Emma:
Pain woke me before the light did.
A deep, throbbing ache behind my cheekbone. A sharp tug in my ribs every time I breathed. A pounding, heavy pressure in my skull that made the world tilt.
For a moment, I didn’t remember where I was.
Then something warm shifted against me.
Avery.
Her tiny body was curled into my chest, arms wrapped around me like she’d been afraid I’d disappear in the night. Her cheek rested over my heartbeat, her small breaths puffing softly against my bruised ribs.
She must’ve climbed onto the cot sometime after I’d finally fallen asleep.
I smoothed a hand over her hair, wincing when the movement pulled something deep in my shoulder.
Everything hurt.
But she was safe.
Alive.
Breathing.
And nothing else mattered.
Silence filled the firehouse… except—
