My Calling (2 page)

Annie nods, showing her appreciation to Saylor for understanding her predicament. I stifle the urge to burst out laughing at the fact that Annie’s parents actually named her that. It’s not really that difficult to keep from laughing, I don’t do it frequently. Unlike Saylor who is now giggling hysterically at Calvin, a preppy boy with his hair slicked back… and his arm around her chair. I polish off my beer, setting it on the table and leaning forward so I can pay closer attention to the two of them.

Saylor elbows Calvin gently and shakes her head with a smile. “Mr. Brown was not that bad, he was just a little confused on how many of the blue pills to take.”

Calvin got paired up with Saylor and their first call of the day was Mr. Brown, an elderly gentleman who took one too many Viagras. I can’t say I’m sorry I missed that. Meanwhile, I was stuck with Annie who gagged every time she saw blood, which as one can imagine is quite often in this line of work. The entire day I spent cursing Saylor for getting me into this while wondering what she was doing. It’s an ugly game of hate-love with her, it always has been.

“Too bad we didn’t get the chainsaw accident. I heard you kept your cool pretty well?” Saylor looks directly at me with her piercing blue eyes as she asks me about my cool, making it clear that she’s not making a statement, but requesting affirmation. It’s her thing to end a statement with a question, she’s done it for as long as I’ve known her.

Shrugging, I stand up for a quick exit so I don’t get roped into the conversation and have to replay the entire situation. Poor Annie couldn’t handle it live so who knows what she’ll do if we have to relive it. While I see Saylor every day, I also make it a point to not talk to her.

“Anyone need another drink?” I nod toward the bar as I turn to make my getaway.

“If you’re buying, I’ll take another Bud and how about another daiquiri for my partner?” Calvin keeps his eyes on Saylor as he gives me his order. His finger runs down her cheek and Saylor giggles like a schoolgirl. I’m suddenly feeling like Annie and wanting to barf at his sickening display of flirting but Saylor is eating his shit up. When will she ever realize that she’s too good for guys like him?

Saylor

The grizzly, bearded medic who I ran into on my way to work disappears in the crowd to get more drinks. He guards his dark eyes, barely making eye contact, and refusing to say too much. There’s something mysterious about him and the fact that my big blue eyes and bright red pouty lips don’t draw him in kind of annoys me. Then there’s Calvin, he talks a lot, thinks he knows everything, and if he doesn’t watch his hand on my leg, he might have a few broken fingers before the night is over. All the men aside, I’m still flying high from my first day at work. The job was everything I expected and so much more.

Calvin’s breath is warm on my ear as he leans in close and whispers, “What do you say we go back to my place after these drinks for a little first day celebration?”

I almost gag at his beer breath but I force a smile. “We’ll see.”

His hand starts to travel north on my thigh and I jump up quickly. I sneak through the crowd until I find myself behind the broody paramedic. Tapping his shoulder, I wait for him to turn around. When he does, I smile at the look of shock on his face.

“Virgin!” I yell over the noise around us.

Bearded Man narrows his eyes. “What?” he shouts back.

“Virgin!” I repeat, pointing to the bar.

He shakes his head, still not comprehending what I’m saying. I take a step closer to him so he can hear me better. Lightly, I touch my hands to his shoulders so I can push up on my tippy toes to be closer to his ear. The second my hands touch him, his body tenses up and I narrow my eyes, confused at his response. Does this man, twice my size, seriously think I’m a threat to him?

I shake my head and repeat for a third time, “Virgin.”

The music stops and Bearded Man’s voice booms above the crowd as he finally understands what I’m saying. “Virgin?”

The people around us stop and stare while his face turns as red as a lobster beneath his beard. I begin to giggle, dropping my head against his chest but he quickly shrugs me off. The music starts up and he turns back to the bar. This time, I’m able to squeeze myself between him and the person beside him.

“Make my drink a virgin,” I explain, trying to control my laughter.

“Yeah, I know,” he mutters, waving his hand at the bartender.

Now it’s my turn to furrow my eyebrows. “How did you know I don’t drink?”

He hesitates then halfway glances at me before looking back to the bartender and placing our orders. His head still forward, he answers, “I heard you order the first time. Virgin strawberry daiquiri.”

