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“How do you guys get used to this heat?” TK groaned, pulling his collar away from his neck as he tried to get some fresh air on his skin. Austin was in the middle of a heat wave right now and he was feeling it. They were all working overtime, thanks to the overabundance of heatstroke calls they were getting in. It wasn’t hard work, except they were in and out of the heat for hours without much of a break.
“Says the former firefighter,” Nancy scoffed, leaning her head out of the open window as TK drove the ambulance back to the station to load up on supplies before they were inevitably called back out. “Aren’t you trained to run into burning buildings while wearing 100 pounds of gear?”
“It’s not 100 pounds,” TK scoffed, rolling his eyes. “And while that sucks, it’s not like we wear it 24/7. How do we escape the air?”
“You’ll get used to it,” Tommy sighed from her seat in the back. TK wasn’t sure he wanted to get used to it. In his head, that meant that he’d never be able to enjoy snow again, even though it didn’t make much sense. It probably wasn’t an either/or kind of thing, but he didn’t want to risk it. And while he loved his breezy button ups, he also loved his cozy sweatshirts.
“How about I buy you an ice cream once our shift is over? We’ve only got about an hour left,” Nancy offered. TK’s reply was cut off by an emergency call of an explosion at a department store a few miles away.
“Might have to take a raincheck on that one,” TK mumbled, flipping on the lights and sirens as he raced down the road to their destination. “What I wouldn’t give for rain right now.”
The scene they pulled up to was pure chaos. The building in question was ablaze, with parts caving in haphazardly. There were people running around the parking lot screaming and crying, most of them smudged with dirt and smoke. TK had to close his eyes for a moment after he parked, reminding himself that it wasn’t like New York all those years ago, when he waited in terror to see if his dad would make it home.
“My God,” Nancy muttered, bursting out of the truck to circle around to the back. TK followed, meeting up with his team as they grabbed their bags and rushed over to where his dad was calling out orders.
“What’s the situation?” Tommy asked, looking solemnly at a body nearby that was being covered by a sheet.
“Multiple bombs were set off inside this building approximately twenty minutes ago. A preliminary sweep of the exterior shows significant structural damage,” Owen said, pointing out the areas of most concern.
“Where are all the other units?” Tommy asked. TK looked around, seeing only the fire trucks from the 126, but no others. There were a few ambulances, but nowhere near enough for a situation like this.
“Every other station in the vicinity is tied up with their own calls. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was planned,” Owen sighed. “It’s not safe enough for anyone who isn’t trained to go in, so we’ll be bringing out survivors as quickly as we can on our sweeps. I’ve got medics stationed at every exit point for aid. You all are fine where you are.”
“What about me?” TK asked.
“What about you?” Judd asked, readjusting his jacket.
“I can go in with you guys,” TK offered. “I have the training and you all are much more short staffed. And I can still treat injuries as I go along.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Owen agreed. “Tommy, do you think I can borrow him for a bit?”
“I don’t see why not. As long as I can call him back if I need him,” Tommy replied.
“Suit up. We’ve got extra gear in the truck,” Owen directed, waving everyone else toward the building. “Regular check-ins and stay safe.” TK watched as his friends disappeared into the smoking mess, quickly throwing the gear over his paramedic uniform. It felt weird not to be wearing the set with his name stitched on it, but he was lucky enough to have this available.
“Leaving us already,” Nancy sighed, bandaging up the hand of a police officer who’d gotten a slight burn. “I knew you couldn’t stay away from the cool kids for too long.”
“Aw, don’t be like that. You know I still love you,” TK grinned, turning his attention to the cop. “Are you alright officer?”
“I’ll be fine,” the man grunted in response.
“What do they have you doing out here?” Nancy asked, checking his arm for more injuries. “I wouldn’t be opposed to you going to the hospital to get a full exam.”
“No can do. We’re all hands on deck here. From crowd control, to questioning witnesses,” the officer sighed, lowering his voice and waving them closer. “We don’t know if the bomber is still on site, so keep your eyes open for anything suspicious.”
