Unexpected Love

by Melissa Price

  Thirty-one

  She swallowed hard. Don’t panic, Taylor. Stay calm. Getting upset would not help. She tried to suck in a deep breath, but the air reeked.

  She was a cook, not a medic, but none of the kids looked good to her. She wasn’t sure what she could do. And she wasn’t used to seeing blood and injuries like this. She came very close to gagging. That wasn’t a gas smell, was it?

  She turned to look at the other two children. One looked about four and the littlest one looked to be around two. Their eyes were round with fear. The four year old had wispy brown hair and her cheeks with streaked with blood and tears. She told Taylor her name was Alice.

  “My tummy hurts.” She held her small hands on her stomach. Like the others, she was covered in blood. Hers or the others or a combination, she couldn’t tell. Taylor swallowed back nausea.

  The little girl pointed at her sister, “Her name is Beth.”

  Blood ran out of Beth’s ears and nose. Taylor felt helpless. She had crawled in here to help them, but what could she do?

  The children began to cry again. They were so scared. Taylor didn’t blame them, she was scared too. The closed space, the horrid smell. The injured kids. Taylor asked them if they liked music. It was all she could think of. All three nodded.

  Calm down, Taylor, you can help them. Really you can. She wanted out of the tiny, smelly place. But she could not leave them, no matter how bad she wanted out of there.

  “Do you want me to sing you a song?” They all nodded so Taylor sang a song to them from a Disney movie. One thing she did know, she had a decent voice so she wouldn’t scare them. As she sang, the children stared at her and quieted down.

  Taylor finally heard voices. A fireman was peering into the car. He asked Taylor about the children and she told him what she could. He told her to hold on; he would be right back. She started singing to them again and held their hands and they quieted again.

  Tears streamed down their faces. Matt said his arm hurt. Taylor held his good hand and gave it a little squeeze.

  Taylor could hear the firemen checking the car and talking, but not what they were saying. She heard them trying to open the front doors.

  Outside, the paramedics had arrived along with two police officers. Sean and John had responded. They arrived to help as the paramedics pulled up.

  When he spotted Maggie, Sean jogged over to her and asked what happened. She told them what she had seen and John took her statement.

  Sean looked at him, “I’ll go check out the van.”

  John nodded, “I’ll set up traffic control.”

  Maggie touched Sean’s arm as he turned to go, “Sean,” her voice shaky, “Taylor’s in the car.”

  “What?” He was stunned.

  “She crawled inside to help the kids in the back.”

  Dammit Taylor, he thought. Why was she jumping in where trouble followed? He jogged over to the car and heard singing. The fireman looked at him and gave him a smile. “Apparently a woman crawled in to help the kids. Not sure how she got in there, but it was gutsy. She’s singing to calm the kids. It seems to be working. If I weren’t married, I think I’d have to marry her.”

  Sean refused to look at him. He was thinking about decking him, but he did not move.

  The paramedic called in and asked more questions. Taylor told him the kids were small enough to fit through the opening. They sent in a splint to immobilize the boy’s arm before trying to move him. Taylor did the best she could to put it on as he gave her instructions. She hadn’t thought she was squeamish but she had a hard time with the splint. The little boy cried out as she held his arm and she was afraid to look at the bone jutting out. She was scared of hurting him even more.

  Matt started crying. “Matt,” they heard her say, “I’m sorry, I know it hurts. You are so brave. I wish I was as brave as you. Hold on, I’m almost done, then you are going to go through that hole and the people waiting for you will get you and take good care of you. It’s going to be okay.”

  Matt panicked and froze. Taylor put her arms around him, “You can do this. You’re going to be fine. Who is your favorite superhero?”

  “Spiderman,” he said in a small voice.

  “Spiderman? Wow, he can use his web to go anywhere. You can do that too. Pretend you are Spiderman, okay? You can make a web and get right out of here. I know you can. And don’t forget how brave Spiderman is.”

