by Ashlyn Chase
“Gabe?” The captain woke him out of his drowsiness. “Hey, buddy. I’m glad you’re still with us.”
“How bad is it?” Gabe asked. “And did you get the guy?”
His captain cleared his throat. “We went after him and got a good look, but you were in trouble. We dropped the pursuit and came to your aid.”
“Thanks. I think. Am I going to lose my eyesight?”
A female voice chimed in. “I’m your doctor, Mr. Fierro. Dr. Ella Carpenter. I can tell you more when you’re ready.”
“I’m ready now.”
“In front of your captain? And there are other people just outside the unit, all asking about your condition. So far, I’ve only spoken to your parents. Are you all right with my telling visitors the details?”
“How many people are here?”
“A lot!” the doctor said.
“Jayce, Noah, your father, and me,” Gabriella said. “Sandra is here in the hospital but not just outside your door. Miguel is with her and asked us to call when you wake up.”
“We can probably move you to a regular room soon, but the same protocol holds. Visitors have to wear sterile gowns and masks, and—”
“Gabe, it’s me, Dante,” his younger brother’s voice called from a distance. “Sorry I’m late. I just had to get a nurse’s phone number on the way.”
Gabe chuckled. “Why am I not surprised?”
He heard a nurse chastising his younger brother and telling him to wait outside with the others.
“Where’s Dad?”
“He’s in the hall on his phone, talking to Ryan.”
“Ryan? In Ireland? Am I dying?”
A couple of chuckles dissipated quickly. “No, darling. You’re not dying.” He felt his mother’s amusement in her warm voice. Then her tone returned to serious. “You’re severely burned. The doctor can tell you more.”
“Dr. Carpenter? What’s going on?”
“You have third-degree burns on your face, neck, and hands, basically everything that wasn’t covered. And second-degree burns managed to get through your clothing. About fifty percent of your body is involved in some way.”
“Shit. I was barbecued.” He pictured himself with a spit shoved up his ass, turning slowly, roasting over an open fire.
“I should let you know there’s a bit of a disagreement as to your care,” the doctor said.
Gabe imagined the family wanted to take him home. He knew what that meant. They probably wanted to finish the job and let him reincarnate. But without discussing that in front of a mere mortal being, he just had to play dumb. “What’s the disagreement?”
The doctor sighed. “Well, I’d like you to stay in the hospital where we can keep you in a sterile environment, give you IV antibiotics to prevent infection, treat your pain with IV meds, do proper wound care, and get you ready for skin grafting. All of that may take several weeks.”
“And we,” Antonio’s voice said authoritatively, “want to take you home, where we know how to deal with burns just as well as any medically trained stranger. Doctor, six of my seven firefighter sons are also trained EMTs. Plus, Gabe will be more comfortable in our home with people he knows.”
“Am I going to be given a vote?” Gabe asked. “If so, I’d like to go home. No offense, Doctor.”
“I’d have to advise against it. Strongly,” his doctor stated. “Perhaps we can come to a compromise. If he stays just to get past the worst of it, and the family members who will be taking care of him get some instruction from the head nurse, I’d feel much better about his leaving.”
Somebody was running down the hall. It sounded like high heels clicking. A moment later, that someone burst through some doors.
“Gabe! Gabe, are you all right?” It was Misty’s voice.
“I’m okay, Misty.”
He could almost feel shockwaves coming from her. She had stopped short. The gasp and the silence that followed spoke for her.
“Your brother may be upset with me though, Mist. We were supposed to meet for a beer. Can you tell him what happened for me?”
“Oh… Of course.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait outside the door too,” the doctor said.
After a few hesitant moments, she whispered, “Is he really okay?”
“He will be, honey,” Gabriella said. “We want to take him home as soon as possible and care for him there. You can help if you want.”
“Absolutely. I’ll do whatever I can.”
Gabe wondered what he looked like. The way people who weren’t related to him reacted, it sounded like they thought he was a goner. And Misty, who was aware of the reincarnation possibility, probably didn’t understand it well enough.
“I…I wish I could hold your hand,” Misty said. “Apparently, I can’t even stay in the room with you, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Gabe wished she could hold his hand too. He didn’t realize how much he wanted that until he was relieved to hear her voice. How much time had passed? Did she just come from work?
“How long have I been lying here?”
“You arrived in the ER in the early afternoon. It’s about eight o’clock now,” the doctor said. “Miss, you really need to leave the room until you’re wearing a mask and sterile gown.”
He wondered why it took Misty so long to get there. Maybe she went out to dinner with Julie or had errands or something. He was pretty sure she would have dropped whatever she was doing and come as soon as she was called. Maybe people were waiting until they had more information about his condition. Yeah, that was probably it.
Her heels clicked across the floor a few paces, then stopped.
“Gabe? Remember the question you asked me?”
“I do,” he said, letting her know he understood that she was referring to his proposal.
“Well, my answer is yes.”
