Page 4 of Floodgates

“Who are you, then?” I asked. “And what are you good for?”

“I’m a doctor. I’m on my monthly ride-along, and so, here we all are,” he finished with a smile.

“Where are you from?” Matt inquired, really looking at him.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you’ve got an accent,” I said, trying not to laugh. “Where are you from?”

“Why, I’m from Georgia, sir,” he informed me.

Maybe because I was losing blood, maybe because I had a concussion, possibly because his eyes were so blue and crinkled in half when he smiled—I didn’t know. All I did know then was that he was making me feel better.

“I have never been to Georgia,” I said and then looked over at Matt. “But I’m thinking perhaps we should plan a trip soon.”

“Oh yes, definitely,” Matt agreed. “Let us be off to the state with the peaches.”

“You two still having a good time in there?” a voice asked from the other side.

I turned and found Kevin Baylor, our fireman. “Kevin!” I yelled out.

“Kev!” Matt echoed me. “Kevin, my man, give us the good news!”

“Kevin, my love!” I laughed because he was shaking his head like he couldn’t believe us. “Get us the hell out of here!”

“What’s goin’ on, baby?” Matt asked quickly. “Gonna be out in a sec, right?”

He laughed before saying, “Not yet, guys, but we’re working on it. We might have to get a crane out here.”

“Fabulous,” I said cheerfully, looking at Matt. “A crane. Maybe we’ll make the evening news.”

“TV?” Matt asked. “Am I gonna be on TV?”

“If he’s gonna be on TV, we need some stylists in here first.”

“Damn right,” Matt agreed wholeheartedly.

“Did you call his boss like he asked you to?” I asked my new friend.

“What did the bitch, I mean my boss, say?” Matt asked after a deep intake of breath. “Am I in trouble?”

“She said that you were excused from work today.”

“Oh hallelujah,” Matt ranted. “Praise the Lord and pass the biscuits, I get a goddamn day off because I’m trapped inside a fuckin’ upside-down car.”

“C’mon, Kev,” I teased the fireman, “you were surprised his boss wasn’t more concerned, weren’t you? C’mon, you can tell him. You were kinda shocked, kinda taken aback.”

Kevin nodded, scowling. “I was a little, if I’m being honest.”

Matt laughed out loud. “She’s such a bitch,” he shouted, reaching out for my good left hand. “I finally have the perfect excuse to get out of work, and there’s nothing she can do about it!”

I was chuckling. Matt was giddy and cackling.

“What do you two do?” the doctor asked us.

“I’m an event coordinator,” Matt told him. “At Grant Chessman.”

“And you?” the doctor asked me, his voice like velvet.