20. Dario
CHAPTER 20
Dario
“We need an extra pair of hands here!” someone yells from outside. There have been a lot of sirens around us, so I know more firefighters and paramedics have already arrived. I look up to see Gene glance back at me.
“You gonna be okay back there, kid?” he asks.
I nod before he’s even finished asking. “Of course. We’re fine.”
Without another word, he nods back at me and slips out of the driver’s seat of the engine into the night.
I take a deep breath, not sure why my heart is racing. It’s not like I’m not responsible for anything, and the situation appears to be in hand from what I can tell. There’s certainly a lot of activity going on closer to the accident site. However, there isn’t that air of panic that I’ve felt before when I’ve driven past pile-ups on the freeway, for example. It might be naive of me, but I really hope that no one was seriously injured.
It’s difficult to work out exactly what happened from where we’re parked, and try as I might, my anxiety is getting the better of me. I’m worried about where Lochlan and his colleagues went, but I’m more worried about what they’ve found by now, or who. How he does this job is beyond me. I’d be crying all the time, I’m sure.
“Let’s get a little air in here, huh?” I suggest to Rocky.
Without the ignition on, the A/C is off and it’s getting a bit stuffy. I’m aware I promised not to venture from the engine, but I make sure to wrap the end of Rocky’s leash an extra time around my fist and grip it a little tighter as I open the door ajar to allow some fresh air inside. And if I lean out and crane my neck to see what’s happening down the street, that won’t hurt anyone, right?
I haven’t been here before, but it seems pretty obvious to me that there’s a ride up ahead that’s been damaged quite badly from the odd angle of the supporting beams. I bite my lip and squint, trying to see if I can fathom what’s happened. Dusk has settled fast, but the park appears to have enough lighting for me to suspect it’s usually open for business after dark. But it looks like some people are also setting up emergency flood lighting as well.
A wave of tiredness washes over me. Until that moment, I don’t think I appreciated how the adrenaline from seeing the photo and worrying about Shane, then worrying about going to see Lochlan at the firehouse, then coming here with the sirens blaring was keeping me going. For a second, I consider closing the door again, huddling in the corner, and closing my eyes until someone comes back.
That’s when Rocky tugs on his leash. Hard.
“Hey, no,” I say firmly, waking up in an instant. “Rocky, sit. We have to stay here.”
But the puppy has started going berserk, whimpering and thrashing around, trying to get down from the fire engine. I suddenly realize he might need to go potty, so I open the door fully and hop onto the ground, reaching so I can help him off the steps as well. But I’m not fast enough. He leaps onto the asphalt and starts straining against me.
“You can pee here,” I try and convince him, but Lochlan has done a good job training him to go on the grass. I don’t want to undo all that.
With a sigh, I look around. I don’t think we’ll get in anyone’s way if we move to the nearby foliage. It’s in the opposite direction of the accident site, after all, and I doubt Lochlan and the rest of the guys will be back any time soon.
“Okay, but we have to be quick,” I warn Rocky, setting off the way he was trying to drag me.
With a yap, he starts running, his tail wagging so fast it becomes a blur. Thinking he’s going to jump under the bushes and relieve himself, I give him enough slack to lead the way. But then he’s pulling me down a side track, out of sight of the One-Thirteen’s vehicles.
“Whoa, Rocky, stop!” I cry, but he just pulls even harder. I’ve never seen him like this before, so as nervous as I am to stray from where I was told to remain, I allow him to keep guiding me.
Something isn’t right.
“What is it, boy?” I ask, aware he can’t answer me. But he does bark again and scrabble to run even faster.
That’s when I hear another bark.
When I first brought Queenie home, I did a pretty extensive search on where I was allowed to take her. So I know for a fact that dogs aren’t allowed into Critter Canyon unless they’ve been snuck in on fire engines…or they’re service dogs.
“Hello!” I yell as I start running faster, Rocky matching my pace easily. “Is anyone here?”
This side track obviously connects two busier parts of the park together and it does have a few street lights, but there are deeper pockets of darkness here, making me even more nervous. Either side is shrubbery with gorgeous flowers to make the walk pretty, but there are also three pioneer-style wagons ahead that are probably meant to add to the Old West aesthetic of the park.
Or there were three wagons. From what I can tell, the one farthest from us looks untouched, but the middle one has been shoved into the greenery at a wild angle, and the one nearest to us is a complete mess. It looks like most of the base has collapsed with only one of the massive wheels still attached, and the cream tarp has mostly detached, covering the broken bits of wood. I see tire marks on the ground and what could be part of a car bumper abandoned by the wreckage.
I still don’t know what’s gone on to cause so much destruction, but I have a feeling that whatever happened with the giant swing boat and this are possibly related.
