Hearts on Fire Read online

  “I can handle my own. Not every woman needs her boyfriend to scare off the mean boys.”

  “This isn’t grade school, Hal. You don’t know these people and you have no idea what they’re capable of.”

  “And you do?” I asked. “Tell me, Jeremy, is it all men that are monsters or just them?”

  Jeremy put his hands up in surrender. “All I’m saying is it sounds like they’re more motivated to get you out, instead of welcoming you in. Don’t be surprised in the way they go about doing it.”

  I straightened up, rubbing a hand over my face, fingers lingering around my neck. An ache was starting there, an annoying twinge that acted up under stress. The one person who should have been my biggest supporter was tearing me down before I could even begin.

  “Maybe you’re right,” I said. “Maybe they’ll keep on hating me. Maybe they’ll play mean pranks and say rude things and talk behind my back.” I took a breath. “But maybe they’ll learn to accept that I’m one of them. Maybe they’ll see me as a friend, a sister. Family.”

  “You’re reaching too high.”

  “At least I’m reaching at all. There’s no harm in hoping.”

  “Hope all you want.” He sighed with a small shake of his head. “Just don’t let reality push you over the edge.”

  Chapter 4

  Tate

  For some reason I couldn’t pinpoint, I didn’t expect Hallie to show up for her first twenty-four-hour shift. I wasn’t an idiot. I knew the crew treated her like shit. I saw the looks she got, the nasty comments. I was their captain, I heard everything, even the things I didn’t want to. I found myself wondering how in the hell I could set my men straight, make sure that harassment didn’t exist, not in my station. It would be a battle of wills, of power, but being a good leader came with the territory. I would never allow an outsider to belittle my men, and Hallie was now one of us. It was unacceptable, and I had every intention of shutting that shit down before drastic measures had to be taken. If I had to suspend someone for harassment, I’d do it in a heartbeat to protect another member of my crew. This time around, it was Hallie. Hallie was a member of my crew. There was nothing more to it.

  I wasn’t a sexist, not by any means, but Hallie was the first female in their station. I knew plenty of women paramedics and EMT’s—hell, I was dating one of the best medics in the city—but the hard stuff like rescue missions and fire calls were, as an unwritten rule, left to the men. At least, that’s how it had been. Not anymore, not with Hallie on our crew. She’d fought her way in, tooth and nail, and I didn’t doubt that she could run any one of these calls just as good, if not better, than some of my men.

  When Hallie Harper walked into the station the next morning dressed in her Seattle Fire & EMS t-shirt and khaki pants, I had to do a double-take. My assumption, that overnight she’d changed her mind and bail, quickly shattered.

  “Well look at you,” I said, setting the morning paper aside. Most of my men were down in the makeshift gym in the basement. I was glad for that because the bullshit would start soon enough.

  “You didn’t think I’d come this morning, did you?” Hallie said, but a smile sketched across her lips. The joke was on me.

  “No,” I admitted, and stood to greet her. “I didn’t.”

  “Well?” she prodded, and a dimple in her right cheek appeared when she smirked at me. She had her brown hair pulled up in a sloppy bun, a hairdo that looked good on her, and she filled the work boots well. The pants were a little big for her, it seemed, but the belt held them up just fine. Freckles spotted her makeup-free skin.

  “Well.” I held out my hand for her to shake. Her skin was soft, but her grip was tough and determined. “You’re running BLS today. Let’s get started.”

  THE SURPRISE ON TATE’S face when I walked into the station the next morning, was all the motivation I needed not to turn and run home. He hadn’t expected me to show up, and that more than anything, was the unwritten challenge he didn’t know he’d just extended.

  “This is the ambulance bay,” Tate said. We were in the middle of the mandatory employee tour of the station. “You’re an EMT, so I’m sure you know all about working on an ambulance.”

  “Not really,” I said. When I faced him, I had to fight to keep my voice from shaking. Tate stared at me for a moment, scanning my face. His hazel eyes squinted, trying to decide if he’d misheard.

  “You don’t have any EMS experience?”

