Pin-Up Fireman

by Vonnie Davis

  She put on a gown over the one she wore, only backwards so the opening was in the front. It was a poor excuse for a robe, but at least she was able to walk to the end of the corridor and back with her butt covered.

  It was a pleasant surprise to find a windowed seating area at the end of the hall similar to a solarium. She loved the various species of palm trees and the vibrant flowers that grew year round in this area. Although she hadn’t had much time to make a supportive circle of friends, she’d certainly become enamored of the beauty of the gulf side of the state.

  She was on her return trek to her room, moving slower the farther she walked. Although the pain in her knee was doing better, things were spinning again. With every step, she wasn’t sure where the floor was; some bastard had made the floor wavy while she’d been enjoying the view. Moisture ran from her nose, and when she wiped it, she saw it was blood. At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to return to work for several more days. The spinning increased and she leaned against the wall to keep from falling off the face of the earth. Somehow the floor rose to meet her back and she imagined there were people running a race.

  Boyd’s phone rang using the tune he’s assigned for Graci-Ella—“She’s a Lady.”

  “Hey, Sweetness. How’re you feeling?” He poured himself a cup of coffee. Cup in hand, he headed for the empty dining room table, preparing for a long chat.

  “Boyd, this is April. We met in Graci-Ella’s room earlier today.”

  “Yeah.” He stopped. “What’s wrong with her?” Earlier the nurse had been jovial. Now, she was tense, all business. His heart started pounding hard and fast in his ears. “Why am I talking to you and not her?”

  “On her admittance forms, she listed you as her primary contact. She collapsed in the corridor. Evidently she went for a walk. There was blood flowing from her nose when I found her. They’re running tests, but it looks as if brain surgery might be necessary.”

  Quinn passed by and Boyd grabbed his arm for support. “How soon will they know? Is she going through the tests now or are they completed?”

  Wolf must have heard part of the conversation because he was now standing next to him with a roll of paper towels, wiping up the coffee Boyd had spilled when he’d dropped his cup, which he didn’t recall doing.

  “She’s already had a CT scan. They’re evaluating it now. They suspect her severe raccoon eyes were a sign we overlooked. The doctor assumed it came from the deploying of the airbag and her fair skin. Now they’re trying to decide if it’s a basilar skull fracture, which comes from a blunt force trauma, like when she hit her head several times against the driver’s window.”

  “So, Graci-Ella might have a basilar skull fracture?” Sweet Jesus, Boyd collapsed onto a nearby chair. By now most of the squad stood around the table. Boyd’s gaze gravitated toward Jace, the most knowledgeable of the EMT’s.

  Jace raked his fingers through his hair. “Ask if they’re considering an epidural hematoma.” He pointed to the side of the head above the ear. “She had trauma to the temporal bone located near the ear. Remember? She needed stitches from breaking the passenger window.”

  Boyd repeated the question. By now, Quinn rubbed his shoulders in a show of support.

  “That is a possibility surgeons are considering. The temporal bone is thinner than the other skull bones, it is also the location of the middle meningeal artery that runs just beneath the bone. Fracture of the temporal bone is associated with tearing of this artery and may lead to an epidural hematoma.”

  Boyd glanced at Jace again. “She mentioned epidural hematoma.”

  Jace nodded. “Whichever it is, pal, it’s going to require brain surgery to repair. You need to face that.”

  “Anything else I should know, April? Is she conscious? If I come will she know I’m there?”

  April sighed. “As crazy as she is about you, I think she’ll feel your presence. She’ll absorb some of your strength before they take her into surgery. I wish I could tell you when that’ll be. Could be fifteen minutes. Could be an hour or two.”

  “Thanks. I’m on my way.” He ended the call, glanced at the ceiling and muttered, “Brain surgery.” If there was one thing he was experiencing besides fear, it was exhaustion from worrying about everyone he cared about. First Matt’s asthma and pneumonia and now Graci-Ella’s brain injury.

