Scars by Avery Ford

Author:Avery Ford [Ford, Avery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-01-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Caleb

Caleb couldn’t bring himself to go to sleep. The snow had started to fall later that afternoon, and while it had started as delicate specks of white against a gray sky, it quickly grew thick and heavy. Heavy wet clumps of it fell in sheets, obscuring the light and making the night come alive.

It was the kind of night that was horror for a first responder. A state like North Carolina saw significant snow so seldom that it was unprepared to cope with the weather. Roads would shut down. Cars would stall. Motorists would skid out of control. There’d be collisions, injuries, fires…

Caleb clutched the window frame. He was seated on the side of the bed right near the wall, looking out as the snow fell. The street outside the house was quiet. Not a single car dared make its way through the muck.

Was Kota out there, responding to emergency calls? What about his brothers and sisters in arms? Blue Mountain had a minuscule volunteer firefighting team, and Caleb knew they’d be struggling if there were people out there willing to tempt fate by getting behind the wheel.

If he were able to get out there to be with those volunteers, how many injuries could he help prevent? Would he save a life?

The window ledge was cold, and Caleb gripped it a little more firmly. What upset him more than the idea of the weather was the fact that he didn’t miss firefighting as much as he thought he should have.

Waking up in the hospital and learning that his career was over had taken a lot out of him. Every part of Caleb’s identity was grounded in his line of work. He lived for his job. But now, there were other things to live for. Caleb wasn’t sure what he would do when he was fully recovered, but there was no going back to the way he had been.

He’d died in the fire, and a new version of himself was taking his place.

Caleb noticed the bed shift, and he turned his head in time to see Henry reach out and brush his hand against Caleb’s. Henry was on the bed, naked and spent from their recent sex.

“Caleb,” he said softly. “Come back to bed.”

“I will.” Caleb cast a last glance out the window, guilty. Out there, people were working hard to keep others safe. It made him feel like a coward that he didn’t want to join them. “Get comfy. I’ll be right with you.”

Henry seemed to be content with the answer. He settled onto the bed and waited while Caleb shook off his thoughts and turned back around. He settled into place beside Henry, and Henry snuggled against his chest. Caleb wished he could strip off his pressure garments and hold Henry the way he deserved to be held. With only one hour a day allotted to freedom from compression, he couldn’t risk taking off and accidentally falling asleep. It would reverse the progress he’d been fighting to make.

For now, holding Henry like this would have to do.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.