  I looked at the ground and kicked the cement floor with the toe of my boot. My face flamed red and hot, and I wasn’t even sure why. EMS experience, aside from my shiny certification, of course, wasn’t a requirement to apply to the department, but somehow, I felt as though I’d already failed my first day.

  Keep it together, Harper.

  “No, sir, I do not.” I forced my eyes to meet Tate’s gaze and willed myself not to feel ashamed. “I’ve taken my class, and I’ve received a National Certification, Sir, but I’ve never been on my own in the back of an ambulance.”

  “I see.”

  I couldn’t read Tate’s face, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to. He kept it straight, veiling any emotion he felt.

  “You don’t have to worry. I’m a quick learner.”

  Before Tate could respond, the side door opened and slammed shut, and two men joined us in the ambulance bay. One of them was Tyler Morton, a nice kid who ran advanced EMS. I didn’t see him around much, but he was still one of the good ones, someone who had supported me from day one. To the right of him was Kyle James.

  “Well, there she is,” said Kyle, leering at me. “I didn’t think you’d show up, noob.”

  “Sorry to disappoint,” I said. I met Kyle’s gaze, unwavering. Kyle was on the rescue squad, the man the department depended on for special operations. A handsome man with short black hair and an ego that didn’t fit through the door. I hated Kyle with every fiber of my being.

  Kyle had scared the shit out of me during the application process. He’d been rude and mean, and childish, an unbreakable force with the wrath of a thousand suns. A few times, after seeing Kyle around, I’d go home and swear I would never go back, that it wasn’t worth it. But I did go back, and that pissed him off even more.

  “Enjoying your first day?” He smiled, but the glint behind the smile sent a chill down my neck.

  “I certainly was before you showed up.”

  Next to me, I swear Tate’s lips curves a little bit. Ty half snorted, half laughed.

  Before Kyle could rebut, Tate spoke up, “I think it’s time to get back to work.”

  Kyle scoffed, but he punched Ty in the arm and nodded at him to follow. Once they were safely out of earshot, Tate looked back at me and rolled his eyes. “Sorry about him. Kyle likes to rile things up around here.”

  “Don’t apologize.” I shut the doors to the ambulance after Tate crawled out. “I’m the newbie. I’ll win him over.”

  “Good luck,” he said, leading me out of the bay. “We’ve been friends for eleven years, and I’m still trying to win him over.”

  Tate gave me an in-depth tour of the rest of the station, showing me where the sleeping quarters were. The room was a decent size, and bunk beds sat cozily against either wall. It smelled gloriously of dirty socks and sweat, but I wasn’t about to complain. I’d worried in the beginning that I’d be in a separate room than my crew, once again singled out as the prissy female who didn’t belong here. I didn’t need to give them any reason to treat me differently.

  “There’s a shower room just through here,” Tate said, opening the door to a separate room completed with shower spigots. There were no stalls, just little curtains to divide the area.

  “Great.” I tried to sound as psyched as possible. “This is great.”

  “You have two options,” Tate said. “Risk showering in here or use the bathroom downstairs. It locks.” He smiled, a bit sympathetically, but I felt my jaw tighten and creak with annoyance. I’d wanted to fit in, right? Be one of the guys?

/>   “Do they shower down there, too?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Then I won’t either.” I passed him on the way to drop my bag on the bunk reserved for me. It was a bottom bunk in a corner, and I could only hope I wouldn’t be sharing it with Kyle. I sat down and looked up at Tate. “Is there anything I can do? Chores? Dinner? Anything?”

  “The day shift does chores, and dinner isn’t for another hour. Take advantage of the downtime and relax. It’s pretty rare.” Tate turned to leave but then hesitated. “Harper?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Welcome to Ladder One.”

  I laid back on my bed as Tate disappeared down the stairs. It was quiet up here. I knew the crew was likely down in the basement working out. I wasn’t about to join them as I wasn’t in the mood for more snide comments and mocking, so instead I took advantage of the empty bathroom and gathered my hygiene products to take a quick shower. Just as I had turned on the water, the cry of the alarm blared through the building, startling me. I stumbled back, tripping over the underwear around my ankles, almost face-planting into the tiles. There was a loud, brash knock on the door, and one of the guys—Porter, I think was his name—called at me through the door.