“Are we in danger?” Nancy asked worriedly, flicking her eyes around their small group. She’d become a bit more paranoid since their little encounter in the garage not too long ago and TK couldn’t really blame her. Lucky for him, his memory of the events were still a little fuzzy around the edges.
“I really shouldn’t be telling you this, since we don’t want to tip the perp off. They are probably long gone though, since they would be stupid to stick around,” the officer said, clicking his tongue. “Thanks for this, but I gotta get back to it.” He ran off without another word and TK exchanged nervous glances with Nancy.
“Doesn’t change anything,” Tommy said, urging TK to get going. “Bring us back some survivors.”
“You got it, Cap,” TK agreed, rushing off into the burning building. If he thought inside the ambulance was hot, this was like stepping into hell. TK had to pause to take in a thick breath before soldiering on, squinting through the poor visibility. It was like the heat was making the smoke more solid, hanging like a curtain around him.
“Fire department, can anyone hear me?” TK called out, listening closely for a response. There weren’t any fires near him at the moment, but he knew how quickly that could change.
“Here!” a weak voice replied from somewhere to his left. TK carefully picked his way in that direction, climbing over burned displays and a chunk of the ceiling that had fallen. His light finally flashed onto the dirty face of a scared woman who was huddled in a ball next to what used to be a counter.
“Hey there, I’m TK. Are you hurt?” TK asked in his friendliest tone, crouching down to get a better look.
“I think my leg is broken,” the woman moaned, gripping at her left leg above the knee. TK gave it a once over, noticing the obvious bulge poking through the thin material of her leggings on her shin. He didn’t see the need to try to treat her where she was, so he moved into a better position to help her stand.
“I’m gonna put your arm over my shoulders and then I’m gonna help you up, okay? It might be a little uncomfortable, but I’ve got a couple friends outside who can help you out,” TK said, waiting for her consent before he started pulling her up. She nodded, biting her lip and letting out a pained whimper as she became vertical again. “You’re doing so well. Only a few yards and we’ll be out.”
“My boyfriend already tells me I shop too much. I’m never gonna hear the end of this one,” the woman gasped, letting out a breathy chuckle.
“I’m sure he’s gonna be so relieved to see you’re okay that he won’t care. My boyfriend and I let the other get away with anything after one of us is hurt,” TK laughed, grunting as he helped the woman over a broken rack.
“Do things like that happen a lot?” she asked, perking up a little more at the proximity to freedom and the distraction of their conversation.
“He’s a cop and I’m a medic. Sort of comes with the territory,” TK shrugged. Now that he was thinking about Carlos, he wondered if he was working this scene too. It was always nice to see him when their paths crossed during work, even if they were too busy to actually interact. Just seeing him was enough.
“Sounds stressful.”
“It is,” TK admitted, finally reaching the slightly cooler air. “But it’s worth it.” He passed the woman off to Tommy, quickly explaining her injuries before diving back in again. He didn’t see Carlos while he was out, but it was a big building, so he wasn’t surprised. And he was just getting started.
TK kept up that routine for another hour or so, not stopping for a break. There were more fire trucks slowly arriving at the scene, but there was still a lot of square footage to go over. At least there were more bodies available to focus solely on putting out the fires, which was making things a bit more bearable.
He was just heading back in after carrying out his second dead body when the sound of a child crying caught his ear. TK whipped his head around, trying to pinpoint where it came from. The sound seemed to be echoing from a few different directions. He closed his eyes, focusing his senses on listening for another sign. A few seconds later he heard a sniffle and rushed in that direction.
There was an area that looked like it was very close to a detonation, with the floor broken and jutting out in every direction. Figuring out what happened wasn’t his job though. The injured woman laying in the middle of it all was.
TK quickly scrambled across the rocks and racks, trying to get to the woman as fast as possible. From what he could see, she didn’t look to be in good shape. He was just lifting his leg to get over the last big piece when a small blur was coming at him and he couldn’t do more than brace himself slightly before it crashed into his chest. TK instinctively wrapped his arms around it, falling heavily onto his back before rolling to his side.
“What!” TK choked out, before coughing to try to regain the breath that had just been knocked out of him. His attacker was still wiggling furiously in his arms, but he couldn’t risk letting them get away. “Kid, stop!”
