And he had the last few weeks since Wade’s wedding, trying to make up for canceling on her so often in the past. It had been tough finding the time with work.
“This is science. I thought you’d like that.”
“I do, usually, but we’ve seen so many successful Deaf people lately that I feel you’re trying to prove something to me.” Four, in fact. Not all of them took hours like this lecture, but they had cut into his time with Carli. A lawyer, doctor, businesswoman, and now a biologist.
“I’m just showing you that Deaf people can be smart and successful, too.”
“I already know that. You don’t have to convince me. I see you all the time, and I know how bright and successful you are.”
Carli huffed. “There are people way smarter than me and doing more than office work in a hospital. I want you to know Parker has every possibility of being great, too.”
He touched the side of her face. “It’s not me you need to convince.”
“Well, your parents barely tolerate me, so I don’t think they’ll listen all that well. Annie knows, but Harrison has been pushing for the implants lately, and I know Annie still has her doubts.”
What she said was true. He’d taken her to his parents’ house a few times recently, and while they hadn’t been rude, they hadn’t made her feel all that welcome either, especially when she and Annie had started chatting in ASL. His father’s thunderous expression had streaked toward Harrison, who’d merely poured himself another drink. The tension between him and his wife was thick enough to choke an elephant.
“I’m sorry about my parents. We won’t go there again if you don’t want to.” He’d take the heat from his mom and dad.
Carli took his hand. “I’m not going to be the one responsible for you not seeing your parents. I only wish they could see how Deaf people are the same in so many ways; they simply communicate with a different language.”
“Maybe you’ll be able to convince them someday.”
“Right.” Her side eye told what chances she thought of that happening. He couldn’t blame her. His parents were more than a little narrow-minded, and it was tough to get them to see another viewpoint.
As they approached the area she was parked in, he tucked her into his side and pressed a light kiss to her lips. “Do you want to get dinner tonight? It’s barely six, and we don’t have to work tomorrow.”
She still seemed a little miffed but nodded. “What about my car?”
They had come separately, because he’d needed to check on a patient before heading north.
“I’ll follow you home, then we can take my car.” Maybe he could even convince her to spend the night at his place. He far preferred it to her lumpy mattress. His mother was redecorating one of the bedrooms, so perhaps he could convince her to let Carli have the old set. He wasn’t sure if the mattress had even been slept on. Heaven forbid she kept the same furniture for more than five years.
Already having unlocked her door, Carli slipped into her seat with a “fine.”
Great. Now, she was upset with him. Well, too bad. Why did she feel the need to convince him of something he already knew? By the time he reached his own vehicle, she had already raced out of the parking lot and was down the street headed to the highway.
It wasn’t that they’d had a fight. Typically, he and Carli got along well. They enjoyed their time together and had fun. The last two weeks of her dragging him to meet all her successful Deaf friends had dug into their alone time together. He didn’t see the need, especially when she didn’t have to prove anything to him.
As he got closer to the Medford exit, brake lights suddenly flared on, tires screeched, and traffic stopped. A few of the cars nearby bounced off the ones in front of them. Oh, no. He did not want to be involved in a multi-car pile-up. Swerving over to the far right, he peered down the breakdown lane. Looked like some of the cars ahead had more than just fender benders. He’d better check to see if anyone needed medical assistance. He guided his car as far to the right as he could and down a bit closer to the bigger accident. After putting his flashers on, he grabbed his emergency first aid kit from behind his seat and locked his door.
Knocking lightly on the windows of the cars nearby who had bumped, he checked that the passengers hadn’t been too badly injured. So far so good. As he got further down, his stomach twisted in knots. At least six cars had hit hard that he could see. Two of them were pushed into the guard rails. Already people were getting out and attempting to help others. Who knew how many crashed cars were up ahead.
The front end of a red Ford Ranger was embedded in the passenger side door of a Toyota sedan. Screams echoed through the windows.
“Please, help my dad. I can’t get him out, and he’s bleeding.” A young woman bolted from the driver’s side of the Toyota and waved her arms. Blake dashed over, placing his hand on her shoulder.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I bumped my head on the steering wheel, but it’s my dad I’m worried about. The truck plowed right into his side door.”
“I’m a doctor. I’ll take a look. Do you have a phone?” She pulled one from her pocket, and he instructed her to call for an ambulance and make sure emergency services knew of the accident.
The dome light was still working when Blake ensconced himself in the driver’s seat. A man in his sixties held his thigh, attempting to pull it from the wreckage crumpled around him. What concerned Blake more was the blood pooling on the seat of the car.
“Hold still, and I’ll see what I can do. I’m Dr. Blake Wentworth. I work at Boston General.” After taking a pair of rubber gloves from his pack, he tugged them on. “Are you hurt anywhere besides your leg?”
“Got bumped around a bit, but it’s mostly my leg that hurts.” The man’s voice was weak, and Blake didn’t like the way it shook. Most likely shock.
