Sudden Response (EMS #1)(68)

"I only want you to be happy, Joe," he said, bringing their entwined hands to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand.

"I am happy," she promised before giving him an impish little grin. "But, I'd be happier with an orange juice."

Chuckling, he shook his head as he started the ambulance. "Little gold digger."

"That's me," she agreed.

Loud sirens caught their attention. Joe looked to her right to see Greg speed across the large empty parking lot with his lights going and his sirens blaring.

"What a f**king idiot," Eric said, following after him at a much slower pace.

She couldn't agree more, especially when he peeled out in front of an SUV and raced down the street. They watched the ambulance as it rode down the middle of the road, forcing cars to pull off to the side or get hit.

******

"Remind me to have Bill give OEMS a call about that little prick," Eric said, voicing her thoughts at the moment. He really didn't belong working in an ambulance and he sure as hell didn't belong behind the wheel.

"Oh shit," Eric snapped, turning on the emergency lights and grabbing the mike as she watched in horror as Greg ran through a red light and was slammed into by a tractor trailer that hadn't been given an ounce of warning to stop.

"Echo seventeen to dispatch," Eric said as they sped through the parking lot, watching as the ambulance rolled over several times until if finally landed on its hood only to have the truck slam into it as the sound of screeching breaks broke through the sounds of metal being crushed.

"Echo seventeen."

"We are onsite at an MVA involving an ambulance and a tractor trailer at Washington and Paramount. Requesting assistance from fire and ambulance," Eric said, smoothly turning onto Washington.

"Received Echo seventeen, MVA at Washington and Paramount."

"That f**king idiot," Eric growled out as he moved through traffic, switching the sirens as he requested the right away.

Once they reached the scene of the accident he pulled up and blocked the road that the destroyed ambulance occupied. He left the emergency lights on as he jumped out, glad to see the other ambulances that were stationed alongside of them earlier heading towards the accident.

When he got his hands on the little bastard he was going to kill him, he decided as he and Joe worked quickly to pull their stretcher out, load it with oxygen, a trauma bag and the long board. Just as he was about to push the stretcher towards the overturned ambulance Joe jumped back into the ambulance. Seconds later she was jumping out with a fire blanket in her arms.

"Glass," was all she said. With a nod of understanding they headed towards the ambulance.

As soon as the scent of gasoline hit his nose he shot a look towards Joe and mumbled a few curses that she thankfully missed over the sounds of sirens drawing near. He didn't want her anywhere near this accident, but he didn't have much of a choice. They had three patients inside the f**ked up ambulance and were going to need as many hands as they could get to get them all out of there before the damn thing caught fire.

It was probably selfish, but he was glad that Joe was moving on and finding other things that interested her. He wanted her safe and happy. He knew accidents could happen anywhere probably better than most people and that she could just as easily get hit by a bus than get hurt working on an ambulance, but it made him feel a hell of a lot better to know that she wouldn't be in a position to take risks soon.

Well, she wouldn't be taking risks fulltime anymore and when she did he would be there to keep her safe. He'd still worry, but for her he'd deal with it. As long as she was happy he would deal with anything even if that meant she stayed on the truck fulltime. He wouldn't like it, but he would accept it for her.

"Eric," Joe said, her voice breaking.

"What?" he asked, shaking his head clear and forcing himself to focus. It was only then that he realized that they'd stop pushing the stretcher and Joe was kneeling next to the mutilated driver's side door.

"He's dead," she said hollowly.

Praying that she was wrong, he moved to kneel next to her and tilted his head to look at the bloody mess. When his eyes landed on Greg's vacant expression and the severe damage to his head and neck he knew the man was gone.

Legally they weren't allowed to pronounce someone dead and were technically supposed to do whatever they could for Greg but there really was nothing they could for him. They also had multiple patients and as the first EMTs on the scene it was their job to access the damage. Without a word they stood up and hurried over to the passenger side to find Greg's partner in the same condition.

"The third rider," Joe said flatly as she got to her feet and moved to the side doors of the patient compartment.

When she couldn't get the doors to budge he helped, but it was more than obvious that the doors weren't going to open without the help of the Jaws of Life. They quickly moved to the back of the ambulance and he let out a sigh of relief when the doors opened and he heard the young woman sobbing.

"We need a neck collar and the long board," Eric said.

With a nod, Joe took off to grab the stretcher while he inspected the scene inside the ambulance. The stretcher had come out of its hold and was on the floor, or rather ceiling. He grabbed it and pulled it out, giving it a good shove away from the ambulance so they had room to get the woman and get the hell out.