Chapter 16

Gabe heard the sirens and knew the ambulance was coming. He was in and out of consciousness. Parts of his body were numb, but his face and hands were so painful, he figured he must be passing out from the agony.

He came to for a short while as he was being loaded into the ambulance and then felt the jostling that meant they were getting his boots off. Then he heard a ripping sound followed by a stab—they were getting an IV into him. Was his femoral artery the only part of him untouched?

After that, he must have been out for quite a while.

He woke in the hospital. At least that’s what he figured, because there were monitors beeping, but he couldn’t see. He tried to move until a female voice said, “He’s awake.”

Whose voice is that?

“Gabe. You’re in the ICU. You had an accident.”

Gabe tried to talk, and his throat was extremely sore, but he managed to eke out, “I can’t see.”

“Your eyes are bandaged, honey.”

Ah, his mother. A familiar voice was probably the most comforting thing he could hear at the moment.

“Mom?”

“Yes, honey?”

“Is Misty okay?”

“Yes, honey. Why wouldn’t she be?”

“Someone said I was in an accident. Was she with me?”

“Oh, it wasn’t a car accident, sweetheart. Do you remember a fire and getting hit with burning gasoline?”

“Sort of.” Then after a short while, he said, “Yeah. Yeah, I remember now.”

“Hang on. Your captain asked us to call him as soon as you were awake.”

“Did they get the guy?”

“You can ask him. Your father is talking to him in the hall.”

“Oh? When you said you had to call him, I thought he was back at the station.”

“No. He’s off duty. But he came in to see you, hoping you were awake. He’ll have to put on a mask and sterile gown. It may take a minute.”

“Are you wearing all that sterile stuff?”

“Yes, honey. Everyone who comes into your room has to. I’ll be right back.”

He heard her little feet scurry off. He was groggy. He felt like going back to sleep, so they must’ve put some sort of pain medication in him. Considering he wasn’t feeling much of anything, that was a good bet.

“Gabe?” The captain woke him out of his drowsiness. “Hey, buddy. I’m glad you’re still with us.”

“How bad is it?” Gabe asked. “And did you get the guy?”

His captain cleared his throat. “We went after him and got a good look, but you were in trouble. We dropped the pursuit and came to your aid.”

“Thanks. I think. Am I going to lose my eyesight?”

A female voice chimed in. “I’m your doctor, Mr. Fierro. Dr. Ella Carpenter. I can tell you more when you’re ready.”

“I’m ready now.”

“In front of your captain? And there are other people just outside the unit, all asking about your condition. So far, I’ve only spoken to your parents. Are you all right with my telling visitors the details?”

“How many people are here?”

“A lot!” the doctor said.

“Jayce, Noah, your father, and me,” Gabriella said. “Sandra is here in the hospital but not just outside your door. Miguel is with her and asked us to call when you wake up.”

“We can probably move you to a regular room soon, but the same protocol holds. Visitors have to wear sterile gowns and masks, and—”

“Gabe, it’s me, Dante,” his younger brother’s voice called from a distance. “Sorry I’m late. I just had to get a nurse’s phone number on the way.”

Gabe chuckled. “Why am I not surprised?”

He heard a nurse chastising his younger brother and telling him to wait outside with the others.

“Where’s Dad?”

“He’s in the hall on his phone, talking to Ryan.”

“Ryan? In Ireland? Am I dying?”

A couple of chuckles dissipated quickly. “No, darling. You’re not dying.” He felt his mother’s amusement in her warm voice. Then her tone returned to serious. “You’re severely burned. The doctor can tell you more.”

“Dr. Carpenter? What’s going on?”

“You have third-degree burns on your face, neck, and hands, basically everything that wasn’t covered. And second-degree burns managed to get through your clothing. About fifty percent of your body is involved in some way.”

“Shit. I was barbecued.” He pictured himself with a spit shoved up his ass, turning slowly, roasting over an open fire.

“I should let you know there’s a bit of a disagreement as to your care,” the doctor said.

Gabe imagined the family wanted to take him home. He knew what that meant. They probably wanted to finish the job and let him reincarnate. But without discussing that in front of a mere mortal being, he just had to play dumb. “What’s the disagreement?”

