I Am Yours (Heartbeat #3) (18 page)

I rub his backside with the heel of my foot, coaxing him along, and that does it. I feel his release as his arms give out and he falls on top of me, pinning me beneath him. I laugh as he gasps for air, his hair tickling my skin as he rapidly breathes in and out. “God, what you do to me, Jada,” he admonishes, his face resting against my chest.

I lazily play with his hair as he catches his breath. He’s still within me. I don’t want to let him go. It’s where he belongs. Allowing my fingers access to roam, I let them linger on the side of his ribs as they expand and contract. At this moment, we’re so alive, so present.

“Why don’t we continue this in the shower?” he utters between my breasts.

Man, life doesn’t get any better than this.

“And this time,” he continues, picking me up off the table, “we’re not in that roadside motel, and I don’t intend to jerk off to you behind some bathroom door, knowing that you’re listening on the other side.” I blush even though we’re both already naked. “This time, I want you in there with me.” Cradling me in his arms, he carries me down the hall and up the stairs.

I was wrong. Life can get even better than this.

Chapter Twenty-Six
Adam

Six months later

“Hit the siren, babe,” I yell from the driver’s seat, placing the receiver on top of the comm unit.

“You got it,” Jada replies, getting in the ambulance and flicking the switch. I punch the gas and swerve into the oncoming traffic.

It’s good to be working as a team again. When I was reinstated from my suspension after Christmas, Jada was ballsy enough to call a meeting with Talbot, asking our boss if we could partner up again. She laid it all out on the table, saying that she felt like a third wheel on Charlie and Tommy’s rig and that she felt obligated to monitor my progress in order to keep me on the right track. She explained how much I needed someone to support my recovery so I wouldn’t stumble on my way back to sobriety. Talbot, a member of Alcoholics Anonymous himself, understood the whole sponsorship concept and readily bought into her argument.

Now I’ve been back a little over a month, and it’s like I never left. I missed it more than I thought I would, and I’m determined not to screw things up again. There’s too much at stake for me to be thinking only of myself. I owe it to Jada to prove that I’m worthy of her trust. She has stuck her neck out for me time and again, and I refuse to let her down. She’s too important to me.

“It’s a car accident. Female victim, age eighteen.” I can hardly stomach the details of the call, let alone say them.

“Are you all right?” Jada keeps her eyes straight ahead, but I can hear the note of concern in her voice.

“It was going to happen eventually, right?” I shrug, gripping the wheel. “Might as well face it now.”

“Where’s it at?” She holds on to the strap of her seatbelt as I increase our speed.

“The death trap,” I respond, referring to the tricky highway entrance that has already claimed so many lives.

“You’re kidding.” she mutters.

“I wish I were.” I floor it as cars start to pull over, allowing me to pass.

“We’re ten minutes away from the end of our shift. We can always bow out.” I feel the intensity of her gaze upon me.

“We’re closest to the scene. It’d take too long for someone else to get there.” I’m all business even though my hands are starting to shake.

“Do you want me to run lead on this one?” Her hand is on my arm, and I take a quick glance into the depth of her brown eyes in order to restore my courage.

“Nah, I got it. I’m supposed to be teaching you, remember?” I try to sound upbeat, but I’m too tense.

“It’s okay, Adam. I’ve got your back.” She slides her hand up my arm, giving my shoulder a squeeze. I’m not wearing the jacket to my paramedic uniform even though there’s more than a nip in the frigid February air. I like my arms free when I work, and I also like feeling the warmth of Jada’s touch against my skin.

“I couldn’t do it without you. You know that, right?” Ever since she moved into my apartment, I try to tell her every day just how much she means to me.

“Of course I do. You’d be nothing but a skinny white boy without me.” My muscles begin to relax as she teases me.

“You’d better believe it, mama.” I even manage a smile as we approach.

Even from a mile away, a plume of smoke is visible, billowing beneath the dented hood of a car. The air bag is deployed, and long strands of hair are puffed over the sides. There’s a dead deer sprawled about fifty feet away, undoubtedly the cause of the accident.

“Oh God, she even has red hair, just like…” Jada groans. The name Katie is on the tip of her tongue, but she doesn’t say it. What’s the point of commenting on the inevitable?

Swinging the ambulance around, I cross the grass median that straddles the highway in order to drive parallel to the southbound lanes where the crash occurred. For the first time, we get a good look at the victim whose head is enveloped by the airbag. She’s not moving.

