Heart on Fire | Noah Sebastian

Chapter 10 - Rewritten

Authors note - I rewrote chapter 10 cause it sucked. Please reread entire chapter before reading any other chapters I upload. Please interact with my story if you enjoy it. It keeps me motivated. much love <3 

Belle and her colleague were eventually conveyed to hospital via an ambulance after they were blown from the crumbling building. Belle didn't go without an argument though. She assured everyone that she was fine even though she was coughing every second word, fighting to catch her breath and bleeding from a wound above her eye. She begged that the hotel patrons be looked after first and even tried to resume command of the situation again. Even in injury, having just escaped death she still puts everyone else first. The paramedics wanted to get them to hospital as a precaution to ensure neither of them suffered any significant damage to their lungs, heart or body. I sided with the paramedics and convinced her that it's only because we want to look out for her. Belle eventually gave up the fight and went. I rode in the back of the ambulance with her and held her hand.

After a few scans and X-rays and a team of doctors and learner doctors listening to her heart and lungs, Belle was finally left to rest. She fell asleep quite quickly. I guess that's what happens when you spend most of your morning commanding the situation around a burning hotel and then get projected out from said building whilst carrying a whole other person. I sat by her bed and patiently waited. I watched her chest rise and fall slowly, each time a small sense of relief fills me knowing she's still breathing.

I let out a long sigh. I know Belle is the one who deserves to be exhausted but I feel emotionally and mentally exhausted too. Is that selfish? I started my day riddled with the anxiety of asking her to be my girlfriend but instead I watched her command an entire emergency situation where I barely took my eyes off her. I was filled with so much pride my heart was overflowing. But I was then immediately filled with a kind of fear and terror and heartache I've never felt before when she entered the building and barely made it out. I was so scared. I could have lost her today. I could have lost her before she was even mine. I still don't understand exactly what provoked me to rip the police tape and sprint to Belle but I'm glad I did. I've never felt so captivated, so drawn to someone before. I've never felt this feeling ever in my life. But am I going to feel all these turbulent emotions all the time if we do become a couple? Because I feel exhausted.

It'll get easier right?

I watched Belle sleep soundly, watching her chest slowly rise and fall with each breath and admired just how beautiful she truly is, even with ash still on her face. Her beautiful blonde, semi bird's nest like helmet hair was tied in a low ponytail that drifted off to her shoulder and her grazed knuckles with patches of dried blood lay comfortably by her side. I softly glided my thumb back and forward on the back of her hand over and over as I held it in mine as a small attempt to comfort her, to assure her I was still here and she was safe.

Her gown exposed a tattoo on her left collar bone I hadn't noticed before. It was a small tattoo of a mother elephant and a baby elephant leaning its head upon its mother with their tails intertwined and a small heart above them both. I would guess it represents a mother and child. Maybe it represents Belle and her mother? Belle has told me that like myself, only a small amount of tattoos actually have meaning, the rest are just cool as she puts it.

One of her legs was left uncovered by the blanket and showed some graze marks on her knees and some bruising on her thigh, below her grizzly bear family tattoo. The wilted flower tattoos remain unharmed.

After an hour of silently watching Belle, a few of the firefighters from her station and the other fire stations came to visit her and her colleague to see how they were doing. I was nervous when they entered and felt somewhat inferior and out of place. I'm just a random person with no connection to anyone whatsoever, but Toby recognised me and made me feel comfortable. I guess our conversation this morning stuck with him.