Page 5 of Bound to the EMT

CHAPTER 3

BRANSON

The on-call housing is nearly silent as I push my way through the doors, arms laden with food. With the ambulance gone, it means I have the place to myself until they get back. A frown tilts my lips as I glance up at the clock. Mikey is supposed to be back by now, so I can take the rest of his shift.

Christine is inducing soon, and she’ll kill him if he’s not there. It’s not like him to be late, but then, he might be stuck on a call that’s far more time-consuming than it should be. I can only hope he gets to her in time. She’ll have my head if he isn’t.

Shrugging out of my light jacket, I put up the perishables and keep my phone handy in case I need to make an emergency run in the other vehicle. Granted, it only has the basic necessities and is certainly not equipped to haul people to the hospital if needed, but I can swap it out with Mikey in a pinch.

A loud screech fills the house as the ambulance returns, coming in hot. Something’s not right. Usually when Jackson drives, he’s gentle, as if transporting someone’s mama to church while she’s holding a casserole. Shoving the last of the food into the fridge, I dust off my hands and step out into the garage.

“Everything good, Mikey?” I call out.

“Oh yeah. Just Mrs. Conners needing her weekly wellness check.”

A large grin splits my lips as I cross my arms. “How is the old bird, anyway?”

“Still as old as ever. Somehow, her eyesight has deteriorated rather quickly. So she had to feel around while I was taking her vitals.”

A chuckle vibrates through my chest. “And I’m sure you just hated that. Is that why I’m taking your shift today? Need to blow off some steam?”

“You wish.” His shoulders shudder as his face nearly turns green. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to scrub it from my mind. ‘Come here, sonny,’” he mimics the old woman. “‘I can’t see you that well. Come closer.’ Only to have her reach out for my,” his lips thin as he does a set of air quotes, “arm.”

“As if your cock is big enough to be mistaken for an arm,” I tease, shaking my head.

“Hey. You don’t know. To her bony fingers, I’m sure my pinky feels huge.”

“That’s what size it is? A pinky?”

“You know what I mean-”

Jackson hops out of the front and grabs my uniform, interrupting our banter as he tosses it to me. “Make this quick. We have a live one.”

“Any other molestation stories?” I quip, pulling my jacket on. “Or can I go save some lives?”

“Whatever,” he mutters under his breath as he shakes his head.

“Hey. Tell Christine I say hi. And you better name part of that baby after me.”

“She’s a girl!”

“So? I’m sure you’ll figure out something.” With a large grin, I open the back and pound on the door before slipping inside.

The instant I get into the back of the ambulance, my mind kicks into gear. It’s all fun and games when I’m in the house, but back here, I don’t allow any shenanigans to get in the way. As we bump along the road, I check everything over, making sure anything I might need is at my disposal.

Once I’m satisfied, I go up near the front. “Any word on what’s going on?”

“Not a clue,” Jackson barks out. “Just that. It’s all hands on deck. A call came in from over in the upper east end. Caller hung up and wouldn’t answer when dispatch returned the call.”

“It could just be a prank.”

“You would think that, but it came from the Astencourt residence. We can’t be too careful.”

My blood runs cold as we race toward the scene. Astencourt. I know that name. Hell, everyone knows that name. They’re one of the five families, old money through and through. Gripping my fingers into fists, I do some breathing to keep calm.

If there’s one place you don’t want an emergency, it’s at the house of one of the five families. Rich people always have a way of making things far more difficult than they need to be. Jackson weaves in and out of traffic, maneuvering the ambulance with an almost god-like skill. Soon, we pull up to the ornate gate and stop. It’s not open.

Hopping out the back, I clutch my kit to my chest as I weave my way through police and fire personnel all gathered about, looking lost. “What’s going on? Is anyone hurt?”