by Scott, Laura
“Sounds good.” She turned toward Reese. “Any weather issues we need to know about?”
“Nope, clear skies and no wind. Should be a great day for flying.”
Wonderful. Avoiding Zane wasn’t an option, not if they were flying to Green Bay. Well, at least she didn’t need to sit here and chat with him while they waited to hear about the transfer.
She stood and carried her empty coffee cup to the lounge. As she poured a refill, she heard someone come up behind her. Figuring it was Reese, she asked, “You don’t normally drink coffee, do you? Being up all night with Samantha make you interested in trying it?”
“I love coffee, thanks.” The deep timbre of Zane’s voice caught her off guard. This time, though, she managed not to spill.
Swallowing hard, she poured a second cup and handed it to him. The slight touch of their fingertips sent a tingle through her hand, just like the last time she’d stuck a knife in the toaster to pry out a bagel. Stupid move on her part, yeah, but no worse than standing within touching distance of Zane Taylor.
“So tell me, how long have you lived on Twenty-Second Street in the Barclay Park area?” Zane asked. “Not the best neighborhood.”
She bristled, shooting him a narrow glare. Snob. He must be one of those people who took having money for granted. “Are you insinuating people don’t drive drunk and hit light poles on The Hill?”
The Hill was a slang term for the Hills of Riverbend, a very nice suburban area located west of Milwaukee, where only the affluent could afford to live.
Where Zane Taylor lived.
Where she’d never in her entire lifetime be able to live.
His eyebrows rose at her defensive tone. “I didn’t say that. But now that you mention it, The Hill is a heck of a lot safer than Barclay Park. And I’m not worried about a drunk driving accident. We’ve gotten victims of multiple gunshot wounds from that area.”
“There’s nothing wrong with where I live.” Jenna held on to her temper with an effort. Okay, he was right. Gunshots did occasionally ring out around them. But did Zane really think she chose to live in the Barclay Park on purpose? Get real. No one in their right mind chose to live in one of the poorest sections of the city. But moneywise, it was the best she could afford.
All of which was none of his business.
She tried to sidestep him, intent on finding Reese. But her injured foot didn’t cooperate. She couldn’t hide a wince when the stabbing pain darted up toward her ankle. Ouch. She wouldn’t last her entire twelve-hour shift if she didn’t do something about the sliver of glass. Unfortunately, the angle had been awkward, so she hadn’t been able to see properly when she cleaned the area on her own.
“Sit down. Give me this.” Zane lifted her coffee mug out of her hand with the grace she’d never have and set it aside without spilling a drop. Then he gently nudged her toward the sofa. “I’m examining your foot, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
2
Ignoring her squeak of protest, Zane picked up Jenna’s foot and began untying the laces of her boot. He was glad to see she was wearing the regulation steel-toed boots, even if they were the smallest pair he’d ever seen.
“I bet you didn’t let anyone look at this last night, did you?” He honestly didn’t get it. What was so hard about accepting a little help?
Jenna crossed her arms over her chest in a gesture of mute stubbornness.
Taking her silence for agreement, he shook his head as he slid her boot off and peeled back her sock. The simple act shouldn’t have oozed intimacy, but it did. He’d never considered feet sexy, but Jenna appealed to him on more than one level, including, it appeared, a strange fetish with her toes, which were painted a bright, cheery pink.
Knock it off, Taylor, she’s one of your coworkers. And she has trouble written all over her. Stop fantasizing.
Gently, he probed the cut along the side of her foot. When he heard her swift intake of breath, he froze, then glanced at her.
“Are you all right?” He might be annoyed with her martyr mentality, but the idea of causing her pain made his stomach roll.
“Just get the stupid thing out already.” Her beautiful features were pulled into a dark, impatient scowl.
Zane lifted a brow at her tone. Jenna Reed was one tough cookie. Although he had to admit, she hadn’t looked so tough last night, wearing nothing more than a threadbare T-shirt and shorts, giving him plenty of opportunity to appreciate her long, shapely legs. He’d never seen her with her hair loose, flowing around her shoulders, normally she wore it in a long braid that snaked down her back. Last night it had taken every ounce of control he possessed to keep from sinking his hand into the mane of long straight dark hair to see if the strands were as soft as they looked.
