I stumbled to the archway, seeing the stairs completely engulfed in flames. My knees almost gave way, as I thought of Rachel and Bee being trapped up there. Just before I could do something stupid like jump into the blaze, a small voice to my left coughed my name.
I ran through the hallway and into the living room, seeing Rachel crouched over a small figure.
I raced over to them, ready to scoop Bee into my arms.
“Don’t!” Rachel snapped, covering Bee’s body with her own. “Don’t,” she repeated, raising her head to look at me so I could see her tear-streaked face. “She’s burnt, Dante. She’s badly burnt. If you move her too roughly, you’re going to peel the skin straight off her back.”
She moved to the side to show me my unconscious daughter.
I fell to my knees, crawling to close the small gap between me and the tiny five-year-old that had relied on me to keep her safe. I sucked in a breath, my chest heaving as the sobs threatened to wrack through me.
“No, Dante,” Rachel said, placing a burnt hand on my arm. “Now is not the time. You shut those emotions down, pick up your daughter, and get us both the fuck out of here.”
I looked down at the hand holding my arm and closed my eyes for the briefest of seconds before nodding.
“We can’t go back that way. Go smash the window. Use whatever you can to pull yourself out as quick as fucking possible. Let me know when you’re on your feet, and I’ll pass Bee through the window to you.”
She nodded and got to her feet without hesitation. She took off her shoe and threw it at the window with all the strength she possessed, shattering the window in the middle. She then removed her other shoe and used it to push out the glass around the edges that hadn’t come away from the wooden pane.
I carefully placed my hands on Bee’s shoulder’s and rolled her onto her side. “It’s okay, baby girl, it’s okay,” I soothed her as she whimpered in pain. I was conscious that the flames were licking their way through the wooden beams supporting the ceiling, and it wasn’t going to be long before the entire room collapsed in on itself. I had to be quick, even though it killed me knowing I was going to hurt her further.
“Daddy’s got you, little B. You’re going to be okay,” I murmured, placing one arm under her knees, and the other under her neck. “Daddy’s going to roll you onto his knees, okay? And then I’m going to lift you into my arms and hold you against my chest. It’s going to hurt, sweetheart, but can you be a brave girl for me? We’re going to get you somewhere safe.”
I didn’t wait for her to answer. I did exactly as I had described, gently scooting her over until her stomach was resting against my knees on the floor. Trying to avoid contact with her back, I pulled her further onto her side until her stomach was against my thighs, and then I quickly lifted her up, standing up as I did so. I positioned her so her stomach was against my chest, still laying on her side.
She screamed a scream that broke my heart as I hauled her up, but I held her tight against me as she thrashed against the pain. I stroked her hair, and I whispered soothing words to her. “You did so good, sweetheart. So, so good. We’re going now, Bee. We’re getting you out of here, okay? You just close your eyes. Daddy’s got you. Daddy will make it all better,” I promised her, making my way over to the window where Rachel was waiting for us. I could hear Rachel screaming something, and then Vienna’s face appeared, his lips tight with determination. He grabbed Rachel’s waist and lifted her onto the ground and then immediately took her spot, climbing through the window, one leg on either side.
“Pass her to me, boss,” he coughed, his arms outstretched.
I lifted Bee up slightly, flipping her gently until she was laid on her stomach, my arms supporting her chest and her legs.
“Shit,” Vienna hissed, tears coming to his eyes as he noticed her back.
“Keep her on her stomach. Pass her to Rachel, and tell her to take her straight to the nearest fucking car and straight to the hospital. She’s not to wait for me, you hear?” I yelled over the roar of the flames.
Vienna nodded at me as he scooped the child he loved like a daughter into his arms. He gently lowered her out of the window and into the arms of the only mother she had ever known.
A few seconds later, his head popped back through my side of the window. He laid on his stomach, his legs dangling down the outside wall, and extended his hand to me.
“This will be the only time I let you hold my hand. Don’t go getting a crush on me.”
Chapter 26
Rachel
How I managed to drive to the hospital without killing us both was beyond me. At one point, I was sure the car went on two wheels as we took a corner at a speed only light should be travelling at.
It was a fucking miracle I didn’t cause anyone else on the road to have a crash, because I had no consideration at all for other drivers. There was only one thought on my mind, and that was getting Bee to the hospital as quick as humanly possible. Her small whimpers of pain had me biting my lip, so she didn’t hear me sobbing.
One of the club members must have put a call in to 999, because as soon as we pulled up outside the A&E department, a whole team of doctors and nurses rushed out to greet us. They took Bee away on a stretcher and tried to get me to sit in a wheelchair so they could take care of me too. I’m not proud of it, but one punch to a particularly feisty doctor's face had them backing off, and they let me travel with my daughter straight down to the treatment rooms.
Only when Bee was settled, given pain relief, her burns assessed, cleaned and dressed, did I allow them to focus even a fraction of their attention on me.
I apologised to the doctor, who laughed that it wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last. Nothing excused my behaviour, but I couldn’t stand the thought of them keeping me away from her when she needed me.
Bee’s burns had looked worse than they were, and luckily, she wouldn’t need a skin graft. But they were going to hurt like a motherfucker, and she was currently sedated and resting up. They said it was superficial epidermal burns. The epidermis and part of the dermis were damaged, which had caused the blisters. But they were not deep burns. Her skin hadn’t been charred,and no damage had been done to the blood capillaries, nerve endings or sweat glands.
It seemed that a lot of Bee’s injuries were down to being hit by something in the initial blast. I vaguely remembered seeing a door laying on the floor near her. My only guess at this stage was that it had come off its hinges during the explosion and had hit Bee in her back. The door was on fire, so no doubt that had caused some of the burns. There was talk of an investigation to find out the true depths of what had happened to her, but I knew Dante and the club wouldn’t let it get that far. An investigation meant the police. We already knew who was behind the attack. They wouldn’t be interested in details about what had caused the damage. The only thing they would be interested in was retribution for those responsible.
