Nope.
I’d rather be alone with my heart intact than with someone who has an expiration date.
Banging on the partition pulls me out of my thoughts.
“He’s coding! What’s our ETA?”
“Two minutes. Do everything you can, Salem, I’ll speed up!”
“Fuck!”
I can see the hospital from here but there are two lights before I can make it and if these fuckers don’t move, it’ll literally be the difference between life and death. What about lights and sirens do people not understand?
I’m rounding the curve at the entrance of the ER when Salem yells out that our patient is stable and I can breathe all over again.
I jump out of my seat and run to the back, opening both doors just as three doctors join me with their stretcher.
“Male, late forties, early fifties, found unresponsive at the scene. Shallow breathing, weak pulse. Track marks visible on his arms. Foamy, clear vomit found at the scene. Vomited again when he regained consciousness.” I pause, looking at Salem, who’s running along with me as they rush him to an ER bed. This is her part.
“He went into cardiac arrest on arrival. No pulse, no breathing, but came back with cardiac massage.” She rattles off the man’s latest vitals and as I watch her, I have a moment of pride. She was alone in the back and she did a great job. Our patient is alive and that’s all that counts.
“Thanks, guys. We’ll take it from here. Good job!” I grin down at Salem and notice she’s crying.
“Welcome to the roller coaster. You did great!” My words have the desired effect because she straightens her spine and looks up at me with a wobbly smile.
“Yeah, we got him here alive, and that’s all that matters.” She repeats my words back to me, ones I’ve said over and over since the first day she got to the station.
I guess I’m a good teacher after all.
“Damn, Holt, that paella is fucking lit!” I grin up at my colleague and firefighter, Bryson, from the station. After Ryan—who had an unhealthy obsession with Mac and a tendency of working with criminals—was fired, Bryson put in his papers asking for this house. Except for the Ryan drama, it’s always been in high demand.
“Thanks. The secret’s in not overloading it so the ingredients have the space to shine.” I don’t know why I’m giving him the speech but I’m fucking exhausted. After a twenty-hour shift that, thankfully, kept my mind busy the whole time, I’m too tired for a filter.
“Well, whatever it was, it worked. Thanks for sharing, man.”
My smile is real because the compliment sounds sincere. Everyone here is so used to my cooking that no one even mentions it anymore. Guess this is the advantage of having new blood at the station.
“You’re welcome.”
Bryson shakes his head and hooks his thumb over his shoulder as he backs away. “I’ll be on my way.”
I frown at the weird attitude, but I’m distracted from my confusion as Salem skips in. Actually…skips. Ah, to be young and flexible.
“I’m off to sleep, my bed has been calling my name ever since our last call.” I grin up at her as she yawns big and wide and I can feel the stretch of my lips over my teeth and yup…her yawn has gone viral.
“Rest well and I’ll see you on Wednesday.” The regular twelve-hour shift team has arrived and I’m ready to head out by the time I remember I have to call Mac back.
Fishing out my phone, I lean against my locker and close my eyes.
“It’s about lickin’ time!” Oh, good God, she needs to stop with the fake cursing. Isn’t it all about the intent?
“Gross.”
“What’s gross?”
I’m about to answer her when I hear Gryffin babble and my heart swells. I fucking love that kid. He’s perfect and, of course, I’m his favorite uncle, probably because all of Psycho’s club brothers smell like weed or sex…or both.
“Lickin’? Really? You think that’s better than the actual word you want to use?” Standing, I walk out the main entrance and head straight to my car at the far end of the parking lot.