  He nodded. Taylor was able to help him crawl across her and edge to the opening. Hands reached in and pulled him out. She tried to turn around to face the opening but there was still not enough room in the tiny space with the children sprawled all over.

  She felt a moment of panic, trapped. Not what she needed right now. Calm down. The kids needed her. She closed her eyes briefly and gathered her courage.

  Sean stood next to the fireman and the paramedic. There were other firemen were cutting the vehicle to get out the adults and an ambulance had arrived. Sean knew the fireman since their paths crossed regularly.

  One of the paramedics had carried the little boy with the badly broken arm to the ambulance. Another ambulance arrived. One of the firemen, Gabe, ran up and said in a low voice, “Sean we have to get them out fast. Gas is leaking under the vehicle.”

  Dammit it. He wanted to get Taylor out of there. A gas leak meant everyone in the car was in danger. He knew she did not have a lot of strength and could tell by her voice she was upset and scared. He couldn’t imagine what she had felt when she saw the boy’s arm and tried to put a splint on it. Even he would have had trouble with it. Right now she had to get out.

  The fireman asked, “Two more? Let’s get them out fast.”

  Taylor replied, “Okay.”

  Taylor turned her attention to Alice. She reached up and clung to Taylor’s neck. Taylor talked to her in soothing tones, “It’s going to be okay, baby girl. There are people out there who want to help you and take care of you. Don’t be afraid.”

  The paramedic told her he was waiting for her, she would be okay. Alice tried to scoot forward but she could not move. Taylor realized there was a seat belt around her.

  She tried to unlock it but it wouldn’t budge. Taylor pushed and pulled as hard as she could. She realized the metal piece was bent and would not push in.

  She called out, “I need something to cut her out. I can’t get the seat belt off her. It’s bent.”

  After what seemed like a very long time but was only a few seconds, she heard, “Here you go.”

  She reached behind her and felt a pair of large scissors. “Okay Alice, hold still and I’ll get this off of you so you can get out of here.”

  “Is mommy and daddy out there?”

  Taylor swallowed but gave her a smile, “Yes, they’re out there too.” What condition they were in was a different story and Taylor did not know.

  The scissors had a hard time cutting through the seat belt fabric.

  “Get the belt off her as fast as you can.”

  “I’m trying. Do you think I like it in here?” She was sorry she said it but the fireman was not helping the situation. She wanted to stop and give her fingers a rest, but she kept going. It took her a little time but she was finally able to cut through the belt. Taylor had to lift Alice up to the opening, she did not seem like she could move much. It was awkward but she got her to the opening and was relieved to see her pulled carefully out.

  Taylor was not claustrophobic but she was feeling the tight space and the blood smell of the air. She was sure she smelled a faint odor of gas. Maybe it was normal in a bad accident. Beth had wet herself again so a strong urine smell mixed in. Keep calm, Taylor, she told herself. She was breathing hard. She turned her attention to Beth who was sitting the farthest away.

  “Beth.” She reached out and took her tiny hand. Her blonde pigtails were streaked with blood. Beth held onto her hand and stared at her with glazed eyes.

  “It’s okay, baby. You’ll be okay.” Taylor’s heart broke when a tear ran down the little g
irl’s cheek. She wiped it away, “I’m here with you.” Taylor unbuckled her seat belt.

  Beth fell forward and started to convulse.

  Taylor called out in a panicky voice, “She’s convulsing, what should I do?”

  The paramedic told her and she did her best. When the convulsions stopped, Beth grabbed her hand and gasped.

  “Beth, please hang in there. We’ll get you out. Please.” She sang to her in a cracking voice. Beth looked at her and gave her a little smile.

  Outside, the fireman murmured admiringly, “Yep, I should marry that woman.”

  Sean’s fists clenched tightly at his side but he said nothing. He looked over at John who was directing the few cars coming by. He wanted Taylor out of the wreck now, not later. He felt sick thinking about her in there. He could tell she was close to losing it. So was he.

