Chapter 15 #2
I squeeze my eyes closed and brace myself for him to be pissed at me for what I’m about to say. “Leo, it’s been a day. Literally. You’re still in the hospital, you’re probably on morphine—”
“Tylenol threes,” he interrupts. “I don’t like the heavy stuff.”
“That doesn’t take away my point. You’re probably in some kind of shock right now, so don’t make any rash decisions.”
He laughs again. “North, honey”—my entire body goes hot at that. Honey? Me?—“I’m not in shock. I know what that feels like. Trust me.”
“Um…”
He goes on like he didn’t just rearrange my world with a single word I’m not sure I deserve. “I don’t mean to keep harping on my past, but believe me, this is nothing compared to what I lost before.”
My heart sinks. “Right.”
“Listen—”
“No,” I say quickly, my mood heavy with guilt. “I get it. And you’re allowed to talk about your past with me as much as you want. You know that, right?”
He hums softly in thought. “Thank you. And I’m sure I’ll freak out about all the damage eventually. Right now, I just want to sleep.”
“Sleep is good,” I tell him with a small smile. “I wish I could put my arms around you and hold you while you rest.”
He lets out a satisfied noise. “That would be amazing. Can I see you soon? Preferably without my brother hovering?”
I can’t help the smallest laugh, or the way my stomach swoops like I’m falling. “Yeah. I think I can make something work.”
“Good. I can’t wait.” His voice is firm and sure.
“I should go,” I tell him. “I’m technically on a scene, and I need to look like I’m working.”
“See you soon,” he says, and then the line goes dead.
Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I head back up the lawn when I hear a loud cawing, and a moment later, Russell appears. He lands on the railing, eyeing me with some suspicion, then flies over and perches on my shoulder.
“Hi, buddy.” I stroke a finger over the top of his head so he doesn’t get all riled up, and he nudges me with the sharp end of his beak before settling in the crook of my neck.
He’s obviously not going anywhere, so I bring him inside with me and find Teddy and the other guy in the living room making notes.
Teddy glances over and laughs. “Fucking Snow White over here.”
“Maybe after I teach him how to mend all the holes in my boxers,” I say, then frown. “Is that Snow White?”
“Cinderella,” the other guy says. “My girls are obsessed.”
I grin as Russell begins to clean the hair behind my ear, and I glance around. There’s not much left on the shelves. There are a few knickknacks and some charred books left. Things from Leo’s past I never got the chance to ask about.
The couch is a mutilated pile of burnt filling, fabric, and metal. My stomach twists at the thought of Leo lying there, seizing, knocking down his candles, and nearly burning to death.
“Does the scene corroborate Leo’s story?” I ask.
Teddy’s brows fly up. “I haven’t talked to him yet, and you know I can’t give you details.”
I sigh. “Right.”
The guy slips his pen into his front pocket, then reaches into his trousers for his phone. “I’m gonna go make a call, then head out. You good here?”
Teddy watches his lips intently, then nods. “See you later.” When the guy’s out of earshot, he turns back to me. “What happened last night?”
“Off the record?”
“For now,” Teddy answers. He steps closer to me to hear me better. “How bad is Leo hurt?”
“Not as bad as he could have been. Second-degree burns over both legs and feet.”
Teddy winces hard. “Did you see the house before the fire started?”
I try to will away my blush. “Yeah. I was over here last night bringing him some food, and the power was out, so he’d lit a bunch of candles. I told him to be careful, but he had a seizure and probably knocked them over.”
“Shit,” Teddy whispers. “Was it a bad one?”
“I think he had a few in a row. He was still seizing when I got to the scene.” My voice goes a little tight, and I reach up to stroke over Russell’s beak to calm my nerves. “I talked to him a couple minutes ago, and he seems to be feeling okay now. He doesn’t know how bad the house is.”
Teddy shoots me a grimace. “I’ll hang out for a bit after I interview him. This fucking sucks.”
Bowing my head, I nod. “Yeah. It really does. You know this absolutely was an accident, right?”
Teddy gives me a flat look.
“What? I’m just saying—”
“I know Leo,” Teddy says. “He’s one of my friends. I know this wasn’t on purpose.”
Before I can respond, Easton appears with two bags slung over his shoulder and an irritated look on his face. “Can you do me a favor?” I point at myself, and he nods. “Can you ride with Ted to the hospital and keep an eye on Leo until I can get there? Cam needs me to come in for a bit.”
“You want me to take that stuff to him?” I ask, my heart leaping in my chest. This is my chance. Teddy won’t be able to hang out all day, and whenever Cam says “for a bit,” he means all day.
“That would be great,” Easton says, throwing the bags on the floor. “This is all he needs for now.”
“No problem,” I say. “You gonna cover for me with Cam?”
Easton snorts. “He already knows you won’t be back. We don’t need an extra man on shift right now anyway. Rook’s feeling better, and she’s coming in this afternoon.”
Relief hits me so hard I feel like throwing up. I want to work. I like working. But after last night, I need a moment away.
“I’ll hang out with Leo until Cam frees you. Just text me when you’re on your way.”
He walks over and yanks me into a hug. “Love you.”
He doesn’t say that often, but I know he does. “Love you too. And relax, okay? Leo’s fine.”
His breath shudders, coming out of his chest, and he squeezes in so tight Russell gives an angry caw in both our ears. He doesn’t let go for a long, long moment.
And I think I need the hug just as much as he does.