Leave a Trail (Signal Bend #7)(65)

“Get off me! Get off me! What the f*ck are you doing?!”

Len grabbed him by his rig and yanked him up. “You can’t just run in there, Badge! Gettin’ yourself killed isn’t gonna save her. There’s four men in there now trying to break through. We help them by getting the fire down. That’s how you help her. Can you do that?”

He didn’t know. Every atom in him screamed to get to Adrienne. But Len was right. So he nodded and, not believing he was doing it, he turned away from the fire, away from her, and let Len lead him to the nearest pumper.



oOo



He had no idea how long he’d worked. It must have been only minutes, not the hours it felt like. But long enough that he was drenched in sweat and the front of his mask was dark with soot. He had no idea whether they were gaining ground with the fire. All he could see was smoke and flame and water. All he could think of was Adrienne.

And then he heard shouting of a different timbre in the din, and he turned to see one of the firefighters coming through the ruined remains of the building and into the yard, a small, slight figure draped in his arms. Adrienne.

It was Double A carrying her. Badger could tell right away, because he wasn’t wearing his mask. He’d put it on Adrienne’s face.

She was unconscious, and her clothes were burned.

He pushed his mask and helmet off and ran, his arms stretched out to her. Again, though, he was grabbed. When he turned to yank himself free, he saw Tasha holding him.

“Don’t touch her, Badge. Don’t.” Past them ran two uniformed men with a gurney. At first, Badger was confused. He didn’t know these men. Then he realized that an ambulance had arrived on the scene. He hadn’t noticed before.

Double A laid her on the gurney, and then the men—they must have been EMTs—ran with her away from the fire. Tasha pulled Badge with her, and they followed.

He stood there, helpless and dazed with terror, and watched the EMTs work as Tasha gave them information. One of them was on his radio. Badger tried to listen but didn’t understand almost anything he said. The fire burned on behind him, and he didn’t care.

Her leg—her beautiful, beautiful leg. Badger stared as smoke curled up from the darkened flesh.

Then they were moving frantically again, packing up their kit. Tasha came to him and grabbed his face in her hands. “They’re going to take you with them, Badge. You stay with her. I’ll have Len call Show so he’ll be with you, too. Okay?”

“Is she…is she…” He couldn’t ask the question.

“She’s hurt. That’s why the hurry. So go. Now.”

He nodded and, still in his gear, followed the men loading Adrienne into the ambulance.



oOo



Show was waiting at the ER entrance when they got there. Doctors and nurses whisked Adrienne away from Badger immediately and refused to let him follow. As he started to fight and shout, Show grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back.

“Come on, brother. We’ll sit. We can’t help now.” He led Badger to a seat in the corner of the waiting room.

They sat quietly for a long time, and then a thought that wasn’t fear for Adrienne slid through the black in his head. He turned to Show. “What about Shannon? Is she okay?”

Show nodded. He looked terrible, like he hadn’t slept in weeks. “She’s sleeping. They give her something to help, so she’ll be out the night. She doesn’t know about any of this yet. Her nurses know what’s going on here. If something happens with her, or when she wakes up, they’ll page me.” He dropped a big hand on Badger’s shoulder. “Until she needs me, I’m with you.”

Badger nodded, overwhelmed, and dropped his head. “I don’t know what happened. I wanted to keep her safe.”

“Can’t, brother. All we can do is not be the ones doin’ the hurt.” Badger turned quickly at that and saw Show’s serious blue eyes regarding him. “Can’t control the rest of it.”

“I’m so sorry I hurt her, Show. I’m so sorry.”

“I know, Badge. It’s past. We’re okay. That girl loves you. And she’s a smart one. So okay.” His hand was still on Badger’s shoulder, and now he bore down. “She gave up a lot for you. I know you know that.

So you treat her right. You hurt her again and there’s nothing on this earth that will stop me from ending you.”

Badger nodded. He thought about those horrifying, long seconds in the ambulance when the beeping became a solid tone and the EMT in the back with them had had to shock her heart awake. “I can’t lose her, Show.”

“I know. Don’t go there, brother. You won’t find strength there.”



oOo



They had moved up to the surgical waiting area by the time Isaac arrived to sit vigil with them. Badger assumed the rest of the Horde was in Signal Bend, on cleanup detail.

Isaac sat next to Badger, filthy, stiff, and obviously exhausted and in pain of his own. “News?”

Finding words beyond him, Badge shook his head. Show answered instead. “She’s in surgery. Second and third degree burns on her right side—her leg and hip, I guess, are worst. Some internal damage and her lungs are hurt. They’re…I’m not sure all they’re doing in there. She has a broken collarbone, too. I think they’re setting that.”