“But what was weird was that the girl who was interested in Sam didn’t say anything. She let her friend do all of the talking and fall on her face. She was asking me if I liked a certain restaurant and when I said yes, she started rambling about how much she liked their soup. I had no clue what the hell was going on.” I run a hand through my hair and it feels plastered to my skull. It’s still not dry from when we got drenched on a previous call.
“Ah, it sounds like she was nervous. I hope you cut her some slack.” Jada’s eyes fixate on my hair for a minute, and I groan inwardly. It must look really bad.
“How could I when I was totally confused? In the next breath, she’s asking if Sam and I would like to take them to the dance. It was all so random. Not to mention, it was only first period and I wasn’t even awake yet.” Crinkling my brow, I look quickly in the rearview mirror at my reflection. Yep, wet spikes of hair are sticking out at different angles.
“So did you say yes?” She scoots toward me and begins patting down the flyaway pieces. Having her this tantalizingly close is like torture.
“No, Sam had a girlfriend and that’s what I told them. I wasn’t interested in leading them on.” I swat her hand away. Shaking my head like a dog after a bath, I douse her with the water droplets that fly off the ends of my hair.
“Are you telling me you don’t play games? You’re always up front when it comes to girls?” She arches her eyebrow. She’s caught me in a lie, but it’s one I’m not ready to admit.
“Absolutely, one hundred percent.” I stare her down and she looks away first. I’m a jerk for manipulating her emotions like this. I want to scream from the rooftops how much I’m into her, but I can’t. We’re two professionals on the job. And I’m determined not to let my feelings get in the way of that. Lives can be lost if we screw up our working relationship. We have to be able to depend on each other at all times. If some personal drama messes up our concentration, an innocent person can get hurt. I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.
“Unit 365, we have a possible drowning in a pond off Route 5. Please respond.” The volume of the comm is turned all the way up. The dire nature of the call echoes through the ambulance. And the reasons for why I’m holding back are confirmed.
The consequences of getting involved with Jada are too risky. We’re better off as friends no matter how much I’m attracted to her. I have to stop sending mixed signals. We’re partners—that’s all we can ever be.
Chapter Eighteen
Jada
I’m a little freaked out. I’m not gonna lie.
Adam runs hot then cold. I have whiplash keeping up with his moods. One minute we’re establishing some kind of intimacy between us, the next he’s shutting me out as he punches the accelerator, barreling up Rattlesnake Hill. But mostly I’m concerned about what we’re going to find when we get there. It’s still raining heavily and the wipers are propelling across the windshield so fast I’m afraid they’re going to fly off. These are dangerous driving conditions. I can’t imagine having to wade into a pond to pull someone out. I hope it doesn’t come to that.
The tires on the ambulance aren’t the greatest, and I grip the seat as we plunge through a flooded bypass as the rain comes gushing off the hill. Adam curses as water starts to stream in through the bottom of the doors. But a few seconds later, we’re through. If the ride to the scene is this intense, I’m going to have to dig deep to find my reserves of stamina. I’m wiped already.
Hurtling to the summit, we’re greeted by a trailer park covering the expanse. In its center is a murky pond. It’s wide and it’s deep. There’s a crowd gathered near the edge and two people are bobbing in the water. The nearby ground is saturated since the rain has made the pond overflow its banks. A slight tremor of fear grips me. The whole thing screams danger.
Adam throws the ambulance into park. His voice is a smidge shaky as he gazes at me intently. “Can you swim?”
“Yes, but I doubt I’m capable of pulling someone to shore.” I’m wiry, but when it comes to kicking, paddling, and dragging a person along with me—let’s face it, I’m not strong enough. I have to tell Adam the truth. I can’t play the hero when I can’t do what’s required.
“That’s okay. That’s why I’m the ex-lifeguard.” He gives me a slight smile, but I’ve never seen him so nervous before. He appears spooked that he has to face something he wasn’t anticipating. The sheer terror crossing his features is setting off alarm bells inside my head.
