Chapter Four
THE FIREFIGHTERS WERE in the store’s parking lot by the time West stepped outside. He looked around, trying to see if he recognized any of them. His eyes stung, and he didn’t really care who was there. He needed to get Jonathan to the paramedics.
Two of them ran toward them. They reached for Jonathan, and for a second, West growled at them. He shocked himself and stopped in time, but it had been close. He hoped the paramedics would think he was coughing or something.
“Be nice,”
Jonathan whispered as he wiggled until West put him down.
He wobbled, so West didn’t fully let go. He didn’t growl again when one of the paramedics reached for Jonathan a second time.
“I’m fine,”
Jonathan told the paramedic. “You should focus on the others.”
The paramedic didn’t look impressed as she shone a light into Jonathan’s eyes. “There are enough of us to go around. Can you walk?”
“I’ll carry him,”
West declared.
The paramedic squinted at him. “You’re a firefighter.”
“I am. I was grocery shopping when the fire started.”
She nodded. “We had someone tell us that two men helped her get out.”
“That would be us.”
“Well, the two of you saved lives today,”
she said, turning to Jonathan. “Now, it’s time to focus on yourself. You both need to be checked out.”
Jonathan looked like he was about to argue, so West glared at him. Jonathan snapped his mouth shut, surprising both himself and West if his expression was anything to go by. West didn’t give him time to change his mind about going along. He hooked his arms around Jonathan and hauled him into his arms again.
“I don’t need an ambulance,”
Jonathan mumbled as West walked behind the paramedics. “I’m fine.”
“Unless it’s your job to assess your health, you’ll have to let the professionals do it. Hell, even if you were a doctor, it would be better for someone else to check you out.”
“I’m sure there are people who need paramedics more than I do.”
“Maybe so, but between the smoke inhalation, the two explosions, and the shelf that fell on you, I don’t want to risk it.”
“A shelf fell on him?”
the second paramedic asked.
West was pretty sure he’d worked with them before, but he didn’t remember their names. They didn’t matter right now. Only Jonathan did. “And part of the ceiling.”
“He’s definitely going to the hospital, then.”
“He’s right here and doesn’t need to be fussed over,”
Jonathan complained.
Both the paramedics and West ignored him. “I’ll make sure he goes,”
West said.
“You can ride in the ambulance with your boyfriend,”
the first paramedic said as they reached the rig. “It should keep him happy until he gets to the hospital.”
West waited for Jonathan to explain that they weren’t together and that West definitely wasn’t his boyfriend. He’d seemed so wary of him today and back at the tattoo shop that West wouldn’t be surprised if Jonathan never wanted anything to do with him again after today. He’d been thinking about going to the shop to ask for Jonathan’s number, but all of that was over. He wouldn’t bother Jonathan.
“This is ridiculous,”
Jonathan continued, grousing as they helped him settle on the gurney. “I’m okay. I’m not in pain beyond what’s normal, considering what happened. Nothing’s broken.”
“You breathed in a lot of smoke,”
West said gently. “And the doctors will want to make sure you didn’t get hurt when the shelf fell on you. You’re going to the hospital whether you want it or not.”
West would carry him there himself if he had to.
Jonathan wrinkled his nose. “I could just walk away. No one can force me to go.”
West arched a brow. Jonathan was more stubborn than he’d expected. “Are you sure about that?”
JONATHAN WOULD’VE THOUGHT that after getting confirmation that West was a dragon shifter, he’d be freaking out pretty badly. Dragon shifters were bad news, so he should want to get away from West as quickly as possible.
He wasn’t thinking about that. He didn’t want to get away from West.
It would’ve been easy. Jonathan just had to tell the paramedics that West wasn’t his boyfriend, and they would kick him out. For some reason, though, Jonathan kept his mouth shut. He was going to the hospital whether he liked it or not, and he didn’t want to go alone.
West sat by Jonathan’s side and took his hand, linking their fingers together. He kept glancing at Jonathan as if he expected him to start screaming and to push him away, but Jonathan clung to West’s hand as he tried to breathe. His lungs felt heavy, and they made a distinct rattling sound that he usually only heard when he was sick.
