Page 7 of Come Back to Me

Helping Fitz pull the stretcher out of the back of the ambulance bay at First City ER, it strikes me that this is one hell of a patient to start with for my first medical run on my very first day over at fire Station Three. I send up a silent prayer that this isn’t some omen showing what my time here will be like moving forward.

When I arrived at the firehouse this morning, I was assigned to be on the ambulance squad with Charlie Fitzgerald—better known as simply Fitz.

I don’t know him well, but I’ve encountered him a few times over the last few years and can confirm that he has earned his reputation as an all-around good guy and a badass paramedic and firefighter.

My nerves were working a bit overtime this morning when I got to work, not knowing if the other firefighter paramedics would be accepting of a transfer in from another station. Especially given the reason for my transfer. I’m grateful as shit, though, that it’s gone so smoothly today andthat it’s Fitz by my side. Even more so with this patient we are unloading from the rig.

We rush into the ER and head right into the trauma bay where the ER staff waits for us. I nod at Teddy when I see he’s among them. I give a quick report as we move our patient over to their cot. “We have a fifty-four-year-old male with pulmonary fibrosis. He sustained burns to his face and neck when his oxygen caught fire as he was smoking with it on. Significant smoke inhalation. We got the breathing tube in to secure his airway, but then he coded when we were about four minutes out from you guys. We’ve shocked him twice and have been doing CPR but?—”

I look up as I’m talking and seeher. She’s walking into the room with her head down, putting on gloves, and I can’t take my damn eyes off her. Nor can I speak, apparently. I’m literally stunned silent mid-sentence—not something that happens to me normally.

It’s the girl from the bar last week, the one with the auburn curls and those gorgeous green eyes. The one who I couldn’t stop watching as she owned the dance floor when she joined her friend out there.

Fitz looks up and sees what has rendered me speechless, smirks, and finishes for me. “He hasn’t responded to anything we’ve done. We’ve got two large bore IVs in and we’re running fluids.”

Just then Teddy looks up and sees my mystery woman, too. As if we aren’t all standing over a dying man, he casually says, “Hey, Jack, meet Annie, my work wife. Annie, Jack is the soon-to-be new B shift captain down at Station Three.”

She throws a glare in his direction, not even sparing me a glance, while hip checking him out of the way to work on her patient.

“Nice to meet you and I’m not his work wife,” she says flatly, without even looking up. She’s examining the burns onher patient’s face and listening to his lungs as Teddy takes over CPR. She calls out assignments to each member of the ER staff, so everyone is clear on their role.

I can’t stop watching her. God, she’s beautiful. And clearly smart. What is wrong with me? I’m not this guy. I’m twenty-nine years old and I’m acting like a teenage boy first discovering that girls don’t really have cooties.

“When was the last dose of epinephrine given?” she asks.

Thank God Fitz answers, because I feel like I can’t even remember my damn name right now. I’m staring at her as she looks up and makes eye contact with me, that beautiful face quickly turning red as recognition appears to dawn on her. She holds my gaze for a split second, then jerks her head away and gets back to work. I watch from the end of the cot for about a minute before stepping out, impressed as hell at how together she is coordinating the team as they try to save this poor guy.

Unfortunately, Fitz got cut on the patient’s screen door when we were trying to get him out of the house, and we’re going to have to wait around here for him to get some stitches and a tetanus shot. We get him registered and I hang with him in his room on the non-critical side of the ER while he waits to be seen.

“Hey, man,” I say, “I’m sorry about in there. I… I don’t know what came over me. I swear I usually have my shit together.”

Fitz just watches me with a smirk for several long seconds. “Oh, I know exactly what came over you, Donley. You’re not the first to be rendered speechless by Annie Brooks and you won’t be the last.” He laughs. “Seriously, though, no worries, man. You may have been over at Station One for most of your career, but your reputation precedes you and I’m happy to be riding alongside you.”

“Thanks, Fitz. Right back at ya. I’m sure I could learn a thing or two from you.”

We sit quietly for the next fifteen minutes, then I stand and walk to the door of his room to see if it looks like he’ll be seen soon.

“Oh hell, isn’t this great… Fitz? Do you mind if I wait outside? Joel Reid is the PA on today and he’s not my biggest fan. I’m thinking he’ll jab you extra hard when he stitches you up just because I’m with you.”

Fitz chuckles at that. “No problem, Jack. Go ahead. I’ll text you when I’m heading out.”

ANNIE

Thirty minutes after our patient arrived in our ER, Dr. Evans pronounces him dead. As the primary nurse assigned to that room, I go with him to notify the patient’s wife and twenty-two-year-old son.

The poor woman is hysterical, and the son is struggling to console her. His grief is etched on his boyish face, but he’s holding his head up and breathing deep, clearly trying to hold it in so that his mom won’t get more upset.

I sit with them for a few minutes, then get them some tissues and some water before giving them privacy in our family conference room.

I head outside and rush around the corner to the little hidden alcove a few feet away from our main ER doors. My “safe spot.” I stomp my feet to release some of my frustrated energy.

“Shit! Fuck! Shit!” I whisper-yell up at the sky while kicking the wall with the sole of my foot. I’m upset that we lost our patient. Frustrated that our interventions couldn’t save him.

A deep voice startles me.

“Hey, just so you know, I’m here…”

I whip around the other way and yell, “Oh, shit!” as I come face to face with the guy from the bar, who is also, apparently, a smoking hot firefighter.

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