* * *
A few hours later, Misty and Parker put on sterile gowns and masks to enter Gabe’s room. She was nervous about her brother and her…her…fiancé. Using that word was still a little strange. Considering how they had left things, she didn’t know what to expect.
“Are you sure he’ll want to see you?” she asked.
“He said he would meet for a beer, right? Why wouldn’t he?”
“Well, it’s just that you tried to beat the shit out of him last time you saw him, and now he’s helpless and lying in a hospital bed.”
Gabe’s voice called out, “I’m not that helpless. I may be blind and wrapped up like a mummy, but I can still whoop your ass, Parker.”
Parker laughed as he entered the room. “I guess you must be feeling better.”
“It’s the drugs,” Misty mumbled.
“So, I hear you’ve decided to make my little sister an honest woman.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Good. Otherwise, I’d have to tell you to get out of that bed, you lazy shit, and fight me.”
“I thought we already did that,” Gabe said. “And wasn’t it because you didn’t want me to marry her? I think you said I wasn’t good enough for her.”
“Yeah. I said I was sorry, right? If not, then I apologize. Seriously. I was just shocked, because, you know. She’s my little sister.”
“She ain’t little anymore, bro.”
Misty cleared her throat. “Hey. The sister is standing right here, guys.”
“Misty,” Gabe said. “I didn’t know you were here. I didn’t hear your high heels.”
“Yeah, I’m wearing sneakers. It’s my day off.”
Parker carried a chair over. “Here, Misty. Sit down.” As soon as Misty was comfortable, Parker continued. “I heard we almost lost you, Gabe. I would’ve felt terrible if that happened, especially after the way we left things.”
“No. I’m way too tough to die. I’ll ju
st look like a piece of warmed-over meat when I get out of these bandages. Misty may not even want me anymore.”
“Hey. Don’t talk like that,” Misty said.
“Yeah,” Parker echoed. “One thing my sister is, is loyal. She’ll probably stick with you even when you’re an ugly fuck.”
“Thanks, dude.”
“I’m just kidding. You know that. At first, I was pretty surprised about what happened—the pregnancy, I mean. More like shocked out of my boots. But I figure my little sister has to grow up at some point and marry somebody. I’m actually glad it’s you. I don’t have to get used to another brother.”
“Yeah. There’s that,” Gabe said. “Remember how I said I was sorry I got her pregnant? Well, I’m not sorry. I’d probably never get married at all if this didn’t happen. I’m kind of glad it did.”
Parker was quiet for a little bit. Maybe he was trying to decide if that was an insult or not. But Misty knew it was just the truth.
Finally, Misty said, “I wish I could do this differently too, but I might not have any kids at all if this didn’t happen before the MS diagnosis was made.”
“Are you worried about taking care of a kid, Misty?” Gabe asked. “Because you don’t have to. If we need to hire a nanny to help out, so be it.”
“You can’t afford that,” Parker said.
“How would you know?” Gabe fired back.
“Well, can you? You might think it’s none of my business, but if she needs help, I want her to get it. I can chip in.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
After a poignant silence, she rose. “I need some air.” She began walking out of the room, then remembered Gabe couldn’t hear or see her leaving. “I’ll be back in a few.”
Her balance had been slightly better in recent days. She figured it must be due to the sneakers with better traction. She could probably get away with those at work, since most customers didn’t see her feet, but she’d certainly miss her sexy shoes.
She took off her protective gown and mask and stuffed them in the trash next to the cart outside his room. Padding down the hall, as she passed the nurses’ station, one of the nurses spoke up. “Hey. You’re Gabe’s friend, right?”
Misty looked at the pretty nurse and decided to define the relationship, quickly. “He’s my fiancé.”
“Congrats. I was just curious about something. There are more good-looking guys visiting him than I’ve seen in one place for a long time.”
Misty giggled. “He has several brothers, but the one who is in there now is my brother.”
“Oh,” the nurse said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“No, please. Take him off my hands. Let me introduce him to you. He’s been a pain in the ass for the last few days. You would do me a big favor by distracting him.”
The nurse laughed. “Maybe I’ll see him on his way out.”
Misty waved and stepped onto the elevator. She still needed some time to think, so she pushed the button for the lower level where the cafeteria was.
She bought a cup of coffee and stared out the window. Thinking about her future brought up so many mixed emotions.
Parker was right. She would be proud to be Mrs. Gabriel Fierro, regardless of what he looked like when the bandages came off. But what if Gabe couldn’t work as a firefighter again? That’s all he’d ever wanted to do. She realized his parents would be more than happy to lend a hand, but Gabe would hate that. Would he be depressed? Would that carry over to their home life? What if he started drinking?
They’d have to figure something out.
As she was staring out the window, deep in thought, someone set a hand on her shoulder. She spun around and was shocked to see her boss, Adam. “What are you doing here?”
“I was wondering how you were. I heard some strange things were going on. And you haven’t been yourself.”
“You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”
He was silent for a moment, then he said, “Look, I could make up something, like that I was visiting a friend, but I saw you on your way into the hospital, so I followed you.”
