Page 53 of Phoenix Rising

She turned back to the task at hand, gesturing to her team. "Let's go! We need to move faster." She couldn’t afford to lose focus, not now.

Minutes passed like hours as Lucinda worked tirelessly, moving from patient to patient, issuing orders, stitching wounds, and setting bones. The ER felt like a warzone—screams, moans of pain, and the constant clatter of medical equipment surrounded her. Her team, though well-practiced, was already beginning to show signs of exhaustion, but they pushed on, knowing they couldn’t stop until every patient was treated.

Then came another wave of incoming patients. Lucinda’s pager beeped urgently as her phonerang in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw the message:Highway triage needed.Her stomach tightened. She knew what that meant.

Lucinda quickly assessed the situation in the ER. The immediate crisis had slowed; her team could handle things here for the moment. With a deep breath, she turned to her second-in-command, Dr. Lisa Gomez.

"You're in charge here for now," Lucinda said, her voice firm but tired. "I’m heading to the scene."

Gomez nodded, her expression resolute. “Got it. Be careful.”

Lucinda grabbed her trauma kit, slipping on her jacket as she made her way toward the exit. The air outside was thick with humidity, the distant rumble of thunder hinting at the worsening storm overhead. The flashing lights of ambulances and patrol cars illuminated the scene in pulses, bathing the road in an eerie glow. Her and her team were driven to the scene.

As Lucinda approached the highway, her breath caught in her throat. The wreckage was worse than she’d anticipated. Cars were strewn across the asphalt like broken toys, twisted metal and debris scattered everywhere. A semi-truck lay on its side, its cargo spilling onto the road, andseveral smaller vehicles were crushed beneath its weight. EMTs and firefighters swarmed the scene, trying to pull survivors from the wreckage.

And there, in the middle of it all, was Becky.

Her heart raced as she spotted the fire chief standing tall amidst the chaos, directing her team with an authority that made Lucinda’s chest tighten. Becky’s uniform was streaked with grime, her face set in a determined scowl as she tried to maintain order.

Lucinda squared her shoulders and marched toward the command post. There was no avoiding this. Not here, not now.

As she neared, Becky caught sight of her. For a moment, their eyes locked, and the world seemed to slow around them. Lucinda saw the flash of surprise in Becky’s eyes, followed by something else, something she couldn’t quite read.

Becky broke the gaze first, turning back to the task at hand. “Dr. Everett,” she said, her tone too formal. “Glad you made it. We’ve got a situation.”

Lucinda nodded, her voice steady. “I can see that. What’s the status?”

Becky gestured to the highway. “It’s a mess. We’ve got multiple casualties trapped in the vehicles, and the rain’s making it harder to get themout. Some of the wreckage is too unstable to move without more equipment.”

Lucinda scanned the scene, her mind already racing with medical assessments. She saw the firefighters struggling to pry open a car door, a man inside barely conscious, blood pooling at his feet. Another woman was lying on a stretcher nearby, her leg twisted at an unnatural angle, her cries barely audible over the rain and sirens.

“I’ll start triage over there,” Lucinda said, pointing toward the semi-truck. “Get me a team of EMTs.”

Becky nodded sharply. “I’ll get you what I can. We’re stretched thin, but I’ll make it work.”

The two women moved into action without another word, their professional synergy clicking into place as if they hadn’t spent weeks avoiding each other. They worked side by side, though neither acknowledged the weight of their shared history. There wasn’t time for that—not now.

As the EMTs rushed a patient toward the waiting ambulance, Lucinda turned to see Becky standing a few feet away, her eyes locked on her. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The chaos around them seemed to fade into the background, leaving only the two of them in the center of it all.

Becky broke the silence first. “You’ve still got it,” she said, her voice low, almost hesitant.

Lucinda’s heart skipped a beat, but she kept her expression neutral. “So do you.”

For a second, it felt like the tension between them might snap. Lucinda could feel the unspoken words hanging in the air, the weight of everything they hadn’t said since their breakup pressing down on her. She wanted to reach out, to bridge the gap that had grown between them, but now wasn’t the time.

Before either of them could say more, the sound of metal groaning against asphalt shattered the moment. One of the vehicles shifted under the weight of the wreckage, sending a ripple of panic through the emergency responders.

“Get back!” Becky shouted, grabbing Lucinda’s arm and pulling her away from the danger.

Lucinda stumbled slightly, but Becky’s grip was firm as she clutched Lucinda to her body. The heat of her skin seeped through Lucinda's wet clothes.

“Are you okay?” Becky asked, her voice softer now, concern etched into her features.

Lucinda nodded, her heart pounding. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

They stood there for a beat longer, the chaosswirling around them, but all Lucinda could focus on was the warmth of Becky’s hand on her arm, the closeness they hadn’t shared in so long.

But then the moment passed, and they both stepped back, the weight of their responsibilities crashing back down on them. There was still work to be done, still lives to save.

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