Page 82 of Hunter

I hear someone shout my name, right before everything goes black.

I wake up to the steady beep of machines and the smell of antiseptic.

My head is pounding like someone took a sledgehammer to it. My mouth tastes like death and regret. The lights are too bright, the sheets too stiff. I try to sit up and the room tilts violently.

A familiar voice cuts through the haze.

“Easy there, Hale. You’re not going anywhere.”

I blink hard. One of the guys from the old firehouse—Ramirez, solid, steady Ramirez—is sitting in the chair beside the bed, looking at me with a mix of worry and that same disappointed look he used to give me when I showed up hungover for a shift.

“Ramirez?” My voice comes out sounding like gravel. “What the hell are you doing here?”

He leans forward, elbows on his knees. “You still had Robby’s name as your emergency contact. The hospital called the firehouse when his number was out of service. I was the only one around.”

I close my eyes, the shame burning hotter than the hangover.

“Fuck,” I mutter. “Sorry you had to deal with this.”

Ramirez shrugs. “Better me than some stranger. You passed out in the middle of group therapy, man. They said you were blackout drunk. EMS brought you here.”

I don’t say anything. I just stare at the ceiling, the beeping machines filling the silence.

Ramirez sighs. “Look… we all know you’ve been struggling since the fire. Since Robby. But showing up to therapy like that? That’s not you, Hunter. Or at least it wasn’t the guy I used to work with.”

I laugh, bitter. “That guy died with Robby.”

“No. He didn’t.” Ramirez’s voice is quiet but firm. “You’re still here. And you need to get your shit together before you end up like him.”

He stands up, patting my shoulder once. “Get some rest. I’ll be back tomorrow. And Hunter…if you need help, real help, you have my number. We’re still your family. Even after everything.”

He leaves quietly.

The nurse comes in and checks on me shortly after. All I can think about is leaving. I hate hospitals.

“When can I leave?”

“We are going to hold you overnight to get some more fluids into you. The blood alcohol concentration was over .16%. You’re lucky someone was there to call EMS when you blacked out.”

“I’ve blacked out alone before,” I reply without thinking.

Yeah, that’s probably not the best thing to admit to a nurse.

She gives me a long look, then shakes her head. “We’ll talk about that in the morning. For now, try to rest.”

“Has a guy with curly blond hair been here?” I ask before she can leave.

She pauses at the door and shakes her head. “I haven’t seen anyone but the man who just left, and I’ve been here since you arrived.”

Disappointment filters in. “Thanks.”

She nods and then leaves the room, and it goes quiet again except for the machines.

Charlie didn’t come to the hospital. I wonder if he even cares anymore. Not that it matters. I’m sure showing up drunk to group put the final nail in that coffin.

The thought hurts, but no less than I deserve honestly. I close my eyes and let the exhaustion pull me under, hoping that when I wake up tomorrow, the world will feel a little less like something I need to burn down to escape.

Chapter 33