Okay, maybe he did need to go to the hospital.
It wasn’t only his lungs. He felt like he’d been squished like a pancake, and in a way, he had been. That shelf had been fucking heavy, and he’d been pinned to the floor. He would still be there if West hadn’t been with him. Hell, he’d be roasting if he hadn’t crossed paths with West today.
But West had been with him. He’d saved him.
Maybe not all dragon shifters were bad, after all.
Jonathan had always known that. Sal was a dragon shifter. He was mean and abusive, but he was only one man. Just like most humans were nice people, most dragon shifters were probably perfectly fine. Jonathan had met the worst of them, and it had tainted the way he saw all dragons.
But West was a dragon shifter, too, and he’d helped people today at the store. He’d saved Jonathan’s life, along with at least a few others. Sal wouldn’t have done any of that. He would’ve run out of the store as soon as he realized something was wrong. Hell, he wouldn’t have been in the store in the first place because he didn’t do his own grocery shopping. He had people who did that for him.
West was a dragon shifter and a firefighter. He’d saved lives today and many other days, and he was looking at Jonathan with concern as if he cared about him. Jonathan wanted to believe he did, at least for a moment. The world would still suck tomorrow when he woke up from what felt like a dream, but right now, he could complain and whine and have West take care of him.
It probably wouldn’t last long. They barely knew each other, and Jonathan hadn’t been great to West, even when West had tried talking to him. West probably just wanted to make sure that Jonathan got to the hospital, and once Jonathan got there, he’d leave. Jonathan wouldn’t argue. He didn’t want to do this alone, but he didn’t have to do it with West. He could call Caleb or Christy or one of his other friends.
He didn’t want to.
The ambulance ride was silent. He could hear the beeping of the machine that monitored his heart, which was strangely reassuring, even though he could feel his heart beating in his chest. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out, careful not to take a deep breath because it hurt like hell when he did. He was exhausted, which didn’t make sense because he’d only woken up an hour and a half ago. Today had been messy, something he hadn’t expected when he’d decided to go to the grocery store.
The ambulance eventually stopped. Jonathan blinked his eyes open in time to see the back doors open. West stayed by his side as Jonathan was unloaded and brought into the hospital.
“What happened to you?”
a nurse asked as she reached Jonathan and West. She looked West up and down, clearly alarmed.
“Fire at the grocery store. I’m fine,”
West reassured her. “But Jonathan needs to be checked out. He inhaled a lot of smoke, and a shelf fell on top of him.”
Jonathan glared at West. “You don’t have to tell everyone that.”
“Marcy’s a nurse. She needs to know what happened to you.”
More nurses arrived, along with a doctor. They all seemed to know West, which wasn’t a surprise considering his job. West told them everything they needed to know about Jonathan and what had happened to him. Jonathan didn’t miss how focused West was on him. It made him feel flustered and made his heart race.
It wasn’t a good idea since he was hooked up to a heart monitor.
The beeping increased, alarming everyone. Jonathan tried to take a deep breath so he could calm down, but the only thing that happened was that he ended up coughing.
It was harsh and wracked his chest. It felt as if he was about to cough up one of his lungs, and he reached out, grabbing West’s hand and squeezing it tight as he tried to get through it.
A nurse placed an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. Someone was rubbing his back, and from the touch, he could tell it was West. He had no idea how he could guess, but he was sure of it.
“Breathe,”
West said.
“I’m trying,”
Jonathan wheezed.
“Try harder.”
Jonathan glared, but West had managed to snap him out of it. He was careful when he sucked in a breath, then another, and finally leaned back.
“West, you’re going to have to leave,”
Marcy, the nurse, said. She looked apologetic but firm.
For a second, Jonathan panicked and clung to West’s hand. He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to be left alone, even though no one here would hurt him.
“Can I stay?”
West asked, giving her puppy eyes. “He’s my fiancé.”
Jonathan arched a brow. He’d been upgraded from boyfriend to fiancé? He didn’t even have a ring.