My bright red lips are pursed together, pondering his observation skills when someone behind us shoves me into him. He moves his arm around my waist quickly but still doesn’t look in my direction. I reach up and take his chin in my fingers, turning his head toward me.

“What’s your name?”

His dark eyes finally take note of my baby blues but he doesn’t answer right away. I smirk, happy that he finally is taking notice of me. It doesn’t last long though. He jerks his chin away and grabs the drinks then starts the walk back to our table.

“Hey!” I call after him, staying on his tail and grabbing the hem of his black shirt at one point so we don’t get separated.

Now at the table, he distributes the drinks then turns to me with my red cup of deliciousness and an umbrella on top. “Beck.”

Scrunching up my nose, I shake my head and smile as I retort, “What kind of name is Beck?”

He stares at me stone faced and replies, “What the hell kind of name is Saylor?”

My smile disappears and my jaw drops open. I think his face is trying to smile but it’s so awkward I can’t tell. Either way Beck does something weird with his lips and places his rough finger under my chin, lifting my jaw up.

“Careful what you say, sweetheart.”

My heart races as does my mind. Who is this Beck and why does the think he can get away with calling me sweetheart?

CHAPTER 3

Saylor

It’s been one week on the job and I’m still loving every minute of it. Well, every minute that doesn’t involve Calvin trying to hit on me. Other than that, it’s a different adventure each shift and while I haven’t exactly seen anything super crazy, I can feel it in my bones that any day now will be the call that will liven things up.

“Hey, baby, what do you want for lunch?” Calvin asks, leaned back in the driver’s seat of the ambulance like he’s some sort of gangster.

I avert my eyes out the window so he doesn’t see me rolling them. “Not sure who you’re talking to but I brought my lunch.”

Calvin chuckles. “What? That bag of Snickers?”

I whip my head in his direction, narrowing my eyes. “What’s wrong with Snickers for lunch?”

“Nothing, nothing at all,” he says, holding his hands up but laughing as he does.

This man is beyond annoying. Although given my other two options, Annie or Beck, I think I’ve got the better end of the deal. Poor Annie is puking daily at the sight of any bodily functions. There’s no way she’ll get through the end of the week much less our six-month probation period.

Then there’s the dark bearded man, Beck, who seems so familiar to me but I haven’t quite placed where from yet. The most time I’ve spent with him was at the bar the first day of work and other than that, it’s just been in passing. It’s almost as though he tries to avoid me and I haven’t figured out why. I’m a likable girl, very friendly and energetic. Granted, he’s the exact opposite of friendly and energetic but there’s no need for him to avoid me as though I have pinkeye.

Calvin’s trying to rap along with the radio when the voice of an angel, okay, our dispatcher, comes over the radio.

“We have a 45 on South Bend Boulevard, closest units respond and wait for fire before responding.”

I squeal and reach over, punching Calvin in the arm. “Come on! Let’s go, I don’t want to miss this!”

Calvin rubs his arm and groans. “Chill out, Say. She said wait for fire. Even if we get there first, another rig with more experience will edge us out.”

Adrenaline rolls through me as I sit on the edge of my seat. “I don’t care. Now, floor it or get out and let me drive!”

Calvin presses harder on the pedal, laughing as he makes comments about my driving. Big deal, I hit a couple curbs the one day I drove and now Calvin acts like I drive on two wheels. Two minutes later, he pulls up to a wicked car accident. A blue Impala has its front end smashed into a tree like an accordion. Smoke billows out from under the hood and if it weren’t for the medic in me, I’d almost cry for the car thanks to everything my Uncle Eddie taught me in his garage.

I jump out the rig, slamming the door behind me in hopes of blocking Calvin out. Immediately, my tears for the car are vanished when I hear a woman crying out for help from inside the wreckage. I want to run to her, hold her hand, and tell her help is on the way but the gasoline in the air is thick and I understand why we were instructed to wait for the fire department.

Chewing on my bottom lip, I glance at my watch and the road behind me, wondering when the fire department is going to arrive. Another rig pulls up and I hope they don’t send us away. Looking back at my watch once more, I glance up and see Beck striding in front of me toward the wreckage. His BDU pants hug his backside and I’m distracted for a split second at the way they perfectly detail his thick legs underneath.