“Hello?” I call out again, coming to a halt just before the carnage.
The tarp moves. A lump bobs around underneath. Rocky jerks on his leash, but I hold him back this time. If that’s a frightened raccoon or something, it might lash out. But then I remember it was a bark that sent us running in this direction, so I hold my breath…
A golden Labrador puppy comes bounding out from underneath, all gangly legs and floppy ears. As they bark happily and charge over to us, I see that they’re wearing a green vest. It reads ‘guide dog in training.’
I gasp and run over to catch the little pup before they get too far. A quick glance at her collar tells me her name is Clover.
“Oh, good girl, Clover,” I coo, taking a firm hold of her leash as well. “Was that you barking? Did you get lost? Are you?—?”
A groan comes from under the tarp.
My heart threatens to stop, but before adrenaline can paralyze me, I lurch forward and yank back the heavy material. For a second, my brain can’t process what it’s seeing. It’s not just that someone is pinned down under one of the detached wagon wheels. It’s that I know that person.
“Zoe?” I splutter in disbelief.
A part of my frazzled mind remembers our teacher mentioning several times that as well as training puppies with us, she also works with guide dogs in training and often takes them to busy places to socialize them. But explaining why she’s here isn’t really as important in that moment as getting her free.
“Zoe! It’s Dario. Hold still, let me try and lift this off you.”
She groans again and twitches, but I don’t think she’s conscious. There’s a nasty gash on her temple and blood everywhere. I’m sure I read somewhere that head wounds do gush a lot, but that doesn’t stop me from panicking. She needs medical assistance, now.
“HELP!” I bellow at the top on my lungs as I reposition myself. “CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?”
I crouch down with the leash handles looped around my wrist, leaving my hands free to wrap around the wheel’s rim. Gritting my teeth, I try and lift it up with everything I have, but it barely moves at all. I’m afraid of dropping it on her and causing more damage, so I carefully put it back down again, hoping I haven’t worsened her injuries.
Despite my heart pounding like thunder, I strain my ears and try and hear if anyone heard me yelling. I doubt it.
“Okay, okay,” I say to myself with two puppies anxiously sniffing at Zoe. I know she just moved and made some noise, but I still reach out and thrust two of my fingers against the pulse point in her neck. When I feel it fluttering, it reassures me a bit. However, it’s clear she’s in trouble and needs professional help as soon as possible. “Okay. I’m going to get help, Zoe. I’ll be right ba?—”
Her hand shoots out and grabs my wrist, her eyes flying open as she gasps for air. “Don’t leave me,” she croaks, tears escaping down her face. “Please, I…oh…”
Her eyelids flutter shut again, leaving me feeling alone again as I tremble from head to toe. “I won’t,” I promise her, even as I look around frantically.
I’m so scared it’s difficult not to cry myself. I try my best to hold it together, though. Zoe is depending on me. I’m just not sure what’s the best thing to do. Run for help or stay by her side like she begged me to?
Oh! How could I be so stupid? I have my phone on me! I can call 9-1-1 and tell them I’m at the park with a bunch of first responders and get the operator to send someone to us!
Feeling giddy with relief, I shift around and try to get my phone out of my pocket. But that’s the hand with the dog leashes looped around my wrist. In trying to reach my phone, Rocky’s one slips free…
Without warning, he explodes with a burst of energy, ripping his leash completely from my grasp and running back toward the fire engines.
“ROCKY, NO!” I scream in panic, watching in horror as he races into the darkness. But Zoe is still clinging to my hand even if her eyes are closed, and Clover is whimpering between us both.
I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do! The dispatch operator might be able to send us help, but Rocky is getting lost right this moment and anyway, finding a puppy isn’t going to be a priority when people’s lives are on the line.
It’s a priority to me, though. It’ll be a priority to Lochlan. I can’t believe how badly I’ve let him down.
“HELP!” I scream as loud as I can again as I scrabble for my phone. “SOMEBODY, PLEASE!” Zoe lets out a sob and screws up her face. She must be in so much pain. “It’s okay, I’m here,” I tell her, squeezing her hand tighter.
My hand is shaking so badly, I’m amazed I’m able to unlock my phone and type in 9-1-1 at all. But I’m soon connected to a human being who swiftly takes my details and assures me that someone will be with me as soon as they can. However, she warns me that everyone is pretty busy already so she can’t guarantee when help will come.
“Just…please, hurry,” I beg her.
She stays on the line with me, asking questions about Zoe and reassuring me that I’m doing a good job and help is on the way. But there’s only so much she can do from the call center.
