Page 36 of Her Paramedic (Men in Uniforms #3)

S late sat in the chair, scrolling through his phone.

Ace had stepped out to return a few calls from clients.

The room was quiet. He’d muted the television when Journee fell asleep, not wanting it to disturb her.

He was sure she had gotten little rest over the past three and a half weeks.

The entire situation had been stressful, and while he was gradually accepting that things would happen in their own time, it didn’t make it any easier.

He’d had to go home twice. The first time was for a week, and the second time was for a few days when Carie had someone else she needed to cover for.

He’d also worked every day he’d been back home to rebuild his vacation time.

While he’d been home, Slate had only seen Talia once in person, during the middle of a week.

She’d driven out to spend time with him, his first time back on Wednesday after she’d finished with clients and stayed since her first appointment the following day was later in the morning.

But they spoke nightly. She reached out during the day to check on him, and he was grateful for that.

He had the support of his parents and friends, and he was grateful for all of them, but something about being able to call her and know that she was there kept him from thinking of the worst potential outcomes throughout the entire ordeal.

A groan caught Slate’s attention, and he looked up from his phone to find Killian slowly opening his eyes. His cousin’s eyes slowly shifted to find Journee, his hand held in hers, asleep on them.

“Welcome back,” Slate said, drawing the other man’s attention.

His cousin looked at him before taking in the room. If Slate had to guess, it was to see where he was and try to recall the events that led him there. Killian opened his mouth but shut it a few seconds later, and Slate took that as his cue.

“I’m going to go see if I can find your doctor or a nurse,” he informed before exiting the room.

He didn’t have to look too far, as he found the doctor coming out of another room two doors down.

He told her Killian was awake, and she nodded, telling him she needed to make a stop to get him some water, which Slate knew was a good idea.

Instead of returning to the room, he tagged along with her because he wanted her to check on his cousin as soon as possible.

They were entering the room a few minutes later.

“Mr. Stoll,” the doctor started, and his cousin immediately shushed her.

Slate held in a chuckle. He’d just regained consciousness, and his first concern was Journee and her not being woken up.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a text from his mom.

He returned the phone, deciding to text her back after the doctor finished looking over Killian.

Slate took the cup of water she poured, went to the other side of the bed to stand beside Journee, and held the straw out to his cousin while the doctor checked his vitals.

They were left alone several minutes later, after hearing his vitals were good and that Killian could eat in a few hours.

By that time, Slate was giving him his third cup of water.

“What day is it?” Killian asked when he finished it, and Slate placed it on a small dresser.

“It’s Thursday. You’ve been out almost a month,” Slate informed him.

“It’s April?”

“With May quickly approaching.”

“Shit,” Killian cursed, and Slate watched his attention shift to Journee.

“She’s been here the entire time. She hasn’t left this room,” Slate said.

Killian said nothing, his eyes glued to Journee, and the look was easy to read. Slate didn’t know when his cousin had fallen as deeply as he had or if he even knew it, but it was clear to see. He could tell from both sides and was glad he’d woken up. That something far worse hadn’t happened.

“You should wake her up,” Slate suggested. He knew Journee would be ecstatic to see Killian awake. They’d all been waiting for it to happen.

“No. Not yet. I get the feeling she hasn’t slept much,” Killian replied. He glanced at his arm in the sling. “Where’s my bracelet?”

“If you had it on when they got you to the other hospital, it’s probably with your things in the drawer.”

Slate opened the drawer where Killian’s personal items were and rummaged through it. He found the bracelet, a gift he knew his cousin had gotten from Journee for Christmas, and slid it on Killian’s wrist when the other man motioned for him to.

“I’m going to call your parents and Ziggy. Let them know that you’re awake.” Slate would also call everyone else.

He stepped out of the room and called Gena, who was with Thomas. Afterward, he called Ziggy, who immediately cried and told him she’d be there as soon as she could leave work. He then called Talia.

“Hey, baby,” she greeted.

“Hey. Killian woke up.”

“That’s great, babe! Is he okay? Everything was good? No lasting damage or anything?”

“None that the doctor mentioned,” he responded, leaning against the wall. “I’m sure we’ll know more when he’s been awake for a while.”

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Better. I feel like I can breathe if that makes sense.”

“It does. I’m sure Journee is over the moon. I’ll call her after work to check in.”

“Sounds good, gorgeous. I’ll let you get back to work.”

“Okay. Call me tonight,” she requested. It was one she didn’t have to make because he had every intention of doing so.

“I will. Bye, baby.”

He hung up the phone and called Axel, Matteo, and Ace, who said he would return soon.

He knew the others were working and didn’t want to tell them over their voicemails or through text.

Instead, he sent them each a text, asking them to call him when they got a chance, opting not to send it in their group message.

When he entered the hospital room, he found Journee was now awake and in bed with Killian.

