Playing House with the Firemen for the Holiday

Marina POV The snow fell so fast that I could barely see the road. The wipers kept dragging across the windshield, making a loud squeaking sound that only made my nerves worse. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and tried to breathe. I had driven in bad weather before, but tonight felt different. The wind howled as if something wanted to push me off the road. I should have stayed at the hospital. I should have taken the empty on-call room and slept on the thin mattress. But I wanted to go home because the hospital had started decorating for Christmas and I could not take it. I hated this season. I hated the songs and lights and happy faces. I hated that I never had a real Christmas in my life. I was alone again. I always was. The snow grew thicker and my headlights reflected white instead of revealing the road. My heartbeat picked up. I blinked hard and leaned forward. “Come on. Please.” My voice shook. The tires slid a little. My stomach dropped. I pressed the brake lightly, but the car still drifted to the side. I tried correcting it, but the road was too slippery. The next seconds happened too fast. The wheel jerked to the left. Snow kicked up. The car spun. My breath turned into a scream that never fully left my lips. The world tilted. My head hit the window. Everything blurred. Then the car slammed into something solid. My body snapped forward against the seatbelt. The impact rushed through my bones. The lights dimmed. Pain pulsed at the back of my head. I tried to reach for my phone, but my fingers were numb. The cold seeped through the car windows like ice hands grabbing at me. My vision spun. I heard nothing but the whistling storm outside until a deep voice cut through the darkness. “Is someone in there?” It sounded close. Strong and worried. I blinked, but I could not focus. The cold made it hard to think. My body felt heavy. My breath came out in small clouds. I tried to call out, but my throat would not work. “Reed, there is movement.” Another voice, rough and deep. More footsteps, heavy ones, crunched through the snow. Then a light shined through my cracked window. It was bright enough to make my eyes water. “She is alive,” a different voice said. “We need to get her out.” The door was pulled open. Cold air rushed into the car, hitting me like a wave. I gasped at the shock. A big hand touched my shoulder. Warm. Strong. “Hey. Can you hear me?” the first man asked. I nodded slightly. My head throbbed. “Good. We got you. You are safe now.” His voice sounded firm in a way that did something strange to my chest. It carried a promise. He and another man unbuckled me and lifted me out of the seat. My body felt weightless in their arms as if I weighed nothing. The snow swirled around us, and I squinted through the flakes. There were so many of them. Tall men. Broad shoulders. Dark jackets. Firefighter gear. The storm behind them made them look like giants standing in white smoke. I counted three at first. Then five. Then more moved behind them. Ten. Ten firemen. All staring at me with concern in their eyes. “Let’s get her inside the station before she freezes,” one of them said. My mind swam. “Station?” I whispered. “Yes. Station seventeen. We are right beside the curve where your car crashed,” another voice replied. His tone was playful, as if he was trying to keep me awake. They carried me across the snow and into a warm building. Heat washed over my skin and made me gasp. The sudden change stung my fingers and cheeks. They placed me on a long bench near a heater. The warmth was almost too much. One man knelt in front of me. His hair was dark and wet from the snow. His eyes were sharp and calm. He looked like the kind of man who gave orders and expected them to be obeyed. “I am Captain Reed Maddox,” he said quietly. “You are safe. You crashed during the worst part of the storm. Can you tell me your name?” “Marina,” I whispered. “Marina.” He repeated it slowly, as if learning it. “Do you feel pain anywhere other than your head?” “My legs feel heavy,” I answered. “My hands too.” “We will check you,” he said. He turned to one of the men. “Jax, run a quick assessment. Hunter, get her a blanket.” “Yes, Captain,” they both replied. A blond man rushed over and wrapped a thick firehouse blanket around me. He smiled at me in a way that was warm and teasing at the same time. “Do not worry. We got you,” he said softly. “You scared us for a moment.” A different man crouched beside me and started checking my pulse and asking questions. Jax. His touch was gentle. His eyes were soft, but focused. He looked like someone used to taking care of people. “You are freezing,” he murmured. “We need to warm you up slowly.” More men gathered closer. I could feel their attention like heat around me. Ten firemen and all their eyes were on me. A lump formed in my throat. “I am sorry,” I whispered. “I did not mean to cause trouble.” Hunter, the playful one, laughed lightly. “Trust me, Marina. This is the most interesting thing that has happened all night.” I looked down, embarrassed. Reed stood back with crossed arms, watching me with unreadable eyes. He looked like the kind of man who never let anything slip out of control. But right now, he looked a little shaken. Maybe finding a half frozen stranger at the door of his firehouse would do that. “You are not going back out there,” he said firmly. “The storm is getting worse. Roads are closed. You will stay here until it is safe.” My heart jumped. “Stay here?” “Yes,” he said. “You will not be left alone.” Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten. Jax finished checking me and looked up. “She should eat something warm. And she is not sleeping back in that car. She needs to rest in a warm room.” A tall man with piercing eyes stepped forward. “She can have my bunk.” “No,” another man argued. “She can have mine.” The firemen started talking over one another, arguing playfully but also seriously. It was overwhelming. Ten men, tall and strong, fighting over where a stranger should sleep. Reed cleared his throat and everybody went silent. “One bunk only,” he said. “The rest of the room stays open. We will rotate shifts. She will not be alone.” My breath caught. I stared at them, confused. “You do not even know me,” I whispered. Hunter smiled again. “Then it is a good thing we will have time to change that.” Warmth crept up my neck. My heart beat faster. Reed stepped closer. His presence filled the entire room. “Marina,” he said slowly. “You are staying here for the night. We will take care of everything.” His voice lowered a little. “And you do not have to be alone tonight.” The heat in my chest spread until I felt it in my fingertips. Something about him. Something about all of them. Something dangerous. Something comforting. Something new. The firehouse lights flickered as the wind slammed against the building. Reed lifted his chin and looked at me like he saw something in me I did not know existed. “Stay awake for a few minutes,” he said. I swallowed. “Why?” His eyes softened. “Because I think your life just changed forever.”