“Carter! Let’s go!” The captain’s yell snapped my attention and pissed me off. I glanced back to see my guys now loading the rig. It was time to go.
“Michelle, these nice paramedics are going to take care of you now.” And for some strange reason, I lifted her hand to my lips, kissing it. A warm glow started at my lips and moved out and down my entire body when I did so. Reluctantly, finger by finger, I released the hold I had on her hand and let the paramedics do their job. The entire time they loaded her in the ambulance until they closed the doors, Michelle’s eyes and mine were locked on one another’s.
“Carter!” Another call, this time from Eric.
It was time to go. But as the ambulance pulled farther and farther away, I had to tamp down hard on the urge to chase after it.
~ Chapter Two ~
Carter
“That was some save today.” Eric, also referred to as Harvard, walked up to me, clapping me on the back as I sat on my cot, staring out into space.
I didn’t need to ask what save he was referring to, although we’d gone on at least five runs since Michelle.Michelle.The woman I’d been thinking about all fucking day. The woman I couldn’t keep my mind off of even as we were called to another car accident, a house fire, and a warehouse fire. Every time I closed my eyes for a little rest, in between calls, those honey eyes stared back at me. Not sleeping wasn’t unusual for me, but never had a woman been the cause of my sleepless nights. Not in this way, at least.
“Yeah, hell of a job from everyone,” I retorted, smiling at Eric. I stood up, stretching my arms overhead, still feeling his silent look on me. Harvard wasn’t much for words, but I could tell he was always thinking, analyzing, and assessing. It’s what made him so good as a lieutenant.
“Everyone did their part. But you were in there. Even against Cap’s orders,” he noted, bringing a cup of coffee to his lips, staring at me over the brim as he sipped.
I shrugged. “She needed someone with her.”
“And that someone had to be you?”
“Who else was it gonna be?” I rolled my shoulders onto my back, willing myself to calm down. We got antsy with one another often, but it felt like he was getting too close to something big.
His lips turned downward, contemplatively. “No one else, I guess.” His eyes narrowed, looking for a response to his comment. He wasn’t getting one.
“We’re off in five minutes. The hell are you drinking coffee for?” I teased, changing the direction of the conversation.
He grinned. “Heading to Charlie’s after work and staying with Angel until she closes.” Angela, or Angel as he called her, was Eric’s wife, and she owned a bar namedCharlie’sthat all the guys frequented. “You coming?”
I shook my head. “Not tonight. I gotta take care of something.”
“Everything alright?”
I didn’t know whether to be pissed off or grateful for the concern I heard in his question.
“Everything’s fine. Just something I gotta do.”
“Okay.” He didn’t question it further and I was glad about it.
Five minutes later, I was putting on my leather jacket, and heading out the door, after saying my good-byes and signing out for the night. I walked to the parking lot that was in front of the station house, and grinned when I made eye contact with my beauty. She sat on two wheels and was only one of a few hundred of these in the world. My Ducati Diavel Diesel was my pride and joy. I removed my helmet from the back rest, placed it over my head, and threw my leg over the seat to straddle the bike. Placing the key in, I revved up the engine, but before pulling out, I turned my head up to stare at the marquee that read “Rescue Four” in gold at the top of the brick fire station. This was my home. I gave the building a two finger salute and pulled out of the parking lot, turning right, the opposite direction of where I lived.
I had no idea where I was going. All I knew was that I couldn’t get the image of Michelle’s face out of my mind. So, I drove in the only direction I thought to find the real thing, instead of the memory in my head. Ten minutes later, I was pulling up into the parking lot of Memorial Hospital. Parking my bike and tearing off my helmet, I headed toward the double doors of the emergency room. I glanced around the waiting room, seeing people in various states of sickness waiting to be seen. Nurses, doctors, medics, and other medical personnel moved about. I finally caught sight of a nurse I knew. Tucking my helmet under my arm and sauntering over to her, I grabbed her attention.
“Hey, Cyn, were you in earlier today?” I questioned.
“Carter.” She smiled. “I’ve been in since noon. Why? What’s up?” she asked, tucking a lock of brunette hair behind her ear.
“There was a call I wanted to check up on. We pulled her out of her car. She was in an accident down on Grant. Car flipped. She had a gash over her right eye. First name Michelle. Last name Clarke.”
Cyn’s face scrunched up as she tried to place the woman. “Oh!” She snapped her fingers. “Yeah, I remember. She was a little banged up.”
“What room is she in?” I questioned, glancing around as if she’d materialize just out of my desire to see her again.
Cyn shook her head. “No room. Signed herself out, AMA. Doc wanted to keep her overnight for observation due to the gash on her forehead and the knot that started to form, but she insisted on leaving. Nothing we could do.” She shrugged. “Listen, Carter, I gotta go.”
“Thanks, Cyn.” I barely noticed when she left, instead my mind working overtime to figure out why it concerned me so much that Michelle had signed herself out. What the hell was I even doing there? Sure, we checked up on people we pulled out often, but a simple phone call could’ve done.
