“What?” The sounds of debris being shifted stopped.
Oliver laughed. “I’m teaching her to play Angry Birds.”
“Seriously? She’s never played?”
“Seriously.”
“Wow. That’s sad.”
I grimaced. “Just dig us out before my battery runs down, wise guy.”
“Wise guy. That’s harsh.” He sounded almost cheerful. The sounds of people moving building supplies continued.
Another avalanche of dirt fell on us, this one from directly over our heads. A light shone through a gap where the scaffolding floor had previously been hanging over us. A boot appeared on the edge of the metal structure, followed by a face.
A gorgeous face with dark eyes, a dimpled chin, and full lips. I might have kissed him right there if I could have reached him.
He smiled. “There you are.”
I beamed back at him. “Here we are.”
“I’m going to take Oliver first, alright?”
I nodded. “Of course. What do we need to do?”
“I’ll pass a rope harness through to you. Once he’s secure, I’ll take him up.”
He directed me to get the harness right, then I helped Oliver up through the hole, boosting him with my hands and trying like Hades not to move my leg while I did it.
When Oliver was gone, I was stuck alone with only the light of my phone to keep me company. In the distance, I heard a crowd cheer and a woman—Megan, I assumed—sob Oliver’s name. I smiled, knowing the kid was safe.
Then Wyatt was back, his light shining on my face. “I’m going to pull up another plank from the scaffolding so we have room to come up together. Then I’ll come all the way down to get you.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see it. My stomach felt like it was full of worms, and my teeth chattered. Somewhere in my brain, I knew I was going into shock, but the knowledge was detached from me, and I wouldn’t have known what to do about it anyway.
My phone sat loose in the palm of my hand, and the small space spun. I didn’t feel like I was actually there so much as I was watching it in a movie. From the back row.
There was a loud squeal of metal and wood and Wyatt dropped into the space where Oliver had been. “Miss me?” He smiled, but he wasn’t as cheerful as he’d been earlier. “Oh, hell. You’re not okay at all.” He pulled a radio from his belt and said something I didn’t understand.
Everything he said was garbled. A bag attached to a rope came through the hole a minute or a century later. It was hard to tell, since everything was in slow motion.
Wyatt said something else to me. I wasn’t sure what. I reached up and touched the stubble on his jaw. It was as scratchy as I’d expected. But soft. He pulled something from the bag and touched my leg.
Pain shot from my leg up through my entire body, and everything went black.
The next thing I was aware of, I was in Wyatt’s arms at ground level, being handed over to the paramedics. My leg was in a splint.
The last thing I saw as they put me into the ambulance wasn’t Wyatt’s face. It was Oliver’s. And Megan’s. And standing with them, making them look every bit like a family, was Steve from the pet store.
I smiled. In spite of everything, I’d managed to do my job.
Chapter 18
Vanessa was the first person I saw when I woke up hooked to an IV and with my leg in a cast.
“Hey there, sugar snap. How are you feeling?” She hopped up and poured me a glass of water.
“Sore.” I took a sip through the straw she held out. “What happened?”
“Do you remember the accident? You dove in after the kid and shielded him with your body.”
I nodded and my neck and head throbbed. “I remember that. I remember they got him out. Then Wyatt came back for me, and the rest…” I shrugged and regretted it.
“He said you passed out while he was splinting your leg. On top of your leg being broken, you lost a lot of blood from a cut. They think you landed on some kind of blade. It missed the artery, so you were lucky there. It was bad, though. You were in shock. Somehow, you held it all off until the kid was safe. They’re saying you’re a hero.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s ridiculous.” I took another sip of water and swallowed. “So, I guess this is all going into your report?”
She smiled and smoothed the blanket around my good leg. “I convinced you to break the rules and go out without your wings. I got you to interact with people. You left unintended matches intact and didn’t feel the urge to make easy matches when you had the chance. You embraced change, you risked your life, you went out on a date, and you fell in love. You bet I’m writing all this up. You’re my crowning achievement. I expect to get a raise out of this trip.”