Her prickly personality, on the other hand, proved his earlier assessment was correct. Jenna represented T–R–O–U–B–L–E in capital letters. Granted, she had a strong work ethic, and although he’d only flown with Jenna during training, he’d been impressed with her ability to focus on what needed to be done.
Too bad she didn’t have much in the way of common sense. The way she’d helped out at the crash scene last night, jumping into the fray without considering the potential harm to herself, was a perfect example.
Which was why he was here now, looking for glass in her foot. Who went to a crash scene wearing ridiculous footgear like beach sandals? Pushing memories of last night aside, Zane reached for the flight bag, dragged it toward him, and fished inside for a secure sterile scalpel and tweezers.
“Whoa, wait a minute. What are you doing?” She jerked her foot from his grasp when she caught sight of the scalpel.
“Easy, I won’t use the scalpel unless I have to.” He set the blade aside, surprised at the kink in her tough façade. “I won’t hurt you.”
“Yeah, right.” She gave an inelegant snort but replaced her foot in his lap. “That’s what all the doctors say, right before they jab you a good one.”
“I won’t jab you.” The corner of his mouth tipped up in a wry smile. He used the tweezers to probe the inflamed area of her foot. He could just see the sliver of glass, but it was deeper than he originally thought. He felt Jenna tense when he picked up the scalpel. A bead of sweat rolled down his back, and he held his breath while making a tiny cut in the skin. There, now he could see the glass more clearly and, using the tweezers, pulled it out.
He let his breath out in a soundless sigh and held it up for her to see. “Got it.”
“Finally.” Relief underscored her tone, then she grudgingly added, “Thanks.”
He smoothed a hand across the silky softness of her foot, then realized the gesture might be mistaken for a caress and quickly snatched his hand away. He pulled a small gauze bandage from the flight bag and put it over the slightly oozing wound. “You’re welcome.”
Awareness rose between them thicker than steam from a geyser. For a moment, she stared at him, then the ringing phone broke the tension.
With reluctance, he reached for it. “Lifeline Air Rescue, may I help you?”
“This is Barclay Park High School. I’d like to speak with Jenna Reed.”
“Just a minute.” Puzzled, Zane handed the phone over. “It’s for you.”
“Hello?” Jenna’s voice held a note of wariness.
Unabashed, he listened to her portion of the conversation as he went over to the sink and dampened a washcloth to wipe the blood off her foot.
“Rae skipped school again?” Jenna rubbed a weary hand over her forehead as he washed off her foot, then patted it dry with the towel. “I know she has a bad case of senioritis, but she still has to graduate, right? Finals are next week.” Another pause, then Jenna grimaced. “I understand. Thanks for letting me know.”
Zane couldn’t help his intense curiosity from running amuck. He wasn’t an expert at judging women’s ages, but no way was Jenna old enough to have a daughter who was a senior in high school. In fact, she looked young enough to have just graduated fr
om high school herself. “Problems?”
“Nothing new.” Jenna avoided his gaze as she pulled on her sock and then reached for her shoe.
“Sounds like you’re worried your sister isn’t going to graduate.” He couldn’t help but probe her defensive barriers.
His remark had her gaze snapping back up to him. “How did you know about my sister?”
“An educated guess.” The relief that knowing he had been right about Rae being her sister and not a daughter was ridiculous. It shouldn’t matter either way. “Hey, don’t worry so much. She’s almost an adult; it’s time for her to make her own decisions.”
“Ha! She’s hardly an adult, and you obviously know nothing about teenagers.”
He wasn’t fazed by her deep scowl. “I was a teenager once, just like you were. Control doesn’t always work the way you want it to. I say lighten up and let her make her own choices.”
“Rae is going to graduate and go to college.” Jenna’s eyes narrowed, and her jaw thrust at a stubborn angle. He wondered who she was trying to convince. “End of discussion.”
