Shock - Marie Johnston Page 0,70

act.

Our first call comes in right away, saving me from hours of Russel reminding me how to do the simplest aspect of a job I’ve been doing all year.

“Fifty-two-year-old male struck by a motor vehicle…”

Mentally, I’m scrolling through a list of what could be wrong and what materials we need. As we pull up to the intersection, there’s a figure lying by the curb, a small crowd circled around him. Officer Malone is directing traffic and Officer Roberts gets out of a second police car and waves us over.

I park and Russel jumps out, leaving me to do the grunt work. Ass.

I haul out the cot with the jump bag secured on top and hurry after Russel. I aim for the patient, but I’m waylaid by a man in his thirties wearing a suit and tie. I keep walking. Unless the man was hit by the car, he’s not my priority. I’ve learned the hard way to get to the patient first. Witnesses will talk my ear off about what they saw while a hit and run victim bleeds out.

“I’m a doctor.” His offer doesn’t make us pause.

Russel’s tone is almost bored. “What kind of doctor?”

“Excuse me?”

He sends the man an annoyed look, his chin lifted like a Roman emperor. “What’s your specialty?”

“I’m-I’m a dermatologist.”

“If we find an irregular mole, we’ll let you know.”

My eyes flare. Ford’s never that rude. To anyone. It’s a regular occurrence to have a nurse or doctor stop to help. Emergency medicine may not be their specialty, they might not even be trained in first responder skills, but at the very least, we politely thank them for the offer of assistance.

“Did you see the accident?” I ask as soon as Russel stomps away.

He rips his frown off my partner and shakes his head. “I heard it and helped him off the road.” His lips form an apologetic smile. “He was going for the curb whether he had help or not. I tried to minimize any damage. All doctors do rotations in the ER.”

“Will you hang around in case we have any more questions?”

He ducks his head, relief obvious in his eager stance. “Sure, of course.”

Confident that we’re not going to be called into the boss’s office to get reprimanded after Dr. Dermatologist calls to complain about Russel’s attitude, I hurry after the arrogant bastard.

So many examples of what not to do with this guy.

He’s already asking the patient questions. As for the patient, he wants to leave, and he wants to leave yesterday, but the bulge under his pant leg won’t let him. I’m one hundred percent sure that he’s busted a femur.

The man is swearing and gritting his teeth, yelling to let him go and shouting at the driver with terrified eyes standing by the police car. “Just let me go. It’s not my fault that bastard didn’t watch where he’s going.”

Ford’s usually the calming one, but Russel’s talking in short, curt sentences and ignoring me. The rest of the call feels like a fumbling mess as I try to anticipate Russel’s intentions. He won’t look at me and I only know he’s talking to me when he spouts off medical jargon.

I hold in my temper as we drive to the hospital.

Russel ditches me and the patient to go refill his meds, leaving me with the updates and probably all the computer work. The patient’s arguing with the nurse and I look for the doctor I need to give my report to.

I’ve been spoiled with Ford for a partner. For the first time since our hotel fight and breakup, I worry about my decision. Mitch has Arnesh as a partner. Russel’s an idiot that should’ve been fired years ago. There’s Jada, who’s okay to work with. I scroll through the rest of the paramedics I could partner with until I finish my courses.

I’ve committed to Sunnyville. If I wanted a different five-year plan, I shouldn’t have signed that contract. I could’ve been free to go. I could have been a paramedic in Melville.

Then I’d also have to pay for my education on top of the cost of the move. They might offer the same contract, but I’d be locked in. What if Cass uprooted Jayden again?

I’d be stuck doing what I did years ago when I let Samuel lead me around, making decisions for me, disguising them as my own.

No. I square my shoulders and rattle off the report to Dr. Sanchez.

As the saying goes, I made my decision and I’m sticking to it.

Chapter