“B pillar blowout?” Rhett asked.
“We should be able to pop the door,” Colton said. “We could get her out safely through that. I’ll get the spreaders and cutters while you set up the AMKUS.” AMKUS, or the jaws of life, was one of the most valuable tools that rescue workers had.
“No.” Adam shook his head. “I’ll do it with Rhett. You go and help Gage. I don’t want our rookie to start a fire while we try to prevent one.”
“But Cap …”
“Colton, please. We’re wasting precious time. Let the medics get in there and stabilize the patient.”
Colton didn’t move. No, he couldn’t allow anyone else to free Amy. He had to do it. He had to make sure his love came out of this wreck in one piece.
His love? The naturalness of this thought should have fazed him, but it didn’t. Yes, he loved Amy. From the moment he’d heard that something might’ve happened to her, he'd felt only regret for behaving like an immature brute with her on the phone.
Rhett patted Colton’s shoulder. “We’ll get her out, Colt. Don’t worry.”
Colton wiggled away from his buddy’s touch and captured his captain’s gaze. “Don’t do this, Cap. I know I lost it for a sec, but I’m good now. I need to be here and help.” The whole accident was all his fault. He was the one who had to save her. Poppy had said that Amy wasn’t in the right frame of mind to drive, and Colton knew he’d upset her. He shouldn’t have called her stupid for taking a second chance at love. He’d let his jealousy get the best of him.
Now, instead of being able to tell Amy that all he wanted was for her to be happy, he had to chaperone Gage?
Adam steeled his face. “Colton, no argument. I need a good engineer right now so I can focus on this extrication. Go and help Gage. Now.” The edge in his voice made it clear that he wouldn’t budge from his position.
Colton gritted his teeth and turned away. Deep in his heart, he knew Cap had made the best call by sending him to do the engineer duties, like putting out absorbent to soak up fluids from the car, and making sure onlookers didn't interfere in any way. Gage was pushing back the bystanders. The crowd was growing bigger by the minute, and they needed to be kept out of his crew's way. Also, Colton couldn’t guarantee that his emotions wouldn’t take the better of him again.
He grabbed a stack of cones from the engine, then went over to Gage. A backward glance showed him that Drew was disabling the battery. He heard the roar of the AMKUS generator, but he couldn’t turn again, as he was forced to focus on an old lady asking them whether the car would explode.
“No, probably not. But the toxic fumes are just as dangerous. Possibly life-threatening for anyone close by,” Gage declared matter-of-factly.
“Toxic fumes?” The old lady squeaked and paled as she pressed a hand to her chest.
Oh, great. We might have a cardiac patient on our hands. Just what we need. Colton put a hand on the back of Gage’s arm and squeezed it slightly, hoping that he would get the message and shut up.
Colton turned to the woman, forcing a soothing smile onto his face. “Please, trust us on this. You'll be perfectly safe if you back up a bit.”
After his simple but confident words, everyone, including the old lady, decided it was better to move back and observe the firemen from a safe distance.
Gage grinned at Colton. “You see? My strategy worked.”
Colton just snorted in response, ticked off that he was out here babysitting while someone else saved the woman he loved. “Get the absorbent from the engine and we'll look for gas leaks.”
As Gage walked off, Colton whipped around to check on what Rhett and the captain were doing. His heart gave an erratic thump as he saw Amy lying on the gurney. Drew had placed a cervical collar around her neck, probably to avoid any vibration as they pulled her out. She had an oxygen mask on, but her eyes were still closed. Colton sprinted to her side. His eyes didn’t leave her lifeless face as he asked the paramedics, “Is she stable?”
Ian scratched his chin. “She has a deep wound in her occipital region, probably from a piece of shattered glass. But her pulse is regular, though weak. Her breathing is normal. We need to get her to Jackson Central quick.”
Drew and Ian lifted the gurney.
Colton stepped over to Adam. “Cap, I need to ride with them. I need to make sure Amy is okay.”
Cap’s face softened. “Of course. Go with them. We can handle things here.”
