There was someone else? Where were they?
“Emma, what other person?”
Her eyes closed again and she didn’t answer. Maybe she was just confused from her head injury.
She was holding her own, but the faster we got her out of there the better. I turned when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“We need you to move away so we can get this done safely and get her back up to the road,” Huntley told me. “Someone will help you get back up there and we’ll bring her to you.”
Even weak, Emma’s grip tightened.
“I’ll wait and go with Emma,” I told him.
“I should have known that would be your response,” he replied.
With one more light squeeze on the sweet woman’s hand, I leaned in and whispered, “I promise I will be right here when they pull you out of the car.”
She didn’t respond but I felt her hand relax against mine in acceptance. Reluctant but knowing it’s what needed to happen, I let go of Emma and moved back from the vehicle. The team was amazing and with great care, they freed her in not much time at all.
And I was right there like I said I would be.
Following protocol, we had Emma safely back up to the road where her husband stood waiting for his wife. While he should have been in the back of one of the ambulances being tended to, if he denied treatment there wasn’t a lot we could do.
He did look to be in decent shape, his wife’s side of the car seeming to take the brunt of the impact somehow. I also knew he wouldn’t hesitate to jump inside the back with his wife when she was loaded.
As they started to wheel her in that very direction, I was gently yanked into a muscled chest, Bronson’s strong arms wrapping around me and holding on for dear life.
“You scared the shit out of me, Cupcake.”
I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose at the endearment. I secretly loved it, but if all the guys heard it I’d never live it down at the station. As his warmth seeped into me though, I decided I didn’t give a rat’s ass. Bronson felt too good and could call me whatever he wanted.
That was until he started to speak again. “Next time you need to let someone else—”
Pulling free from his embrace, I moved back and planted my hands on my hips. “Don’t you dare tell me how to do my job. I was doing it long before you came back into my life.”
He winced, guilt flashing across his handsome face in the moonlight. “I’m sorry, baby. I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you.” He moved closer and put his hand under my chin, lifting it so we were looking into each other's eyes. “I just got you back.”
My tough demeanor crumbled and melted on the spot. “I’m okay.”
We found ourselves hugging again and while I knew it wasn’t very professional, I couldn’t find it in me to let go or do anything else. Until Dave approached and told me that Emma wanted to see me.
Bronson let me go and I walked to the second ambulance that had made it to the scene. Emma lay inside, her husband Daniel sitting next to her, their hands clasped together much like hers and mine had been.
I climbed into the back and lightly touched Emma’s other hand. She turned to look at me, her voice weak when she spoke. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“We don’t,” Daniel added. “Either of you,” he said looking at me, then Dave who stood outside the emergency vehicle.
My eyes stayed on Emma. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Gently patting her hand, I added, “You take care and I think you both deserve an anniversary do-over once you are better.”
She nodded, then her eyes started to close. They had her hooked up with pain meds and comfortable, but by the looks of things she had a bit of recovery in her future. I was sure her arm and at least one of her legs was broken on top of a concussion.
It could have been a hell of a lot worse.
“I’m sorry, we need to get to the hospital,” the EMT said.
Nodding, I made my way out of the ambulance but Daniel asked a question that had my head snapping back to him, my eyes wide with shock.
“Is the guy that was on the road okay and talking to the police? I don’t know what he was doing or why he threw something at us, but I didn’t hit him. I swear. I swerved and that sent us off the road.”
