The Billionaire's Secret Kink Box Set: Knox: Secret Alpha Billionaire Romance Bundle (Rosesson Brothers Book 1) (47 page)

"Yeah Jerry, I do. I don't know who she is or how to find her," Emma's nostrils were flaring and her cheeks flamed red. She didn't want to talk anymore. "We were split up and put in two separate foster homes when our mom died giving birth to us and I haven't been able to find her in my whole life. But maybe someday she'll find me if I stay here." Emma opened her door and jumped out, grabbing the aid bag from the compartment behind her seat in one fluid movement.

Emma practically ran up the sidewalk to meet with the woman and find her patient, leaving Jerry behind.

Emma finished giving her narrative to the nurse at Westwood General and turned over patient care. She wheeled her gurney out in the hall and started for the exit doors.

"Um Em, can I talk to you for a sec?" Jerry sounded quiet and a little timid.

"Of course," Emma said, but she didn't slow down.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to piss you off back there."

Emma let out a deep breath. "You didn't piss me off. I'm sorry - I didn't mean to be so sensitive."

"Great! Then we are best friends again!" Jerry threw an arm around her neck and gave her a noogie with his free hand.

"Damn it Jerry! I hate it when you do that," Emma growled, quickly zig-zagging the gurney to avoid hitting an old man in a wheelchair. The nurse pushing him down the hallway gave them a scolding glance and moved to the far side of the hallway.

Emma pulled her scrunchy out of her strawberry blond hair, raked her fingers through it, and reworked the ponytail at the base of her skull, trying to steer the gurney with her hips.

As they passed the receptionist on the way out of the E.R., someone called to them, "Hey, paramedics, hey you." They turned in unison and saw a young man in blue scrubs waving them over. "Oh man, what now?" Jerry mouthed quietly. Emma pushed the gurney against the wall and they went to see what he wanted.

"Hey you guys gotta take Dr. Mishra on a ride-along," blue scrubs said.

"Says who?" Jerry blurted out aggressively.

Blue scrubs eyed him warily, "Not me man, Dr. Mishra told me to get him a ride-along and I called your dispatch and they said you were here and to tell you to take him out."

"Did they call us by name?" Jerry demanded.

"She said a bald guy and a cute blond," blue scrubs stammered.

"Well that's obviously not us," Jerry growled, getting in blue scrubs' face. He jerked a finger at his head. "I'm not bald, I shave this. And she's
strawberry
-blond and
hot
, not cute," jerking his thumb at Emma.

Emma laughed then got between the two men, backing Jerry up.

"Sorry about him, he hasn't had any coffee yet. Where's Dr. Mishra?"

"Oh, ok, I'll page him right now," blue scrubs picked up the phone, keeping his eyes on Jerry.

"Emma, I don't want to do a ride-along," Jerry whined. "I don't want some jerk doctor in our ambulance telling us everything we are doing wrong."

"Well we gotta, so just be cool. I'll call dispatch and see how fast we can dump him."

Emma went out to the ambulance and called on her cell. She was holding for the dispatch supervisor when out walked Jerry with a handsome, dark-skinned man. He was a bit taller than Jerry, with short, jet-black hair. He looked like he was probably of mixed-race, possibly half-white and something else. Indian? Maybe. His eyes were dark and alert, cataloging everything as they walked along. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth as he listened to Jerry. He threw back his head and roared a hearty laugh, showing perfectly spaced and colored teeth. Not one cavity in that mouth. His body was slim and he looked very professional in his tan pants, white dress shirt, and black shoes. She thought he looked like Benjamin Bratt from Law and Order, and she thought Benjamin Bratt was sexy as hell. What is this? Two sexy men in two days? Maybe that fall had messed with her hormones or something.

"Yes, this is the dispatch supervisor, may I help you?" a woman's voice rang in her ear. Emma hit the green
end call
button without taking her eyes off the doctor.

That's him.
The man in my vision. It must be.
Electricity tingled up and down her spine. She flipped down the mirror and checked her teeth and hair. Ugh! She hadn't put any makeup on this morning. What was wrong with her? Well, no time now.

Should she get out? Should she stay here? Wait for him to come? Her brain swirled in confusion and anxiety. Too late! Jerry was walking him past the ambulance to her door. Her breathing quickened and she saw stars float in front of her eyes.

"Em, this is Dr. Mishra, Dr. Mishra this is the best paramedic you'll ever meet: Emma Hill," Jerry said through the open window. He stood behind the doctor and Emma noted he wrinkled his nose. She ignored it, not wanting to think about what that meant.

Emma forced a smile and tried to speak.

"Doctor, uh, hi," she finally got out.

He put his hand through the open window and flashed her a heartbreaking smile, "Call me Reece."

"Reece, uh awesome. Hi." Emma grasped his smooth skin and pumped his hand lightly. His hand was warm and delicate, and rather small for a man's. She sucked in breath hard, trying to clear her thoughts.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jerry cock his head quizzically and knit his brows together. She knew she was making a fool of herself and she wasn't sure how to fix it. Her mind was racing but she couldn't capture one thought.

"Emma, what a lovely name for a lovely woman." Reece pressed the back of her hand to his lips briefly. His speech was crisp and clipped and his accent was slight, as if he had come to America as a young boy.

She dropped his hand and looked at Jerry. "It's my turn to drive."

"Oh, ok, well, not for 30 minutes, but whatever."

She slid over to the driver's seat. She couldn't be lead paramedic, making decisions and trying not to kill people with Dr. Mishra - no - Reece watching her.

Reece opened the passenger door and climbed in. He sat in the passenger seat. Jerry watched him, eyebrows raised. "Reece, buddy, ride-alongs sit in the jump-seat in the back. You can walk through the middle there."

