Page 56 of Hot Response
“I understand that. Why don’t you ask her? And if she’s up for it, we’ll go. And if it proves too hard for her, we’ll leave.” He squeezed her hand. “Or ifyoufeel like it’s too much, then forget I said anything. We can do whatever you want to do.”
“I’d like to invite her and Carter, if you’re sure.” He nodded. “I’ve been thinking about inviting you over for dinner, anyway. The whole meet-the-mom thing, since I met your sister.”
“And my mom’s been up my ass about meeting you, so expect that to happen soon. Hopefully it won’t be when she shows up on your doorstep because it didn’t happen fast enough for her.”
Cait laughed. “If she’s anything like your sister, I can actually imagine her doing that.”
“Trust me, she’s not shy.”
“Let’s get through you meetingmymom first and then—Gavin!”
He barely had a second to glance in his mirror before jerking his wheel to the left and hitting the brakes as the tire blew on the car in front of them. The driver overreacted and hit the guardrail. It started to spin and the tires caught and it flipped, rolling totally before landing with a thud on its wheels across two lanes.
Gavin skidded to a stop, barely avoiding contact with the wrecked car, and hit the button for the four-way flashers. Then he took a few precious seconds to back up and position the truck to block the highway and hopefully offer some protection for all of them until a state trooper or the local first responders arrived.
“Bag?” Cait barked as she unbuckled her seat belt.
“Floor, behind your seat. Gloves in the front pocket.”
She was already giving the 911 operator their location as he put the truck in park. They hit the ground at the same time, but she had to grab his bag, so he got to the cars first.
A quick visual sweep told him the victims’ injuries posed more of a threat than fire or debris, so he turned as Cait reached him. She’d already put on a pair of gloves, and she handed him a pair.
“I’ll take the phone. You check them,” he said as he pulled them on, and she tossed him her phone and dropped the bag. By the time he identified himself to the 911 operator, Cait had her head through the window of the car.
He heard the squeal as another vehicle came to an abrupt stop, but he didn’t hear an impact. After a few seconds, a guy ran around his truck. “Are you guys okay? Can I do anything?”
“We’re first responders. Stay in your car with your seat belt on, sir.”
“I need you to be still,” he heard Cait say before she called Gavin’s name. “Gauze, and I need you here.”
He opened a package of gauze and moved in beside her. The airbag had deployed, but the driver still had a badly busted-up face. Maybe he’d hit it on the window or the passenger’s shoulder or head as they rolled.
“Hold his head to the back of the seat to keep him still and try to staunch the bleeding as best you can. Listen to his breathing.”
Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed the bag and went around to the passenger side. “Ma’am, can you hear me?”
There was a low moan and Gavin watched as Cait did a quick assessment. The car was a newer model with multiple airbags, and they’d both been wearing their seat belts, but it had still been a hell of a ride.
“My head,” the woman moaned. “My neck hurts.”
“There’s a foam collar in the bag,” Gavin said. “It’s not much.”
“It’s better than nothing.” Holding the patient’s head against the seat with one hand, Cait reached in the bag and found the collar. After fastening it around the woman’s neck, she spoke again in a calm voice. “I need to look at your leg and it might hurt, but I need you to be very still and not move your head.”
That’s when Gavin saw the shard of glass in the woman’s thigh. There was a lot of blood.
“I’m okay,” the driver said, he voice rough and slightly muffled by the gauze. “I can hold this and I won’t move my head.”
Gavin looked to Cait and when she gave a sharp nod, he transferred the man’s hand to the gauze and went around the car. The door wouldn’t open, but he had to stay out of Cait’s way, so he crawled through the broken window into the back seat. The roof was slightly caved, so it was a tight fit, but he was able to reach from behind and hold the woman’s head against the seat.
“Got her.”
He could hear sirens, but cars had been jamming up on the other side of his truck so, depending on which direction they were coming from, it could be a few minutes.
Cait worked with quick, efficient movements, cutting away the fabric so she could see the wound. Then after a quick examination, she delicately packed gauze around it. Then she ran tape over it to keep the glass from moving.
“Get it out,” the woman pleaded, her voice weak.
