Terry helped get all the accident victims stabilized then placed in either the deputy's car or an ambulance. He and the others did this over and over again until the ambulances were full. He jumped into the front seat while Jonny stayed in the back to treat the patients they were transporting.
And then it was a race to the hospital.
By the time he pulled the ambulance bay where they kept the vehicles when they weren't in use, Terry was grungy, hungry, and tired. He felt as if he'd put in a full shift instead of just a few hours.
Terry climbed out of the ambulance and then went about assisting Jonny in cleaning and restocking it. This was the part of the job no one ever talked about. It wasn't glamorous or exciting, but it was a job requirement.
It was hard to save people if he didn't have the proper supplies, and who wanted to be transported in a dirty ambulance? It was disgusting, not to mention a serious health hazard.
"Hey, Jamie," Jonny called out, "what happened to your radio earlier?"
Terry turned when he heard Jamie walking toward them.
"There was nothing wrong with my radio," Jamie insisted.
"We couldn't reach you," Jonny said. "I tried a few times on the drive out to the scene."
"I never received your call." Jamie frowned. "Seriously, guys, my radio works just fine."
"Then why were you flashing your lights at us?" Terry asked. "Why didn't you just call us on the radio?"
"Because your radio wasn't working."
Terry glanced at Jonny. "Did you have any problems with the radio?"
"No." Jonny shook his head. "But it wouldn't hurt to take it to Tony to take a look at it. We can't afford to have one of our ambulances down because the radio isn't working."
Terry nodded his agreement. "I'll take it over now and drop it off. I can give Tony a call when the shop opens up in…" He glanced at his watch. Damn, it was early. "Three hours."
Jonny chuckled when Terry widened his eyes. "Get a couple kids at your place. You'll be way more used to waking up in the middle of the night."
"Yeah, no." Terry so wasn't ready for kids. He might never be. He had never really been in a place where he could give it any thought. He kind of wanted a partner before he started thinking about building a family.
"Stop by the station on your way," Jonny suggested. "Chief Helmond always has extra walkie talkies lying around. Maybe he'll loan us one until we're positive the radio works."
That was actually a pretty good idea.
"Do you need a ride home?"
Jonny held up his cell phone. "Russ is going to come get me."
"Okay, I'll see you at work tomorrow."
Jonny snorted. "You mean today."
Terry groaned. "Yeah, today."
At least he had the chance to go get a little extra sleep and maybe some cuddle time before he had to get up for work.
"Hey, can I catch a ride with you?" the new guy asked. "I left my car parked over by that coffee place across the street from the town square."
"Kapheri's Koffee Korner."
The guy grinned. "Yeah, that place."
"Sure, I can drop you off there." Terry held out his hand to shake. "I'm Terry Iverson."
"Wilson Jacks, but everyone calls me Will."
