A loud boom jolted Kyan O'Connor out of a sound sleep. He sat straight up in bed and looked around his hotel room in an effort to determine the source of the noise, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Deciding that it must have been a dream, Kyan was just about to lie back down and get some more sleep when the shrill ringing of the fire alarm pierced the silence of the room.
He rolled out of bed and rose to his feet. All he had on was a pair of red boxer briefs, and for a short moment he considered putting on some more clothes. But by the panicked screams Kyan heard coming from the hallway, he realized that he didn't have the time. He grabbed his wallet--which contained his driver's license, money, and credit cards--and rushed out of the room.
The hallway was filled with thick smoke, and heat so intense that he broke into a sweat. He needed to get out of here, and he needed to do it now. Kyan headed for the stairwell that was next to his room, but remembered to place his hand on the door before opening it. The door was hot to the touch, and he figured the fire must be close. He knew his only option for escape was the stairwell at the other end of the hall, so Kyan dropped to his hands and knees and began to crawl. He had seen on some television show that if you were ever caught in a burning building, you should get as close to the floor as possible. The firefighter who hosted the show said that since smoke rises, it would be easier to breathe closer to the floor. He would love to know what dictionary the guy had used to define the word 'easier', because his breathing had become anything but.
Kyan could feel the smoke searing his lungs. Damn his luck! His room would have to be the last one on the floor--putting him about sixty feet from the other stairwell, and it would be slow going. The thick smoke obscured his vision, forcing him to slowly crawl inch-by-inch, using his hands to feel his way. Even though he couldn't see them, he could clearly hear the panicked voices and movements of people ahead of him heading for the exit. Kyan didn't know if he was going to make it. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe, and he was starting to feel lightheaded. At least he would be close to the floor if he lost consciousness.
Damn! It was his fault he was even in this mess, since he didn't really have to be here. He'd come to Dallas to check out a business opportunity that could make his family a great deal of money, as if they weren't wealthy enough already. In fact, they were filthy rich. His family owned Eire Consolidated a multi-billon dollar international corporation that was based in New York City. His grandmother, Maeve, was the Chairman of the Board, and his father, Patrick, the President and Chief Executive Officer. At present, Kyan was filling the position of Executive Vice President and was in charge of acquisitions. He could've had the people he was supposed to meet with come to New York City, but he'd decided that he'd rather go to Dallas instead.
Kyan had attended graduate business school at the University of Dallas' Graduate School of Management where he earned an MBA in Global Business. A great many of his former classmates still lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, and he figured he could combine business with pleasure, taking this opportunity to visit with some of his friends. Now it looked as if neither the business deal nor the renewing of old friendships were going to happen.
Black spots began to form in front of his eyes, and a buzzing sound started to resonate in his ears. Kyan was just barely hanging on to consciousness, and didn't know how much longer he'd be able to do so. It was only through sheer force of will that he'd managed to keep himself from blacking out to this point. He was still a good distance away from the stairwell and was starting to think he wasn't going to make it before he was totally overcome by the smoke.
A sense of foreboding came over Kyan as he realized there was an excellent chance that he was going to die. Not just any death either. No, his demise was going to be the slow and agonizing kind that was brought about by fire. Luckily smoke inhalation would have gotten him before the flames did, Kyan thought ironically. Stupid fireman, he growled to himself.
He'd always thought that old cliché about your life passing in front of your eyes when you were faced with death was total and complete bullshit, but now he knew it was true, because that was exactly what was happening to him. Even though Kyan was only twenty-nine years old, he'd had a good life. His family was loving and supportive. He never knew his mother because she died giving birth to him, and he'd never gotten the opportunity to meet her family since she was an only child and her parents died in a car accident when she was eighteen years old. Growing up, he lived at the family estate with his father and paternal grandparents. They'd supplied all his needs--and a great many of his desires, and had been there for him every step of his life.
They hadn't expected him to enter the family business, always insisting that Kyan could be anything he wanted, so the decision to work at Eire Consolidated was entirely his. Of course, his grandmother and father were thrilled. His grandfather, Sean, a cardiovascular surgeon, despite harboring hopes Kyan would enter the medical profession, had been happy for him as well.
His family was supportive in other aspects of his life as well. When he was eighteen years old he finally admitted to himself that he was gay. He'd nervously informed his family over dinner one night, and while they'd been surprised, had given him nothing but love and acceptance. In fact, his grandmother had offered to fix him up with her best friend's grandson. Kyan smiled at the happy memory. He loved his family so much that the thought of never seeing them again brought sadness and grief to his heart.
