He looked down at his hands then back up at A.J. “Why didn’t she just tell me? I think that’s what I’m having the hardest time with. Toni had to know I’d take care of her. For that matter, why didn’t she tell me what happened the next day? I could have been there for her when she first found out she was pregnant.”
“Try to put yourself in her shoes,” A.J. said softly. “You called her Starla. In her eyes that meant you were seriously hung up on your girlfriend. Not to mention it had to be pretty humiliating that you didn’t even know it was her. And since she didn’t tell you right away, when she found out she was pregnant, she probably thought you wouldn’t believe her.”
“And maybe I wouldn’t have,” Simon said honestly. “I don’t know. I would have been shocked as hell, no doubt.”
“She’s been paying for her mistake,” A.J. pointed out. “I’m sure this whole pregnancy has been less than a cakewalk for her. I’m sure she’s been terrified the whole time that you would hate her. It can’t have been easy living with that kind of fear and anxiety.”
“You’re right,” Simon admitted.
The radio blared an alarm, and the chief shot out of bed, grabbing for his radio. Simon and A.J. strained to hear as the chief radioed ten-four.
“Let’s roll, guys,” Chief Maxwell said, heading for the locker room to grab his gear.
“What’s up, chief?” A.J. asked as the rest rolled out of bed and dashed for the locker room.
“Two car MVA out on old Bridge Road a few miles out of town. They need extrication. One of the drivers is pinned inside the vehicle.”
“Damn,” Simon muttered.
“Why don’t people stay the hell at home?” Mike grumbled. “It’s two friggin’ AM, and the roads are icy. Most people would have the sense not to drive.”
“It gets better,” the chief said, as they scrambled into the truck. “Ambulance is still twenty miles out and slow going in the ice. Their back up unit is in Beaumont.”
“Make sure our medical supplies are handy,” A.J. called out as he hopped on the truck.
They headed out onto the ice slickened street, the heavy fire truck faring better than lighter vehicles. They were probably a good five miles from the accident scene, and Simon hoped to hell the injuries to the driver weren’t severe. He knew basic first aid, but he had no desire to play paramedic.
“Do we have an ETA on the ambulance yet?” he asked the chief.
“Still several miles out. The first responders said the driver trapped in the vehicle is unconscious and they can’t get close enough to offer any assistance. We’ll have to cut him out.”
Simon nodded grimly and said a prayer that wherever Toni was, she stayed put.
As they neared the accident scene, flashing lights lit up the wooded area on both sides of the road. At least four first responder trucks were parked on the shoulder and the road had been closed off.
To the right, a Ford Expedition sat on the shoulder of the road, the front end completely caved in. Whatever they’d hit, they’d hit hard.
Simon hopped out with the other guys and was immediately met by Frank Parker, one of the first responders. “Are Matt and A.J. with you?” he asked, a peculiar expression on his face.
“Yeah, why?”
“You and A.J. are sidelined,” Chief Maxwell said as he walked up. He pushed Simon back toward the truck and yelled for A.J. “Someone find out where the hell Matt went and get him in the truck,” he directed one of the first responders.
“What the hell is going on?” Simon demanded. “You can’t sideline us. We have an extrication to do.”
“Mike and I will handle it,” the chief said. “You get in the truck and stay there.”
There was something in Chief Maxwell’s eyes he didn’t like. Sympathy and a bit of fear. Simon’s stomach clenched. Before anyone could stop him, he shoved by Chief Maxwell and ran toward the embankment where a crowd of first responders, sheriff’s deputies and the highway patrol stood.
A flash of yellow caught his eye. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Nausea rolled in his stomach, and he feared puking right there on the road.
He shoved forward, not wanting to believe what his eyes were telling him. It wasn’t Toni’s Jeep. It couldn’t be. It was another yellow Jeep. It had to be.
His heart was jamming double time as he shoved aside the people gathered. Someone tried to pull him back, but he came up swinging. Maybe he connected, he wasn’t sure, but his knuckles hurt like hell.
He slid down the ravine, his feet not cooperating with his brain. He came to a stop beside two men from his crew who were setting up cables from the wench so they could pull the Jeep right side up.
Dropping down on his belly, he slithered forward, yanking his flashlight from his belt and shining it into the interior of the Jeep. His heart nearly stopped when he caught sight of Toni’s blood covered face. “Get me some light down here!” he yelled back up.
A.J. came sliding down seconds later carrying a floodlight. He tossed it to one of the first responders and directed him to hold it up.
“Damn it, you two,” the chief yelled as he scrambled down the embankment. “I don’t need a bunch of half-cocked firemen out of their heads with worry. Get back. We’ll get her out.”
Simon ignored him completely, his focus on Toni, trying to see if she was breathing. A.J. argued fiercely above him, and apparently he was successful because he bent down and pointed his own flashlight into the interior of the Jeep.
It was one giant cluster. The Jeep had come to rest against a tree, almost completely turned over. Toni leaned heavily against her door, and blood dripped down her forehead. Simon shoved himself closer to her, reaching for her neck. Gently so as not to compromise her spine, he
pressed his fingers into her flesh, praying desperately that he found a pulse.
Sweet relief poured over him. She was alive. For now. He shined the light down her body, grimly noting her legs trapped under the smashed in dash and steering wheel. Her left arm was fixed in an unnatural angle, obviously broken. Her rounded abdomen rested against the steering wheel, and he wondered how much of a blow her belly took.
“Where are the damn paramedics?” he shouted hoarsely.
“They’re three minutes out,” A.J. said, his voice filled with anxiety.
Simon swore and turned his attention back to Toni. “Toni, Toni, sweetheart. Can you hear me? It’s me, Simon. Wake up, baby.”
He reached a hand out to touch her cheek, wiping the blood away as more ran down. God, he couldn’t lose her now. He hadn’t gotten to tell her how sorry he was, and how much he loved her. “Don’t take her from me,” he whispered fiercely, hoping the words wrenched from the depths of his soul somehow made it to God’s ears.
Matt picked that moment to careen down the incline, despite the responders’ best attempts to hold him back. He got down with Simon. “How does it look?” His voice was sick with worry.
“Is there anything I can do?” A.J. asked desperately.
Simon shook his head. “Are they through with the cables yet? We’ve got to get the Jeep turned over so we can get her out of here.”
“Get back,” the chief barked. “We’re going to try and get the vehicle back on its wheels.”
Reluctantly Simon eased back, his heart in turmoil. What if they couldn’t save her? He knew every minute she stayed trapped in the Jeep, the less chance she had of surviving. The golden rule of emergencies. Get the patient to the hospital as fast as you can.
The Jeep shook and the steel cables creaked in protest as they began reeling them in. After a groan, the Jeep swayed up and down. Then in one loud bang, it righted itself, landing heavily on the ground.
“Damn it, that was too rough!” Simon swore, rushing forward.
“We’ll have to cut the dash,” A.J. said as he, Matt and Simon surrounded Toni.
“Move away,” a new voice demanded.
Simon turned to see a paramedic, jump bag in hand, pushing him aside.
> “It’s about damn time,” he growled.
“Get back and let me do my job,” he said in an even tone. He