I didn’t think I’d be there that long and agreed to her plan. “That sounds good. Thank you, Mya, I’m gonna go now.”
“All right, hon. I’m glad you’re okay. Don’t worry about work. I’ve got your stuff taken care of.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Mya. You’re the best. Bye.”
“See you soon, girl.”
I made a grunting sound and hung the phone up on the receiver next to the bed.
I had no sooner put the phone in the cradle when the curtain around my bed swung back a little bit and Jackson poked his head through the opening.
A smile came to my face instantly. I couldn’t help it.
“There she is,” he said, his voice filled with affection. It made my heart pound.
“Here I am,” I responded. I held up my arms and he came over to give me a hug. Pulling back, he dragged a chair to the bed and sat down beside me. “You’re looking good. I expect the damage was all on the inside, huh?”
I nodded. “Hurts to swallow. Not right now, though, they gave me something to help with the pain. I feel like I’m burned on the inside. Breathed in too much heat and smoke.”
He gave me a nod back. “Maybe you shouldn’t be talking too much. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be glad to help you get through this. I’ll do whatever I can for you.”
He took my hand and gave me the softest smile I’d ever seen. It made me blush even harder. My cheeks felt so hot.
“Thank you for saving me, Jackson,” I whispered. I barely remembered anything that had happened but I knew he had been there to help me. I was sure I remembered his voice.
“I’m glad I was able to. I'm glad I was there,” he replied. “I was scared. I really was. I thought you...” He pulled in a deep breath. “I thought you might have died.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “You were at home in bed,” I said, suddenly remembering we had been together till about one in the morning. “You weren’t on duty but you risked your life to help me. That’s... so good of you. I can’t thank you enough.”
“You can thank me by not talking so much. Whispering can’t be much better. So you just stay quiet. You want a notepad? You can write everything down?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “I feel all right, good enough to talk. It’s okay sometimes. I’ll be going for eight to ten hours saying nothing while I’m sleeping. Have you talked to your parents yet? Do you know how my little girl is doing? I’m so worried about her.”
I was relieved when he nodded. “I did call and tell them what’s going on. She’s fine. Having the time of her life, it sounded like.”
That warmed my heart. “She doesn’t have grandparents, you know. Roger did not have a good relationship with his parents. They did’t seem to want anything to do with us. They have never tried to get in touch with me since he went to jail.”
“That is a real shame.” Jackson looked perturbed. “They don’t know what a delightful child they’re missing out on. Well, their loss is my parents’ gain. They don’t have any grandchildren yet.”
It would be my pleasure to change that situation for Jackson’s parents. The thought made my heart beat faster.
“You were talking to me as you took me outside, weren’t you? I remember your voice.”
Tears came to his eyes, which both surprised and touched me. He swallowed visibly and said, “You remember hearing my voice?”
I nodded, my throat tightening with emotion. “Yes, I do. And it helped. Hearing you made me fight to stay here. I don’t know how else to explain it, but it gave me strength.”
Jackson’s hand trembled slightly as he squeezed mine, his gaze dropping. “I thought you might not make it,” he murmured, voice choking with emotion. “The fire... it was so big. It was like a living thing, trying to swallow everything in its path.”
His words carried the weight of fear, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. Gratitude flooded my chest as I realized just how much he’d risked to save me. My lips parted to thank him again, but a sudden thought struck me like a cold gust of wind.
“Wait...” My voice wavered. “Jackson, the fire—it started near Alana’s room, didn’t it?”
He stiffened, his jaw tightening, and I knew the answer before he said a word.
“Marcus is talking to the police. They will need a statement from you. It was clearly arson that started that fire.”
Fear made my chest tight. “Was it Roger who did it? How do you know?”
