by Amy Vastine
Now Charlie was the one slack-jawed. “You have to be kidding.”
Max shook his head. “Kendall set me straight after I told you Em didn’t have a serious boyfriend. I was informed there was a plan and it had to be followed.”
This was not what Charlie wanted to hear. Not only did she have plenty of reasons to choose Dr. Perfect over him, she’d dreamed of marrying a doctor since she was a little girl. Charlie needed to find a way to convince her he was worth ditching her plan for.
“Well, she kissed me. That couldn’t have been part of the plan, but she did it. Maybe I just need to work on her a little bit.”
“I don’t know,” Max said, standing to go. “It sounds complicated. Maybe don’t push her too hard until after my wedding.”
“You don’t need any more snags, huh?”
“No, I’m hoping for smooth sailing from here on out. Right after I make things right with Kendall. Thanks again for talking things out with me.”
“Thanks for the heads-up about the plan.”
“Don’t you dare tell Emma I told you. That could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
Charlie didn’t want to mess up this wedding. He wouldn’t do that to Max and Kendall, and it certainly wouldn’t get him into Emma’s good graces. There was no way he could risk the progress he had made. “The secret’s safe with me.”
* * *
BACK AT THE fire station, Charlie noticed a different vibe. Alvarez was out since his injuries were severe enough to earn him some medical leave. Luckily, he was expected to make a full recovery. Jones and his new girlfriend, Kelly, had visited him at the hospital. The word around the station was that Alvarez told Kelly she would never find a better guy than Jones and she’d better treat him right. Sounded to Charlie like they were all going to be one big happy family when everyone was back on duty.
Pete was also missing today because he was heading up to the Dells for the family vacation he’d originally planned to take over the Fourth. He had promised to drop off some of Gianna’s meatballs before they left town. It was nice of him not to leave them high and dry. Without Pete, Lieutenant Keller usually did the cooking, and that meant cold cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and sticky spaghetti covered in sauce from a jar for dinner.
Charlie and Serena had to spend most of the morning in training. Working for the fire department was never as exciting as they made it seem on television or in the movies. Most days were spent hanging out in between non-life-threatening calls and cleaning and restocking the ambulance.
A call came in after lunch for a confused woman in a local clothing store. Turned out she was diabetic and her blood sugar had dropped to a dangerous level. They quickly transported her to the hospital, where Charlie was on the lookout for Emma. She was nowhere to be seen. Charlie heeded Max’s warning and decided not to ask for her.
Pete and a green minivan full of his overly excited family were outside the station when they returned. Charlie went over to say hi to Gianna, Tinker Bell and his favorite Jumping Bean. The girls were ready to go to the Waterpark Capital of the World, and older brother Sean swore he was going to go on every waterslide at the resort, no matter how death-defying it was.
Pete jumped back in the driver’s seat and waved off all the thanks for bringing them decent food to eat later. He was a real stomach saver.
“How’s that sweetheart Emma doing?” Gianna asked before they pulled away.
“She’s good. Real good.”
“Real good, huh?” Pete leaned forward to get a better look at Charlie.
Charlie narrowed his eyes at his nosy friend. “I’m never telling you anything again. Go have fun with your family.”
Pete waved out the window as he drove off.
Charlie and Serena cleaned up the ambulance and barely got it restocked before another call came in, this time for a motor vehicle accident. The crew geared up and drove off. As they approached the scene, Charlie felt his stomach drop. A green minivan lay broken and upside down in the middle of the street. A monstrous pickup truck with a shattered windshield and smashed-in front end sat idle in the intersection, as well.
“Pete,” Serena gasped.
An overwhelming fear for the family’s safety sent Charlie flying out of the ambulance. He reached the wreckage before any of the firefighters. All the air bags had, thankfully, deployed in the minivan. Gianna was alert but unable to undo her seat belt. Mia was behind Gianna and crying, but looked to be in okay shape. Sean was in the back and already had his seat belt off. He was the only one right side up. He crouched down and held Eva’s hand, even though the little girl was unresponsive. Pete was also unconscious.
Lieutenant Keller pulled Charlie back. “Let us do our job, then you can do yours.”
Stepping aside was the hardest thing Charlie had ever had to do. Mia’s cries were breaking his heart. The sirens and street sounds were nothing but white noise. The little girl’s pain was all Charlie could hear. There was shattered glass scattered all over the road. Cars were lined up in every direction, unable to get through the intersection. Some people had exited their cars to gawk or talk to the police about what they had seen. The smell of gasoline was thick in the air and made Charlie nauseous.
Serena dropped his jump bag at his feet and asked for his help getting the rest of the equipment. Pete and Eva were in the most critical condition. They were going to need the most care, and Charlie was going to see to it that they got nothing but his best.
The guys from the station worked with fierce determination to save the entire family. They extracted Gianna, Mia and Sean. Serena passed them off to the second ambulance crew on the scene, knowing Charlie wasn’t going to leave here without Pete or Eva in the back of their bus.
