Finding Chris Evans: The 9-1-1 Edition (9 page)

Jase frowned. “Why?”

“Because we wanted to kiss,” she told him. They had kissed. Along with the talking.

Jase’s nose wrinkled. “Ew. You were kissing?”

Britt nodded. “We were. Like this.” She took the front of Chris’ shirt in her fist and pulled him down. He came willingly, kissing her deeply in spite of their young audience.

“Gross! Okay, stop!” Nathan said.

Chris lifted his head, grinning down at her. “I promise, you guys, someday you’re going to think our idea to hide was the best one anyone’s had all day.”

“Ugh,” Jase said.

“And I could kiss your Aunt Britt all night,” Chris said.

The boys groaned and then ran off, clearly worried about having to witness more of that.

Britt grinned up at Chris. “Thanks for today.”

He moved to face her fully, his hands on her hips. “Of course. It’s been fun.”

“Fun looks good on you.”

“Then I should probably keep hanging out with you. I haven’t really had fun like this in…maybe forever.”

Her heart tripped at that. Keep hanging out? As in, he wanted to keep seeing her? “Chris, I—”

Suddenly their pagers both went off. They looked at one another, then down at their pagers.

“I’m being called in,” Britt said.

Chris nodded. “Looks like the other crews are out.” Chris wasn’t being called in, but as the crew leader, he was informed of where all the crews were when calls came in.

“So, I’ll…” She looked around. “Can I…take your truck?”

Chris had driven them to the party, and she’d hoped that meant that he’d stick around at her place when he took her home.

“I’m coming with you.”

She met his eyes. “Really?” She wasn’t actually surprised.

“Yep.” There was no teasing in his expression.

“Then let’s go.” She started for the front of the Zone at a jog.

Chapter Six

“Got a call!” she yelled to her mom and brothers. “I’ll see you later! I love you!” Thankfully, her family was used to her having to leave in the middle of things. They didn’t like it, but they were used to it.

And they’d made it through the party without anyone knowing about her thumb. Wow, she almost couldn’t believe it. The joint ached, but not only was it worth not worrying her mother, but it had definitely been fun having Chris glued to her side and so attentive all day.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up outside the address they’d been sent to. It was a gas station in a not-so-nice part of town. Cops were already on scene, but Britt and Chris were the first paramedics. It didn’t surprise her a bit that Chris had an EMT bag in his truck. It wasn’t uncommon for him to get called in on big scenes or to even just show up to help and, of course, he would always be prepared for anything.

He grabbed the bag and they headed toward the Chief of Police.

“What’s up, Gary?” Chris asked.

“There’s a guy holed up inside with a gun and his two kids,” the Chief said. “He kidnapped them from their mom two days ago. The little boy is diabetic and has been without his insulin. Dad doesn’t know how to take care of him, but he also won’t let us in there because he’s afraid he’s going to be arrested.”

Chris swore under his breath. “Is he going to be arrested?” Chris asked.

“Oh, yeah.”

Britt took the bag from Chris and dropped it on the ground. She rummaged inside as the men continued to talk.

“So it’s just the guy and his kids inside?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, he made everyone else leave.”

“Well, there’s that.”

Gary nodded. “Yep, there’s that.”

“We need to get in there,” Chris said. “Like right now.”

“We need five minutes,” Gary said. “I’ve got guys suiting up.”

Britt grabbed what she needed from the bag and started across the parking lot. They couldn’t go storming in there with a bunch of cops in bullet-proof vests. This was a dad. He had a sick kid and he was panicking. The best move was for her to go in alone. She didn’t look intimidating. She was a small woman in blue jeans and a T-shirt. Totally nonthreatening. She worked with kids at the Fun Zone every day. Maybe she could even project some nurturing vibe here. The guy just wanted to help his kid. He wasn’t going to shoot her. At least, she really hoped not.

“You think he’s a danger to the kids?” she heard Chris asked.

She didn’t hear Gary’s answer. She did, however, hear Chris bellow at her when he realized she was heading for the building.

“Britt! Get your ass back here!”

