by Sable Hunter
Until another call came through, he and his partner were stuck at the station. He sent Lyndon out to help Chris show a fourth grade class around the fire station. This left him free to eavesdrop on the other team. The call was a routine one, a woman had fainted, a heart attack was suspected. He listened as they made their assessment, checked the woman’s vitals and began to load her on the backboard for transportation on the gurney.
Suddenly, there was a commotion. Brodie leaned closer to the radio, straining to hear what was going on.
…At the victim’s home, Shane was frustrated. The patient was critical and they needed to get on the road, but the husband wasn’t cooperating.
“I don’t want you to take my wife. She’s fine.”
“No, sir. She’s had a coronary event. We need to get her to a hospital,” Shane addressed the inebriated gentleman in an even, reasonable tone.
“I said, no!” He charged toward her. Orion was maneuvering the gurney, which was between him and the irate husband.
“Hey, man, take it easy.” Stark held up his hand. “Back off!” he said a bit more forcefully when the husband got right in Shane’s face. “Leave her alone! We’re just trying to help your wife.”
“Excuse me, sir.” She raised her hands to try and stop him from dragging his wife off the stretcher and perhaps injuring her.
“Out of my way, bitch!”
…Brodie was following the discourse, trying to figure out what was going on. “Dammit, I’m going to invest in some GoPro headset cameras.” When he heard the outburst from the victim’s husband, followed by a cry from Shane and the throwing of a punch, he almost lost his mind. Grabbing the radio, he shouted. “Team 2, this is Walton. What the hell is going on?”
He stood as still as an oak, every muscle like concrete, waiting for someone to say something so he’d know his team was all right. “TALK TO ME!” he bellowed.
There was more commotion, some talking he couldn’t quite hear and…finally…Shane’s voice came over the radio. “Everything’s under control, Mr. Walton.”
The sound of her voice made him weak with relief. His hand shot out to grab the back of his chair, flipping it around and sitting down. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, sir,” Shane answered as she helped Orion load the heart attack victim. Thankfully, the husband had swung at her partner and lost his balance. He’d passed out before he hit the ground. They’d taken a brief moment to ascertain his condition. After surmising that he was just drunk, she and Orion were about to be on their way to the hospital. “We’re loading up now. Our patient is critical. I hope our delay doesn’t mean we lose this one.”
“Just do your best.” He was concerned about their patient, but he was concerned more about his people.
Hell, he was concerned for Shane. “Did he hit you?”
There was a pregnant pause.
“Not hard.”
“What?” Brodie demanded.
“The blow just glanced off. No big deal.”
Brodie slammed a folder down on his desk. “Get medical treatment at the hospital, then report to my office the moment you arrive here.”
Shane grumbled as she worked. “I’m not going to seek medical attention. What I need is psychiatric attention.” Because she still felt something for the arrogant asshole. Why was he monitoring them so closely? As much as he’d wanted her off his back, it seemed like he’d appreciate the distance she was trying to put between them.
“What’s going on with the boss?” Orion asked as he started up the ambulance and turned on the siren.
“I don’t know. Just trying to be thorough, I guess,” she spoke as she worked, starting an IV line, giving oxygen, nitroglycerin, and aspirin.
“The man has a thing for you, you know.”
In spite of the dire circumstance, Orion’s assumption made her laugh. “Oh, you are so wrong. The man despises me. Why do you think you and I are partners?”
Orion chuckled. “No, believe me. I can see it. He’s got it bad for you.”
Wheeling into the ER, they stopped talking and saw to their patient. They’d no more than relinquished care to the attending physician when the code blue alarm sounded. Several nurses and another doctor came running to help. Shane felt like she’d been punched in the gut. When Orion tried to get her to leave, she refused. “I want to wait and see what happens.” Shane was so afraid the events that had transpired with her having to juggle the husband’s anger and Brodie’s long-distance micro-management had caused her to miss something.
In a few seconds, the rhythmic blips of a heartbeat could be heard and Shane could finally breathe easier.
“You ready?” Orion asked about the time the radio squawked.
“What’s happening?” Brodie’s voice sounded from the radio.
Shane rolled her eyes as they rolled the empty gurney out to the ambulance. “We’re on our way, sir.”
“About time. Over.”
“Yea, he doesn’t like you at all,” Orion whispered as they made their way back to the vehicle.
Shane didn’t respond, her new partner didn’t understand and she wasn’t about to try and explain the screwed up dynamics between her and their supervisor.
When they returned, Brodie was waiting outside, his big thick arms crossed over his massive chest. He looked unhappy. As soon as Orion hopped out, he sent him to assist Lyndon in washing the other ambulance. Motioning to Shane, he gestured toward the man who’d just left. “How did Pretty Boy do?”
Shane frowned. “Are you inferring that Orion is handsome?” She gave him a knowing look. “That explains a lot.”
She expected him to make back at her, but he didn’t. “Walk with me.”
Great. She was about to be fired. “Look. I didn’t mean that. I owe you an apology.”
When they’d walked far enough behind the building to be out of earshot, he spoke. “No, you don’t. I owe you an apology.”
