Page 56 of Her Paramedic
He pulled her into his arms. “No, baby. Stay here.” He would have flown out with Ace, but the other man was out of town and would fly in first thing the following morning. She walked him to the door. “Try to go back to sleep,” he suggested.
“Text me when you land and when you know what’s going on.”
Slate kissed her. “I will,” he promised.
He got into his car and pulled out of the driveway.
Slate had been wrong. It was worse than what he was thinking—a coma. That hadn’t even crossed his mind. He thought he’d get there and find his cousin sitting in bed, a fewbroken bones and bruises, ready to tell them what he could of what happened.
The words echoed in his ears even as Ziggy continued speaking, but Slate couldn’t make out a word. He knew they’d all been in dangerous situations and hurt in some capacity or another, but not like this. Their bodies and minds had never caused something like that. From the injuries he could see, which looked like several wounds he’d treated from IUDs, his cousin was lucky to be alive.
He got a sense of déjà vu from the last time Killian was laid up in a hospital bed with seven broken bones and lacerations. This was worse than that.
He’d lied at the nurse’s station to gain access since they were only allowing immediate family. While he and Killian were related, a brother took precedence over a cousin.
“And why wasn’t there anyone there watching out for him? I should find them all and kick their asses. They’re supposed to have each other’s backs, and…and…”
Slate pulled Ziggy into a hug as he tuned back in to her rambles. “You’re being dramatic so you won’t cry again,” he stated. “It’s okay. You can cry.”
“Crying won’t help him,” Ziggy replied, voice small as she wrapped her arms around him.
“But it’ll help you, and who knows? Maybe his big brother instincts will sense your distress and have him waking up.”
She said nothing, but he soon felt tears seep into his shirt. He’d let her cry, and then he needed to call Talia and Carie. He had called the latter to ask her to cover his shifts for the next few days before he boarded the plane, but he might have to extend it to the week. She was a PRN who was only required to work one weekend to keep her spot, but she didn’t mind covering when needed. He’d owe her big time.
«-•-•-•-•-•-•-»
Talia sat on the couch, sipping some tea. She hadn’t been able to get back to sleep when Slate left, so she’d preoccupied herself by making the bed, doing his laundry, which only comprised two loads, and taking the trash out. She had even wandered into his garage and looked at the car he was currently working on—not that she knew much about cars, and flashed back to the previous day when he’d given her exactly what she’d asked for on it. After that, she settled on watchingLifetimemovies.
Slate had texted her when he’d landed five minutes till ten. She’d made breakfast and eaten while waiting for him to call and let her know what was happening. Talia had called Journee, but she hadn’t been surprised that the other woman hadn’t answered.
Her phone rang, and she quickly muted the television before answering it.
“Hey, baby. How is he?”
Slate exhaled. “He’s in a coma.”
Talia’s stomach dropped. “Has anyone told you what happened?”
“Apart from the doctor telling us about his injuries, no. It’ll be a little while before we can speak to one of his team members.”
“How’s Journee?” Talia asked and then shook her head. That was a dumb question because she knew how she would be if she were in Journee’s position.
“She’s a trooper. She’s hanging in there.”
“And you? How are you?”
“We’ve all been hurt at some point, but never like this. I thought I was prepared for whatever I would find out, and I wasn’t,” Slate told her honestly.
“Tell me what you need,” she requested.
“I’m good, baby. At least, right now.”
“When and if that changes, call me. I don’t care what time it is.”
“I will. I promise.”
“And his parents? His sister? How are they?” Talia inquired.
