“M-michelle. Is Diego okay?”
“Michelle. I’m Carter. I need to ask if you’re sure Diego was with you in the accident?”
“I-I,” she began, shaking her head and then turning.
“No! Don’t m―” My protest was cut off when she finally turned her head to look at me and I got to see her face for the first time. The words I’d been trying to form turned into a ball of concrete and cemented in my throat. I was speechless. Thrown by the power of her gaze. Even the blood trickling down her forehead couldn’t mar the beauty of her caramel skin, high cheek bones and brown doe eyes.
“Diego.” She blinked a few times, then squeezed her eyes tight before popping them back open to look at me. “I think I took him to school,” she finally stated.
“That’s good. That’s a good thing, Michelle. It means your little boy is safe and sound in the classroom.”
She remained silent, eyes still on mine, holding my gaze, silently begging me to get her out of there.
“So now, we’re going to do everything we can to get his mama back to him, safe and sound. Okay?” I removed one of my gloves, and lifted my hand to push strands of curly hair away from her face. “Alright?” I urged.
“’Kay,” she answered on a whisper.
“I’m gonna check your seatbelt right now. Don’t move.” I traced her seatbelt with my hand all the way down to her waist and tried to undo it, but it was stuck.
“Michelle, your seatbelt has got you in there pretty good. Great thing during an accident, but right now we gotta get you out of here. Give me a sec.” I pushed back out. “Harvard, I need a knife. Seatbelt’s caught.”
“Here.” He handed me a knife we kept in the rig. “It’s about to get loud.”
“You’re going with the jaws?”
Harvard nodded.
“Good. Hurry the fuck up!” I ordered before moving back through the window. “Michelle,” I called out, my voice much more soothing than the tone I’d just used with Eric.
“Yeah,” she answered, sounding dazed.
“I’m going to cut you out of here, but again, I need you as still as possible. It’s also going to get loud as my guys work to get you free, alright?”
“I’m scared,” she confessed.
“I know, sugar. Do me a favor?”
She nodded.
“Keep your eyes on me. As long as you’re in here, I’m right here with you.”
“Wh-what’s that?” she asked, anxiously, as the loud hum of the jaws began its work, causing the car to vibrate.
“That’s my team, working to get you free. Eyes on me,” I ordered and those honey brown orbs, full of fear, turned back on me. “That’s it. Michelle,” I began, tugging a piece of the seatbelt and using the knife to begin sawing at it. “What’s your last name?”
“Clarke.”
“Michelle Clarke. Beautiful name. How old is your son?” I periodically looked between her and the work of my hands, unable to keep my gaze off of her for too long.
“He’s six … and a half.”
I chuckled. “That half’s important. He like sports?”
“Baseball and football.”
“No kidding? My kid brother plays a little football. I bet they’d get along.”
I continued talking about any and every thing, asking questions that came to mind just to keep her distracted. Eventually, everything fell away. The fact that she was upside down in her car. The noise of my squad working. Even the knowledge that this car could explode without a moment’s notice. It all fell by the wayside, and it was just Michelle and I making conversation. Something that’d never happened on a rescue before.
“We’re almost there,” I told her, when I was almost finished with the sawing of the seatbelt.
“Carter, take this,” Captain Waverly stated, pushing in a neck brace through the driver’s side window.
“Got it,” I called back. “Michelle, sugar, I’ve got to put this around your neck. It’s a neck brace to keep you stabilized while my guys pull you out. It’s just for your safety.” I carefully placed the brace around her neck. “I’m just about done with the seatbelt, and when I am, my guys are going to yank the door open and pull you onto a gurney, okay?” I told her as calmly as I could, and went back to the last quarter inch of the seatbelt until I finally got it out. I pressed the walkie talkie on my shoulder.
“All clear.”
Soon after that message, the driver’s side door made a horrible scraping sound as my guys pulled it open.
“What’s that?” Michelle shrieked, grabbing my shoulder. She was unable to turn her head due to the brace.
