She gazed at him a moment, and though she wished this had never happened, she couldn’t argue with him. He was a paramedic. He knew what he was doing. If he said the ring had to come off, then it had to come off.
“Okay.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
He smiled at her, then reached into his bag and pulled out a small kit. She watched as he worked to cut the ring off, tears blurring her vision. Embarrassed by the tears, when Lacey realized she couldn’t even wipe them away because Jake was working on her hands, she wanted to sob in frustration. Instead, she sat still and tried to think of something besides the painful throbbing, like the unexpected surprise it was that Jake had shown up to help her. Again. That was two times that he had come to her rescue. What were the odds?
She gazed at his bent head as he finished wrapping her right hand in gauze and moved on to her left, replaying the moment when she had burned her hands. “I should’ve used a towel,” she murmured.
Jake paused and looked up at her. “What do you mean?”
It was as if she could hear Eric telling her what an idiot she was, how she never thought things through. “To put out the fire on his arm,” she said. “It was stupid of me to use my bare hands.”
Jake immediately understood how she had gotten the burns. “You weren’t thinking of yourself,” he said as his attraction to her grew.
Her eyebrows pulled together and her mouth formed a frown. “I was stupid. I didn’t think.”
An overwhelming desire to pull her into his arms and comfort her swept over him. “You weren’t stupid, Lacey. You were following your instincts. That’s all.”
A soft sigh slipped from her mouth and he knew his words hadn’t helped.
“You’ll be okay,” he said, confident the burns weren’t as severe as what he had seen in the past.
A sliver of hope brightened her eyes. “Do you think so?”
He nodded. “Yes.” Then he continued wrapping her left hand in a dry sterile bandage.
Just having him there made her feel better, though she wasn’t sure why. She didn’t know him at all. All she knew was that he had stopped to help her when she had run out of gas and that he was a firefighter and a paramedic. She gazed at his bent head.
And that he was all kinds of hot.
Though her hands hurt, she could tell he was being as gentle as possible. And when she tried to picture him telling her she deserved what had happened to her due to her stupidity, she couldn’t imagine it.
He was nothing like Eric.
Glad to recognize that, Lacey sat quietly as he worked.
When Jake finished, he looked Lacey in the eye. The fact that she had sacrificed herself to help someone else said a lot about her. It made him want to get to know her better—more than he did before.
Wondering if she was single, he kept his thoughts to himself. “You’re all set for now, but you need to go to the hospital to have a burn specialist take a look.”
Panic filled her eyes. “I…I don’t think I can drive.” She held up her bandaged hands. “Not like this.”
Again, the urge to draw her into his arms to comfort her and take care of her tore through him. “I’ll make sure you get there,” he said.
Tears filled her eyes again and she used the back of one hand to try to wipe them away, but the bandage kept her from being effective.
Before he could stop himself, Jake used a finger to wipe away a tear. Lacey’s gaze snapped to his, her blue eyes bright, and it took all of Jake’s self-restraint to stop his finger from tracing the smooth skin on her cheek.
Lacey saw several emotions play across Jake’s face. What he was thinking? She knew what she was thinking—that she was embarrassed to be acting like such a baby in front of him. She was certain he thought she was completely helpless and a total loser.
Mortified at the thought, she wanted to disappear as she sniffed back more tears.
Stop it already, she thought. Get control of yourself.
“Where’s your stuff?” Jake asked. “I can grab whatever you need to bring with you.”
“I…” Her voice trailed off.
What? Was there someone else who could take her to the ER? Amber was in Reno, Caty had her hands full dealing with the damage to the restaurant. And Ellen? Did she want to be stuck with her for hours?
“I just have my purse.” Lifting her useless hand, Lacey gestured to the area where employees kept their belongings.
Jake went to the row of cabinets, then looked at Lacey for direction as to which cabinet held her purse. Seeing her sitting on the chair, her hands wrapped in gauze, her eyes bright with unshed tears, he felt a powerful need to take care of her.
