Page 7 of Rescuer
Grabbing his gear, he raced from the ambulance to the car, aware of Swanny at his side. As he suspected, the door was wedged shut. He couldn’t see the woman’s face. A curtain of thick brown hair covered her face. He saw her chest move as she breathed.
She was alive.
“Sam!” He yelled to one of the female firefighters. “She’s trapped. We need an extraction.”
Sam grabbed the hydraulic rescue tool and hurried over. Jackson and Swanny both stepped aside to give her room to work. She maneuvered the Jaws of Life into place and activated them. The metal jaws tightened and tore into the door. The cracking and shuddering sounded like the entire vehicle was on the verge of collapsing. It took two firefighters to fully free the female passenger.
She hadn’t regained consciousness. Jackson reached in and felt for a pulse on her neck. “I’ve got a strong pulse.”
He and Swanny worked to stabilize her before moving her to a stretcher, taking care not to jar her neck.
Jackson strapped her in, then glanced at her face.
He froze.
“Mia?” The name left his mouth before he could stop it.
His heart missed a beat as he stared at the young woman—she couldn’t have been more than twenty—who bore an uncanny resemblance to Mia Turner. But it wasn’t Mia. Mia would be in her late twenties by now.
He looked closer. This time he saw the differences. Mia had attached earlobes. This woman had hanging earlobes, double pierced. And her lips were wider. Nose slightly longer. Not Mia’s cute little nose.
He fought against the memories surging inside. Memories of forbidden kisses in empty classrooms. Of sneaking out after dark to meet up and waking exhausted in the morning. It had all seemed worth it then. He’d paid for those sins though.
He wrenched his mind away from Mia. This woman wasn’t her. Close enough to be a younger sister, or a cousin. Even though he knew Mia had been an only child.
“Dude, you okay?”
He lifted his gaze to meet Swanny’s concerned glance.
“Yeah. I’m good. I thought I knew her, but I was wrong.”
He clamped his lips shut. No way was he going to spill his life story with all the traffic around.
Swanny let it drop. “Cool. Let’s load her up and get her to the hospital. The cops will hang out here and wait for the coroner to retrieve the other victim.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Jackson took hold of the wheeled stretcher and moved it closer. “On three.”
He counted up, then he and Swanny gently lifted the unconscious victim onto the stretcher. She moaned, moving her head restlessly. He jerked in response. Had they hurt her? She gave no further indication that she felt anything, so they proceeded to load her onto the ambulance. Blood streaked down her temple and melted into her hairline. A dark bruise had begun to cover the left side of her face.
Jackson pressed his lips together. He’d have to ride in the back with her. He would never try to avoid his duty, but man, sitting next to someone who looked so much like his long-lost love would test him.
He squared his shoulders. This isn’t about me. Or Mia. It’s about doing what’s best for this young woman.
He crawled into the back of the ambulance. White LEDs on the ceiling lit the interior. He hooked her up to the monitor. Swanny shut the doors. A few seconds later, the engine started, the floor vibrating under his feet. The measured rhythm of beeps sliced through the motor’s rumble.
The ambulance jolted when Swanny began driving. Jackson placed an oxygen mask over the woman’s mouth and nose. Her chest rose and fell at a steady pace. The numbers from the blood pressure cuff around her arm flashed on the monitor. Jackson’s gaze constantly swept from the patient to the monitor, watching for any changes.
“Hold on. Stay with me.”
He forced himself to focus on the mechanics of his job. But every now and then, memories of Mia wiggled their way into his mind. He could almost smell the vanilla and cinnamon scent he’d always associated with her hair. It had been his favorite aroma once. Now he couldn’t stand it. It reminded him of everything he’d lost.
“Where…where am I?” A soft alto interrupted his thoughts.
He glanced at her face. Blue eyes glazed with pain and confusion watched him.
A wave of relief filtered through him. Mia’s eyes were a rich chocolate brown. The difference helped him separate them in his mind.
“You were in a car accident. My name is Jackson. I’m a paramedic. You’re in an ambulance, on the way to the hospital. What do you remember?”