She started jogging, but looked over her shoulder. “I’ve got this!”

Chris started after her, his long legs eating up the distance quickly.

He grabbed the back of her jeans a minute later and jerked her to a stop. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Someone has to get in there,” she told him, struggling against his hold. “Let me go! I’m fine!”

“The guy has a gun, Britt! You can’t go in there until the cops are ready!” He hauled her up against his body and turned, dragging her to the nearest car and pressing her against the side.

She knew what he said made sense. She knew this was a risk. But this was the job she’d signed up for. “Chris, dammit, we have to get in there. That kid is in trouble.”

“I know. Just give the cops a second—”

She pushed against him and he tightened his hold.

“They’re going to spook him! What if he takes off out the back with the kid? What if he shoots someone out here?”

“What if he shoots
you
?” Chris asked, shaking her slightly.

“He’s not going to shoot me, Chris. I’ve got this.”

“Don’t do this to me.” His voice was ragged now. “Please. You have to stop this. You have to take care of yourself.”

She shook her head, tears welling up. “I have to do my job.”

“I can’t… I
love
you, Britt. I need you to be safe.”

She stared at him, her heart thundering in her chest. It was a combination of adrenaline and anger and…shock. “You
love
me? This is how you tell me? Or is this just another way to get me to listen to you?”

“No! I…” He dragged his hand through his hair. “I love you. And I can’t let you go charging into a situation where you’ll be in danger.”

She shoved him hard. He stepped back, frowning deeply.

“The bossy thing is in bed only,” she reminded him.

He shook his head. “I might have lied about that.”

Yeah. “You need to
trust me
to do this and to be smart.”

He stared at her, breathing hard. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Then, this isn’t going to work.” That broke her heart, but it was true. Chris was protective. That was nice. Being taken care of at home was wonderful. But if she couldn’t have him and the job then…she had to make a choice.

She took a deep breath and said, “Okay. I love you too.” Then she turned and started toward the cops standing in a cluster, donning bullet-proof jackets and helmets. They looked like a battalion of soldiers ready to storm the enemy. That wasn’t good.

“Do you have a jacket I can wear?” she asked Gary.

He hesitated for a moment, then he nodded. “For both of you. And I need you to take a walkie.”

“Both of us?” she repeated. Then she felt Chris come up behind her.

“Yes, both of us.” His face was grim when she looked back at him, but he took one of the jackets offered and started to put it on.

Her heart thudded against her chest. “Chris, you can’t—”

“If you’re going in, I’m going in,” he said firmly. “I’ll let you take the lead. You do the talking. But I’m going with you.”

For a moment, her mouth went dry and her palms got wet. Taking this risk for herself was scary, but the idea of Chris going in where a guy was waving a gun around—yeah, that was a different story. And she suddenly understood where he was coming from.

“You know we can’t wait and you know we can’t have these guys go in—”

“Yes, you’re right on that call. We have to get in there. But no one goes in alone and you go in safe.” He swallowed and finally met her gaze. “Or as safe as you can be.”

Britt just nodded. A minute later they both had vests on, Britt had the glucose monitor from the bag and Chris carried the walkie-talkie so he could communicate with the cops as needed.

They started for the front of the store. Britt’s heart was pounding, but she forced herself to focus. She needed to do this job and she needed to do it well and
now
.

She held her hands up as she approached the door and saw the man just on the other side of the glass. Chris did the same, showing the walkie-talkie and nothing else in his hands.

“What do you want?” the man yelled through thick glass.

“My name is Brittney. This is Chris,” she told him. “We’re paramedics. We’re here to help your son, sir.”

She saw the man frown and realized that he didn’t really understand how serious this situation was. If he wasn’t a custodial parent, it was very possible he had no idea how to handle a hyperglycemic event.

“You’re not a cop?” he asked.

“I’m not.”

“I took my kids because—”

“I don’t care,” she interrupted. “I’m here to help your son. Period. It doesn’t matter to me why you have him or what you’re doing here or what happens after he’s okay. I’m just here to make him okay.”

The man glanced back behind him, then back to her. “I don’t want to lose him.”

