Page 54 of Three Months Yesterday

The praise doesn’t feel deserved, not when this could’ve been avoided. “I shouldn’t have⁠—”

“Don’t,” Aiden demands, his eyes lifting at the sound of the ambulance bouncing across the pasture in the same path of his tire tracks.

The paramedics exit from the cab isn’t as hectic as Aiden’s, but their movements are quick—practiced. Within seconds, they’re by Madison’s side, a backboard and stretcher with them.

“What’ve we got?” the blonde paramedic asks, already kneeling on the ground.

“Female, late twenties,” Aiden answers before I can get anything out. It’s probably better he answered anyway. He knows the information they’re looking for. “Thrown from a horse. Loss of consciousness. Down fifteen minutes. No movement since the fall.”

He glances to me, silently asking if he’s wrong or missed anything, and I shake my head, still unable to form the words. It takes the male paramedic gently nudging my side to remind me I’m in their way. I stand and move away, hating the space I’m putting between Madison and me, but I know it’s the right thing—she needs them more than she needs me.

The paramedics get to work, one stabilizing Madison’s head and neck while the other checks her vitals. I know they’re speaking, but the words are a jumbled mess, like the sound of adults talking in Charlie Brown. All I can focus on is what they’re doing.

A blood pressure cuff slipping around her arm. A pulse oximeter placed on her finger. A penlight sweeping across her pupils.

None of it seems real, and yet I know it is.

“Did the horse kick her in the fall? Did she hit anything other than her head?” one of the paramedics asks.

I swallow, forcing myself to pay attention. “I-I don’t think so. She glanced back at me and the horse reared. Meadow threw Madison and ran off…” My words trail off and the paramedic nods.

“Okay. Good.”

Good? Nothing about this feels good.

I don’t let my thoughts return to where they were before help arrived, instead I focus on the thing I can do something about. My gaze shifts in the direction Meadow ran. I didn’t think about going after her, but Madison would hate it if something happened to her or Oakley as a result of this.

“Meadow,” I whisper, but Aiden doesn’t let me continue.

“I’ve already got someone on it. They’ll make sure Meadow is okay and get her and Oakley taken care of.”

There’s a moment I just stare at the man next to me, stunned at the way he’s able to manage so many things at once, especially considering the person involved. But the man was a profiler with the FBI, I’m sure he’s had to compartmentalize way more than an injured sibling.

“We’re going to get a cervical collar on her,” the blonde paramedic says, drawing my attention back to Madison.

The rigid brace slides carefully around her neck before they begin the painstaking process of rolling her just enough to inspect her back.

“No obvious injuries.”

“Let’s board her.”

The two of them work in tandem, every movement made with expert precision. A gentle lift, a quick slide, hurried movements as they secure wide straps across her shoulders, waist, and legs.

Three.

Two.

One.

And she’s off the ground as they transfer her onto the stretcher.

As they begin wheeling her toward the ambulance, my feet move in their direction, the next words coming out of my mouth with no real thought. “I’m going with her.”

One of the paramedics glances over, his gaze moving past mine and directly to Aiden. I have no doubt they know exactly who Madison is—who I am—and as a result, they know I have absolutely no right to be in the ambulance with her.

Before either of them can say anything else, Aiden steps beside me. “He’s with her.”

The paramedic gives a short nod. “All right. Ride up front.”