Gage walked up, holding the bucket of absorbent.
“Rhett,” Adam added, “drive the ambo. Gage and I got this. Colt, just go and stay with her.”
Colton and Rhett hurried behind Ian and Drew.
“Rhett, I think …” Colton started as soon as they were out of Adam’s earshot, but he broke off as his eyes fell on Amy. The paramedics were just sliding the stretcher into the back of the ambulance and attaching her breathing mask to the larger oxygen supply.
“Yes, Colt?” Rhett asked him.
Colton had planned to tell Rhett that, despite Cap’s orders, he should drive the ambo. As the engineer, he was the quickest and most experienced driver in the station.
But after seeing how his love’s already pale complexion looked even chalkier under the large mask, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He couldn’t sit at the wheel and focus on the road like always. Not when Amy was in the back.
What if she suddenly woke up and didn’t see him at her side? No, he couldn’t have that. He needed to be … no, he wanted to be riding with her in the back. If there was one thing Colton had realized in the past hour, it was that Amy was the most important thing to him in this whole world. And he wanted to start acting like it from now on.
He flashed a smile at Rhett. “Get us to the hospital safely, buddy. And fast.”
Rhett nodded and went straight for the driver’s seat.
Drew and Ian didn’t comment on Colton’s initiative. After Amy had been safely positioned, all three of them climbed inside. Ian gave the signal that they were ready to roll—two hard knocks on the wall. Rhett revved the siren and threw it into gear.
As the ambo started, there was only one thought circling through Colton’s head. If he lost Amy without being able to tell her that she was the most magnificent creature on earth to him, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
His eyes were fixed on her face as the resolution formed. When Amy wakes up, I’ll tell her how I feel. No matter the consequences.
21
Colton’s lips were approaching Amy’s in fast motion. Amy’s heartbeat quickened in anticipation as she parted her lips. Would she finally be able to taste him?
Just as his breath reached her cheeks, a lacerating pain shot through Amy’s head. It was as if an electric drill had been deployed at the back of her skull, making her wish she’d never been born. A scream escaped her throat and reverberated loudly in the room. As the sound diffused, Colton’s face dissolved into thin air, leaving a white fog in its wake.
There were a few rushing steps, and a cold hand settled on Amy’s forehead. “Are you awake, honey?”
That voice … Amy knew it. But what was her mother doing in Colton’s apartment? Slowly, she opened her eyelids. Her mother’s pale face was only inches away, surrounded by a neon halo that made Amy squint automatically.
“Oh, wait a second. It’s blinding for you, right?” Her mother reached to the side and pressed a button on the bed.
The shrill beep reminded Amy of her workplace. The beds in the pediatric department squeaked exactly the same way when Amy adjusted them for her little patients. Amy’s eyes flicked to the side and took in a monitor. A dripping IV was attached to her arm at elbow height. She gasped. “Mom, where am I?”
“You’re in Jackson Central, Amy.”
Ouch! The twinge running down the nape of her neck intensified as Amy’s face pulled into a grimace of pain.
“Does it hurt, Amy-cakes?”
Amy’s eyes darted to the side just in time to see Colton jump up from
a chair positioned on the other side of her bed. He bent toward her, his face taking in her entire frame of view.
His eyes were rimmed sunken circles as if he hadn’t slept for days. His hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in the unusual scruff she’d only seen him wear on weekends when he didn’t have to work. Despite the clear signs of fatigue, he looked even more handsome than he'd been in Amy’s vision.
“Hi, Colt,” she mumbled.
“Hi,” he said. “Finally, you’re awake.”
Colton’s familiar baritone made the spreading ache in Amy’s body go numb. Better than a shot of morphine … so much better.
“Why am I here?” she asked, her head still hazy from Colton’s voice.
Amy’s mom grabbed her hand and squeezed it softly. “You had an accident, my love. Don’t you remember? Colton and his crew saved you.”
