“Yes, she’s OK. We got her responsive, and she asked for you and your family. I was able to get your name and your dad’s on the visitors’ list. It might take a second to get the information into the system, but your names were added. She’s going to be OK, Karla.”
A wave of relief washed over me as Ash’s words settled into my soul.
She’s going to be OK.
Without thought, I pulled him into a tight hug and choked on the sob that had been sitting heavily in my throat. “Thank you,” I whispered, my voice shaky from nerves. I didn’t know if they were nerves from everything that unfolded with Grandma Claire or because of the fact that I was currently in the arms of the boy who saved my life.
I didn’t even know if my “thank you” was for Grandma Claire or for me.
He hugged me back. Maybe a little tighter than I hugged him, and my fingernails were pretty much digging into his muscular back.
The side of his face brushed against mine before I pulled back and dropped my hold from him. I didn’t want to hold him the way I used to. Not after the way we ended things. The hug was mainly a “thank you” not an “I missed you.” Even though my stupid heart did miss him.
It didn’t know how not to. I hated how much I loved being held in his arms again, even if only for a split second.
Without hesitation, his hand moved to my face, and he brushed away my tears. The small touch once again sent a wave of warmth to my system.
My mouth parted to speak as I stared into his eyes. “Wha... what are you doing back in Chicago?”
He went to answer, but before he could, a woman sitting at the reception desk whistled loudly in our direction. “Hey, hot stuff. You missed my birthday party last night,” she said. It was clear that Ash was the hot stuff she was speaking to.
Ash looked up and smirked toward the woman. The beautiful redhead with a set of knockers that would’ve done numbers onBaywatch. She pressed them together as she leaned in his direction.
I instantly felt like I was intruding on a private conversation.
“Sorry about that, Heather. I crashed after a long shift.”
“You owe me birthday shots,” she said, winking his way.
I wanted to disappear as soon as possible.
A man called out to Ash, breaking up the conversation between the two of them.
“Hey Ash-Ash, we gotta hit it!” the man said from behind us. I turned to see it was the other paramedic that was at the scene earlier. He was the one who drove Grandma Claire to Saint Mary’s. I probably owed him all my praise, too.
The guy’s eyes fell to me, and realization set in for a moment. “Oh, hey. I hope your friend is OK, ma’am.” Even though he didn’t know me, he didn’t look shocked by my scars at all. All that seemed to exist in his hazel eyes was a true heartfelt statement.
“Thank you,” I replied to him. I turned toward Ash, wanting to say something, but no words came to mind. His head must’ve been emptied, too, because he simply nodded once, before turning away, leaving me in the waiting room dazed and confused. I wasn’t certain if the situation before me actually happened or if I’d slipped into an odd world of delusion.
“Was that the paramedic who was at the scene?” Lorelai asked as she walked up to me with a bag of M&Ms from the vending machine. She poured a few into her hand before placing the small pieces of chocolate into my palm.
“Yes,” I replied, still staring at the now emptied hallway that Ash disappeared from. “He said Grandma Claire is stable and should be OK.”
“That’s great news.” She knit her brows together. “But if it’s such great news, then why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?”
Because I think I just did.
36Ash
“Full moons are the worst,” Chase said as he climbed into the driver’s seat of our vehicle. “It feels like we are back-to-back with the wildest situations. This damn speaker hasn’t stopped going off, either, since...” He glanced over to me and patted my shoulder. “Dude, what’s wrong with you?”
“What? Nothing. I’m good.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Liar.” Chase Johnson was my partner in crime when it came to being a paramedic. He was about five years older than me and probably one of the funniest people I’d ever met in my life. He was a Chicagoan, born and raised, and he lived life to the fullest. He was also my father’s former partner. Chase was a straight-up golden retriever. Yeah, the dude was a chatterbox, but he had a heart of gold. He was one of the friends who I truly valued in my life.
Not only did he manage to make me laugh at least fifteen times a day (and I meant those deep-gut Santa Claus types of laughs), but he was damn good at his job, too. He was a stand-up human being who cared so deeply about the well-being of others.
He probably saved more lives than anyone else I could think of. He didn’t only make my job easier, but he made my life decent, too. Unfortunately for the little shit of a golden retriever, Chase’s empathy was at an all-time high, and if there was a shift in any kind of situation, he could sniff it out.
