After the Fire
- Reads 4,252
- Votes 147
- Parts 19
Complete Mon, Oct 20, 20253h 54m
Fifteen hours. That's how long Dr. Cassie McKay spent fighting to save lives during the PittFest massacre-long enough to break a court order, destroy her ankle monitor, and very nearly burn herself out.
But in the haze of trauma and adrenaline, there was one constant: Jesse Van Horn. The ER nurse with steady hands and quiet eyes. The one who didn't flinch when she cracked, didn't pry when she shut down, and didn't run when her past started bleeding through her present.
Cassie doesn't do relationships-not with her history, not with a son to protect, and definitely not with a coworker who could see too much. But Jesse? Jesse just stays.
And when her son ends up in the staff lounge eating crackers with him, she starts to wonder if maybe-just maybe-some things are worth risking again.
A slow-burn, found-family romance about surviving trauma, choosing softness, and learning that sometimes, after the fire, comes something warm.
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