Hitting the brakes, Jada turns off the siren and runs to the back of the rig for the stretcher while I exit the cab and rush toward the victim. I don’t need to tell Jada what to do—she already knows. She’s well-trained and in sync with whatever the situation calls for. She’s familiar with protocol and in tandem with me in the field. We’ve hit that groove where we don’t even have to communicate what we need; we just anticipate each other’s moves.

I approach the wrecked vehicle and try the door handle. Surprisingly it opens, but the girl is wedged between the seat and the wheel, held firmly in place by the seatbelt. The front of the car is mangled and the windshield is cracked, but the interior appears to have remained somewhat intact. Boy, is she lucky.

Hitting the button, I release the seatbelt, but she’s still trapped behind the airbag. Riffling for the pocket knife on my keychain, I puncture the airbag, deflating it with a single jab. The girl falls forward just as Jada arrives with the stretcher. She’s bleeding from a cut on her head, but she’s breathing on her own and that’s a good sign. Jada hands me the neck brace and I lift the girl’s head, fastening it under her chin.

She’s not fully conscious but she moans when I move her. Draping her arm around my neck, I slip my arms under her legs and gently pull her out. Jada positions the stretcher directly behind me and I ease the girl onto it, straightening her knees. Jada’s already taking her pulse as we start wheeling her back to the ambulance.

There is a car parked along the shoulder of the road with a man and woman standing outside of it. They’re probably the ones who called in the crash. The man yells out, “Is she alive?” I nod my head in their direction but keep moving. The sooner we can get her to the hospital, the better.

“There are the classic signs of a concussion, but I don’t know if there’s any internal bleeding. We’re about fifteen minutes out from General. I’ll do what I can for her in the back until we get there, but drive fast.” Jada jumps in as we hoist the stretcher into the rig. “You didn’t see anyone else in the car, did you?”

“Let me do a quick sweep, just in case.” I slam the doors shut, sealing Jada and the girl inside.

Jogging back, I peer through the rear windows, and that’s when I see him—a Cocker Spaniel staring up at me from the floor of the back seat. Throwing open the door, I reach in and grab him, tossing him like a football under my arm, his tail thumping excitedly against my back.

Climbing into the ambulance, I place him next to me in Jada’s vacated seat and hit the lights and siren. I’m already starting to pull away from the scene as I reach for the comm, radioing in our estimated time of arrival and the girl’s condition.

A million thoughts are racing through my head as I speed down this all too familiar route. How many times have I driven down this road only to lose the patient being treated in the back? This stretch of highway has already taken too many lives. I’m determined to save this one. I refuse to have another Katie Turner on my hands. This time, it’s going to be different. This time, she’s not going to die. Not on my watch.

The exit signs whip past as we close in on the hospital. My heart is thudding within my chest and adrenaline flows through me. Until I met Jada, this is when I felt most alive—when someone’s life was in my hands and it was up to me to make sure they survived. But now I know that’s not all there is to life. There’s so much more. Whether I fail or succeed on the job, my world isn’t going to fall apart around me. I have a rock to hold on to now, someone to keep me afloat whenever I feel like I’m going to drown. I can give it my all and try my best, but that’s all I can do—no more, no less. I’m just a twenty-year-old guy driving an ambulance. I don’t have the kind of power to change the course of destiny.

I coast through a succession of red lights as General looms ahead. I can see the doctor and his staff waiting through the sliding glass door. Rounding the corner, I pull into the unloading dock and they rush out to meet me. The whole time, Jada and I haven’t said a word to each other. She’s been methodically working, intently focused on the patient. The heart rate monitor is beeping steadily and the girl’s pulse seems to be evening out as they lower her out of the ambulance and through the emergency entrance.

Jada waits for me as she hops out of the rig. We follow in their wake, bringing the clipboards containing the necessary paperwork with us. The automatic door opens and we march through, following the twisting corridors until we reach the main desk.

Charlie is there, along with Tommy, as they shoot the breeze with one of the nurses. “Hey, was that your call that just came in?” Charlie yells to us.

“Yeah,” Jada answers back, greeting him with a tense smile. “What do you think?”

“I think you saved another one, kid,” Charlie says, patting her on the back, making me realize that these types of calls must be hard on her too, no doubt reminding her of what happened to her friend from high school. Charlie is surely cognizant of the fact. He was the one who pried them both out of that totaled car, inspiring Jada to become a paramedic.

Charlie’s reaction to Jada serves as a reminder that everything in life doesn’t revolve around me. Jada needs my support, too. I have to strive to be more aware of that and work on curbing my selfishness. I want to be there for her, just like she’s there for me.

