Page 34 of Flare (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters #17)

Revival

Ward swam up to consciousness through layers of darkness.

Each breath brought the sharp antiseptic scent of medical-grade disinfectant to his nostrils.

Pain radiated from his abdomen in dull, throbbing waves.

His eyelids felt impossibly heavy, but he forced them open, blinking against the harsh fluorescent lighting of a hospital room.

Someone was holding his hand, and it was the only source of warmth in a cold sea of weakness and utter exhaustion.

With a supreme effort, he turned his head. And saw Emily sitting by his bedside. She was dozing, her head bent and her chin touching her chest.

Relief crashed through him, and he almost cried.

“ Emily,” he whispered. The inside of his throat felt like it ’ d been scraped raw with sixty-grit sandpaper.

Her head jerked up at his words. She clutched his hand tighter, her grip warm and real and alive.

“ Ward,” she breathed, leaning forward. “ You ’ re finally awake.” Tears spilled from her reddened eyes, but her smile was incandescent.

She looked utterly wrung out. She ’ d changed out of her blood-soaked clothes at some point, and wore fresh jeans and a clean t-shirt. New bandages mummified her right hand and lower arm to the elbow. And she was still wearing the bear pendant.

“ You ’ re okay?” he managed, the relief making him light-headed.

“ I ’ m fine.” Emily ’ s face crumpled, fresh tears tracking down her cheeks. “ I thought I was going to lose you,” she whispered. “ There was so much blood, Ward. So much blood.”

Ward tried to reach for her face, to wipe away her tears, but the movement sent a lance of white-hot pain tearing through his midsection. He gasped and instinctively curled inward.

“ Don ’ t move,” Emily said quickly, rising halfway out of her chair. “ I ’ ll get Dr. Nika.”

“ Wait,” Ward breathed, the pain subsiding to a dull throb. “ Just… give me a minute with you first.”

She settled back, her thumb tracing gentle circles on the back of his hand.

“ Andrew?” he asked, needing to know.

“ Alive,” Emily said, her expression complicated. “ Barely.”

Before Ward could ask more, the door opened. His aunt Nika Medved-Swanson strode in, her black hair coiled in a severe bun. Sophie, wearing a white coat with “ Dr. Markidis” embroidered over the breast pocket, followed in her wake.

“ Well, look who decided to rejoin the land of the living,” Aunt Nika said, smiling down at him. She moved to the monitors beside Ward ’ s bed, checking his vitals with practiced efficiency. “ How ’ s your pain on a scale of one to ten?”

“ Four,” Ward lied.

Aunt Nika shot him a look that said she wasn ’ t fooled. “ Edward,” she said sternly.

Ward sighed. Nika only called him Edward when he tried to bullshit her. “ Okay. It ’ s a seven,” he admitted. “ Maybe eight.”

She adjusted something on his IV. “ That should help. You gave us quite a scare, you know. You were in surgery for five hours yesterday. We had to put you in a healing coma overnight.”

“ How bad was it?” Ward asked, though part of him didn ’ t want to know.

Sophie stepped forward, tablet in hand. “ Three deep lacerations across your abdomen, two of which penetrated the peritoneal cavity. Your liver sustained a grade II laceration, and we had to remove your spleen. You also had a significant tear in your diaphragm and a punctured lung.”

Oof. Ward blinked, taking this in. No wonder he felt like he ’ d been hit by a truck.

“ If Brunborn ’ s claws had gone just a little deeper,” Aunt Nika added grimly, “ you might have bled out before we got you into surgery. As it was, you received six units of blood, all of it donated by your family members. Our lobby was packed with Swansons yesterday, all of them arguing over who would get to give blood.” Her expression softened.

“ Your family loves you, Eddie. Me included. I ’ m so glad you ’ re still with us. ”

“ Will he…?” Emily ’ s voice trailed off. Her expression was hesitant.

“ Make a full recovery?” Aunt Nika smiled. “ Yes. Bear shifters are remarkably resilient, and Ward is young and strong.” She turned back to him. “ I predict you ’ ll be back at work in a couple of weeks, though I recommend you take it easy for at least a month.”

Ward nodded, relief washing through him. Then he remembered something important. “ What about Andrew? He expected to make a full recovery, too?” he asked harshly.