The doctor sighed. “Well, I’d like you to stay in the hospital where we can keep you in a sterile environment, give you IV antibiotics to prevent infection, treat your pain with IV meds, do proper wound care, and get you ready for skin grafting. All of that may take several weeks.”

“And we,” Antonio’s voice said authoritatively, “want to take you home, where we know how to deal with burns just as well as any medically trained stranger. Doctor, six of my seven firefighter sons are also trained EMTs. Plus, Gabe will be more comfortable in our home with people he knows.”

“Am I going to be given a vote?” Gabe asked. “If so, I’d like to go home. No offense, Doctor.”

“I’d have to advise against it. Strongly,” his doctor stated. “Perhaps we can come to a compromise. If he stays just to get past the worst of it, and the family members who will be taking care of him get some instruction from the head nurse, I’d feel much better about his leaving.”

Somebody was running down the hall. It sounded like high heels clicking. A moment later, that someone burst through some doors.

“Gabe! Gabe, are you all right?” It was Misty’s voice.

“I’m okay, Misty.”

He could almost feel shockwaves coming from her. She had stopped short. The gasp and the silence that followed spoke for her.

“Your brother may be upset with me though, Mist. We were supposed to meet for a beer. Can you tell him what happened for me?”

“Oh… Of course.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait outside the door too,” the doctor said.

After a few hesitant moments, she whispered, “Is he really okay?”

“He will be, honey,” Gabriella said. “We want to take him home as soon as possible and care for him there. You can help if you want.”

“Absolutely. I’ll do whatever I can.”

Gabe wondered what he looked like. The way people who weren’t related to him reacted, it sounded like they thought he was a goner. And Misty, who was aware of the reincarnation possibility, probably didn’t understand it well enough.

“I…I wish I could hold your hand,” Misty said. “Apparently, I can’t even stay in the room with you, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Gabe wished she could hold his hand too. He didn’t realize how much he wanted that until he was relieved to hear her voice. How much time had passed? Did she just come from work?

“How long have I been lying here?”

“You arrived in the ER in the early afternoon. It’s about eight o’clock now,” the doctor said. “Miss, you really need to leave the room until you’re wearing a mask and sterile gown.”

He wondered why it took Misty so long to get there. Maybe she went out to dinner with Julie or had errands or something. He was pretty sure she would have dropped whatever she was doing and come as soon as she was called. Maybe people were waiting until they had more information about his condition. Yeah, that was probably it.

Her heels clicked across the floor a few paces, then stopped.

“Gabe? Remember the question you asked me?”

“I do,” he said, letting her know he understood that she was referring to his proposal.

“Well, my answer is yes.”

* * *

A few hours later, Misty and Parker put on sterile gowns and masks to enter Gabe’s room. She was nervous about her brother and her…her…fiancé. Using that word was still a little strange. Considering how they had left things, she didn’t know what to expect.

“Are you sure he’ll want to see you?” she asked.

“He said he would meet for a beer, right? Why wouldn’t he?”

“Well, it’s just that you tried to beat the shit out of him last time you saw him, and now he’s helpless and lying in a hospital bed.”

Gabe’s voice called out, “I’m not that helpless. I may be blind and wrapped up like a mummy, but I can still whoop your ass, Parker.”

Parker laughed as he entered the room. “I guess you must be feeling better.”

“It’s the drugs,” Misty mumbled.

“So, I hear you’ve decided to make my little sister an honest woman.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Good. Otherwise, I’d have to tell you to get out of that bed, you lazy shit, and fight me.”

“I thought we already did that,” Gabe said. “And wasn’t it because you didn’t want me to marry her? I think you said I wasn’t good enough for her.”

“Yeah. I said I was sorry, right? If not, then I apologize. Seriously. I was just shocked, because, you know. She’s my little sister.”

“She ain’t little anymore, bro.”

Misty cleared her throat. “Hey. The sister is standing right here, guys.”

“Misty,” Gabe said. “I didn’t know you were here. I didn’t hear your high heels.”

“Yeah, I’m wearing sneakers. It’s my day off.”

Parker carried a chair over. “Here, Misty. Sit down.” As soon as Misty was comfortable, Parker continued. “I heard we almost lost you, Gabe. I would’ve felt terrible if that happened, especially after the way we left things.”

