Page 69 of Unexpected Love
“No, don’t pull that oxygen mask off just yet,” she warns, her features relaxing the more awake I become.
“You gave us a real scare for a minute.” As she bustles away, my bearings come back. I’m in the back of an ambulance.
I try to shift my legs and realize I’m strapped down.
“What happened?” The mask makes my voice muffled, but Kate swings her attention to me. She sits on the low bench beside me and resumes checking my vitals.
“A part of the tree shifted, and a huge branch broke loose. You were in its way.”
“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck,” I mutter.
“Well, you should. But luckily, no puncture wounds. Your vitals are good, so probably no internal bleeding. Looks like it just knocked the breath out of you. But you’re still getting an escort to get checked out, courtesy of James County Fire Rescue.”
I struggle in my bindings. “I’m fine.”
“Sure. Okay. But I’m the one in charge. And I say you go.”
“All good, Kate?” Leo’s voice sounds from the back of the bus.
“Yep. Locked and loaded. Let’s roll,” she calls back.
There’s athunkof the doors closing, followed by Leo climbing in the front, and then we’re moving.
“You want me to call your girlfriend?” Kate offers.
I don’t remember the last ambulance ride I took. But I do remember waking up in a hospital, alone with a gunshot wound and not knowing what had happened. A nurse had come in and explained as much as she knew, and then later, Mac and some of the guys came by to check on me and others who’d been injured in a massive fire in the courthouse.
But in between visits from my crew, I’d been alone.
“What time is it?” I’ve lost all semblance and have no idea if it’s been minutes or hours since we arrived on scene. I just know I’m ready to get the fuck off this gurney.
Kate glances at her watch. “Almost five.”
“Nah. No need to wake them up.”
Plus, I don’t want to scare Jules needlessly. I’ll be fine before the end of shift, I hope, and I can make my regular morning call while Jules takes Charlie to day care.
“Okay, it’s your funeral.”
My eyes dart to Kate. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “You asshats with the hero complex. Is she your woman?”
I nod. Even if Jules is questioning things, I know down to my bones that I’m hers and she’s mine.
“Then she’s gonna want to know.”
I swallow, my eyes darting around to all the monitors and gadgets in the back of the bus. This is new territory forme. I don’t want to fuck things up with her, so I try to imagine how I’d feel if the tables were turned. I’d be pissed if something happened to Jules and I found out about it after the fact. “Okay, call her.”
She uses my phone, and even over the line, I can tell that Jules is bordering on frantic until Kate presses the phone to my ear.
“Hey, babe,” I say, trying to keep my voice level and calm and not let on that it hurts like hell to breathe.
“I’m on my way. I’ll meet you at the hospital.” The words tumble, and I hear the rustle of fabric in the background, like she’s either just climbing out of bed or maybe struggling into clothes.
“Jules…”
“Shut up.” It’s muffled at first, and then becomes clearer. She’s definitely getting dressed. “Just shut it. I’m texting Steve and Nancy as we speak. As soon as they get here, I’ll be on my way.”