Aunt Nika ’ s soft lips thinned to a hard line. “ That ’ s up for debate. Besides the shallow wound on his arm, e took three bullets: one to the shoulder, two to the chest. One missed his heart by less than a centimeter.”

Emily flinched at this, her grip on Ward ’ s hand tightening.

“ I didn ’ t think any of my shots would hit him,” she whispered. “ I was so scared.”

Ward felt a surge of pride so intense it momentarily overwhelmed his pain. Emily—his sweet, brave Emily—had faced down an enraged bear shifter all on her own, and nearly killed him. Had found the courage to fight back when most people would have been paralyzed with terror.

“ Hey, beautiful,” he rasped, squeezing her hand. “ You were amazing. You saved both of us.”

Her eyes opened, searching his face as if to gauge his sincerity. Whatever she saw there seemed to reassure her, because she gave him a watery smile.

Ward ’ s gaze drifted to her bandaged arm. “ What happened? Did that bastard hurt you?”

Emily looked down at her arm. “ He tried to grab me. I did that hold-breaking move you taught me on Monday, but his claws caught me as I twisted away.” She shrugged. “ He just scratched me a little, that ’ s all.”

Guilt washed through Ward. He should ’ ve been there to protect her. Should never have left her alone.

“ Twenty-two stitches is more than just ‘ scratching her a little ’ ,” Aunt Nika said dryly. “ But I ’ m happy to report the lacerations missed all major tendons and arteries. She ’ ll have some scarring, but full functionality.”

“ I ’ m so sorry,” Ward whispered. His vision swam with sudden tears, and he cursed painkillers for destroying his self-control. “ I promised I ’ d protect you, and instead—”

“ Instead, you nearly died saving me,” Emily interrupted sharply. “ Don ’ t you dare apologize… my love.”

At her words, Ward forgot about his pain. She called me her love!

Sophie cleared her throat. “ The federal authorities have been notified about the situation. They ’ re sending a specialized shifter containment team to transport Mr. Brunborn once he ’ s stable enough to move.”

“ Containment team?” Emily asked.

“ Special shifter agents trained to handle shifter prisoners,” Aunt Nika explained. “ They ’ ll keep him secured until trial. No chance of escape.”

Ward nodded, feeling another layer of tension ease from his body. Emily would be safe. Andrew would face justice for what he ’ d done—not just to Emily, but to others before her.

“ We ’ ll let you two have some privacy,” Aunt Nika said, moving toward the door.

“ I ’ ll be back in an hour to check your dressings.

” She frowned down at him. “ And don ’ t you dare try to sit up or get out of bed before the occupational therapist gets here.

The call button is right by your hand if you need anything. ”

After the doctors left, Ward turned to Emily.

“ So,” he finally said, managing a grin despite the pain, “ I ’ m impressed. You ’ re a damned fine shot for someone who ’ d never fired a gun before this week.”

Emily shook her head. “ I was just lucky. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the gun.” She cleared her throat and suddenly looked embarrassed. “ I, um, shot out your front window. And a couple of your walls. I think I took out the stained-glass table lamp next to your couch, too.”

“ Still,” Ward pointed out, “ I was supposed to save you . Not the other way around.”

Emily leaned forward, her free hand coming up to rest gently against his cheek. “ We saved each other.”

She leaned in to press a soft kiss to his lips.

Ward closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her mouth against his, drawing in the scent of her that even hospital antiseptic couldn ’ t mask.

A sharp knock at the door interrupted the moment. Sheriff Mary Jacobsen entered, her uniform crisp despite the late hour, and her blonde hair in a tight French braid. Ward had known Mary all his life—she was Tyler ’ s mate and the mother of his cousins Rob and Malia.

“ Good to see you awake, Ward,” she said, smiling. “ You gave us all quite a scare.”

“ Sorry about that,” Ward said, trying to shift to a more upright position before remembering Aunt Nika ’ s instructions.

Mary turned to Emily. “ Ms. Clarke, I wanted to update you personally. The files you provided have led to the arrest of Katherine Brunborn and most of her family members, along with fourteen associates across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. The FBI is now involved in the Brunborn investigation.”

Emily ’ s eyes widened. “ Wow.”

