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CHAPTERONE
Chance
“Ambulance thirty-three is responding;ETA is two minutes.”
The weather is fucking awful. Autumn rainstorms are sometimes worse than the super early winter snowstorms. This one is hitting at one of the worst times it could too. Late summer has been hot and we’ve been in semi-drought conditions for the last few weeks – which means no rain.
This storm has brought all of the oil and debris from the road up to the surface. The force of the wind has knocked the first round of leaves off the trees, and with that fresh coating, it’s dangerous.? It’s slick as ice, particularly on these back roads.
I’m trying to get to the scene of the accident I’ve been called to as quickly as possible while still being safe. Sliding slightly as I round a corner, I grit my teeth. “Son of a bitch!” White-knuckling the wheel, I take my foot off the gas, letting it slow down on its own. Once I have control of the rig again, I accelerate, needing to get to the scene both safely and in an expedited manner.
Turning the corner, the scene is in clear view. Smoke billows from the crumpled up hood of the car which is upside down. I’m thankful for the rain; it’s keeping whatever fire might be ready to ignite at bay. The driver’s side is smashed in, and I’m not looking forward to what’s going to greet me when I get there. Immediately my training kicks in, ready to determine how I’m going to respond; what types of first aid I’ll have to render.
It’s a mind game every time I go to a scene, something that helps me get mentally prepared. That way, in the heat of the moment, I’m not scrambling and trying to figure out how I can best help the patients.
Pulling up to a stop in front of the wreckage, I reach over and grab my reflective jacket before setting the brake on the ambulance. I’m shrugging into the jacket as I get out, grabbing my go-bag and running up to the scene.
“We haven’t gotten in the car yet,” Cam yells over the sound of the storm.
“Can you get me in the window?” I yell back at him. “That way, I can assess and at least get Bradford General ready to take them, or see if they need to be transferred to Knoxville.”
“Yeah, c’mon.” He hitches his chin in the direction of the crash.
I follow closely behind,? not wanting to waste any second of whatever time we have here. Lying down on my stomach, I crawl in. It’s a woman in the driver’s seat. Her dark hair covers her face. The top of her head is sticky with blood, and I immediately know there’s a head wound. In the back, I catch sight of what looks to be a car seat. “We might have a kid in here,” I yell out to them.
“Where at?” Gage asks, trying to wedge in next to me.
“Back passenger side. Doesn’t that look like the high edge of a car seat to you?”
“Sure does. Let me get some guys over there. Just need to take a look at what you’re seeing.”
With him out of the way, I have more room to work.
“I’m Chance, an EMT, and I’m here to help you,” I tell her as calmly as I can. I’ve found that when you’re working with patients who’ve been in situations like this, it’s best to not let them hear the fear in your voice. Carefully, I reach in and put the c-collar in place. Once I have that secured, I push the hair out of her face in order to make a quick assessment.
When the light from one of the firefighter’s flashlights illuminates the space, the breath whooshes from my lungs.
My wife.
The one that left me.
I’d gone to work and done my job to the best of my ability before coming home. When I’d walked in the door ready to see her, I’d immediately known something was off. It was the silence.
No radio playing, no TV on.
But I hadn’t realized it right then. It’d taken me a bit to put my finger on it, to figure out why things weren’t the same as they’d always been. I’d gone through the house calling her name, but when I went into the bathroom, I’d seen it.
All the stuff from her side of the sink was gone.
Then I’d headed to the closet.
Fucking empty.
No note, no explanation, and not a peep since the day she left.
Now here she is. In a wreck on the side of this mountain – with a child. Glancing back, I do a double-take. Cam is holding the kid, and he looks just like me.
“Liv, what the fuck did you get yourself into?”