The phone rang a second time. She was still tying up her boot, so he picked up the receiver. “Lifeline Air Rescue.”
“The Green Bay request for a transport is official,” the dispatcher informed him. “Your team is good to go.”
“Great.” He hung up the phone and glanced at Jenna. “The Green Bay trip is official.”
“Okay. Does Reese know?” Jenna stood and smoothed a hand down her flight suit. “I heard him hauling the chopper out of the hangar a few minutes ago.”
“I think he wanted to be set up, just in case.” Zane gestured toward the hangar.
Less than a minute later, Reese poked his head through the door. “Are you guys ready?”
“Yes.” Jenna brushed past Zane, and he caught a whiff of her perfume. Not flowery, but something different. Clean yet musky. He tried to place the scent as he picked up the flight bag and followed her into the hangar. They grabbed their helmets, and he averted his gaze from her derrière as he climbed into the chopper behind her.
But even as he settled into the seat beside Jenna, her presence teased him, so close yet at the same time completely off-limits. Zane shifted in his seat so he could get a better look at her, as if it could help him to see into her mind. Her overprotective attitude toward her sister bothered him. Jenna gave him the impression of being too involved in controlling her sister’s life. He knew, far better than most, that trying to control other people’s lives was futile.
His sister’s response to his father’s controlling nature was proof of that. She’d rebelled in a way that had scarred her forever. He didn’t want to see the same thing happen here.
Then again, Jenna’s strange relationship with her sister was none of his business. He and Jenna were colleagues, nothing more.
Best to remember that.
“BASE, WE ARE READY TO GO.” Jenna listened as Reese prepared for takeoff. Soon they were airborne.
Zane’s presence, less than a foot away from her, made her nervous. A flight to Green Bay was far too long to ignore him the whole time. What was she going to do? Work was the only thing she could think of to keep herself occupied, so she reached for the clipboard holding the flight record and flipped on her microphone.
“Did you receive report on our patient?” Jenna asked as she began filling in the blanks for the required documentation.
Zane glanced at her, surprise reflected in his eyes. “Are you talking to me?”
Who else would care about a medical report about a patient? The pilot? She kept her features carefully blank. “Yes, Dr. Taylor, I’m talking to you. I’d appreciate some information on our patient, if it’s not too much to ask.”
He reached over and tapped the microphone controls. “You turned on the master switch; everyone is listening.”
What? She glanced down at the microphone with horror. Sure enough, she flipped the all-com switch, which meant her comments had been heard by everyone—the pilot, base control, and the dispatcher. Her fingers fumbled to flip off the master switch, wishing she could sink deep enough into her seat to disappear from sight. “I can’t believe I just did that.”
“It’s all right, Jenna,” Reese reassured from up front. “No biggie.”
“But still.” Everyone had listened while she’d snapped at Zane. What was wrong with her? Once again, she acted like a complete idiot in front of him. “I should’ve realized.”
“Don’t worry about it. I did get a brief report on our patient.” Zane must’ve sensed her discomfort and kept his tone professional, the way she should have. “But that was a few hours ago. We’ll have to call for an update.”
She couldn’t answer but tried to nod, although her helmet suddenly felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. First, she’d felt like a two-year-old when he cut the sliver of glass from her foot, then she’d learned Rae had skipped school again, and now this.
Could this day get any worse?
“Reese, will you ask the base to place a call to the hospital in Green Bay asking for an update on our patient’s condition?” Zane asked. “His name is Mack Bowen.”
“Sure,” Reese readily agreed.
Zane turned to Jenna. “I’ll fill you in on what I know. Mack Bowen is a twenty-year-old suffering from acute pneumonia, possibly viral in nature. He’s been in the ICU for two days, and his condition has stabilized. The physicians requested a transfer to Trinity Medical Center because they don’t feel qualified to take care of him due to the severe damage to his lungs. They want him seen by a pulmonary specialist.”
