Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
Travis
I cough. A feeling of something pressing against my face wakes me up. My chest burns with every breath, and my eyes are scratchy, squeezed shut, and watering.
Once my coughing fit passes, I realize it’s an oxygen mask on my face, and when I blink my eyes open and rub at them to clear my vision, the first thing I spot is Isla sitting in a chair next to me.
Relief rushes through me that she’s okay.
As soon as she realizes I’m awake, tears burst from her eyes, and she rushes to my bedside, bending over to hug me. “I was so worried.”
I reach out to wrap my arm around her, but a tug on my hand tops me. I look down to find the IV in my arm.
“I’m okay.” I start to cough again, and she backs up and glares down at me.
“Why would you run into the workshop?” I’ve never seen this look on her. As if she wants to smack me.
“Yeah, what the fuck, Trav?”
Lucas’s voice causes me to look to my other side, and sure enough, both of my brothers are slumped into chairs.
“I had my reasons.” Which I don’t want to discuss now.
“That piece you were making for the contest isn’t worth your life,” Josh says.
No shit.
“Where’s Mom and Dad?” I ask, trying to change the subject. There’s no way my brothers didn’t call them, and if they know what happened, they’ll be here.
“They took Grams and Gramps to the cafeteria. It was Dad’s suggestion. Mom was getting antsy and couldn’t sit still,” Josh says.
I can totally picture my mom fretting and pacing around this hospital room making everyone crazy. Undoubtedly, it likely took some convincing to get her to leave the room.
“I’m going to let the doctor know that you’re awake. Camila’s in the waiting area because they said there were too many people in here, so I’ll fill her in, too.”
I nod and watch him leave.
“What happened in the workshop?” Josh asks.
I glance over at Isla. “I didn’t plan on being in there long. I just had to grab something, but in the short amount of time it took me to get to the other side of the shop, the fire had started to travel down the wall near the door I entered through.” I start coughing again, and it takes me a minute to recover. “I started to make my way toward the other door, and then I don’t know what happened. I’m assuming lack of oxygen from the smoke because I just remember myself getting weaker and weaker, and now I’m here.”
“You could have died,” Isla whispers, and when I look back at her, tears are streaming down her face.
“Hey, hey, c’mere. I’m fine.” I gesture for her to come in for another hug since my arm closest to her can’t move much because of the IV.
She does, and I thank my lucky stars that I’m still here with her. I hate that I frightened her in the first place, but after all the work I did, I just couldn’t bear to let my project go up in flames.
“I’m gonna give you guys a few minutes alone,” Josh says.
I meet his eyes over Isla’s head, and he gives me a look like I’d better fix it, then leaves.
“I’m sorry I scared you.”
Isla pulls away and wipes her tears. “Don’t you ever do that again.”
“Promise.”
Our eyes catch and lock.
“I’m sorry,” we say in unison. We both laugh, which spurs another cough.
Once I’ve stopped, Isla continues. “I’m sorry for what happened earlier today at the office. We needed to talk about it, but that wasn’t the time or place to do it.”
“Isla, I need you to know that I don’t have any lingering feelings for Katherine. I’ll admit that her comments when we saw her hit their mark momentarily, but being with you and talking about it on the drive home erased any of that. You’ve always made me feel like enough.”
She hugs me again, and I press my lips to the top of her head.
“What did the doctor say when they brought me in?”
Worry tightens her features. “He said that you inhaled a lot of smoke but that you should be fine. They did an x-ray, but he wants to do one in a few days too because sometimes it takes a while for the damage to show up.”
I gesture for her to give me her hand. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll be good as new in a couple of weeks.” When she slides her hand in mine, I squeeze it.
We talk for another couple of minutes, and then Josh and Lucas return.
“The doctor is with another patient but will be in shortly to see you. Mom and Dad and Grams and Gramps are on their way up from the cafeteria.”
I nod.
“Get ready for Grams to dote on you,” Josh says and laughs.
“Any idea what started the fire?” Lucas asks no one in particular.
“Before you got there, I heard someone say they figured it was dry lightning,” Josh says.
“Makes sense. We’ve hardly had any rain lately, and I noticed the dark clouds high in the sky on my drive home,” I say. “Shit. Am I homeless?”
“You’re always welcome to stay with Camila and me,” Lucas says.
Josh looks between us. “Um, I can’t offer you my place because my spare bedroom is already spoken for.”
“You and Brady finally make it official?” I chuckle at my own joke, which sets off a coughing fit.
“Funny,” Josh deadpans. “Nova moved in with me.”
“Brady’s little sister is your roommate?” Lucas asks in astonishment.
Josh shrugs. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Says you,” Lucas says.
“If he’s moving in with anyone, it’s going to be me,” Isla says. I look over at her. “If that’s what you want.”
“You think I’d rather live with one of these shitheads than my beautiful girlfriend?”
Isla smiles, and it’s at that moment that I know we’ll be okay.
“I sure hope not. Otherwise, you’d have some explaining to do.” She winks at me.
When I laugh, I start coughing again, and of course, the rest of my family chooses that moment to walk through the hospital room door, which earns me all kinds of doting that I wish I could refuse, but I’m strapped in with an IV and an oxygen tube under my nose.
Because the only person I want doting on me is Isla. Preferably in a sexy nurse’s outfit.