by A. M. Wilson
“Shit!”
Accepting my reality, I lowered myself back to the ground and dug my phone from my jacket pocket. I unlocked it, but my thumb hovered over the keypad.
There’s only one other person left. I tapped my contacts and scrolled to the name I was looking for.
“Hey, everything okay?”
“The last thing I ever want to do is bother you on a day off, but I’ve sort of got myself into a jam.”
His voice turned from curious to concerned. “What kind of jam?”
“The kind where having a paramedic as your work partner is a good thing.”
There was shuffling through the line as I assumed Nathan started to move. “Where are you, and who’s hurt? I’m getting in my truck now.”
I sighed. “It’s me and I’m at Arrow Creek Park. By the Swinging Bridge. I twisted my ankle and can’t make the walk back.” Understatement of the century.
Nathan laughed, the sound carrying a small amount of relief. “Why am I not surprised? You trip over air, Cam. How you manage to start an IV in the back of a moving ambulance with your coordination, I’ll never know.”
“No, you won’t. It’s a secret.” I joked, trying to take my mind off the pain. Knowing that help is on the way, I started to relax.
“Hang tight. I’ll be there in five.”
“Tack another ten on there for you to make the trek to the bridge.” Pain shot through my foot at the end of the sentence, and my voice rose higher from the pain.
“Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?”
I sucked in air through my nose and gripped my lower calf with both hands, holding the phone between my ear and shoulder. “I’m okay. It just—just hurry, please.”
His voice lowered. “Almost there.”
We stayed on the line, but neither of us spoke. I imagined he was focused on driving, while I was focused on not crying. The sound of an engine approaching made me look up. “Is that you?”
“I see the bridge. Where are you, Cam?”
“You drove into the park? Hope you don’t get a fine on my behalf.”
“Cami,” he barked. It appeared Mr. Calm and Collected lost his restraint when I got injured, too. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “Where the hell are you?”
“I’m down the, uh, hill. By the river.” I swallowed hard and closed my eyes. Opening them back up, I looked toward the top when I heard his truck door slam.
Suddenly, he was there. One hand gripped his hip while the other held his phone to his ear. He didn’t say anything when he spotted me, but I heard his harsh exhale through the phone.
The line went dead, and he walked away. I assumed back to his truck. I would have worried that he left, but he never turned the truck back on. A minute later, he was jogging down the hill towards me with a medical bag in his hand.
Nathan reached me in record time and knelt by my feet. He started pulling supplies from his bag as he spoke. “Couldn’t make the walk back, huh? Did you forget to mention the climb?” His blue eyes flashed quickly to mine before he went back to work.
I shrugged. “I figured you’d realize when you got here. Ow!”
He started to peel the top of my sock back when I reacted to his touch. “Damn, that’s purple already. I’m going to just stabilize you and get you into the truck.”
I nodded, keeping my eyes trained on his face while he worked. I didn’t want to see the damage yet.
He moved quickly, putting my foot into a splint. Even though it was tight, the stability almost made my foot feel better. “Let me see what else you have going on.”
I tried brushing his hands away. “I’m fine. Take me home, I can get the rest.”
“I don’t think so. I’m taking you to the emergency room.”
“No, you’re not.” My voice was firm, but I could tell he wasn’t listening. He was preparing a wet gauze and started dabbing one of my palms.
“I am. If you don’t like it, I’ll call into dispatch to send you an ambulance.”
“I’ll refuse treatment.”
“Then I’ll tell them you hit your head and aren’t making rational decisions.”
“They wouldn’t listen to you.”
Nathan lifted his eyes from my palm to meet my annoyed gaze. His voice lowered and softened. “I’ve been your partner for nearly a decade. You’re the strongest woman I know. I’ve watched you stand up to men three times your size. You’ve always had my back at work and through losing Janessa. For the first time since I met you, will you let me have yours?”