“Followed me? Is that the normal thing for a boss to do when his employees are a little upset?”
“You’re not just an employee, Misty. You know that.”
“And you’re not just a boss. You’re becoming a stalker.”
“Don’t say that!” he practically shouted.
Jesus. If her boss was actually stalking her, she had no idea what to do. Filing a sexual harassment suit might make things worse. Maybe she should just quit. But the insurance…
She had to get out of there. “I, um…I need to get back upstairs. I said I’d only be gone a minute.”
She took off running, praying that her legs wouldn’t betray her when she needed them.
* * *
Two weeks later, Antonio drove Gabe home from the hospital. “No one would blame you if you went to Brazil for plastic surgery, Son.”
“I know, but that’s just the excuse, right? I’ll be home, growing up all over again, in phoenix form until I reach maturity.” Now that the bandages that covered his eyes had been removed, he was able to catch his father’s smirk.
“Of course. But you need at least seventy-five days for that. A few plastic surgeries and recovery time should work out to be at least that long. And because you got hurt on the job, long-term disability should kick in. You’ll have plenty of time off. You can even get paternity leave when the time comes. Unless you need the money.”
“I’m not worried about money. I’m more worried about Misty. How is she going to take having a bird as a husband? She’s still living with you, right?”
“She’ll be fine, Son. Gabriella has had some long talks with her, and Kristine came over the other day to tell her what to expect. As you know, she had to incinerate Jayce with her dragon fire. She said it was the hardest thing she ever had to do.”
“Misty’s not going to watch, is she?” he asked, horrified.
“No. I don’t think that would serve any purpose. If she insists, well…one day, she’ll go to work, and you’ll be human in the morning. When she gets home, you’ll be a phoenix.”
“Whoa. I don’t think that’s a good idea. She’ll be furious if she feels tricked or lied to. I know I would.”
His father inhaled deeply. “I know. But she won’t be mad at you. You’ll be a baby bird. She can get mad at me if she wants to.”
“Damn. Why did this have to happen now? She’ll be showing in a while, and everyone will think I’ve flown the coop.”
“Pun intended?”
“Whatever.”
Antonio found his deeded parking space on the street in front of their South End home and parallel parked expertly.
Gabe was thinking about cramming something large into a small spot, and his dirty mind immediately thought of Misty. He wished he could make love to her one more time before he turned into a phoenix, but with the risk of infection and much of his body still in pain, it wouldn’t be possible.
It was time to get out of the car. He hated to be dependent on anyone, especially his parents at this age, but he needed a hand. His dad jogged around the car, opened the passenger-side door, helped Gabe swivel his body to face the sidewalk, and hefted him to his feet. He swallowed the pain that sudden movement caused.
He was only a few steps from the stoop, and the door opened wide. His mother stood there, grinning. “Welcome home, darling.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Her smile faded as she watched him struggle up the steps. “Oh, honey. Are you in pain?”
“Only when I move,” he said, deadpan.
“I filled your pain med prescription. You won’t need all of it—especially after you…well, you know.”
“Yup,” he said. At last, he was inside and hobbl
ing toward the couch.
“The doctor wanted to keep him a while longer,” Antonio said. “Like we’d let that happen.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure. They won’t be getting any more insurance money from me. I’m ready to get this show on the road. Where’s Misty?”
“At work.” Gabriella smiled. “There’s one silver lining. We found out her MS improves a bit during pregnancy—as if Mother Nature knows the mother and baby need a little help during that time.”
Suddenly, a whirlwind sprang up in the middle of the living room. When it disappeared, a woman in a white toga with long white hair stood in its place.
“Did I hear my name?”
Gabriella’s jaw dropped. Gabe hadn’t met the deity, but Antonio had told all of his sons about her and then swore them to secrecy. Apparently, they’d all kept their vow and hadn’t even told their mother.
Antonio bowed slightly. “It’s good to see you again, Gaia. May I introduce you to my wife, Gabriella, and my son Gabriel.”
She smirked. “Ran out of names, did you? Or were you just not very creative?”
“He’s named after my wife. We thought she deserved a namesake after birthing four boys.”
“And yet you didn’t stop there,” the Goddess said.
Gabriella straightened her spine. “Now, wait a minute. I love all my sons and wouldn’t give any of them back.”
“Good. Because you’re stuck with them.” Gaia strolled around the living room with her hands clasped behind her back. “Nice place. How do you plan to set your son on fire without burning down your house and possibly all the adjacent buildings on the block? It’s bad enough that my beautiful planet suffers from wildfires.”
“Yes, Goddess,” Antonio said. “We’re firefighters, so we did come up with a safe plan. My son Jayce owns a fishing boat. We thought we’d use that to tow a rowboat and sail far enough out to sea that the fire wouldn’t be spotted from the shore. Our daughter-in-law is a dragon and can quickly cremate him with a blast of her dragon fire. The phoenix on board will be able to fly to the other boat not far away.”
