Chapter 18
Jackson talked briefly with his company, got report from the night captain, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to his office. He sat at his desk and booted up his system, where he typed into the search engine. “Come on, there”s got to be something here... Waverlys, Ashcrofts, town history... anything.”
The office phone rang. “Captain Reynolds.”
His lieutenant was on the phone. “Cap, we”ve got a call. Fire at 5th and Main, possible gas leak.”
He shook his head, not believing he missed hearing the alarm. He quickly gathered himself. “I”m on my way, Luke. Be right there.”
Jackson hurriedly shut down his computer and rushed out of the office, grabbed his gear and jumped into his Tahoe. He decided to separate himself from his personnel for their safety.
The scene was ablaze with the distant flickers of fire fueled by a broken gas main. Jackson, clad in his firefighter gear, arrived at the scene, his eyes glazed over with a distant expression. His thoughts drifted beyond the immediate crisis at hand.
As Jackson approached, a firefighter from the squad urgently called out, “Cap, heads up.”
The warning pierced through the turmoil surrounding him—the relentless crackle of flames, the distant wails of approaching sirens. Yet, despite the urgency of the moment, his mind was elsewhere.
As he moved forward, oblivious to the imminent danger, he felt a sudden, powerful tug. It was his lieutenant, Luke. With a swift action, Luke pulled him back, his grip firm and unwavering, just in time to shield him from the explosive surge of water from the hose line.
The abrupt halt jolted Jackson out of his mental fog. “Cap, snap out of it. You”re not focused. Take a step back; catch your breath. We’ve got this.”
The echoes of the lieutenant”s words reverberated in Jackson”s mind. His urgency conveyed the seriousness of the situation. Jackson took a step back from the scene as flames roared in the background. He inhaled a deep breath.
“Everything alright, Jackson?” Luke looked worried.
He nodded. “Yeah, just... got a lot on my mind. But I”m good now. Let”s get this under control.” He called out his orders to shut down the main and suppress the flames. Thankfully, it was a routine fire. Equipment failure. Not an arson.
Back at the station, Jackson apologized for being distracted. He returned to his office and dropped his head into his hands. “Get your act together, Reynolds.”
He opened his computer again and typed “Ashcroft” into the search line.
As part of the Westward expansion, children of the first Appalachian Ashcrofts settled in an area and named it Ashcroft Crossing. There were four children: William, 1830-1898; Catherine, 1832-1902; Thomas, 1835-1915; and Cassandra, 1836-?
His brows creased. No matter how he spelled her name, he couldn’t find any other record of her. No death, nothing. He opened his wallet and pulled out his debit card. With that, he bought a membership for Ancestry.com. He found other Ashcroft records but nothing later than 1945 and nothing more on Cassandra and nothing on Rainey.
As he was about to move on to the Waverly family, another alarm for a motor vehicle collision with passengers trapped came in. He took a cleansing breath. “Okay, Reynolds, you have your real job to do.” He shut his computer down and ran for his truck. The weather had turned cold, and a fine rain began to fall.
Upon arrival, he found a mess of a scene. In his head, he called it a clusterfuck. The police were only beginning to arrive. Other vehicles were trying to drive through the intersection around the crashed cars, as well as looky loos, groups of people who had to see, or others who used the Citizen app to record the scene for sale to local news.
A collision involving multiple vehicles coming from different directions had left some people trapped inside their cars, likely caused by the dead traffic light. He shot a quick picture of it.
A cold rain now pelted down, making the rescue effort more challenging. Jackson didn’t get on his radio, avoiding listeners—another group that seemed to enjoy the fire department’s work. Before he could help victims, he had to make it safe for the first responders. He asked the engine’s chauffeur to block the oncoming traffic from one direction. The rescue truck blocked the second crossroad.
He asked the same from the police, to block the other two crossroads. Pulling his collar up, he tried to stop the cold rain from dripping down his back.
One of his firefighters approached. “Cap, we have five pinned, all neck and back. One injury looks serious. And, Cap, one of the injured is that defense attorney, Ruth Everhart.”
Jackson frowned. “Which vehicle?”
“The red Jeep,” she answered. “She’s calm at the moment—her head starred the windshield. She hasn’t threatened a lawsuit yet.”
Jackson nodded. They had dealt with lawyers before. And many had threatened lawsuits long before they were extricated from their vehicles. He wasn’t concerned with a lawsuit. He was worried about Liv’s sister.
“Cap, we”re working as fast as we can!” one of the firefighters shouted over the sound of the tools clanking.
“We need to move quickly. If I’m cold, they’re freezing. Get blankets on them. Where the hell is EMS?” Jackson roared.
The metallic buzz of extraction tools echoed through the rain as Jackson oversaw his firefighters maneuver carefully to avoid worsening any injuries. Short on manpower, he headed over toward Ruth’s car. As he hurried across the roadway, a sudden blur caught his peripheral vision. Without warning, a car materialized seemingly out of nowhere, avoiding the roadblocks, hurtling toward him with frightening velocity.
In a split second that felt like an eternity, Jackson”s instincts kicked in, propelling him forward with desperation. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he felt the rush of wind against his skin, the car mere inches from colliding with him.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Jackson”s heart exploded in his chest, every fiber of his being focused on evading the imminent danger. With a surge of agility, he managed to dart out of harm”s way, his pulse racing with the close call.
As the car roared past, the sound of its engine fading into the distance, Jackson stood frozen in place, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. Two firefighters and a police officer came running his way. A police cruiser tore off after the speeding car.
“I’m okay. Get back to work,” Jackson urged. With trembling limbs, he pressed onward, his heart still in his throat.