“Don’t hurt my mom!” the kid shrieked, flailing to hit any part of his body he could reach.
“I’m a- firefighter. Here to- help!” TK gasped out with the little bit of air he’d been able to suck back in so far. The little boy sniffled and looked at him, trying to determine if he could trust his word. TK tried to plaster a friendly smile on his face, but it was hard to make it believable in this situation. It must’ve been good enough, since the boy finally stopped fighting and TK let him go.
“Please help my mom,” the boy cried, crawling back over to where the woman was lying. TK heaved himself back up to his feet, wincing when his back twinged in protest. It wasn’t that hard of a landing, so he wasn’t worried about it. And a part of him wasn’t willing to admit that a kid had been able to hurt him. The gunshot had been enough.
“Ma’am, can you hear me?” TK asked, kneeling next to the woman’s body. She was unconscious and had a piece of wood resting across her chest and stomach. It wasn’t heavy and once he determined that it wasn’t attached to her in any way, TK lifted it off and tossed it to the side. The sight that he uncovered made him blanch. Her shirt had ridden up a little at the bottom, exposing a bit of her stomach. And TK saw what he was sure was a bullet hole.
“I need assistance getting a victim out. Backboard if possible,” TK called out over the radio.
“What’s your position?” his dad answered immediately.
“Couple dozen yards west of the entrance I went in. I’ll put my light on,” TK replied.
“Help is headed your way. Hang tight.”
TK started providing as much first aid as he could, pressing gauze down on the wound to try to staunch the bleeding. It was still bleeding sluggishly, which was a good and bad sign. Good, since she was still alive, but bad because she couldn’t afford to lose much more blood. Her heartbeat was a bit weak, but hopefully she wasn’t too far gone for the paramedics to get her stabilized.
“Hey buddy, what’s your name?” TK asked the little boy, trying to distract him from his panic.
“T-tommy,” the boy stuttered, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.
“Hey, I’ve got a friend named Tommy who is right outside. She’s going to help your mommy,” TK said with a smile, nodding over at the boy. Maybe if he got him talking, he could get some useful information out of him. “So Tommy, did you see what happened to your mommy?”
“She yelled at a man and he hurt her. Then the world blew up,” Tommy whimpered. TK bit the inside of his cheek at what that meant. It would’ve been too big of a coincidence for this woman to find trouble with a random shooter, just before a bomb went off. She had to have seen the bomber and gotten shot for her troubles.
“Did you see the man who hurt your mom?” TK asked. Tommy nodded, staring down at his ailing mother. TK needed to get this kid to the police. If the shooter was still here, they might be able to get a description of what to look for.
“TK!” Judd called out from somewhere behind him.
“Over here!” TK replied, wishing he could wave a hand to signal, but needing them both at the moment. It wasn’t necessary, since Judd and Marjan appeared at his side a few moments later.
“What’ve we got?” Judd asked, setting the backboard on the flattest spot he could find. TK brought them in closer, not wanting his voice to carry to anyone it shouldn’t.
“I’ve got a gunshot victim here, but we need to keep that off the radios,” TK murmured, finding twin looks of confusion staring back at him. “I’ll explain when we get outside.” They looked like they wanted to protest, but nodded in understanding.
“Who’s your friend?” Marjan asked, turning to face the little boy while he and Judd prepared to move the woman.
“That’s my pal, Tommy,” TK said with a friendly smile. “You think we should come up with a nickname for him, so we don’t confuse him with our other Tommy?”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Marjan agreed, stooping down to eye level with him.
“I was thinking you could be Big Tommy. How’s that sound?” TK offered, trying not to react as the woman’s breaths got weaker. “And Cap can be Little Tommy.”
“Okay,” Tommy said softly.
“Big Tommy, I’m going to need you to do me a favor, okay? I need you to go with my friend Marjan, so we can get your mom outside. We’ll be right behind you, but we need you two to lead the way. It’s a big job and I wouldn’t ask just anyone,” TK proposed, securing the last straps around the victim.
“Wow, a special job from TK. Those are rare. Right Judd?”