“Adam, what’s wrong?” But he’s already gone and out the door. There’s no time to waste if there’s the possibility of saving someone’s life. We can’t sit around chitchatting when a person’s in trouble, but I’m lacking crucial information that Adam won’t share with me. I’m his partner, and I have no idea why he’s so afraid. At one time, he battled the Pacific Ocean. Why would he be scared of a little pond?
Jogging down an embankment, I try to catch up to him but I can’t. He’s already wading through the water on his way out to the people at the center. Shielding my eyes from the rain, I can just about make out a man struggling with an overturned body. Oh no, are we too late?
Transfixed, I stand with the rest of the onlookers watching as Adam makes his way toward them. He’s swimming flat out now. His waterlogged uniform and shoes must be weighing him down, but he’s narrowing the gap between them at a rapid pace. The man, fatigued by his burden, begins to founder as his head dips beneath the surface. My heart plummets. Adam can’t save two people. No one’s that good.
The man’s head reemerges as he sputters, flailing his arms. The body floats away from him. I can’t hear what they’re saying over the pounding rain, but Adam motions to the man to head for shore. Upon reaching him, he grabs a hold of Adam and nearly pulls him under. I take a step toward the pond, determined to do something, anything…if the man continues to panic and fully submerges Adam. I refuse to stand here and watch my partner drown.
But miraculously, Adam regains his stride, shoving the man off him. He continues to struggle, but it seems like Adam’s talking him down. His motions have become less frantic. Kicking with all his might, his tired limbs haphazardly slice across the water. He’s moving away from Adam and heading toward us. Thank God.
Directing his attention to the inanimate victim, Adam rotates the body so that the head is facing the sky. And for the first time, I can make out that it’s a young girl, most likely a teenager. She’s not moving and her face is turning blue. Flipping onto his back, Adam wraps his arms under hers. Straining, he rotates his free arm using the backstroke to move them closer to the shore. He’s giving it everything’s he got in order to give her a fighting chance.
The man stumbles into the shallow recesses of the pond. I slog through the rushes growing around the perimeter, and I’m soaked up to my knees. A burly man standing on the sidelines helps me as we shoulder his weight and drag him to safety. He’s coughing up a lot of water, but he’s breathing. Dropping to his knees, he sits on the grass, placing his hands on the ground as he continues to vomit. The crowd clears around him as he gasps for air.
Monitoring his condition, my focus remains on him. I pat his shoulder and tell him it’s going to be okay. He made it. As he collapses onto his back, the rain pummels his face and he blinks up at the clouds, panting heavily. He’s a middle-aged man who’s slightly overweight. The exertion of the ordeal has taken a lot out of him. I reach for his wrist and take his pulse. It’s off the charts.
“Sir, I need you to calm down. Breathe deeply for me.” He’s in danger of going into cardiac arrest if he doesn’t relax. His color isn’t good, and he’s clutching his chest.
“But my daughter…” He wheezes, struggling to sit up.
“My partner’s got her. They’re almost to shore.” And at that instant, a roar of applause goes up from the crowd. Craning my neck, I catch a glimpse of Adam carrying her toward me. If the father’s okay, I’m going to have to take over. Adam looks like he’s about to collapse.
Squatting, I slosh on my knees through the mud. Adam’s spent. He’s holding his side, overcome by the exertion of his efforts. Oh no, I hope he didn’t reinjure his ribs. But I can’t think about that now. My sole focus is on the girl.
I want to cry when I see that she has Down Syndrome. She’s larger in stature, but up close she appears younger, possibly not much older than twelve. I can’t be sure. All I know is that I have to start CPR immediately. I examine the inside of her mouth to make sure nothing’s blocking her airway. Readjusting her head, I tilt it upward, giving her two breaths about a second each. Her chest doesn’t rise so I start the compressions. I place my right hand on top of my left, lace my fingers together, and push down. After thirty compressions, I give her two more breaths, pinching her nose and sealing her entire mouth with mine. I continue at a rate of about one hundred compressions a minute.
