Chapter 4
MIKE
Micah is putting the finishing touches on Bulbasaur and I’m coloring in Charizard’s fire tail when I hear a commotion in the hallway.
“I’ll be right back, lad. I’m going to check on that. Sit tight.” I hustle over just in time to see a beautiful blonde woman walk face first into the wall. She looks vaguely familiar. Then I see Bella behind her, holding a small boy, and it clicks. This must be Micah’s mom.
She rears back from the wall, blood pouring out of her nose.
Bella shouts something, but I can’t make it out as my brain shifts into emergency mode.
The blonde looks disoriented, and I rush over right as her body goes limp.
It’s not the most graceful catch, but at least I prevent her from falling onto the floor.
“Mama!” the little boy wails as he reaches toward us, but Bella wraps a comforting arm around his torso and turns to shield him.
“Let’s go check on your brother,” she says as she takes the long way back to his room, looping around the back of the nurse’s station.
I lift her as a nurse rushes over, motioning me into an empty room. I gently set her on the bed and check her vitals.
“What happened?” the nurse asks, all business.
“I heard noise in the hallway, came out to check, and I watched her walk into a wall. I think the sight of blood made her pass out.”
The nurse pushes me out of the way as she checks her nose.
“It doesn’t look broken, but lemme order a scan and get transport up here.
” She slips out of the room, and I pull up the chair next to her.
She’s curled up on her side, and I place a hand on the bed to steady myself as I lean over her to reach the bed remote.
“Ohhhh,” she groans, and I breathe a sigh of relief that she’s alert. Fingers glide along my forearm. “Mmm, firefighter.”
I chuckle when I realize she’s tracing my tattoo. Her touch sets off a wave of warmth that radiates through my whole body. That’s new. “It’s a firefighter walking out of flames. I got it when I joined the Chestnut Mountain battalion a few years back.”
My voice startles her. She retracts her hand, and I instantly miss her touch.
“Oh my God. You’re… March… I’m so embarrassed.” She shrinks back on the bed, tries to cover her face with her hands, and hisses when her fingers graze the skin. “My head.”
“Took a nasty smack to the face, did ya?” I grin down at her.
“You look like that, and you have an accent. How is that fair?” The words spill out as her face scrunches up like she’s mortified at the admission. And then tears well in her eyes, most likely due to the pain from contorting her face.
“Easy there, lass. They’ve ordered a scan for ya. Wanna make sure ya don’t have a concussion. Should be wheeling you back in a few.”
“Am I dreaming? Is this real?”
“Wanna touch my tattoo again and see for yourself?” I revel in the blush lighting up her cheeks. Her mention of March means she must be familiar with my calendar spread, and I delight in that fact more than I should.
She bolts upright on the bed. “Micah. Oh my God, I need to see Micah.”
I place a hand on her shoulder. “He’s fine, was coloring Bulbasaur when I left him. Bella went to sit with him.”
Her eyes search mine like she’s trying to process my words. “He doesn’t like men.”
“Seemed grand by me.”
“This is the worst ending to a first date I’ve ever had.”
I can’t help teasing her. “Didn’t realize this was a date, love. I would’ve worn my Mr. March outfit.”
Blood rushes to her cheeks. “Oh. My. God.”
“Ms. Lovejoy? I’m here to take you to radiology,” the patient transporter says, pulling back the curtain.
She looks at me panicked. “I’ll stay with the lad. Go get checked out.”
Once she leaves the room, I head over to check on Micah, but his room is empty so they must have taken him back to get an X-ray. Hopefully, the two of them will be reunited in radiology.
I decide to take a walk down the hallway in search of my partner when I hear muffled moans coming from a storage closet.
Feckin’ hell, is everyone getting laid except for me?
Good for Rudy.
After another stroll around the ER, I see them wheeling Micah back to his room, but as I get closer, I notice Micah’s mom hustling over and I hesitate.
Fuck, she’s beautiful. Even flustered, covered in dried blood, with the stress of the situation creasing her face, she’s still captivating.
I watch as the doctor walks over and feel like I’m spying on a private family moment. Bella is still juggling the wee one, and I try to decide how I should play this.
Should I go over there and give her my number? Reach out to Bella or Hardy later to check up on her?
A hand claps my shoulder, and I glance behind me to see Rudy’s self-satisfied look. “You ready to head out?”
No, I want to stay here with the woman who’s captured my attention for the first time in years. But I nod and follow him down the hall back to our ambulance.