There was something unreadable there that I would have liked more time to figure out. We didn’t have time, though. I was being stubborn and he was right. If I had my way, I would’ve had him take me home. Once there, I’d limp around and grit my teeth until I couldn’t take the pain anymore. Kiersten would have to take me in to the doctor, and I’d feel like a jerk for wasting her time.
Accepting help was hard when I was used to taking care of myself for so long.
“Okay.” Nathan looked relived at my answer and started cleaning a cut on my temple. “Just so you know, though, if I weren’t freezing and my foot wasn’t throbbing, I would have kept arguing with you.”
He swore under his breath. I was confused by his reaction until he sat back on his heels and began removing his jacket.
“Oh, no, Nathan. I wasn’t saying I needed that.”
It appeared he was done arguing, too. As soon as he pulled his fleece jacket off, he wrapped it around my shoulders. “Put your arms in.”
I studied him a moment before doing as he said. My foot was really hurting now, and anything I said would stall us getting out of here. Once my arms were in, he zipped it up to my chin.
I’d worked with Nathan a long time, but this was the first time I’d been surrounded by the smell of him. It was woodsy with a hint of smoke. I buried my cold nose in the fabric near my chin. At least I was no longer cold.
Once the supplies were packed away, Nathan hoisted his bag onto his shoulder and approached me. I thought he was going to help me limp up the hill, but one minute I was on the rocky ground and the next I was in his arms.
“Hey!” I cried out. The fabric peeled away from the cut on my back, sending a hot pain up my spine.
“Shush,” he teased.
“I meant ow,” I whimpered and stuck my face in his chest to hide the fresh tears.
“Shit, Cam, what hurts?”
My answer was muffled by his shirt. “My back.”
His response came slower. If I had to guess, he had to hide his annoyance that I didn’t mention it sooner. “All right, hang on, darlin’. This is easiest.”
“Right.” I swallowed hard. I wrapped one arm around his shoulders and held on. “I bet this is a cakewalk.”
He adjusted his grip as we neared the top. Hopefully, to put me down. “It would be if you quit complaining.”
My jaw dropped open to apologize, but when I cut a glance his way, I saw a smirk playing on his lips.
He made it up the hill and got me in the truck, all without setting me on my feet. I managed to keep my mouth shut so we could get on our way before the sunset.
We didn’t talk much on the ten-minute drive to the E.R. I called Evelyn to explain what happened and that I would be late. She told me she was fine and that there was leftover soup for dinner, which made me secretly thankful Law bought so much—something I thought I’d never be.
When Nathan pulled the truck up outside the drop off zone, I was relieved when he went to grab a wheel chair instead of carrying me inside. Unlike out on the trail, we both knew people here through our work and if he carried me in...well, that’s how rumors started. Rumors that would be very uncomfortable to dismiss.
Nathan hit the automatic door button and pushed me inside.
“Oh my, dear Lord in Heaven! What in God’s name happened to you, sweetheart? Nathan, push her in here and get out of the cold.”
Twenty pairs of eyes in the lobby swung in our direction. With an ent
rance like that, why wouldn’t the lobby be stuffed full? Arrow Creek might be a small town, but this hospital serviced the entire county, and it looked to be busy tonight. Great.
“Hey, Janet. I had a bit of a spill.”
Nathan snorted but said nothing. He pushed me towards check-in and positioned the wheelchair at an angle. I could see everyone in the lobby, the three ladies at registration (all of which I knew), and Nathan, who seemed to be studiously avoiding my gaze.
“A spill? Honey, you look like you got into a car wreck.” Janet moved her gaze from me to Nathan.
“A little more than a spill. She tumbled down by the Swinging Bridge. When they x-ray her ankle, make sure they double check she doesn’t have two left feet, will ya?”
I sent him a glare. “For your information, I didn’t do this all on my own. If that cyclist hadn’t run me off the path, I wouldn’t have tripped over the rock that sent me down the hill.”
They both turned to stare at me. A muscle ticked in Nathan’s jaw. “What do you mean a cyclist ran you off the path? You didn’t say anything about that.”