“You are a crazy woman.” My words were mumbled, and my eyes felt heavy.
She bent over me, kissed my cheek, and smoothed my hair. “Everybody should have a crazy friend. We can be that for each other.”
I smiled. “My crazy friend.” I fell asleep thinking how nice it was to have a friend, crazy or otherwise.
When I woke again, the shadows in the room had moved and it was evening. Unlike my first try at consciousness, I was starving. Somewhere in the room, people whispered softly. I turned my head and found Oliver and his mom. And Steve.
“Hi.” My voice was croaky, but I was awake enough this time to reach for my glass of water and help myself.
Oliver came to stand beside me and take my hand. His grin was contagious.
Megan and Steve crowded around the other side, and I couldn’t help noticing the protective way he held his palm against her back.
Megan took my other hand, and her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you so much. I don’t have enough words to thank you for saving Oliver.”
I squeezed her hand. “I’m glad I was in the right place at the right time. He’s a really good kid. You’ve done a fantastic job.”
She wiped a tear off her cheek and stared at me so long I grew uncomfortable.
“So, you two know each other? You’re the guy at the pet shop, right?” I knew exactly who Steve was, but I wanted to know what happened between them, and I couldn’t think of how else to do it.
Megan’s cheeks turned pink, and Steve cleared his throat.
Oliver knew what I was trying to find out, and jumped in to save everyone. “Steve was my softball coach last year. Mom didn’t get to meet him because of her job, but she knew who he was. When you and I were stuck, Steve came out of his shop to help, and he and Mom figured out they almost knew each other.” Oliver’s eyes twinkled with amusement. He knew there was more to it than that. He’d been on his way to see who the pet shop guy was. He knew they were meant to be together.
I could see it, too. I may not have had my Cupid pin attached to my hospital gown, but Vanessa was right. I didn’t need to follow protocol or have magic to see when a match was right. Really right.
The new family in the making sat and talked with me while I devoured the turkey dinner the nurse brought me.
The meat was dry, despite the tasteless gravy that had turned to a gel by the time it reached my room. The green beans smelled like the can they’d come from. The mashed potatoes were suspiciously thin and smooth, having likely been made from a box of flakes, and the dollop of margarine on top did them no more favors than it did for the dinner roll that was soggy from sitting in the puddle of juice from the beans. For dessert, the kitchen had included something masquerading as a chocolate brownie, but the texture was all wrong, as if it had been cut out of a huge stack of compressed fruit leather.
I savored every bite of that meal. Apparently, blood loss kept a person from caring what was on the plate, as long as there was plenty of it. At least there hadn’t been any cheese. I wasn’t quite ready for that yet.
“Mom said I could have a baby bunny from Steve’s shop.” Oliver sat on the edge of his chair, arms flailing around with excitement. “We’re going over there tonight to pick one out and ge
t a cage and stuff.”
I smiled. “There’s a gray one that’s really sweet.”
Steve shook his head. “That one’s already taken.”
“Oh.” My heart sank. I couldn’t believe how sad I was that someone had already taken my bunny home.
“What are you going to name him?” Oliver grinned at me.
“Me?”
“Yeah.” Steve leaned forward and rested his forearms on his legs. “It’s the least I can do for a hero. Oliver can take care of him for you until you’re ready to take him home.”
I didn’t know what to say. “I’ve never…I don’t know how to take care of him.”
“I’ll teach you.” Wyatt appeared in the doorway holding an enormous bouquet of white roses. “I used to have a rabbit when I was a kid.”
I felt Oliver and the adults shifting around me, but I didn’t look to see what they were doing. All my attention was for the gorgeous fireman in my hospital room.
“Well, we’ve got stuff to do, and you’re probably tired.” Megan stood, dragging Steve with her. “We’ll come see you tomorrow. Get some rest!”
