Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 94716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
I laid down next to her and smiled when I felt her scoot close to my body. Her leg fell in between my open ones and her hand went searching for my own. Clasping our palms together, I brought them to rest on my chest.
Absently, I let my pinky slip down and run over the puckered scar at her wrist. Lifting her hand to my mouth, I gave the scar a kiss and then settled down and fell asleep. She’d share with me when she was ready; but for now, it was a heavy weight on my soul.
Chapter 6
I drink wine because I don’t like to keep things bottled up.
-E-card
Winter
I practically collapsed on the bench outside the office. Jack was picking me up today since he had my car in for some routine maintenance. I was one hundred and ninety eight percent exhausted.
I kid you not; we had so many bullshit calls over the last twenty-four hours that I was ready to pull my hair out by the end of my shift. The first call was of a young woman who burned her mouth on some soup she’d just received from a restaurant.
The young woman thought it’d be best to ride to the hospital in the ambulance since she wasn’t sure if she could drive or not. Police were called in during the middle of the call because said patient attacked the woman at the next table for saying that her soup, which she’d gotten at the same time, was just fine. Instead of the young woman riding in the ambulance, she was transported in a police car with cuffs.
Jack pulled up on his bike just as my co-worker, Sandy, walked out with her bag slung over her shoulder. Jack shut off the bike and slid off to give me a hug and chaste kiss.
“See you later, pumper.” Sandy called as she swung into her jeep and started it.
“Pumper?” Jack asked with eyebrows raised.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I replied stiffly.
I didn’t either. It was thoroughly embarrassing.
The trip to Free took over thirty minutes, and I thought again to myself that I should really find a place that was closer to Longview. This driving thirty minutes thing after a shitty shift really blew.
Well, it would’ve been if I hadn’t been plastered to Jack’s back like lycra. My arms were around his waist and my head was resting on his hard back. My head was cushioned by the padded helmet and I was watching the trees pass in a blur. We were on a back road and there were no other cars to obstruct the view around me.
Yes, I did have to say that a thirty minute ride did indeed surpass the shorter trip if I were to move to Longview. What really blew the latter out of the water was the awesomeness of staying with your husband and sleeping like a dream, curled up to his hard body.
The sight of ten foot chain link fences clue me in that we were approaching Free and I reluctantly picked my head up from Jack’s back and peered around. Cars were everywhere when we pulled in and I looked at Jack questioningly.
He sighed as he weaved his bike through the multiple cars and parked in the first parking space.
“It happens when everybody leaves their fucking car in the middle of the driveway instead of parking in a goddamn parking spot.” He grumbled as we walked inside the office.
“It was only supposed to be a quick kiss!” Cheyenne bellowed from Sam’s lap.
“Sure it was. That’s why you’re still here thirty minutes later.” James said, rolling his eyes.
I looked at him and he winked.
James was my favorite. He was so happy go lucky all the time. He was always nice to me and was never in a bad mood. His daughter was a freaking hoot, too.
Jack sat down at the only empty spot in the room and pulled me down onto his lap. I leaned my head back against his chest and sighed. Damn, but I was exhausted. Working twenty-four hours in a busy city was going to take some getting used to.
“So….we heard something really funny on shift today.” Cheyenne said.
Payton started snickering from the corner of the room where she was playing what sounded like Angry Birds on her phone. I looked back and forth between the two wearily. Both started to smile so wide that they looked positively evil. It was then I knew that they knew what happened.
Closing my eyes, I waited for the show to start.
It didn’t take long.
“So, from what we understand, you’re a pretty good pumper.” Cheyenne snickered.
I refused to acknowledge them.
“Did he really have dementia?” Payton asked seriously.
I opened my eyes, and sighed long and exaggerated. “Fuck yeah.”
“Come on; just tell us the juicy details.” Cheyenne practically bounced in her seat.
I kicked my top lip up at them in a silent snarl, but told the story anyway seeing as I knew I wouldn’t get out of it.
“We responded to a call for a sick case unknown. When we got there, the man was complaining about a lump in his scrotum. Of course, the male EMT that was with me made the snide comment, but we looked anyway. Sure enough, there was an enlargement there. I took lead since I was the paramedic and palpitated the mass.”
Snickering from James and Elliott broke through my story, but I ignored them.
“It was actually really weird. It felt squishy, and I’d never felt anything like it before. I pressed on it a few more times before my partner started laughing. Sure enough, the man had an erection. At first, I just thought he couldn’t help it since I was touching his scrotum and all. However, his wife came in a few minutes later and told me I was pumping up his penile implant.”
Silence bracketed the room, and a raucous burst of laughter. Even Jack was laughing so hard that it vibrated my body.
I covered my eyes with my arm, and ignored everyone. Damn, but I was never going to hear the end of this.