I don’t know how much time is passing. I feel like I’m having an out of body experience, watching on helplessly as Zoe slips away from me. As Rocky runs off to who knows where. This park is enormous and so chaotic with all the emergency services trying to help all those people from the accident. I know he’s microchipped, but if he gets lost…if he gets hurt…I could never look Lochlan in the eye again. He trusted me and I’ve let him down. I?—
Zoe cries and tries to squirm under the giant wheel.
“Try not to move,” I tell her urgently. “I know it hurts, but we don’t know if you have a spinal injury. The dispatcher said I shouldn’t let you move. Hold on for me, Zoe. Just…hold on.” I hold the phone away from my mouth and scream again, hoping it might get someone here faster. “HELP!”
I’m ashamed as a sob escapes my own chest. I’ve never been so scared in my whole life, not even when Shane lashed out and hit me. I had no idea in that moment if he’d stop or if he’d keep going until he hospitalized me. If he’d do it again before I could escape and knock me down permanently.
Sure, I was terrified. But I was only trying to save myself then. Right now, it’s like I have not one but two lives in my hands. I can’t leave Zoe alone but something terrible could happen to Rocky because I wasn’t holding his leash tight enough at just the wrong moment.
Is staying here the right thing to do? I know Zoe doesn’t want me to abandon her, but what if nobody can get here in time despite the operator’s help? Maybe I could find a paramedic. Should I have run after Rocky? What if?—?
“Dario!”
My head whips around so fast I’m surprised I don’t crack my neck. But as soon as I see Lochlan and Rocky running toward me at full pelt, another sob escapes and tears run down my face.
“It’s Zoe!” I scream back at him, still not quite believing that he isn’t a desperate figment of my imagination.
Did Rocky really go and get him for me?
I can puzzle over that later. Right now, all that matters is that I’m not alone.
The person I wanted to see most in the entire world just materialized in front of my eyes.
“Someone’s here,” I tell the operator. “I’m okay now. Thank you so much.”
I don’t know if I’m supposed to stay on the line or not, but I hang up anyway. Lochlan’s here. Everything is going to be all right.
“Zoe?” Lochlan repeats as he and Rocky stumble to a halt in front of us. He’s not wearing his coat or helmet anymore and he’s absolutely drenched. I have no idea what could have happened, but I can find out later, no doubt.
I nod and look back down at Zoe as she takes shallow breaths, showing us that she’s still alive. “She trains guide dog puppies, remember? Clover led Rocky here.” I gulp. “Then I think he went and got you to help her, too. Oh, Rocky, you scared me. I’m so glad you’re not lost.”
“He’s a good boy,” Lochlan says to me with conviction, but it’s clear that all his attention is now on Zoe, as it needs to be. His eyes dart over her trapped body. “Were you on with dispatch?” he asks me.
“Yes,” I tell him. “She said people were on their way. But everything’s so crazy, she didn’t know how long it might take.”
He wastes no time in reaching for the radio on his shoulder. “Cap, it’s Bell. I need medical assistance in the walkway opposite our rigs and another pair of hands if you can spare them.”
“We’re on it,” a voice replies within seconds.
More help is coming. Rocky’s okay. Hopefully, Zoe’s going to be okay. I’m not on my own anymore.
I think the relief of Lochlan coming to the rescue has made me lose it. I watch on numbly as he moves to support her neck with his hands. It takes me several moments to realize that he’s calling my name. I blink and look up at his worried face.
“Are you all right?” he asks.
I don’t understand. Of course I’m all right. I look back down at Zoe. “We need to get the wheel off her,” I say, like someone else is speaking through my mouth.
He shakes his head. “Not without a neck brace. Help is on the way. You did everything right, Dario. I’m so proud of you.”
Those last words cut through my brain fog. I look into his green eyes, feeling the connection between us so fiercely it’s like it’s a physical thing.
In that moment, I know I love him. Real love, not the poisonous thing I was tricked into believing before. Like my soul didn’t even know what it was searching for until he walked into my life.
Before I can wrap my head around it all, a pair of paramedics with a gurney and another firefighter rush onto the scene. I think I recognize the firefighter from the ride in the engine, meaning he’s also from the One-Thirteen. Lochlan quickly confirms my speculation.
“Rico!” he yells as they approach. “Man, am I glad to see you guys. Did you clear the tunnel okay?”
“Yep, all good,” he replies. “Definitely no one else in there. The rest of the team is assisting with the main triage site now. So, what have we got here? I’m guessing this is the path the ice cream truck took before hitting the swing boat.”
Ice cream truck? What the hell?
“She’s pinned, Lieutenant,” Lochlan explains, even though that seems pretty obvious to me. But I guess his superior needs every scrap of information available. “Her name’s Zoe Sharpe. She’s our teacher at the puppy training class.”