He stopped talking and she couldn’t think of a thing to say.
For a long moment, he stared across the fence and down through Ray Maddow’s peach orchard. With a low growl he raked his palm across his face. “Look, I know this doesn’t make up for what I did to you, but I’m sorry.”
What he said floored her, she didn’t dare assume anything. Instead, she waited for him to continue.
He shook his head, kicking a clump of grass with his boot. His hands were stuffed into his pockets and she could see his thumb and the small silver ring he always wore there.
A ring Mary had given him.
She didn’t even have to ask. She just knew.
“You did nothing to deserve how I treated you. I’m not the kind of man you need. You deserve someone better than me.”
Shane felt her heart sink in her chest. What a cop out. “Look, Brodie, I don’t really want to discuss this with you anymore.” She pushed her hair back over her shoulder. “I hope you can be happy someday, you deserve it.”
Before he could say anything else, she turned and walked off, calling over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I won’t be bothering you anymore.”
* * *
When she was upset, Shane cleaned. By bedtime, she was worn out and her apartment sparkled like a diamond. As much as she’d like to forget them, Brodie’s words kept reverberating through her head. You did nothing to deserve the way I treated you. I’m not the man you need. You deserve someone better than me.
Yes, he was absolutely right.
The only problem was – she didn’t want anyone but him.
She was just about to crawl under the covers when her phone rang. Shane jumped. It didn’t make sense, but she couldn’t help thinking it might be Brodie.
Grabbing her phone, she glanced at the number. J. Gray.
Not Brodie. “Hello?”
“Hey, Shane, this is Jenna, Logan’s wife. I hope I’m not calling too late.”
Jenna! “Oh, no. I’m still up. How are you?”
“I’m good. Thank you. Logan and I were wondering
if you could come to dinner on Friday night.”
“Oh?” Wow, two invitations in less than a week. She was becoming a social butterfly. “Why, yes, of course. I’d love to.”
“Great!” Jenna gave her the particulars and told her how to find Gray Wolf Ranch. “You’ll love it out here. Bring some riding clothes.”
“I’m not very good on horseback,” she lamented.
“No problem. Logan will show you. I would, but I’m pregnant. Once this baby is born, I’ll teach you how to trick ride.”
Oh, my goodness. “All right. I’m game.” She laughed. “Thanks, I needed this, Jenna.”
“Not a problem. I can’t wait to meet you. Logan has nothing but good things to say about you.”
“I appreciate that, thank you.”
When they were finished, Shane hung up the phone and crawled into bed. She was pleased to have somewhere to go. This was probably exactly what she needed to get her mind off Brodie Walton.
…A few miles away, Brodie sat on his back deck and stared down into the pasture. The sun had already set and the shadows were growing as the moon slid behind a cloud. On nights like this, he couldn’t help but think of Mary and all of the plans they’d made. What would she think about the man he was now? Would she be proud of him? About the work he did, he knew the answer would be a resounding yes.
As far as the other? He could almost feel her displeasure. Didn’t she know it was all for her? He’d been with Mary for so long, he could barely remember the other women he’d dated and had sex with before her. He’d been young and there’s only been a couple, but their images had faded to nothingness in his memory. In these modern times, being committed and faithful to one person wasn’t really in vogue, but Brodie had intended to be an exception to the rule. His plan had been to be faithful to Mary every day of his life. He’d promised.
When he’d had sex with Shane Wilder, he’d broken that promise.
He closed his eyes, so disappointed in himself that his gut ached.
And the worst part?
He’d loved every minute of it and he ached to do it again and again.
* * *
“Let’s roll! We’ve got a pileup out on 290. The highway patrol has called for a road block. It must be a mess!” Lyndon, who’d answered the call, yelled out the information.
All four of the EMT’s ran for their vehicles and jumped in.
“I hope this isn’t as bad as it sounds,” Shane muttered as Orion put the ambulance in gear and pulled out behind Brodie and Lyndon.
Conversation was sparse as they raced to the scene of the accident. All were listening to the cops who were reporting on the tragic event. Apparently, one car traveling west had crossed the center line into the wrong lane and hit another car head on. In the early morning fog, an eighteen wheeler had plowed through, almost completely demolishing the first two vehicles.
There were casualties.
Shane braced herself. She’d seen carnage, but it never got easy.
The closer they came, the brighter the flash of red and blue lights shone in the distance. A line of traffic was backed up, stopped by the cops who were making sure the medics had room to work. “Looks like we’ve had some ejections,” Orion muttered as they took note of the white covers over bodies laid out on the road.
“This is going to be bad,” Shane observed.
A bit of static announced Brodie’s voice. “Are you okay?” he asked over the radio.
Orion gave her a smug look as he parked on the shoulder of the road. Shane made a face at him. She’d forgotten he’d linked their radios. “Yes, I’m fine.”
But she wasn’t.
The next half hour was horrendous. She performed her job, but she used a technique another nurse had taught her when dealing with situations too difficult to imagine. Shane removed herself, she worked on automatic, keeping herself protected in a zone of professional detachment.
