“You’ll come, won’t you?” Sara asks. “You’ll join us in a drink to celebrate before I leave the rehab center?”
I wave her off. “I don’t want to intrude. Maybe that’s something you and Oliver should do without me.”
“That’s nonsense,” she says. “You are the reason I’m even going home, Denver. You are the reason I’m still alive. Besides, Joelle is coming, too.”
“Yeah, mate,” Oliver says. “You must be there to celebrate the day my fiancée finally gets to come back home to me.”
I think about how Sara said Oliver has changed since the day we had that field trip to their apartment. I’ve seen it myself. He doesn’t seem as irritated with me as he used to be. Then again, I did what he asked. I backed off. Well, unless you count the kiss I had with the woman who is to be his wife. But I try not to count that. It was a moment of obvious weakness. And it’s clear to me that she never told him about it.
“Sure,” I say. “Just tell me what time and I’ll be there.”
Sara looks relieved. It makes me wonder just what their arrangements will be when she’s living with him at their apartment again. He made an offer to sleep on the couch until she was comfortable with him. My insides are all twisted up—on the one hand, I want what’s best for her. I want her to feel comfortable with him. On the other hand, whenever I think of her sleeping in the same bed with him, when I think of him touching her, all I see is red.
I remember what Marcus said about needing distractions, so I take another swig of beer and pull Nora close to me. “Come on, let’s go find a seat.”
Murphy and Rylee each bring a few friends, filling up the suite and making for a boisterous occasion. I notice that Sara seems to be enjoying herself. She’s getting into the game. She told me she had never seen a baseball game until we watched one together in the rehab center. You’d never guess that now, seeing how much she’s getting into it tonight.
I realize I have to keep myself from staring at her. From staring at Oliver’s arm around her. But when it comes right down to it, I think I’ve watched Sara more than I’ve watched the game.
“What is it with you and Sara?” Nora asks in a whisper. “Should I be offended that you seem to be paying more attention to her than to your own date?”
I sigh, knowing what a douchebag that makes me. “I just worry about her,” I say. “She’s only really known Oliver for a few weeks and now she has to go home with him. That has to scare her a little.”
Nora raises her eyebrows. “Have you seen him?” she asks, her eyes rolling towards the heavens. “Any woman should be so lucky. And that accent!”
I laugh, shaking my head. “It’s always the accent. Maybe I should adopt one.”
She grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together. “You, sir, don’t need one. You’ve got everything going for you already.”
“You think so?”
She nods appreciatively.
I don’t think I’ve been fair to Nora. If she knew I was basically using her to distract me from how I feel about Sara, she’d hate me. I decide to give her more of a chance. She’s been nothing but gracious and attentive tonight.
I wince when a baseball hits one of the players high up on the inner thigh. “Damn, that’s gotta hurt like a mother.”
“He’ll be fine as long as he ices it a lot over the next twenty-four hours,” Nora says.
I turn my attention away from the game and to Nora. “Do you like being a nurse?”
“I love it,” she says with a smile. “In fact, I’m waiting for a placement in pediatrics. I love working with kids. I’m just working the ER admissions desk temporarily. It was the only place they had for me when I moved here a few months ago.”
“Where did you move from?”
“I used to live in Albany.”
“Why make the move to the big city?”
She looks around the stadium and then back at me. “Are you kidding? It’s so exciting here. I’ve wanted to live here since I was a little girl. My parents used to bring my sisters and me here a few times a year. I’ve always loved the energy. The tall buildings. Even the noise. Albany was too quiet for me. After college, I got two years of nursing under my belt and then a few of my nurse friends and I decided to apply for jobs here. We all got one. Not at the same hospital, but we still live together.
“How many roommates do you have?”
“Three,” she says. “For now, we sleep two to a room. It’s expensive here and we all have college loans to pay off. But eventually, I plan to have my own place, even if it’s so small you can practically touch all four walls without moving.” She regards me thoughtfully. “Do you have roommates?”