“If he doesn’t get treated right away, you’re going to lose him. For good,” she said bluntly. “He’s going to die. How about we deal with that first and the other crap later?”

The man nodded.

“So, here.” She squatted by the door and put the glucose monitor down, then stepped back.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Britt—” Chris started.

“You don’t have to let me inside,” she told the man. “Just prick his finger and tell us the number.”

“I—” The man looked over his shoulder again.

Britt got right up at the door. She could feel the tension pouring off of Chris but he didn’t stop her or speak. But just having him there was distracting. Not only was she worried about him and what this guy might do, but she hated how clearly worried Chris was about her. This was a mess. Neither of them could be this distracted on the job. Especially in high stakes’ situations like this.

“Look,” she said firmly to the man, concentrating on what they were there for. “You have to do it or you have to let me. I’m not kidding. You have to do it now.”

The man looked down at the monitor, then over his shoulder again. Then he turned the lock on the door and pushed it open. “Okay, you can come in.”

Just then she heard the wailing of an ambulance siren coming closer and she almost wilted with relief. “The ambulance is here. Let me get some more supplies,” she told the man.

He scowled at her. “No.”

“This monitor is only going to tell me his sugar levels,” she said, trying to be patient. “We’re going to need more than that to actually help him.” She’d been praying the ambulance would get there before she went in, but getting inside with the kid was the first priority. She could talk the man down once inside. Or take him down, if needed. Whatever it took to get the kid the help he needed. But someone needed to be on the other side of this door with the boy before anyone could do him any good.

“He can go,” the man said, tipping his chin toward Chris. “You stay,” he told her.

She glanced back at Chris. He looked enraged and she knew he was about to tell the man he could fuck off. “Good idea,” she said, willing Chris to trust her. “You go get what we need. I’ll stay here.” It was a sign to the man that they were here to help. She was aware, in the back of her mind, that she was about to essentially become a hostage, but she pushed that away and gave Chris a smile. “Hurry.”

Chris visibly gritted his teeth. He stared the other man down. “This door stays open until I get back.”

The man didn’t respond, but Chris gave him a final scowl, then turned on his heel and sprinted for the ambulance, barking orders to the paramedics who had just pulled up. Britt watched him, her heart in her throat, but he was back in under two minutes.

“Let’s go,” he said, stalking toward the door.

The man moved to block his way. “Give her the stuff.”

Chris glared at him. “No.”

“I’m only letting her in,” the man insisted.

“No,” Chris said in the voice that clearly said he was done messing around. “Both of us. Or neither of us.”

Britt felt chills skitter down her spine. If the man said neither of them, that little boy was going to die. He was likely in ketoacidosis and the longer it took to stabilize him, the more danger he was in. She had to tamp down the urge to lunge forward, grab the stuff from Chris and sprint to the kid. But she resisted. Chris had come this far with her, she wasn’t leaving him behind. She had to trust him too. Chris wouldn’t gamble with the little boy’s life unless he was damned sure of the outcome.

The two men stared at one another for several, excruciatingly long seconds. Finally the man said, “Fine.”

Britt stepped forward and the man gave Chris only enough room to get past the door before he swung it shut and locked it again. “Over here.” He led them to the second aisle from the door behind the shelves of chips and snack cakes.

A little boy was sitting on the floor with a girl next to him. Britt gave the girl a smile, but she didn’t return it. Britt turned her attention on her patient. He was pale, with dark circles under his eyes. Britt knelt beside him, checking his breathing and pulse.

“I’m thirsty,” he whined softly and Britt caught the sweet smell of his breath that indicated ketoacidosis.

“How old are you?” she asked him.

“Four.”

“You just stay right there,” the man suddenly barked.

Britt looked up to find Chris standing at the end of the aisle, the man’s gun pointed at his chest. Her heart stopped for a moment, and she realized she’d never known true terror before right then. Even the worst shot in the world could hit Chris across the ten feet that separated them.

Their eyes met for a moment. Chris looked confident. And he was truly putting his full trust, and his life, in her in this moment. If things went bad for the kid, things would go bad for her and Chris too.