Page 6 of Meet You Half Way
“Okay. I’m going to call his wife,” I said, steeling my nerves with a deep breath.
“You’ll be fine,” Jamie smiled at me. That smile gave me the courage I needed to pull out my phone and dial Dante’s home number with still shaking hands.
“Mateo,mio tesoro, come stai?” came the lovely voice of his wife down the line.
"Sto bene, ziettaGiulia,” I replied with a sigh. I kept the conversation in Italian and told her the news, keeping my voice calm and steady the way Jamie had done with me as I explained what had happened to her beloved husband. Giuliacried but was quick to move into action, thanking me for being with her husband and promising to meet us at the hospital. She also promised to tell my parents and I was glad as I didn’t particularly want to make that call myself and then I hung up the phone.
“See?” Jamie smiled at me, his eyes gentle as he looked over the equipment. “You did fine.”
“Yeah. I guess so,” I agreed, leaning my head back against the cool metal of the ambulance as tiredness swept over me.
Was I fine? I wasn’t sure about that and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be fine again.
CHAPTER 3
Jamie
It was late and I was just getting off my shift. It had been a dramatic evening especially with that drive all the way from Esperance up to Wollongong. We’d had a cardiac patient in the bed, a serious case that I knew the local regional hospitals would have struggled to deal with. It had been a bit of a risk bringing the patient all the way up here to the biggest hospital on the southern coast but I also knew it would be worth it. I hoped he made it. His numbers had not looked great.
My mind was still fairly preoccupied with the man who had accompanied the patient in the back of the ambulance.Mateowas his name.
In all my twenty-seven years of life on this great planet, I could honestly say I had never laid eyes on anyone quite so beautiful as that man. I wasn’t a religious person by any means but even I had to credit some higher power for that particular specimen of man. Good job, God. Really, well done.
He was visual perfection. Not a single flaw on his entire person. Like an airbrushed version of a human. The ‘after’ shot.
I wasn’t sure if it was the ash coloured hair with the blonde tips and the artistic waves that he kept at a medium length. Or was it that perfect olive skin that had dipped down below the v-neck top he had been wearing, beneath the delicate gold chain around his neck. Or was it those dark moody eyes, piercing in intensity, a colour so inky they could almost be black. Was it the cupid bow lips, so plump and luscious and damned distractingly kissable. Was it his cheekbones, cut like glass on his angular face that looked like it should have been up on a billboard. Probably was somewhere. The guy certainly looked like model material.
Anyways, a guy could always dream.
I’d dropped Mateo off at the hospital two hours ago and I would likely never see him again anyway even though he lived only two towns away from me. I was all but certain I’d be dreaming of that face again later tonight though.
Bill had already signed off by the time I made my way out the front of the hospital. This place was huge and I’d left the ambulance in the drop off zone longer than was strictly permitted. I also knew Andy was the security guard on patrol and he was easily bought with a wink and a little friendly flirting.
I was also a decent way from the base so I knew it was going to be a long drive back home tonight. It was nearing midnight and I was already exhausted.
I had just rounded the corner when I glanced up at the hospital front entrance, eyes delighting when I spied Mateo himself standing there, looking intently at his phone in his hand. I knew I should have left him well alone but there was something about him that just drew me in his direction. And I didn’t think it was just his beautiful face.
“Hello,” I said, keeping my tone jovial, hoping he actually remembered me. “How is your friend doing?” There. That was a completely valid reason for approaching the beautiful man.
“Dante’s doing okay. They’re running tests and monitoring him but it sounds like he’ll be all right. His wife turned up an hour ago so she’s going to stay by his side the rest of the night,” Mateo replied. I remembered then the sound of his cute,accented English. I’d heard him speak briefly in Italian over the phone and had nearly melted on the spot. What was it about guys and accents?
“I’m glad to hear it,” I told him. And honestly, I was. I was the first to admit I became overly invested in the outcome of my patients. It was never over for me just because I’d done my part of the job and delivered a patient over to the emergency department. By then I was usually invested, had met friends or family members and needed to know the outcome. It wasn’t unusual for me to stop by to see how my previous patients were doing each time I came by the hospital.
“Yeah. It was a real shock actually,” Mateo sighed and I could see the stress on his shoulders. “He’s always been so healthy. I never expected it.”
“No one ever does,” I assured him, returning the brief smile he sent me. “You okay for a lift home? We’re a long way from Esperance.”
“I’m okay,” he tried to assure me. “I’ve been trying to call my housemate but he hasn’t answered yet. I’m sure it won’t be long.”
“Yeah but then you have to wait for him to drive all the way up here,” I reasoned. “I can take you back in the ambulance. I’m headed back to base that way anyway.”
I could see the hesitation in Mateo’s eyes, could see the way he looked back at me, the same flicker of interest as that inky gaze perused my broad shoulders before moving back to my face.
Interesting.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to get in the way,” he mulled.
“I am absolutely sure. I’m going back that way anyway. And my shift’s over so you would be doing me a huge favour in keeping me company.” I watched as that smile flickered across his face again, the smile that was so hard to coax out and therefore all the more worth it. Though I should give the guy abreak. He’d just witnessed his friend suffer a cardiac arrest after all.