“Yes and no,” I tell her. “I live at my sister’s townhouse. They aren’t there most of the time since they live in Kansas City, so it makes sense for me to be their caretaker or whatever.”
Her mouth falls open. “You live in Sawyer Mills’ townhouse? Oh my God, it must be incredible.”
I shrug off her comment. “It’s alright I guess. It’s not like he has gold-plated toilet seats or anything.”
She laughs. “I’d love to see it.”
The suite erupts in cheers when the Nighthawks score.
Nora leans over and gives me a celebratory kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for bringing me. I’m having a lot of fun.”
I glance over at Sara and then back at Nora, realizing that I am, too. “Maybe we could do it again sometime.”
“I think I’d really like that,” she says. “We have a lot in common, Denver Andrews.”
“We do?”
She nods. “We’re both in helping professions and we’re both relatively new to the city.”
“I guess you’re right.”
She smiles and squeezes my hand. “I know I am.”
By the time the ninth inning rolls around, my need to pee overtakes my desire to see the last plays of the game. I’ve had quite a few drinks—more than I normally would—so I head around the corner to the bathroom. When I come out, Sara is leaning against the wall.
I look around. “Where’s your entourage?”
She laughs. “I’m going home on Monday,” she says. “I think I’m capable of using the toilet by myself.”
“You’re capable of anything, Sara.”
“Thanks to you,” she says. “So, Nora seems nice.”
“She is nice.”
“That’s good.” She picks at a paint chip on the wall next to her. “Are you going to stop by tomorrow?”
“I can’t. I have a shift.”
“Oh.”
“But I’ll be there on Monday for your farewell party,” I say.
“Farewell party.” She nods sadly. Then she looks up at me. “I’m saying farewell to the rehab center, not to you. Right, Denver?”
I lean against the wall. “Sara, you’re going home with Oliver. It’s not like I can come over to the apartment you share with your fiancé and hang out with you all day.”
“I know,” she says. “But we can still hang out sometimes, can’t we?” She looks back in the direction of the suite. “Oliver is being great. And he’s trying hard, I can tell. But you’re the one I trust right now. I know you have Nora and your other friends. But we’re friends too, aren’t we?”
“Of course we are. And, yes, we can hang out sometimes. We’ll make it a threesome. You, me, and Oliver.”
Sara’s eyes close briefly and she sighs.
God, she’s beautiful.
Without even thinking about it, I raise my hand and use a finger to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. She grabs my hand and holds it to her face, but I quickly remove it when someone clears their throat. We look over to see Donovan coming towards the bathroom.
Shit. What if it had been Oliver?
I have to be more careful. And I definitely shouldn’t drink this much around Sara. I’m bound to do more stupid things. I don’t want to confuse her. I don’t want to confuse me.
“Game’s almost over,” Donovan says, nodding back to the
suite.
I try to gauge the judgment in his eyes, but I don’t see any. I’m not sure if that makes me feel less guilty—or more.
“See you back in there,” I say, walking away from them both.
Before I turn the corner, I glance back and see Donovan putting a friendly arm around Sara. I wonder if he’s telling her to stay away from me. Then I think maybe he should. Despite the fact that Sara wants me in her life, it might be for the best if I’m not.
I get back into the suite just as the game is finishing up. “Come on,” I say to Nora. “Let’s get out of here and beat the rush.”
I quickly say my goodbyes to everyone before Sara comes back in the room.
“Where are we going?” Nora asks as we make our way to the subway. “Your place?”
I shrug. “Better not. Since I’m living at my sister’s place, I don’t feel right bringing guests home.”
“My place?” she asks.
I look back towards the stadium, wondering what Sara and Oliver will do tonight when they get back to the rehab center. Technically, this was their first date of sorts, albeit with Donovan chaperoning. Still, I find myself wondering if Oliver will kiss her before he leaves. Maybe he’s already kissed her. Maybe he’s kissed her like I did the other day.
