Page 67 of A Sudden Response

“Echo seventeen on the south side,” Eric said into the mic as he threw the ambulance in park.

“Echo seventeen, received.”

For a moment, they sat there in silence while Eric did his best to prepare himself for what was about to happen. What he hadn’t been prepared for was Joe suddenly unbuckling her seatbelt and scrambling over the middle console so that shecould climb onto his lap and wrap her arms around him as she buried her face against his neck.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Eric asked, kissing her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Nothing,” Joe mumbled sadly against his skin.

“Nothing, huh?”

“No.”

“And the reason that you’re sitting on my lap?” Eric asked as he kissed the top of her head.

“Because you’re comfy,” she mumbled as she snuggled against him.

“What’s wrong?” Eric asked softly.

“Why do you think something’s wrong?” Joe mumbled as she shifted until she was sitting across his lap with her back against his door. When she was done, she laid her head against his shoulder and began absently playing with the buttons on his shirt.

“Besides the fact that you canceled our date last night and you’re not devouring the pastries I bought for you?” Eric asked dryly.

“I could have had a better offer last night,” Joe said, trying to shrug it off.

“And how would that explain you turning down free pastries?” Eric asked as he kissed her forehead.

“Because he fed me breakfast in bed,” Joe said as she began tracing shapes on his shirt.

“Was he good?” Eric asked, leaning his head back to look down at her.

She released a long-suffering sigh as she said, “I’ve had better.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Eric said, smiling as he leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose.

“So was I. I had such high hopes for him, too,” Joe muttered, giving up drawing on his shirt to snuggle back in his arms. He looked around the abandoned parking lot, noting a few private ambulances stationed near them as he pressed a kiss to the top of Joe’s head before shifting his attention to the convenience store across the street, wondering if he should get her some chocolate since it always seemed to make her feel better.

“Isn’t that Greg?” Joe suddenly asked.

Curious, Eric followed her gaze and sure enough, there was Greg. They’d had several third riders before and after him, but none of them managed to piss them off more.

“Oh, my god...” Joe said, shaking her head in wonder.

“They have a third rider training with him?” Eric asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Looks like it,” Joe said as they watched a woman climb out of the back of the ambulance and joined Greg and his partner at the front of the ambulance where they stood talking.

He knew that a lot could happen in three months and Greg could have worked his ass off and started taking this job seriously, but he knew that wasn’t the case. They’d had several run-ins with the jackass over the past three months. It was more than obvious that he didn’t belong on a truck. He was still an arrogant little prick who mouthed off to nurses and didn’t know shit when it came to patient care. He-

Had more important things to focus on, Eric reminded himself. Like the woman in his arms, who was obviously upset.

“What’s going on, Joe?” he asked softly.

“Promise you won’t get mad?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

“I promise,” Eric agreed even as he wondered what she could possibly tell him that would upset him when a thought occurred to him, a rather frightening thought.

Could she be pregnant?

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