“There you go, there you go, Baby, breathe.” Pushing my ear against her chest, I listened as the air trickled into her swollen lungs.
Each small breath she took made my heart pump harder and my nerves ignite. She was still with me, she was still alive. Adrenaline purged through my body as I focused on the woman who had stolen my heart.
The lights from the firetrucks flickered off the building as the brakes squealed to a stop. I heard the sound of men as they jumped out of the truck and felt their feet as they slammed against the ground.
“Is she alright? What happened here?” A voice chirped over my shoulder and the presence of someone dropping down to her side pulled my attention off of her and onto them.
“She's breathing, but barely.” Pushing back, I made room for the paramedics so they could look her over.
More people arrived, surrounding Glory and myself. I felt the cold metal of a bell against my chest and heard someone ask me to take in a deep breath.
Everything was happening in slow motion. Their voices were muffled and sounded far away, the men and women moving around me to put out the flames all looked like they were in a freeze frame.
A stretcher was rolled to Glory's side. The sound of the metal rungs as they dropped to her level echoed inside my brain. Police had arrived, along with more paramedics and I felt like Glory was getting pulled further and further away from me.
I watched as she was hoisted onto the stretcher with an airbag on her face. The hand holding it was squeezing it evenly as the voices all blurred into one giant mass of sound.
“I'm going with her,” I said, attempting to rise to my feet.
“Sir, you need to stay seated, we've got another ambulance for you.”
“No!” I snapped, keeping my eyes on her. “I'm going with her.” Her arm had been placed over her chest, so I grabbed her hand. “I'm fine, I'm not leaving her side.” Braiding my fingers into hers, I refused to let her go.
“Sir—”
Jerking my head over my shoulder, I glared at the man who was trying to talk to me. “I said I'm going with her.”
Pursing his lips, he looked from me to her and gave me a nod. I didn't give two fucks what they wanted me to do. I wasn't leaving her, period.
Sitting in the back of the ambulance, I never let her hand go. The paramedic worked around me, hooking her up to an IV and oxygen, checking her vitals and listening to her chest.
As we drove to the hospital, I knew that what I was feeling for this girl was love. It was real, tangible love. I could feel it in my bones, in my muscles, in my heart.
I would have gladly let the building gobble me up as long as she got out. I knew it as I ran into the flames, I knew it as my skin turned red hot and I could feel my flesh as it started to burn.
I loved Glory Daniels.
And I'd run into any burning building to save her.