  “Don’t think for a minute I’m allowing you to drive as exhausted as you look.” The captain took charge. “Hell, you’re still recovering from some injuries yourself. I’ll take you.” His gazed around the table. “Wolf, you’re in charge until I get back. Okay? Tiny, let’s roll.”

  As the captain sped toward the hospital, he asked Boyd if her parents knew she’d been in a car accident.

  Boyd rubbed both hands over his face. “I don’t think so. She told me she hated to tell them about the wreck because her brother was killed in a car accident. He was broadsided by a truck.”

  “Don’t you think they deserve to know? Especially with this brain surgery coming up? Do you have access to her phone, so you can find their phone number? Hell, I know how I’d feel if I wasn’t aware one of my kids was in pretty bad shape.”

  “The last I saw her phone was earlier today in her room when I dropped off some roses and the raccoon book.”

  “I do believe you’re falling for the pretty photographer.”

  He nodded as he looked out the window at nothing. “Yeah, you could say that. She’s the first woman I’ve allowed myself to get close to since Chantel moved out.” He’d actually thrown her out after he’d walked in on a scene from one of those triple X movies in his bedroom, on his fucking bed. “Granted, Graci-Ella is pretty special, but she’s also a lawyer, not my favorite species right now with this custody hearing bearing down on me. But, hell, I can overlook that.”

  “Life has a way of taking charge, Tiny. She might not be physically ready for much dating till the hearing anyhow. I wonder if she’ll even be able to do the calendar to benefit the food bank.” Captain eased his convertible into a parking spot a van just pulled out of. “Right now, let’s concentrate on getting her well and contacting her parents.”

  Both men jumped out of the car and ran for the main entrance to the hospital. When they entered Graci-Ella’s room, she was unconscious and hooked up to monitors. Boyd kissed her on the inside of her palm and nuzzled the crook of her neck, while he murmured words of love and encouragement to her. “I’m here for you, Sweetness. I’ll stay until you wake up. Don’t be afraid. I’ll do my best to be sure you’re taken care of, baby. You have a job to do too.” He kissed the inside of her palm again, fighting his nerves. Dear God, he could not lose this woman.

  With his lips against her ear, he whispered, “You have to fight. Don’t leave me, baby. Please, don’t leave me.”

  Before he fell apart, Boyd straightened and scooped Graci-Ella’s cell phone off the nightstand. He thumbed through her contacts until he found a Santana in Columbia, Maryland. Stepping into the corridor, he made the call. The call every parent dreads receiving.

  “Hello.” Thank God a man answered. From what Graci-Ella had told him, her mother did not react well to bad news. Right now, with his hanging on by an emotional thread, fraying by the minute, Boyd needed someone more stable.

  “Is this Mr. Santana?”

  “Yes. Who is this?”

  Boyd pinched the bridge of his nose and prepared to break a parent’s heart. “This is Boyd Calloway. I live in Clearwater, Florida. Do you know anyone who lives in that area?”

  A gasp and a pained sound crossed the phone waves. “Yes. What did you say your name was and how did you get ahold of my daughter’s cell phone?”

  “Do you have a pen and paper nearby to write down some information?” The man grunted in the positive. Boyd repeated his name, gave him his cell number and told him how he’d met Graci-Ella at Fire and Marine Rescue Station Thirty-two. He explained she came to make preliminary plans to photograph firemen for a calendar that was to be sold to benefi
t the local food bank.

  “Yes, she mentioned that to us. She was excited to use her photography skills again. But why are you calling? Has something happened?”

  “After she left from one of her visits with us, she was involved in a vehicle accident.”

  “Dear God. Not again.”

  A feminine voice spoke in the background. “Ellis! Ellis, what is it? You’ve gone pale.”

  “Hush a minute, Grace, I need to hear what this man is telling me. Then I’ll tell you everything. Okay, Boyd, please continue.”

  “At first, Graci-Ella’s injuries appeared minor, except for a concussion. Bleeding has started in her brain and they’re going to have to do brain surgery. I don’t know how soon they’ll take her down to the operating room.”

  “What hospital is she in?”

