On Fire - Deelylah Mullin Read online

  She laughed as she grasped Elliott’s hand. “No harm, no foul.” She winked. “I’m just bustin’ your chops.”

  Elliott mimicked her. “Yeah. Bustin’ your chops, Mr. Reed. That means she likes you.”

  Red crept across Harper’s cheeks and she turned away from Reed, focusing on Elliott. “I suppose that’s right. Make sure you thank Mr. Reed. I’m sure he has other people to save today.”

  Reed stood, rooted to the spot. God, she’s gorgeous. I love the way she is with her son.

  “Thank you, Mr. Reed,” Elliott singsonged.

  Reed patted the padded end of the gurney. “Anytime, son. Now, you take care of your momma, okay?”

  “I will,” the boy said.

  Harper’s eyes met his and held him captive while she mouthed Thank you and smiled again.

  Ryder handed Harper her purse, nodded at her, and nudged Reed out of the way as he swung the double doors of the ambulance closed, then strode up the driver’s side of the vehicle to take his precious cargo to the hospital.

  I’ll bet it’s shift change by now. Maybe I should run over to Parkland and see if Harper needs anything. She’d said Elliott only had her—maybe she needed a friend to make sure the two of them were safely situated at home.

  Who am I kidding? I can’t wait to see her again.

  CHAPTER TWO

  With all the chaos of the accident and being extricated from her demolished car, Harper was riding an adrenaline high. Her relief over Elliott holding her hand, talking to her, was palpable in the bright emergency room.

  Doctors and nurses buzzed around the ward-style triage center, and she could only grin. Elliott will be fine, and Reed was perfect. He was like a knight in shining armor—like something you only see in romance novels.

  And, she’d probably never see him again.

  She deflated a little, but Elliott poked her.

  “Momma, why are you smiling like that?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m just glad we’re both fine, baby.”

  His face scrunched up and he said, defiantly, “I’m not a baby.”

  She laughed. “I know you’re not. You’re my big man.” She squeezed his hand as he hugged the stuffed bear a nurse had given him.

  They’d been in the ER for a little over five hours—they’d taken Elliot for a CT scan to determine the extent of his concussion and were awaiting results.

  It was taking forever. All she wanted was to take her son home, give him a bath, and curl up on the couch with him to watch some Disney flick until he fell asleep. Then, she’d carry him to his bed, tuck him in, and take a long, hot bath to work out the kinks in her muscles from the accident.

  She’d been cleared by the doctors over an hour earlier. They’d said she’d probably be sore for the next few days, but only had some bumps and bruises.

  They’d been very lucky—it could’ve been worse.

  “When is PopPop going to get here? I want to go home.” Elliott yawned and settled farther into the pillow.

  “He should be here soon. We still have to wait for the doctors to tell us you can leave, though.” Worry ripped through her. What if Elliott had to stay? They’d said it was a possibility. I’ll cross that bridge when it happens.

  She checked her phone, hoping she hadn’t missed a call or text from her dad. He’d been frantic that he was out of town on business and couldn’t be there right away. And, knowing her dad, he would give her a play-by-play of his travels.

  But there weren’t any messages.

  Elliott had drifted off, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

  What if the hospital discharged her son and her dad wasn’t there yet? Who could she call? She didn’t really have any friends—not since Kane’s death just over five years prior. It was like the entirety of her life had been tied up with the police force. She’d formed a bond with other police wives—a small clutch of them had shopped together, had girls’ night out together, and even had book club together.

  Like their husbands, they were inseparable. Until Kane was killed.

  She shook her head to clear the longing for companionship. Elliott was enough.

  But, he doesn’t need me as much anymore. She’d been considering picking up painting again—she missed the sweeping brush strokes and blending colors. It’d be a lot more fun with some friends and a bottle of wine, though.

  She sighed and stared at her sleeping son, wondering how she allowed herself to close off from people. And wondering how the hell they’d get home.

  Thank god I don’t have a car here—no one should trust me behind the wheel. I almost got my son killed! Images of her life without Elliott flashed through her mind. A tear escaped, even though she fought to hold it back.

  “Hey, Harper.”

