Hunter raced to the pit, waiting for the ambulance that held the injured firefighter. The minute those double doors opened and they wheeled the gurney inside, he knew it was Trent. His stomach twisted.
“What happened?”
“He fell through the roof of a home that was on fire. Possible broken leg and burns. BP 150 over 90.”
Hunter wasn’t worried about the elevated blood pressure. It was typical for pain and panic to cause it to skyrocket.
“Trent,” he said, addressing the man calmly. “You’re going to be alright.”
Trent gave him a slight smile, his face blackened and the oxygen tubes in his nose rising with the lift of his lips. “What’s up, Doc?” he rasped.
“If it hurts to talk, don’t.” Hunter and Enrique started stripping him gently, and he saw a burn on Trent’s arm that would need to be debrided and cleaned.
“Let’s get him some pain meds on board!”
Trent grabbed Hunter’s arm and squeezed it. “Will you have somebody call Penny?”
Hunter fought back the spike of jealousy. “Sure, but what about family?”
“The closest thing I have to it is the guys at the station and they’ll be out there waiting already. Penny’s the only one who won’t know. I want her here.”
As Trent passed out, Hunter flashed back to the time when he’d thought that he and Allie Fairchild would work out. But when his best friend, Dex, had almost died, Allie had realized she was in love with Dex. It had been disappointing, but now Hunter knew he hadn’t ever been in love with Allie.
If Penny found out Trent was hurt, would it trigger her to make a choice?
Would that choice break him?
Hunter turned to Mike, one of the firemen standing in the doorway. “Call Penelope Davis and let her know that Trent Bush has been hurt and is at the hospital. Tell her to come quickly, but let her know he’s going to be fine.”
After Penny got the call that Trent was hurt, she’d left work and rushed over to the hospital. Actually, rushed was an understatement; she’d almost hit warp speed.
When she got there, she was escorted to the waiting room, which was filled with the firefighters who weren’t needed at the scene and several girls Trent had dated in the short time he’d lived here. Apparently, there were no hard feelings between them, or they wouldn’t have been sitting there crying their eyes out.
Darynda Martin, one of the other firefighters, waved Penny over. Penny took the empty seat next to her, relieved to see a familiar face. Darynda and Penny had gone to high school together. Darynda had left to join the air force, but when she’d come back to Bear Mountain, their friendship hadn’t seemed to change.
“Have you heard anything yet?” Penny asked.
“Not besides the initial reports. He fell through the roof when he was getting Virginia Dorman and her daughter to safety, and now he’s suffering burns and a possible broken leg.”
Penny released a shaky breath, a tear sliding down her cheek. Hunter had told Mike to tell her he would be fine, but things happened.
Please, please let him be alright.
Darynda took her hand with a squeeze. “I wouldn’t worry about Trent. He’s too tough to let a few bumps and bruises get him down.”
Penny laughed a little, but when Allie came into the room to hug her, Penny’s silent crying turned to sobs.
“Hunter’s got him. You know how good he is.”
Penny did know. If anyone could put Trent back together, it was Hunter.
Hunter walked down the hallway to the waiting room and the first thing he spotted as he stepped inside was Penny, who had her head buried in Allie’s neck while she was holding Darynda’s hand.
His heart shattered into a million pieces at the sight. It felt as though someone had come up and throat punched him.
“Doc, what’s the word?” Darynda asked, drawing every eye in the room to him.
Hunter cleared his throat, trying to fight past the pain. “He’s stable. He’s got some second- and third-degree burns and he broke his left leg, but he should recover with only a few scars.”
“Thank goodness,” one of the firefighters said. Relief eased throughout the room.
“Can we see him?” Penny asked.
Hunter met her gaze, and nodded slowly. “In a few hours. I’ll have one of the nurses let you know.”
People were slapping him on the back and thanking him, but he couldn’t seem to look away from Penny, who was hugging Allie and Darynda. Was she relieved because her friend was okay?
Or had she realized Trent meant more?