Page 148 of Call Me Mrs. Taylor

He nods and takes off running as I turn back to my crew.

“We gotta do this by the book,” I say. “Everybody who saw anything, stick around. We’ll do witness statements, and then I’m sending you on your way. The rest of y’all, go home. Site is shut down until further notice.”

Nobody argues. They know what happens next.

I pull out my phone and call the safety office, then the firm’s compliance officer. OSHA’s about to be on our ass. I’m looking at a safety review, an accident investigation, and an ass load of paperwork.

I scrub a hand down my face, feeling exhausted already. But this is the job. This is being the lead.

Taye returns with the contact sheet. I take it back to my trailer, dialing on the way, hoping somebody picks up.

“Hello?” It’s a woman’s voice.

“Is this Monique?”

“Yes…”

“This is Ace Taylor. Jamal’s team lead.”

There’s a beat of silence before she speaks again, her voice much higher. “What happened?”

I exhale. No easy way to say it so I just blurt it out. “Jamal fell at the site. He—“

“Oh my God!” she gasps. “Is he—“

“He’s alive,” I rush out. “He’s on the way to the hospital now. They’re taking him to Emory.”

More silence, this time fraught with emotion. When she finally speaks again, her voice trembles. “How bad is it?”

“I’m pretty sure his leg is broken.” I don’t mention the head wound. “He was awake when he went into the ambulance.”

She blows out a shaky breath. “That’s good. That’s good.” She’s moving around. “I’m leaving now.”

“I’ll meet you up there,” I tell her. “See you soon.”

Turns out, I lied.Soonturned into three hours. The interviews took up more time than I expected.

It’s dark when I finally make it to the hospital, but that’s just outside. The moment I enter, my mood goes even darker as memories flood my mind.

I’m regretting coming here.

But I push through the antiseptic tang, harsh fluorescent lighting, doctors and nursing whizzing by—all reminders of that day—and make my way to the waiting area.

“Jamal Searcy’s room?” I say to the nurse on duty.

“Ace?”

I turn to the voice behind me. I don’t know Monique, but I figure this must be her by the red-rimmed eyes and the dried mascara streaks on her face.

“Jamal’s wife?”

She nods. “Nice to meet you.”

“You, too.” She’s pretty. “I’m sorry it had to be like this.”

“Same. You wanna see him?”

She grabs my arm, not waiting for my answer.

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