I reached for her outstretched hand, taking it in my ungloved grasp. “It’s my squad, we’re getting you out of here.”
“Don’t leave me, Carter.”
If I’d been standing, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to keep myself upright the first time I heard her say my name.
“I’m not going anywhere, sugar.” I squeezed her hand tighter, and didn’t let it go, even as my guys loaded her onto the gurney after they pulled her out of the car. I closely followed, pulling myself over the center console of her car and crawling until I was completely out the other side, and standing next to her as she laid on the gurney. The paramedics told my squad they got it from there. I heard them tell me they could manage, but Michelle’s pleas to not leave her outweighed them all.
I peered down at the male paramedic and gave him a death glare before turning back to Michelle. No one asked me to move out of the way after that.
“Carter,” Michelle said my name as we arrived at the ambulance.
The paramedics pulled the doors open and out of my peripheral I saw them glance at one another, deciding who was going to ask me to move so they could load her in. It was selfish of me. She needed to be checked out. She needed medical attention, at the very least on that cut above her eye, but I wouldn’t … no, couldn’t let go of her hand or her gaze.
“Carter! Let’s go!” The captain’s yell snapped my attention and pissed me off. I glanced back to see my guys now loading the rig. It was time to go.
“Michelle, these nice paramedics are going to take care of you now.” And for some strange reason, I lifted her hand to my lips, kissing it. A warm glow started at my lips and moved out and down my entire body when I did so. Reluctantly, finger by finger, I released the hold I had on her hand and let the paramedics do their job. The entire time they loaded her in the ambulance until they closed the doors, Michelle’s eyes and mine were locked on one another’s.
“Carter!” Another call, this time from Eric.
It was time to go. But as the ambulance pulled farther and farther away, I had to tamp down hard on the urge to chase after it.
~ Chapter Two ~
Carter
“That was some save today.” Eric, also referred to as Harvard, walked up to me, clapping me on the back as I sat on my cot, staring out into space.
I didn’t need to ask what save he was referring to, although we’d gone on at least five runs since Michelle. Michelle. The woman I’d been thinking about all fucking day. The woman I couldn’t keep my mind off of even as we were called to another car accident, a house fire, and a warehouse fire. Every time I closed my eyes for a little rest, in between calls, those honey eyes stared back at me. Not sleeping wasn’t unusual for me, but never had a woman been the cause of my sleepless nights. Not in this way, at least.
“Yeah, hell of a job from everyone,” I retorted, smiling at Eric. I stood up, stretching my arms overhead, still feeling his silent look on me. Harvard wasn’t much for words, but I could tell he was always thinking, analyzing, and assessing. It’s what made him so good as a lieutenant.
“Everyone did their part. But you were in there. Even against Cap’s orders,” he noted, bringing a cup of coffee to his lips, staring at me over the brim as he sipped.
I shrugged. “She needed someone with her.”
“And that someone had to be you?”
“Who else was it gonna be?” I rolled my shoulders onto my back, willing myself to calm down. We got antsy with one another often, but it felt like he was getting too close to something big.
His lips turned downward, contemplatively. “No one else, I guess.” His eyes narrowed, looking for a response to his comment. He wasn’t getting one.
“We’re off in five minutes. The hell are you drinking coffee for?” I teased, changing the direction of the conversation.
He grinned. “Heading to Charlie’s after work and staying with Angel until she closes.” Angela, or Angel as he called her, was Eric’s wife, and she owned a bar named Charlie’s that all the guys frequented. “You coming?”
I shook my head. “Not tonight. I gotta take care of something.”
“Everything alright?”
I didn’t know whether to be pissed off or grateful for the concern I heard in his question.
“Everything’s fine. Just something I gotta do.”
“Okay.” He didn’t question it further and I was glad about it.
