Off The Clock: First Responders, Book 1

Dedication

To Bev Pettersen. If karma has anything to say about it, you’re destined for a bright and shiny career. Many, many thanks for all you do behind the scenes. You’re awesome.

Chapter One

Gabe would have been home faster if he’d taken the highway from Halifax. And normally he would have, but tonight was a Friday night, he was off shift until Sunday and he liked the idea of taking the old highway—the Evangeline Trail—back to the valley. He rolled his window down and felt the fresh spring breeze flow into the truck as he headed past Windsor. The end of May meant the Annapolis Valley apple orchards were in full bloom, and a hint of their scent mingled with fresh sea air blowing off the New Minas Basin as he turned up the radio.

Ahead of him, a set of taillights glowed in the early twilight. Gabe tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the music as Vince Gill sang about having a little left over on payday. Life was good. The new garden tiller he’d ordered was in the back of the truck and tomorrow promised to be clear and mild—the perfect day for working in the yard. He enjoyed the physical labor and the time spent outdoors, liked seeing the changes to his property as he cleared out the dead wood and added ornamentals. This year was the first year he was planning on a vegetable garden too. He was thinking about planting plans when he saw headlights approaching in the opposing lane.

It was all as normal as could be until the oncoming car dipped off the pavement, hitting the gravel shoulder. The headlights bobbed up and down as the car jolted on the rough surface. The driver overcorrected and swerved back on to the road. The accident unfolded like a slow-motion movie, frame by frame. The car veered into Gabe’s lane, clipping the vehicle ahead of him and sending it sprawling into the ditch.

Gabe hit the brakes and uttered a curse as he pulled over, shoved the truck into park and put on his four-way flashers. The car at fault—a late-model Ford—sat in the middle of the road as Gabe got out and slammed his door. There was no time to even ask the driver if they were all right. They hit the gas and sped away as Gabe pressed himself against the hood of his truck, his pulse racing. He squinted to catch the license plate number but only got the first three letters—XPG. Still, it was something.

But the
run
part of the hit-and-run equation was the least of his worries at the moment as his work instinct took over. He grabbed his cell to report the accident, at the same time scrabbling down the gravel bank towards the red Mazda sitting sideways in the ditch. There was no movement, no sound coming from the car, and Gabe prayed the driver was okay.

He shoved the phone back into his pocket and put his hand on the door handle. Peering through the open window, he froze as his heart stopped for a single, life-changing beat.

Carly Douglas was behind the wheel. A very pregnant and unconscious Carly, with a trickle of blood running out of her hair and down her pale, still cheek. Every paramedic knew that one day they might respond to a call involving a friend or acquaintance, and working in a small town he was used to that. But this was the first time it had hit Gabe square in the chest, and for a moment he just stared at her, feeling fear seep into the deepest part of him. Not again. Anyone but Carly…

Carly was different. Images flashed through his mind—Carly in pigtails with freckles dotting her nose, Carly blushing the first time her mother caught her wearing makeup, Carly looking up at him with impossibly blue eyes as he danced with her at the prom.

He fought to put his feelings to the side as he opened the car door. Right now the best way to help her was simply to do his job.

“Carly. Carly. It’s Gabe. Carly, can you hear me?”

Carly heard the voice come from far away. Her head felt like someone had just used it to kick a field goal, and she tried to lift her fingers to touch the spot where the pain was centered. But her fingers felt heavy and she only gave them a flutter before dropping her hand back to her side. She had a flash—the brief second before the other car had hit—like a snapshot, only leaving her the time to gasp before impact. She remembered now. She’d grabbed the wheel, trying to recover and stay on the road but it had been too late.

“Carly!”

The voice sounded vaguely familiar and she struggled to recognize it. She’d gone into the ditch, hadn’t she? Finally, finally the fog lifted and she had a moment of clarity. The feeling of weightlessness as she left the road, the fierce jolt as the car hit ground again. She was in the ditch. In her car. And she had to make sure her baby was all right.

“I…my…” Her voice didn’t seem to work right as she opened her eyes and stared at the man standing in the space of her open door. “Gabriel.”

“Atta girl.” His strong voice was deep with relief and soothed her. She realized he was checking her head and neck, his fingers tender but firm. “Are you hurt, Carly?”

He reached across to undo her seatbelt and his hand brushed across her rounded belly. She slumped into his hands and he gently leaned her back against the seat. “I’m going to look after you and your baby, okay? Just listen to my voice and everything will be fine.”

Tears pricked in her eyes as sensations started to sink in—pain, and worse than the pain—fear. Nothing could happen to this baby, not now. Not after how she’d fought for this pregnancy, and not after everything it had cost her. She looked up at Gabe, determined to clear her head. “Gabriel,” she said again, and she was unable to control the tears that gathered in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks. Gabe was here. He’d take care of her.

“It’s okay, honey. I’ve called for help and they’ll be here soon. I want you to stay in the car, okay? We’ll assess you better when the ambulance comes.”

“My head hurts.”

“You gave yourself a bump.” He leaned his body into the car, filling the space with his frame. “Any blurred vision? Do you feel sick?”

She shook her head and then grimaced. “No. It just hurts. What are you doing here? I never called…”

“I’m off the clock,” he replied, smiling. “It’s just your good luck that I was right behind you. Now tell me, can you move your hands and feet?”

She nodded slightly, but any bigger movement made her head throb. “My shoulder hurts a little.” She shrugged and winced. “I don’t think it’s broken.”

“Do you have a flashlight?”

“In the glove compartment.”

He reached across her, the firm strength of his body brushing against her rounded stomach and thighs. In the shadows she had an irrational flash of memory: prom night, when she’d kissed him in the darkness of the car and how, for just a few seconds, he’d kissed her back, angling his body so that he pressed her against the seat back. It had been heaven. Or at least as close to heaven as you could get at seventeen.

