Not Just Friends (Hot in the City #3) - T. Gephart Page 0,64
move her.” McGee pointed to a stretcher.
Without waiting to be told, Tibbs and I grabbed the stretcher, helping to lift her on while McGee’s hand kept squeezing the BVM. She was far from out of the woods, but at least she was free and breathing, the rest of it completely out of our hands.
It wasn’t until the family had been loaded into the ambulance that I stepped back and finally took in the whole scene. It was intense, the Honda the family had been traveling in was almost unrecognizable. The silver metal was twisted in directions that shouldn’t be possible, while the semi looked like it had eaten a car, and then vomited from indigestion. All the while traffic had backed up, the stream of cars wanting to get into the tunnel extending farther than we could see.
“PD are handling the diversions. And I have a hazmat team on the way. Good work out there.” Cap nodded his head, pointing to the engine. “You guys head back, and I’ll keep the second unit here just in case. I’ll radio it in to the Chief.”
Cap was hanging back with the second unit, North, Tibbs, Rev, Evans, and me climbing into the engine and heading back to the stationhouse.
“Fucking crazy,” Tibbs shook his head. “It’s not even raining.”
Traffic accidents were common, most a fender bender or two that people usually walked away from. And while it was inconvenient, and racked up insurance premiums like no other, if you had to have a wreck, that was the kind you wanted. Then there were the others. The ones like we’d just left, or worse, the ones where you pull out corpses.
North’s parents had died in a wreck. Both high and drunk, they’d left to go find their next score while their eighteen-year-old kid was home trying to be the adult. He didn’t hide it, but I could never understand how it hadn’t messed him up beyond recognition. His ability to tune out all the bullshit and do his job better than anyone else, something that I fucking admired.
“How’s Quinn?” I asked, tapping his shoulder as I leaned forward in my seat. “Must be getting close.”
The guy turned, biggest smile I’d ever seen beaming from his face. “She’s doing great. Man, I can’t wait.”
And that was all it took, the conversation turning to North and Quinn instead of the horror we’d just left. It was the only way you could keep doing what we did, finding a little part in your head to lock it away and go on with a life you were lucky to be living.
We got back to the station, restocked the truck, and then showered and changed. We hoped to have time to eat dinner between calls, feeling confident when we sat down at the table while Chief dished up spaghetti.
“Hey, you want to do something tomorrow night?” Tibbs asked, tearing off a piece of garlic bread before handing it to me. “We haven’t hung out in a while. Feel free to bring your woman along too, I’m beginning to think you made her up.”
He laughed as did Cole, the rookie not knowing what was good for him. “She exists, asswipes.” I flipped them off. “But tomorrow’s my niece’s birthday. My mom is having everyone at the house. And even if I didn’t love Maddy and want to see her turn two, my ma would kill me if I didn’t show up.”
Ironic how I could be excited and disappointed at the same time. Maddy was my sister Deanna’s youngest, and I fucking loved the hell out of that kid. So the fact she was getting to blow out two candles was a big deal and I wanted to be there. But it also meant I wouldn’t get much time—if any—with Presley. Kid birthday parties usually happened during the day, with my mother insisting on a family dinner after the extended relatives had left. Celebrations were a big thing, and I didn’t like disappointing my mother. Which meant by the time I’d get back to Midtown and Presley, she’d already be at Diablo. I’d have to wait hours before I’d be able to touch her. Having to sit and watch from a distance instead of pulling her into my arms and kissing her like I wanted.
“Maddy is turning two?” Tibbs scratched his head, taking a forkful of his noodles. “Fuck, how the hell did that happen? Seems like yesterday Jeff and Deanna left the hospital with her.”