Page 15 of Wolves’ Midlife Reunion (Shifter Nation: Enchanted Over Forty #3)

“Damn!” Adrian hit the brakes and then the horn. “You’d think all the lights and sirens would be enough to make people get out of the way.”

Dex held on tight as they navigated Salem’s narrowest streets. “Easy there. We don’t want to have to call another ambulance to take care of us.”

Adrian shook his head as he took a hard left.

“I’m just messing with you. I’d much rather have you drive than Lester, anyway.”

“Man, don’t make me laugh when I’m supposed to be concentrating!” Adrian replied, laughing anyway. “I don’t know how they’ve kept him on so long.”

“He’s a little slow,” Dex admitted, “but he really knows what he’s doing. I think it calms people down a little when they see that a grandpa is taking care of them. There’s not as much urgency around the situation.”

“Well, let’s see how much urgency is waiting for us here.” Adrian pulled up at the scene.

They were the first to arrive. Dex hopped out of the ambulance and assessed the area, their flashing lights illuminating it in the dark.

A black coupe with rental plates had its bumper kissing a fire hydrant, tipping it just far enough without shooting a column of water into the air. A couple stood next to it, arguing.

The woman slapped the man with her purse. “You’re such a fucking idiot! I told you that you couldn’t drive!”

The man put his hands up to protect himself and staggered backward. “It’s not my fault, Sheila! It’s not my fault! That guy came out of nowhere.”

Dex and Adrian shared a look. This was going to be interesting.

“Is anyone injured?” Dex raised his voice to make sure the couple could hear them over their fighting.

Sheila turned to him with wide, startled eyes. “Huh? Oh. Just that guy over there.” She gestured toward a grassy area between two buildings.

“I’ve got the lovebirds,” Adrian told him.

Dex hurried over to the grass. A man lay on his back with his crumpled bicycle next to him.

“Sir, can you hear me? I’m with the ambulance service. I’m here to help.” Dex knelt next to the man, putting his bag nearby.

“They hit me,” the man groaned.

“Looks like you were wearing your helmet, at least.” Dex grabbed his penlight and checked the man’s eyes. No sign of a concussion, but with the bicycle being that mangled, he knew there had to be injuries somewhere. “Can you tell me where it hurts?”

“Here.” His hands had been flung over his head, but now he brought one down and touched his side.

The fabric of his shirt was soaked with blood, and when Dex lifted it, he could see why. The soft flesh of the man’s belly had been ripped open. Whether it was from the initial impact or falling, he couldn’t tell. Either way, the injury was near some major arteries.

“Can you tell me your name?” Dex quickly began taking his other vitals. The heartbeat was light and thready.

“Wayne. Wayne Cunningham.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Wayne.” Dex opened his bag to take a few other vitals. “Did you have anything to drink tonight?”

“No,” he gasped. “I was on my way home from work. This time of year, I don’t bother driving. You can’t get through with all the damn tourists.”

Dex snorted. “That’s for damn sure.”

“I had the right of way, but that car just came out of nowhere and hit me.”

“Must’ve been pretty hard, too.” Dex went back to examining the wound. It was deep, ragged, and bleeding profusely.

“I feel dizzy. I’m scared,” Wayne said.

He had every right to be. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get you to the hospital and get you fixed up. I’m just going to put some bandages on to stop the bleeding. You might feel some pressure, okay?”

“Okay.” His voice sounded even more feeble.

Dex knew what he had to do. This wasn’t the first time, but he had to be careful.

If he used his talent too much, someone would figure it out.

Well, they’d figure out something was weird, anyway.

Dex took several big gauze bandages from his bag and laid them gently over the wound.

He put his gloved hand over them, pulled in a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

This was the one bit of magic he’d allowed himself in all these years.

Nothing else. Dex pushed healing energy out of his hand, imagining a cool blue light enveloping the wound.

He thought about platelets clotting the blood, about new skin growing together, about keeping Wayne alive.

Not too much. Just enough. Just enough to get him to the hospital, where the pros could work the real magic.

He pulled his hand back as he heard the rattling wheels of the gurney on the brick streets.

“Police are here,” Adrian informed him. “They’re handling the rest of the mess, but it looked like you could use this.”

“Thanks. Abdominal wound with severe bleeding. Says the car hit him.”

“You don’t believe me?” Wayne asked pitifully.