Adam yells to me, asking if I need the defibrillator. He’s already popping open the case when the girl starts to choke in the middle of a compression. Her face is bright red as she moves her head and a stream of water issues from her mouth. We did it. We saved her.
I support her back as she pushes herself up. As she grasps her throat, her voice comes out in a hoarse whisper. “Where’s Bingo?”
My eyes meet Adam’s. He doesn’t know what to say and neither do I. But it’s her father who provides the answer. “Honey, he’s gone. There was no way to rescue him.” Enfolding his daughter in a tight embrace, he pats the back of her head. “Julie, I was so scared I lost you.” He begins to cry, and I think everyone in the vicinity starts to tear up while listening to his heartrending sobs.
Over his shoulder, Adam questions a mother holding a small child under an umbrella. “Who’s Bingo? Is there someone still out there?” I close my eyes and dread the thought of him reentering that pond.
“It was her dog. He was pretty old, and from what I can gather the edge was too soft and he got too close and fell in. He was crippled with arthritis and probably couldn’t move. No doubt Julie went in after him despite the fact that she can’t swim. She loved that dog so much.” The woman chokes up as her young son clings to her, wondering why his mom is so sad.
Julie’s father, overhearing the story, jumps into the conversation. “We only keep this pond on the property in case of a fire. That way the firefighters won’t have to waste time pumping in water from far away. And since she was a baby, my wife and I have always drilled into Julie’s mind not to go near it. But when it came to Bingo…” He doesn’t have to say any more. The girl’s pitiful moans over her lost dog tear into everyone—her grief spills over, touching us all.
“Bingo!” Wailing uncontrollably, her whole body starts to convulse in her father’s arms. She wallops her fists against his chest as the enormity of her loss begins to sink in. It physically hurts to watch someone in this much agony.
“Why don’t you take Julie into the house, sir? It’s best to get her out of the rain.” Adam puts his arm around the man’s shoulders, leading him to the front door. Burying her face in father’s shirt, Julie stumbles along beside him. My heart bleeds at the pitiful sight.
The neighbors spread out in different directions as they return to their trailers. No one says much, the events of the afternoon taking a toll. Everyone’s relieved that Julie was saved, but nobody wants to see her so upset. It’s disheartening after such a joyous rescue.
As I steel myself against the rain, a shiver races through my body. The temperature is in the high eighties, but I feel chilled to the bone. Even though I didn’t fully enter the pond, the rain sure soaked every inch of me. Cold, depleted, and heartsick, I want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. Chalk this up as a day worth forgetting.
Adam trudges slowly back to my side after administering instructions to Julie’s father on what to look for regarding her condition. He took readings of their pulse and blood pressure before feeling comfortable enough to leave the scene. Wishing them a good night, he sloshes through the wet grass before taking the defibrillator case out of my arms.
“That’s too heavy. Let me carry it.” He’s getting all macho when the ambulance is fifty steps away? What gives?
“Adam, I didn’t just pull someone out of a pond. I think I can manage.” I refuse to relinquish my grip, and his hand slides off the handle in defeat. We keep walking through the rain up the muddy incline. I start to lose my footing, but I plow ahead, determined to keep my balance. The last thing Adam needs is another casualty on his hands.
Placing the equipment back in the ambulance, we shut the back doors and climb up front. It doesn’t take long for our dripping uniforms to penetrate the upholstered seats. Turning on the ignition, Adam radios in the outcome of the situation and that no victims need to be transported to the hospital. The clock on the dashboard reads six o’clock. Quitting time.
Overcome with exhaustion, Adam and I barely talk on the way back to the station. I should’ve offered to drive. He’s worn out, and driving through this unending downpour is no picnic. He’s going slow, a lot slower than he usually drives. I don’t comment because he needs to concentrate on these slick, windy roads. Then a thought hits me. He has at least a thirty-minute drive ahead of him on roads much like this in order to get home. He’s certainly not up to it. He’s barely going to get us back to the station. I have to speak up. I can’t take no for an answer. But I’m going to have to make it sound convincing.
