Page 47 of Rescuing Dr. Marian
“How about Imagine Dragons? I’m only thirty-two, you ass. Two years younger than you, I might add.”
Chickie bounded ahead of the group, nose to the ground, tail wagging frantically. She’d definitely caught something.
“At least someone’s doing their job properly,” I observed, watching Chickie work. “Unlike certain medical professionals who are too busy complaining to notice we’ve got visual contact with our target.”
Tommy glanced at the “injured hiker”—actually Robyn in a torn shirt and dramatic fake blood—waving weakly from behind a boulder about twenty yards ahead. “I’m here in a supervisory role, Sheriff. My team can handle the medical assessment. I run a tight ship.”
He dropped his pack and stretched. “Where are those endorphins I learned about in medical school?” he asked with a grin.
“I thought you were one of those good-boy types. Didn’t Matthew say you two went to the same gym?”
He grinned. “Working out in a New York gym is different. Surprisingly low altitude variance, for one thing. And much thicker air.”
My cohort stood nearby and chuckled at Tommy’s teasing. Jasper asked, “Wishing we’d had this drill in Brooklyn instead?”
Tommy shrugged and pulled one knee up in an exaggeratedglute stretch. “Nah. I’ve always loved this mountain. There’s nothing I miss about New York—except I wouldn’t mind if someone would set up some food trucks out by the trailhead.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, the sound echoing off the rocks and trees around us. “Not likely, Doc. But how about we take these guys out for pizza and beer tonight?”
“If you’re talking about Timber, you’ve got a deal.”
We were standing closer now, the familiar rhythm of our banter pulling us into our own little bubble despite the crowd around us. Tommy’s eyes were bright with laughter, and I caught myself staring at the way the light caught the gold flecks in his irises.
Dangerous territory. We were supposed to be professional out here.
Thankfully, Omar, one of the med cohort students assessing the “victim,” asked Tommy a question, causing him to move closer to Robyn for the response.
My SAR group and I huddled together to determine the best way to extract her back to the trailhead safely.
Forty minutes later, when we’d finished rigging up the ropes and harness and successfully sent Robyn off in a fictional ambulance, we began our walk back to SERA from the trailhead.
Tommy and I ended up at the back of the pack, watching the students chatting excitedly ahead of us, proud of a job well done.
This—this day, this rhythm, this partnership between our teams—was what happiness could look like. Two people whowere good at their jobs, good together, building something that mattered.
Tommy glanced over at me. “This kind of medicine… it’s exactly what I went to medical school for. The improvisation, the teamwork, working with limited resources…”
He trailed off, but I caught the wistful note in his voice. The longing.
Then stay, I wanted to say.Stay here and do this kind of work. Stay close to me.
Instead, I deflected. “Better than standing in some fluorescent-lit ER all day, right?”
Tommy glanced at me for a beat before plastering on a smile. “In summer, maybe. In winter, the ER seems downright cozy compared to dangling off a rock face in the ice and wind.”
I thought back to that exact same scenario I’d been in only six months before.
“Been there,” I muttered, making him laugh.
“No shit?”
I nodded and met his eyes. “The day I met you, actually.”
Before I could tell him the story, Robyn appeared. “Great work today, you two,” she said. “Tommy, can I grab you for a quick debrief before lunch?”
He smiled at her, an expression that seemed more genuine than the one he’d given me. The sharp bite of jealousy surprised me. I knew Robyn was interested in Tommy, if her flirty smiles and the way she swished her ponytail were any indication, but I hadn’t sensed any particular interest on his part.
You’re being ridiculous, I warned myself.And besides, it doesn’t matter. This is a summer fling. Physical only, remember?
