I did a lot of painting, which helped quiet my mind and distracted me from that night.

My parents were livid that I hadn't called them the night of the fire, but what the hell would they have even done? Every time I'd gone to them for help in my life, they'd either said no, or they'd made me feel so horrible for daring to ask that it wasn't even worth it. Fortunately, they had a big fight with each other that distracted them from being disappointed with me. My injury did save me from having to go to my mother's charity event. I never thought I would have been happy about a sprained ankle.

There were nightmares, though. No one knew about them. Not even Cade and Reid. Having nightmares about a traumatic event was only natural after a traumatic event and they would fade in time, I told myself.

Confusingly mixed in with the nightmares was a flash of beautiful smile. Dimples. The feeling of being carried by strong arms.

Stace . The firefighter who'd rescued me. I found myself wondering about her in those times after I'd woken up in a cold sweat with my heart trying to thrash its way out of my chest and gasping for breath. Thinking about Stace was much better than reliving those awful moments.

She had dimples . It wasn't right that she had dimples in both cheeks when she smiled.

The way she'd lifted me, as if I was nothing but a bag of flour she was putting in her cart at the grocery store.

Was she a firefighter full time? Was that a thing? I was sure it had to be. What an interesting job. Physically demanding, no doubt. She had to be in good shape to cart all that gear around and be able to haul people as well. How long had she been a firefighter? Did she enjoy it?

So many questions about a person I'd interacted with for less than fifteen minutes.

If I wanted to, I could find her. There were only so many local fire departments and they all had social media. Plus, there had been articles written about the fire which would tell me which companies had responded. Finding her would take a matter of minutes.

But I didn't do it. Finding her was pointless. She was just a person who had carried me out of a building and that was it. Stace probably didn't even remember me.