Why was that? He treated people all the time and he didn’t usually feel like that. What was it about her that brought out his protective side? Not sure what the answer was, he focused on his task.
“The one on the right,” she said, lifting one bandaged hand in a feeble attempt to point to the cabinet.
Jake opened the door and removed a small dark red purse. “This one?”
“Yes.” She watched as Jake put the purse strap over his shoulder like he was about to go shopping. The incongruity of his bulky firefighting gear with the thin purse strap barely fitting over his shoulder made her burst out in laughter.
He grinned. “I thought you might like that.” He took the purse off of his shoulder and set it on the counter. “Let’s get you into the ambulance.”
“Ambulance?” Alarmed that such a fuss was being made over her, Lacey wanted to protest.
“That’s the fastest way to get you to University Medical Center.”
Knowing he was right, but still uncomfortable that she was causing everyone to be so inconvenienced because of her stupidity, Lacey forced away the fresh tears that pushed against the backs of her eyes.
Something was holding her back. Maybe she was afraid of hospitals. Or maybe she was worried about what would happen to her hands and what the treatment would be. Sitting on the chair in front of her, Jake met her eyes, which were bracketed with emotion. “It’ll be okay.” His voice was soft. “I’ll go with you, all right?”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Sorry? For helping someone? Confused, he tilted his head as his eyebrows drew together. “What are you sorry about?”
Her lips compressed, then she said, “That you have to take me there. For all the trouble I’ve caused.”
Astonished that she thought she was causing trouble for them, he shook his head. “Did you start the fire?”
“Well, no.”
“Then what trouble are you causing?”
“If I…If I had thought it through, I wouldn’t have used my bare hands. And then none of this would’ve happened to me.”
A wave of empathy crashed over Jake. What had happened to her that she would blame herself for getting injured? Holding back the urge to touch her, he gazed at her steadily. “You did nothing wrong. In fact, you’re a hero.”
Lacey tore her gaze from his. “No. Don’t say that.”
“Why not? It’s true. If you hadn’t done what you did, the burns on the cook’s arm would be a lot worse.”
Her eyes widened. “How bad are his burns?”
Jake looked over his shoulder to see what Tyler, the other paramedic, was doing to the cook’s arm, then he turned back to Lacey. “Not as bad as yours, I suspect.”
A mixture of relief and distress filled her eyes. “That’s good.”
Touched that she was so concerned with someone else when her own injuries were serious, he gazed at her a moment before standing. “Let’s get going.”
Though Lacey still felt bad about taking everyone’s time to get her to the hospital, she knew it had to be done. Slowly standing, she faced Jake.
“Do you need any help?” he asked.
She wasn’t about to ride on a gurney to get into the ambulance. Shaking her head, she said, “No. I’m fine.” Then she laughed, but the sound held no humor. She held up her h
ands. “Well, I guess I’m not totally fine.” Jake smiled in response, and as she looked at his handsome face and knew that he was there to take care of her, her heart did a little flip that took her by surprise.
Five
Looking around her as Jake settled her onto a gurney inside the ambulance, Lacey had a feeling of unreality. This was not how she had seen this day going. Cabinets full of medical supplies surrounded her. Jake expertly pulled items from half a dozen different ones without missing a beat, then started an IV as gently as she imagined could be possible. When he shot morphine into the IV, the pain in her hands began to dissipate and she was able to relax.
“Are you comfortable?” Jake asked. He had shed his firefighter gear and wore his paramedic uniform. Moments later his partner pulled away from the curb.
She smiled. “Yes.” Especially with him beside her.
Trying to forget about what had happened, she rested against the gurney and closed her eyes and focused on breathing slowly. She needed to go to her happy place.
That was when a fresh realization sent horror screaming through her and her eyes snapped open.