He was old enough that he could be Dex’s father, and Dex truly felt sorry for him. “I believe you, sir. I was just reporting to my colleague here.” It wasn’t his job to make judgments on who was at fault or who hit who, but Wayne didn’t need that kind of explanation right now.

They got him safely onto the gurney and into the ambulance.

“Will you stay with me?” Wayne asked him.

Adrian heard the request and instantly went to get behind the wheel.

“I’m right here, Wayne. Don’t worry. We’ve got the best driver in the business getting you to the hospital.” The sirens went on just then, and the ambulance moved beneath them.

Wayne smiled at Dex. His eyes were pale and watery, and Dex realized he might have been even older than he’d initially thought. “You remind me of my son, you know.”

“Tell me about him.” Dex continued to monitor the man’s vitals. He was in poor condition, but he was going to make it.

“He lives all the way in California. Went out there just for college, but he never came back. You know how it is. He met a girl, got married. They’ve got kids now and a new life. I miss them, but I’m proud. How about you? Do you have any kids?”

Talking usually comforted the patients, even if it was only because it was such a good distraction. “A little girl. She’s seven.”

“How darling.” Apparently, Wayne didn’t need to see her to think so. He was old enough to feel that any child was adorable and precious. “You and your wife are very lucky.”

Dex choked back his reply. “We are. Thank you.”

They arrived at the hospital soon afterward. Dex unloaded the gurney and wheeled Wayne inside. “They’re going to take good care of you, Wayne. You heal up, and you watch out for those damn tourists, okay?”

The old man smiled at him. “You’re a good boy.”

Nurses swarmed around the gurney, taking Wayne’s information from Dex and then assessing the patient for themselves.

They called back and forth as they rushed him down the hall, ordering tests and procedures.

Dex watched them go. They would take care of Wayne, of course, but part of him wishes that he could stay with the old man a little longer.

The rest of his shift was relatively quiet. He and Adrian showed up at another car accident, but no one was injured beyond a couple of bruises. At another call, a wheelchair bound man had fallen to the floor and his frail wife had been unable to get him up by herself.

When he clocked out, dawn was creeping up on the horizon. It spread slowly over the sky, dispersing any late-night revelers and calling out those who had mundane jobs to get to.

“Go home and get some sleep,” Adrian advised. “You look like you could use it.”

“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.

” Dex drove to the packhouse. He was lucky to have a place where he could always bring Sage, no matter what the circumstances, and know that she was cared for.

With his job and no spouse, he needed that support far more than he ever thought he would.

Every day, he saw plenty of people who didn’t have that kind of support, and he didn’t know how they made it.

“Good morning!” Debbie chirped when he let himself in the back door just off the kitchen.

“If you say it is.” The smell of fresh coffee lured him over the rack of mismatched mugs, a collection that his mother had built over the years. He picked one with a cat on it. The tail made up the handle, and it’d always amused him as a kid. He could use a bit of amusement right now.

“I do say,” Debbie replied as she cracked a couple of eggs into a bowl. “I got up early and had a good workout, so I’m ready for the day. Do you want some eggs?”

“I hate to ask, but I wouldn’t turn them down.” He filled his mug and then put a bagel in the toaster. Dex checked his watch. “I think I’ve got just enough time to eat before I have to wake up Sage and get her ready for school.”

“Good luck with that. I heard she was pretty wound up when you dropped her off, all excited about the Samhain party with Tina’s family.” Debbie looked up at him as she scrambled the eggs with a fork. “It sounds like the two of you are getting pretty cozy.”

“I guess. I don’t know what to call it.” He took a long sip of his coffee. “Damn, that’s strong.”

“Just how I like it. And why don’t you know? The two of you are fated. There’s not much to think about,” Debbie reasoned as she poured the eggs into the pan, watching them sizzle for a moment before she stirred them with a spatula.

He turned to the fridge, digging around until he found some cream cheese. “If I only had myself to consider, then sure. Whatever.”

“Whatever?” his twin echoed. “How romantic. I’ll bet she just goes wild when you talk like that.”

“Come on. You know what I mean.”

“I’m not sure I do.” She pushed the eggs around a little more as she seasoned them.

“I’ve got to think about Sage.”

“You already are.” Debbie left the eggs to toast a little in the pan while she poured herself a cup of coffee and got a muffin from the box on the counter. “In fact, she’s about the only thing you do think about.”

“That’s not true.” The bagel popped up. He grabbed each piece with his fingertips and flicked them onto a plate, not wanting to bother with tongs.