MilaA lump rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down. I hoped the men had had a chance to say goodbye.When I left the room, I walked to the nurse’s station and recorded the time of death and the cause. I logged the file, and I excused myself.In the restroom, I closed myself into a cubicle and finally let myself fall apart. Sobs racked my chest, and I doubled over, wrapping my arms around myself as if I could keep it together if I did it physically. I’d known this was going to happen. I didn’t know how, but I’d known.Those men would never be the same. I had been lucky enough never to lose a parent, but I knew from what I had seen that the loss of a loved one changed you forever. I had even seen it in Ben, although he’d barely known his dad. Those three men, once they handled their grief in their own way, wouldn’t ever look at life the same.Maybe they would become bitter. Maybe they would blame themselves. Or maybe, they would celebrate the long life of the woman they’d lost, reme

Ben“I’m not your girl,” Skylar said, pulling a face, and I laughed. Skylar obviously hated it when Jerrod hit on her, and for exactly that reason, he would keep doing it.Mila turned to me, and her smile softened. She looked beautiful, as always. Her hair was down around her face, the tips brushing her shoulders, and she wore a smoky type of eyeshadow that was so popular these days, and it made her look sexy and smoldering. She wore a little black dress that showed off her long legs and heels. I hadn’t seen her from behind, but I was sure it made her ass look great.Despite how hot she looked, there was something about her that was sad. She wasn’t moping, per se, but there was something about her that seemed a little defeated. I had the feeling it had something to do with work. If she wanted to talk about it, I would listen. If she wanted to forget, I would help. I wanted to be there for her. The feeling was so sudden, it caught me off guard. I hadn’t ever wanted to be there for some

MilaWe were all on high alert. The woman’s heart stopped twice. We managed to bring her back with a crash cart, but I was terrified she wouldn’t make it through the night. The driver was losing blood so fast, it didn’t have a chance to clot. We had to give him extra blood, and thankfully, he had a common blood type and we had more than enough in the blood bank. When they needed something like O-negative, it got harder.By the time I could tear away for something as simple as a bathroom break, I had been running around for four hours, and there was still no sign of slowing down. I hadn’t paid attention to my hangover. There hadn’t been time. Now that I stopped to take a breath, my head thudded dully and I felt nauseous. I hadn’t had a chance to eat anything. The only thing I’d had all day was the tomato juice.After I finished in the bathroom, I bought a bottle of water and a cereal bar from a vending machine and forced it down even though I didn’t feel like eating.And it helped.Ben

I nodded, and the guy called Jonas ran in with the other two guys. I had studied fire engineering, and Ted needed me to brainstorm a way to vent the wire on the one side and draw it toward the oxygen we gave it so it was safe for the men to start fighting it on the other side.I was explaining to Ted that a fire could consume itself if left alone for long enough when shouts from inside were heard, followed by a loud crash.“Shit,” Ted said, and we both ran. I watched as the building collapsed in front of me, one half crumpling like it was made of paper.“How many are still in there?” Ted shouted.“Three,” came the reply, and I could taste the fear.“Any civilians?”“Negative.”Shit. They were ours.The firemen turned their attention to the three men inside, forgetting about the fire for the moment. Ambulances were already on scene, and EMTs were on standby, ready to take care of anyone coming out.“We found them!” Tyler shouted from inside. He had gone in with Sam and Jay to retrieve

Mila“Of course. If anyone understands, it’s me.”“When will we know he’s okay?” Ben asked. “And the others? God, I didn’t even ask about them.”“Two other nurses took care of the firefighters but that will be quick to find out. I’ll let you know as soon as I get back to the ICU.”Ben and I sat in silence once more while he drank his sweet coffee.When Ben’s coffee was finished, and I had taken about as much time as I was able from the ER, we headed back. I let Ben tag along with me even though it wasn’t technically allowed. He stayed out of the way of the other nurses. I took him to see Jonas.When Ben saw Jonas, the emotion was raw on his face. He walked to Jonas’s bed. He didn’t touch the man, which was a good call. Jonas’s wounds were extensive.“I’m so sorry,” Ben whispered. My heart went out to Ben. Not only did I feel for Jonas who would be in excruciating pain the moment he woke up, but I felt for Ben whose heart ached more than anyone I had ever seen before. I was worried abo