  In the car, Taylor’s voice dropped as Beth slumped forward. “Please be okay.” She shook her slightly. “Beth?” she asked in a trembling voice.

  She called out to the paramedics, “She’s limp and not moving.”

  With the other children gone, Taylor was able to get turned towards the opening holding Beth in her arms. She pushed the little girl into waiting hands and saw Beth being dragged out.

  Thirty-two

  Taylor legs did not enough strength to get out and her arms and shoulders were so tired. It was a tight fit and she had so little room. The metal was closing in on her, threatening to crush her.

  She had been able to get turned around to face the opening but she had to fight back panic. She needed to get her legs under her, which she could not. How was she going to get out? She couldn’t stand the thought of being in there any longer. She put her head down for a moment. She had an overwhelming sense of being all alone. Her breaths were more like gasps.

  She had to get out. Somehow. She was breathing hard, taking in big gulps of air. She knew she was going to hyperventilate if she didn’t calm down, but she was past the point of being calm now. She needed to get out. She thought about the car wreck she had been in. She had not remembered it but if this was any indication of how it might have been, she was glad she did not remember.

  “Crap, Taylor. You just had to get yourself into a mess, didn’t you? What would Sean say if he could see you now? I told him I was trouble.” Great, now she’s talking to herself out loud.

  She looked up to find a hand reaching into the opening.

  “Taylor, calm down and breathe normally. Take my hand.” Sean? Had he heard what she just said?

  She said nothing. She was gasping for breath. She wanted to collapse into a ball and pretend she was outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

  Sean said in a calm voice although he was not feeling calm, “Taylor, take a deep breath. Calm down. Nice deep breaths, in through the nose and out through your mouth. You can do it. Take my hand.” He waited tensely for her to respond. He could barely keep himself from shouting at her to get out now. “Taylor, do you hear me? Take my hand,” he knew he sounded harsher than he should have but he needed her to get out.

  She grabbed his hand and held tight. She took some deep breaths and immediately felt better and not so alone. Sean was there. He always seemed to be there when she needed him the most. “Did you hear what I just said to myself?”

  “Hear what? I’m going to pull so just relax.” He had heard but this was not the time to discuss it. He pulled her hard and she twisted her body to get through. She felt a sharp pain in her thigh but did her best to push with her legs to keep moving.

  Sean knew she did not have the strength to push herself out so he pulled hard but carefully. It was difficult, she was almost a dead weight and he had to be careful because of the jagged edges, small area, and crushed window. And she was getting panicky.

  She had to squeeze and twist, but they made progress. The fireman offered to help, but Sean told him he had it.

  When she finally got her head and shoulders out, she dragged deep breaths of fresh air into her lungs. He looked into her eyes, “Are you okay?”

  All she could do was nod her head yes. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He murmured, “I’ve got you,” as he pulled her the rest of the way out.

  Her legs buckled but Sean held her up. She took in big gulps of fresh air but she was trying to slow her breathing. Hyperventilating was not going to help. Sean picked her up and carried away from the van. She looked over his shoulder as a fire started and the firemen hosed the road and car.

  “There was gas all over the road?” Her situation sunk in.

  Sean said, “Yes.” He put her down near the ambulance.

  She turned her head to see the paramedic shake his head as he stood over Beth. “She’s gone.”

  Everyone looked heart sick as he covered her little body. Sean was pulling her away, but she broke into tears and leaned into him, grabbing his shirt. She could barely stand but he was holding her.

  He whispered, “You did all you could.”

  “It wasn’t enough.”

  He said softly, “It was everything. You crawled in there and let them know someone cared. She didn’t die alone. That matters.”

  Maggie came over and wiped away the tears from Taylor’s face. Sean had wanted to wipe them from her face, but he didn’t dare with the responders there. He honestly would have done it front of John, but right now he had to act like a cop. What he really wanted was to take her home and hold her tight.

