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People milled around my car; the woman in the minivan was staring at me through the windshield; the horn was still blaring, and someone was trying to get the hood of her car open. Other cars drove slowly past us, each driver and passenger staring at the scene.
I did have a green light, right? Or had I been so worried about getting to work that I thought I had a green light? Had it been red? Was I at fault for this accident?
My car had turned itself off, and the cold was starting to seep inside, making my shivering intensify. I heard another siren, and then I saw police uniforms, and people converging on my car. Joe, a cop who worked with my brother, came around to my door and tried to yank it open, but he couldn’t do it. He yelled for me to hit the unlock buttons, and I tried again, but they wouldn’t work.
He went around to the other side and tried that door, and again he failed. He leaned down and looked at me carefully, asking in surprise as he suddenly recognized me, “Roxy?”
I nodded and felt my eyes begin to droop. I had a feeling this was shock taking over, or I was slowly starting to freeze to death. Maybe my leg was cut so severely that I was bleeding to death.
“Oh, shit!” I heard Joe say, and then he turned and yelled to someone. I didn’t quite understand all he said as my brain was getting fuzzy, but it sounded something like call Roman. “Roxy, cover your face. I’m going to bust the window.”
I stared at him for a moment, and my hands felt heavy as I lifted them to my face. A moment later, the glass shattered beside me, and a few pieces flew from the passenger door toward me.
Joe reached into the car, touching my arm. “Roxy, are you hurt?”
“I’m stuck. I think my leg is bleeding, but I can’t move it,” I murmured to him. Another loud siren filled the air, but it didn’t sound like a police car; it sounded like an ambulance. Maybe it was odd to know the difference in my state, but having a brother in police work made me pay more attention to emergency vehicles.
“Hold on, Roxy, we are going to get you out,” Joe said and then let go of my arm and began to talk to someone who was approaching. There were a lot of discussions using big words like extraction and jaws of life, but I was starting to fade into a place where it was warmer and quieter.
A hand landed on my shoulder. “Roxanne, my name is Lee. I’m a paramedic, and I’m going to take a look at you, okay?”
I nodded, or at least I thought I did. Lee’s voice was comforting and warm, and I wanted him to keep talking to me. He did.
“Roxanne, can you open your eyes for me? Don’t try to turn your head; just open your eyes and look toward my voice. I don’t want you to turn your neck in case you injured your spine in the crash.”
It took a moment to get my brain to respond to his request, but I slowly opened my eyes, glancing as far right as I could.
“Good, very good. We are going to get you out of there. Other than your nose bleeding, are you hurt anywhere else?”
“My left leg hurts; it’s stuck. I can’t move it, and it’s either bleeding, or I peed my pants. I gotta be honest and say, I’m hoping it’s bleeding.”
He chuckled as he grinned. “I don’t smell urine, so I’m going to go with probably bleeding since you can’t move your leg. Give me a moment, and I’m going to get in there to you, okay?”
“Kay.”
He spoke to someone near him, and then the car began to jostle around, making pain race up my leg, and I couldn’t hold back the scream. A moment later, I felt hands on my face and blinked a few times.
“Roxanne, I’m sorry for hurting you, but I had to get in the car with you. We are going to get you out, but I need you to hold on. Can you keep your eyes open?”
His warm hands were holding my face, and I forced my eyes open again and focused on what was right in front of me. My breath lodged in my throat as they fastened on to the singularly most gorgeous set of blue eyes that I had ever seen.
Chapter Two
Henly
“Tom is going to be late; he’s stuck in traffic,” my fire chief said as he came into the lounge area. “Can either of you stay a little while until he gets in? The traffic accidents are piling up out there with this fresh snow, and I’m afraid we’re going to get dispatched soon.”
Brett and I glanced at one another. “I can,” I replied. “I know Brett has to get home to get the kids to school.”
Brett nodded in appreciation. “Thanks, Young.”
I smiled his way. “Is Adam in?”
“Yeah, he just got here,” the chief told me and then thanked me.
My shift was supposed to end at seven, but it wasn’t the first time I’d stayed over. I didn’t mind. I had no one to go home to, no place I needed to be. My pillow would be there when I finally arrived.
Brett had just headed to the locker room when Adam stepped into our lounge room. The moment he did, the bells went off in the house, and Adam did an about-face and started toward the garage. I was right behind him, pulling my jacket off the hook by the door as I went.