Five minutes later, I was putting on my leather jacket, and heading out the door, after saying my good-byes and signing out for the night. I walked to the parking lot that was in front of the station house, and grinned when I made eye contact with my beauty. She sat on two wheels and was only one of a few hundred of these in the world. My Ducati Diavel Diesel was my pride and joy. I removed my helmet from the back rest, placed it over my head, and threw my leg over the seat to straddle the bike. Placing the key in, I revved up the engine, but before pulling out, I turned my head up to stare at the marquee that read “Rescue Four” in gold at the top of the brick fire station. This was my home. I gave the building a two finger salute and pulled out of the parking lot, turning right, the opposite direction of where I lived.
I had no idea where I was going. All I knew was that I couldn’t get the image of Michelle’s face out of my mind. So, I drove in the only direction I thought to find the real thing, instead of the memory in my head. Ten minutes later, I was pulling up into the parking lot of Memorial Hospital. Parking my bike and tearing off my helmet, I headed toward the double doors of the emergency room. I glanced around the waiting room, seeing people in various states of sickness waiting to be seen. Nurses, doctors, medics, and other medical personnel moved about. I finally caught sight of a nurse I knew. Tucking my helmet under my arm and sauntering over to her, I grabbed her attention.
“Hey, Cyn, were you in earlier today?” I questioned.
“Carter.” She smiled. “I’ve been in since noon. Why? What’s up?” she asked, tucking a lock of brunette hair behind her ear.
“There was a call I wanted to check up on. We pulled her out of her car. She was in an accident down on Grant. Car flipped. She had a gash over her right eye. First name Michelle. Last name Clarke.”
Cyn’s face scrunched up as she tried to place the woman. “Oh!” She snapped her fingers. “Yeah, I remember. She was a little banged up.”
“What room is she in?” I questioned, glancing around as if she’d materialize just out of my desire to see her again.
Cyn shook her head. “No room. Signed herself out, AMA. Doc wanted to keep her overnight for observation due to the gash on her forehead and the knot that started to form, but she insisted on leaving. Nothing we could do.” She shrugged. “Listen, Carter, I gotta go.”
“Thanks, Cyn.” I barely noticed when she left, instead my mind working overtime to figure out why it concerned me so much that Michelle had signed herself out. What the hell was I even doing there? Sure, we checked up on people we pulled out often, but a simple phone call could’ve done.
“Fuck it,” I stated. I reasoned that Michelle probably signed herself out to get back to her family. She did have a son after all. And chances were if she had a son, she had a husband to go along with him. Or at the very least, a father for her child.
I slowly turned back to the doors I’d entered, pulling my helmet back over my head. I got on my Ducati, started it up, and backed out of my parking space, waiting until I’d exited the hospital’s parking lot to rev up the engine and peel out onto the street, doing my best to get lost in the adrenaline rush that came from moving this fast on the road.
****
Michelle
Days like this, I wish I had a man in my life who’d do this type of thing for me. As I stared at the salesman in the passenger seat, ramble on about the upgrades of the two thousand eighteen version of the vehicle, I just let him talk. It was either that, or tell him again―for the third time―that I had no interest in buying a brand new car.
I’d finally gotten the insurance payout for my totaled car and all I wanted was a three or four year old car that ran great and got me where I needed to go. Apparently, I hadn’t made that clear enough to the salesman, who was still talking about the two thousand eighteen features.
“No, no, that’s great. Maybe I’ll look into that in the future,” I spoke up. “But for now, I’d just like the 2014 model.” I rubbed my hands up and down the steering wheel. We’d just done a test drive of the 2014, and I was set on it. This was pretty much the exact same car I’d had and I hadn’t had any problems with it until the accident.
“Are you sure? We have some–”
“I’m sure. And I’ll be writing a check, so no need to go through all the financing paperwork. If we could get this done as soon as possible. I have to pick up my son from the sitter.” That was a total lie, but thankfully, one that Steve bought.
“Oh, a mother, huh? I get it. My wife’s always rushing around taking the kids from one place to another. How many kids do you have?”
“Just one.” I smiled, tightly.