Mary nodded. “ The feds moved fast once they saw what was in those files. Poaching on an industrial scale, money laundering, racketeering, evidence tampering, blackmail… the list goes on. The agent in charge asked me to inform you they ’ re willing to offer witness protection and relocation options if you choose to testify against the family. ”

Ward felt his heart sink. Witness protection would mean Emily leaving Bearpaw Ridge forever. They ’ d only just found each other. The thought of losing her now felt like another laceration on his already wounded body.

If she lets me, I ’ ll follow her anywhere.

But Emily was already shaking her head. “ I appreciate the offer, Sheriff, but I ’ m staying put, no matter what. No more running.” She raised Ward ’ s hand to her lips, pressing a warm kiss to his knuckles. “ Besides, I already have all the protection I need.”

Her words were more effective than any painkiller. Mary ’ s lips curved in a smile.

“ I thought you might say that,” she said. “ I ’ ll let the agent know. For what it ’ s worth, I think you ’ re making the right choice. We take care of our own here in Bearpaw Ridge.” She nodded to them both. “ I ’ ll check with you guys tomorrow. Rest up, Ward.”

After Mary left, Ward felt exhaustion beginning to pull at him again. The painkillers were making his eyelids heavy, but he fought against sleep, not wanting to waste a moment with Emily.

“ You ’ re sure?” he asked, needing to hear it again. “ About staying?”

Emily ’ s smile lit up her entire face. “ More sure than I ’ ve been about anything in my life. I, ah…” She looked away, her cheeks turning pink, then turned back to face him. “ I love you, Ward. I want to stay and find out where our relationship goes.”

Ward felt his heart swell, pushing against the pain until it receded to background noise. “ I love you too,” he answered, the words feeling both momentous and entirely natural. “ More than I thought possible.”

Emily leaned in again, and Ward looked forward to another kiss.

Then there was a tap on the door. Sophie peeked in, looking hesitant.

“ I ’ m sorry to interrupt,” she said, “ but there was something I wanted to tell you, Emily. Something that ’ s going to sound a bit, um, weird.”

Emily frowned. “ What is it?”

Sophie came into the room and closed the door behind her. “ I don ’ t know if anyone ’ s mentioned this to you, but I have this, um, interesting ability. I can see ghosts.”

Emily shot him a disbelieving look. Ward nodded. He ’ d heard rumors about Sophie ’ s ability throughout middle school and high school.

“ Ghosts?” Emily repeated, looking uncertain. “ Is this some kind of prank?”

Sophie shook her head. “ Your mother has been haunting the clinic ever since you showed up yesterday. She ’ s being, well… very insistent that I pass along a message to you.”

Emily went still, her hand tightening around Ward ’ s. “ Mom ’ s here?” she asked. “ For real? And you can see her? Talk to her?”

“ She ’ s standing right there,” Sophie said, pointing to a spot near the window. “ And she wants you to know that she likes Ward a lot better than she ever liked Andrew. She says he ’ s a good man with a generous heart, and you should make him pierogies when he comes home from the hospital.”

Ward watched Emily ’ s face and saw the moment her skepticism vanished.

She stared at the place Sophie had pointed at. “ Mom, I miss you so much,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.

“ She says she ’ s been watching over you,” Sophie continued. “ That she ’ s really proud of how brave you ’ ve been. And she ’ s glad you ’ ve found where you belong.”

Emily wiped her cheeks with her free hand, a tremulous smile spreading across her face. “ Thanks, Mom,” she whispered. “ I feel like I ’ ve come home.”

Ward felt a lump form in his throat. He ’ d never been one for spiritualism or ghost stories, but the naked emotion on Emily ’ s face was impossible to doubt.

And if Emily ’ s mother truly was watching over her, approving of him as the man in her daughter ’ s life, well… he ’ d do everything in his power to be worthy of that approval.

Emily turned to Sophie. “ Thank you. This means so much to me.”

Sophie smiled and patted Emily ’ s shoulder. “ Anytime.”

After Sophie left, Emily turned back to Ward.

She leaned forward, touching her forehead gently to his. “ Rest now,” she whispered. “ I ’ ll be here when you wake up.”

“ And you ’ ll keep living at my place?” he asked. “ Make it our place?”

She kissed his temple. “ Only if you promise me blueberry pancakes every weekend.”

“ Deal.” His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was that he ’ d finish his kitchen renovation before Labor Day, even if it killed him.