  “Quit doing your hair, Harper, and get your ass down there, now!”

  I shut off the water and pulled my shirt and khaki pants back on, struggling with the belt and the loose shoelace as I hopped on one foot out of the bathroom and towards the stairs. A few of the guys ran past me up the stairs to retrieve their boots, ignoring my mere existence as I ungracefully stumbled towards the ambulance bay. Before I could step onto ground-level, Kyle and Tanner Rey shouldered past me on either side, successfully throwing me into the wall ahead of us. I straightened up, irate, but they were already heading out the side door.

  “Fuckers,” I muttered and rubbed at my bruised shoulder.

  “Ladder One, Ambulance One, respond to 376 Pine Street for reports of a domestic dispute and possible physical violence. Alcohol is thought to be involved.” The blare of dispatch came through the speakers.

  Pushing aside my annoyance at my crew, I raced through the side doors towards the ambulance bay, heart thudding against my ribs in anticipation, palms clamming with sweat. Tate had mentioned earlier I’d be running Basic Life Support today, and that was fine with me. Fighting fires would come after more training.

  I stepped up into the passenger’s side of the rig, clicking in my seatbelt as I leaned forward and typed the address into the GPS system. As I leaned back, the driver’s door open and the lead medic slid into the driver’s side of the ambulance. It was Kyle.

  “Well fuck me sideways,” he said switching on the siren and lights.

  “Not even if you paid me.”

  Kyle scoffed, then put the rig into gear and began the drive. The firetruck was right behind us. I knew that even though the call was not fire-related, it never hurt to have backup on an EMS call, especially one with the possibility of violence or unruly, intoxicated patients.

  Kyle and I didn’t speak the entire way there, and that was fine by me. I was anxious for my first call, eager to prove to the crew that I could do the job and do it well. As we pulled into the patient’s parking lot, Kyle switched off the siren and put the rig into park. The firetruck was a minute behind, and other than us, the driveway was empty. I saw no one around.

  “Well go on then,” Kyle said. “Get the bag. I’m right behind you.”

  Without thinking twice about it, I jumped out and grabbed the BLS bag from the side compartment, wild with exhilaration. I didn’t bother to see if Kyle was behind me as I approached the front door. My hands shook, fingers trembling, but it wasn’t with fear. A thin layer of sweat formed on the back of my neck and I wiped it away. I felt good, determined to prove to I was just as capable as the guys on the crew, if not more so.

  As I stepped up onto the porch, bag securely over my shoulder, the front door burst open and a man three times the size of me stepped out, slamming the door behind him. I took a step back, nearly tripping over a jagged, uneven stair.

  “Hi, sir. My name is Hallie and I’m with the Lakewood Fire Department. I’m here to help.”

  He took one look at me, eyes wild and darting towards the ambulance behind me, and then he raised a gun.

  Chapter 5

  Tate

  “Jesus Christ, what’s going on?”

  I poked my head out the window of the truck, popping it into park just behind Kyle’s rig. From where I sat, I could make out Hallie heading by herself to the front porch, BLS bag over one shoulder, a determined strut to her walk. I cursed and looked around frantically for any sign of a police car before I grabbed the radio.

  “Kyle, what the hell is she doing? The scene is not secure.”

  “She went up by herself, Cap,” the answer crackled back. I didn’t have time to figure out if the ploy was intentional or not, but just as I hopped out of the truck to stop her, the front door opened, and Hallie froze.

  I stopped where I was on the front lawn, spotting the weapon at once. The cool steel glistened under the sunlight. Hallie didn’t stray from her spot on the porch, but she tensed visibly, raising both hands in the air to be as non-threatening as possible.

  My mind reeled as I considered the options. Approaching them might set the man off, but then again, waiting for the police to get here could make it even worse. I wasn’t about to let Hallie stand by herself in a dangerous situation.

  “Cap?” Tanner called from the truck. “Where are you going? You can’t go up there!”

