Page 6

Trouble

W as I a little buzzed with a side cramp from my work to earn the epic title of hula hoop/beer drinking champion?

Yup. Was my stomach a sloshy mess from the beer and what felt like a side of beef?

Seemed so. Was Fern Ethel Novotny, the chick who was not the smoothest when it came to the men, flirting with Gabe who was best friends with my brother? A concerned yes.

The February air was freezing, but with a little beer in my veins, I didn’t feel a thing. Not a lick.

“Watch your step. It’s slick out here,” Gabe ordered.

I heard his words, but a second later, I found myself lying on my back, looking at the blurry stars above me. My loud laughter bounced off the cars around me.

“Are you okay?”

The next thing I knew he scooped me up, and I was on my feet again. “Why thank you. I’m fine and dandy.”

His chuckle was deep. “We’d better get you to the cabin before you end up in the hospital or find another contest to win.”

He led me to his truck by my elbow. Once in the passenger seat, he leaned across me and buckled my seatbelt.

Once done, his eyes found mine staring at him.

I rarely drink, and after a few beers, I was a bolder version of myself.

I didn’t know if I liked that or not. Instead of quickly looking away like I normally would have, I held his gaze at the same time a spiral of heat waved up the back of my neck.

The corner of his mouth turned up. “There, you’re safe.”

But I didn’t want to be safe, nope, I wanted to be felt up by the fella in front of me. I thought about grabbing his coat and just laying one on him, but my bravery wavered so I just nodded.

In the truck, we sang to Noah Kahan’s Stick Season , and Tiny Dancer. I was shocked that the hockey gentleman beside me could really belt out a tune.

As the sexy truck containing the sexy man next to me rolled down the highway, I wished there was something that could take the dopy smile off my face. Be cool, dammit.

The universe responded to that request quickly. A split second later, a man bolted out of the forest beside the road, causing Gabe to slam on the brakes and, by a miracle from above, did not run over or kill the guy before us.

He was in his twenties, blond hair, and wearing a Marco’s Pizza Jacket.

His hands flew in the air as he yelled while his cheeks were as red as Santa’s.

His hair shot out in every direction. His eyes were filled with fear that suddenly made me uneasy.

He jumped over to Gabe’s door as he rolled down the window.

“Let me in! I’m under attack! Open the door!”

Gabe leaned out his window a little, “Buddy?—”

I looked into the forest he ran out of and wondered what beast might be heading our way. “Gabe, there might be a bear or something.”

There was a click as the doors unlocked, and the stranger flew into the back seat. “Drive! We gotta get out of here.”

Gabe looked back at the stranger who was breathing heavy enough to instantly fog his window. “What are you doing out here on the highway so late?”

“Mister, please drive.” He looked over his shoulder at a car in the distance behind us. “They see us. We gotta go.”

“We’re not going until I know what’s happening.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “I delivered pizza to the wrong house, and they’re going to kill me!”

I instantly remembered my days working at Dairy Queen, and the time I cut a cup with the blizzard-making machine, causing ice cream fly onto the pissed customers at the counter. The stress in the service industry can be overwhelming. The struggle is real.

“Hey, I’m Fern. These things happen in every job. It’ll be okay.”

“You both need to listen. I delivered pizza to the wrong house and busted in on a drug deal in process.” I swore I could feel the beating of his heart through the seat.

“There were four guys, guns, and boxes of what I hoped was powdered sugar but fairly certain was cocaine once they started shooting at me! They tried to plow me down with their car. That’s why I’ve been hauling ass through the woods. ”

A new kind of panic twisted in my tummy. Oh, Mother Hubbard, we were in a pickle.

Gabe started to drive. “We’ll get you to the police station in town.” A few seconds later, he groaned. “Shit.”

I whipped my head around to see the vehicle behind us barreling up toward the truck as Gabe punched the gas.

“It’s okay. Maybe they didn’t see you.” I looked at the guy in the backseat who’d quickly thrown a wrench into my magical night with the gorgeous man beside me. “Duck down.”

Gabe shook his head. “Son of a bitch, here we go.”

I watched the speedometer tick up and let out a yell as the car behind us rammed the back of the truck at the same time our visitor in the back seat burst into tears like a little bitch.

“We’re going to die! Mother fucker, I haven’t done anything with my life but deliver shitty pizza!”

