Chapter 1
Hailey
When it rained, it poured.
It had been one of those never-ending days that made me question if someone had said the forbidden “Q” word.
Every time we dropped off a patient, Freddy and I were right back into the rig and heading out to another call.
“Apparently, Mr. Hodgins has been calling again,” Freddy said as I slipped into the passenger seat, breakfast sandwiches in hand.
It wasn’t even lunchtime.
I took a deep breath before I shook my head, cursing as a few blonde strands fell from my bun. “I bet you he’s forgotten to take his insulin again.”
He called every few weeks. Mr. Hodgins was a sweet older man who often forgot how to manage his own condition.
Personally, I didn’t mind helping him, given how kind he was. It was the grumpy patients who infuriated me the most. They acted as if they were entitled to our help and treated us like we were no better than the dirt on their shoes.
“He really needs some in-home help,” Freddy muttered, taking a bite out of his sandwich and throwing the ambulance into drive.
“He does,” I agreed, “but we need to contact his next of kin. Maybe we can refer him to some services?”
Unfortunately, there was only so much we could do as EMTs. And we all knew how expensive in-home care was.
Despite the restrictions, I loved my job. Every time someone asked me if I would rather be a nurse, I had to resist the urge to stab them with the pointy end of a scalpel.
Helping people fulfilled me, and though working as an EMT meant I saw people in the worst moments of their lives, I took solace in knowing I was doing everything I could to make those terrible times a little bit better.
“I’ll keep an ear on the radio. If he calls again, we’ll take it. You’re lucky I like you.”
I beamed, even though he couldn’t really see me as we drove. Freddy was like that, when push came to shove, he’d lend a hand or give the shirt off his back. It made him a great EMT.
“I’ll do restock while we drive,” I said, undoing my belt and clambering into the back of the ambulance.
Time was everything in an emergency. Not every call was life-or-death or came down to the second, but time was never on your side during a crisis. Occasionally, we just needed to help an elderly man with his insulin or transport a patient to the hospital. But then there were times that even the slightest delay could cause fatal harm. Gunshot wounds, car wrecks, and freak accidents. I’d seen too many of them to count over the years, and it was always those few extra moments that mattered—whether you had them or whether they were yanked away.
Being prepared was the goal. I wanted to be ready when I opened those ambulance doors, be it something small or something large.
Usually, we would have taken a break to restock the rig, but we had been so crunched for time that we were hardly able torun to the bathroom between calls, so organizing on the go, it was.
I was checking on the types of dressings we had at the ready, for probably the sixth time, when the radio crackled to life, and I heard Freddy muttering as he answered.
“Fire on Amhurst street,” Freddy called out over his shoulder as he maneuvered the ambulance, and I checked out stock while buckled in the back.
“We’re almost good to go here,” I said, shoving a few bandages into a drawer.
“Station Sixteen has been dispatched, so you’ll get to see your firefighter friend.” My partner smiled into the rearview mirror.
“Aww. Yeah, Sunny is going to pop any day now.”
Pack Wilder consisted of three alphas who worked at Station Sixteen and their omega, who was about to give birth any day now.
“You know I’m not talking about the omega.” Freddy chuckled. “I’m talking about thatbigquiet fucker who can never take his eyes off you.”
My face heated as I forcefully turned back to the task at hand, shoving items into their places maybe a little harder than needed. Merrick was sweet, in a soft spoken, hardly speaking way. And sure, I would have to be blind to avoid seeing the way he watched me, almost…admiringly.
On more than one occasion, I’d considered grabbing that proverbial bull by the horns and asking him out on a date, but every time I set out to do it, I freaked and put it off, planning to finally ask him once I was more well-rested. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been well-rested in a very long time.