“We need to get a neck brace on her and assess her vitals,” one of the paramedics says. He has a beautifully mellow voice that immediately helps calm my nerves. Lochlan carefully removes his hands so the medic can secure the brace. “How long has she been down for?”
He looks at Lochlan but Lochlan is looking at me. The female paramedic gently unclasps my hand from Zoe’s. I don’t want to let her go, but I guess I need to give them space to treat her. I realize they’re expecting me to answer.
“I don’t know how long she’s been like this,” I say as I unlock my phone and check my call log. “But I was on with dispatch for…just under seven minutes, and I found her a few minutes before that, and Lochlan was with me for a few minutes after I hung up.”
“Was she conscious?” the male paramedic asks. His name tag reads ‘Delacroix,’ and I think I remember him sticking up for Lochlan back at the firehouse.
“Uh, not really,” I tell him. “But she woke up at one point and grabbed my wrist, asking me not to leave her. She seemed to pass out again after that, but I kept an eye on her, she never stopped breathing.”
“Good,” Delacroix says warmly. “Thank you for taking care of her until we could get her.”
“Is she going to be okay?” I ask.
“We need to get this wheel off her now she’s been stabilized,” the other paramedic—Ortiz—says. She looks up into my eyes and nods. “We’re going to do everything we can for her, I promise.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. I’m trembling, so I hug myself in an attempt to get it to stop. “I tried to move the wheel, but I thought I’d do more harm than good, so I stopped.”
“You did the right thing, Dario,” Rico says. Hearing him use my name like that is so strange. But Lochlan beams at me, apparently unsurprised. It feels like that because these guys know Lochlan, they already know me. Accept me.
I’m honored.
“All right,” Rico continues speaking to me. “Can I ask you to move safely out of the way and keep those pups with you?”
“Yes, sir,” I tell him.
My grip on the two leashes is so tight, my knuckles are turning white. But there’s no way I’m losing either of them again. Both dogs are whimpering and pawing at the ground, clearly picking up on our stress. But they stay with me, and the three of us watch the others get to work.
Rico and Lochlan position themselves on either side of the wagon wheel, crouching down with straight backs and gripping the edge like I did. Except they’re both almost twice my size, so they’re able to heave the thing off Zoe in one go, putting it to the side as Delacroix and Ortiz swoop in to roll Zoe onto a back board. She groans again, but to me that just proves she’s still hanging in there.
“We’ll get her transferred immediately to San Clemente,” Delacroix explains as Rico helps him and Ortiz lift Zoe onto the gurney. “She’s lucky you found her, Dario. We didn’t have any other reports from this area.”
“Yeah, you did good,” Ortiz agrees with a wink.
I’m in such a state of shock, I just nod back. “Come on,” Lochlan urges me, and we follow them back up the path along with Rico.
Zoe isn’t out of the woods yet. At least she’s in good hands now, so I can allow myself a chance to breathe and even hope for the best. Everything could absolutely turn out okay, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful.
I keep a hold of Clover as we hurry up the path, but Lochlan happily takes Rocky, telling him what a good boy he is and promising him steak for dinner. That makes me laugh weakly as we emerge from the side track, rejoining the main area of the rescue operation.
I think I’m finally coming down from the intense adrenaline rush of everything, and I feel a little dizzy. But before I can even consider getting unsteady on my feet, Lochlan is there to support me, wrapping me in his arms.
“Sorry I left the rig,” I say, slurring a little with how incredibly tired I suddenly am. “But Rocky heard Clover. He’s a real hero.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Lochlan promises me, kissing the top of my head. “In fact, you were fucking incredible. Come on. Let’s go join the others and tell them all about what a badass you are.”
Chuckling weakly, I let him steer me and the dogs in the direction he wants to go. I look on in awe at the rest of the One-Thirteen who have formed a line and are helping people safely dismount from the wreckage of what used to be the swing boat.
Lochlan sags against me. “Holy fuck,” he says weakly. “What a call. I need to get back out there.”
He doesn’t move, though.
I understand that he needs to go and do his job. But part of my job now is to take care of him. If he needs a minute to catch his breath to make sure he’s safe to work again, I’ll give that to him.
“Are you okay?” I ask him.
He looks down at me, such warmth and affection in his eyes it takes my breath away.
“I am now,” he tells me, echoing my words from the journey here.
“Me, too,” I promise him, leaning up to kiss him on the mouth. He doesn’t even hesitate to reciprocate.
This evening might have started out with a shock, and being in the middle of a disaster zone is no joke. But in this moment, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be in the world, with exactly the right person.
I was a fool to think everything we have could be threatened by something so silly as one photo on the internet.
Right?