Page 12 of Trustfall
“Can you feel your legs, Malcolm?” His face was pale and contorted in pain.
“Yes.”
“Excellent. Can you wiggle your toes for me?”
“Yes,” he said, wincing as he tried to shift his position, “but my back . . . it’s tingly . . . and my chest?—”
The man’s lower half of his body was pinned underneath the front end of his vintage truck, which he liked tinkering with in his garage.
“That’s to be expected. Just save your energy; the paramedics will be here in a minute, just don’t move your neck. Do you understand?”
“I won’t move . . . I’ll wait for Miss Arizona.”
“Exactly; you know she wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” Frequent stops at Malcolm’s had become a weekly ritual as of late.
Whether it was related to his diabetes or his work around the property, the man refused to properly monitor his insulin levels and or accept that he wasn’t as agile as he once was.
“She’s so nice; I don’t want to upset her.”
“You won’t. Just stay still while my guys work to stabilize the truck.”
I heard the distinct clang of metal striking metal, a vehicle’s heavy door slamming shut, and a second later, the air around me changed.
“Malcolm, it seems you’ve gotten yourself into quite the predicament.”
Ari used a playful tone upon her arrival, something I’d witnessed her do numerous times. It was her way of making light of a tense situation to help keep the patient calm.
While she didn’t spare me a glance, when she knelt beside me, my body took notice and missed the scent of her perfume, which she never wore to work out of fear that it could trigger allergies or sensitivities in her patients.
“Miss Arizona . . . I knew you’d come for me.”
“Of course. Now let me get this C-collar on you and check your vitals.”
She moved with effortless grace, a true reflection of her professionalism under pressure, while I, a love-struck fool, couldn’t help but be consumed by the urge to be so close to her that I could almost taste the natural scent of her skin.
“Fisher, what’s the plan here?” she asked, pulling me from my errant thoughts as she slipped an oxygen mask over Malcolm’s face.
“I need you to move and stay by his head.”
“Miss Arizona, please don’t leave me. Everyone leaves me.” He choked back a sob.
“I’m not going anywhere.” I watched as she took his frail hand in her gloved one. “I promise I’ll be right here by your side the whole time.”
Cruz set the jack in place, and I ensured it was stable. With a firm grip, I pumped the handle. Each stroke pushed hydraulic fluid through a narrow channel into a cylinder, generating pressure that raised the piston inside. The ominous creak of metal filled the space, heightening the tension of an already delicate situation where a single misstep could exacerbate Malcolm’s injuries.
“You’re doing great; the guys will have you free in just a minute,” Ari reassured him.
As soon as my team had the vehicle elevated to the necessary height for extrication, I secured the jack and carefully placed blocks beneath the chassis for added safety. Alex appeared across from me, holding the backboard, and assisted in securing Malcolm for transfer.
It wasn’t long before I stood back and watched Ari climb into the back of the ambulance and secure the IV bag to the pole. As if sensing my gaze on her, she turned my way. Her eyes were charged with emotion, while mine felt weary and uncertain.
After Alex shut the doors, I knew we were at a crossroads. What I had done was shitty, I’d admit that, but I was tired of her denying the connection we shared. Not for one second did I believe it was one-sided, and it was past time we had an honest conversation about it.
Darkness had fallen, and the firehouse was quiet, the kind of quiet that lulls you into a comforting illusion of safety. After dropping Malcolm off at the hospital, Ari only returned to the station to pick up her Jeep and immediately took off to help a friend. Naturally, all of this happened right when I was in the shower. When I pressed Alex for the friend’s name, he remained quiet, leaving me to wonder if it was simply her way of avoiding me.
I was physically exhausted, yet my mind refused to quiet down.
To say my thoughts drifted to Ari would mean I had stopped thinking about her at some point. The time we spent, albeit too short, in the back office at McQuade’s replayed repeatedly in my mind. From her uncanny ability to read my thoughts to her surprising bluntness and confidence, it was unexpected and undeniably sexy.