  I ignored him and walked steadily towards the front porch, my hands raised in the air, so the man wouldn’t feel threatened and shoot.

  “We’re only here to help,” I heard Hallie say. “We’re not here for you. Is someone inside injured?”

  A branch snapped under my foot, and the man jerked his head up to look at me. The gun followed and pointed at me. For some reason, I felt no real fear, only relief that his target was no longer one of my crew.

  “Stay there!”

  “My name is Tate Becker.” I stopped where I was, holding my hands where he could see them. “That’s my EMT Hallie. We were called here because someone might be hurt. We aren’t the police. We’re only here to help.”

  “I didn’t mean to do it,” the man said. He still held the gun steady in his grip, but his eyes darted around, as though trying to plan an escape route.

  “I don’t care what you did. I just care about helping whoever is hurt. What’s your name?”

  He hesitated. “Troy.”

  “Troy, can you let us in?”

  The wail of the police car pulling up next to our rig disturbed the tense moment. I closed my eyes, hoping they wouldn’t set him off. Troy noticed them, too, and his grip on the gun tightened again. Fortunately, I heard the ambulance door slam and knew that Kyle would try his best to hold them off until the threat was softened.

  “She’s hurt,” Troy said. “My girlfriend.” The gun trembled a bit in his grip, but he didn’t lower it. “I don’t wanna go to jail.”

  “Troy, we’re only here to help,” Hallie pushed. “Can my Captain and I come in to help whoever is in there?”

  “Just you.” The gun tilted towards Hallie. “No one else.”

  “That’s not—” I started to say, but Hallie spoke up. She didn’t even look back at me.

  “Fine. Just me.”

  Chapter 6

  Hallie

  Stepping into the stranger’s house with nothing but a BLS bag and quivering legs, I kept waiting for the inevitable panic attack. As Troy closed the door behind us, I regretted my decision at once.

  Fortunately, I had no real time to panic because an unconscious woman lay on the floor in front of me. Forgetting momentarily about the man with the gun, I dropped down next to her limp figure and racked my brain for the proper steps to take.

  Airway.

  Breathing.

  Circulation.

  She was breathing, b
ut barely. Her pulse was weak, skin cold.

  “Ma’am?” I shook her gently with no reaction, then tried again as I opened the BLS bag. “What’s her name?” I didn’t care anymore that Troy had a gun. I didn’t care about his situation. All I cared about at that moment was saving this woman’s life.

  “Lisa.” He was close and the hairs on the back of my neck raised.

  “Lisa, my name is Hallie, I’m with the Lakewood Fire Department and I’m here to help you.” I balled up one fist and rubbed the middle of the woman’s chest. After what seemed like an eternity, her eyes fluttered open. “Lisa, can you hear me?”

  She groaned and nodded, her eyes flickering from my face and back to the ceiling. I wrapped a BP cuff around her arm to check stats.

  “Did you hit your head? When you fell?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “But I didn’t fall. I was pushed.”

  “Did you pass out when your head hit?”

  “For a second, yeah. Then I got up.”

  “And then he hit you some more?”

  “He kicked me . . . the monster kicked me in the head.”

  Ignoring the stab of fury in my chest, not to mention the gun still pointed at the back of my head, I continued my exam and checked Lisa’s pulse.

  “How are you feeling right now?”

  “My head hurts.”

  “Where?”

  She pointed to a bruise on her upper right forehead. It was about a centimeter across, closed, but black and blue as all hell.

  “Anywhere else?” I asked, my eyes on the bloody gash under her hair. “Where did you hit it on the ground?”

  “Here.” She reached her hand up to the gash. When she brought her hand back, it was coated with crimson blood.

  “Okay. Are you hurting anywhere else? How does your neck feel?”

  “It’s...okay.”

  “I need you to lie still for me, okay?” I reached over to yank a cervical collar out of my bag, sliding it carefully under the woman’s head so I could secure her spine. I’d almost forgotten about the man behind me when I felt the cold nozzle of the gun against my back. I froze, fingers still on the Velcro of the CV collar around Lisa’s neck.