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Chapter Sixteen
Life continued to be uneventful and pleasant in their households. Arianna had organized a party for Annabelle’s first birthday on Saturday and invited their friends, including Cody and Claudia, Josie Robb, Joe Cramer, and his son Craig, Nancy, and the entire staff of SAMF who’d met and befriended Annabelle.
The adorable toddler now managed to stand on her own two feet and had even taken a couple of steps before falling and screaming.
Rafael had planned a surprise of his own for the woman who’d given him faith in love again. She’d been flying with him daily and sharing his life after work for more than a year.
“You sure you’re not too busy with the last minute preparations to fly today?” Rafael asked on Friday morning.
“All my baking is done. On Saturday morning, Nancy and I will decorate the building lounge for the party,” she said as she bit into a bagel and finished her coffee. “Got to go, Bella. Give Mommy a kiss.”
Annabelle stuck her marmalade-covered lips against her mommy’s cheek. As usual Arianna stopped by Barbara’s office to get the assignment of the day. “No emergency today. Report work.” Her boss shrugged. “You should’ve stayed home and finished your preparations.”
It was almost one p.m. when she decided to leave. As she grabbed her handbag, her phone rang. It was Rafael.
“Go straight to the copter. We’ve got an emergency call. A shooting and a knife fight near the Everglades Holiday Park.”
Arianna ran to the copter, arriving at the same time as Leo, and climbed in. She’d been on her share of rescue missions to accidents and violent crimes. Usually the police arrived before the helicopter and made sure the situation didn’t turn messy or dangerous for the copter’s team.
“Ready?” Captain Lopez called.
“Yes, I’m ready,” she answered, automatically checking, headphones on, seatbelt buckled, helmet handy in her lap in case she needed it.
A cloudless sky allowed for a smooth flight. Arianna never tired of the gorgeous view. As the copter descended, she enjoyed the sight of the Everglades and glimpsed a monstrous crocodile in the swamp.
Several police vehicles encircled the area. Rafael landed beside them. “You can go,” he said to his team.
A siren heralded the approach of an ambulance and a fire truck. Leo lowered the stretcher and Arianna located the closest police officer.
“Over here, nurse,” the officer barked over the chaotic noise. “Five men injured. Two on their way to the hospital. Those two will be going in this ambulance. The fifth one’s yours. He’s in bad shape. Follow me.”
She waved at Leo to come over. The officer led them to a man lying on a blanket on the ground. His midsection was covered in blood as was his face, his long, dark hair sticking to it, his mouth gaping open as he struggled to breathe.
Leo and the officer lifted the blanket and moved the patient onto the stretcher, and Leo pushed it over to the copter. Arianna didn’t waste any time. She cut off his shirt and applied a sterile towel to what appeared to be a bullet wound in the chest.
Rafael approached them. “Are we done? Where’s the report?”
“On my way to get it,” Leo rushed to a police car.
“Arianna, can you clean his face up before we head up?”
The injured man had a deep cut on the side of his cheek. She shoved his hair away from his face, applied pressure to the cut for a few minutes to stop the bleeding, then removed the towel to check if the bleeding had stopped. She cleansed the wounds with water, gently wiping away the coagulated blood from his face. His skin appeared whiter and his chiseled nose...
Eyes wide, Arianna gasped at the angular face embedded in her memory forever. “No, no, no.” Panic filling her, she stepped back, the blood-soaked towel fluttering from her shaking hand.
“Arianna, what’s wrong?” Rafael grabbed her wrist.
“I can’t... It can’t be. Oh Lord, no please.”
“Arianna, finish what you’re doing,” he ground out between gritted teeth.
“I can’t. This is...Julio. The man who...” The man she’d vowed to kill, not save.
***
Rafael scanned the area around them. Thank God. Leo was helping the other EMTs.
“Arianna, you have to do your job.” He squeezed her wrist to snap her out of her trance. “Arianna, damn it! Do it. Take care of this patient now, or I’ll have to report you. You’ll lose your job, your daughter. You’ll lose me, Arianna. Now, put the damn IV line into his arm.”
