Page 7 of Confined Space

"Coral, we are going to be using big, loud tools. I'm going to see if one of the smaller paramedics can slide into the back with him. Maybe we can get him out that way. But I need to step away and look. The paramedic will also put a collar on you and get you covered. Okay?" I try to make my voice calming, but I can tell it's only causing her to panic. When the equipment kicks on, she jumps and cries out in pain.

"Hey, hey, Coral, look at me. Don't look away." Off to the side, I signal for my team to cover the baby through the broken window of the back door. A paramedic is able to reach in and collar Coral so she doesn't hurt herself more. If we could get to her left arm and get it partially braced, that would be good too, but we can’t.

"I'm scared, Lieutenant Murphy." Her voice carries to me, and again the pull in my chest makes me want to calm her.

"Call me Rowdy, Coral. It's okay to be scared, but know that we are going to take good care of you and your son."

"Archer. His name is Archer. He’s only thirteen weeks old."

"That's a cool name. Do you watch the show?" I try to distract her again.

"Yes, but I, ah…" She pauses. "I didn’t completely name him after the show. I named him for all my favorite archers."

"That's cool. Who are your favorite archers?"

"Arrow, Hawkeye, and Legolas.” She tries to shrug but cringes in pain. “I know it's weird, but I like them, and it fits him."

I want to profess my love to her but don’t. Any woman who uses those characters as influences for their kid's name is awesome. I smile at her, and she tries to smile back at me.

"I'll be right back here, Coral," I say as I step back and see that we can use the spreaders to open the back door and get the baby out. "Do it." I issue the order, and my team gets to work. Keeping Coral calm is hard when the baby cries, but she keeps her focus on me as my team gets the door open and the baby removed from the car in his car seat.

"Okay, I'll go in, you guys got this." Normally, I wouldn't be the one getting in and taking care of her, but something makes me want to help keep her calm. I look over toward the ambulance where my mother is now standing watching them work on Archer.

The medics hand me the short backboard and a bag of supplies. I carefully slip in and slide the short board between her body and the back of the seat. I take her BP and relay the numbers to the medic. Then I apply a gauze pad to her forehead from behind to stop the bleeding. It's only temporary. Finally, keeping my body out of range of the air bags, I cover her and myself with the tarp. The back seat is cramped for my large height, but I don’t mind if it helps keep her calm. It also settles something in me to be near her.

"Okay, Coral, Archer is at the ambulance. My mom, whom you’ve met already, is watching over him for you. I'm going to stay right here with you while my team gets ready to get you out. It's going to be loud, but keep your focus on me." As I say that, the team calls out and begins breaking all the windows. Once the windshield and the back window are broken out, they use the cutters to cut the tops of the A-posts so we can peel back the roof to remove Coral. She cries out and reaches for me with her right hand. I slip it into my ungloved hand.

"It's so loud," she yells.

"Yeah, it can be from in here. Tell me about yourself to distract you." It's an innocent comment, but she stiffens and pulls her hand from mine. "How long have you lived in Prominence Point?” I try again. “I moved back here a few years ago from Texas where I was stationed in the Army."

I wait, knowing the team is moving on to the B-posts, then the C-posts. Coral still hasn't said anything, and by force of nature, I reach up and slip my fingers under her chin next to the collar to check for a pulse.

"I'm still alive.” Her voice is quieter, but I hear the pain in it. “I moved here five weeks ago from LA." Her voice gets stronger the more she talks, but I can still barely hear her over all the equipment.

"My mom would kill me for asking this, but how old are you?" I laugh because what parent would let their underage kid with a baby move that far by themself.

"I'm a legal adult. I know I don't look it, but I can drink and everything."

"Sure, you can." I scoff because I don't believe it.

"My ID is in my bag. Check for yourself." She tries to laugh.

"Okay, what's your favorite movie?"

"All the Harry Potter films, Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings movies, but I can't wait until The Desolation of Smaug comes out. And I'm a complete nerd for my absolute favorite movie, Sweet Home Alabama. I used to have a coon dog named Bryant. What about you?" She’s now animated as she talks about movies.

I wish I could see her face to see her smile. I bet she lit up when she said that. I can almost hear it in her voice.

"I like most sci-fi movies, but I’m a die-hard Tolkien fan too. Don't laugh, but I could watch Princess Bride all the time." I offer her that little secret in the hope she'll open up more. She chuckles.

"I love that movie myself. I can't wait to expose Archer to that, The Last Unicorn, and The Labyrinth. Oh, and The Dark Crystal. My parents didn't let me watch them, but my grandmother would let me watch them whenever I would go to her house." She shares a bit more.

"Those are all good movies."

Now that she's calm, I can hear an accent in her voice. It reminds me of when I lived in Texas but closer to what Calysta's was; she was from Arkansas.

"Where in the South are you from?"

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