Reece looked over his shoulder into the back of the ambulance. Emma studiously looked straight ahead at the wall of the hospital. "Well, certainly not
Doctor
ride-alongs?" he asked with arrogance in his voice.

"Yes, doctors, lawyers, the President of the United States when he courts Emma - all ride-alongs sit in the back. Paramedics only up here."

Reece didn't move. Emma wasn't looking at them but she could feel the tension.
Did he want to sit next to her? What was he doing?

Reece swung back around to face Jerry. "Well perhaps I should not ride along with
you
."

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll call dispatch and get you another ambulance," Jerry retorted back swiftly.

Reece sniffed, apparently knowing when he was beat. "OK. I will sit in the back then."

***

They cruised the area in silence for a bit. Emma could tell that Jerry was irritated with Reece. She knew he would get over it soon. Jerry didn't hold grudges.

Reece leaned towards the opening between the back of the ambulance and the front and shouted over the noise of the diesel engine, "Did the President really ride in your ambulance?"

Jerry snorted laughter. "No, but he would sit in the back if he did."

Emma let out the breath she didn't even know she had been holding. It seemed things were OK again between the two men "It's quiet, let's go get some lunch," she suggested.

"Awww man, why did you have to say the Q word Emma, you know better than that! Now all hell is going to break loose," Jerry whined and threw his hands in the air.

Emma glanced towards the back, eyes wide.
Why did Jerry have to be such an ass sometimes?

"Shut up Jerry, that's just superstition," she scolded.

"Yeah well, it's good superstition. You never say the Q word until you are home," Jerry grumbled.

"Ok sorry, let's stop at Nan's Ok?"

"Sure," Jerry agreed sulkily.

"Uh, Reece, are you OK with a bite to eat?" she yelled over her right shoulder.

"Sure," Reece yelled back.

Emma drove to Nan's, a quiet hole in the wall in the industrial area. They liked to eat here because the food was quick and plentiful.

"Unit 17, 10-7X-Ray on Mineral St," Jerry relayed their status to dispatch and they headed into the restaurant, Jerry and Emma both checking their portables to be sure they were on.

Sliding into a booth, Emma held her breath again as Reece slid into the booth next to her. She wanted to be able to look at him, but instead she was almost touching him. Her brain was working overtime, analyzing his every move. Did he like her? Did he even notice her? Did he know how nervous she was? Was she acting weird?

"So where in the hospital are you going to work?" Jerry asked Reece.

"I'm an anesthesiologist. I float between the E.R. and the surgical center."

"So why do they want you to go on a ride-along?"

"I am being considered for the Surgical Ward Director position when Dr. Faust leaves in one month, so I have to experience all aspects of the hospital, including ambulance care."

"You don't look old enough to be a medical director, what are you thirty-five?" Jerry demanded.

"Thirty-six, actually," Reece answered proudly. Emma thought he missed Jerry's aggressive stance this time.

"That's amazing," Emma said, hoping to defuse any more arguments. Reece beamed at her.

"Emma, you should come and see me at the hospital. I could show you around my department. Maybe we could get lunch and make a day of it," Reece said.

Jerry raised his eyebrows. Emma ignored him. Inside she danced a little happy dance. "I would love to Reece."

Emma noticed a waitress heading to their table just before she heard the explosion. She was looking at the waitress and saw her lose her balance and start to tip their plates before the noise registered in her ears. Her senses went on high alert and she grabbed Reese's head, pushing him under the table and throwing her body on top of his, lacing her hands around the back of her head. She opened her mouth and started to yell to Jerry but Jerry was also on the move already. The window they were sitting next to imploded and shards of glass rained down.

Emma and Jerry looked at each other under the table, eyes wide. Jerry jumped up and ran over to help the waitress. Emma lifted her head and looked around. The room was eerily silent. All the customers were under their tables and a small girl across the room looked to be screaming. Emma couldn't hear her.

Emma pushed at Reece, trying to get him to move out of the booth. He pushed back. She stood straight up on the bench seat and climbed out onto the table and jumped down.

"Anybody hurt?" she yelled, raking her eyes around the room.

She couldn't hear herself. All she could hear was a high-pitched tone in her ears. She ran to Jerry. He helped the waitress to her feet and pushed her lightly towards the kitchen.

"Jerry, I can't hear!" Emma yelled. He looked at her and pointed to his ears, then shook his head.

Our ears. Oh God don't let our eardrums be exploded.

Emma grabbed her radio mike and pressed the button. "Central, this is Unit 17. There has been an explosion near Nan's on Mineral Street. My partner and I can't hear anything so you won't be able to talk back to me. We are heading out to look around and see where it came from. Send fire engines and ambulances, everything you have available." She spoke smoothly and steadily, willing herself to stay calm. Adrenaline coursed through her system, but she had learned long ago to keep it contained.

She looked around the room once more. Everyone was still under their tables, peering out at her and Jerry. No one was asking for help. They were not needed here.

Jerry waved his hand in front of her face and pointed towards the door. She nodded.

Emma ran to the table where Reece was still kneeling underneath it, his face lined with fear.

She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out. He half-heartedly tried to pull away but she held on tight and hauled him out, pulling him towards the door. If this was a mass casualty scene, they would need all the help they could get, and a doctor was a good start.

Once outside, she looked right and left swiftly. An acrid, chemical smell filled her nostrils. The unnatural silence pressed in on her heavily.

Directly across the street was a parking lot, and on the far side of the parking lot a red brick building had smoke pouring out of all of its windows. Glass littered the parking lot below. People were already milling about in the street and Emma didn't know if they came from the red brick building, or another.

Jerry was at the ambulance grabbing their aid bag and long board. She ran up to him, still gripping Reece's hand tightly. She grabbed Jerry and pantomimed talking on the radio then pointed at him and mouthed "did you?" He shook his head no.