Page 31 of Avery's Hero

CHAPTER THIRTY

Three freaking hours. I’ve cursed. I’ve kicked. I’ve cooked. And repeated.

Finally, the trucks roll onto the street in front of the station. A few minutes later, the trucks are back in their places and the team is unloading.

Everyone’s exhausted. I’m strung out like I’ve been on a bender of Redbull and Netflix series.

When everyone begins taking off their gear, I finally snap. I can't take it any longer. “Where’s the chief?”

Tim looks up at me. His eyes are bloodshot as heck. “You didn’t hear he got hurt? It was all over the radio.”

My lungs lock up as all of my blood goes south on an express elevator. “No. What happened?”

“There was an explosion.”

Time stands still. I turn to ice or stone—I’m not sure which—but I can’t even get my throat to work. “Is he okay?”

“He’s at County Regional right now.”

Oh god. I want to grab Tim and shake every bit of information out of him. He goes back to taking off his turnout gear with a dark expression on his face.

“Is anyone there with him?”

Tim shrugs as he hangs his coat up. “I’m not sure. It’s been chaotic.”

Surely, he’d tell me if it was serious.

But what if he doesn’t know? What if no one knows what’s really happening?

I need to see him.

I turn on wobbly, numb legs and bolt toward the stairs. Reeves jumps out of my way.

“Food’s in the kitchen,” I say, but don’t stop.

I feel his eyes on me as I bound up the stairs like I’ve been shot from a cannon.

Grabbing my truck keys, I take the steps two at a time on the way down. I don’t look left or right. I don’t say anything to anyone.

Brock’s voicemail picks up immediately when I try to call him.

Inside, I’m numb everywhere except a painful ball of fear inside my chest.

Calm down. Take a breath. Surely, someone would tell you if he was badly hurt.

But it’s futile. The train has left the station. I have to see Brock.

My truck is parked on the far side of the lot. I run like the wind across the expanse, crossing between pools of light from the lamps overhead.

It’s a good thing my phone has voice navigation on it because my hands are shaking too bad to type in Valley Hospital.