“I’ve never gotten one,” Judd agreed, moving around to the woman’s head to get ready to lift.
“For my mom,” Big Tommy said with quiet determination.
“That’s what I like to hear,” TK grinned, signalling to Judd. “Go.” They lifted the backboard as Marjan took Tommy by the hand and led him out, clearing the way as best she could so they wouldn’t have to climb over as much with their cargo. TK could feel the sweat rolling down his back like tiny rivers, but that wasn’t important at the moment. They needed to get this woman to a hospital as fast as possible.
As soon as they broke free of the building, they sprinted toward their people. TK didn’t trust anyone else with this, knowing that they would keep this quiet like they needed to. Luckily Tommy and Nancy weren’t busy with any other patients.
“What’ve we got?” Tommy asked, springing into action immediately. TK gave her a rundown of the situation, catching the look she gave him when he told her about the gunshot. Judd had stepped back and was calling someone over the secure line, not adding any details that could be dangerous. Nancy joined them after giving Tommy a quick check, making sure he didn’t need any first aid.
“Hey Big Tommy, this is my friend I was telling you about. Little Tommy, meet my new friend,” TK grinned, winking at Tommy as he helped her start an IV line.
“Well, that’s just about my favorite name,” Tommy boasted, bringing her face closer to his. “She needs an OR.”
“TK!” Carlos called out, jogging up to their group. “Judd called me over. Are you okay?”
“Nancy, can you take my place?” TK requested, standing up to meet his boyfriend as soon as she took over. “Hi Babe, I’m fine.”
“What’s with all the secrecy?” Carlos asked, looking down at the victim in confusion. “Is that a bullet wound?”
“I think she may have been shot by the bomber before the explosion went off. The little boy says he saw the man’s face when it happened,” TK explained.
“Someone’s gonna have to get his statement.”
“It’s gonna have to be quick. We’re sending her off, now,” Tommy said, passing the woman off to a team that was transporting victims to the hospital.
“I’ll send Mitchell with them. She’s good with child witnesses,” Carlos said, radioing for his partner to come to where he was.
“Big Tommy, you’re gonna go with your mom to the hospital, okay? And my friend here is going to ask you a couple questions about what you saw,” TK said as soon as Officer Mitchell showed up. She got the details of the situation from Carlos, then quickly followed the gurney with Big Tommy in tow. TK gave the boy one more encouraging nod before the doors of the ambulance closed and they drove away.
“Think she’ll make it?” Carlos asked, setting his hand on TK’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
“I hope so,” TK sighed, bumping Carlos with his head before sliding his helmet back on. His hair was plastered down with sweat at this point and the sun was not letting up. “I gotta get back in there.”
“Don’t you think you should take a break?” Carlos suggested, giving him a once over. TK squirmed a little under the scrutiny. Normally he liked having Carlos’ eyes rove over his body, but that was during sexy times. This was the opposite of that.
“Talking to you was my break,” TK shrugged.
“I’m serious. You won’t do anyone any good if you run yourself into the ground,” Carlos pointed out.
“I’m good, really,” TK insisted. If he were to take a true inventory of how he was right now, it would be miserable. But that didn’t matter when there were people who still needed rescuing. “I’ll see you when this is over.” TK started jogging back to the building, turning to get one last look at his boyfriend before he dove back in.
“You’re stubborn and you smell bad!” Carlos called after him with a smirk.
“Love you too,” TK chuckled, ducking through the door once again.
There were a lot more workers and a lot less victims, which made the job easier. It also meant a lot more searching and kicking around debris without finding anything. So now that there wasn’t as much to distract him, TK’s brain was focused on how uncomfortable he felt.
He didn’t think he’d ever been this sweaty in his entire life. Even spending time in a sauna couldn’t compare to this. It was like someone had poured a bucket of water over him, but it wasn’t the refreshing kind. His back felt almost sticky with it and his shirt clung uncomfortably. And the gear was starting to feel like it weighed closer to Nancy’s estimation.