The buzzing sound in his ears was getting louder and louder. The smoke in the hallway had become so thick that every breath he took resulted in a fit of coughing. Kyan knew he wasn't far from the stairwell, so if he could remain conscious for just a little while longer he would make it out of the hotel, and he would be okay. He fought to stay alert with every fiber of his being, but it wasn't enough. Blackness rapidly descended upon him as Kyan lapsed into unconsciousness.
* * *
Firefighters Reed Parker and Kaia Williams of the Dallas Fire Department exited the stairwell and began checking rooms to make sure that everyone was evacuated from the floor. They were outfitted in full bunker gear, including the Air-Pack that allowed them to breathe without the danger of smoke inhalation.
Reed was taking one side of the hallway and Kaia the other, so that they could complete the room check faster. The captain had assigned several teams to make sure that all the hotel residents and employees were evacuated from the building. He and Kaia had been given the job of checking the top floor. The hotel manager had provided them with master electronic keys to enable them to confirm that each room was actually empty of any occupants. From all the people they had passed in the stairwell, he was hopeful that everyone had already vacated the floor.
Reed was glad that the captain had assigned him to work with Kaia. He met her seven years ago when she'd been a fresh from the academy rookie and he was assigned as her training officer. In the last couple of years she became his best friend, and they had an uncanny rapport with one another. During that time, Kaia had been a gift sent to him directly from God, having helped him through one of the darkest and most difficult times of his life, the death of his beloved spouse and love of his life, Amber.
Reed had just finished checking the first room on his side of the hallway and was hurrying to the next when he encountered an obstacle on the floor that blocked his path. The smoke was so dense he couldn't see what it was, so he knelt down to examine it more closely. What he found galvanized him into action.
"Kaia, I've got a man down here!" he yelled out as he carefully rolled the man over, making sure to keep his body in proper alignment. He didn't think the man had a spinal injury, but it was better to err on the side of caution. Reed checked the man's ABC's. He opened the man's mouth to make sure that his airway was unobstructed, and to determine if he was still breathing, and then checked the unconscious man's pulse in order to ensure that his heart was still circulating blood.
"What's his condition?" Kaia asked as she came up beside him.
"He's unconscious and he's having difficulty breathing, but his pulse is still strong. There are no signs of trauma. He was lying face down, so it looks like he was trying to crawl to the stairwell and was overcome by smoke inhalation. We need to get him out of here and on oxygen as soon as possible," Reed replied. Through the smoke, he noticed a wallet lying next to the victim, so he reached down, picked it up, and placed it in the pocket of his bunker coat.
"Why don't you go ahead and take him down, and I'll stay behind and finish the room check?" Kaia offered.
"Bryce will kill me if I leave you here by yourself, but I do need to get him out of here," Reed replied urgently.
"Don't worry about me, or Bryce. He's my husband, not my master. Besides, the victim's needs come first," Kaia insisted. "I'll radio the Chief to let him know what's going on, and request that he send up someone to replace you."
"Okay," Reed agreed. "Kaia, help me get this guy up, would you?"
Together they pulled the man into a standing position. Reed hoisted the unconscious victim up, positioning him over his right shoulder, and then carried him into the stairwell to begin the journey that would take them out of the hotel. It wouldn't be easy going. Reed estimated the man he was carrying weighed about one hundred and fifty pounds, and he had fourteen flights of stairs to navigate.
With that in mind, Reed was extremely grateful for the extra training that he and Kaia had been doing with a personal trainer to prepare for the Firefighter Combat Challenge. The two of them were on the team that represented the Dallas Fire Department. Last year they had taken first place, and they intended to do so again.
The Challenge was a competition that sought to encourage firefighter fitness, and demonstrate the rigors of the firefighting profession to the general public. It was a national competition that was even broadcast on ESPN™. The participants, wearing full bunker gear and an Air-Pack, perform a series of five tasks, including climbing a five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging fire hoses, and rescuing a life-sized one hundred and seventy-five pound 'victim'.
Reed had made it halfway down, and was definitely feeling the strain. His muscles were aching, and the man he was carrying was beginning to feel as if he weighed five hundred pounds. When Reed stopped for a moment to switch the man to his left shoulder, he noticed that the smoke in the stairwell was getting worse.