The strained, bent metal frame of the van creaked in protest as Keller and his men tried to free Pete and Eva from the wreckage. They called over Charlie and Serena. Pete was awake but in bad shape.
“Get Eva,” he rasped when Charlie stuck his head in.
“We’re going to get you both out, buddy. Don’t you worry.”
“Save my baby, please save my baby,” Pete said before losing consciousness again.
Charlie got a neck collar on Pete and checked Eva’s vitals. Her pulse was rapid, weak and thready. She needed to come out first. If they didn’t get her out soon, she might not make it.
With Serena’s help, Charlie was able to get Eva out of her booster seat and on a backboard. They carried her away from the van and to the ambulance. Gianna didn’t know what to do; she didn’t want to leave Mia and Sean but wanted to ride along to the hospital with Eva. Charlie shouted for one of the police officers to find a ride for the rest of the family.
Eva’s heart was working much too hard and her injuries were numerous. As soon as they got her in the ambulance, Serena jumped into the front seat and took off for the hospital. Charlie did everything he could to keep the little girl alive. She stopped breathing en route, so he had to intubate. His hands shook as he unwrapped the tube and slid it down Eva’s throat.
She could not die on him. She could not. Charlie could still hear Pete. Save my baby, please save my baby. He would not let his friend down.
Once Eva was intubated, Charlie attached a bag and manually pumped air into her lungs. He prayed and he bartered with God, something he never did on a call. He’d been in this situation before but never had it been someone he knew. Someone this important. Eva had her whole life ahead of her; this could not be how it ended.
They were met at the emergency entrance by a team of doctors and nurses. Emma was one of them, and when she realized who was on the gurney, she made eye contact with Charlie. He felt all her devastation in that single look.
He quickly relayed Eva’s vitals and the medications he’d pushed on the way here. Emma grabbed his hand as they wheeled Eva into the trauma r
oom.
“Please don’t let her die,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze before it slipped out of his. He stood outside the room, unable to move. Adrenaline was flowing through his body and he was hyperaware of every sound coming from that trauma room. He could hear Dr. Gavin giving instructions to the nurses and machines beeping, whirling and hissing.
Serena placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. The second trauma team was prepping for Pete’s arrival. Charlie spotted Dr. Spencer. As much as he disliked the man, he hoped he was a good doctor. He hoped he was amazing. Pete needed the best.
“We did everything we could,” Serena said.
“Let’s hope it was enough.”
Sirens screamed outside and they knew the ambulance carrying Pete must have arrived. Gianna and the other O’Reilly kids followed the medics as they transferred information to the hospital team.
Gianna headed straight for Charlie. She threw her arms around his neck. “Please tell me Eva is okay.”
“They’re working on her now. She’s in good hands.”
He held her while she cried, finally letting the emotion hit her. Mia clung to her mother’s leg and Sean stood back, looking unsure of what to do and probably feeling as helpless as Charlie did right now.
“Let’s get you three checked out by someone,” Serena suggested.
Charlie and Serena got the rest of the family some medical treatment. All three of them were in good physical shape, all things considered. Serena stayed with Mia while Charlie hung out with Sean.
“Is my sister going to make it?” he asked while they waited for the nurse to clean up his cuts and scrapes.
Charlie hated that question. He never had the real answers. “I hope so.”
“And my dad?” The boy’s voice caught at the end.
“I don’t know, but I know everyone’s doing everything they can. Your dad is strong. He’s going to fight.”
Tears welled in Sean’s eyes and that was all Charlie could take. His own tears blurred his vision. He moved his chair closer and gave the grieving child a hug.
“There you are.” Emma had pushed open the curtain. Charlie fought the urge to jump up and hug her.
He slowly rose to his feet and moved toward her, not wanting Sean to overhear bad news. “Is everything okay?”
“We got her stabilized and they’re rushing her up to surgery now. What happened?”
Charlie shook his head. He tried to explain the accident scene and the bits and pieces he had gathered from witnesses. The pickup truck ran a red light and slammed into the driver’s side of Pete’s van, causing it to roll over. The driver of the truck was walking around with minor injuries while Pete and his daughter were fighting for their lives.
“What about Pete?” he asked her, hoping she had news on him, as well.
“I don’t know.”
“Can you find out for me?”
“Sure.” Emma started to walk away but turned back and threw her arms around him. She squeezed him extra tight before letting go. “You looked like you needed that.”
She had no idea just how much.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SOME DAYS AT the hospital started out great. Then, without any notice, they turned into a nightmare. Other days were ugly at first but managed to calm down enough to make the day seem not so bad.
Then there were the days that began horribly and never recovered. Sometimes they even got worse. Today was one of those days. Emma had started her shift at seven with an unusually crowded ER. Patients had been exceedingly crabby and the doctors were difficult to get ahold of for anything the nurses needed. To top things off, Maintenance had shut down all the restrooms because of some kind of water pressure issue. People had to go to the other side of the hospital to use the bathroom.