But that was ages ago. So much had happened since then, and they weren’t kids anymore. Right now she had to focus on her baby. She realized with another spurt of panic that she hadn’t felt him move since Gabe had called her name. He had to be all right. He had to. Any other option was too frightening to contemplate.

Gabe clicked on the flashlight and examined her briefly. “We can X-ray it at the hospital, but I think it’s just bruised. You hit your head and left shoulder on the door post, I think.”

She nodded, closing her eyes and tried to breathe through the pain radiating from her head down her arm. “The baby…”

“How far along are you?”

“Thirty-seven weeks.”

“And everything’s gone well?”

She smiled then, forgetting briefly about the pain in her left side. “Yeah. It’s a boy.”

“There you go then. Nothing to worry about. You’re going to be fine, Carly. Just fine. I promise.”

Carly put her hand on the swell of her belly, wishing the baby would kick against her palm, afraid to tell Gabe that any movement was horribly absent. A kick, a roll. Anything to let her know he was okay. Fear rushed in, stealing her breath.

“It’s a boy,” she repeated, and Gabe’s dark gaze was there to anchor her again.

“Congratulations,” he said warmly. He took off his jacket and spread it over her. “I know it’s getting chilly, but I hear sirens. The guys’ll be here soon, okay? They’ll be able to take care of you better than I can right now.”

Carly didn’t care. She was glad he was here. Gabe had always been steady as a rock and she would have wanted him with her even if he wasn’t a paramedic. She reached out with her hand and grabbed his wrist. “Gabe?”

“I’m right here, Carly.”

“It’s a boy.”

A wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows but he smiled. “And he’s going to be fine, Carly. Just relax, and let us take care of you, okay?”

Gabe pushed back so he was on the outside of the car and Carly watched him, confused. Why was he looking at her that way? What was wrong? Her muscles tensed as she remembered seeing the other car cross the centre line. Where was it? Was that driver okay? Had they crashed too? What if they were… Her breaths shortened as she tried to inhale. She reached for Gabe to ask him and shifted her weight in the seat. There was a funny little popping feeling and a new fear pummeled her. Not now. Not here, and not yet.

“Gabe, my water just broke.”

“What?” Gabe leaned forward again.

“It’s too soon, Gabe. That is what happened, right?” She tried not to panic but the wave of hysteria was impossible to fight. Her mind raced with possibilities of what could be going wrong
right now
. “Oh my God, my water broke,” she whispered, and started to shiver.

“Right, you need to breathe.” Gabe’s voice broke through and she latched on to it. “Long exhales, Carly. Don’t panic. I’m here with you, remember?” Gabe did a quick check while she struggled to control her breathing.

He was right. She couldn’t lose it now. She had to keep it together. For herself and for her baby son. Gabe put his hand on her cheek and she closed her eyes. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She trusted him, always had. She let out a slow breath and let the anchor of his touch give her strength.

“Carly, look at me.”

She opened her eyes and stared into his. How many times had she wanted him to look at her with the concern he was showing now?

“Your water
did
break. Are you having any contractions?”

She shook her head. There had been nothing, only a few Braxton Hicks the last couple of days. The sirens seemed to scream at her, hurting her head as an RCMP cruiser and ambulance pulled up along the shoulder.

“Then you’re in good hands, darlin’.” His voice was warm and steady. “You hang tight. We have time. You’re both going to be just fine.”

“Don’t leave me, Gabe.” With each second the situation was becoming clearer to her, and as the reality of what was happening sank in, she realized she did not want to be alone. “Please.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Just to brief the guys, okay? I’ll be right back. I promise.”

She watched as he jogged up the incline to where the paramedics were getting out of the ambulance. Gabe Brenner. Not the first time he’d come to her rescue. He’d always been her knight in shining armor. How was it that he was always there when she needed him?

Gabe greeted Mike and Eric briefly and quickly related Carly’s injuries. “Possible concussion, bruised shoulder that might need an X-ray. And she’s thirty-seven weeks pregnant. Her water broke a few minutes ago. Looks like this baby’s coming early. No contractions yet.”

“What the hell happened?”

Gabe set his teeth. “Someone hit the shoulder, overcorrected and crossed into her lane. She didn’t stand a chance. She’s lucky she didn’t roll. And guys? It’s Carly Douglas.”

Eric frowned. “Damn, she’s Casey’s teacher this year.”

Gabe paused, feeling a strange lump in his throat. He’d known Carly since elementary school, when he’d become best friends with her brother, Brandon. He’d been at her house as much as his own until things changed in university. In a town this size lots of people were connected to each other. It couldn’t change how they did their jobs.

“She’s scared, so go easy with her. Let’s get her to the hospital and get her OB to meet us there. The baby is our first concern. And we need to watch the head injury. She told me her baby was a boy three times. It could be panic, but she was unconscious when I got to the vehicle.” He looked at them meaningfully. “I don’t want to take any chances.”

“We’ll take it from here, bro,” Mike said, scrambling down the slope to the crumpled car.

The hardest thing Gabe had ever done was let Mike and Eric take over while he stood back. This was his job, but he wasn’t the one on duty right now. He wanted to be there for Carly, but the EMTs needed room to work. He knew that. And touching her very rounded belly, feeling her hand on his wrist…he was too close.

“How’re you doing, Gabe?”

Constable Givens came up beside him. Kendra Givens had only been with this detachment for a year, but already she was a favorite in the community. Five foot eight with an efficient manner and a sense of humor, she tended to put people at ease all while being very effective at her job. “Kendra. You didn’t waste any time.”