“No. I’m way too tough to die. I’ll just look like a piece of warmed-over meat when I get out of these bandages. Misty may not even want me anymore.”

“Hey. Don’t talk like that,” Misty said.

“Yeah,” Parker echoed. “One thing my sister is, is loyal. She’ll probably stick with you even when you’re an ugly fuck.”

“Thanks, dude.”

“I’m just kidding. You know that. At first, I was pretty surprised about what happened—the pregnancy, I mean. More like shocked out of my boots. But I figure my little sister has to grow up at some point and marry somebody. I’m actually glad it’s you. I don’t have to get used to another brother.”

“Yeah. There’s that,” Gabe said. “Remember how I said I was sorry I got her pregnant? Well, I’m not sorry. I’d probably never get married at all if this didn’t happen. I’m kind of glad it did.”

Parker was quiet for a little bit. Maybe he was trying to decide if that was an insult or not. But Misty knew it was just the truth.

Finally, Misty said, “I wish I could do this differently too, but I might not have any kids at all if this didn’t happen before the MS diagnosis was made.”

“Are you worried about taking care of a kid, Misty?” Gabe asked. “Because you don’t have to. If we need to hire a nanny to help out, so be it.”

“You can’t afford that,” Parker said.

“How would you know?” Gabe fired back.

“Well, can you? You might think it’s none of my business, but if she needs help, I want her to get it. I can chip in.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

After a poignant silence, she rose. “I need some air.” She began walking out of the room, then remembered Gabe couldn’t hear or see her leaving. “I’ll be back in a few.”

Her balance had been slightly better in recent days. She figured it must be due to the sneakers with better traction. She could probably get away with those at work, since most customers didn’t see her feet, but she’d certainly miss her sexy shoes.

She took off her protective gown and mask and stuffed them in the trash next to the cart outside his room. Padding down the hall, as she passed the nurses’ station, one of the nurses spoke up. “Hey. You’re Gabe’s friend, right?”

Misty looked at the pretty nurse and decided to define the relationship, quickly. “He’s my fiancé.”

“Congrats. I was just curious about something. There are more good-looking guys visiting him than I’ve seen in one place for a long time.”

Misty giggled. “He has several brothers, but the one who is in there now is my brother.”

“Oh,” the nurse said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“No, please. Take him off my hands. Let me introduce him to you. He’s been a pain in the ass for the last few days. You would do me a big favor by distracting him.”

The nurse laughed. “Maybe I’ll see him on his way out.”

Misty waved and stepped onto the elevator. She still needed some time to think, so she pushed the button for the lower level where the cafeteria was.

She bought a cup of coffee and stared out the window. Thinking about her future brought up so many mixed emotions.

Parker was right. She would be proud to be Mrs. Gabriel Fierro, regardless of what he looked like when the bandages came off. But what if Gabe couldn’t work as a firefighter again? That’s all he’d ever wanted to do. She realized his parents would be more than happy to lend a hand, but Gabe would hate that. Would he be depressed? Would that carry over to their home life? What if he started drinking?

They’d have to figure something out.

As she was staring out the window, deep in thought, someone set a hand on her shoulder. She spun around and was shocked to see her boss, Adam. “What are you doing here?”

“I was wondering how you were. I heard some strange things were going on. And you haven’t been yourself.”

“You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”

He was silent for a moment, then he said, “Look, I could make up something, like that I was visiting a friend, but I saw you on your way into the hospital, so I followed you.”

“Followed me? Is that the normal thing for a boss to do when his employees are a little upset?”

“You’re not just an employee, Misty. You know that.”

“And you’re not just a boss. You’re becoming a stalker.”

“Don’t say that!” he practically shouted.

Jesus. If her boss was actually stalking her, she had no idea what to do. Filing a sexual harassment suit might make things worse. Maybe she should just quit. But the insurance…

She had to get out of there. “I, um…I need to get back upstairs. I said I’d only be gone a minute.”

She took off running, praying that her legs wouldn’t betray her when she needed them.

* * *

Two weeks later, Antonio drove Gabe home from the hospital. “No one would blame you if you went to Brazil for plastic surgery, Son.”