My heart squished so hard I was dizzy when I heard gunshots.

Suddenly the back window was blown out, and ice-cold air filled the space.

Gabe grabbed my shoulder and pulled me down so I was laying on his lap as a few more pops rang through the air while the fella in the back seat let out a girly yelp.

“Shit. Hold on!” Gabe did a sharp left turn as my hands instinctively held onto his thigh. “We’re heading into a field covered in snow. They’re in a car and won’t be able to keep up with my truck for too long.”

As we continued four-wheeling through snow, literally fleeing a possible death, my mind latched on to the fact that my head had been pulled into Gabe’s lap.

His member was like right there. Sure, maybe there’d been a guy or two who’d pulled my head into their lap, but none involved guns and the handsome Superman who was saving us.

But my cheek was resting on the denim of his jeans, keeping my mind from circling the sewage Drain of Death so really a win/win situation.

“We lost ‘em.”

I looked up at the man above me at the same time his eyes dropped to mine. “This is a nice view.”

I was grateful for the darkness of the truck because I felt my cheeks burst into flames. I sat up to see us in the middle of nowhere with the bright moon above as we rolled up to a barn that appeared to be falling down with the door missing. The truck slid inside.

“I’m Jason Miller. Thanks for picking me up, by the way. Super glad to not be dead.”

Gabe let out a chuckle. “The night’s not over yet.”

My eyes traveled the inside of the barn where lumber and bales of hay rested against the walls. “Do you know who owns this?”

“Not a clue. But we’re miles from anywhere so we should be safe. Everybody okay?”

The light popped on above us, and I jumped when I felt a tissue touch my cheek, “Fern, you’re bleeding a little.”

“What?” I pulled down the visor to see a few shallow cuts on my cheek. I dabbed the tissue against my skin. “I’ll be fine.” I looked at him. “Isn’t it weird how our adrenaline turns off any pain for a bit?”

“Jason, are you okay back there?”

“I’m good.”

Gabe looked back and gasped. My eyes walked to the back seat to see a two-inch piece of glass sticking out of the side of Jason’s neck.

I put on my nurse voice while I grabbed my little first aid kit from my purse.

“Hey, Jason, I’m going to hop back there real quick.

Why don’t you just not move, okay?” I crawled over the seat with my first aid kit in hand.

“Gabe, would you mind coming back here for a second?”

He got out of the driver’s door and slid into the back on the other side of Jason.

“Jason, I see you have a little piece of glass here we’re going to get out real quick, okay?”

“Really?”

His hand headed toward his neck, and I grabbed it. “Tell you what, we’re going to have Gabe just hold your hands while I get this glass. Okay?” I eyed Gabe as Jason suddenly looked nervous.

“What’s going on here?”

I pulled an alcohol wipe from my trusty first aid kit and wiped my hands. “I’m going to need you to sit still. Alrighty?”

His eyes grew wide as he glanced between Gabe and me. “I don’t like this.”

“The good news is I’m a nurse, and the glass isn’t in a vein or artery so this’ll be easy peasy.

But, since you’re already not liking this, I should probably tell you that when the glass is removed, I’m going to apply pressure.

Once any bleeding subsides, I’m going to just give you a stitch or two. Got me?”

“What the hell? I think I need a doctor .” Jason was suddenly sweating. I was trying to kill him with kindness, but my eyes scanned the barn for a hammer that might be easier.

“The truth is nurses keep the doctors from accidently killing you. Trust me, I’ve got this.” I put on my calm smile before looking at Gabe. “You hold tight, okay?”

A blood-curdling scream later, I was holding gauze against his wound as we all chatted about what a fucked-up night it’d been.

“Looks like the bleeding is under control, but we do need to give you a few quick stitches, okay?”

“Do you have anything to numb me up?”

“Well, no, but I have a feeling you’re a really tough guy.” I used my best Italian accent. “You don’t need no stinkin’ novocaine.”

“I don’t think I need stitches.”

“I’m a nurse. To save time here, let’s just assume that I’m never wrong, okay?

” I got my supplies prepared. “Lucky for us I carry a little suture kit. Sutures are used when a wound is gaping. This ensures that we bring all the layers of tissue together so the damaged wound can start healing. Then tomorrow I want you to go to the hospital and have them check it over, okay?”

Gabe’s deep voice was quiet. “Kinda hot seeing Nurse Novotny in action.”