“Did you hear Suzanne ran off with Chuck?” Tommy asks in that quiet yet jaw-dropping way of his.

“What?” Jada and I ask in unison.

“Yep, Talbot bought the little bastard out. Chuck’s father was his partner before he died, and Chuck inherited his daddy’s share of the business. Talbot got sick of dealing with his shit and sent him packing. Chuck was only too happy to take the money and run. When Suzanne heard he’d received a windfall, she jumped all over it. He even invited her to go to Hawaii with him.” Tommy takes a breath, and no wonder—this has to be the longest speech he’s ever given in his life. “Chuck came in here acting like a big shot, trying to impress her. He probably thought she’d never take him up on his offer. Was he surprised when she said yes! I give it a year before they blow through his money and end up back here begging for their old jobs back.”

“Ha, stranger things have happened,” Charlie chuckles, smiling as I lace my fingers through Jada’s.

“Is this someone’s dog?” one of the orderlies asks as my four-legged passenger saunters into the room.

“Oh yeah, he was in the victim’s car. We can watch him until her family gets here.” I step forward, scooping the dog into my arms. “I didn’t even see you jump out, little fella. You must have hopped over the seat and out the back when I wasn’t looking.”

“Is your shift over?” Charlie asks, eyeing the clock.

“Yeah, but I guess we’ll stick around until someone shows up to claim him. That way we’ll be able to keep tabs on the girl’s condition, too.” Jada pets the dog’s head as he tries to lick her fingers.

“Well, have a good night. We’re heading back out,” Tommy says, zipping up his coat.

“There’s nothing more romantic than a call that goes right.” Charlie winks at us as he follows his partner out the door.

“You can say that again,” Jada exclaims as we stroll down the hall that leads to the waiting room, her hand still in mine.

“You do know what today is, right?” I glance down at her as she looks up at me.

“I thought you forgot,” she laughs. “So I didn’t want to say anything.”

“Jada, how could I forget Valentine’s Day when I have someone like you to spend it with?” I playfully nudge her shoulder as we walk side by side.

“After a twelve hour shift, I’m beat. I hope you didn’t make any dinner plans.” Her eyes are full of mirth, despite how exhausted she is.

“Well, it looks like we might be here for a while anyway. You know what a sucker I am when it comes to a furry face.” As if on cue, the dog lifts his head and nuzzles my chin.

“What? No roses? No chocolate? You’ve got nothing up your sleeve to impress me with, O’Malley?” Jada’s trying to be jovial, but I can tell she thinks I’m going to disappoint her again. Thank God I came prepared.

“Hmm…why don’t you pull that envelope out of my back pocket then?” I turn and face the wall, momentarily startled when Jada pinches my ass before retrieving it.

“Please tell me this isn’t one of those free makeover coupons Simone’s been handing out.” I can sense Jada’s wariness as she opens it.

“Nah, I think it’s something a little better than that.” I watch her face as she realizes what she’s holding in her hands.

“Holy shit, Adam! Two plane tickets to California and a hotel reservation in your name?” Her voice is quivering with excitement. “You can’t be serious.”

“There’s nothing I want more than to take you out on my surfboard.” I cradle her upturned face with my hand. “Beyond the shore, beyond the waves, where we can be alone, just the two of us.”

“Are you sure you’re up for something like that?” She examines me closely, looking for any sign of hesitation. “It can’t be easy for you to go back there and revisit your lifeguarding days.”

“But it’s more than that, Jada,” I reassure her. The last thing I anticipated was having my gift to her turn into a pity party for me. But that’s Jada—always putting my needs ahead of her own. “I want to share a place with you where I feel whole and at peace. There’s nowhere else like it in the world.”

“Not even in cold and snowy Pennsylvania?” She smiles up at me.

“Not even here.” I bend down, pressing my forehead to hers.

“Man, you really went all out. I only bought you a new pack of hair ties and a jumbo-size box of condoms.” She shrugs unapologetically.

“You didn’t.” I tickle her nose with mine.

“I sure did,” she proclaims proudly.

“Jada, there’s something I have to tell you.” I take a step back, and the dog whimpers plaintively against my chest.

“Oh no, Adam. Do I really want to hear this?” she questions, crossing her arms in front of her.

“I don’t think you do,” I admit bravely.

“What did you do now?” she asks like I’m the petulant child in this relationship.

“I went to see Simone on our lunch break to get you one of her certificates as a gag gift, but she was all out of them.” I take a deep breath, unsure of how Jada’s going to react. “But when I told her what I really got you, she thought my hair could use some shaping up…”