  Thirty-three

  Sean and John had to stay at the scene until it was cleared. John looked over at him, “Is she okay?”

  Sean shook his head, “She’s pretty upset.”

  “She’s a brave woman, Sean. She helped those kids no matter how scary it was.”

  Sean nodded his head in agreement. John remarked, “Like I said, make sure she doesn’t get away.”

  He wanted to, but he wasn’t sure how. He had never been in a situation like this before. He did not want to push her because he was afraid she might run the other way. Her mother had done a lot to contribute to that he knew. He wasn’t sure about anything regarding Taylor and usually he was. It was an unusual situation for him and a bit nerve-racking.

  Maggie took her home and made some hot tea. They sat at the table silently and drank. Maggie stayed with her, refusing to leave, even when she protested.

  They went into the living room and sat on the couch. Taylor finally said, “There was gas all over the road and under the vehicle, Maggie. Sean stayed with me and got me out even though it was dangerous.”

  Maggie looked over at her, “I know he did. I tried to tell you how much he likes you.”

  “He’s a cop, Maggie. He would do it for anyone.”

  “Maybe, but if they had tried to drag him away, I doubt he would have left you. You are trying too hard to make excuses and I know you are very smart, so stop trying to make it seem like it is nothing.”

  “What if it is, Maggie? Love is not in the stars for me. I don’t think anyone will love me and I don’t plan on loving anyone. I’m sorry, but love and I are not on good terms.”

  Maggie squeezed her hand. “Love can happen when you don’t expect it.”

  Taylor looked at her, “How do you know?”

  “You are just going to have to trust yourself and Sean. Taylor, is there anything else I can get you?”

  She shook her head no, afraid to speak because her emotions were so raw.

  Only when Maggie heard Sean pull up did she kiss Taylor on the cheek and leave. When Sean came into the living room, she jumped off the couch. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t fix any dinner.”

  Her grabbed her arm before she could walk away and pulled her into his arms. “I’m not hungry.”

  Her head rested on his shoulder, her arms around his waist. “I had to try to help them, Sean.”

  “I know.”

  “Anyone would have done it, but I was the one there.”

  He put his hands on either side of her head, his hands in her soft hair and looked her in the e
yes. “No, most people would not have done that. If I would have fit I would have gone in. I was amazed you fit through there.”

  She looked up at him and smiled, pointing at her chest, “Compressible and I had to do a lot of twisting and turning.”

  He tried not to stare down at her chest. But he did what he had wanted to do for a long time. He looked at her searchingly and lowered his head and kissed her hard. Taylor slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She was out of breath and her whole body tingled. The room was so hot it felt like they were standing in a circle of red hot flames.

  She had wanted him to kiss her like this. She finally admitted it to herself. They kissed passionately again, his lips searing into hers, her whole body filled with electricity. When they came up for air, she did not meet his gaze. Her stomach was flip flopping and she felt heat all the way down.

  He pulled back and led her to the couch and sat down, pulling her down with him. She leaned on his shoulder and they watched TV. During a commercial, she said, “You stayed there even when it was dangerous.”

  “Of course I did. I would never have left you there.”

  “You’d do it for anyone, you’re a cop.”

  He looked at her hard, “No, I could have let the fireman do it.”

  She searched his eyes. “Thank you for getting me out of the van, Sean. I was really scared.”

  “I was determined to get you out of there as quick as possible. I know it was scary in there. Not that I have had been in a mangled up van like that but I can only imagine.”

  Later, he didn’t ask, he just picked her up and carried her up the stairs. She didn’t mind since her legs were wobbly and they both knew it.

  When he put her down, she bumped her leg against the bed and winced. She looked down at her jeans and saw a small tear.

  Sean looked down too, “Are you hurt?”

  She shrugged, “I’m not sure. It hurt when I bumped it against the bed.”