by Natalie Ann
The key was making sure everyone else stayed calm.
His brother was sitting in the seat looking out the window, his legs shaking. “You all right over there?” he asked Grey.
“Yeah. Just waiting to see what we’ll find when we get there.”
“Probably worse than we can imagine,” the other doctor said.
“Sounds it,” Grey said.
They’d been getting updates from the EMTs on the ground. With the weather conditions, it was adding more time to their thirty-minute flight, but since the ambulance couldn’t get to the guy, it forced the EMTs to come in on their friend’s snowmobiles a mile out. Not to mention the road conditions to transport to the hospital straight to Albany Med Trauma Unit. The local hospital was already stating they’d be sending him there anyway, no reason to waste more time.
They finally landed with Jake shutting off the blades while his brother and the other doctor jumped out. He climbed out and walked over, but stayed out of their way. Though he had his EMT training, he hadn’t had to use it much and hoped he wouldn’t have to today.
The wind was blowing snow around, the guy on the ground was unconscious and it was probably a good thing. There were blankets on him keeping him warm and IVs in his arms.
When the EMTs moved the blankets away, Jake got his first look at the broken leg with bones sticking out in multiple spots. His hip was at an odd position, not to mention having no clue of spinal injuries.
“Does he have any reaction to touch on his extremities?” Grey yelled over the wind.
“His right leg, nothing,” the EMT shouted. Not surprised since that leg suffered so much damage. We’ve gotten some twitches out of his left foot and he’s gripped our hands with his fingers.
“That’s positive at least. Let’s get him strapped on the gurney when Dr. Grant gives his okay.”
“There is blood pooling around under the surface,” Dr. Grant said. The patient’s jacket had been unzipped and his shirt cut away. “Lots of internal bleeding. We don’t have a lot of time, but I’m not sure I want to cut into his chest blindly to find out the source until we have no choice or are en route to the hospital.”
“Then let’s get him out of here,” Grey said.
They all worked fast and loaded him in the chopper, Jake ready for them and taking off, flying back faster than they got there. He turned his head to see both Grey and Dr. Grant working on the patient, monitoring him, and talking among themselves. Hands were moving faster than words and Jake knew there was no way he could do what his brother did.
Neither of them was paying attention to the speed of the flight, but he was getting the guy back as fast as he could.
No, it wasn’t like anything he’d seen at war, but it was bad. He was smart enough to realize that and he’d be damned if his first solo flight was going to result in a death.
The minute the chopper landed, nurses and other doctors were there to help unload and get the man into surgery. He stayed back and took care of the chopper as everyone left him there alone.
It was hours later when he was getting ready to leave that Grey sent him a text saying: He’s stable. It will be touch and go, but I’ll keep you posted. Good job getting me there and back. Next time don’t push the speed so much, my nerves can’t take it.
Guess there wasn’t much that got by his brother, but like he’d always known Grey could be calm in a crisis, he supposed he just proved to his brother that he could too.
For his first day at work, he’d take it. He didn’t expect that it was always going to have happy endings. He knew that going in.
If someone needed to be airlifted in, that normally meant time was of the essence and critical. There wasn’t going to be much redemption in it if he couldn’t get people back in time, but he had to remind himself that this wasn’t about him.
This was about the patients and him doing his best. And wasn’t that what he’d always told himself life was about?
That he’d work to be the best. To do what he could. Life had taught him that doesn’t mean there was a happy ending when the day was done.
He’d have to find his own happiness. His own way to get on with his life.
So when his shift ended, he made his way toward Rachel’s office to see if she was there. She’d be getting out soon, he was sure, and maybe they could leave together. Get some dinner. Spend some time together during the week when they normally didn’t.
A change in routine proving life needed to go on.
“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked at the front entrance to Rachel’s office.
“Yes. I’m looking for Rachel Chapman. Is she in or has she left for the day?”
“She’s here. Can I get your name please?”
“Jake Baxter.”
“Ah, the new Medevac pilot. We heard you were a hard one to find.”
He wasn’t sure what to say about that and chose to say nothing at all.
Rachel came out a minute later, followed by a few other employees that looked to be leaving for the day. Two men that were talking among themselves. “Hey there,” she said, walking over and not the least bit hesitant to give him a quick kiss. “How was your first day?”
“I’d like to say uneventful, but that would be a lie. One flight out and I got to share it with Grey.”
“Does he normally go out on calls?” she asked.
“Nope. Said it was his virgin flight. I tried to take it easy on him.”
She laughed. “I’m sure he appreciated that.”
They turned when the two men that had come out were talking to the receptionist. He’d heard his name whispered and then couldn’t help but hear, “Now we know how she got him so fast.”
He turned to look at Rachel’s face, saw twin red circles on her cheeks like makeup on a doll, and said, “Want me to deal with that?” He didn’t want to ask, but would rather march over and set the record straight.