  A warm hand brushed away the tear, and she sighed again, leaning into the touch.

  “You okay? Elliott’s fine, right?”

  She turned to face the rich voice rumbling in her ear. She blinked in surprise. “Oh. It’s you.” The fireman from the accident—the one that had freed Elliott and sat with her while they cut apart her car so she could get out—knelt next to her.

  He stuck out his hand. “Reed Stephens.” He grasped her hand firmly.

  “I remember. Thanks so much for being so great with Elliott today.” Her eyes met his and she took in the brilliant green of his irises, rimmed with the darkest, thickest lashes she’d ever seen.

  He shifted and released her hand before dragging long fingers through his nearly black, wavy hair. It was close-cropped on the sides, but he wore it longer on top. Her fingers itched to feel the texture—would it be coarse or soft?

  “You don’t have to thank me. It’s part of my job,” Reed said, then glanced at Elliott.

  Oh. Part of the job.

  “How’s he doing?” Reed fidgeted with the edge of the Green Lantern T-shirt he wore. The emerald shade of the fabric matched his eyes.

  “Uh. Oh. We’re waiting for results from a CT scan before they’ll let him go home.” Heat crept across Harper’s chest and up her neck. She willed it away, not interested in blushing and embarrassing herself in front of her hot rescuer.

  Wait. Where did that come from?

  “And what did they say about you? I see they took the C-collar off.” His gaze landed somewhere along her neck, just below her ear. His tongue swiped across his bottom lip.

  Her insides melted.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? They checked your head, right?” His eyebrows were drawn together, causing a crease to form.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Just bruises. I can go whenever Elliott is discharged. Except…” She glanced at her phone.

  “What? What’s the matter? Who is here to take you home?” He grasped her arm and his thumb smoothed small circles on the inside of her wrist.

  She watched the innocuous action and felt an unfamiliar pull low in her belly. She wanted to purr like a cat, she felt so content.

  “Harper?”

  “My dad is on his way, but he was out of town. He should be here any minute, though.”

  “You didn’t have anyone else to call?” His eyes darted to her left hand and the gold band she still wore.

  She sighed. “No. It’s just Elliott and me. My dad helps out.”

  His eyes softened. “You don’t have a friend you could’ve called?” He released her and stood, striding a few steps and then stalking toward her again.

  Harper shook her head. “Not really.

  “I should’ve made sure at the scene. I’m sorry you’ve been doing this on your own today. I could’ve at least made sure there was a patient liaison or a volunteer to come sit with you and jot down what the doctors said.”

  She scrutinized the dark stubble along his jaw. The planes of his face. His Greek nose—with it’s elegant bridge. “Really, we’re fine. I’m sure the doctor will return and tell us we can go home.” She glanced at Elliott. “He’s just fallen asleep, and they were happy he wasn’t drowsy earlier, although he�
�d had an upset tummy and a headache. They said he looked fine, but they just wanted to make sure because it’s sometimes hard to tell with kids.” She waived her hand next to her head. “The scan was to make sure his brain is fine.”

  Reed nodded. “Right. But I’m more concerned about you. Can I get you something? Have you eaten?”

  Harper shook her head. “I’m fine. I’ll eat when we get home. They gave Elliott a PBJ, so he was happy as a lark.” She grinned. “That kid loves ’em.”

  He’s worried about me? Why? Because I’m acting like I’ve been struck dumb?

  “He seems pretty great.” Reed shifted from foot to foot.

  A tall blonde woman walked in. Her navy scrubs highlighted the pale creaminess of her skin. “Looks like Elliott will be hanging out upstairs for the night. After consulting with a pediatric neurologist, we’re concerned because he was unconscious and he’s got a tender spot on the side of his skull. Coupled with the nausea and dizziness, we’d rather be cautious. The CT didn’t show anything of concern, so that’s good. As long as there aren’t any changes in his memory, speech, balance, and coordination in the morning, we’ll let him go home. But, we’ll want you to follow up with your primary care physician in a few days.”

  The doctor glanced at the chart in her hand, and then looked at Reed. Her face broke into a slow smile and a predatory gleam twinkled in her eyes. “Why, Reed Stephens. Long time, no see. How have you been?”