Marcy and the doctor exchanged a glance. The doctor nodded. “You can stay. Your man doesn’t seem to be too badly hurt. There’s definitely something up with his lungs, so we’ll have to check that. I’d like to keep him here for a few hours, maybe the rest of the day. I want to keep an eye on him.”
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t go anywhere. He’s a runner,”
West teased.
Jonathan glared at him. He wasn’t a runner. Hell, he could think of nothing worse than running. He’d never understand why people did it willingly.
Everything went quickly after that. Jonathan was tired, and his eyes slid close a few times. He tried his best to stay awake because the sooner he was out of there, the better, but eventually, he was placed into a room, and he allowed himself to doze off.
“Where is he?”
a loud voice asked, waking him up.
Jonathan blinked at the ceiling and realized he and West were still holding hands. West gently pulled away just in time for the door to open.
Caleb rushed in. His eyes were wide as he looked around, frantically searching for Jonathan. Jonathan raised his hand and waved at him, and Caleb’s eyes narrowed. “You’re waving at me?”
“What else am I supposed to do?”
“You almost burned to death, and you’re waving at me?”
“I didn’t almost burn to death. There was a fire, and it’s a little hard to breathe, but I’m fine.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
He rushed to Jonathan’s side and hovered there, looking Jonathan up and down as if trying to find wounds Jonathan hadn’t mentioned.
“How did you know to come?”
Jonathan asked. West had taken his phone away earlier, so maybe he’d called.
“I’m your emergency contact,”
Caleb said, turning his attention back to Jonathan’s face. “Although the nurse was surprised about that. She said she expected your fiancé to be your emergency contact, especially since he’s a firefighter.”
Someone at the door made a sound, causing the three of them to turn. Jonathan groaned when he saw the other firefighter who’d been at the tattoo shop with West the other day. He was staring at West, who rubbed his face with a hand.
“What are you doing here, Austin?”
“I got a call from Francis. He told me my partner was in the hospital.”
“I’m not in the hospital.”
“Technically, you are, even though you’re not a patient.”
Austin glanced at Jonathan. “Francis was gleeful when he told me that you were here with your fiancé.”
“That’s what the nurse who gave me the room number said,”
Caleb said, sounding delighted.
Jonathan wasn’t going to survive this, was he?
WEST WISHED THAT AUSTIN would shut up. He glared at him, hoping his best friend would get the message, but Austin looked way too happy to continue teasing West.
“When did you get engaged? You didn’t tell me anything.”
Austin pressed a big hand over his heart. “I thought I was your best friend.”
Caleb snickered as if this was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Jonathan looked ready to climb off the bed and hide under it or maybe run out the door. If he wasn’t hurt, West would grab him and do just that. They needed to wait for the results of the exams, though, and Jonathan needed rest, not to run down the hospital’s hallways.
“I didn’t want to leave Jonathan alone,”
West explained through gritted teeth, still glaring at Austin.
It was clear from Austin’s expression that he was amused, but at least he stopped smirking like an idiot. “I get it. You realize you got yourself in trouble, though, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Everyone’s going to know you’re engaged now. You’re going to have to answer so many questions, and not only from our station.”
West groaned. He hadn’t thought of that, and he should have. He’d been panicking at the thought of something happening to Jonathan while he wasn’t there, and he hadn’t wanted to leave him on his own. He wouldn’t have been allowed in with him if he hadn’t lied.
At least Caleb and Austin were distracting Jonathan. West was used to what had happened today. It was his job, and more than that, he was a dragon shifter. Fire didn’t scare him. He’d seen dead bodies before. He’d smelled what happened when someone died in a fire.
But Jonathan had never lived through any of that, and it wouldn’t be easy for him. He might not have been hurt much physically, but mentally, he would need some time to wrap his mind around everything and come to terms with it. West wished he could help him, but he wasn’t sure Jonathan would allow him to.
He’d been about to walk away from West before the first explosion. Maybe he couldn’t wait for West to leave. Maybe he was relieved that his friend was here because it meant that West didn’t have to stick around. West wanted to ask him so he could be sure of what Jonathan wanted, but he didn’t dare do it in front of Austin and Caleb.
