Furious

by R. L. Mathewson

  He just couldn’t do it.

  Maybe that was for the best, Chase thought as he sat there thinking about Sloane and the baby. Christ, he was going to be a father, he thought, slowly exhaling only to feel his lips pull up into a pleased smile.

  He was going to be a father.

  They were having a baby and he couldn’t wait. He’d always wanted a large family, at least five kids, and now…he was fucking terrified. There were so many things that could go wrong, but even knowing that he wanted this baby, more than anything. He wanted to be there to watch their children grow up, which was another reason why he couldn’t go back on the truck.

  He knew plenty of guys that managed to work on the truck and have a family, working two twenty-hour shifts a week and being on call for the rest of the time and…he didn’t want that. He didn’t want to go a day without seeing Sloane and their children and he sure as hell didn’t want to miss anything. Opening the school would allow him to do what he loved and be there for his family.

  Nodding, John said, “I understand,” as he stood up. “But if you ever change your mind…”

  Chuckling, Chase shook his hand. “I won’t.”

  “Let me know when your school is up and running so that we can start scheduling classes,” John said as Chase headed for the door.

  “Thanks, John,” Chase said as he left, unable to help but smile as his mind shifted back to Sloane.

  She was as good as his, Chase thought with a wistful sigh as he headed outside. She was also stubborn, but that was okay with him because he was prepared to do whatever it took to convince Sloane that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He was going to spend the rest of his life making sure that she–

  “Chase?” came the soft whisper that had him glancing to his left to find Amy sitting against the wall, her arms wrapped around herself, crying, as she sent him a pleading look, the same one that she used to send him whenever she needed him to save her.

  She was nothing like Sloane and thank fucking god for that, Chase thought as he headed to his truck as the alarm went off, announcing a call seconds before the dispatcher announced the call over the PA system. When he heard the address, he forgot how to breathe.

  Shadow House.

  A moment later, Chase was in his truck, throwing it into drive and tearing out of the parking lot, telling himself that everything was fine as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and tried to call Sloane.

  “Come on, baby, pick up,” Chase said as he moved his ass, weaving in and out of traffic and ignoring the cars blaring their horns as he focused on getting to Sloane.

  When she didn’t pick up, he tossed his phone on the seat next to him and pulled into the grocery store parking lot and cut through the back to get to the small backroad that would take him to Shadow House. A few minutes later, he was jumping out of his truck and making his way to the front door, noting the smoke rising from the back of the building and the small group standing outside the doors.

  “Where’s Sloane?” he demanded as soon as he spotted Grey making his way out the front door.

  “I didn’t even know she was here,” Grey said only to bite out, “Shit!” as he glanced back at the parking lot and–

  “Chase!” came the terrified scream that had everything inside him going still as he looked to his right to find Deb running toward him as tears streamed down her small face.

  “Where’s Teddy and Sloane, sweetheart?” Chase asked, quickly making his way over to the little girl that never let her little brother out of her sight.

  “Sloane a-and T-Teddy,” Deb managed to get out before a coughing fit took over. When she couldn’t stop coughing, she pointed toward the building. “B-back room…right s-side.”

  Oh, god…

  She’d barely finished getting out the words when Chase moved his ass. He ran inside and headed to the back rooms, barely aware that Grey was right behind him. He quickly made his way past the pool, the physical therapy room, break room, and kept going, only pausing long enough to grab a fire extinguisher off the wall along the way. As soon as he reached the back hallway, he bit back a curse as white smoke poured out from beneath the last door down the small hallway.

  “Shit!” Grey bit out as they raced for the door.

  “Careful it locks from the inside,” Grey said as Chase shoved the door open and felt his stomach drop when he spotted them. Teddy was on the floor curled up in a ball with his T-shirt over his face and Sloane–

  Oh, god…

  “Chase!” Grey snapped as Chase forced himself to look away and focus on getting them out of there.

  He quickly took everything in, from the smoke pouring off the back wall to the flames racing along the cracks in the wall, letting him know that they didn’t have much time. With that in mind, he quickly made his way into the room and sprayed the wall with foam, hoping to buy them a little more time.

  “Get the hell out of here!” Grey suddenly yelled, dragging his attention back to find Nikki running into the room. She ignored Grey, who was looking for something to shove beneath the door to keep it open and made her way to Teddy and Sloane.

  “Are they breathing?” Chase asked only to scream it when she didn’t answer him fast enough.

  Teddy’s startled cry had him slowly releasing a shaky breath.

  Thank god, Chase thought only to feel like someone tore his heart out of his chest when Nikki said, “Sloane’s not breathing.”

  “Get him out of here,” Chase said, dropping the empty fire extinguisher on the floor and moved his ass. With a nod, Nikki picked Teddy up and carefully cradled him in her arms as she quickly left.

  “Baby, you’ve gotta wake up,” Chase said, squinting through the smoke quickly filling the room again as he reached for her, trying to pull her free, but she was stuck beneath the shelves.

  “Come on, Pookie. It’s time to get up,” Chase said as he shifted his attention to the shelving unit as he tried to pull her free and–

  “Pull her out!” Hunter said, suddenly there, picking the shelving unit off Sloane so that Chase could pull her free.