  Reed rolled his eyes—actually rolled them. “Doing well, Lana. You?”

  She sidled closer to him. “Just fine. We should catch up”—she winked—“sometime.”

  What the hell? She couldn’t drag in enough air; her lungs wouldn’t expand. They were gripped tightly in huge invisible fists.

  “I don’t think so. There’s nothing I need to update you on. But, feel free to shoot me an email with any news I may have missed.” Reed stepped closer to Harper, standing between her and the doctor.

  Doctor Lana sighed. Loudly. “If that’s how you feel, I suppose—”

  “I suppose you’d better get someone down here to find young Elliott a room on peds. I’ll be running his momma home once he’s settled, but she’ll be back as soon as she’s got a shower and a change of clothes.” He didn’t sound happy.

  “Someone is working on it.” She paused before returning her attention to Harper. “Again, we’re sure Elliott is fine—we’re just keeping him overnight as a precaution.” She dipped her chin. “Have a good night.” Doctor Lana pivoted and strode toward the nurses’ station purposefully.

  Reed faced her. “After Elliott is in his room, I’ll take you home so you can get a shower and something to eat, then I’ll bring you back.”

  Harper shook her head. “I can’t leave him.”

  Reed raised a brow. “Your dad is on his way, right? He can stay with Elliott until you get back.”

  He was right. Her dad would probably tell her to take his car while he sat with her son. Only Harper wasn’t quite sure she was ready to drive. “I suppose, but you don’t have to bring me back. I’ve got a car in the garage I can use.” Her stomach clenched and then soured. Kane’s car. And I’m a menace to society behind the wheel.

  “Let’s play it by ear. Whatever you need, I’ll do it,” Reed said.

  The unfamiliar coiling returned and she connected the sensation with one she’d had before. She hadn’t felt it in over five years. Shit. I want him. She resisted the urge to tell Reed he could do her—because that would be childish. Funny, but childish. “Fine.” She tried to feign indifference, but feared she’d failed miserably.

  His grin was boyish and it suffused warmth and a brilliant lightness she missed.

  She used to be like that—carefree. Never worrying about what would happen next, whether there were enough hours in the day to complete everything she needed to get done. Wondering whether she was enough for her son.

  She was certain she wasn’t, but Elliott didn’t complain. He sometimes asked why he didn’t have a new daddy—like some of the kids at school—but Harper repeated the same story, over and over. You only have one Daddy—and he loved you very much until a bad man took him away from us.

  “Thank fucking god.” Her father burst into the small cubicle. “Traffic was hellacious from Corpus Christi today.” He wrapped Harper in his powerful embrace. “And, thank fucking god you’re okay.” He pushed her away so he could get a good look at her.

  “I’m fine, Dad. Really. Elliott has to stay the night, though.” Her face began to crumple and hot tears pooled, threatening to spill.

  Reed cleared his throat. “Sir, I’m Reed Stephens of Dallas Fire and Rescue. I stopped in after work to check on Harper and Elliott.” He extended his arm, his hand in a gesture of respect.

  Her dad grasped Reed’s palm firmly, pumping a crisp two times before he pulled Reed toward him, looked him in the eye, and nodded once before releasing the fireman. “James Elliott. Thanks for checking in on my girl and my grandson. You really didn’t have to do that.” Her dad’s eyebrow arched quizzically, as though he were trying to figure Reed out.

  “You’re welcome, sir. I just wanted to check and make sure everything was fine with these two before I headed home. As matter of fact, now that you’re here, I can run Harper home for a shower and change of clothes since Elliott has to stay the night.”

  Shaking his head, her dad said, “That’s not necessary. Harper can take my car and I’ll sit with Elliott.”

  Shit. Dad’s getting ready to put his foot down. “I’m not sure I’m ready to drive. The accident shook me up a bit. And, even if I’m ready to drive, I’ll need to get the car from the garage so you can go home. No sense in both of us staying at the hospital all night.”

  Her father eyed her suspiciously. “You’re going to drive the car in the garage.”

  Harper nodded. “I am. I don’t need to buy a different vehicle when that one is paid off.” She stared at her father, challenging him to say anything more.

