Page 32 of Cop Blocked

“Copy that. Do you know how many victims and their conditions?”

The driver’s side of the vehicle is banged up pretty bad from what I can see. Once close enough to look inside, my heart stops. “Shit. Critical, tell EMS not to waste time. There’s a small child in the backseat, conscious and crying. There’s no way for me to assess their injuries. Driver appears unconscious.” Careful not to move the driver, I lean in and check for a pulse. “Oh, God. Her pulse is strong, but she isn’t moving.” I take notice of the long hair and the sassy ‘I’m a Nurse, what’s your superpower?’shirt, and I realize I know the victim. “Damnit. Where’s EMS, how long until they get here?”

“Closest unit is three minutes out.”

Rachel.

Fuck.

That kid in the back seat is Piper.

I run a hand over my head. “Tell them to hurry up,” I plead, drawing on every ounce of training I’ve ever been through.

These are the calls we hope we never end up on. And no matter how many times I’ve held on to an injured Marine, it doesn’t compare to this. Knowing someone I care about is helpless inside of that vehicle.

This can’t be how it all ends. Not for Rachel and Piper, and sure as hell, not for us.

Running over to the rear passenger side, I finally get a good look at Piper. She’s covered in glass, has a few scratches but looks relatively okay. “I’m hanging up. I mean it, tell them to get their asses over here.”

A few bystanders begin swarming in, offering to help.

“Don’t move the driver. It’s best if everyone steps back. EMS is on the way with fire and rescue,” I shout while trying to distract Piper. “Hey, kiddo. Hey. It’s Logan, remember me?”

She sniffles and calls out for her mom.

“She’s right here, and more help is on the way.” I want nothing more than to get her out of the car and soothe her. If I do, I risk injuring her or making any unseen injuries worse, at the moment, I’m as stuck as she is. At least, I was able to open her door and can hold on to her hand. “Can you take a deep breath for me?”

“Mommy. I want Mommy.” She ignores me and continues crying.

I hear Rachel let out a groan from the front seat at the same time that I hear a loud boom. The car shakes, and flames shoot up in the air from under the hood.

There’s no more time to wait. Leaving them in the car is far too risky now. Each second that passes is one second too long and may end up costing all of us our lives.

“EVERYONE MOVE BACK AS FAR AS YOU CAN. GET AWAY FROM THE VEHICLES.” I scream and wave the spectators back. “Alright, Piper. I need you to listen to me. I’m going to get you out of here. I need you to trust me.”

She keeps screaming in fear while I quickly work the buckles on her car seat. The minute the straps are free, I hand her off to the closest person, even though she’s clinging to my shirt for dear life. “Piper, I need to get your mom out of the car. This lady is going to stay with you,” I tell her quickly. “Back up as far as you can with her. Please.”

Running back to Rachel, I’m relieved to see her eyes open. “Logan,” she croaks.

“Hey. It’s okay. You’re okay. Helps on the way.” I can finally hear sirens and know I’m telling her the truth. “Right now, I need to get you out of here.”

“What...happened?”

“You were in a car accident. It’s going to be okay. Can you tell me if anything hurts? Can you move your legs?”

“Piper?” Rachel tries to move and winces in pain.

Her door is fucking stuck. I don’t have a goddamn clue how I’m going to get her out of here without contorting her body in a million different directions.

“Piper’s okay. A little upset, but she’s good. I promise. I need you to stay still and do exactly what I say.” Reaching in my pocket, I grab a pocket knife and cut off her seatbelt.

Flashing lights and sirens descend upon us. Suddenly there is emergency personnel everywhere.

“Man, you’ve got to back up. Someone get him out of here!” One of the firefighters yells.

Arms wrap around me and begin dragging me away from the car.

“Let them do their job.” Smitty’s voice booms.

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