Selfless Hero

“And I’m not going anywhere, Kylie. Not leaving the hospital, and not even out of your bed. Not until you tell me to.”

I sighed, inhaling his scent, thinking how that would never happen.

EPILOGUE

Max

I rolled onto my side in bed, exhausted, but happily so, especially since Kylie was sleeping beside me. The room was dark, and evening had set in, but her face was visible from the dim light seeping through the cracked window beside the bed.

She was so beautiful, I could hardly believe my luck.

Spending a whole day with her had been magical. We’d fixed dinner together, fed Lulu, watched a movie, and then eagerly returned to bedroom, unable to get enough of each other.

But now, it was time to face reality. I had to get back to work.

The night shift.

Funny how one woman could suddenly make my preferred working hours seem like a curse. I wanted nothing more than to stay with her for the rest of the night, but there were patients who needed me.

Sighing, I quietly got out of bed, not wanting to disturb Kylie. She was sleeping so peacefully. Besides, after the way I’d worn her out, she probably needed the rest.

I smirked as I made my way to the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker.

Lulu’s nailed clicked on the floor as she emerged from the back of the apartment. Her tail wagging.

“Hey there, girl,” I said, reaching down to pat her head. I looked up to the top of the refrigerator where Kyle kept a box of dog biscuits and gave one to Lulu, who happily chomped on it before returning to her bed to play with a chew toy.

As the coffee began to brew, I headed to the bathroom to turn on the shower.

I halted, hearing a buzzing sound from the living room. Lulu gave a soft bark, hearing the sound too.

I realized it was my phone.

Retrieving it from the living room table, I glanced down, surprised to see Zane’s name flashing across the screen. We’d been brothers in the military, but when I went into medicine and he went back to the desert, we’d lost touch.

For him to call? This wasn’t good.

“Hello?” I said, but only heard breathing on the other end. “Hello? Zane?”

“Max,” he choked out, confirming that it was him.

My heart sunk to my stomach. “What’s wrong?” I asked, automatically knowing something terrible had happened based on his tone. But when he spoke, I couldn’t make out a word he said. “Zane, slow down. Breathe. Now, what did you just say?”

“I’m coming home.”

“What?” Clearly, I had missed something integral during his mumbled rampage. I didn’t think there was anything that would make Zane come home…

My posture stiffened. The coffee pot began to steam, the aroma drifting through the air. From within the bedroom, I heard Kylie beginning to stir awake. Lulu had gotten out of her bed again, trotting through the apartment to greet Kylie.

But none of that was relevant right now.

“Zane… What happened?” I asked slowly.

“He’s dead,” he croaked.

Shit.

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