Four people were dead and there were two who were critical. She and Orion transported the survivors, then returned to help Lyndon and Brodie with the cleanup. Soon they’d take the deceased to the coroner. The cops were taking pictures and trying to determine who was at fault and what had been the cause of the wreck. Shane tried not to think about who these people were, where they were going, and the ones who were still waiting at home for them to arrive.
Heading to the back of the ambulance, she returned a pair of the hazard light triangles to the proper storage shelf. As she began to shut the door, she heard a shout.
“Watch out, Shane. Move!”
Everything happened so fast. Brakes were squealing. People were screaming. In what seemed like slow motion she turned just in time to see a car careening right toward her. It had flown by the road blocks and was traveling down the side, one tire on the pavement, one tire on the gravel. The driver miscalculated the amount of space between the guardrail and the ambulance that she stood behind. A collision was imminent. Shane was trapped between two vehicles with nowhere to go. The car missed her, but struck the corner of the ambulance pushing it to one side and right on top of…
She screamed, closing her eyes, knowing in the next moment she was about to be crushed. Throwing her hands over her head, Shane found herself regretting so many things. Rodney. Her lack of children. Brodie.
The blow that struck her wasn’t what she expected.
“I’ve got you.” A voice whispered as she was swept out of harm’s way at the last possible second. Shane watched in fascination as the ambulance was pushed right over the spot she’d been standing.
“Brodie?” she breathed, her body recognizing his even before her eyes verified the face.
“I’ve got you,” he repeated.
What happened after that was a blur. Brodie deposited her in a safe place and after a few minutes, she recovered enough to carry on with what needed to be done.
When the nightmare was at last over, after she and Orion made the last run to the morgue, they returned to the fire station to clock out.
“Whew, I’m glad that’s over with,” he exclaimed, looking as tired as she felt.
“Me too,” she agreed, taking her purse from the locker.
“Boy, that car almost made mincemeat out of you, didn’t it?”
Orion’s wry teasing brought the reality home. She leaned against the locker, cooling off her hot face on the cool metal. “Almost. Brodie saved me.”
Chuckling, Orion nodded. “He sure did. I have never seen a human move so fast. He slid over that car and pulled you right up there with him at the last possible minute.” He slammed his locker door. “Like I told you before, the man digs you.”
“Oh, yea,” Shane said, sarcastically. “He was doing his job, something anyone would do in those circumstance.”
“Think what you will,” Orion said with a wave of his hand. “See you tomorrow, Wilder.”
Waving to Chief Gray who was talking on the phone, Shane made her way out to the parking lot. She should feel hungry, she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, but the thought of food had no appeal. With bent head, she watched the ground, lost in thought about the day. When she reached her car, she was surprised to see a very large pair of boots, one crossed over the other. Raising her eyes, Shane stared in surprise at Brodie. “What are you doing here?”
“Are you all right?” he asked, his face a solemn mask.
“Yes, thanks to you,” she acknowledged. “You saved my life. I’m not sure how I’ll repay you.” She gave him a wry smile. “Lots of chocolate chip cookies?”
“Have dinner with me.”
“What?” Shane asked, dumbfounded. “Repeat that.”
He did. “Have dinner with me.”
Shane touched her head. Maybe she’d been injured and was in a coma and this was some type of wishful dream state.
“Please.”
Looking into his eyes, she saw nothing but sincerity. “All right. If you’d like to.”
“Good.” He stood up straight. “Let me follow you home, we’l
l leave your car and you can ride with me.”
“Okay.” Still wondering what was going on, she climbed in her car and drove home, conscious that this time it was him following her. Glancing down at her wrinkled clothes, she wished she had time to change. Heck, who was she kidding? There was no way this was any kind of a date. More than likely he had some type of directions for her concerning work or maybe it was some paperwork that she needed to fill out because of her near miss accident.
Once she was in her parking spot at the apartment, he pulled in behind her. She locked her car and headed to the passenger side of his truck only to find him waiting for her. Brodie opened the door and waited for Shane to seat herself. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, before shutting it and going around to the driver’s side.
Once he was seated, he still didn’t say anything that would give her any indication what this was all about.
Behind the wheel, Brodie endeavored to get his raging emotions under control. The sight of Shane coming so near death had shaken him to his very foundation. Since they’d had sex, he hadn’t been able to get her off his mind. The complication of almost losing her in as senseless a way as he lost Mary was almost more than he could handle.
“Where are we going?” she asked, needing to say something to break the silence.
“If it’s okay with you, I thought we’d try the new steak restaurant they’ve opened downtown, I hear it’s good.”
“I’m not sure I’m dressed appropriately for such a nice place.”
“You look fine,” he said perfunctorily.
Fine. Not exactly the compliment every woman wants to hear. But in this case, he was being generous. “If you say so.”
Brodie searched for the right words. It was hard for him to enunciate what he was feeling when he didn’t really understand it himself. “I just think there are some things we need to talk about.”
Great.
How this worked in his whole ‘stay out of my way’ scenario, she wasn’t sure.