Enjoying the Chase (69 page)

He coughed and nodded in confirmation.
“Yeah.”

“I
’
m gonna spray the fire now. We only get one chance DJ so as soon as
I grab you, you hold on to me tight and you don
’
t let go. No matter what happens, you don
’
t let go of me until I tell you to. Understand?” I said sternly. He nodded
again so I turned back to the fire, praying that this would work. DJ didn
’
t deserve this. I couldn
’
t let this happen; I just had to get him out to his mom.

I yanked the tab off the bottle and
immediately sprayed the white foam onto the fire, covering my mouth with my bad
arm as the smoke billowed around us. The bottle ran out way too quickly, a lot
quicker than I expected. The flames were still raging everywhere. I threw the
bottle to the side and turned to DJ, nodding encouragingly as I bent down and
scooped him up with one arm. Immediately, he clamped himself to me, just like I
’
d told him to. He pressed his face into the
side of my neck as I moved back as far as I could, needing a good run up to
make the jump this time.

“Hold your breath,” I whispered. His arms
tightened on my neck to the point of strangulation as I pushed away from the
wall and ran, jumping into the flames. I held my breath, praying that it was
enough, praying that DJ was holding on as tightly as he could, praying that we
’
d make it.

We crashed into the wall, making the pain
in my arm double as DJ cried out in pain where I had crushed him against it. I
stumbled a couple of steps, trying to stay on my feet as I cursed under my
breath. When I was steady, I laughed with relief and looked back at the jump
that I
’
d just made. DJ shifted on
me slightly, his body still clamped to mine.

“You okay, Kid?” I asked breathlessly. He nodded
in confirmation. I smiled and pulled the hood of my sweater back up, covering
his head, protecting him. Now we just needed to get out. I stumbled towards the
front door. The heat and smoke were making it hard to move. All I wanted to do
was curl into a ball and give up. Each step was like wading through quicksand
as the lack of oxygen in my bloodstream started to shut down my body.

By the time I made it to the door, I was
exhausted. The only thing that was keeping me moving was the thought of getting
DJ out to his mom. Seeing her again, kissing her again, telling her that I
loved her. We were home free now; all we had to do was get across the thirteen
steps to the stairs, down, and out the front door. We were so close I could
almost taste it.

As I stepped out of the door, I stopped and
my heart leapt into my throat. The fire that had ripped through the apartment
next to Rosie
’
s had spread to the
hallway. Flames were everywhere. No walls remained, just the burning timbers of
the internal walls and pipes for the plumbing. The fire was blazing. I
flinched, and DJ hissed through his teeth from the intensity of the heat. I
could feel my skin burning yet we weren
’
t even anywhere near it. The fire escape was at the end of the hall,
but I couldn
’
t get to those stairs
either. 

“Christ!” I
screamed
angrily, shaking my head as I stepped back into their apartment.
Where were we supposed to go now? How were we going to get out? My eyes scanned
the room for something, anything, a fire extinguisher, bucket of water, anything.

There was nothing. Nothing was going to
help me; nothing was going to magically appear to save us. I looked down at DJ
knowing we were both going to die and that there was nothing I could do about
it. I
’
d tried so hard, but it just
wasn
’
t enough. This was beyond my
control. We were out of options.

I smiled down at him, feeling tears prickle
in my eyes as I looked at his cute face. This was the most heart-breaking
moment of my life. He seemed to know without me saying it. He smiled back, his
arms tightened on my neck as he moved his face forward and kissed my cheek. I
closed my eyes at the feel of it. It was bittersweet. My hold on him tightened
as I could somehow wish us out of here. There was so much still left to do, so
many things I wanted to teach him and show him. There were so many things I
wanted to say to his mom, so many things that we would never get the chance to
do.

I opened my eyes and looked down at him
again, about to apologise for not being enough, for not being able to save him,
but instead my gaze settled on something on the other side of the lounge. The
window. It was at the front of the building where the fire engines were. Where
Rosie was. She was so close but yet so far. If I could just give her back her
son… It didn
’
t matter about me; I
just needed to give my girl back her child.

Grim determination settled over me as I
knew this was our only chance.
His
only chance.