  “Bay Care Health System. Here’s the address and phone number. If you’re planning on flying into the Tampa airport, I’ll have someone from the fire station meet you there and bring you here. If you’re unable to make the trip, I’ll keep calling you with updates on my phone. I see the battery on hers is getting low. You’ve got my number, right? I’m a little rattled right now, Mr. Santana. I care a great deal for your daughter.”

  “I see. Yes, I have it. We’ll be in touch with our flight arrangements. Thank you for the call, young man.”

  The captain strode down the corridor with a cup of coffee in each hand. “Did you reach her parents?”

  “Yeah. I talked to Graci-Ella’s dad. He’ll call me with their flight arrangements.” Both men walked into her room, the monitors beeping and her body lying still except for the rise and fall of her chest. Boyd set his coffee on a table and held Graci-Ella’s hand. “Sweetness.”

  To his shock, her hand opened, her palm up. She could hear him. He had to believe that, had to hang onto that tiny shred of hope. He lifted her palm and leaned over to press a long kiss to it. “I’m here for you, baby.”

  “My man,” she whispered.

  “Yes, your man. I’ve called your parents. They’re flying down. Your mom and dad are coming. Can you hear me?”

  “Okay.” She drifted off again.

  Nearly an hour later, orderlies came to lift Graci-Ella from her bed to a gurney to take her to the operating room. Panic seized Boyd’s lungs so fiercely; he didn’t know if he could take his next breath. He held her hand and walked along until they reached the double doors to surgery. He leaned and whispered in her ear. “They’re going to make you better, but you have to fight to stay with me. Don’t leave me, baby. Don’t leave me. I need you.” He kissed her lips and, unless he imagined it or willed it, her lips weakly kissed him in return.

  The orderlies pushed her through the doors and Boyd watched her until they closed in his face. He stepped away and bent over, his hands on his knees while he took huge gulps of air. Christ, they were going to drill open the skull of this dear, sweet woman. How had he come to care for her so quickly? So deeply? He watched two teardrops splatter onto his shoes and accepted the truth—he loved her.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Boyd finally corralled his emotions enough to stand erect. He paced back and forth in front of the closed doors, loathe to leave her. Which, of course, was a little over the top, but he’d be the same way if Matty was in there. He slipped his cell from its scabbard and called Mr. Santana.

  “Boyd, how’s our girl. We’re packing now. The earliest flight we could get leaves in about two hours.”

  “They…” he cleared his throat to gain some composure, “they just now wheeled her into the operating room. I held her hand until we reached the entrance. She did show some response to me earlier, even in her unconscious state.”

  “Oh? How?”

  “See, I often kiss the palm of her hand and, every once in a while, she’d turn her wrist over and open her hand for me to kiss it. I told her you two were coming and she said, ‘okay’.”

  “Well, that’s encouraging. She evidently knew you were there and what she wanted. But then our girl always went after what she wanted. Thanks for telling me that.” He cleared his throat too. “That gives us something to hang on to. Here’s our flight plans, son.” Ellis gave Boyd the airline, flight number and arrival time and he entered it into his smart phone.

  One hellacious long hour and twenty minutes went crept by before a man in blue scrubs approached Boyd and the captain in the waiting room. “She did well. I fixed the vein that had ruptured, repaired the surrounding area. We’ll have her in intensive care and monitoring her closely for the next forty-eight hours, but I expect a full recovery.”

  Boyd had his cell out, swiping Ellis Santana’s number. When he answered, Boyd asked him to hold on. “Doctor, I have her father on the line. They’re flying down from Maryland. Could you tell him what you just told me?”

  “Certainly.” He took the phone and relayed the same information. He also answered a few questions Graci-Ella’s dad asked before handing the phone back to Boyd.

  When he held the phone to his ear, all he could hear was a man and woman crying. He imagined their embracing each other and sharing a few moments of blessed relief. He ended the call. Let them have their time of breakdown in private. He’d so often felt the same over Matt, only his moments of joyful relief were in private, alone.