“No. It’s not the first time it’s been said, just not in front of me before. Let’s just go. I need to get my purse and jacket. Give me a second.”
He watched as she went back through the door to her office, the other two men moving closer to leave. He stopped them now. “Do you have a problem?” he asked, squaring his shoulders, towering over them, sending his best hardman stare.
“Not at all,” one of them said, looking a bit nervous.
“It seems it to me,” Jake replied back, his arms crossed in front of his chest. “No reason to whisper when people are standing right here. Say what is on your mind.”
The guy’s buddy didn’t have a problem holding back his words. “Just watch yourself with her. She didn’t work her way up to that position by a hard work ethic alone.”
Rachel walked out to hear the words said, just as Jake took a menacing step forward. She jumped between them. “Roger, stop being a jealous fool. If you’ve got something to say about me, then take it up with Mitch. Otherwise just do your damn job. If you want to keep it.”
“Is that a threat against me?” Roger asked. “Are you trying to get me fired?”
Roger’s face was turning as red as Rachel’s. “No need to worry about your job if you do it.”
“Like you do yours? I’ll pass that way.”
Jake’s fingers were itching to slam a fist into Roger’s face, but this wasn’t the army where you could push and shove someone for running their mouth then when tempers cooled know everyone would be fine again. He’d have to let Rachel handle this and she did when she grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. It wasn’t the way he wanted.
“Why did you let him say that?” he asked when they were walking away.
“I didn’t let him say it. He said it. It’s not the first time it’s been said either. And it won’t be the last.”
“That’s just crazy. You should defend yourself. You didn’t use our relationship to get me to sign here.”
“No. I didn’t. But no one is going to believe that. I went to you first for the job. You asked me out and
I said yes. People are going to assume what many have thought all along.”
“Why haven’t you ever said that to me before?” he asked.
“I’ve told you bits and pieces. It’s not true. You know I’ve been hit on. You know it happens and I’ve explained that. I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah, but this time—”
“I can still take care of myself,” she said with her hands on her hips. “I don’t need a jealous boyfriend. I don’t need someone coming to my defense either. I told you not to say anything and you did. You only made it worse.”
He didn’t think he was doing anything other than defending the woman he was in love with. Where was that wrong?
“I doubt it. And I’m not jealous.” How dare she think that of the two men he could fling out of his way with a flick of his wrist?
“Fine. Overprotective then. The people who I care about in my job know the truth. They don’t believe this. But now because it was said and you had words with them, it’s only going to add more fuel to it. I’ll call Mitch when I get home and get on top of this.”
“Mitch, your boss?”
“Yes. Don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with it like I always do. Was there a reason you were stopping by?”
“I was going to ask you to dinner, but I can see it’s not a good time.”
“No. It’s not. Sorry.” With that she turned on her heels and went through the parking garage to her vehicle. He was in another garage and didn’t bother to follow her.
So much for having his first day end good.
So Blind
Rachel just hung up the phone with Mitch, hoping to avoid any more issues. Or do damage control at the very least.
She’d expected this eventually. It never seemed to end.
Maybe she shouldn’t have gone out and given Jake a kiss when he came to see her, but he was dressed in jeans and his jacket. Not his flight suit. And she was just so happy to see him she couldn’t help herself.
She’d told Mitch weeks ago that she was dating Jake. She explained the situation to him and Mitch was fine with it. There was no reason to not be. And she wasn’t one to hide something like that either.
What she wasn’t fine with was Jake getting in the middle of it. Turning into someone she hated in a man.
She didn’t need to be protected. She didn’t need to be coddled.
Didn’t he tell her she could take care of herself before? She’d been happy with that response from him.
So why was he changing it on her now?
She was just getting ready for bed, her aggravation mounting that he didn’t even try to reach out to her. To apologize...nothing.
She hadn’t done anything wrong. She shouldn’t have to apologize to him and if he was waiting for her to do it, he had a long time to wait.
When her phone went off while the TV was playing, trying to lull her overworked-up brain to sleep, she reached for it thinking...hoping...it was Jake.
It wasn’t. It was Mitch. Just telling her to relax and sleep it off. That he’d deal with it in the morning.
See, her boss got her. He understood her.
But the man she was in love with—nope, he didn’t get her at all.
And two days later she was ready to cry when she watched Taylor walk down the aisle in a gorgeous white gown behind Angie who was tossing white rose petals on a red carpet.
Sure, she was happy for her brother; how could she not be?
But she was sadder over the fact that she still hadn’t talked to Jake. He hadn’t reached out to her and she wasn’t going to take the first step.
She was glad she didn’t ask him to the wedding. She’d wanted to, her parents encouraged it, but she felt that he wouldn’t have a good time sitting at some random table while she was at the head table.
That didn’t stop her mother from asking her where Jake was the minute she could get her alone at the reception. “I told you I didn’t ask him to come. You know that.”
“I didn’t ask why he wasn’t here. I asked where he was. You’re awfully defensive today. You were moody last night too.”