How could she draw with her hands like this? Would she ever be able to draw again? Or even if she could, would she be able to draw very well?
“What’s wrong?” Jake asked.
Lacey’s eyes went to his face. She imagined herself struggling to hold a pencil, the tip of the pencil not obeying her commands as she labored to draw a simple image. Then she pictured Eric’s self-satisfied smile at her inability to follow her passion. “Nothing.”
Jake gazed at her a moment, his eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”
He was nothing like Eric. She could tell him.
Lacey forced a smile onto her lips. “I’m sure.”
Jake could tell something was bothering Lacey. Curious what it was, but understanding she didn’t want to share it, he let it go. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad is your pain now?” he asked instead.
Holding out her gauze-wrapped hands, she stared at them. Then she looked at him. After a moment her face seemed to crumple and she looked away. “A two, maybe,” she murmured. It seemed to be her mental agony that was off the charts.
Obviously, there was more bothering her than the pain, but he had done everything he could. “We’ll be there soon.”
She nodded again, then she closed her eyes as she leaned her head back.
Jake studied her face—her forehead creased with worry, her long hair spread out on the pillow—and wished he could hold her hand to comfort her.
When they reached the ER, Jake and Tyler wheeled her inside. Concerned that she hadn’t objected to staying on the gurney—unlike at the restaurant where she had scoffed at the idea of doing anything besides walking out to the ambulance herself—he kept a close eye on her.
Fear climbed Lacey’s throat as she waited to be seen by a burn doctor. Beyond grateful that Jake was still at her side, she glanced at him, and when he smiled in what she assumed was meant to be reassurance, she forced her lips to turn upward.
She barely knew him, but she just got the feeling that he would do everything within his power to make sure she was okay. Comfort wrapped around her, and when the doctor arrived and began looking at her hands, Lacey sought out Jake’s face.
Jake got the distinct feeling that she liked having him there. He believed she even needed him. He had never felt such a strong connection to one of his patients before, and though he liked it, it was also a bit unsettling.
After a careful inspection of Lacey’s hands, the doctor nodded. “These look like second degree burns.”
“Not deep second degree?” Jake asked.
The doctor turned and looked at him. “No. Partial Thickness.”
Glad to hear that, Jake looked at Lacey, whose gaze went between him and the doctor. “That’s good news, Lacey.”
Her shoulders seemed to relax. “Oh.”
Then the look of concern he’d seen in the ambulance crept over her face again. What was on her mind?
“How long will it take for them to be…” she began as she looked at the doctor. “To be back to normal?”
He smiled at her. “With this type of burn, it will take a couple of weeks for them to heal.”
Relieved beyond measure that her recovery would take less time than she had feared, she was still worried about whether her ability to draw would be compromised long-term. She glanced at Jake. She would just have to wait and see.
“I’d like to clean your wounds,” the doctor said. At his words, it seemed her hands began to throb, although the morphine helped tremendously. Her fear must have shown on her face, because he added, “We’ll give you a local anesthetic.”
“Okay.” Her fear receded slightly, although she still dreaded what would come next.
The doctor left, and she was alone with Jake.
“Thank you for being here,” she said. Then she felt stupid. He was just doing his job. She shouldn’t read anything into it.
Jake scooted his chair closer to the bed. “I’m glad I was the one on duty.”
A soft blush rose on her cheeks. “That’s twice now that you’ve come to my rescue.”
“Par for the course.” He laughed. “At least for what happened today.”
She thought about the way he had stopped to help her when she’d run out of gas—how he’d gone to get the gas and brought it back to her. He was a really nice guy. Her gaze swept over his face. And so good-looking too.
“Davis,” Tyler said to Jake as he poked his head into the room. “We’ve gotta roll.”
He had to leave? Panic, deep and primal, stole her breath. She couldn’t do this alone. Her mouth went dry, and it took everything within her not to beg him to stay.
