I look over to where he is standing at his truck. I don’t want to go back inside. My head is pounding, and an Advil is calling my name. I chew on my lip and glance at him. “Argh, what the heck.”
I gather my bag and stomp over, irritated at how this night turned out. He opens the passenger door, a cocky grin on his face. I climb in, and he walks around the hood, then hops in on the other side. He passes me a small blanket that rests between us.
“Thanks.”
He fumbles with a few dials and turns on the heater. I shudder at the warmth as it seeps into my bones. I wrap my arms around my chest. “So, where to, Nightingale?”
I snap my head to face him, mumble out the directions, and decide it is too much effort to say anything. I look the other way instead.
“I’m Aidan, by the way,” he tells me.
“I didn’t ask,” I murmur. I can feel his eyes on me, and it makes the skin at the back of my neck stand on end. He puts on some music and hums along to it. He turns it down after a few minutes.
“You don’t talk much, do you?”
I frown at him. “I talk when I want to.”
He smirks at me, then focuses back on the road. This is going to be a long drive. He smells good, though, like fire and wood, and something else, something I can’t quite place. It should put me off. It doesn’t. It makes this badass seem almost human. Almost, I think, as he catches my gaze. There is something in those stormy eyes I recognize. A hint of sadness and fear I know well.
“Ocea,” I tell him.
“Yeah, I got that back in the hospital,” he tells me. “Fire and water.”
“What?”
“Our names, mine means fire, and yours means water.” I let that sit for a bit.
“Explains why I can’t stand you.”
He laughs. It bubbles up from deep inside him, and I can’t help but smile. “A lethal combination.”
4
Aidan
I sit in the emergency unit of the hospital. “How are you feeling, man?”
“Like I could run a marathon.” Kyle grins. I don’t smile back. “Come on, dude, lighten up. We got that family out; they’re safe. You came in and dragged my sorry ass out of there too.”
“What if I waited a few minutes longer?” I growl.
“You didn’t! Come on, Wild. Every man’s safety is not on you.”
This is why becoming friends with Kyle in the first place was so difficult. I don’t need to worry or get attached to people. “Gabriella could have lost you, man.”
“And I get to tell her that she didn’t. That Uncle Aidan saved me.”
I sit on a chair next to him.
“This is what we signed up for, buddy. We knew what the dangers were when we got into this, and we did it anyway.”
“I know, I just . . . I don’t know how some of you guys do this. You have families waiting for you.”
“We do it because there is nothing greater than knowing you’re the reason somebody gets to see another day. It’s not always this crazy, you know that. This is my first injury in what? Three years?”
I know he’s right, but it doesn’t change anything. We’ve lost colleagues along the way. We’ve lost people we were trying to save. Death and destruction walk beside us like old friends. We bear the chains of failure and wear the crown of triumph in much the same way.
“What the fuck is taking them this long? You’ve been here at least an hour.”
“It’s Friday night. It’s like happy hour in this place.”
I’m contemplating biting someone's head off when the smiling face of a woman peeps through the curtains.
“Hello.” She greets cheerfully.
“About bloody time,” I say through gritted teeth. My patience is wearing thin.
“Excuse me?” The pretty little thing cocks a perfect brow.
I give her a hard time all the while Kyle is sizing her up like the womanizer he is. She’s cute in her scrubs, nice ass, and perky breasts. Her dark brown hair is piled on top of her head, her eyes azure blue. She’s got a prominent dimple in her cheek even when she’s not smiling.
“I’m sorry you had to wait, sir.” She completely ignores me. She doesn’t shrink under my gaze but busies herself taking care of Kyle. I stand beside her, and she immediately gets annoyed. She’s got some fire in her.
“You can wait out there,” she instructs.
“I’ll stay. Thank you.” Her sass irks me, and I feel myself tense. I want to push her buttons for some reason, see how far she’ll let me. It’s probably the exhaustion.
The doctor enters, and she is one smokin’ hot woman, like in that runway kind of way. Kyle’s attention has moved from Nightingale to the sexy doctor, who seems unfazed by his obvious interest. I shake my head. He is such a man-whore. It wasn’t even a few hours ago when he was tumbling between the sheets with that crazy fuck-buddy of his. They talk, and I’m barely paying attention. Ocea’s hair slips from the knot on her head, and she pushes it back. I caught her name during their exchange. She pays attention to Kyle and to what the doctor's orders are. Her bright blue eyes wide. She bites her lip, and it seems to help her concentrate.
“Bloods and ABG on them both. Mr. . . .?” I realize she’s talking to me now. Her eyes wide, her lips mid pout.
“Wild,” I answer.
“Mr. Wild also had some smoke exposure,” she tells the doctor.
“It’s unlikely I was affected. I was exposed for a few minutes. So no. I don’t need treatment,” I insist.
“As you wish,” she said dismissively.
“Yeah, well, I’m not your patient, Ms. Nightingale.” I curl my lip.
She glares at me, and I can see I’ve pissed her off. She starts to retort, but the doctor, unfortunately, interrupts her. I like Nurse Ocea. She could make for a really good time.
“You sure know how to sweet-talk the ladies.” Kyle laughs when they leave the room.
“That nurse is feisty.”
“Yeah, she sassed you good and proper. Didn’t seem intimidated by the big bad wolf.” He snorts.
After he returns from his testing and his leg has been set in a cast, I decide to let him get some rest. He looks as beat as I feel.
“I better get the fuck out of here before I kill you myself,” I tell him. “I’ll call your mama tomorrow. No use stressing her tonight.”
“I agree. Thanks, man.” He looks at me, his eyes glistening. “Seriously.”
“We have each other’s backs. I expect you to return the favor next time.”
“Anytime.” I shake his hand and punch his arm, causing him to wince. “Pussy.” I grin.
The emergency unit is still buzzing behind me when I exit the electronic doors. I need to get back to the station, shower, and do some paperwork. Dan and Freddy drove my truck here.
It’s still raining, so I stand under the shelter and light up a smoke. This night could have turned out to be a whole lot worse. I’m taking my last drag when I spot her in the parking lot, not far from where I’m standing. She’s kicking her car and throwing a tiny tantrum. I push away from the wall and crush my cigarette under my boot. She’s yelling and cursing and is pretty much lost in her mind. I should walk away. I don’t need to get involved in someone else's business, but then her shoulders tremble, and she looks so helpless out there, I can’t stop my feet from moving forward. I’m reminded of the days I’d walk into the kitchen quietly and watch the way my mom would stop mid cutting vegetables and sob hysterically, her shoulders shaking. I hated seeing my mother cry. I hate seeing any woman cry.