  “Whether she wants to drive back to the hospital or not, I can give her a ride home and let her make that decision once she’s had a shower and a few minutes to decompress.” Reed crossed his arms across his chest. Powerful, heavily veined forearms grabbed her attention and drew her gaze upward, over his massive biceps and the stretched superhero T-shirt covering his broad shoulders and pectorals.

  Her dad glanced at Reed and then pinned her with his most probing stare. “No offense, but you don’t know this guy from Adam. I don’t think it would be wise for him to drive you home.”

  “Respectfully, sir,” Reed began, “I work for DFR—ask anyone in the ER. I think that’s a pretty high-profile job and doing something nefarious would definitely not bode well for my position.”

  Still staring at Harper—but clearly talking to Reed—James said, “I suppose. But only because you used ‘nefarious’ and ‘bode’ in the same sentence.” His attention honed in on Reed. “I’m sure you’ll agree with a father warning his daughter about the intentions of any man she’s just met, though.”

  Reed nodded. “Absolutely, sir. If I had a daughter of my own—and I will one day, hopefully—I’d warn her about me, too.” Reed glanced at Harper, then back at her father. “Oh, shit. That didn’t come out right.”

  James chuckled before clapping Reed on the back. “No worries, son. Just drive carefully. I’m not equipped to raise Elliott on my own anymore.”

  A nurse popped into the cubicle. “We’ve got a room for Elliott, here. I’ve got someone on the way to take you to pediatrics. All patient rooms are private—which will give you a recliner and a pretty comfy couch for people to sleep in overnight.” The woman looked between James and Reed, confused. “But there’s a maximum of two overnight visitors, and those parties need to be the child’s parents.”

  “I’m the only one spending the night, but my father will be staying with Elliott while I run home for a shower and a change of clothes,” Harper said.

  The nurse nodded. “Excellent. If th
ere’s anything that will help Elliott be more comfortable, please make sure you bring it along. He may wake during the night, and it’ll help you get more sleep if he has something familiar.”

  Harper shook her head. “I don’t matter. Elliott is everything.”

  The nurse’s eyes softened. “Ms. Phillips, you were in an accident, too. Elliott is fine and he’ll likely be released first thing in the morning—you need to take care of yourself.” She glanced at Reed.

  “Reed, tell her not to be stubborn like you.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, Melissa here is pretty adamant about making sure I have a couple days off if I end up in here because of something that happened on-the-job.”

  The nurse—Melissa—slugged him playfully. “Only because you have no sense of self-preservation and never want to take a day off.”

  Someone arrived to take Elliott to his overnight accommodations, effectively cutting nurse Melissa off from unintentionally imparting any other nuggets of wisdom regarding Reed. As the orderly wheeled the gurney from the ER down the hallway and maneuvered it into the elevator, he had an easy conversation with Reed about a pool league they played on. Does this guy know everyone?

  Once Elliott was transferred into the bed in the private room, the four—Harper, her dad, Elliott, and Reed—were left alone.

  Drowsy from waking during the commotion of the move from the ER to his room, Elliot drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally murmuring words of wisdom for the adults. “Momma, you should take a shower. You’re kinda smelly, and probably have glass in your hair from that window breaking.”

  Reed nodded.

  Her dad nodded.

  She grimaced. “Smelly? Really?” The boy made sense. “Mr. Reed is going to take me home, baby. Is there anything you want me to bring back?” She sat on the edge of the bed, brushing her fingers lightly up and down Elliott’s arm, convincing herself he was just fine. They said it was a precaution. There’s no reason to not trust them. They were honest with you when you arrived at the hospital when Kane…

  “No, Momma. I don’t need anything—especially not my doodlebug, because I’m a big boy and I don’t need stuffed animals anymore.” Elliott made a huge production over winking at her—because he did want his doodlebug. He’d had it since birth, and it was the one thing that was all Kane. Elliott saw pictures of his infant self with his dad and the weird-looking stuffed animal. Kane had liked the multi-colored, different-textured creature which reminded her of the Eric Carle story The Very Hungry Caterpillar artwork.