“I’m sorry, Lacey,” he said as he stood. Then he paused. “I don’t think they’re going to keep you overnight. Do you have a way home?”
No, she thought. Then she realized she could call Ellen to come get her. Plus she didn’t want to take any more of Jake’s time. Not when someone else needed his help. “Yeah.” Though she wasn’t sure if that was true, she pushed a confident smile onto her mouth. “Thanks for all your help.”
Jake nodded, and as he looked at her in the bed, her injured hands resting palms up on her lap, her face pale with worry, he didn’t want to leave. But he knew he didn’t have a choice. He had brought her here and gotten her the care she needed. Now he needed to go.
“You take care,” he said, wanting to say so much more. “Okay?”
She nodded.
Then he turned and left the room and knew he would do whatever it took to find her again.
Six
“I’m so sorry about your hands, hon,” Ellen said as she drove Lacey home from the hospital. “Do they hurt?”
Lacey looked at her freshly bandaged hands, then turned to her co-worker. “Not right now. They gave me a local anesthetic, but once it wears off I’m sure it’ll start hurting.” Lacey wanted to turn her thoughts away from her hands. “What’s going on at work?”
Ellen frowned in her direction. “Caty closed the restaurant for the rest of today. With both you and Thomas getting hurt, she’s kind of short-staffed right now. But I think she’s opening up tomorrow.” Sighing, she added, “I just hope she can find replacements soon.”
Lacey had been so focused on her injury and her worry about her ability to draw that she hadn’t thought about how her injury would affect her job. “Replacements?”
Ellen laughed. “We can’t exactly get by with you and Thomas out of commission now, can we?”
“I guess not,” Lacey murmured.
“At least you’ll be fine.”
“What do you mean?”
“You got hurt at work, hon.” Her tone said obviously. “You’ll get workman’s comp or some such, right?”
“I guess.” They rode in silence, Lacey grateful that Ellen was less talkative than normal, but when they pulled up to Lacey’s apartment, she knew she had a problem. “Uh,
Ellen?”
“Yeah, hon?” The engine was running as Ellen turned to Lacey with a smile.
“I, uh, can you help me unlock my front door?”
Understanding swept over her. “Oh. Sure.” She shut off the engine and walked with Lacey to her door.
Hating feeling so helpless, Lacey glanced at the purse slung crosswise over her body. “The keys are inside.”
Ellen nodded, and with a slight frown, she dug around in Lacey’s purse until she found the keys, then she inserted them into the lock and opened the door. Dropping the keys back into Lacey’s purse, Ellen said, “Do you need me to stay or anything?”
Touched that Ellen had offered, Lacey shook her head. “No, but thank you for driving all the way to Salt Lake to get me.”
Ellen smiled, her face filled with unexpected warmth. “I’m glad I could help. And I think it was downright amazing what you did for Thomas.”
Lacey thought about the cook. “Is he all right?”
“I think he’ll be okay.” Ellen paused a beat. “Well, I guess I’d better get going. Give me a call if you need anything, ‘kay?”
“I will.” Actually, she probably wouldn’t. She had inconvenienced enough people that day. “Thanks.”
Ellen walked back to her car, and Lacey went inside her apartment, pushing the door closed with her foot. Then she sank onto the couch and glared at her hands as they rested on her lap.
How was she supposed to function with her useless appendages? Should she call her mother to come help? Lacey grimaced. Her mother had tried to warn her about Eric and she had refused to listen. And then she had kind of cut her mother out of her life. Would her mother forgive her? Would she overlook the way Lacey had treated her?
Not sure if she was ready to ask her, Lacey tried wiggling her fingers to see how much movement she had. The anesthetic hadn’t worn off completely, but Lacey was able to move her fingers some. She figured she could do the basic things. Then she sighed. She could live off of protein drinks and cold cereal for a while. And when Amber got back on Sunday, she could help her.
Rescue My Heart: Park City Firefighter Romance Page 3
