Embracing Juliette (Texas Heroes: Station 9 #1)

Chapter 44

44

Juliette

I usually waited outside the room when I was kicked out for the doctors’ visits, but this time Liam encouraged me to go to the waiting room. “Come on, it’ll be good for you to be part of everyone’s excitement. We all need the good news. Also, I think Sophie and Quinn are there.”

I let Liam lead me down the hall and around the corner to the waiting room until I stopped short at the entrance. “They’re all here,” I whispered.

“He’s our brother,” he said simply, as though that said it all.

The second we walked in, Sophie and Quinn swooped in with a giant three-way hug.

“Thank you for being here.”

“Wouldn’t be anywhere else. S-so it’s true, he’s awake?”

“Yes. It was incredible. He looked really good. And happy to see me.”

“Of course he was! Why wouldn’t he be?” Quinn looked genuinely clueless as to why I’d say that.

“He might, you know, blame me for taking so long.”

Quinn grabbed my shoulders. “There is not one person who thinks that except for you.”

“She’s right,” Sophie said. “Get that thought out of your head right now.”

I shrugged. Maybe they were right, maybe not. It didn’t really matter. As long as Dylan was okay, nothing else mattered.

I watched Dylan’s parents talking animatedly with his brothers, while all Dylan’s friends—who were also his brothers—exchanged man hugs and back slaps, excited that Dylan was doing so well.

The celebratory vibe was short-lived. “You incompetent imbeciles!”

I whirled around to see an angry bald man in an SAFD shirt hissing at Sledge, Taco, and the other guys in a very loud stage whisper.

“Who’s that?” I whispered to Sophie.

“That’s their battalion chief,” she whispered back. “None of the firefighters like him.”

Chief Pratt. He looked just as mean as Dylan said. I smiled at the thought of telling him that later. That he was alive and awake for me to tell him.

My smile faded as Chief Pratt continued.

“What took you jackasses so long? Larke was an idiot to go in without waiting for you, but we all know he did that because he was counting on you to be there.”

Ryan stormed over and whispered furtively to him, then Pratt glared directly at me as he continued. “He never should have been exposed for as long as he was, nor should he have been forced to make a dangerous extraction on his own. Imagine the desperation he must have been facing in those moments he waited for backup and realized it wasn’t coming.”

He turned back to the firefighters, spewing more vitriol their way. “You’re damn lucky he survived—barely—and that you got there in time before the kid and woman were killed, or we’d be facing the backlash from the media and the public. Your negligence might cost a good firefighter his career. I hope you remember that when you’re riding the truck, knowing that he never will again.”

My blood flowed like lava, fury and shame blazing through me. Penelope marched up to the battalion chief, the outrage vibrating through her visible even from where I stood. Moose followed behind. They argued quietly, their defensiveness and defiance obvious even though I couldn’t hear their words. I hoped they were defending Dylan as well as themselves. Chief Pratt’s words had been despicable.

Then all three of them turned to look my way. Pratt stared at me as he spat out his parting shot. “You better figure out the weak link that messed this up and make sure it never happens again.”

The battalion chief stormed out and a heavy silence hung over the room before the buzz of worried and angry voices filled my head. Sophie and Quinn each held one of my hands. Chief and Driftwood came over and stood beside them. They said something to me, but I couldn’t make it out over the din in the room, or maybe it was just in my head. I couldn’t tell. Weak link. That’s all I heard, over and over.

Liam came over, followed by Ryan and Brady. They exchanged a look I couldn’t interpret. Liam took my hands, turning me away from the others to face him, worry etched in his face. He bent his knees to get to eye level with me and said something with a soft look, like he was trying to console a young child. His words couldn’t penetrate through the chorus of “ weak link ” screaming at top volume in my head, but I could tell he was trying to make me feel better. I nodded to whatever he said.

I avoided looking at Ryan. What did he say to Chief Pratt? Did he tell him not to blame the firefighters because it was me who took so long to get to them? That I was the weak link?

I had to get away from everyone. I needed space to cry and to clear my head.

“I’m…I…I need…going…” I suddenly realized they were all looking at me. With pity? With blame?

Holding back the tears burning in my eyes, I tried again to excuse myself. I opened my mouth, but my thoughts tangled up like each word was a car in a massive pileup. I couldn’t get any words out around the mess.

“Coffee,” I finally spit out and made a run for it.