Page 18 of My Three Hometown Firefighters (Aspen Springs #2)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Tucker
I don’t normally say this, but I’m kind of glad tonight is our last softball game of the season. I love playing. It gives me somewhere to focus all my extra energy, but it’s getting cold.
It’s October now, and this high in the mountains, the first snow isn’t that far down the road.
The sun set about ten minutes ago, and now I’m wishing I wore a long sleeve under my team T-shirt. I’m also not loving my exposed calves with the basketball shorts I have on. At least we’re getting close to the end of the game.
I need to push all of that out of my head, though, because we cannot lose tonight. If we let them win, the Kingston brothers will be ruthless until next season starts.
I refuse to listen to their taunts. I want to be the one dishing them out.
I spin the ball in my hand until the laces line up just right. Will gives me a cocky smirk, making small circles with the bat over his shoulder.
Not tonight, bud. I want to go home and put some sweats on.
I lock eyes with our catcher, making sure he’s ready. When he gives me a nod, I let the pitch fly. My eyes are closed, but the whoosh of the bat and the smack of the ball against leather tells me all I need to know.
One down. Two to go.
With the ball back in my hands, I glance over at the stands. I wish Sienna was here tonight.
She was at our last game, and even though nothing had started with her back then, having her here was awesome. Her presence made doing something that I already enjoy even more invigorating.
My eyes catch on where Hadley and Evelyn are sitting in the bleachers with no Sienna beside them this time.
I dial in on striking Will out quickly. I want to walk off this field victorious. Then I can get back to my phone in the dugout and text Sienna.
My next pitch is right down the middle and is called a strike. Will looks like he wants to murder me, which just makes my smile grow wider.
I’m not so lucky on the next one, though. Will connects, and the ball’s sailing far into center field.
I spin, watching Conrad sprint toward the fence. At the last second, he leaps up, snatching the ball out of the air.
Holy shit. He actually caught it.
The next few minutes are a whirl of frenzied excitement as we celebrate. Will’s team congratulates us, despite the frowns on most of their faces. Miles gives me a cheeky grin when he shakes my hand.
“Enjoy it for this year,” he says.
“Oh, believe me, I will. You wouldn’t let us live it down last year, so buckle up, bud,” I tell him.
He rolls his eyes as he walks away with his brothers and Lyla, who’s arguing with Will about something.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Conrad lifting Hadley into his arms and saying something about her pussy being their good-luck charm. Luckily, none of the kids on the field are within earshot.
Ducking into the dugout, I grab my phone out of my duffle. I shoot off a quick text to Sienna, then throw the hoodie in my bag.
We won! What are you up to, hot stuff?
With my phone in hand, I make my way over to where Warren is lying in the grassy outfield with Jackson sprawled out beside him. I plop down on Jackson’s other side.
“What are you guys doing?” I ask.
“Stars,” Jackson says, pointing up the quickly darkening sky where the stars are slowly starting to peek out.
“Ooh… I like this game,” I say, wiggling around a little to get comfortable.
The three of us lay there in silence for several minutes. “Warren,” I say quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Have you talked to Sienna today?”
“No. Why?”
How do I explain that I just have a gut feeling something is wrong?
“I just haven’t heard from her, and she usually texts back pretty quickly. I don’t know. I’m probably just being crazy.”
As if she could sense me talking about her, my phone rings with her name plastered across the screen.
“Hello,” I say, but all I hear in return is a bunch of garbled noises and whimpering. I sit up. “Sienna, are you okay? What’s going on?”
Warren sits up, staring right at me.
More of the same noise is all I hear.
“Sienna. Sienna. Sunshine,” I say, a little louder this time.
Finally, her voice gets a little clearer. “Shit.” Her voice sounds gravelly and pained. “Tucker?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay?”
“I didn’t mean to call you,” she says, barely above a whisper.