TK caught a glimpse of Carlos a few times when he actually had a reason to leave the building. He was always huddled up with a few other officers, so they couldn’t even exchange nods in passing. That was fine, since they’d see each other after this day was finally over. TK pictured the long shower they would take together in their pleasantly air conditioned house. He must’ve pictured it pretty vividly, because he felt a cold shiver run up his body. That was strange, but not unwelcome.
He was helping a firefighter he didn’t recognize lift chunks of ceiling off of what was obviously a dead body when the radio on the man’s hip crackled to life. TK didn’t have time to wonder why he was connected to the police’s frequency before a voice he recognized called out over it.
“I’ve got a gunshot victim here in an ambulance at the south end of the building. She says she was shot by a suspicious looking man before the explosives detonated.” TK reared back a little in confusion, wondering why on earth Carlos would say that in a way that was so public. If the bomber/shooter was still here, he must’ve heard it, with all the cops around. Why would they do something so dangerous?
“Shit,” TK muttered, letting his sluggish mind put together the pieces. It was a bluff. They were trying to lure the man out of hiding, so they could make an arrest. It was smart, but TK hated the idea of Carlos being put in the line of fire. He knew that was a part of his job, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.
“Find something?” the other firefighter asked.
“No,” TK sighed, grunting as he moved another hunk of wood. The renewed adrenaline rush that came from knowing Carlos might be in danger was helping him along in his current task. What he really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and not move for a few days. It was already a few hours past when he was supposed to be off and he was feeling that right now. It had been so long since he’d even had a sip of water.
But he wasn’t going to complain. There could still be people trapped in this building and waiting to be rescued. TK wasn’t gonna go put his feet up and rest while people were dying, even if his head was pounding and he felt like he was going to throw up his nonexistent stomach contents.
When he finally finished freeing the body from the rubble, he helped the fireman carry it outside of the building. They ended up on the opposite side from where his team was, where a couple of officers were monitoring the area. He nodded politely at them, even though he didn’t recognize them. They might know Carlos and he always wanted to try to make a good impression, especially after that time he was arrested so long ago. No one else remembered it probably, but better to be safe than sorry.
A couple of loud pops broke the relative calm of the scene and TK froze. That sounded too familiar and he rubbed at his chest, a habit he’d picked up after he’d been shot. Part of him hoped that it was just the sound of a car backfiring or dumb kids playing with firecrackers, but he knew.
“We’ve got an officer down on the south end of the building. Requesting backup.” TK didn’t even realize he was running until his breaths were sawing in and out of him. As soon as the call went out over the radio, he knew they were talking about Carlos. He begged in his mind to be wrong, but he had to find out for himself.
It felt like it took forever before he turned the last corner, and when he did, it was madness. TK sprinted as fast as his legs would take him into the chaos, searching for any sign of his love. There were too many people and he had to push his way through. He didn’t care who he shoved aside, his whole being was focused on finding Carlos.
His breath caught when he finally reached the middle of the commotion, finding his coworkers making a wall with their bodies around someone on the ground. TK stumbled forward, squeezing next to Paul as he felt his heart stutter in his chest. Carlos was on the ground with Tommy and Nancy hovering over him. His eyes were closed and all TK could see was his face. He wasn’t moving, but TK felt like the ground was shifting under his feet. TK’s head swam and his vision blacked out as reality was hitting him full force.
“Carlos.”
*
Carlos hated guns. That was sort of a weird thing for a cop to feel, but it was true. He’d never had strong opinions on them either way before, appreciating them as a tool for his job, but he was never the kind to collect them. After TK got shot though, he despised them. A gun hurt his love on more than one occasion and he cursed the invention. He knew that was silly, but it was true. And now here he was, lying on the ground with his own bullet wound.
He’d proposed the plan to lure the bomber out to his superiors and they’d jumped on the idea. Their canvassing had gotten them nowhere and no one was eager to let the press know that there was a menace out roaming the streets. If the man was still here, he would be desperate to get rid of any witnesses.