He informed him that his parents would be there soon and that Ziggy would be there as soon as she could leave work.

He was also sure to mention that he’d run into Fields when he’d made it back two days ago.

He left it at that, knowing his cousin would know what he was trying to say.

Slate decided to give the couple some alone time before Gena and Thomas arrived.

His cousin was okay, and that was all he cared about.

He could speak with him later. Slate got the feeling that Journee would sleep better than she had been and likely would fall asleep sooner, too.

If he were honest, Slate knew they would all rest easier.

? ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ ?

T alia hung up with Journee and sighed in relief.

She hadn’t realized how much she’d been holding in.

How nervous she’d been for her and Slate until after hearing Killian had woken up and speaking to them both.

She could hear the difference in their voices, almost feel the weight that had been on both of them lift.

She was happy for them. She’d been worried about Killian also, but she wasn’t as close to him as Slate was, so while she’d been worried, she knew it paled in comparison to her boyfriend and Journee.

She got out of her car and went into the supermarket.

She needed to pick up a few things on her way home.

Talia grabbed a cart, her goal being to get in and out.

The supermarket was one of her least favorite places to go because she often ended up staying longer than she wanted to and getting far more than she needed or set out to get. Today would not be one of those days.

She made a beeline for each of the aisles she needed to get something from, acting like a horse with blinders to anything else.

She was almost home free until she saw a display for yoga mats.

Talia had been meaning to get a new one for a couple of months, so it wasn’t like it was something she didn’t need.

A new mat also meant that she would make time to return to Aryah’s classes.

After browsing the selection for a few minutes, she grabbed a purple one with white flowers and headed to check out. With her purchases secured, she headed home.

When Talia arrived home, she put away her items and went into the kitchen to start dinner.

She’d been craving tortilla soup for the past day and decided to have it for dinner.

Music filtered through the kitchen as she started cooking.

She truly felt lighter after finding out Killian was okay and that Slate and Journee could breathe easily.

From her conversation with both of them, she knew nothing seemed out of place or had changed in his vitals from the time he’d woken up to her conversation with Journee, which was a five-hour time frame.

However, the doctor had not told them when he could go home or if it would be soon.

They wanted to monitor him for a few more hours before making that decision.

T alia had finished cooking and had dinner.

A couple of hours later, she was halfway through a movie when her phone rang.

Glancing at the screen, she found Slate calling.

It was earlier than he normally would during the evening, but she supposed that with his cousin awake, he no longer needed her to distract him at night before bed.

She’d known that it was what he needed, what she was doing, and she hadn’t minded one bit. It had given him peace; that was all she cared about.

“Hey, baby,” she greeted, turning the television down.

“Hey, gorgeous. How was work?” he asked.

“It was good. I’m enjoying it before it gets hectic in a couple of weeks.

The high schools will start having prom then, and I already have so many clients on the books, but I always enjoy seeing everyone’s looks afterward.

” She paused briefly. “Did you decide what you wanted to get Carie for covering for you?”

“Not yet, but I’ll think of something. She rarely works this many days. As a PRN, she’s required to work at least two shifts a month to keep her spot, and she’ll pick up shifts and cover for people now and then, but I don’t think she’s worked this much consecutively in a year.”

Talia hummed. “What type of person is she? I can be on the lookout for something or make a few suggestions if you need help.”

“She’s pretty laid back, but yeah. We can go together to find her something.

” She heard shifting from his end. “The doctor came in half an hour ago and said that if everything continues the way it is, Killian can go home in three days. I’ll be headed back that morning since he’ll have his parents, Ziggy and Journee, to look after him.

Besides, if I know my cousin, he’s going to ignore everyone for a while and trap himself in a little bubble with Journee. ”

“That’s good news.” Talia laughed because she was sure he was right.

She also knew it worked for Slate’s schedule.

He’d been gone three days, and Carie was covering three more shifts for him before she needed to cover for someone else for their birthday.

“I’m happy he isn’t having any complications after waking up. ”

She spoke to Slate for the next couple of hours before getting up, checking that her doors were locked, and heading into her en suite. She started the shower, placed him on speaker, and raised the volume. At some point, she heard the shower start on his end.

When she was settling into bed forty minutes later, Talia told him about going to a yoga class sometime next week. While they continued speaking, she pulled up the website on her tablet to find an available class that would work well with her schedule.

She knew she could ask Aryah to come over and give her a private class or conduct one for all of them, but they only did that occasionally, and when the younger woman did, she was a stubborn little something and refused to let Talia pay her.

She didn’t have a choice if she attended a class at the spa and health center.

Well, she did, but she knew Aryah wouldn’t argue with her once she’d already paid.

Talia wasn’t sure what time it was when she drifted off. She remembered Slate asking her something, but she wasn’t sure what. Whatever she responded with had drawn a chuckle from him before she was out like a light.