“DJ, I need you to do something for me.” I
looked down at him hopefully. He nodded. “I need you to tell your momma something
if I can
’
t say it myself, okay? It
’
s really important. If I can
’
t tell her, then I need you to tell her for
me,” I explained.

“What?”

I smiled.
“I need you
to tell your momma that Nate said he loves her, and you, more than anything in
the world. Can you remember that, Kid? Tell her that I love you both more than
anything,” I promised, putting my forehead to his.

He sniffed, his lip trembling. “More than
chocolate cake?”

I laughed quietly. “Ten times more than
chocolate cake,” I confirmed.

He smiled. “I love you more than chocolate
cake too.”

My heart melted at those words. Each
syllable meant so much to me that I could barely even understand and process
the waves of love that washed over my body.

I kissed his forehead before pulling the
hood tighter around his face and guiding his face into the crook of my neck. I
didn
’
t tell him what I was about
to do. He didn
’
t need to know.

“You hold on as tight as you can. And you
don
’
t let go,” I instructed. His
arms tightened on me again as I shoved myself away from the wall. I ran as fast
as I could, literally running through the fire that was everywhere, I gritted
my teeth at the pain as it burnt my legs. As soon as I was close enough, I
jumped and smashed into the glass of the window, turning my body so that I took
all of the impact. I barely had time to feel the glass rip into my skin.

Then we were falling.

Everything was happening so slowly. I
tightened my arms on DJ, knowing that the fall from two stories onto the
concrete was probably going to kill me. As long as he got to his mom, that was
all I needed. If there was one thing that I was proud of in my life, it was
that I got to give a child that I loved, back to the girl that I loved.

Chapter
Thirty-Six

Agony like nothing I had ever felt
before ripped through my whole body as I smashed into the ground. I’d tried to
turn so that I could protect DJ as much as I could, I knew he would get hurt,
but it was the best I could do under the circumstances. Thankfully, I landed
feet first instead of on my back. One of my ankles cracked, my knees buckled
and popped, and we fell forwards. I immediately panicked because DJ was
clinging to my chest. If I fell forward I could crush him and he would hit his
head. Placing my hand on the back of his head to limit the damage, I put my
elbows out to try and keep some of my weight off him.

Shooting pains
coursed up my already
damaged arm making the air whoosh out of my lungs. I twisted my body and rolled
slightly, my shoulder and hips connecting with the cold hard floor next. The
side of my head struck the concrete making my eyes unfocussed. Then I felt the
burning on my lower body.

People were shouting, screaming around us.
I could still hear the glass tinkering to the floor around us so I knew that
merely seconds had passed since I
’
d
jumped, but it felt like an eternity. An eternity of pain and horror. DJ was
still clinging to me as I screamed and thrashed my legs as the burning got
worse. I squeezed my eyes shut, rolling onto my back, gritting my teeth, just
wishing I was dead already because this was too much. This was the worst pain
imaginable; actually, I wouldn
’
t
even be able to imagine how much this hurt in my worst nightmares.

I could hear people shouting, the voices getting
closer, something was thrown over us both, people began slapping at my legs
causing the pain to intensify. I knew I should roll over and over, but I couldn
’
t move, the pain had made my whole body stiff.
DJ was crying on my chest, his arms still tight around my neck, just like I
’
d told him. I was immensely proud of him; he
must have been terrified in there.

Off to my right, Rosie was screaming my
name, screaming DJ
’
s name, but she
was further away than the other voices. I turned my head in her direction,
seeing her practically fighting with two police officers as she tried to get
past, shouting at them that she was with us. I tried to smile, but I couldn
’
t, it just hurt too much. Her eyes locked on
mine and, in that moment, we were completely alone. Her brown eyes were the
most beautiful things I had ever seen, and I was silently thankful that I got
to see them one more time.

DJ
’
s weight was shifted on me. He screamed. His arms tightening on my
neck making my head hurt.

“You need to let go now. We need to let the
doctors look at him!” a guy said sternly, trying to lift him off me again.

DJ
’
s arms tightened even more as he buried his face in the side of my
neck. I could feel his tears wetting my skin; it was actually quite nice
because my skin was so sore and tight.

