“I’m the fire chief. There’s an officer down. I’m going to oversee the extraction and—”
“I’m begging you,” I said, too tired to fight. “I can’t stay here. She’s unconscious, she might be hurt, and she’ll be scared when she wakes up. I have to be there.”
Chief thought about it for a few seconds and then sighed. “All right. But stay out of the goddamn way.”
I nodded once, following when he turned for the parking lot. It was still raining, making me worry about her even more. What if the car was overturned in a drainage ditch, like the Charger? What if she was under water?
Chief turned on the lights and sirens as he navigated the SUV out of the hospital parking lot. Downed electrical lines and branches were everywhere, as were beaten vehicles of all shapes and sizes. Even a boat was lying on its side in the middle of the street. Families were making their way to the hospital on foot, and city workers were in high gear, trying to remove the debris to the entrance road of the hospital.
“Dear God,” Chief whispered, staring at our surroundings in awe. “Hit twice in the same day. Who would have ever thought?”
“Not me,” I said. “I’m looking right at it, and I still don’t believe it.”
Chief turned south, heading toward Reyes and America.
“How far is it—where Reyes said they were?”
“Six blocks maybe. I’m not sure if we’ll be the first ones on the scene or not, but—”
“We’re not,” I said, already seeing the flashing lights.
Chief drove a few more blocks and then pulled to the side of the road. First responders were already blocking the road, and firefighters were crowding the overturned cruiser.
I ran over to the vehicle. I was stopped at first until Chief gave the word. I fell on my knees, next to a paramedic beside the cruiser. Surrounded by debris, the vehicle was mashed in spots, every window shattered.
“Mare?” I cried, pressing my face against the wet dirt.
Half of the car was still in the street, and the other half—America’s side—had settled on the grass.
Blonde waves snaked out of the small opening that was once the passenger window. The long tendrils were soaked with rain, pink in a small section.
My breath caught, and I looked over my shoulder to the paramedic. “She’s bleeding!”
“We’re working on it. You’re going to have to move in a second, so I can start her a line.”
I nodded. “Mare?” I said again, reaching in.
I wasn’t sure what I was touching, but I could feel her soft skin. She was still warm.
“Be careful!” the medic said.
“America? Can you hear me? It’s Shep. I’m here.”
“Shepley?” a small voice called from the vehicle.
The paramedic pushed me out of the way. “She’s awake!” he yelled to his partner.
The activity of emergency personnel around the car increased.
“Shepley?” America called, this time louder.
An officer picked me up off the ground and held me back.
“I’m here!” I called.
A small hand reached out into the rain, and I fell on my knees, crawling toward her.
I grabbed her hand before anyone could stop me. “I’m here, baby. I’m right here.” I kissed her hand, feeling something sharp on my lips.
On her ring finger was the diamond I had planned to propose to her with—again—this weekend at her parents’ house.
My bottom lip trembled, and I kissed her fingers again. “Stay awake, Mare. They’re going to get you out of there soon.”
I lay on the ground, holding her hand, for a few minutes until a firefighter brought over a hydraulic tool to pry open the door. The officer pulled me out of the way, and America reached for me with her fingers again.
“Shepley?” she cried.
“He’s going to stand back a bit while we get you out of there, okay? Sit tight, ma’am.”
The same officer from before patted my shoulder. It was then that I noticed he had bandages on his head.
“You’re Reyes?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, sir. I tried to get us out of the way. It was too late.”