Jenna frowned, grateful for something else to think about other than how much she’d made a fool of herself. “Viral pneumonia? Is he immunosuppressed in some way? Had a transplant in the past or something?”
“Good question, you’ve nailed it.” Zane’s warm gaze shouldn’t have made her feel tingly all over, but it did. “He joined the military, got several immunizations all at one time. It’s not unusual, but in his case, it apparently stressed out his immune system. He was granted a brief leave to return home when his wife went into labor, at which time he got really sick. Now he’s showing signs of severe sepsis.”
“Sounds serious.” She wanted to ask more questions, to know all the details about Mack’s case, but held back because her role as paramedic didn’t include taking a premed course taught by Dr. Zane Taylor.
No matter how much she wished it did.
His smile faded. “Yeah, unfortunately the way he grew so sick so fast leans toward a higher likelihood of mortality, which is why they’ve requested the transfer.”
“I see.” Jenna preoccupied herself with filling in more blanks on the flight record. “I hope he’s stable enough to tolerate the trip.”
“Me, too.” He stifled a yawn. She wasn’t surprised his long night had caught up to him. The Lifeline crew normally worked twelve-hour shifts, which would make this additional four hours seemed incredibly long. When Zane rested his head back against the seat and closed his eyes, the tension along the back of her neck eased.
With any luck, Zane would sleep the rest of the flight so she wouldn’t have to deal with him. Or worse, with the strange longing he made her feel.
“ETA TWO MINUTES.” Reese’s voice flowed through the headset. A tiny thrill sent the blood in her veins humming. She loved flying. Not that being a paramedic wasn’t exciting in and of itself, but it was nothing compared to rendering medical care hundreds of feet in the air.
Zane straightened in his seat so quickly she wondered if he’d really fallen asleep or had used being tired as an excuse to avoid her, just like she was avoiding him. There wasn’t time to dwell on the possibility because Reese landed the chopper lightly on the helipad.
“We’re up.” Zane unbuckled his seatbelt and disconnected his helmet from the internal communication system.
Jenna did the same, then slung the flight bag over her shoulder and followed him out of the chopper. Once her feet had lan
ded firmly on the helipad, she rounded the back to pull the gurney out.
The roar of the chopper blades made talking impossible, so Jenna simply followed Zane inside the hospital. She’d never been to this particular hospital before, but Zane seemed to know his way around, and as soon as they crossed the threshold, he went straight for the elevator and punched the down button.
He slid off his helmet, so she followed suit. Her hair was pulled back into a long braid, but a few strands had escaped, and she brushed at them with an impatient flick of her fingers.
“The ICU is on the third floor.” Zane’s gaze seemed glued to her hair. She resisted the urge to glance into the steel frame of the elevator to make sure there weren’t pieces sticking out all over.
As if Zane cared what she looked like.
There was a brief silence until they reached their destination.
The doors of the ICU opened, and Zane strode through as if he belonged there. As a paramedic, Jenna had spent most of her time in the ED, rarely entering the ICU setting. The beeping alarms from the ventilators and monitors intimidated her.
“Mack Bowen?” Zane asked as a nurse waved them over.
“Yes. This is Mack.” The nurse smiled. Jenna felt invisible, the way the nurse had eyes only for Zane. “I’ll help get him ready for transport.”
“Any change in his condition?” Zane took the paperwork and scanned the latest lab results. “I hear his wife delivered a baby a couple of days ago.”
“Yes, a beautiful baby boy named Bryant. Both mom and baby are doing okay.”
“Has the patient received antibiotics lately?”
“Yes, within the hour.” The nurse leaned close, pointing to the documentation in the record. “The next dose isn’t due for another three and a half hours.”
While Zane and the nurse discussed the medical care, Jenna disconnected the patient from the ICU equipment and reattached him into the portable monitor from the flight bag. She knew from Zane’s report that Mack was only twenty, but the youthful face startled her anyway. He was big and broad-shouldered but still so incredibly young. Not to mention, he was the father of a baby boy. He could have been Nelson, Rae’s boyfriend, lying there so pale, still, and sick.