“No! Nate tolded me not to let go until he
said so!” DJ shouted fiercely. I smiled and closed my eyes.
That
’
s my boy.
I
swallowed awkwardly, gulping down the fresh air, but it just made me cough, the
small movement of coughing made the pain even worse, and I couldn
’
t help but groan.

“Let go now, come on, quickly!” the guy
repeated. I could feel DJ moving, struggling to hold on to me, the guy was
obviously trying to pry him off me.

“NO! NATE?” DJ screamed.

I swallowed again, willing my voice to
work.

“It
’
s okay, Kid. You can let go now. Go with the doctor,” I rasped. Then
he was gone. I closed my eyes again. I couldn
’
t feel exactly where the pain was, it was just everywhere, too many
places to count. There was a commotion off to my right; I turned my head just
in time to see Rosie sweep DJ into her arms, crying hysterically as she kissed
all over his face and hugged him. She buried her face into his hair, and
squeezing her eyes shut. I smiled at the sight of it, all of this I was feeling
right now, was totally worth it. I would go through this again and again just
to see them reunited like that.

Her eyes opened, and she looked straight at
me, instantly pushing herself forward, trying again to push past the police
officers that were stopping her from getting to me. I could see her mouth
moving, she was begging them to let her past. The pleading expression graced
her face – the same one that I could never resist. A paramedic took DJ from her
arms, sitting him on a gurney next to an ambulance. Rosie gripped her hands in
her hair and looked at me desperately as she continued to beg the policeman. He
nodded once, and she practically ran to my side, dropping down next to my head.

She bent over me, tears streaming down her
beautiful face as her eyes locked on mine. “Nate? Oh God, please be okay.
Please?” she whispered. Her hands were hovering above me as if she wasn
’
t sure she could touch me. Her eyes raked over
my body, horrified. “Oh God. I was so scared. Please, you have to be okay.
Please?”

 She bent forward and kissed my lips
softly. Her tears dripped onto my face, and I closed my eyes, savouring the
feel of her kiss that I never thought I would get to feel again.

“I
’
m okay,” I lied, nodding, trying not to wince. I could feel people
working on my lower body, a paramedic cutting my pants leg, the cold wind
whipping around my scorched skin. Rosie was sobbing, her body was shaking. I
longed to reach out and hold her, but I wasn
’
t sure I could move. She leant forward and stroked the side of my
face, her eyes bright with concern. I could see the ‘I think you
’
re superman
’
expression on her face as she looked at me in awe. I smiled weakly.
“I think another kiss is in order,” I rasped, coughing.

She smiled and immediately bent her head,
pressing her lips to mine. Her soft fingers stroked the side of my face. She
pulled back and put her forehead to mine, her breath blowing across my stinging
skin. “I love you, Nate,” she whispered.

The breath caught in my throat. I had
imagined her saying that to me over and over, but never once had it sounded so
beautiful. The awful thing was, I knew she didn
’
t mean it. This was just another one of those perks of the job that
I had. Hero worship. It was textbook. Someone went through something traumatic,
a person saved them or a loved one, and they formed an attachment to them.
Rosie didn
’
t love me; she was just
grateful that I saved her son and was confused as to the feeling of it.

I smiled, not wanting to get into this
discussion now. “Where
’
s the kid?”
I asked weakly, changing the subject.

She smiled and nodded behind me. “He
’
s getting looked at,” she replied. Her eyes
met mine; I could see a gratitude there that I would never be able to explain
in a million years. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Nate. Thank you,” she
whispered. Fresh tears ran from her eyes as she smiled, stroking my face again.

I smiled; I didn
’
t have the energy to keep talking. “You should go be with him,” I
suggested, coughing again. The paramedic moved up, placing a mask over my mouth
and nose. Rosie looked torn, like she didn
’
t want to leave, but at the same time she was desperate to. “Go make
sure he
’
s okay. Go on,” I
instructed, nodding encouragingly.