I may have said goodbye to them. I wasn’t sure.
Wyatt came in and handed me the flowers.
“They’re so beautiful. Thank you.” I buried my face in the pristine buds and inhaled, then twisted to put them on the table next to the bed.
“Here.” He took them back. “Let me.” He moved them across the room on another table. “That way you can see them.”
I smiled up at him. “So…thanks for rescuing me.” I didn’t know what else to say. He smelled incredible. He was gorgeous, heroic, and kind. But his shirt was untucked, he had stubble on his face, and his shop had been in total disarray.
In other words, nothing like me. Or, at least, nothing like I was.
“Thanks for not running away so I could do it. I’ve been trying to figure out how to find you since the first day I met you. Every time I saw you again, you ran off while I was still trying to figure out what to say.”
I felt my cheeks get hot. “Really?”
He nodded and pulled a chair close to me. “And you scared the hell out of me when you lost consciousness.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For which part? Running away or scaring me?” He took my hand in both of his. “Because I don’t want you to do either of those anymore.” He stroked the back of my hand with his fingertips and sent goosebumps up my arms.
“Okay.”
“Okay to which one?” He pressed his lips to my fingers and I shivered.
“Okay, I promise not to run away. I can’t promise not to scare you, though. Sometimes…sometimes I can be kind of spontaneous. And sometimes I break the rules.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.” He moved closer.
“Are you sure? Because I’m kind of new at it.”
“Nope. There’s nothing wrong with that at all.”
He kissed me, gently at first, then with more urgency. I raised my arms and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him closer to return the kiss with as much fervor.
As I sank into him, an echo of Vanessa’s voice whispered in my head. She’d said I’d fallen in love. How could she have known before I did?
Wyatt pulled back, ending the kiss. He pressed his forehead against mine, looking into my eyes. “You don’t volunteer at the station, do you?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“And you don’t work at Oliver’s school.”
Again, I shook my head. “I do not.”
“I have a feeling you won’t tell me if I ask.”
“Correct.”
He held my face in his hands and kissed me again, then sat back in his chair, his eyes bright with emotion. “There’s something so magical about you. When you’re around, I can’t help but think something special is about to happen.”
I smiled. “Anything can happen if you let it.”
More DF&R Kindle World Stories
Check out the rest of the books in the Dallas Fire & Rescue Kindle World here!
Paige Tyler's Dallas Fire & Rescue Kindle World
If you loved Emergency Cupid , explore the rest of my Mt. Olympus Employment Agency series here!
The Mount Olympus Employment Agency Series
Unfinished Muse , Book 1
Unamused Muse , Book 2
Uninspired Muse , Book 3 (2016)
The Undercover Gorgon Miniseries
“Episode 0 – Becoming”
“Episode 1 – Witches War”
“Episode 2 – Lost and Found”
Other Works by R.L. Naquin
Published by Bottle Cap Publishing:
Transmonstrified (short story collection)
Published by Carina Press:
Monster Haven Series
Monster in My Closet , Book 1
Pooka in My Pantry , Book 2
Fairies in My Fireplace , Book 3
Golem in My Glovebox , Book 4
Demons in My Driveway , Book 5
Phoenix in My Fortune , Book 6
Djinn Haven Series
To Catch a Stolen Soul , Book 1
About R.L. Naquin
Rachel writes stories that drop average people into magical situations filled with heart and quirky humor.
She believes in pixie dust, the power of love, good cheese, lucky socks, and putting things off until the last minute. Her home is Disneyland, despite her current location in Kansas. Rachel has one husband, two grown kids, and a crazy-catlady starter kit.
Hang out with her online:
Web: www.rlnaquin.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rlnaquin
Twitter: www.twitter.com/rlnaquin
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Dallas Fire & Rescue: Emergency Cupid (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Mt. Olympus Employment Agency: Cupid Book 1) Page 8