“Well, if you’re thinking of having more in the near future, we’ve got some SUVs and minivans that are perfect for driving the family around.”
“I’m not. Thank you.” I got out of the car, shutting the door, making it clear to Steve that I was ready to head out. Thankfully, he got the message and followed suit. He held the door open for me to enter the dealership. Forty minutes later―after writing a check out for the total amount of the vehicle―I had my new keys in hand and was on my way out. It was just after two o’clock and I had plenty of free time. I’d left Diego with my mother for the day, and they were planning on going to see a children’s play. Those two were like peas in a pod, couldn’t get enough of hanging with one another. That’d brought a smile to my lips. My mother and I hadn’t had a great relationship growing up, but she was great with Diego.
On a whim, I got the idea to head over to the Rescue Four firehouse. It was something I’d contemplated over the last three weeks, since my accident. All during my week and a half recuperating process from work, and even since I’d been back, I couldn’t get my mind off the sexiest and most haunting pair of blue eyes I’d ever seen. Carter. That was his name, at least I thought it was. That was the name I remembered calling out, as I was being pulled from my car. The tight hold around my hand that was almost strangling my circulation but felt good just the same. And it may have been my imagination, but I thought I remembered that just before I was loaded into the ambulance, he’d lifted my hand and brought it to his soft lips. I still remember the tiny tingles that shot through my adrenaline flooded body. I was pretty sure that the adrenaline was the reason I was still so caught up on thoughts of him. It had to be the adrenaline and high emotion of it all. I told myself it was nothing more than the energy of the situation, even as I bought two dozen donuts from my favorite shop and pointed my new car in the direction of the firehouse.
Fifteen minutes later, I parked across the street of the Rescue Four fire station and got out of my car. Pulling out the two boxes of donuts from the passenger side, I checked the street before crossing. A nervousness settled over me the closer I got, but I was already there. No turning back now. I entered through the opened garage where a fire struck sat, equipment out behind it.
“Hello?” I called.
A dark head popped out
from behind the fire truck. The man, dressed in dark blue slacks and T-shirt of the fire department, greeted me with a smile.
“Hi. My name is Michelle. Michelle Clarke. I was in an accident three weeks ago and your squad pulled me out of my car. I just …” I paused as three more men emerged. “I brought something to say thank you,” I continued, holding up the boxes for all the men to see.
All four men now broke out into smiles. Whoa! All of these men were gorgeous. The first one I’d met introduced himself as Don. He had dark hair and was about six foot, medium build. The next one was introduced as Eric. He was tall, too―with dark, silky hair and a creamy coloring to his skin thanks to his Asian heritage. Next came Sean, who was a few shades darker than me and slightly taller than Don. Finally, I shook hands with Corey, who was somewhere between my caramel coloring and Sean’s complexion, and just as handsome as the other three men.
“Thank you for these,” Don stated, holding up the boxes of donuts he’d relieved me of. “We always love food as a token of your appreciation.” He laughed, and the rest did as well.
Despite how great all these men were, disappointment settled in my belly at not seeing the one face I’d hoped beyond hope to see.
“Come in, doll,” Don ushered.
“Oh, that’s okay. I didn’t want to disturb your day.”
“Nonsense, come on. It’s rare we get a face as beautiful as yours around here,” Sean added.
I smiled, and followed the men inside. We entered from the garage side door into a huge kitchen. I glanced around and saw a few other firefighters milling about.
“Here’s everyone’s favorite room in the entire firehouse,” Eric informed.
Don placed the donuts on the table and suddenly I felt guilty.
“Hey, I know there’s a cliché about cops and donuts, but these are from my favorite shop, so I hope no one’s offended,” I laughed.
“Offended? We’d be more upset if you didn’t bring food,” Sean exclaimed.
“Hey, what’s so–”
Everything in me stilled. His voice alone, I’d memorized it. Those cerulean eyes met mine and a slow smile broke out onto his face.
Carter's Flame: A Rescue Four Novel Page 2