An accident? What accident? In a flash, it all came rushing back. Amy saw the ball bounce into the street and heard the voices of the children who were chasing it. The sound of her honk reached them too late; one of them had already stepped down from the sidewalk. Amy watched her hands grab the wheel and steer desperately to the left. She saw the pole approach in weird slow motion like in a movie.
Yes, the accident. She remembered now.
As soon as the memory of the night came back to mind, so did the details of her last talk with Colton. If Colton was here with her, he must have realized the fib Amy had told him. Amy filled her lungs to the point where she couldn’t draw in air anymore and let it out slowly.
She opened her eyes to find Colton in the exact same position. His expression was undecipherable, his gaze brimming with emotions. Worry for sure, but also something else. A raw, dark glint that Amy had never seen on him before. What had he though when he'd figured out that Mark was back in Portland? How was she going to cover this up without revealing her feelings for him?
Amy licked her dry lips. Her mouth was parched. How much blood had she lost? She turned to her mother because she couldn’t stand looking at Colton without blushing. “How long have I been here?” she croaked.
“A day and a half. The first day you slept through entirely. They had you in a medically induced coma.” Her mother’s voice wavered at the last words. “I only got here this morning. It was Colton who has been by your side the whole time.” Her glance moved to Colton as a smile of gratitude spread across her face.
Amy’s mouth popped open. “What? Colton?” Well, that explained his rumpled look. Amy knew that Colton had never skipped a call in his life, let alone an entire shift. Did he do it so he could stay with her? The possibility unsettled her.
Colton nodded. “Yes, Amy. You don’t think I’d leave your side when you’re in this condition, do you?” The way her name rolled off his tongue had an oddly warm edge to it, sending a tingle down her spine.
“Colton is a true friend,” her mother chimed in.
The word friend stung almost as strongly as Amy’s head injury. Except that the ache it created in Amy’s body wasn’t physical, so she couldn’t even grit her teeth and wait for it to subside.
Colton reached down and smoothed back the lock that had stuck to Amy’s cheek, then drew back his hand hastily. A muscle twitched beneath his left eye. “I—”
He was interrupted by the sharp warning of the beeping of Amy’s monitor.
“What’s happening?” Amy’s mother shrieked.
Colton blinked at the screen. “Amy’s having tachycardia. I’ll go and call the—”
Amy finally managed to find her voice. “No! That’s not necessary. I’m fine.” She took several deliberately slow and calming breaths, hoping they would be enough to tame her racing heart. The monitor returned to emitting a regular beep. “Just a brief fluctuation, see?” Amy added with a weak smile.
Amy’s mother didn’t seem convinced. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m a nurse, remember? I know this stuff.” Even if Amy wasn’t fully aware of the extent of her injuries, she was sure that her beats increased for one reason alone. And it had nothing to do with her wounds. Only with Colton. And my love for him. To chase away the feeling that might send the machine back into alarm mode, Amy forced herself back to the present and asked, “What’s my prognosis?”
Though Amy had addressed the question to her mother, it was Colton who answered. “You have a mild concussion and a head wound, but it’s superficial. It only needed a few stitches. You also have a few broken ribs and a sprained ankle. You should be fit as a fiddle again soon.”
Her mother drew the sign of a cross on her chest. Her eyes flitted to the ceiling while her lips began to move softly.
Amy needed to make sure the stupid machine wouldn’t betray her again. Not wanting to disturb her mother in her prayer, Amy reluctantly blinked at Colton. “Could you turn down the volume of the monitor, please?”
“Is that allowed?” Colton asked.
“Sure, the sound is still on in the nurses’ station. I don’t know why they didn’t switch it to silent mode in here. We don’t need every tiny change in my cardiac rhythm to scare Mom, right?”
Colton threw her an appraising look before doing what she’d asked of him.
After adjusting the buttons, he glanced at Amy’s mother, who was still absorbed in her own world. He leaned close to Amy, lowering his voice. “I need to speak to you. Privately. It can’t wait any longer.”
