Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
That was deep. Really deep.
And it sucked, because I was beginning to feel sorry for the two of them. Before, I’d hated them on principle, and now I was literally on the edge of the fence, leaning heavily toward sorrow and pity for the two people that had known each other in another life. One before Sean.
Jessie had obviously been in there with his ‘Ellie’ way before even Sean realized.
Poor guy never stood a chance.
Not that I was complaining.
If he had, I wouldn’t be in his bed right now, curled around his pillow and wearing his t-shirt because it smelled like him.
My phone buzzed, and I looked down, grimacing when I saw that it was work.
Again.
Shit.
“Hello?” I answered.
“If either you or Sean don’t come in tonight, you’re both fired.”
That was my boss, Steve. Good ol’ Steve.
“I already told you that we’re both down with food poisoning,” I lied for the second time that night.
Steve was a bastard. There was no fucking way in the world he would’ve just accepted ‘we’re not coming in.’ He would need a good excuse, and if it wasn’t good, then we’d both be docked points. And we were only allowed fifteen points before we were up for review. And if we accrued any more while we were under ‘review’ then there was the option that we may be fired.
It was bullshit, and something that sucked, but it was what it was.
“I’m sorry, Steve,” I started to say, but stopped when he interrupted me.
“Cline and Maran were in an accident. Medic six is totaled. We need someone here, and it doesn’t matter if you’re throwing up. It’s only in the worst-case scenario that we’ll use the medic we’re putting you on. It’s the backup’s backup, and something we don’t want to use unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Shit,” I whispered under my breath. “Sean can’t come. He’s too sick, but I can be there in about half an hour.”
If I pushed it.
I’d have to borrow one of the girl’s cars, or have them take me.
Either way, I wasn’t going to leave him hanging.
“Are Cline and Maran okay?” I asked worriedly.
“Yes,” he said. “Shaken up. Cline has a few possible broken ribs, and Maran has a seatbelt bruise, but it could’ve been worse.”
Yes, it could have. I’d been in something much worse when at the Kilgore Fire Department that had almost killed me while I was working an accident as a student paramedic.
PD had saved me. If he hadn’t, I’d have been a flattened pancake who never had to worry about anything again.
“You paying attention, woman, or do I need to fire you?”
I gritted my teeth.
“I’ll be there.”
Then I hung up, because I didn’t like talking to Steve. Steve was a douche on a good day. Today, he was a used douche.
One that I couldn’t stand and who Sean couldn’t either.
Sighing, I got up and walked to the small overnight bag that I’d left here two weeks ago and dug inside, unearthing a pair of my work pants, a white wife beater, and a white shirt.
Dressed for work, I opened my door as quietly as I could, thankful that nobody realized what I was doing. Because if they had, they definitely would’ve stopped me.
Ellen’s dejected face was the first thing I saw as she headed for the door, and I stopped her by calling her name quietly.
“Ellen.”
She froze, looking at me with tears in her eyes, and smiled sadly.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you could take me to work?”
She eyed my clothes, then nodded as one single tear slipped down her cheek.
“Yes, I think I can manage that before I go.”
“Go?” I asked as I came up to her side.
She didn’t reply, she just opened the door and headed outside to her car.
She pulled open the door on her side, then popped the trunk.
“There’s not much room in the back,” she said as she did. “It’s full of clothes and stuff.”
I stowed my stuff in the trunk, but didn’t comment about the boxes I could see packed in the back.
Instead, I walked around to the passenger door and dropped inside before giving her directions to my work.
She started driving, and the silence started to grow.
I let my mind wander, not wanting to care about this woman, but finding it increasingly harder not to do so.
I’d started making grocery lists in my head. When I got to dog food, I froze.
“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,” I groaned. “Could we please go by Sean’s place? I left Butterfinger all by herself, and she needs to go out or she’ll pee all over the place, and then Sean will have a reason to get rid of her.”
Ellen’s mouth twitched.
“Yeah, I can do that.”
We pulled into the driveway, and Ellen came to a stop next to Sean’s truck.
I grinned.
“I’ll take Sean’s truck,” I said. “Since we’re here now and all. You don’t have to wait.”