Chapter Eleven
Aurora
The following day began quietly enough. Elyssa occupied one end of the dining table with schoolwork while I attempted to convince myself that lesson planning from home counted as productivity rather than impatience.
Oliver moved between us periodically, apparently determined to ensure neither of us was neglected for too long.
The arrangement had become familiar over the previous couple of weeks, and for the first time since the accident I found myself focusing more on the future than on recovery.
Part of that future involved dinner this evening.
I had spent an embarrassing amount of time deciding what to wear despite while repeatedly reminding myself that it was only dinner.
The argument accomplished very little because every time I settled on one outfit, I immediately questioned the decision and considered another.
Elyssa found the entire process far more entertaining than necessary.
"You know it's not a formal event."
I looked up from my latest selection.
"I know."
"You've changed your mind three times."
"Twice."
"Three."
"I'm not counting the first one."
Elyssa smiled.
"Of course you aren't."
I was preparing a response when my phone vibrated on the table beside me.
Expecting another message from Jasper who’d been texting me on and off all day, I reached for it without looking at the screen.
The unfamiliar number immediately caught my attention.
For a moment I considered letting the call go to voicemail before deciding against it.
"Hello?"
"Aurora Brown?"
The male voice was unfamiliar.
"Yes."
"This is Lieutenant Cody Norris."
Confusion immediately replaced curiosity.
"Cody?"
"I work with Jasper."
I straightened in my chair.
"Is everything okay?"
Several seconds of silence followed.
"No."
The single word altered everything and my stomach tightened.
"What’s happened?"
"There was a structure fire early this morning. We had a floor collapse during a search operation."
The room suddenly felt much smaller.
"Is Jasper okay?"
"He's alive."
The answer should have reassured me. Instead, it only confirmed that something serious had happened.
"Where is he?"
"Mercy Hospital."
I gripped the phone more tightly.
"What are his injuries?"
"They're still running tests. He was conscious when they brought him out, but the doctors wanted additional imaging. They're taking him into surgery."
The information settled heavily between us.
"Surgery?"
"Yeah."
His voice remained calm, but exhaustion lingered beneath the surface.
"I actually have Jasper's phone with me. He handed it over before they took him for scans. A little while ago it buzzed with a message from you and this is the first chance I’ve had to call."
Understanding arrived immediately.
Dinner.
Without thinking, I opened my messages. My final text remained sitting there unanswered.
Me: Looking forward to tonight.
For several seconds I stared at the screen. Then I forced myself to focus.
"Where are you exactly?"
"Waiting area outside surgery."
"I'm coming."
"Aurora—"
"I'm coming."
The response emerged before he could finish whatever argument he intended making.
"Okay."
He gave me directions to the surgical waiting area before ending the call. For several moments I remained seated with the phone still pressed against my ear. Elyssa was watching me with concern.
"What happened?"
The question was quiet.
I lowered the phone.
"There was a fire."
Concern immediately replaced curiosity.
"Jasper?"
I nodded.
"He was injured."
"How badly?"
"I don't know yet. That was a colleague of his, Cody.”
My voice sounded distant even to me.
"He's at Mercy Hospital. Cody said they're taking him into surgery."
Elyssa stood immediately.
"We're leaving now."
The decision required no discussion. Being able to now put weight on my CAM walker, I forgot about crutches and within minutes we were in the car heading toward the hospital.
The drive felt considerably longer than it actually was.
Traffic moved normally, pedestrians crossed intersections, and the city continued operating exactly as it had before the phone call.
The contrast felt strange. Only a short time earlier I’d been debating outfit choices and exchanging messages about dinner reservations.
Now I was trying not to imagine every possible outcome while knowing almost nothing about Jasper’s actual condition.
Elyssa attempted conversation twice before wisely abandoning the effort.
She understood me well enough to recognize when silence was preferable.
Oliver had been left with a neighbour who occasionally helped me when Elyssa was working, and I found myself absurdly grateful that at least one problem had been solved without requiring additional thought.
By the time we reached Mercy Hospital, my nerves felt stretched thin.
Elyssa parked near the emergency entrance before helping me navigate from the car and heading off to find a parking space. I waited until she returned and we made our way inside.
