Page 44 of Her Paramedic (Men in Uniforms #3)

T alia sat lounging on Slate’s couch, watching a movie while she waited for him to get off work.

She’d driven up the evening before to visit, even though he had to work all week.

The previous weekend, he’d helped Killian move, and she’d only seen him for a few hours then.

She was aware she could have waited until they went on vacation the following weekend, but she hadn’t wanted to, and he didn’t mind her visiting after her last appointment on Saturday.

She was waiting for him to get off so she could spend more time with him before she left. She was having a late dinner with Alivia when she got back to Colorado Springs. Talia would head straight there from Slate’s house.

When the movie ended, she went into the kitchen to wash off some grapes and grab something to drink.

Once back in the living room, Talia flipped through channels, stopping on live news coverage of a fire at an apartment complex several minutes later.

She was about to continue perusing the channels when she saw Slate and Jonah in the background, checking on someone as they gave them oxygen.

She listened to the broadcaster as they reported on the two buildings on fire.

The fire of the first slowly spreading to the second one.

There was a loud crack, and one roof caved in.

The reporter was giving a rundown on what was happening, but Talia wasn’t hearing any of it as she watched her boyfriend’s head snap toward the building before he began running toward it.

“What are you doing?” she asked the room softly.

Her stomach dropped as he entered the building. It was a feeling akin to what she’d felt when she’d learned her sister had tussled with a bank robber. She’d moved to the edge of the couch without realizing it as she watched and waited, leg bouncing in anxiety.

Minutes that felt like days ticked by as her eyes stayed glued to the screen. Talia wasn’t even sure she was blinking. There was another loud sound, and more of the building caved in.

“Come on. Come on. Come out,” she softly whispered over and over.

It was another minute that felt like an eternity before he came out with two children in his arms, and Talia breathed a sigh of relief, her heartbeat slowly returning to normal.

She watched Slate pass the children off to other paramedics on the scene as reporters swarmed him.

Talia could see a cut on his cheek under his eye, bleeding through the soot.

It was all she could make out and note before the reporters were in his face, asking him what made him run inside the building.

She didn’t hear his response as she picked up her phone, her first instinct being to call him, but she knew he couldn’t answer right then.

Instead, she sent him a text asking him to call her when he could.

She hesitated a second before calling Alivia to tell her they might need to reschedule.

She wanted to make sure that Slate was okay.

When her friend didn’t answer, Talia left a voicemail.

However, she knew her friend had a bad habit of checking them days later, so she also sent her a text.

Her appetite gone, she took her bowl of fruit back into the kitchen and put it away.

She returned to the living room and turned the channel, settling on some movie—anything to help keep her mind off of her boyfriend running headfirst into a burning building with no safety gear.

While he seemed fine from what she saw, anything could have happened.

It wasn’t working; she glanced at her phone every couple of minutes. Realistically, she knew it would be a while before he could call her, but that didn’t stop the constant glances.

When her phone rang half an hour later, she snatched it up, even though she expected to see Alivia’s name flash across the screen. It wasn’t. She answered the phone faster than she thought possible when she saw Slate’s name.

“Baby, are you okay?” she immediately asked upon answering.

“You saw the news,” he responded.

“Yes. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, baby.”

“Did you get hurt? Besides the cut on your face?”

“There’s a cut on my arm, some bruising on my side. Nothing major,” he replied.

“Did you go to the hospital? Which one are you at? I’ll come and—”

“I didn’t go to the hospital. There was no need, but I’m patched up. I should be home in an hour, and you can check me over when I get there.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

Talia released a relieved sigh as they hung up.

She was glad to know that it wasn’t that bad, but she wouldn’t be completely at ease until she saw for herself.

She’d learned from him that he had a penchant for playing things down.

He hadn’t told her that in so many words, but she’d inferred it after Killian had come out of a coma, and Talia suspected he was playing down his pain levels for Journee.

Her boyfriend had told her he couldn’t blame him; it was only natural for him not to want her to worry.

With that thought in mind, she sent Alivia another text asking if she was available for dinner the following evening. She decided to stay with Slate another night and leave the following morning to make it to her first appointment.

Feeling better and not as if she was on pins and needles after talking to him, Talia sank into the couch cushions, some of the invisible weight lifting off her shoulders.

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“S he saw the news?” Jonah asked when Slate hung up.