Laying the man on the seventh floor landing, he performed another ABC check. The victim's breathing was becoming shallower, and his pulse was weakening. As a firefighter he knew that people could die very quickly from smoke inhalation. This man needed oxygen immediately. The reason he'd become a firefighter was his strong desire to help people, so, without hesitation, he removed his facemask and placed it over the victim's mouth. Reed was tired, but adrenaline gave him strength. He pulled the victim into a standing position, bracing him against the stair railing. After resting a brief moment, he hoisted the unconscious man onto his left shoulder, and resumed his trek down the stairs.
He only had two more flights left to go when he began to feel the effects of the smoke. It was becoming harder to breathe, but he had to keep going. Reed's only thought was for the man he was carrying. He made it down the last two flights and exited the stairwell, then carried the unconscious man through the lobby and out the front doors. Reed laid the victim down and managed to yell out, "I need a paramedic over here," before he erupted into a paroxysm of coughing, and collapsed on the ground beside the man he'd rescued.
Firefighter/Paramedic Wilma Dean rushed over to him and attempted to place an oxygen mask on him, but he pushed it away. "Take care of him first, I can wait," he insisted, and then succumbed to another fit of coughing.
"Don't worry, he's going to be taken care of. Jon has him," she said as she indicated the paramedic who was now attending to the unconscious victim. "Now, behave yourself, Reed, and let me take care of you," the petite redhead stated in a tone that brooked no resistance.
He took the oxygen mask from her and took several long, deep breaths as he watched her take his vital signs and record them. She left him for a moment to assist her partner in placing the unconscious man on a gurney. When she returned to his side, he removed the oxygen mask and asked, "Wil, how is he? Is he going to make it?"
"He needs to go to the hospital to be checked out more thoroughly, but yeah, I think he's going to be fine, thanks to you." A frown then appeared on her face. "I don't know whether to praise you for being so courageous, or berate you for being so foolish. By taking off your oxygen mask and giving it to him you may have saved his life, but it was an extremely dangerous thing to do. You could have been overcome by smoke inhalation, and both of you would've died," she said, shaking her head.
"It was a calculated risk, Wil. You know I'm not a cowboy. I was at the halfway point when I discovered that he was getting worse, and I knew he wouldn't make it the rest of the way without oxygen. I'm in excellent physical shape, and I gambled that I could make it down without it. I only wager my money or my life on a sure thing," he said, and then flashed her a dazzling smile.
Wil returned his smile, but shook her head in sarcastic disbelief. "You are such an ass," she responded with a chuckle.
Reed laughed with her, but it quickly turned into another spasm of coughing. He put the oxygen mask back over his mouth and took some more deep breaths. When his breathing was back under control, he suddenly remembered the victim's wallet. He reached into the pocket of his bunker coat to retrieve it. Reed opened it, looked at the driver's license in the front window, and then handed it to Wilma as he said, "This belongs to the victim."
She took it from him and looked through it to see if there was a Medic Alert™ card that would warn her of any special medical conditions or drug allergies that her patient might have. "It says here that his name is Kyan O'Connor and he's from New York City. I'll make sure the E.R. staff gets this. Well, come on, big boy, let's go," she said as she helped him to his feet.
"Go where? I need to get back and help fight the fire," Reed resisted.
"You're in no shape for that. The only place you're going is to the hospital," Wilma stated decisively, and then assisted him into the back of the same ambulance where Jon had just placed Kyan.
On the ride to the hospital, Reed looked over to the middle of the ambulance at the man he had rescued. Kyan was lying on a stretcher dressed in nothing but a pair of red boxer briefs. Based on the information he'd gleaned from Kyan's driver's license, he knew that the other man was six years younger than Reed's own age of thirty-five. The driver's license had also indicated that the other man was five feet eight inches tall, and Reed believed it, because when he and Kaia had stood the unconscious man up to enable Reed to lift him over his shoulder, he had been about two inches shorter than Reed. The same dark brown hair that was on Kyan's head also covered his chest, abdomen, and legs. His face, despite being covered by soot and smoke, was boyishly handsome.
As Reed stared at Kyan, he felt his cock start to harden. He was shocked, because this had never happened to him before. Oh, he'd had erections before--many, many erections, but he'd never gotten one from looking at another man. This couldn't be happening. He'd been married, for God's sake! He wasn't gay. He'd never been attracted to a man before, and he certainly wasn't now. His erection was merely a result of the adrenaline that was still coursing through his body from the danger he'd been in, nothing more, he assured himself.