“By the time you got there, I guess I forgot.”
Nathan looked out the windows across from reception and ignored me.
“Is it a long wait? Evelyn’s home alone, and she’s been sick all week.”
Janet leaned over the desk and lowered her voice. “Getting a room ready for you right now. We’ll sneak you back in just a second.”
“Thank you,” I whispered back.
“All right. You two can have a seat until the nurse comes to get you. Hope your daughter is feeling better soon. Give her a hug from me.”
“Will do.” I gave a short wave as Nathan wheeled me away.
He parked me down on the far end, away from everyone else, and sat in the seat beside the wheelchair. The way he positioned us made me feel weirdly protected; as if anything that would come to harm me would have to go through Nathan first. I was a little unsettled at his strange behavior.
A few minutes later, the nurse called my name. She was a familiar blonde woman, but I couldn’t remember her name. She stood in the entrance to the triage area, holding the door propped open with her hand, but made no move to help wheel me in. Nathan stood up and I sighed, too tired to put up a fight. I wanted to get in, get out, and get home.
The triage area was a bay of eight beds, each sectioned off with a wall on three of the sides and a flimsy curtain in the front. It was too bright, smelled too much like that waterless antibacterial hand soap, and I could feel a headache coming on because of it. The nurse led us to the only open room, Triage Three, and closed the curtain behind us.
“Climb up on the bed there, and I’ll get some vitals. My name is Annie, by the way.” She started clicking around on her computer.
Using the arms of the wheelchair, I stood on my left leg. I got one good hop towards the bed before Nathan’s hand clamped around my upper arm.
“Let me help you.” His voice was low and near my ear.
Ignoring a tingle that may or may not have happened from his voice and proximity, I let him help me maneuver to the bed. He had my foot propped up on a pillow by the time Annie turned back around.
“Nice splint you got there. Did you do that yourself?” She clamped a pulse oximeter on my index finger and wound a cuff around my bicep to take my blood pressure.
“He did,” I answered, waving my hand in a gesture to Nathan. “We’re both paramedics. I thought I’d save myself the money on an ambulance ride and called him instead.”
She unwound the stethoscope from her neck and separated the ear pieces. “How nice.” Her smile was wide and forced.
I didn’t let her demeanor get to me. I’d be tired, too, with a full triage bay and waiting area. She was in for a long night, by the look of things. I hoped that didn’t mean I would be stuck there, too.
She made record of my vitals in the computer, then clicked off. “I’m going to let the doctor know you’re ready. She’ll be in as soon as possible.” The way she spoke made it sound like it wouldn’t be soon at all. She was out, with the curtain closed behind her, before I could offer a thank you.
The silence in the tiny room stretched between us, but the noises from the triage bay were loud and clear. Nearby a child was screaming, the sound high and terrified, while a frantic parent tried to shush him or her with the promise of ice cream later. Someone else was coughing in a way that made me want to avoid them, and whatever germs they had, at all costs. A cart squeaked by, probably carrying some medical equipment or supplies to run tests on some poor soul. I could see the wheels of the cart, and shoes of the person pushing it, beneath the bottom of the curtain.
“You don’t have to wait in here with me.”
“You should go out with me.”
My phone dinged with a text.
All three happened simultaneously.
In my brain, they ran together like a car crash and became a mass of jumbled words and sounds. I think my jaw hung open, but I wasn’t sure. My eyes swung briefly to Nathan before I dropped them to my lap and searched my pocket for my phone. Option one: use the text as a distraction from Nathan’s question.
Law: Where are you?
I turned my phone on silent and jammed it right back into my pocket where it belonged. Not dealing with that right now.
Since option one failed, I moved onto option two. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the ‘run-screaming-from-the-room’ option (that would be option three). It was the ‘let-him-down-gently-and-salvage-the-work-relationship’ one.