“I know, but that’s just the excuse, right? I’ll be home, growing up all over again, in phoenix form until I reach maturity.” Now that the bandages that covered his eyes had been removed, he was able to catch his father’s smirk.

“Of course. But you need at least seventy-five days for that. A few plastic surgeries and recovery time should work out to be at least that long. And because you got hurt on the job, long-term disability should kick in. You’ll have plenty of time off. You can even get paternity leave when the time comes. Unless you need the money.”

“I’m not worried about money. I’m more worried about Misty. How is she going to take having a bird as a husband? She’s still living with you, right?”

“She’ll be fine, Son. Gabriella has had some long talks with her, and Kristine came over the other day to tell her what to expect. As you know, she had to incinerate Jayce with her dragon fire. She said it was the hardest thing she ever had to do.”

“Misty’s not going to watch, is she?” he asked, horrified.

“No. I don’t think that would serve any purpose. If she insists, well…one day, she’ll go to work, and you’ll be human in the morning. When she gets home, you’ll be a phoenix.”

“Whoa. I don’t think that’s a good idea. She’ll be furious if she feels tricked or lied to. I know I would.”

His father inhaled deeply. “I know. But she won’t be mad at you. You’ll be a baby bird. She can get mad at me if she wants to.”

“Damn. Why did this have to happen now? She’ll be showing in a while, and everyone will think I’ve flown the coop.”

“Pun intended?”

“Whatever.”

Antonio found his deeded parking space on the street in front of their South End home and parallel parked expertly.

Gabe was thinking about cramming something large into a small spot, and his dirty mind immediately thought of Misty. He wished he could make love to her one more time before he turned into a phoenix, but with the risk of infection and much of his body still in pain, it wouldn’t be possible.

It was time to get out of the car. He hated to be dependent on anyone, especially his parents at this age, but he needed a hand. His dad jogged around the car, opened the passenger-side door, helped Gabe swivel his body to face the sidewalk, and hefted him to his feet. He swallowed the pain that sudden movement caused.

He was only a few steps from the stoop, and the door opened wide. His mother stood there, grinning. “Welcome home, darling.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Her smile faded as she watched him struggle up the steps. “Oh, honey. Are you in pain?”

“Only when I move,” he said, deadpan.

“I filled your pain med prescription. You won’t need all of it—especially after you…well, you know.”

“Yup,” he said. At last, he was inside and hobbling toward the couch.

“The doctor wanted to keep him a while longer,” Antonio said. “Like we’d let that happen.”

“Well, one thing’s for sure. They won’t be getting any more insurance money from me. I’m ready to get this show on the road. Where’s Misty?”

“At work.” Gabriella smiled. “There’s one silver lining. We found out her MS improves a bit during pregnancy—as if Mother Nature knows the mother and baby need a little help during that time.”

Suddenly, a whirlwind sprang up in the middle of the living room. When it disappeared, a woman in a white toga with long white hair stood in its place.

“Did I hear my name?”

Gabriella’s jaw dropped. Gabe hadn’t met the deity, but Antonio had told all of his sons about her and then swore them to secrecy. Apparently, they’d all kept their vow and hadn’t even told their mother.

Antonio bowed slightly. “It’s good to see you again, Gaia. May I introduce you to my wife, Gabriella, and my son Gabriel.”

She smirked. “Ran out of names, did you? Or were you just not very creative?”

“He’s named after my wife. We thought she deserved a namesake after birthing four boys.”

“And yet you didn’t stop there,” the Goddess said.

Gabriella straightened her spine. “Now, wait a minute. I love all my sons and wouldn’t give any of them back.”

“Good. Because you’re stuck with them.” Gaia strolled around the living room with her hands clasped behind her back. “Nice place. How do you plan to set your son on fire without burning down your house and possibly all the adjacent buildings on the block? It’s bad enough that my beautiful planet suffers from wildfires.”

“Yes, Goddess,” Antonio said. “We’re firefighters, so we did come up with a safe plan. My son Jayce owns a fishing boat. We thought we’d use that to tow a rowboat and sail far enough out to sea that the fire wouldn’t be spotted from the shore. Our daughter-in-law is a dragon and can quickly cremate him with a blast of her dragon fire. The phoenix on board will be able to fly to the other boat not far away.”