  In seconds, Chase had Sloane in his arms and racing out of the room. Grey let the door slam shut behind them and was leading the way to the closest exit while Chase ignored the pain shooting down his back as he leaned down and covered Sloane’s mouth with his. He shoved past the firefighters filing into the building and kept going.

  As soon as they were outside, Chase carefully laid Sloane down on the ground and set to work. He checked her pulse and nearly fucking sighed with relief when he found it…

  It was weak, but it was there. He forced himself to focus and tried to pretend that his heart wasn’t breaking as he tilted her head back, gently pinched her nose shut and slowly blew into her mouth as Adam dropped down by his side with a jump kit.

  “Come on, Pookie,” Chase muttered urgently between breaths while Adam got the oxygen ready.

  “Is she gonna be okay?” Deb asked, sounding terrified as Hunter picked her up and held her.

  “B-baby,” Teddy managed to get out between coughs. “You’ve gotta be careful of the baby,” he said as Chase’s focus went to Sloane’s belly and–

  Oh, god, the baby.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  This couldn’t be fucking happening! Not now, Chase told himself as he kept breathing for her, watching as her chest rose with each breath, praying that it would be enough.

  He couldn’t lose her.

  He couldn’t live without her.

  God, he couldn’t fucking do this!

  He loved her.

  He loved her so much, Chase realized.

  God, did he love her. He loved everything about her. Loved the way that her eyes narrowed on him when he pissed her off, loved the way it felt to fall asleep with her in his arms, the way that she still found excuses to drop down on his lap just so that she could wrap her arms around him and he couldn’t fucking do this. He couldn’t let her go.

  “Come on, Pookie,” C
hase whispered between breaths. “Don’t do this to me.”

  “I’ve got it, Chase,” Adam said as he moved to take over.

  Shaking his head, Chase covered her mouth and kept breathing for her as he watched her chest, praying for a miracle. “Come on, Sloane!”

  “Chase, we need to–” Thomas said, reaching for her.

  “Don’t fucking touch her!” Chase shouted as he went to cover her mouth again only to find himself suddenly yanked back.

  “Get your fucking hands off me!” he snapped as Hunter and Grey pulled him back and held him down while he was forced to watch as Thomas and Adam took over.

  “She’s going to be fine,” Hunter promised him as Chase was forced to lay there, watching as they intubated Sloane.

  “This can’t be happening,” Chase said, squeezing his eyes shut as he pressed his forehead against the ground.

  This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Not to them. Not after everything he’d already been through. He couldn’t lose his family like this. He couldn’t lose Sloane, not before she knew just how much he loved her. He couldn’t imagine his life without her, didn’t want to.

  This wasn’t right.

  This wasn’t fucking right!

  Sloane was his salvation. She was everything that he could ever hope for and he…

  He’d never told her.

  He’d never told her that he loved her. He’d never told her that he loved her smile, the way that she put her heart into everything she did, the way that she couldn’t fall asleep until she kissed his chin, the way that she called him a stubborn jerk whenever he didn’t listen to her, and…

  He loved her.

  He loved her and he wanted to spend the rest of his life showing her just how much she meant to him. As soon as she opened her eyes, he would tell her. He would tell her everything and make sure that she knew how much she meant to him and then, he would marry her. They would fill that house with babies with their mother’s eyes and watch them grow up. They were supposed to grow old together and if she wasn’t there to torment him, then…

  “Don’t take her away from me,” Chase said, feeling sick to his stomach. “Please, don’t take her away from me. Don’t do this to me…”

  “We’re losing her!”

  Oh, god…

  Chapter 44

  “Shhh, it’s okay,” came the softly murmured words as Sloane slowly opened her eyes to find Chase, who looked like he’d been through hell, standing over her.

  “Where am I?” she asked in a hoarse whisper only to wince when the move caused pain to spread down her throat. God, it felt like she’d gargled broken glass, Sloane thought as she watched Chase grab a small cup off the tray by her bed.

  “Take a small sip,” Chase said softly as he placed a straw against her lips.

  She did as she was told as she slowly became aware of the nasal cannula placed on her face, giving her oxygen, the hard cast wrapped around her leg, the slight ache with every breath that she took and the dull pain on the side of her temple and–

  “Deb and Teddy!” Sloane gasped, reaching up to shove the straw away as she frantically looked around the room, searching for them.

  “Shhh, they’re okay. Your parents are watching them at the house,” Chase promised her as he placed the cup back on the tray.

  “They can’t go back,” Sloane said, shaking her head only to stop when the move caused the dull ache in her head to intensify.

  “To their grandmother’s?” Chase asked, sending her a questioning look as he lowered the siderail so that he could move closer to her.

  At her nod, he shook his head. “They’re never going back there again,” he said as he gestured to the stack of papers that she’d missed on the other side of the tray. “Your mom did her best to fill out your part and I’m almost done with mine. Ryan’s been able to speed everything along and got us temporary custody until the hearing.”