Amy’s chest tightened. She could literally feel the fractured bones digging into her sides. She knew what was coming. But she had to delay it somehow. She wasn’t ready. Yes, even a few minutes without Colton’s distracting presence would help Amy come up with a battle plan. How could she gain some time? She forced a cough.
Colton’s eyes widened with worry. “Is everything okay? Do you need water?”
“Actually,” Amy said, “I’d love something warm. Could you get me a tea from the vending machine outside?” With the telltale monitor silenced, there was nothing to give away the anxiousness with which Amy waited for Colton’s answer.
Colton looked like he didn’t want to leave, so Amy squeaked out another dry bark. He squeezed her hand, then backed toward the door, keeping his eyes locked on hers. “Okay, it’ll take just a second. Hold on, I’ll be right back.”
Amy let out a relieved sigh. Even if the hospital room seemed empty and cold with Colton gone, she needed a moment to decide how to explain Mark’s absence and the fact that she’d lied about moving in with him.
She hoped that Poppy hadn’t decided to meddle. The last thing Amy needed was for Colton to realize that Amy had ended up in the wreck because of her hopeless feelings for him. She'd been obsessing about them in the car when the kids had appeared. If she’d been more focused, she might have had time to hit the brakes instead of steering her Ford into the pole.
“Amy, dear.”
The unexpected words jerked Amy out of her thoughts.
Her mother bent down to Amy and cupped her face between her hands. “There’s something I want to tell you before Colton comes back.”
Something in her mother’s voice made Amy’s stomach clench. Why did it have that secretive tone?
Her eyes locked with her mother’s. “What is it?”
“Remember the phone call we had a few days ago? When you asked me about how it was to live with a firefighter?”
Amy shifted. “Yeah. I have a faint memory of the conversation.”
Her mother tickled the tip of Amy’s nose. “A faint memory, huh? So there’s no connection to Colton at all?”
“No, not at all.” Amy’s voice sounded shriller than Poppy’s soprano ever could, even to her own ears. Maybe her mother would interpret it as an effect of the sedatives and painkillers.
“Okay. Let’s say I believe you. But even without any connection to your friend—” her mother’s mouth twitched upward at the last word “—I want you to know something. Your father had this crazy idea of making you promise not to date anyone in his profession. He did it in the hope of
protecting your heart. But as I’ve already told you, a heart cannot pick a job; it needs to pick a man. So, I just want to make sure that you would never let your father’s advice get in the way of your happiness. That would mean disrespecting his memory.”
Amy’s heart squeezed. She knew her mother was right. She also knew that her heart had already picked Colton. The truth was, Amy would have loved nothing more than to honor her father’s memory by being the happiest person alive as Colton’s love.
But it wasn’t a possibility. Amy might have resolved her reluctance to be in love with a firefighter, but Colton still regarded her as a friend.
Her mother smiled at Amy. “I’m sure if your father were alive now and could see what I see, he’d tell you to follow your heart.”
Amy’s eyes widened. Did her mother know? “Wait a second. What is it that you think you see?”
Amy’s mother’s face moved into a grimace that was half teasing, half serious. “My child, I know what you felt for Colton when you were growing up. I always have. I just wanted to give you the chance to figure it out on your own terms. And from the way you looked when you woke up and saw him, I think you still feel the same way.”
Why was everybody around her more conscious about her love for Colton than Colton was, or more accepting about it than Amy herself?
Tears misted in Amy’s eyes. “I can’t tell Colt what I feel, Mom. He would be shocked. He sees me only as a sister.”
Her mom tilted her head from left to right. “Maybe, maybe not. I have a feeling that you might be underestimating what he could hide from you.”
The door creaked and Colton appeared in the doorway, carrying a steaming paper cup.
“Why don’t you test my hypothesis right away?” Amy’s mother whispered before straightening and smiling at Colton. “Colt, dear, I’ll go and pick up Zach from the airport. His flight is landing soon. I trust that you’ll stay with Amy, right?”
“Of course, Mrs. Powell, I won’t leave her side. I’ve already taken a few days of personal leave from work, so my crew won’t need me anytime soon.”
Saving His Heart Page 14
