Page 120 of Thorns and Ashes
“Ellie is fine,” I cut her off.
She searchesmy face, confused.
“Tris, I almost lost you.” Silent tears continue to fall from my eyes like a faucet that has no idea how to turn off, but I don’t care.
She’s alive.
A small smile slowly forms on her lips. “That will never happen. Besides,” she pauses, lifting her hand to my face, “I knew you’d save me.”
I remove my oxygen mask temporarily to kiss her hand before putting it back on.
“I’m sorry you lost your home,” she says softly as the ambulance parks at the hospital.
I blink at her a few times before a laugh bubbles out of me.
“What’s so funny?” she asks, rolling her eyes in such typical Tris fashion that it only makes my smile grow wider.
“Baby,” I say, removing my oxygen mask and putting it down beside me. “You are my home.”
Her eyes grow glassy as she blinks up at me, nodding.
“I’m sorry it took a whole fire for you to realize that, but,” I grin, raising a brow, “I’m not surprised that’s what it takes to render you speechless.”
She gasps, her eyebrows dipping before laughter cracks into coughing.
Her gaze locks on mine, raw and unfiltered, full of trust that squeezes that organ in my chest that fully belongs to her.
“You’ll be okay,” I whisper, and for a moment, the world outside the ambulance doesn’t exist.
It’s only her and me.
My home, and my redemption.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tris
“Is all of this really necessary?” I ask, as Levi has yet another doctor come in to confirm I’m medically cleared.
It’s been four hours, and I’m absolutely over it. I’ve never liked hospitals. Not that I think anyone really does, but if I have to listen to these monitors any longer, I might actually lose my mind. Even if this might be the nicest hospital room I’ve ever been in. It even has its own bathroom with a shower, which both Levi and I took full advantage of, since we both reeked of smoke when we arrived. Guess it pays to be dating the Fire Captain.
I was pretty out of it when we got here, but by the end of the first hour, I was feeling better. I explained to Levi what happened. I was in the shower, so I didn’t notice anything was wrong right away. But once I got out and dressed, I opened the bathroom door and smelled smoke coming from next door. I ran outside to see the whole side of the duplex engulfed in flames, and I could hear Ellie barking inside.
As quickly as I could, I grabbed my key and unlocked the door, but when I opened it, the flames flared up even more and started spreading even more rapidly. Levi said it was a backdraft. Oxygen feeds the fire, and that’s exactly what happened, causing Ellie to hide further into the house.
I knew I couldn’t leave her there. It wasn’t even an option. I ran in and, by some miracle, picked her up and carried her toward the door. I was almost to the door when the ceiling decided my head looked like a great place to fall. I threw Ellie in the direction of the door as I collapsed, hoping it’d be enough for her to escape, andthat was the last thing I remembered before I started hearing the glass windows shattering.
“Just one more, please,” Levi asks, and it’s the worry in his eyes, the fear that still lingers there that has me sighing, giving in.
“Fine. One more doctor. Then I’m going home even if I have to walk there myself...” My words trail off as I realize for the first time that going home might not be possible. “Where are we going to live?”
“We’ll figure that out later. This first.” He points to the doctor at the door, and I do my very best not to groan or roll my eyes.
Finally, the doctor convinces Levi that I’m okay, and I give him a small, I-told-you-so expression. I’ve got a slight concussion, so I need to be monitored, which I do not doubt that Levi will be doing regardless. Still, the smoke inhalation didn’t cause enough damage to keep me here any longer, so after four hours of oxygen, my levels are great, and I’m ready to be discharged.
“Callie went back to your place and grabbed you some fresh clothes to change into. I figured you wouldn’t want to leave here in a hospital gown or put those clothes back on.” He hands me a bag filled with everything I might need.
“That was nice of her,” I say, looking through it. They’re fancier than what I would have chosen for simply leaving a hospital, but they don’t smell like flames of death, so I’ll take them.
