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“Oh, hello.”
“Do you remember what happened to you last night?”
I flexed my hands into weak fists, the motion pulling at the skin under the bandages on my forearms. “I’d taken a shower, and when I went to leave the bathroom, the door handle was red-hot. I managed to get out and saw that my building was on fire. I soaked some towels to wrap around myself, so I could try and escape.” I sucked in a breath and looked at Bane, but his eyes were on the floor, and the muscle in his jaw was jumping with barely contained rage.
“The only place that wasn’t completely engulfed was the living room, so I went in that direction. I…” I touched the side of my head where a throbbing suddenly made itself known.
“You fell and hit your head?” Doctor Watts provided gently.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “The path was clear. I couldn’t have tripped.”
“Being in a fire is scary stuff. There’s a lot of smoke, and the heat plays tricks on your mind.”
“I must’ve blacked out when I fell.”
He nodded. “There are some minor burns to your forearms where the towel slipped off, but for the most part, your body was protected by the wet material. You have a bump on your head, too, which we’ve been monitoring but so far, so good.”
“When can she get out of here?” Bane asked.
“This afternoon, I think. That’ll give us enough time to make sure she’s one hundred percent on her way to recovery.” Watts glanced back at me and smiled. “You’re very lucky. Ten other residents of your building were not.”
“People died? What happened to the building?”
“The fire ripped through it,” Bane told me. “It’s gone.”
I swallowed, mourning the loss of that shitty little apartment that I’d called home for a little over a decade.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll let the orderly know you can have some ice cream to help soothe that voice of yours.”
I touched the column of my throat as I watched him leave. I could’ve died in that fire. Ten peoplehaddied in that fire. I looked at Bane, who was studying me. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what was going through his head. Judging from his expression, they were murderous thoughts.
“How did I survive? How did I get out?”
“Andy pulled you out. He was in his car down on the street watching your building, remember?”
I did remember that. Thank Christ he was there. I shivered thinking about what could’ve happened if he wasn’t. I broke out in shivers—I was clearly suffering from delayed shock or something. Bane’s arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly against his chest. Burying my face in his neck, I breathed in his cologne and clung to him. The tears leaked from my eyes without permission, but I gave myself over to them. He held me like that for as long as I needed, finally letting me go but not letting go of my hand.
“Where is he now?”
“At home. He got treated for some first-degree burns on his arms and hands, but he’ll be just fine.”
I nodded, settling back into the pillows.
“Want to watch some TV?” Bane asked.
“Only if you come and lay beside me on the bed.” I patted the mattress, and Bane heaved himself onto it. The bed dipped under his weight, making me roll a little toward him.
“Are you comfortable?” he asked after settling me against his chest.
“Very.” I yawned.
“Get some rest. I’ll wake you when Hawk gets here.”
25
Bane
Wren was finally sleeping.She needed to rest in order to recover. Those burns on her arms, although minor in the grand scheme of things, needed time to heal. She’d be sore, and the fact that she was hurt at all ate at me. I was supposed to protect her. She was mine to fucking protect.
