Page 48 of Hearts & Embers

I grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

"Stitches are gone."

"That's good."

"I'm also cleared for light duties and driving."

The excitement in her response matched my own.

"Jasper, that's amazing."

The grin remained firmly in place.

"It is."

For the first time in weeks, the frustration that had accompanied recovery finally began easing. Physical therapy still lay ahead and full operational clearance remained several weeks away, but for the first time recovery felt less like an obstacle and more like a path forward.

And later that evening, when Aurora greeted me with a kiss that immediately made every sensible thought disappear, I found myself looking forward to far more than returning to work.

Chapter Fifteen

Aurora

Six weeks passed quickly once life returned to something resembling normal. School consumed most of my weekdays, and lesson planning, grading, and meetings occupied enough of my time that it seemed to disappear before I noticed.

Jasper had gradually resumed his usual responsibilities at Firehouse 99 and the injuries that had dominated our lives for weeks no longer dictated every decision we made. Although occasional reminders still appeared often enough to ensure neither of us forgot entirely what had happened.

The insurance company finally completed its assessment of my car and several days later the settlement funds appeared in my account, accompanied by enough paperwork to justify the destruction of a small forest. Once everything had been signed and transferred, I no longer had an excuse for delaying the purchase of a replacement vehicle. Jasper immediately volunteered to help despite my insistence that buying a car was a task I could manage alone. The discussion lasted less than five minutes because he correctly pointed out that I had spent weeks complaining about the process despite never actually beginning it.

Saturday morning arrived cool and clear. Jasper picked me up shortly after breakfast, and we spent the first half hour arguing about whether researching vehicles constituted a hobby.

According to Jasper, I enjoyed researching anything that involved comparing options and gathering information far too much. According to me, there was a significant difference between researching interesting topics and spending entire weekends reading reviews written by strangers with strong opinions about fuel efficiency. The disagreement continued through two dealerships and showed no signs of ending.

By the time we arrived at the third dealership, I had inspected enough vehicles to last a lifetime. Every salesperson appeared convinced they possessed the perfect solution, and every vehicle seemed remarkably similar once I sat behind the wheel. Jasper remained patient throughout the process, offering opinions only when asked and occasionally preventing me from dismissing perfectly reasonable options for superficial reasons. More than once I suspected he was enjoying my frustration considerably more than he admitted.

Jasper’s cough first caught my attention while we were waiting for Janine, the salesperson to locate another vehicle for a test drive. At first I ignored it because firefighters spent their careers around smoke, dust, and conditions most people avoided whenever possible. By the time we returned from the test drive and sat reviewing specifications, however, I had noticed it several more times.

That was when I saw the bandage.

Jasper reached across the desk to accept a document, and his sweater sleeve shifted slightly, exposing a dressing wrapped around part of his lower forearm. The injury definitely hadn't been there the last time I'd seen him. I stared at it long enough that he eventually followed my gaze.

"What happened to your arm?"

He glanced down.

"Nothing serious."

The answer immediately guaranteed I would continue asking questions.

"What happened?" I insisted, not caring that Janine was listening.

A smile appeared on Jasper’s face as he briefly glanced at Janine who made her excuses and left us alone.

"We had a structure fire yesterday."

I folded my arms.

"And?"