She gulped; her eyes flicked to DJ before
coming back to rest on me. “Okay. I
’
ll be back in a minute,” she promised. She bent and kissed my
forehead softly, her lips lingering for only a couple of seconds, but they felt
like the most magical seconds of my life. “I love you, so much,” she whispered,
kissing my cheek before pushing herself up and heading quickly to DJ again.

Once she’d gone, I didn
’
t need to hold onto the tough guy act anymore.
I pulled the mask off my face and groaned. “Fuck, it hurts. Shit!” I hissed
through clenched teeth.  

The paramedic nodded, taking the mask from
my hand and putting it back on my face. “I know, sir. Keep that on, and we
’
ll be moving you to a gurney in a minute and
getting you to the hospital,” he assured me.

“Is it bad?” I asked, not really wanting to
know the answer.

He frowned. “There is some damage, but the
flames were out quickly. I think you
’
re going into shock and have suspected internal bleeding.” He
motioned down to my leg. “Your ankle looks broken as well,” he added almost as
an afterthought.

I already knew that, I could feel the thing
throbbing.

 “My arm’
s
broken too,
” I told him, wincing as his hands went straight to it, examining
it.

Rosie came back after less than a minute, a
torn expression on her face. “Nate, they want to take DJ to the hospital,” she
said, looking at me worriedly.

“Is he okay?”

She nodded, smiling weakly. “Yeah. He
’
s on oxygen because of the smoke inhalation.
He
’
s got a couple of cuts, but no
burns thankfully,” she explained, her eyes shooting down to my legs.

“That
’
s good,
” I replied. “I
’
ll see you there then.”

“
I don’
t want to leave you here on your own,” she croaked, crying again as
she shook her head, taking hold of my hand.

I smiled weakly. DJ came first, that
’
s the way it had to work, we both knew that,
and I wouldn
’
t want it any other
way. “Stripes, I
’
m fine. I
’
ll see you there. Go take care of DJ, he
’
ll be frightened. Go on,” I instructed.

She sniffed, wiping her face on the back of
her hand as she bent forward pressing her cheek to mine. “I love you. You
really are the most incredible person I
’
ve ever met, Nate Peters,” she whispered, kissing my cheek gently.

I tried to smirk at her, but I don
’
t think I pulled it off properly. “Yeah, I
know. I
’
m awesome.”

She chuckled humourlessly.
“That you are, Nate. That you are,” she replied. “I
’
ll see you at the hospital in a couple of
minutes,” she promised before pushing herself up and heading back to DJ
’
s ambulance.

It took a few more minutes before they were
happy that I could be moved too. I gritted my teeth as I was lifted onto the
gurney. My whole body felt like it was still on fire. There was so much pain
that I didn
’
t know which part to
feel first. My arm and ankle had been strapped up, and I had plastic wrap
covering all of my charred skin of my legs to keep the germs off. They
’
d put gauze over most of the little cuts that
was caused by me jumping out of the window. The pain meds that they
’
d been pumping into my arm were slowly working
their way around my system, making me tired and my limbs feel heavy.

My weary brain couldn
’
t really focus on anything as we moved from the ambulance to the
hospital. I was moved from place to place, machine to machine, doctor to
doctor. They treated me for suspected internal bleeding but by the relieved
looks on their faces, I figured I was safe. I
’
d already had what felt like endless IV fluids pumped into me, and
they were going to continue to monitor me constantly for the next couple of
hours. The worst part, by far, was when they put my dislocated knee back into
place. That had hurt worse than the fire and the break put together, I could
even still feel that through the heavy pain meds I was on. Thankfully though,
they were satisfied that it went back in with no need for surgery which I was
more than grateful for.  

Rosie was still with DJ in the children
’
s ward, but the nurses told me that she was
driving them crazy asking about me every couple of minutes. Ashton turned up
after a little while. I wasn
’
t
sure who called him, but I was grateful not to be on my own with the irritating
nurse who insisted on talking to me every time I tried to get some sleep.

Ashton seemed to do everything in his power
to keep my mind off the pain. I just laid there listening to him talk and joke
around; I didn
’
t have the energy
to respond. He
’
d called my parents
and told them – they were driving straight here so I knew they
’
d be here within a couple of hours. I actually
wasn
’
t looking forward to dealing
with my panicked mother.