Suddenly, the object of his attention groaned and started to thrash about restlessly. Wilma moved into action. "Damn! He's pulled out his I.V." She looked over at Reed and asked, "Do you feel up to helping me?"
"Sure thing, Wil," Reed answered as he came over next to Kyan's gurney. "What do you need me to do?"
"Try and keep him still while I restart his I.V."
"Okay, I'll give it a shot," he said, putting his hands on Kyan's shoulders. The minute he touched the other man's bare skin he felt electricity shoot throughout his entire body. The only one who'd ever elicited this type of reaction from him had been Amber, and the fact that he was now responding this way to anyone, much less another man, was very disconcerting.
Kyan moaned, and his body jerked. All of a sudden it occurred to Reed that the other man might be moving about restlessly because he was trying to regain consciousness. Leaning over so that his mouth was next to the Kyan's ear he spoke softly, "Kyan, can you hear me? You can wake up now, you're safe."
* * *
Kyan was lost, scared, and he was surrounded by darkness. He searched in vain for a way out, but couldn't find one. Panic was starting to set in when he heard a faraway voice calling his name and telling him he was safe. He didn't know why, but he trusted this voice. He listened for the direction the voice was coming from, and when he located it, used it as a beacon. The voice came closer and closer until he felt as if it were right next to him.
"Kyan, you're safe. You can wake up now," the voice said soothingly.
Kyan opened his eyes, and his breath immediately caught in his throat. The person leaning over him was the most beautiful man he'd ever seen. The man's hazel eyes were warm and expressive. The top of his head was bald, and the black hair on the sides shaved down to his scalp. His baldness combined with the goatee that framed his kissable lips served only to enhance the inherent virility that oozed out of him like rich, sweet honey from a honeycomb.
The man smiled at Kyan, making him feel as if he was the most important person in the world, and then he opened his mouth and spoke with a voice that dripped with sensuality. "Hi, my name is Reed. Can you tell me your name?"
"Yeah, I'm...uh...uh," Kyan replied, feeling tongued-tied from the overwhelming masculinity of the other man. No one had ever affected him like this. Swallowing hard, he tried again, "My name is Kyan O'Connor."
Reed flashed him another brilliant smile, and then said, "Well, Kyan, welcome back. Do you know where you are?"
His eyes scanned his surroundings, taking in the medical equipment and the two people who were next to him. "It appears I'm in an ambulance, which is most probably operated by the Dallas Fire Department, if your uniforms are any indication. That means I made it out of the hotel fire without dying. Or, at least, I hope it means that. I don't recall ever hearing about ambulances in Heaven or, God forbid, Hell," he said with a slight grin.
Reed's warm, deep, sexy laughter rumbled forth, filling the ambulance, and sending shivers up and down Kyan's spine. Why was he reacting this way? From the gold band adorning the ring finger of his left hand, Kyan could see that Reed was married, and since the other man was the epitome of maleness, he just had to be straight.
"You're lucky to be alive, Kyan. If it hadn't been for Reed, right now you'd be in the back of the Medical Examiner's van on the way to the morgue," Wilma said, breaking into the conversation. She then proceeded to tell him the entire story as she checked him over.
At that moment, Kyan's heart melted into a puddle of goo, and he fell foolishly and irrevocably in love. He knew it was a major mistake, and in fact he'd just broken the first commandment of what his best friend, Colin Edwards, called the Gay Man's Shalt Nots, which was 'Thou shalt not fall in love with a straight man'.
Kyan knew he was in for a major heartache by loving Reed, but he couldn't help himself. The man had reached in and stolen Kyan's heart whether he intended to or not--whether he wanted to or not, but to be honest, one can't really steal what is freely given. He'd never expected love at first sight to happen to him. Actually, he'd never really believed in it, even though his grandfather had warned him that as a male in their family it was his destiny.
Reaching out, he placed his hand on top of the firefighter's, and said, "Thank you for saving my life. I don't how I can ever repay you, but I'm definitely going to try. You are my hero."
Reed's cheeks flushed red as he blushed in embarrassment. "You're welcome, but you have nothing to repay. I was just doing my job," he said sheepishly.
"I have a great deal to repay. What you do is not just a job. Firefighters go above and beyond what an ordinary human being would do, and for that I am extremely grateful."
Just as Reed was about to reply, the ambulance came to a stop, and Wilma opened the doors. "Well, come on, boys. We need to get you two checked out by a doc," she said, and then she and her partner took them both into the hospital.
