Chapter 6- Stupid Things
When Brandon woke up, he winced at the light in his room. He slowly moved his head and saw Conner at the window and Amber leaning in what must have been an uncomfortable position in a chair next to his bed. "Hey," Connor said softly when he turned from the window and saw that Brandon was awake.
"What... happened?" he asked groggily.
"According to the news, you helped save a fellow firefighter and almost caught 'The Arsonist', but he died in his own fire."
"The arsonist is dead?"
"Yeah. His clothes and DNA were found at the scene. No remains were found yet, but get this: Superman was there when the firefighters pulled up. 'Said you were a real hero, man. He couldn't get inside because of the green flames making him sick. Something about the experiments that might have gone on in the building or something."
"Yeah, I remember a breeze like the one he created the other night when he helped me in the other fire." Brandon stayed silent after he said this. He slowly reached to touch the back of his neck, where the beam had hit him. There was a numb feeling and he wondered if that was some weird side affect of a concussion or something, as he had never had one before. When Brandon saw his hand, he noticed that the burns were completely gone and his hand wasn't even wrapped. "How long have I been out?"
"Few hours," Connor said simply.
"Where's Mehkenzie?"
"Who?"
"Our daughter," Brandon explained. If anyone cared about technicallities, Mehkenzie wasn't genetically his daughter, but the adoption papers were as good as signed.
"I think she," Conner gestured half-heartedly towards Amber, "called her mother."
At the sound of voices, Amber's eyes opened. When she saw that Brandon was up, she made her back and neck pop and crackle before scooting her chair closer. "Don't EVER do that to me again!"
"I'm sorry-" Brandon began, but was cut off.
"Yes, I know, but if I find out that you went into a burning building again without protective gear, I'll-"
"Conner was in trouble. What else could I do?"
Conner's eyebrows rose at the look Amber gave him. "Don't blame me. One minute I'm laying flowers down at the fire site, and the next I'm tied up with fire around me. That asshole hit me from behind!" he protested.
"Seems to make sense. His actions were pretty cowardly," Brandon said.
There was the sound of a ring tone going off. Conner took his phone out of his pocket, checked the display, and said, "Its my mom. I've got to take this outside." With that, he left the room.
As soon as the door was shut, Brandon turned to Amber. "Why did you run in after me?"
"You know what I can do. If I just found you, I could've helped." Brandon knew that might have been the answer, which was why he waited for Conner to leave before he asked about it.
"But you have no fire training, and that beam could've fallen on you," Brandon protested.
"But it wouldn't have hurt me, unlike you," Amber argued.
"In the heat of the moment- no pun intended, I guess- I forgot about your ability," Brandon admitted. "I doubt I would've done things differently even if I didn't forget."
"Aw, Baby..." Carefully, Amber hugged Brandon. When she leaned back into her chair, she said, "I have a feeling that something more happened back there."
Grateful for the slight subject change, Brandon asked, "What do you mean?"
"The beam. It should've hit you, right? Well, I don't think that it did. There are no burns on your back, and no marks on you except for a small star-like mark on the back of your neck. I think Superman was there when the beam hit. He passed out inside the building, but woke up after I dragged you both out of there."
"But he put the credit on me. Why?"
"Maybe he admired your courage," Amber suggested.
"My burns are completely gone, but Connor said that I was only out for a few hours," Brandon said slowly.
"That's another thing that worries me," Amber murmured.
"What do you mean? " Brandon asked again.
"As far as I know, Superman doesn't have the ability to heal people, and I have only the ability to heal myself and regenerate my own skin. And the slight added strength. When I called my mom and had her bring Mehkenzie here, she took a nap next to you in the bed. After that, the nurse came to redress your other burns and tend to the ones on your legs, but they were all gone."
"So..." Brandon said slowly, not exactly sure where Amber was going with all of this.
"I think Mehkenzie's got a power, too."
"You think SHE healed me?"
"She was so scared for you, Brandon, so yes, I think she might've. She understood that you had owies and I think she wanted to make it better."
"What are you going to do?"
"Nothing for now. I remember how confusing it was for me to be different and to have no one help me understand why I could do the tings I could do. It'll be different for her. I can help, since I've been there, done that." Amber took in a deep breath and let it out as she thought about things, wondering how she was going to explain to her daughter that she was special, and to make it clear that different didn't equal strange or bad.
Brandon also thought about what had happened that afternoon and the words the arsonist had said. All of that anger had done that to him, and Brandon vowed to not let his own anger consume him to the point of being blinded by white rage. But what got to Brandon the most was the fact that he'd known about Conner and Brandon being from the same firehouse, and had even said the firehouse number. Was it his plan all along to kill people there, or had it changed after the firehouse and its people stopped his first few fires? Brandon wondered when the lab reports would be able to tell them all who the arsonist was. Maybe that would tell them more about who or what made him so angry.
Amber spoke up after a few silent minutes, which took Brandon out of his thoughts. "The nurses said that you should be able to go home tomorrow if you woke up tonight like they predicted that you would."
Brandon looked over at Amber, who wouldn't meet his gaze. "Hey," he said, reaching over to put a hand on Amber's cheek. "I know it all was stupid, and I can't promise you that it won't happen again, but powers or not, Amber, I will always be here to protect you and Mehkenzie with my last breath." There was a pause, and then he continued, "I do those stupid things because I love you and I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I lost either of you."
"How do you think I feel, you idiot? If you die protecting me, where will I be?"
There was another silence and then Brandon said, "Then I guess we'll have to protect eachother."
"Yeah, I guess so, huh?" Amber stood long enough to lean over the bed's bars and kiss Brandon. "I love you too, you know."
Brandon smiled a light smile and said, "Yeah, I know. And I'm a better man for it." And he meant it. Long ago, he'd been with another. They'd been so young, and those who married at a young age as they had didn't seem to make it, and it was true for them as well. The woman hurt him so badly, but he was able to love again when Amber and him crossed paths again. Though he'd been hurt so badly, he was grateful for it all happening because he was able to truly apretiate his new life with Amber. Maybe that was why his song to her was 'God Bless the Broken Road' by Rascal Flatts.
"You should rest, Baby." Amber left a kiss on Brandon's forehead and scooted the chair backwards enough to lay her head on her hands, which were now folded over Brandon's.
"Okay. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