The boot made speed impossible, which only added to my frustration. Every instinct urged me to move faster than my body currently allowed. We eventually reached the surgical waiting area where a man in Firehouse 99 clothing immediately stood when he saw us approach.
"Cody?"
He nodded.
"Aurora?"
"Yes."
Relief crossed his face.
"I'm glad you found the place okay."
I introduced Elyssa and then looked beyond him toward the closed doors leading deeper into the surgical department.
"How long has he been in there?"
"About an hour."
The answer wasn't particularly reassuring.
"What happened?"
Cody exhaled slowly before settling back into his chair. I lowered myself carefully into a nearby chair and Elyssa did the same.
"There was a kid trapped on the second floor. We found him and got him moving toward the stairs but the floor gave way before Jasper reached the landing."
"He fell through?"
"About twelve feet."
The image immediately formed in my mind despite my efforts to prevent it.
"He landed hard."
Cody rubbed a hand across the back of his neck.
"They were worried about his shoulder straight away. There was concern about internal injuries too, which is why they moved so quickly."
The explanation answered several questions while creating new ones.
"Was he conscious?"
"Mostly."
The answer seemed carefully chosen.
"He was talking to us during extraction and the pain medication kicked in pretty quickly once the paramedics got hold of him."
Some of the tension eased from my chest.
Not all of it.
Just enough to breathe normally again.
The waiting room settled into a strange rhythm after that.
Nurses moved in and out periodically and spoke with families occupying chairs throughout the area.
Conversations occurred quietly around us, each person carrying concerns of their own.
Time seemed to move differently inside hospitals.
Minutes stretched unexpectedly while entire hours disappeared without warning.
Eventually the surgical doors opened. A doctor stepped into the waiting area and looked around before approaching our group.
"Family for Jasper Cartwright?"
Nobody moved immediately. Then Cody stood.
"I'm his colleague. His parents are overseas and there’s no other family."
The doctor nodded.
"That's fine."
The exhaustion visible on the surgeon's face suggested he’d had a long night.
"Mr Cartwright is doing well."
The relief that accompanied those words was immediate and overwhelming.
"The surgery was successful. He suffered a fractured clavicle, several cracked ribs, and a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. Fortunately, there was no spinal injury and no significant internal bleeding. The shoulder required surgical repair, which is what we've completed this morning."
I listened carefully to every word.
"Will he recover fully?" I asked.
The doctor looked toward me.
"That's the expectation."
The answer loosened the tightness I’d felt in my chest ever since Cody had called.
"He'll need rehabilitation and follow-up treatment. The shoulder will require time to heal properly, and he'll be restricted from work for at least two weeks, possibly longer depending on how recovery progresses. He’ll be available for light duties only for at least eight weeks and then we’ll reevaluate. "
Two weeks.
Considering the alternatives, two weeks sounded remarkably reasonable.
"When can we see him?"
"He'll be moved to recovery shortly. Assuming everything remains stable, visitors should be able to see him within the hour."
The doctor answered several additional questions before returning to his other patients.
The moment he disappeared, everyone seemed to exhale simultaneously. Cody leaned back in his chair.
"That's the best outcome we could've hoped for."
I nodded.
"Thank you for calling me."
His expression softened slightly.
"I wasn't sure if I should."
"I'm glad you did."
The next hour passed more easily than the previous two. The uncertainty had been replaced by information, and information was considerably easier to handle. Jasper was injured and faced rehabilitation along with time away from work but most importantly, he was alive and expected to recover.
When a nurse finally informed us that two visitors were now permitted, Cody and I stood immediately.
Elyssa smiled and nodded.
"I'll be right here."
The nurse led us to a private room further along the corridor. By the time we arrived, my heartbeat had accelerated enough that I became uncomfortably aware of it. The nurse opened the door before quietly stepping aside.
Jasper lay propped against several pillows. His left shoulder was heavily bandaged and secured in a sling. Bruising had already begun forming along one side of his face, and fatigue was evident. Even so, his eyes immediately moved toward the doorway when we entered.
"There he is," Cody remarked.
Jasper managed a small smile.