Chapter 40
Jenna must’ve finally dozed off because the buzzing of her phone startled her awake.
Tyson. The fire must be out. He was calling to set her mind at ease. She grabbed for her phone and blinked at the screen.
Ronda?
She could think of only one reason Ty’s mom would be calling her at this hour. Jenna sprang upright, her heart thrashing as
she stabbed at the Accept button. “What’s wrong?”
“Jenna, it’s Ty. He’s on his way to Riverview Shore.”
“What happened?”
“I’m not sure exactly. I was so flustered. Chief said something about smoke inhalation and a head injury. Rick and I are getting
ready to leave now.”
“I’ll be right over.” Jenna disconnected the call, flung off the covers, and jumped from the bed. She was halfway down the
steps when she realized she was still in her pajamas.
Think, Jenna!
She quickly changed into the clothes she’d worn that night, grabbed her purse, and made it all the way to the front door before
remembering her mom.
She rushed into her mother’s room and tapped her shoulder. “Mom. Mom, wake up.”
“Huh? Jenna? What’s wrong?”
“Ty’s headed to the hospital. He got injured on a call. I’m riding with the Parkers.”
“Wait.” Mom sat up. “I’ll go with you.”
Mom would hold them up by at least ten minutes. And Jenna didn’t want to put her through another stressful wait at the hospital.
“No, stay here. I just wanted you to know where I was.” Jenna backed to the door. “Pray for him, Mom.”
“Of course, honey. Let me know when you get there.”
Jenna dashed from the house and tore across the street, panic rising with each step. The Parkers were exiting their house,
rushing toward their crossover as frantically as she was.
As they converged on the vehicle, Rick fumbled with his key fob.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Ronda said.
“He’ll be okay,” Jenna said by rote. He had to be. She couldn’t lose him. Her heart couldn’t take it.
The doors finally gave a click and they all piled in, Jenna in the back.
Rick started the car and backed out onto the street. Then they lurched forward.
Jenna pressed a hand to her chest. Tried to slow her breathing. Please, God. Let him be okay.
It would be a long forty-minute ride to the mainland hospital.
The clock read one o’clock and still they’d had no word.
Luke and a handful of firefighters kept Jenna and the Parkers company in the emergency waiting room.
They’d gotten the gist of the story from Luke.
Tyson had been rescuing a teenage girl from the fire when the ceiling collapsed.
He was briefly unconscious, and Riggs and Novak pulled him from the flames.
By the time they loaded him in the ambulance, he’d taken in a lot of smoke, but he was coherent.
But smoke inhalation was tricky. The high temperatures could burn the airways. Low levels of oxygen could lead to seizures
or even a coma. Plus he’d been knocked out by falling debris, which meant he also had a traumatic brain injury. A TBI could
present all kinds of problems, up to and including death.
Panic squeezed her chest, making it hard to breathe. She flashed back to fifteen years ago when she’d sat in the ER with her
mom, waiting for word on her father. Flashed back to the nurse who came to speak with them, the bad news written all over
her face.
No. No, that wouldn’t happen to Tyson. He was young and healthy. He hadn’t been involved in a chemical explosion.
Jenna wanted to run from the building and keep going till her legs gave out. But that was stupid. Instead she closed her eyes,
shutting out all the movement around her, and said a prayer for him.
She had to stop thinking the worst. Be positive. Any minute now a nurse would come and tell them he was fine and would be
discharged soon.
But the memory of that long-ago night played in her mind, terrorizing her. Making her short on breath. Long on panic. She
jumped to her feet, startling Rick and Ronda.
“I’m going to— I have to move around.” Or she was going to jump right out of her skin.
She paced the short hallway near the front desk where a patient filled out forms. Her stomach gave a rumble but she couldn’t
even think of eating.
What if Ty had taken in too much smoke? And what about carbon monoxide poisoning, one of the most immediate causes of death following smoke inhalation?
Tyson could die.
She moved her hand to her throat. As she turned to retrace her path, a nurse came through the double doors and headed toward
the waiting room. She could be going to talk to anyone, but Jenna quickened her steps anyway and arrived as Rick and Ronda
stood in front of the nurse.
“Mr. and Mrs. Parker?”
“Yes,” Ronda said. “How is he?”
“He’s going to be okay. We’re treating him for smoke inhalation, but his airways aren’t compromised. The X-ray checked out
and he’s on supplemental oxygen, but he tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Ronda nearly wilted with relief. “Thank God.”
Jenna’s breath rushed from her lungs. She pressed a hand to her chest. Thank You, Jesus.
“What about his head injury?” Rick asked.
“He has a concussion and nausea, which we’re treating him for, but he’s coherent and his CT was clear. For a couple days he’ll
need physical and mental rest. That means steering clear of stimulation like the TV and his phone. No screens or reading.
We’ll be dismissing him soon, but he should make an appointment with his doctor in the next week. Lung injuries can take time
to show up. But overall, very good news.”
“Thank you so much,” Rick said. “Can we see him?”
The nurse glanced around at the relieved firefighters, many of whom still had soot on their faces. “Keep it to just a few
of you. Right through those doors, room 118.”
The Parkers and Jenna were already moving that way. Ronda gave her hand a squeeze. “He’s going to be okay.”
“Yes, he is.” Jenna’s legs wobbled so badly they nearly gave out as they headed down the hallway.
Moments later they entered the room and found Tyson sitting up in bed, looking safe and healthy. Except for the nasal cannula
and sooty face, he could’ve been home on his sofa, watching a Braves game instead of receiving emergency medical care in the
hospital.
“Honey, we were so worried.” Ronda gathered her son awkwardly into her arms.
Rick patted his arm. “Your mom’s been squeezing my hand so hard, it’s lost circulation.”
“Sorry about the scare. As you can see, I’m fine.” Over his mom’s shoulder Ty’s gaze found Jenna.
She averted her eyes. She didn’t want him seeing the fear that paralyzed her. What was wrong with her? She should be over
by his bed, offering comfort like his parents. But instead she was stuck in her own head, her feet rooted to the floor. She
had to actually think about drawing a breath.
I could’ve lost him. Oh God, I could’ve lost him.
Tyson caught them up on the medical side of things, coughing intermittently. He asked about the teenage girl, who they’d heard
was doing well and also about to be discharged.
“Good, good. I’m so glad.” Ty’s voice was hoarse, but he did seem fine otherwise.
His gaze suddenly sharpened on Jenna and something flickered in his eyes. He held out his hand. “Come here.”
She eased her way over to the bed.
“Your hand is freezing,” he said after he’d taken it in his.
“The waiting room was cold.” Or was it? She couldn’t remember.
All that panic sluicing through her had consumed her.
And now that the good news had been delivered, she was in some kind of freefall.
The aftermath of the adrenaline rush? Whatever it was, it left her body heavy and sluggish, her brain foggy.
His parents were talking, his dad getting all the details of the fire, and Jenna tuned them out. She didn’t want to hear about
the blaze Tyson had been in or a play-by-play of his accident.
Because it turned out that even though the emergency had passed, the panic had not.