  When she could only frown, he said, “They’re ours and they are very excited about the baby.”

  The baby…

  “The baby’s fine,” Chase assured her with a warm smile when her lip began to quiver as he placed his hand over her belly. “You’re four months along,” he murmured, answering the question that she’d been wondering about as he watched his hand as it slowly caressed her belly through the thin hospital gown.

  “Everything hurts,” she admitted on a pained whimper.

  “I know it does, Pookie,” Chase whispered as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You scared the hell out of me.”

  “Did everyone make it out?” she asked as warmth spread up her arm. Frowning, she looked over to her right to find a nurse injecting something into her line.

  “Yes, everyone is fine. They were able to clear the building and get the fire under control,” Chase said, drawing her attention back to find him watching her.

  “What happened?” Sloane asked as a pleasant tingling sensation spread through her body, slowly chasing the pain away.

  “An electrical fire. The electrician apparently lied about the renovations after the last fire. Grey and Hunter are pissed. Ryan is currently making the guy regret ever being born,” Chase explained as he continued gently caressing her belly as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

  “But everyone’s safe?” Sloane managed to get out as she gave up trying to keep her eyes open and let them close.

  “Everyone’s safe,” she heard Chase murmur softly as she felt the bed dip next to her.

  She managed to open her eyes to find him sitting next to her, watching her as he ran his fingertips gently down her cheek. “God, you scared the hell out of me, Pookie. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you.”

  “You’re not going to lose me,” she mumbled sleepily, wondering why he thought that he would get off that easily. “You’re stuck with me.”

  “Promise?”

  “Mmmhmmm,” she murmured sleepily.

  “Then marry me, Sloane,” Chase said as she felt his lips brush against hers.

  “Okay,” she mumbled with a sleepy smile.

  “That easily?” he asked, sounding amused.

  “Mmmhmmm,” Sloane mumbled as she struggled to stay awake.

  “Why is that?” Chase asked as she felt his lips brush against hers again.

  “Because you love me,” she whispered, feeling his lips pull up into a smile.

  “More than anything.”

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later…

  “Come on, gentlemen, my daughter runs faster than you,” Chase said, shaking his head in disgust as he leaned down to press baby kisses against the top of his baby boy’s head, careful not to wake Lucas up.

  “Why are they so slow, Daddy?” Deb asked, shaking her head in disgust as Chase sat down on the picnic table next to her.

  “Because they’re not properly motivated,” Chase said, unable to help but smile down at the little girl that owned a big chunk of his heart.

  She was the sweetest little vicious girl, he thought, and she was his. They’d managed to make it official a few months ago and since then, he’d watched her blossom into the sweetest little girl. She was a wonderful big sister and she took her job seriously. She was also a bit of a mama’s girl, but that was okay. He’d let Sloane have that since he knew that he was her BFF.

  Well, that and Teddy was a daddy’s boy, Chase thought as his son climbed onto the table next to him. “Are you going to get the hose, Daddy?”

  “I’m afraid that we’re gonna have to,” Chase murmured, pressing another kiss against Lucas’s head only to smile when Teddy and Deb jumped off the table and quickly made their way to the garden hose by the back door and–

  “Oh, come on!” one of the men yelled a moment later, making Chase chuckle.

  “You’re going to have to do better than this if you have any hope of passing the physical,” Chase told the students running past him as he stood up and made his way back to Lucas’s stroller. With one last kiss, he carefully buckled hi
s son back in, making sure to put his favorite teddy bear within reach.

  Once Lucas was settled, Chase took in Shadow Training Center’s latest hopefuls. They’d come a long way since they’d started a month ago, but they still needed to learn how to work as a unit. They also needed to learn how to run faster, Chase thought, chuckling as he watched Teddy and Deb chase them with the hose.

  Over the past few months, they’d managed to build something amazing with Hunter’s help. He’d overheard them discussing the plans to open up a school when he’d visited Sloane in the hospital and…

  Somehow, they’d become partners. Hunter used his resources to make it happen quickly. They taught everything from basic first aid to specialized search and rescue tactics that no one else taught. They had students coming in from all over the world to take their training and a long waiting list. They had contracts with multiple fire departments to take over training, with the military, and with several private companies.

  They had a full-time staff made up of firefighters, paramedics, ex-military, and of course, his incredibly beautiful wife helped out when she could. Hunter and Grey taught a few classes when they had time, but Chase ran the school with the help of his adorable assistants, of course.

  The security door opening drew his attention to find Sloane walking out of the building with a woman holding a small child in her arms a little boy walking by her side and…

  God, he loved that woman, Chase thought as he watched Sloane make her way across the training yard, her limp barely noticeable today. She was more than he’d ever hoped for, so much more. He couldn’t imagine his life without her and the kids, didn’t want to.

  After she’d left the hospital, she’d been stuck on bed rest, forced to put up with her brothers, who’d all turned into mother hens when they found out that their baby sister was pregnant. She’d hated being on bed rest and had made the worst patient, Chase thought, chuckling. She’d complained, grumbled, and pouted, but he’d refused to let her out of that bed until the doctor cleared her.