Page 55 of Her Paramedic
He reached over, eyes still closed, as he felt for his phone on the nightstand. He pried one eye open to look at the screen and saw Ziggy, Killian’s little sister’s name, flash across his screen. They weren’t related. Slate and Killian’s dads were brothers, but he didn’t treat her any differently than he would his cousin.
“What’s up, Zig?” he asked, answering the phone.
It was after three in the morning, which meant it was after five for her. Sometimes, if she was out late when Killian was on assignment, she would call him until she got to her car or home if she were in an Uber. Slate heard nothing at first and thought she might have dialed him unknowingly, but then he heard her sniffle on the other end. He sat up, Talia sliding off his chest.
“Zaliyah, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” He turned on the bedside lamp.
“Yes, but it’s Killian. He was working, and something happened, and now…now…he…” she trailed off into tears.
“Take a deep breath, Zig. Tell me where you are,” Slate requested as he got out of bed.
“I’m at the hospital,” she said after a minute. “Killian was working and got hurt. I don’t have much more information right now.”
“Are your parents there?”
“Yeah, they’re here.”
“Have you called anyone else?”
“I tried calling Journee, but she didn’t answer. I called Axel, and he said he would go by and tell her. I haven’t called anyone else yet.”
“Okay,” he responded, pulling a pair of pants out of his closet. He knew Talia was watching him the entire time. “Text me the hospital. I’ll call everyone else and be there in a few hours.”
“Okay,” she sniffled. “Thanks.” They ended the call, and Slate put his phone on the dresser.
“Baby, what’s going on? What happened?”
He turned to her as he pulled his pants on. “Killian was in an accident while working.”
“Is he okay?” she asked, moving to the end of the bed. “Does Journee know?”
“I don’t know if he is. Ziggy isn’t sure. Axel is going over to Journee’s to tell her. I need to pack, call the others, get a ticket, and—”
“Hey,” she stated, cutting him off as she moved to stand in front of him. “You get dressed, make your calls, and I’ll pack and look for flights.”
“Thank you, baby.” He kissed her before exiting the bedroom to make the calls.
After the calls, he went back into the bedroom to find his suitcase open on the floor with his clothes neatly folded in it, while Talia sat on the bed on his laptop.
“I left it open so you could add your toiletry bag. I found three flights, one leaving Colorado Springs in two hours and the other two out of Denver in three.”
If he flew from Colorado Springs, he’d have to catch a connecting flight in Denver, and the travel time driving to Denver would be the same as if he drove to Colorado Springs.
“Either of the Denver flights,” he responded.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
He did, but he also knew it would be selfish of him to pull her away from her obligations. Slate also didn’t know what condition Killian was in. Ziggy was tender-hearted, and his cousin could have had a couple of broken bones that his little sister thought meant the end of the world.
“It’s fine, baby. I’m sure I’ll get there, and it won’t be as bad as I’m thinking.”
“But if it isn’t, you’ll call me.”
She wasn’t asking him a question, but Slate answered anyway. “Of course.” He pulled a card from his wallet and handed it to her to pay for the flight.
He went into the bathroom, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and packed his toiletry bag. When he came out, Talia was closing the laptop. She handed it to him, and he packed it and his toiletries.
“Do you want me to drive you to the airport?”