She had been thrown up on, yelled at and complained to all morning, and those were only the work-related issues. Personally, Emma was in crisis before she even got to work. She had gone on the best date of her life with the wrong man. For the first time, she had experienced a kiss that made her forget where she was and how much time had passed. Again, with the wrong man.
All she had thought about since Saturday night was Charlie. When would she see him again? How would they act around each other after that kiss? Did he really understand that they couldn’t be together? Would anyone ever kiss her the way he had? If she let him go, could she stand knowing he would be kissing someone else like that?
She was afraid to answer all of those questions. It didn’t help that Tessa had informed her they had found a day and time that worked for everyone for this double date to Sato’s. Scott had seemed excited about it, as well. That should have made Emma happy. Things were moving along according to the plan. But all Emma felt was torn.
Since the first half of the shift had gone so poorly, when Charlie and his partner had brought in a diabetic having an insulin reaction, Emma had cowardly hid in one of the exam rooms so he didn’t get the chance to talk to her. As much as she had thought about seeing him over the past couple days, actually seeing him had almost given her a panic attack.
Once he left, she had hoped the worst was over. Then, the call came in. Car accident. An unconscious and critical child. Second ambulance en route with an equally critical adult male.
Emma had joined Tessa’s team and prepared for the child. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw, though. There was the adorable Eva lying on the gurney, intubated and barely clinging to life. Only a week ago, she’d been jump roping her heart out, whining for cookies and giggling at everything Charlie said.
Charlie.
It was rare to see Charlie without a smile. It was even more rare to see him so distraught. What she wouldn’t have given to take away his pain in that moment. He had begged her not to let Eva die. Emma had prayed she could give him that much.
Tessa Gavin was an incredible doctor. She thought fast on her feet and her hands were as steady as they came in a crisis. She was decisive and a respected leader in a trauma room. She had worked magic on that broken little girl and helped stabilize her for surgery. If it had been anyone else in the room, Eva might not have made it.
Once they had moved Eva, all Emma had wanted to do was find Charlie and make sure he was okay. When she’d found him, the only plan was to comfort him and find out what the heck happened. She probably hadn’t been much help, but she’d offered him what she could. She had hugged him tightly, hoping he knew how very sorry she was that this was happening to his friends.
“I’m glad you were here, Nightingale,” he said.
“I wish you all were anywhere but here.”
“Me, too,” he replied.
“I’m going to get you some info. Don’t go anywhere.”
He wanted someone to check on Pete, and it was the least she could do. Scott was assisting the surgical attending who had been called in on that trauma. Poor Pete wasn’t in any better shape than his daughter. He had significant internal injuries and a serious head trauma. They were still working on stopping some bleeding when she sneaked into the room for an update.
Scott was a focused doctor, much like Tessa. He had a job to do and he did it. The flurry of activity around him did not distract him from his task.
“Can I get an update for the family?” she asked.
At the sound of her voice, Scott glanced up. His somber expression didn’t give her hope for good news. “It’s touch and go. We’re taking him to surgery as soon as the OR is prepped.”
“He’s a local firefighter and a friend of a friend. Take good care of him, okay?”
“Anything for you, Nurse Everhart.” He gave her a sad smile.
“Thanks,” Emma said as she slipped back out.
When Emma returned to Charlie and Sean, the rest of the O’Reillys had reunited. Mia had some gauze wrapped aroun
d her arm and Sean had a couple butterfly bandages on a cut above his eye. Gianna seemed to be fighting a battle between being strong for her kids and wanting to fall apart at the same time.
“They’re waiting for an OR to open up,” Emma told them. “He’s hanging in there. They’re doing everything they can.”
“He’s going to make it. He has to make it,” Gianna said, grabbing hold of Charlie’s hand for support.
“Why don’t I take you to the surgical waiting room. That’s where we’ll be camped out the rest of the day,” Charlie offered.
“Keep me updated,” Emma said.
Charlie nodded and led the frightened family down the hall. Emma wanted to follow them, to be a support to Charlie while he took care of Pete’s family. She couldn’t, though. She had a job to do and it wasn’t following her heart down the hall.
Emma’s hand pressed against her chest. Did Charlie really own a piece of her heart? She was coming to the realization that perhaps he did.
* * *
THE REST OF Emma’s shift seemed to move in slow motion. All she could think about was what was happening in the surgical wing. She checked her phone incessantly, looking for an update from Charlie, but they were few and far between.
She had no patience for anyone. She was irritated by the guy who came in with the symptoms of a cold. Using the ER as a primary caregiver was such a mistake. It kept the doctors and nurses from treating people who were truly having an emergency.
Emma was also annoyed by the teenager who’d nearly blown off his fingers playing with fireworks he bought across the state line in Wisconsin. If people were more safety conscious, fewer people would have to visit the ER.
She was being unpleasant and she knew it, but all she wanted was for her shift to end so she could get to Charlie. When seven rolled around, she was prepared with her shift report and out of there before anyone else.
Her foot tapped restlessly as she waited for the elevator to climb the two stories to the surgical floor. She found Charlie and the O’Reillys sitting with a few firefighters, Pete’s second family.