The thought of Oliver kissing Sara—the thought of anyone kissing her—makes my stomach turn.
“Mind if I take a rain check on that?” I ask. “I’m wiped out and I have to work in the morning.”
“So that means you’re up for going out again?” she asks, smiling.
“Sure. I’ll even let you choose the place since I got to pick the last two times.”
“Sounds good to me.”
On our walk to her place, she tells me about her roommates and her job. I tell her about an interesting medical call we went on the other day. Being a nurse, she can relate, because a lot of what we do is of a medical nature.
“This is me,” she says, pointing to her building.
We stop walking. “I had fun tonight,” I say.
“Me too. Especially when you stopped obsessing over Sara.”
“Sorry about that.”
“I get it. You saved her life and you want to make sure she’s okay. The same goes for me with my patients. That makes you compassionate, Denver.”
“Maybe next time, we’ll just make it a twosome,” I say.
Nora smiles at the thought. “I think I’d like that.”
She stands there without moving. I think she’s waiting for me to kiss her. I didn’t kiss her the last time we went out. If I don’t kiss her now, she’ll think I’m not interested. To prove to her that I am, I lean in and press my lips against hers. It’s not a passionate kiss. After all, we’re standing on a crowded sidewalk in New York City. It’s not a chaste kiss either. It’s somewhere in between.
She smiles up at me, clearly convinced, before she turns to enter her building.
As I watch her walk away, however, I’m not sure she’s the only one who needs convincing.
Chapter Twenty
The rig pulls up alongside the accident and I see the three mangled cars. An SUV is wedged up against a building. A Dodge Charger is T-boned into a telephone pole. And the third car, a minivan, is twenty feet away from the others, its front tires spinning around and around as they dangle off the end of the loading dock.
I shake my head, wondering how in the hell cars can end up like this when the speed limit is thirty-five miles per hour.
We hop out of the truck and someone from NYPD is running towards us. “High-speed chase,” he says. He motions to the two cars by the building. “Those two were involved, but the one over there”—he points to the minivan—“that one got caught up in it. Woman and two kids. I can’t get to them.”
I stare at the minivan, and the only thing I can think of is Sara when we were up on that bridge and I thought she was going over. I thought we were going over.
“I want that one,” I tell J.D.
“You sure?” he asks.
“I’m positive.”
“Okay.” He turns to Squad 13. “Cash, secure the minivan. Andrews, do not attempt a rescue until the chains are in place.”
“Sure thing, Captain,” I say, grabbing some gear before running over to the edge of the dock.
I stand next to the minivan, trying to look inside. One side of the car is heavily scratched and dented, like it was hit hard before going off the road. The driver’s window is intact, but I can see a woman slumped over the decompressed airbag on the steering wheel. And I hear a child crying.
“It’s secure!” Brett yells. “But it’s wedged in there pretty good. We can’t pull it back without risking injury.”
“Got it,” I say, running around to the intact passenger side of the van. Luckily, the side door is unlocked, saving me precious time. I climb in, feeling my weight shift the vehicle. I freeze for just a moment. In that moment, I see my parents, trapped and helpless. Then I see Sara. Bleeding. Seizing. Dying. But then I see her opening her eyes and whispering to me. I see her getting out of bed and walking all by herself. I see her laughing as we play cards. I see her smiling as she paints on the canvas. I see her staring up into my eyes after we kiss.
“Hey, buddy,” I say to the child closest to me. He’s not the one who’s crying. He’s in shock. “Collar!” I yell behind me. Someone hands me one and I place it around his neck. Then I unbuckle him and feed him out to EMS so they can get him on a backboard.
“One more coming right behind him,” I say, making my way to the other child, a toddler strapped into a car seat. I cut the anchor and belt away from the seat and hand the entire seat out to Steve, who whisks the screaming girl off to the ambulance.
