Hearts on Fire (Book 5: Creek-Harbor)

Chapter 10// Emma

Opening my eyes focusing them to see through the dust around me, feeling aches and pressure through my whole body. I don't even know what happened, one minute we're were walking to the door to get out, and the next Eli was screaming my name before rushing at me and knocking me of my feet, then something was falling on us. It all happened so fast before I could do anything about it.

Locking around my surrounds just as see fallen beams, ceiling parts fallen around me. Uh-oh, did they fall on us? Where's Eli? Throwing my eyes around to find him, just as I hear chief's voice through my radio.

"Anderson? Argent? Report, do you copy? Report" He yelled, reaching for my radio to reply back to him, just as my glaze lands on a shadow laying on the floor a few inches away from me, a beam on top of him.

"Chief, the ceiling fell. Elliot is trapped I need help" I cried and moved towards him to check over his injures, he's not moving, why isn't he moving?

"Lieutenant can you hear me? Elliot, I need you to wake-up for me.... please?" I yell at him, as he lays still, blood covering his head and eyes. Ignoring the wetness trickling down my own head.

Looking to the beam that fell on us, I was right underneath it, if he hadn't pushed me out of the way, it would have landed on me. Oh my god he's literally just saved my life.

"Emma, where are you?" I hear Dex's voice echo through the dust, without taking my eyes off Elliot, applying pressure to his head wound.

"We're here" I shouted back as loudly as I could, through my own creaking voice. just as I see him coming into view, along with Dixon, Walker, and the chief. 

"What happened?" Chief Lewis ask me, as they reach us. Walker and Dixon go straight to Eli, getting the beam off him but he's still unresponsive. Dex pulls me away from Elliot and takes over treating his injuries, getting up and stumbling a little, just as someone catches me, looking up to see chief holding me arm gently.

Shaking my head and catch my breath before explaining what I remember.

"We were heading out, I heard him shout my name. And then we were on the ground the beam on us, he pushed me out the way, so he was the one to take more of the hit" I cried everything still feeling so unfocused, even as Chief guilds me out of the house.

Feeling the fresh air hit my checks as soon as we're out, I watch as the firefighters I work with, lead Elliot towards the ambulance. I can't believe he saved my life; I owe him my life.

Oh my god if he dies it's my fault, I will be responsible for it. I can't be the reason that people in this town lose Elliot Argent, I mean he's a son, a brother, an uncle and a friend, there's to many people who love him and need him.

"Emma.... Emma.... Emma" I hear someone chanting my name, and gripping my shoulders, looking up to see Dex standing next to me, concern in his eyes. 

"Shit Dex...what if-;" I started to sob just as he grips my shoulder a little harder and looks at me dead in the eye and shakes his head.

"Don't think like that, you haven't known him for that long. But trust me when I say this is nothing for Eli, he's too stubborn to go out like this" Dex says to me, nodding my head and sighed, just as he adds,

"Come on we need to get Eli to the hospital and you need to get checked out, you head is bleeding still, and I think your wrist is broken, Walker is driving the ambo"

Nodding my head at him, I honestly don't care about my own injuries right now. I just need to know that he's going to be okay, Creek-Harbor needs Elliot Argent. And I haven't had a chance to know him yet, and I want to I just didn't want to admit.

~ ~ ~

Waiting in the corridor of the hospital, we've been here for hours. When we first got here, they rushed Elliot through to trauma. His brother Harvey Argent, Gabby's husband he was working when they rushed him through. He had no idea that his brother was hurt, the hospital team only got news that a firefighter and a paramedic were coming in. The look in his eyes when he saw his brother, he went pale as a ghost.

One of the other doctors kicked him, because he can't work on family. And then his eyes locked on me, he saw the blood on the side of my head, the cuts, and bruises on my face. And he took me through to another trauma bay to check over my own injuries with concern for me in his eyes too.

He didn't say much to me and I didn't say much to him, our minds were on the same thing will Elliot be okay? Dex came in and mentioned all the other Argent's and sisters-in-laws were here too.

Everything just passed in a blur, all my test came back clear, the cuts were cleaned up on my face and covered. A few stiches in my head and Dex was right my left wrist is fractured, so it's casted-up. But other than that, I'm fine, they've released me, it doesn't seem fair that I'm okay and he might not be.

Pulling out my phone and hit my grams number, I have to tell her that I will be home sometime tonight, I just need to know if Elliot is fine before I do. The chief told me to take a few shifts off to recover.

"Emma, honey is everything okay?" I heard her ask as soon as she answered the phone, I don't normal call this early on into my shift.

"Not really but I am okay, I had to go into an unstable building to get a victim out. The beams started to fall, as we were making our way out and-;" I broke off, trying to hold my tears at bay.

"Your scaring me. Are. You. Okay?" Grams yelled slight at me in panic.

"I'm fine, I promise. I few cuts and bruises but Lieutenant Argent he pushed me out of the way, he was hurt really bad grams and I don't know if he's alive" I cried, me and Elliot we're not friend we never were, but lately it changed. We talk more on shifted, we banter, I don't know how to explain it but we're closer then we once were but not close enough.

"Oh sweetheart, it's going to be okay. Just breathe, where are you now?"

"the hospital, I will be home later on. Chief has given me a few days off, but I can't leave here yet, not until I know" I explained to her,

"I understand, come home when your ready-;" Grams sighed before adding sadly "I'm glad you're okay Emma, I wouldn't-;" shaking my head, just as few tears fall down my face.

"I know grams, kiss the kids for me" I replied and then hang up, she doesn't need to hear my breakdown.

Sliding down the wall and held my head in my hands if he's dead it's my fault. He shouldn't have pushed me out of the way, my life isn't worth any more than his, so I don't understand.

"Emma" I looked up to the sound of my name, to see Dex standing in-front of me. He slides down next to me and we just sit there in silence for what seemed like an century. Without meeting his eyes, I ask my closest friend,

"Is he dead?" I wait and fear the answer to my question.

"No he's not, but I don't know much else" Dex answers sadly, nodding my head.

"This is my fault Dex-;" Dex's head snaps around so his eyes were on me, and he gently grabs my uninjured hand, in comfort.

"It's not Emma, it's the job. It's like you said, we all chose this job, knowing the risk, Eli has always known the risks and it's never stopped him from running into the flames or saving a life" he says to me,

Moving my eyes to Dex and opened my mouth to respond just as footsteps approach us, and we both look up to see Harvey standing in-front of us.

"He's awake, he's going to have a tough recovering but he's going to be fine" Harvey announced with such relief in his voice, Dex helps me to my feet as we both stand up.

"Would you like to see him Emma?" I flip my glaze to Harvey as I hear his question. A little taken back by it actually, mostly because everyone knows Elliot and I are not friends.

"Would that be okay?" I reply, unsure if only family can be in his room. Harvey looks at me for a moment and his face softens.

"Yeah he's been asking about you, he wants to see that your okay" Harvey says, feeling something warm inside my chest as I listen to his words.

Still with uncertainty about everything that has happened, I follow Harvey without hesitation towards where Elliot is.