  The captain clasped him on the shoulder. “While she’s in recovery, let’s go get a bite to eat in the cafeteria.” Over soup and cheeseburgers, the captain kept the conversation going from his son Zack deciding on a college to buying a big screen TV to his wife’s moodiness from menopause. “Sometimes, when she’s through yelling, I feel like I’ve been sliced, diced and pureed.”

  “But you still love her.” The captain was a family man through and through.

  “Christ, more than anything.” He grinned the way he did when he was thinking of doing something evil. “Know what I’d like to do? Replace her birth control pills with aspirins and slip one in on her.” He shrugged as he bit into his cheeseburger. “I mean, if the woman’s going to bitch…” And he chewed and laughed and choked at the same time. He wiped the tears from his eyes. “God, I love that woman. Susan is one adorable doll baby when she’s big and pregnant. Besides, no kids at the house just don’t seem right. Even she’s been moaning and groaning about being alone so much after Zack leaves for college. Maybe I’ll get that little girl I want this time.”

  “Seems like a topic the two of you ought to discuss—together.” Is he being serious or just handing me a line of bullshit to keep my mind off of Graci-Ella?

  “What, and miss the explosion when Susan finds out she’s pregnant? Whoo! That ought to be a doozy. And guess who’ll get to calm her down? I’ve got a sure-fired comforting procedure.” Ol’ Captain winked. “No, I wouldn’t do it. Would be a dirty trick, but I have been talking to her about trying for another baby. I caught a sparkle of hope in her eyes, so I’ll keep bringing the subject up every few days. Hell, we’re still young enough.”

  “Well, that’s good. Surprise babies happen all the time, but to purposely trick your wife doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.” He’d been on the receiving end of being tricked and it was a sore spot with him.

  The captain leaned back in his chair. “You and Graci-Ella sure hit it off fast. Kinda pleases me. I like the young lady. Just don’t put your heart out there too fast.”

  Boyd wiped his mouth and crumbled his napkin. “I won’t deny I care for her.” No way would he mention the L word. He was still coming to grips with that emotion himself, waffling back and forth.

  How many times had he sworn to himself and others that he would never love another woman again? Standing there as they wheeled her into the OR was a highly charged emotional moment, which no doubt brought about his highly charged emotional reaction. He cared. He cared a lot.

  “You haven’t been with a woman for damn near a year or more. You need to date some before you hand any woman your heart. Especially with this custody battle hanging over your head.”

  He
stood and snatched their empty plates and bowls. “Hell, captain, you think I don’t know that? You think I haven’t argued with myself about what an involvement with her could do to my chances for custody, so much so I called my lawyer and asked him straight out? You think the desire for her hasn’t eaten at me from the moment I set eyes on her? And who the hell believes in love at first sight, anyhow? Not this guy. Lust, yeah. But love needs a chance to develop.” He stormed to the trash containers and tubs for dirty dishes.

  The captain studied him with his one eye narrowed in that way he had. “You ain’t fooling me, son. You’ve already fallen in love with her. I bet the thought has you shaking in your shoes.” A slow grin spread. “Dammit, I get a charge out of watching my men fall in love and fighting the feeling all the way to the alter. Makes my heart feel good.”

  “Go to hell.”

  The captain leaned over and laughed until everyone in the place was staring at him.

  As they headed to Graci-Ella’s room, the captain elbowed Boyd. “Wolf fell for Becca as soon as he saw her in her backyard, playing with Einstein.”

  Boyd wasn’t playing the captain’s game. He didn’t respond.

  “Quinn flipped for Cassie the first time he saw her at her eighteenth birthday party.”

  Again, he ground his back molars and kept silent.

  They reached the elevator and the doors whispered open. “Barclay got it bad for Molly the first night he met her.”

  Both stepped onto the elevator. The captain’s face was relaxed. Boyd could feel his own was pinched into a sneer. One more remark. One more freaking remark from the captain and Boyd was going to jack his jaw.

  “Ivy Jo’s eyes lit up the first moment she saw Ryder. The two of them are like magnets now. You see how happy she is?”