Then I crawl between the seats and make my way to the mother, knowing she’ll have to come out the back. I reach around and feel for a pulse. It’s strong.
“Ma’am, can you hear me?”
She starts to come around, moaning and disoriented. Then she must see what’s in front of her vehicle—the water. And she starts to panic.
“My leg!” she screams in her attempt to move.
I use my hands to hold her head in place. “Ma’am, please don’t move.”
I lean through the seats and try to assess her injuries. Her leg is broken. Looks like a compound fracture. And her head is bleeding.
The van shifts again and she screams.
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “I’m going to get you out.”
She doesn’t stop screaming. I reach over and lower her visor, opening the mirror and angling it so she can see me behind her. “Look at me,” I say. “I’m not leaving you, okay?”
She calms down when her eyes meet mine. And I realize I have no idea what color her eyes are, because the only thing I see when I look in the mirror are Sara’s chocolate-brown ones. Then Sara’s eyes become my mom’s eyes looking back at me. Then my dad’s. And their eyes are smiling. And suddenly, I’m sure this is exactly where I was meant to be. At this accident. In this car. Saving this woman.
I don’t even notice when the car shifts again because I’m so focused on the task at hand.
The woman looks horrified as she screams, “My kids!”
“They’re okay. We got them out already. What’s your name?”
“Connie.”
“Connie, I’m Denver. And I’m staying right here with you. We’re going to get you out of here.”
“Andrews, report,” J.D. yells from outside the car.
“Captain, she’s not coming out this way. Compound fracture of the right leg. Possible head injury.”
“Can you stabilize if we winch the car back?”
“Get me a splint and a collar.”
“You got it.”
A minute later, he hands me both and I secure her neck in the collar before I squeeze myself between the seats and put the splint on her leg. “The car is going to move,” I tell her. “But I promise you, they have chains attached to it. We’re not going anywhere but back.
”
The car shifts back, but then gets stuck. I can hear Squad outside the car talking about how to get the front tires back on the dock. A minute later, we hear a noise that scares Connie.
I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Connie. They are inflating some air bags under your car to raise it up so they can pull us back.”
She reaches up and grabs my hand.
“That’s it. Squeeze my hand as hard as you want to. I’m tough. I can take it. This will all be over in a few minutes and then you’ll see your kids.”
I feel the van rise underneath us, then we feel a jerk as the tires come back onto the dock.
Debbe and Ryan come through the driver’s door and get Connie onto a backboard. They put her on a gurney and take her over to another ambulance where her kids are being assessed.
When we finish unhooking the van and get our gear put away, I go check on Connie and her kids before the ambulance leaves.
Connie is sitting up on the gurney, her leg still in the splint, and she’s holding her daughter. “Thank you,” she says to me through her tears. “I thought for sure we were going to fall in. But you … you were so sure we wouldn’t. You were so calm. Uh, what was your name again?”
“Denver,” I say, offering her my hand. “Denver Andrews.”
She doesn’t shake my hand. She pulls me towards her and kisses my cheek. “Thank you, Denver Andrews. I will never forget what you did for us.”
“It was my pleasure, Connie.”
The ambulance pulls away and I turn around to see the rest of the guys staring at me. Then Steve looks around the dock as if he’s looking for something.
“You lose something?” I ask.
“I was just looking for the puddle of vomit,” he says.
I shake my head at him. “Asshole,” I say, walking back to the truck.
They all laugh. All but J.D. He pats me on the back. “You did good today,” he says.
“Thanks, Captain.”
~ ~ ~
When I wake up, the first thing I think about is that Sara is going home today. Five short weeks ago, the doctors weren’t even sure she was going to live, let alone walk and talk again. She proved them all wrong. She’s alive. That’s all that matters. Not that she’s going home with Oliver. Not that she kissed me but is going to be sleeping in his bed. She’s alive.
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