That said, I still had a hard time looking at him. He, however, had no problem making me. Nathan rounded the hospital bed to stand directly in front of me. His large, built body blocked the exit so effectively, I couldn’t even focus on the sounds outside anymore. My ears buzzed in the silence. Everything in that direction was totally obscured by him. The fact that he commanded my attention so easily messed with my head.
“Janessa’s been gone a while now, Cami, and I didn’t die along with her.” He said it gently, more for my benefit than his own. The way he spoke forced me to meet his steady blue gaze. It seemed insulting not to.
“We’ve known each other a long time. What I’ve seen in that amount of time, I like. A lot. Let me take you out after this.”
“It’s too late tonight. And my foot...” I let the lame excuse hang from my lips. It lingered in the air like a bad smell. One Nathan brushed away without a thought and moved in closer. His torso loomed over the end of the bed, and his face neared mine. I could see the striations of navy blue through his irises, and when he blinked, the long black lashes touched his cheeks.
“I didn’t mean tonight. Am I so bad you can’t imagine going out to dinner with me? I know this isn’t the most romantic place to ask you this, but it’s not the first time I’ve thought about asking you out. I’ve been attracted to you for a long time.” He cupped my face with this strong hand, the fingertips barely wrapping around the back of my skull, and his thumb stroked my cheek. “The timing never felt right.”
Why was I doing this? Nathan was attractive by every definition of the word. He was the only man I’d let into my life in a personal capacity since I’d moved to Arrow Creek. He was kind and selfless, shown not only by his reactions today, but how he conducted himself every day on the job. He had a sense of humor, a gorgeous smile, and I learned he smelled good, too. As if to punctuate that point, I leaned into his hand. The move brought my nose closer to his fleece jacket I was wearing. The scent had faded some, but it was still there—woodsy and warm.
“Nathan, I don’t know what to say.”
His thumb slid from my cheek to my chin and applied pressure, tilting my head back. His eyes warmed as they scanned my face, and in a rough voice he murmured, “Maybe I can change your mind.” He touched his mouth to mine.
This wasn’t his first rodeo. His fingers stroked through my hair as his mouth worked coaxingly against mine. His lips moved to take my bottom lip between his teeth, gi
ving a gentle tug. Not enough to hurt, but the soft nibble sent a tingle rushing between my thighs. I moaned, and that was all he needed to dip his tongue into my mouth.
I didn’t know what was happening. I’d only been kissed by two other people in my life. One I never thought about, and the other, I wished I could forget. But in that moment, both of those memories were obliterated from my mind with the soft, warm press of Nathan’s lips.
And that sent me into a frenzy.
My palms connected with his hard chest, and I slid them up to wrap around his neck. I’d never touched Nathan so intimately. We’d brushed arms or bumped fists while working, and I hugged him after his wife had died. Never had I wrapped my arms around him because I wanted to feel close. But I sort of wanted that now.
A knock rang out against the wall, and the curtain was whipped back with a flourish. “Cami! What the hell happ–ˮ
I pushed Nathan back and swiped at my lips. He, on the other hand, leaned back and tucked his hands into his pockets as if we weren’t just demonstrating a different form of mouth-to-mouth.
“Hey, Luce. Busy night?” Nathan spoke. This was a moment I appreciated him taking control, because I was still struggling to find my voice.
And anything other than my vagina, which seemed to be hogging my heart beat.
“Nathan.” Luce, formally Dr. Lucy Anderson, looked at the two of us quizzically. “Are you two together?”
“No.” The word flew from my mouth. I glanced at the two of them before looking back to my lap. My face burned with embarrassment. Nathan’s mouth tightened in disappointment, and Luce raised her eyebrows.
“Okay, then. Not my business. I’m going to examine your foot and possibly send you down for an x-ray. Let’s see what it looks like first.”
She washed her hands, and started to remove the splint Nathan put on earlier. The movement wasn’t too bad, until she reached for my shoe. As the tight pressure came off, the pain in my foot roared to life. The dull throb turned into a sharp ache right around the ankle bone.