“It’s fine. I’m glad you did. Are you sick or hurt?” I ask. Warren looks like he’s going to burst out of his skin, not knowing what’s going on.
There is a long pause before she says, “I don’t feel very good.”
“I’m going to come check on you.”
“No, don’t. I’m fine… really,” she says weakly.
I’m already standing up. “Don’t argue with me on this. I’m coming.”
She grunts in understanding before we both hang up.
As soon as I pull the phone from my ear, Warren’s on me. “What’s going on?”
He grabs Jackson’s hand as we start to walk toward the dugout. “I don’t know, but she doesn’t sound good. I think she’s sick.”
“I’m coming with you,” he says as we both quickly gather up all our things.
“Is Sienna sick?” Jackson asks his dad.
“Yeah, bud, I think she is,” Warren says, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
Grayson steps in beside me. “Sienna’s sick?” he asks. His eyes widen with concern.
“She just accidentally called me, and she sounded like crap.”
“Shit,” Grayson says running his hands through his hair. “Let’s go check on her.” He’s already throwing everything into his bag and zipping it up.
“On it.”
We practically jog to our vehicles, parked in the dirt lot beside the field, and they follow me all the way to her apartment. I’m taking the steps two at a time to reach her apartment before I even realize what I’m doing.
I take one deep breath before gently knocking on her door. I don’t want to startle her. “It’s me, Sunshine.”
Grayson steps in behind me, followed by Warren with Jackson in his arms.
The door opens, and my heart drops. Her hair is a wild mess piled on top of her head, and her eyes are bloodshot like she’s been crying. She has a blanket draped over her shoulders.
I don’t even think about it. I just step forward, cradling her face in my palms. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“My throat hurts. I can barely move my neck. I’m so hot, but I’m freezing,” she whimpers, leaning into one of my hands.
I guide her back, so she can sit down on the couch. She doesn’t look like she’s going to be able to stay on her feet for very much longer. I can feel the others filing into the small apartment.
Grayson steps up beside me. He leans over, pressing a kiss to her clammy forehead. “Have you checked your temperature?”
She nods. “One hundred and three.”
“Have you taken any meds?”
“Yeah, a few hours ago, but it hasn’t really helped.”
I press the back of my hand to her forehead. She’s burning up.
“I think you might have strep,” Warren says.
“I agree,” I tell her.
She swallows, and I can see how much pain it causes her because her eyes start to water. “I’ll try to get to the doctor's tomorrow.”
No. Hell no. She needs to see a doctor now.
Grayson and I share a look.
“You need to go tonight,” Warren says.
She shakes her head, wincing in pain. “I’ll be fine.”
“No, we’ll get you to the twenty-four-hour urgent care.”
“That’s almost an hour away,” she whines.
“I don’t care,” I tell her.
Stubborn woman. Just let us take care of you.
“Please go,” Jackson’s sweet voice rings through the quiet. “You’re really sick.”
Her eyes connect with his. All the fight leaves her body. “Okay.”
Sienna is curled up in the backseat of my car with as many blankets as we could haul down from her apartment. Grayson is sitting shotgun.
Warren looked physically pained when we pulled out of the parking lot without him, but Sienna only agreed to go see a doctor if he took Jackson home to bed.
Pulling back into Aspen Springs, I glance over at Grayson. He looks pissed. I know he isn’t actually mad. He’s just worried about her.
They did a rapid strep test in the office, and it came back positive. We were able to get her antibiotics from the connected pharmacy before we left town.
While she was being seen by the doctor, we called Warren. We were all in agreement that we were absolutely not taking her back home tonight.
Warren wasn’t willing to be away from her any more than Grayson or I were, so his house made the most sense. He’s confident we can keep Jackson away from her until she isn’t contagious anymore.
I say “we” because Grayson and I will most definitely be sticking around, too.
I put my car in park in Warren’s driveway. Now we just have to keep her from killing us for making this executive decision. Because lord knows she isn’t one for letting anyone help her.