The woman’s cries stop as Beck approaches the car. The man is flippin’ crazy to stroll right up to the ticking bomb without the fire department nearby. Without thinking, I follow his lead and run to the car. Behind me, Calvin yells for me to stop. As I get closer to the car, Beck is kneeling outside the driver’s side, trying to open the handle but it won’t budge. Even on his knees, he’s tall enough to see through the window. I’m moving full speed now and by the time I realize I need to put my brakes on, I’ve already ran smack into the back of him.

“Ow,” he mutters, glancing up at me then turning his attention back to the lady in the car. “Get out of here, Saylor.”

I look in the car. The lady has a gash on her forehead but seems to be moving her head back and forth with ease. The smell of gasoline is strong and I know we don’t have long. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I squeeze it tightly and lean down so I can whisper in his ear without the lady hearing me.

“The dispatcher said to wait for fire, we need to get out of here.” I glance over in the vehicle, giving a polite smile to the trapped woman.

Beck shrugs me off. “We don’t have time to wait, this car is going to blow any second.” He looks at the lady and nods with that awkward smile that he does. “Sorry, Mel, it’s true, but you don’t have anything to worry about.”

Mel nods, fully trusting Beck, this stranger she just met even though her life is hanging in the rafters. Beck stands up, pushing me back a few steps and I almost fall on my butt.

“What are you doing?” I ask, trying to see around his broad shoulders.

“Getting her out,” he mutters like an idiot.

He leans in the car, clicking the seatbelt but it obviously won’t budge. A small flicker of light sparks under the hood and my adrenaline kicks into overdrive.

“Fudge… fudge… fudge…” I mutter, trying not to let my nerves get the best of me.

“Is she saying fudge?” Mel asks, obviously trying to distract herself from the drama at hand.

Beck nods. “Yeah, woman’s got a sweet tooth like you wouldn’t believe.”

Mel laughs nervously as Beck reaches in his pocket, pulling out a pocketknife and snapping it open. He leans inside the car, cutting through the seat belt.

“Co...come on, Beck. Let’s go!” I urge him, staring at the fire that could end all three of our lives.

Mel screeches in his ear for the small victory then wraps her arm around Beck’s neck. The surly man, gently and calmly pulls her out of the mangled vehicle. I, on the other hand, am bouncing back and forth, anxious about the entire situation but unlike Annie, I’m able to keep my breakfast of powdered donuts down.

Beck turns, facing me, Mel still in his arms. “Run, Saylor,” he says calmly, walking past me as he speaks.

I stare at the vehicle, still in awe of what is transpiring in front of me. The fire gets bigger, the smell gets stronger, and a large pair of thick hands surround my waist, pulling me backward. An explosion fills the air in front of us, forcing us back almost ten feet, and I find myself lying directly under Mr. Bearded Man Beck. In a small state of shock, I don’t move, I don’t think, I barely even blink as I look into his dark brown eyes.

Breaking the silence, Beck sits up, shaking his head in disgust. “I told you to run.”

Snapping out of my trance, I sit up, pushing him as I do. I stand up, brushing off my pants. I glance down at Beck, the only time I’ll ever have a height advantage over him. “And I told you to wait for fire.”

I do an about face, my back to Beck as he calls out to me with a chuckle, “Don’t be upset that I saved her life, Say.”

Ugh
! Who does he think he is? He acts like he hates this job then jumps at the chance to put his life on the line… and to save mine as well. Why does this man get under my skin? Why do I want to spend more time with him? Why am I picturing what his uniform would look like on my bedroom floor?

Beck

If it wasn’t my mission to protect Saylor Warner, I’d probably kill her myself. It was her idiotic idea to go into this line of work. Sure, the dispatcher said to wait for the fire department but I wasn’t going to stand by and watch that lady explode when I knew I could get her out safely. Then, fuckin’ Saylor had to run up behind me, begging me to leave. Doesn’t she know she’s not supposed to watch out for me? It’s supposed to be the other way around. I can’t risk her following me into danger when it’s my job to keep her out of it.