Mother Nature folded her arms. “And what about the dragon on board?”

“She’ll fly to the other boat too. As soon as Gabe has reincarnated, of course. She may have to guide him toward the boat and not toward shore. Then everyone will shift back, except Gabriel.”

“Oh, right. And if you’re spotted, by satellite or something, a five-foot-ten dragon won’t stand out at all,” she said sarcastically.

“We can alter that plan a bit, if Gabe comes right to us, and because she’s fireproof, she can stay onboard until the boat is ready to sink. Then shift back and jump into the water, and our boat will be able to get close enough to fish her out and return to shore as humans—and one bird in a cage.”

“A cage!” Gabe practically shouted.

“For your own protection, darling,” Gabriella said. “Reincarnated phoenixes have an instinct to fly home. If you try to fly to the South End from so far away, you’ll probably become exhausted and perish in the sea.”

“Oh.” He relaxed slightly. “Got it.”

Mother Nature ceased her pacing and nodded. “It sounds possible. Just don’t do it now.”

“Why not now, Goddess?” Antonio asked.

“Mercury is retrograde. I know, I know… You probably think astrology is bullshit. Well, it’s not. I created just about everything but didn’t want perfection. What fun is that? So I tossed a little planetary trouble into the mix.”

“Um, Gaia, pardon my ignorance, but what is Mercury retrograde?” Gabriella asked.

Gabe was happy to hear his mother using a more respectful tone. His father had said the Goddess was easily offended—and powerful.

“Retrograde is when the speed of Earth catches up and goes somewhat faster than that of another planet, making the other planet appear to be moving backward. In this case, Earth has caught up with Mercury and is moving faster, making Mercury appear to be moving backward.”

“Oh, like when you’re on a train, pulling out of the station, and the train beside you appears to be moving backward, even though the other train is just sitting there.”

“Yes. That’s what a retrograde planet is. A planet appearing to move backward. The sun and moon never go retrograde, by the way. Do you know how boring it is to watch the planets go ’round and ’round, ’round and ’round, ’round and ’round, endlessly?” The Goddess shrugged. “I thought it would be entertaining to watch an optical illusion once in a while. How did I know a retrograde planet would put mortals in such a tizzy? I used to get insanely bored until humans became so…so…imperfect. And during Mercury’s retrograde phase, they become even more imperfect. Laughably so, depending upon how they handle it.”

Antonio smiled. “I think I know what you’re saying. As firefighters, my son and I have seen plenty of stupid things humans do.”

She smiled slightly in return. “Okay, then. Let’s remember that all kinds of communication gets screwed up during Mercury retrograde, and let’s not make some idiotic mistake.”

“Let’s not? Like, ‘let us not’? Are you going to help us, Goddess?” Antonio asked.

“Oh, hell no. I was just trying to be nice. I could rephrase that to ‘let you not make any idiotic mistakes,’ but I haven’t heard that phrasing in decades.”

“Understood,” Antonio said. “When do you recommend is a good time to do this?”

Gaia tipped her face up and closed her eyes for a moment. “At least a week from now on a Wednesday.”

Gabriella’s expression clouded. “You mean to tell me my son has to suffer in unnecessary pain for another week?”

Mother Nature focused on Gabriella. “It’s up to them. If they take their chances, their careful plan might fall apart. Your son might fly off before the others can catch him. Your dragon daughter-in-law might fall into the ocean and drown… You know. The usual screwups.”

“It will give me a chance to spend some more time with Misty,” Gabe offered. “I don’t mind a little pain, especially if I can help prepare her for what’s to come.”

The Goddess walked over to him. He’d be nervous, except that she had a sincere-looking smile on her face.

“You know, young phoenix, you’re a good man. I don’t say that to many mortals. But you seem to need to hear it.” She patted him on the head and disappeared.

Gabriella let out a long breath in a whoosh. “Well, that was interesting.”

Antonio lifted his index finger to his lips. “Sometimes she listens afterward,” he whispered.

“I’m too busy to eavesdrop today.” Mother Nature’s voice reverberated from everywhere and nowhere. “Tell no one about my visit, and you won’t be tobogganing down Mount Everest.”

“My goodness.” Gabriella found her way to the couch and sat down hard.