It hadn’t taken the man long to fall into the trap, pretending to stumble over with an injury. Mitchell had called him a few minutes earlier with a rough description of the man and this guy fit it to a tee. Carlos sprang into action, ordering the man to get on the ground. He hadn’t listened of course and spun around, pulling out a gun and shooting. Carlos did the same and they both went down, Carlos with a graze on his arm and the shooter with a hole in his shoulder. More officers came and took the perp while Tommy and Nancy ordered him to stay down so they could check him over. He laid his head down and closed his eyes, trying to process everything that happened. Contrary to what the TV shows liked to tell you, police officers weren’t getting into shootouts everyday. He’d rarely had to shoot his gun and it was stressful every time.
The medics were just about finished with him when the crowd around him got quieter. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate it, since he kind of felt like he was on display, but it was a little out of place from the chaos it had just been. It wasn’t until he heard his name come out in a breathy gasp that he snapped his eyes back open. Carlos looked over just in time to see TK’s eyes roll into the back of his head and his body slump bonelessly into Paul’s.
“TK!” Carlos shouted, dragging his body off the cement, despite Tommy’s protests. Paul and Mateo were guiding TK to the ground and Carlos dropped to his knees beside his boyfriend, his own injury forgotten. “Open your eyes.” Paul carefully pulled TK’s helmet off, uncovering his pale and clammy face.
“What the hell?” Paul muttered, shoving his fingers under TK’s jaw. “We need help over here!” Tommy and Nancy rushed over, getting into position to do a preliminary examination. Carlos knew he should probably move back to give them space to work, but he couldn’t.
“TK, can you hear me?” Tommy asked, lifting up each of his eyelids. Carlos didn’t see him react at all.
“Is he in shock?” Nancy mumbled, taking his vitals.
“That’s what it looks like. But why?” Tommy sighed, opening up some of the layers of clothes he was wearing. She paused when she got to the shirt of his medic uniform, pressing her fingers along his side. When she pulled them back out, they were red with blood.
“Oh my God,” Carlos gasped, staring at her fingers.
“We need to find the source of this bleeding,” Tommy demanded, carefully peeling off the firefighter gear to get to the body hidden underneath. The inside of the jacket was saturated with blood, so with Nancy’s help, they turned TK onto his side. Carlos wanted to cry at what they found.
Across almost the full length of TK’s back, there was a jagged cut. It was still bleeding a bit and Tommy immediately started pressing gauze into it, trying to staunch the flow.
“We need to get him to the hospital, now,” Tommy commanded, securing the bandages while TK was still on his side, keeping him in that position until they slid a backboard under him. Carlos held a part of him the whole time, unwilling to let him go. TK hadn’t so much as stirred this whole time and that fact terrified him.
“Come on, TK, open your eyes for me,” Carlos insisted. He needed to see those green eyes again to know that he would be okay. They couldn’t be going through this again.
“Will someone drive us to the hospital? I need Nancy in the back with me,” Tommy requested, getting TK on a gurney and rushing him over to the back of the ambulance.
“I got it,” Judd volunteered, picking Carlos up on the way from where he hadn’t been able to get his legs under him fast enough. He almost fully hoisted Carlos into the back of the ambulance, which normally would’ve been embarrassing, but right now was very much appreciated. Carlos’ own shock was threatening to make him pass out.
He stayed seated out of the way, keeping a firm grip on TK’s ankle as they tore down the road toward the hospital. It was so cold, such a contradiction to the temperature around them. Carlos needed to feel TK’s natural warmth again.
“He’s a fighter, Carlos, you know that,” Nancy assured him, trying to give him a confident look. Carlos nodded, unable to return the useless platitudes. At some point, everyone’s luck ran out. Carlos pleaded with the universe for today to not be that day.
*
“You know, usually when a guy gets shot, he gets to wake up in a hospital bed with his love sitting vigil by his side. But things are never that simple when it comes to TK Strand, are they?”
TK’s head was swimming as his brain tried to register that someone was talking to him. Why did everything feel so fuzzy? It was like someone had stuffed his skull with cotton.
“Come on, wake up for me. Let me see those green eyes.”
He knew that voice. It was his favorite sound in the world. TK would crawl his way out of anything for that voice.
“Carlos?” TK mumbled, his tongue feeling too thick in his mouth.