“Adam?”
He grunts in response, too tired to articulate.
“Do you think it’d be all right if I crashed at your place tonight?” I’m going for broke. It’s all or nothing, baby.
His head immediately snaps in my direction. I hit some kind of trigger point. “Umm…yeah sure. I guess.” He’s trying not to be rude, but I can tell he doesn’t want me there.
“It’s just that Simone met this new guy and she invited him over. Our other roommate, Rachel, never lets us have guys spend the night, but she’s out of town for the weekend. And I don’t feel like listening to them having sex through my bedroom wall…” I don’t know how much further to push it, but he gets my drift.
“Say no more. I get the picture.” A slight grin appears on his haggard face. “Besides, that was a tough call. We need to decompress a bit. We should chill out together over some pizza and beer.”
“A paramedic with a fake ID? Adam, you’re full of surprises.” I try to appear shocked, but it’s not working. He sees right through me as he begins to chuckle.
“Working this job you need something to take the edge off. You’ll learn that quick enough.” Making a wide turn into the station’s driveway, he backs the ambulance into an available spot in the garage. He goes inside to punch us out and turn the ambulance over to the night crew. I have to be on my A-game when he comes out. This is where it gets tricky.
Finding his black Dodge Neon in the lot, I stand in front of the driver’s side door. Luckily the rain has stopped as I plant my feet firmly on the wet pavement. I refuse to budge if he doesn’t comply with my plan. But I’m going to have to sweeten the deal.
Suspicion crosses his face when he sees where I’ve positioned myself. I better act fast. “Adam, I’ve always wanted to drive a Neon. They’re like epic. And if you’d be so kind as to oblige me in my little fantasy, I’ll pay for the pizza and the beer and even throw in a full tank of gas. What do you say?” I bat my eyelashes at him—something I never do.
“She’s all yours, sweetheart. I’ve had my fill of driving for the day. So indulge to your heart’s content.” He tosses me the keys. Not expecting the move, I snatch them clumsily before they fall to the ground. Unlocking the sweeping door of the coupe, I reach across the bucket seat and open his. He crams his long legs behind the glove compartment before sliding his seat all the way back. In tandem, I reverse his movement pul
ling my seat nearly up to the wheel. I adjust the mirrors and fasten my seatbelt. Thank God it’s an automatic transmission and not a stick shift or else I’d be screwed.
Easing out of the lot, I hesitate at the stop sign with my hand over the turn signal. He’s going to love this.
“Adam?”
“Yeah.” He mutters with his eyes half-closed.
“Where are we going?”
His belly starts to shake as he cracks up. “Nothing’s better at the end of a hard day than you, Jada. Take a left.”
If only he was serious when he ‘fake flirts’ with me…sigh. But I’m staying overnight in his apartment. Is this really happening? My heart flutters in my chest. It’s up to me to make the most out of this opportunity.
Chapter Nineteen
Adam
“Mi casa es su casa.”
Flinging open the door of my apartment, I stand back to let Jada enter ahead of me. That’s the gentlemanly thing to do, right? But I’m no gentleman…I just enjoy watching her climb the stairs. The rain has made her pants skin tight, and her ass has never looked better. I can’t take my eyes off it.
“Are you coming?” Stopping halfway, she turns around, catching me staring up at her from the bottom of the stairwell. I’m afraid my jaw is on the floor, but thankfully it’s not. “I know you’re dead tired, but come on, partner. We’re in the home stretch now.” She continues her ascent with her wet shoes making suctioning noises with each step. I want to laugh. The combination is so ridiculous. Her killer curves mixed with the footfall of a swamp creature. Only Jada.
“Do you have anything I can change into? I’m freezing.” She rubs her hands against her arms. The clamminess of our drenched uniforms is well beyond the point of being uncomfortable.
“I don’t have any pants that will fit you. I know that.” I drop my keys onto the kitchen table. My mouth is on automatic. I’m thinking through the problem as I’m talking. “How about a sweatshirt and shorts?”
Come What May (Heartbeat) Page 11