Last Hope ✔

6 - Fireproof

Happy believed he was talented in a lot of things, yet comforting people wasn't one of them. Therefore, he had no idea what to do when Jax dropped down on his knees right in front of him, bursting out in heartbreaking screams. A moment ago, Sack had muttered that Thomas was still inside. 

Tearing his glance away from his mourning friend who was held by Opie and Chibs, he stared at the burning clubhouse. He saw more smoke than fire, and with a numb feeling he watched the firemen unrolling their fire hoses. 

He didn't get it. 

What had happened? They had planned a meeting with a potential buyer for their guns, but they had barely left Charming when all their phones had rung. At the moment they weren't in a war with anyone; Amber's so-called kidnappers had been the most exciting thing in weeks. Had this something to do with her? Did those guys really exist? He had his doubts – there were just too many holes in her story. 

"Where is Amber?" he asked. 

Nobody answered; everyone's thoughts were occupied. Nobody cared about a girl they barely knew. She however didn't leave Happy's mind – if all this had happened because of her, leading to the death of a little kid, he would find her and make her pay. 

Again his glance wandered across the others. Croweaters were clinging to each other, crying; most of his brothers stared defeated at the smoking clubhouse. For a moment his eyes lingered on Juice, who looked around restlessly. He was looking for the woman as well. 

Would she have sneaked out during the panic? She would only do so if her conscience was bothering her... Since she didn't have a vehicle, she had to be close. He walked away from the others. Right when he reached his bike, he saw her. She staggered around a corner of the building, carrying a boy in her arms. 

Happy cursed. Immediately he started to run and took Thomas from her. His eyes stung as he saw the burn marks on the kid's skin. 

"He's still alive," she said in a raspy voice. She coughed. "But he... he needs to go to the hospital."

He nodded and briefly glanced her over. Part of her dark hair was burnt, her blouse was completely burned off on some spots, showing a bright red skin. "You too."

She shook her head. "I'm fine. It's... not safe."

Happy disagreed, but this wasn't the right moment to discuss. "Stay with me," he ordered her, then he turned around and carried the boy to the still sobbing father. 

"Jax," he said. His voice cracked; the pain of his friend causing a lump in his throat. 

The man snapped up his head. His blond hair was sticking to his tear-stained face, his eyes so watery they looked like liquid. He jumped up the moment he saw Thomas and started to cry even harder, sobbing his son's name. 

Carefully, Happy gave the kid to Jax and briefly squeezed his shoulder. "He needs to go to the hospital." He nodded to the ambulance that was parked a little ahead from them. 

Stepping away from the emotional father, Happy decided to give him a moment with his son. He turned to Amber. Before he could say something to her, someone rushed past him, almost launching himself on top of her. 

"Thank god you're alive!" Juice called out. "When Sack told me you went in to get Thomas..." He took a deep breath and gave her another hug. "I thought you were gone," he muttered.

Happy saw her face tense. Only Juice was capable of not noticing all the burn marks on her clothes. On a whim, he grabbed Juice's shoulder and pulled him away from her. 

"Careful kid... she's hurt."

Amber looked up to him. Only now, he realized her eyes did her name justice; they were amber. 

Juice stepped away from her, running a hand across his mohawk. "Shit," he muttered. "Sorry."

Happy rolled his eyes when his younger brother started to blush. 

"Show me your arms," he told Amber. 

"I have to know how Thomas is," she muttered, turning around. 

Happy grabbed her upper arm, subtly turning her back. Had that woman nerves of steel? Judging by her clothes, some pieces of textile must have melted into her skin. That's why he didn't dare to pull up her sleeve herself, afraid to make her injuries worse. "Show me your arms," he repeated. "Thomas is on his way to the hospital, there's nothing you can do for him."

Her shoulders slumped down. Happy frowned his eyebrows, it felt like the news disappointed her. 

"I'm okay Happy," she said in a soft tone. "I jumped in the shower before I ran through the flames and climbed through the window."

Happy's eyes rested in hers. He was impressed by the fact that she had stayed so cool in the middle of a burning room. 

As she figured that he wasn't going to let her go before she obeyed, she rolled up her sleeve. Her skin was sparkling red, without traces of burn marks or blisters. 

"Does it hurt?"

She shook her head. "It feels irritated, that's all." The look in her eyes told him she meant it. 

His glance slid down, to the burnt fabric. It was really strange her injuries weren't worse. He laid his fingers around her forearm. The moment he felt how cold she was, his eyes shot to hers. 

Sighing, she pulled down her sleeve as if she felt ashamed of her barely harmed arms. "I don't know why I didn't get burnt," she admitted. "The flames didn't hurt..." She was silent for a while, not taking her eyes away from him. It was hard to read the look in them. Was it fear? Confusion?

"Is that why you ran into a burning building? You knew the flames weren't gonna hurt you?" He frowned his eyebrows, trying to understand this absurd situation. 

"No. It was just... instinct, I guess. We were playing hide and seek and Thomas kept hiding in his dad's room. I knew he was there..."

"You never felt pain? Not ever?" He asked, unable to hide the fact that he was intrigued by her. He knew some people weren't able to feel pain, but it didn't keep their skin from burning.

"I dunno," she muttered. "I lost my memory, remember?" Sighing, she stared past him. "Maybe I was part of some creepy experiment."

Happy would have raised his eyebrows higher at the sound of that sciencefiction theory if he hadn't seen her burnt clothes nor felt her cold skin.

"Yeah, maybe..." he said pensively. 

For the first time since he had met her, the feeling crept upon him that he might have been wrong about her and that she had really been kidnapped and had memory loss. And yet... she was still hiding something. He was sure of it.