“Yeah, that’s it,” Carlos encouraged. TK painstakingly forced his heavy eyelids open, blinking to clear his blurry vision. Carlos was sitting by his side with a relieved smile on his face. TK smiled back, until he noticed the new accessory Carlos was sporting on his left arm. Everything flooded back into his mind like a punch in the gut and he gasped in panic, even though his eyes could see that Carlos was here and fine.
“Carlos! You’re hurt!” TK choked out, trying to force himself out of bed. Whose bed was this? Why was he tied down? What was going on?
“TK, relax!” Carlos exclaimed, standing up to cup his cheek with his free hand. “You’re gonna rip your stitches.”
“Stitches? I don’t have stitches, you do. You were shot!” TK insisted, before feeling the distinctive pull across his back. “Why do I have stitches?”
“Because you have a six inch cut across your back that you failed to mention to anyone,” Carlos chastised. Carlos must’ve noticed the look of pure confusion on his face, because his eyes softened. “You really didn’t know?”
“No, I swear,” TK insisted, closing his eyes to think back over what he remembered. “I had just dug a body out of the rubble when I heard the call over the radio that an officer was down.”
“Oh, Ty.”
“I heard the one you sent out before, to lure the bomber, and I knew it was you,” TK gasped. Carlos started wiping away the tears he hadn’t known he was crying. “I ran to get to you and saw you on the ground, and then nothing. I thought you were dead.”
“I’m okay,” Carlos murmured, tucking TK’s face into his neck as he tried to regain control of his sobbing body. “You’re okay and I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?” TK asked in a small voice. He’d been so convinced that he’d lost everything.
“You’re the one we have to worry about,” Carlos sighed, leaning back to stare into his eyes.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Well, you did. From the blood loss, to dehydration, to being on a fast track to heatstroke, you were a bit of a mess,” Carlos mumbled. “I think the shock of seeing me hurt pushed you over the edge.”
“I’m sorry. I really had no idea that I was hurt,” TK sighed, running his fingers lightly over Carlos’ sling. “I just thought it was the heat and stress of the day.”
“Do you remember running into anything or falling? Did someone hurt you?” Carlos questioned, running his hands through TK’s hair in the way he knew he loved.
“No, nothing like that. I was going back and forth with victims without any-” TK’s words cut off when he thought about the event that kicked off all the drama with Carlos. “Tommy.”
“Tommy? You told her what happened? She said she didn’t know,” Carlos asked in confusion.
“No, not our Tommy. Big Tommy,” TK groaned, feeling his cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
“The kid?”
“When I found his mom, he sort of tackled me,” TK admitted, looking away in shame. “I fell onto my back, but I didn’t realize I was hurt. Just thought I got the wind knocked out of me.”
“Oh,” Carlos said softly.
“Go on, let’s hear it. Laugh at me all you want,” TK grunted, shaking his head in disgust. “Almost got killed by another kid.”
“I’m not going to laugh at you,” Carlos chuckled, kissing him on the forehead. “I’m just glad it wasn’t more serious.”
“How’s his mom?”
“According to Mitchell, she should make a full recovery,” Carlos replied. TK sighed in relief. At least that had gone right.
“Good,” TK murmured, feeling his energy levels dipping again. Shock took a lot out of you.
“Get some more rest. I’ll let everyone else know you woke up. Your dad was freaking out when he heard about what happened, but he couldn’t leave the scene yet,” Carlos said, coaxing TK back into a more comfortable position.
“Can you do me one last favor?” TK asked, grabbing Carlos’ hand before he could move it back.
“Anything.”
“Do you think you could avoid telling everyone how I got hurt this time? I’m never gonna live it down.” Carlos couldn’t hold back his laughter now, leaning forward to press their foreheads together.
“We’ll just have to hire you a bodyguard,” Carlos grinned, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. “Maybe a preschool teacher?”
“Babe!” TK whined, pouting at being teased.
“I don’t know, these kids are getting tougher. We might have to spring for a principal.”
“So mean.”
“Go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“‘Kay,” TK whispered, letting his eyes slide closed again. Deep down he didn’t care what anyone said about what happened. They could tease him however much they wanted. The most important thing was knowing that Carlos would be there at the end of the day to make everything better. As long as they were together, they could get through anything.