* * *
Reed hated hospitals with a passion, especially the one he was in now. It didn't help that he'd been here for over three hours and still hadn't been seen by a doctor. He wished they'd hurry up so he could get out of here. His head understood that the twenty car pile-up on Central Expressway, combined with the hotel fire he'd been fighting, had brought in a higher-than-usual number of casualties, but his heart was too consumed with remembered-grief to be logical.
This was the hospital where he'd had to let go of one of the most precious things in his life. He recalled rushing in to this very emergency room and seeing Amber lying on a gurney, much like the one he was sitting on now, pale and bloody. There were numerous doctors and nurses working like mad to save her, but it didn't help. He remembered the shock and disbelief he felt as he watched the ER staff stop what they were doing. He had screamed at them to keep going, but the doctor in charge had simply shook his head in apology and walked away with the rest of the staff following behind. He was startled out of his reverie by the sound of Kyan's voice.
"Reed, are you all right?" Kyan asked, his voice laced with concern.
Reed looked at the other man, now clean and dressed in a hospital gown and lying on the gurney in the next cubicle. Shaking his head to clear it, he replied, "I'm fine."
Kyan appeared skeptical. "Are you sure? You don't look fine to me. Your face has been frozen in a perpetual scowl since we arrived here, and you seem so distracted. Are your injuries worse than you're letting everyone know?"
"No, I'm fine, really I am. It's just that...," Reed started, and then paused, swallowing hard.
"It's just what?" Kyan probed gently. "Is it something I can help you with? I mean, you just saved my life, and if there's anything I can do for you, I'll gladly do it."
Reed was struck by Kyan's sincerity, and found himself wanting to pour out his heart to the other man. He didn't usually like to talk about his feelings, and generally kept them bottled up inside. He'd just never felt comfortable exposing himself to someone else. He didn't even talk to Kaia on an intimate level. The only one he'd ever opened up to had been Amber. She'd been his soul mate and had been so much a part of him that he'd never felt vulnerable with her. Now, for some inexplicable reason, he felt a connection to Kyan that was telling him it was safe to divulge his innermost feelings to this man.
Taking a deep, ragged breath, he decided to take a chance, and plunged over the cliff of uncertainty. "I just don't like hospitals very much, most especially this one. My wife died here, in this emergency room."
Kyan got up off the gurney and, after reaching back with one hand to hold his gown shut so his butt wouldn't be exposed, he walked over to Reed. Reaching out, he touched the fireman on the shoulder and said, "Oh, Reed, I'm so sorry. Was it recent?"
"No, it was three years ago, but being here today brings it all back with astonishing clarity."
"And it's my fault. If you hadn't had to rescue me you wouldn't even be here," Kyan stated contritely.
"No, it's not your fault. You were a victim, and rescuing victims is what I do. Because of my job, I have to come here occasionally, but I haven't had to spend this much time here in a while. I just keep replaying the day she died over and over in my mind. I don't understand it. It's been three years, I should be over it by now," he said emotionally.
"Why?" Kyan asked, his tone almost harsh.
Reed felt a stab of hurt. He'd thought he could trust this man to be gentle with his feelings, but apparently he'd been wrong. "Why what?" he replied dejectedly.
Kyan reached forward, gently grasped Reed's chin with his hand, and lifted his face until they were looking into each other's eyes. "Why should you be over it? You loved her, and she was ripped away from you. I personally don't see how anyone could get over the death of someone they love. Learn to live with it, yes, but get over it? No. When you truly love someone, and they love you in return, you freely and lovingly exchange a part of yourself with a part of them. When your wife died, she took that part of you with her. A piece of you is missing and you will never get it back. It is impossible to get it back." Kyan then smiled at him. "But remember, she also gave you a portion of herself, and it stayed here with you. So, even though she's gone, a part of her still remains inside you," he said as he reached out and placed his palm over Reed's heart, emphasizing his point.
Reed felt tears start to well-up in his eyes. He hadn't made a mistake. Kyan was worthy of his trust. He'd held Reed's heart in his hands, and had treated it as if it were something precious. Reed was just about to respond when the doctor came in to examine them.
"Hello there, gentlemen. My name is Dr. Hartman. Sorry about the wait, but it's been a madhouse around here tonight. The nurses tell me that both of your vitals are normal, so why don't I just check you over officially and see what we can do about getting you out of here and on your way?" the physician said, placing his stethoscope in his ears as he approached them.