“Yeah, she did.” He placed his phone in the cup holder. “I wish she hadn’t because it probably looked worse to her than it was. Telling her when I got home would have allowed me to ease her into it. Now, she’s going to worry until I get there.”

Even though she hadn’t pressed when he said she could look him over when he got home, he knew she would worry until she could see him.

That was the last thing Slate wanted, but he knew it couldn’t be helped.

On the plus side, all they had to do was finish a few forms, and they’d be able to call it a day.

The faster they finished, the quicker he could get home, put his girlfriend at ease, and take something for the oncoming pain in his side.

S late had barely walked through the front door when Talia exited the living room and fell into his chest, arms wrapping around him. He suppressed a groan as she squeezed him, not wanting her to worry as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m okay, baby,” he assured.

She continued to hold on to him, and Slate walked her backward, taking them back into the living room. He sat down, pulling her down onto his lap. As she shifted to straddle him, her knee knocked into his side, and he released a small grunt.

“I’m sorry,” she responded, pulling back immediately.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

Talia ran her thumb gently over the bandaged cut under his eye.

It wasn’t serious. It had bled a bit, but he knew it would heal in no time.

Her eyes shifted to where his forearm was bandaged before she slowly unbuttoned his uniform shirt.

She lifted the t-shirt he wore and took in the bruising on his side.

She ran soft fingers along it. When she tried to get off him, Slate grabbed her waist, stopping her.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to get you some ice,” she responded.

He could tell her she didn’t need to, but Slate knew doing something, tending to him, would make her feel better, and he wouldn’t stop her.

So he let her go. He removed his uniform shirt and pulled the t-shirt off.

When Talia returned, she went to sit beside him, but Slate pulled her to straddle him again.

“Baby,” she protested.

“You won’t hurt me,” he replied, not giving her a chance to continue.

“I just did a couple of minutes ago,” she countered, placing the wrapped ice against his side, but she didn’t move off him. “I decided to stay another night to make sure you were fine, if that’s okay.”

“Always,” he replied, giving her a soft kiss.

“Tell me what happened, please.”

“Part of the building caved in, and I heard two kids scream. Most of the firefighters were in the other building or on the other side of the building. Before I knew it, my body was moving. I wasn’t willing to wait on them in hopes that they’d get there before a collapse happened.”

“How did your injuries happen?” Talia asked.

“I cut my arm, moving some debris out of the way to get to the kids. A beam swung toward them when I moved it, and I got in front of it. My side took the brunt of it. I’m not sure how I got the cut on my face.”

“And nothing’s broken? No internal bleeding?”

“No, and no,” he replied.

“I was so worried when I saw you run into that building. I couldn’t understand what you were doing, thinking, but then I saw you come out with those kids, and I’m glad they’re okay, but…” she trailed off.

Slate took her face in his hands. “I’m right here, baby. I’m fine. I know it was reckless, but it was instinct.”

“I know I can’t expect you not to do something that’s ingrained in you, and that’s part of your job. Just promise me you will always be careful and that you’ll tell me about it as soon as you can.”

Slate kissed her. “I promise. The last thing I’m going to do is allow something to happen when I have you waiting for me.”

“Hold this.” She gestured to the ice pack. “I’ll be back.”

He watched her go before tilting his head back against the couch. He was alone for a few minutes until he heard Talia coming down the hall and entering the kitchen. She returned to the living room with a bottle of water and medicine.

Slate thanked her and took the medicine before she pulled him up and led him down the hall to his bedroom and en suite, where she’d run him a bath. Talia helped him finish undressing and left him to relax.

The hot water felt good on his sore side.

He propped his arm up to ensure that his bandage didn’t get wet.

He stayed in until the water cooled and pulled the plug before starting the shower.

He bathed, careful with his arm, before getting out and wrapping a towel around his waist. When Talia entered, he was pulling a pair of boxers out of the dresser.

“I was coming to check on you. I’m making dinner. It’s almost done, and then I’ll ice your side again,” she said.

“Thank you, baby.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” she replied before heading back to the kitchen.

Slate dressed in a pair of boxers and sweatpants, then went into the kitchen, making a mental note to call his parents after dinner and let them know what happened.

He sat at the island and watched Talia move around the kitchen.

She was familiar with his entire home, moving around it easily as if she was always meant to be there, as if it had been made exclusively for her.

He realized at that moment that regardless of the circumstances; he enjoyed coming home and seeing her there.