So much for thinking she could put on a happy face when it was the last thing she was feeling. “He’s working today. He was scheduled for the night.”
“How is that going?”
“Good, I guess,” she said. “It’s only his second shift.” She wasn’t about to say that the first one didn’t go so well. At least in her eyes. She wasn’t sure in his because they hadn’t talked.
“Something isn’t right. Are you going to tell me what?”
“Everything is fine,” she said. “This is Reed and Taylor’s day. Can we focus on them?”
“I can focus on both of my kids. They are getting pictures taken and everyone is just milling around. Did you and Jake have a fight?”
She looked away, not wanting to answer, which of course was answer enough when her mother snorted at her.
“What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to tell me why you seemed so happy for the past two months and now you’re miserable.”
“I’m far from miserable,” she argued.
“Then just unhappy.”
“Mom, can we let it drop?”
“Fine, but I’ll get it out of you before the night is over.”
Not if she could help it.
But six hours later when the last guest was out the door, her mother cornered her and said, “So are you ready to tell me what is going on with you and Jake?”
“You aren’t going to leave me alone until I do, are you?”
“Of course not. I had hoped one of these days I’d get to see you walk down the aisle.”
“You hit below the belt on a day like this.”
Her mother laughed. “That was the point. So is that it? That you were hoping for more and he still is unsure?”
“He committed to three months at the job. He has until March to decide if he doesn’t want to do it anymore.”
“Didn’t you tell me that that had nothing to do with your relationship? That you were so thrilled to hear that. That even if he didn’t stay in the area he wanted to make it work with you.”
“Words, I’m sure. I’m not one for long distance anything. I love my job. I love living here and being around my family. He has demons he is working through.”
“Of course he does. Don’t we all?”
“I don’t have demons,” she said.
“Rachel,” her mother said, pulling her over to an empty table and sitting her down. “We all do. Nothing like Jake has experienced or has lived with. But we have things in our lives that make us who we are. That dictates how we react to other people. Did he say or do something you don’t like? Or is he not saying something you want to hear?”
“It’s too soon to talk about love,” she said.
“But you love him?”
“I thought I did. I’m not sure he is the one I thought he was. Or wanted him to be.”
“Because you disagree on something? Or do you think he isn’t enough for you?”
“It’s not a disagreement.” She shook her head when her mother’s other question got through her brain. “Of course he is enough for me. Why would you ask that?”
“It’s something that’s come up before. Men wanting you for other reasons, being drawn to our name or money. You’ve never let it bother you in the least.”
“Reed had a bigger issue with that than me. It’s not the same thing,” she argued.
“No, it’s not. Men think differently than women.”
“What does that mean?”
“Rachel. You’re successful and confident. You don’t need a man to take care of you and I’m sure someone like Jake is okay with that. But maybe he isn’t okay with thinking he might not be able to give you the life you’re used to.”
“First off. I don’t need someone to take care of me and I told him that the other day.”
“So then something did happen?” her mother asked, lifting her eyeb
row.
And her mother wouldn’t stop until she got all the information. “On Thursday he came to my office after his shift. I walked out and saw him and couldn’t help myself, I gave him a quick kiss.”
“Okay. I don’t think he’d be the type to be embarrassed or annoyed over that.”
“He wasn’t. But he’d given his name to Betsy at the front desk. She’d recognized the name as the new pilot. She sees the paperwork and stuff, the stats of things I do.”
“So?”
“Chuck and Roger came out together after me. They’d seen me give Jake a kiss, then moved over to Betsy. You know what a blabbermouth Betsy is. They were whispering, but loud enough we could hear. Roger made a wiseass comment about how that must be how I managed to land Jake.”
Her mother laughed. “You let that get to you? You never let that crap get to you.”
“I was going to brush it off. I did. Jake asked if he should handle it and I told him no. To leave it alone. It’s not a big deal. I went back to get my purse and jacket and when I returned he was having words with them.”
“Oh. Yeah, you wouldn’t care for that.”
“No. I can take care of myself. I don’t need someone to stand up for me or defend me. I know how to handle these situations at work.”
“But this brings me back to what he thinks. Have you talked to him about it? Maybe he feels he has to defend you. He has to be there to protect you. Remember, he’s spent most of his adult life defending and protecting. It can’t be easy to change that mentality.”
She hadn’t thought of that, but then shook her head. “I don’t buy it. We’ve talked a few times about how well I handle myself.”
“Then I wonder if it’s the other thing. That he might feel a bit insecure about your relationship?”
“I wouldn’t know. We’ve never talked about it and he’s never given any indication of that either.”
She’d see it, wouldn’t she? But hadn’t he said a few times he couldn’t commit. That he didn’t know where his future would be. Made comments about her house and how big it was. He was just in his parents’ small garage apartment.
Was she so blind to what her mother was saying?
“So what happened? I’m assuming it got worse.”