The door opened, and the doctor walked in. Her steps faltered when she took in everyone in the room, but she knew West and Austin. When a firefighter was hurt, their entire station stuck around. They weren’t usually in the room itself, but still.
“You know you two shouldn’t be here, right?”
she asked.
West was amused when he realized she was talking to Austin and Caleb. She thought that Jonathan was West’s boyfriend, so for her, the other two were intruders.
West glanced at Austin, who rolled his eyes.
“We can go,”
Austin offered.
“It’s fine,”
Jonathan said. “You’re going to know anyway. You might as well stay.”
The doctor shrugged and looked down at her tablet. “As we thought, there’s nothing you won’t recover from. You have a sprained ankle and some smoke inhalation, but you were very lucky.”
“I know,”
Jonathan murmured.
He and West weren’t engaged, but that didn’t mean West couldn’t comfort him. Maybe Jonathan wouldn’t want him to be the person to do it, but maybe he would accept it. There was only one way for West to find out.
He reached for Jonathan’s hand and linked their fingers together. Jonathan blinked up at him, and West waited for him to push him away, maybe to ask him what he was doing. Instead, Jonathan smiled softly and turned his attention back to the doctor. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“It’s not. As I said, it could’ve been much worse. It would’ve been if you hadn’t been with a firefighter.”
“I was just doing my job,”
West muttered.
“You weren’t working, so no, you weren’t doing your job,”
Jonathan argued. “Never mind. I know you won’t ever change your mind.”
He looked at the doctor. “Can I get back to work?”
“Not today. You’ll need someone to keep an eye on you for a few days, but I can discharge you later this afternoon. You’re not a firefighter, are you?”
“God, no. I’m a tattoo artist.”
The doctor nodded and took a note on the tablet. “In that case, as long as you can sit down while you’re working, I don’t see a problem with you returning to work. If you feel out of breath, though, make sure to rest, and if it doesn’t pass, you’ll need to come back.”
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,”
Caleb promised. The way he was glaring at Jonathan told everyone in the room that Jonathan would have to walk over his dead body if he wanted to do something the doctor would disagree with.
West was glad. He wouldn’t be there to keep an eye on Jonathan, but at least Jonathan wouldn’t be alone. It was clear that Caleb cared about him. The way they behaved with each other didn’t make them sound like a couple, but they were close.
West hadn’t missed the way Austin had sniffed Caleb when he’d stopped next to him. He was curious and wanted to do the same, but Austin would tell him what he found out. West couldn’t smell it for himself because of the heavy stench of disinfectant and hospital. From the other side of Jonathan’s bed, he wasn’t close enough to be able to ignore those. He also didn’t want to look like a creep going around sniffing people, but he didn’t have any problems with Austin being one.
The doctor didn’t linger after she’d given Jonathan her orders. For a moment, the four of them stood in the room in silence, but West knew what would come out of Austin’s mouth as soon as Austin opened it again.
“So, how did it happen? When did you get engaged?”
Jonathan looked like he wanted to strangle Austin. If he wanted to give it a try, West would be happy to hold Austin down for him.
“Thank you,”
Jonathan said, turning to look at West and ignoring Austin and Caleb. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been there, but I doubt I’d be getting away with only a sprained ankle.”
“And smoke inhalation. You have to be careful with that.”
Jonathan bit his lower lip. West wanted to stay, but he was worried about what he’d do if he did. He had no idea what Jonathan wanted, and Jonathan needed rest and sleep before he could make any kind of decision about anything.
“Maybe I could give you my number so you can check on me and reassure yourself that I’m fine,”
Jonathan offered.
West told himself it was just a friendly offer. He wasn’t entirely convinced of that, but now wasn’t the time and place. “That would be great.”
“He sucks at texting, though,”
Austin teased. “He uses proper punctuation and everything. Takes him ages.”
“I don’t usually text, but I can do that if that’s what you’re most comfortable with,”
West told Jonathan. He’d make Austin pay later.
“We’ll figure it out.”
It sounded like Jonathan might want something with West. At the very least, he wanted to get to know him, and West was down for that. He didn’t know where it would lead, but he didn’t need to. Maybe Jonathan would only ever be a friend. West would be perfectly happy with that.