Jackson managed to shimmy into the seat behind Olivia’s sister. “Hey, Ruth, it’s Jackson Reynolds. We’re going to get you out of here.” He covered her in a gray wool blanket.
Ruth’s teeth were chattering. “Liv’s Jackson?” she asked, confusion in her voice.
Jackson noted the cracked windshield where her head collided and her retracted seatbelt.
“I guess you could say that. It’s about to get noisy under here, but I’ve got you.” He slipped his gloved hands around her head and neck and settled into the back seat of her Jeep, a faint shiver running down his spine. The rain pattered against the roof, creating a rhythmic melody.
“Brr, it”s getting chilly.” He called out the door to a firefighter, “Get me a second blanket and a collar.”
Ruth sniffled at the raindrops trickling down the glass. “Definitely a dreary day. Thanks for braving the rain for this ride. Needed a bit of an escape from the daily chaos.”
Jackson chewed his cheek. She definitely had, at minimum, a concussion. He tried to keep her calm. “No problem at all. Besides, who can resist a Jeep adventure, rain or shine?”
Ruth chuckled, her hands wrapped around the steering wheel as if she were driving.
“So, how”s the Halloween prep going at the Everhart household? Are you big decorators?” he continued to keep her talking.
“We all go to my mom’s and decorate. Liv loves to hang decorations off the peaks. It”s like a military operation, but with skeletons. And you could come too. Can we borrow the ladder truck?” When she giggled, she sounded like Olivia.
“Well, Liv hasn’t asked me yet, but maybe I can help decorate.” He slipped his fingers beneath the collar to monitor her pulse.
“You got this, Jackson.” She yawned. “I think I need to pull over; I’m getting tired. You know, there”s something about this rainy weather. Makes you slow down, appreciate the calm before the storm.” The winds had picked up. “Hope we don’t fly to Kansas.”
“It”s like nature”s way of reminding us to take a breath and find comfort in the quieter moments. You can rest now,” Jackson said.
Another firefighter covered Ruth and Jackson’s heads with a thick blanket. “We’re ready to cut.”
“Ruth, I’m right here with you. We are going to get you out of the car in a few minutes, and then we’ll take a ride in my ambulance. My turn for the fun ride.”
“Okay.” She yawned again. “You know Liv is really into you?”
Jackson grinned. “That’s nice to hear.”
The hydraulic tools hissed as they worked to pry open the car”s door, finally freeing her. Ruth was gently lifted out onto a long board as Jackson”s voice projected calmness. “You”re safe now, Ruth. Just keep talking with me.”
“I”m okay,” she assured him with a shaky voice.
“Let”s get her into the ambulance,” Jackson instructed the team taking care of her.
When the last victim was extricated, and the scene was cleared and controlled, Jackson climbed into the Tahoe. He pulled his phone from the console and, with a deep breath, dialed Liv.
“Hey, I was just thinking about you. I can bring some fried chicken and fixings from Sally’s by the station,” Liv said.
“Livvy, Ruth was in an accident. She”s shaken up, her Jeep is totaled, but she”s stable. She”s on her way to the hospital.”
“What happened?” Liv”s voice turned frantic.
“Livvy, breathe. Accident at Clancy and Meridian. I was with her in the car. She’s awake and moving all her arms and legs, but she’s a little confused. I can get relief and meet you there if you want,” Jackson offered.
“You don’t have to.” Liv sniffed.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Jackson had learned through years of relationships that “you don’t have to” translated to “please do.”
Luke, his lieutenant, called his cell. “Cap, I’ve got things under control. Go to the hospital. You can respond from there.”
Jackson had worried things would get awkward between him and Luke when he was promoted over him, but Luke was a capable and generous lieutenant.
* * *
Liv stormed into the hospital,filled with worry. Her other sister Isobel followed moments later. She scanned each curtained area until she found Ruth with Jackson sitting by her side. She rushed over, relief flooding her at the sight of Ruth peacefully asleep.
Without hesitation, Liv slipped into Jackson”s comforting embrace. “Thank you for being here. I... I told you you didn’t have to come. But you’re here.”
Jackson held her close, his voice calm and reassuring. “Hey, I”m here for you always. Ruth”s doing okay, just resting. Doc says they’ll keep her overnight for the concussion. She”s a trooper.” He smiled at Isobel. “Hi, Izzy.”
“Thanks for being here for Ruthie.” She smiled.
Jackson gently brushed a strand of hair from Liv’s face, his eyes reflecting understanding. “I can respond from here. You, Ruth, and Isobel are my priority right now. I needed to make sure you are all okay.”
As Liv nestled into his embrace, she gulped and flashed Isobel a panicked look. She was starting to feel something she’d never felt for a man before.
Isobel chuckled. “It’s not early menopause, Liv,” she reminded Liv of her rant at Sophie’s house. Clearly the story had traveled among the Everhart sisters.
Jackson looked down at her, a soft smile touching his lips. “Early menopause?”
Liv glared at Isobel, her brow rising. “A sisterly moment.”
Sophie walked into the room, a lab coat covering a sleek black dress. “You know I gave up a hot date for this.” She smiled at Jackson. “Hey.”
Then she looked down at Ruth. “She clocked her head pretty good. Saw the ambulance care report. She got hit from the rear and the side. Starred the windshield. At least she didn’t roll. My colleague told me she hallucinated a great ride in the Jeep, and then you let her ride in your ambulance.”
Jackson laughed. “She was a bit confused. I just kept her talking. Though some things she was clear about. She roped me into bringing the ladder truck over to hang Halloween decorations.”
They all laughed, except for Liv. She watched the man who spoke so comfortably with her family and made her feel secure. As her gaze locked on him, the hospital room faded away. Liv realized she was falling in love with him.