MacKenzie Fire(21)

His face goes blank. “You serious?”

“Get me in this damn truck, you dumbass! I need to get her to the hospital!”

He disappears for a couple seconds, and then I feel his arms on my waist. Instead of pushing me in, though, he’s pulling on me. I kick like mad to get him off me. If I could slap him, I would, but my arms are inside the cab. “Get off, you idiot! I need to get in, not out!”

“Fine!” he yells, jamming his hands into my butt and pushing with all his might.

My buckle snaps and my pelvis and upper thighs scrape hard against the window frame, but at least I’m inside. I fold in half so the rest of me can get in, ending up on the floor of the tiny back seat. My back cracks in protest. I am going to be so sore tomorrow. He’s going to pay for that.

Ian’s head is sticking in through the window and he’s looking down at me. “You know they have these things called doors on trucks. Way easier to use than the windows.”

I scramble over the back seat and take the driver’s spot. The keys fall to the floor as Ian chuckles at his own joke, the big dummy. I don’t bother answering, my brain focused on only one thing: get Andie to the hospital.

The engine turns over with a roar and I throw the truck into reverse. The gas pedal is much more powerful than I was expecting. One push and I’m halfway out of the space.

I hear a big boom and a yell. Ian’s legs fly up into view in the mirror.

“Hey! What the hell!” He shouts. A second later, his head is barely visible in the rearview mirror as he sits up from his fall.

Ignoring his issues, I reverse the rest of the way out and then slam that puppy into drive.

Bet you didn’t know a giant truck can peel out; I know I didn’t. But this one sure does. Must be those studded tires it has or something. One second I’m diagonal in front of a strip mall and the next I’m zooming down the street, headed away from the diner. Shit.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Ian yells. Glancing up in the mirror, I realize he’s still in the bed of the truck. He’s holding onto something above the cab and standing spread-legged like he’s surfing or something. Oh well, not my problem.

I wait for the traffic to clear and flip a big old U-ey right in the middle of the road. The back tires slide, but we end up in perfect position to pull up outside the diner. I see faces lined up at the glass as I slide to a stop.

“All aboard!” I yell, lowering the window on the passenger side.

Ian jumps to the ground and puts his face in the open window. “Are you completely insane?! You almost killed me … again!”

I wave him off, focused on the front door of the diner. “Quit crying and get Andie. I don’t have time for your damage right now.”

The door opens and the bells on the handle jangle, catching Ian’s attention. He turns around and freezes.

“Andie? You okay?” he asks.

“I need to get to the hospital.” An older man is holding her by the elbow, walking her out carefully. “Hannah called Mack for me. He’s going to get there as soon as he can. But I need to go now. I can’t wait.”

I cringe as more liquid runs down her leg. Her boots have got to be half-full of that stuff by now. Talk about squishy.

Ian jumps into action. “Easy, easy … easy now.” He practically carries her to the car and then picks her up.

“No! Wait! I don’t want to stain the seat!” she cries.

“Oh, for crying out loud …” Ian puts her down and we all look at each other.

“Fine.” I whip off my leather jacket and lay it on the seat. “You owe me a jacket.” I stare out the front window trying to get my heart rate under a thousand beats per minute. This is nuts. I just sacrificed my five hundred dollar leather bomber and my best friend is about to drop a baby on the floorboards. I’m pretty sure I didn’t sign up for this. Or maybe I did, but I didn’t mean to.

“Thanks,” she says, kind of breathlessly.

Ian picks her up and places her gently on the seat as I glance over at them again.

“Meet you there?” he says.

Andie nods.

As soon as her door shuts, I take off.

“Where are you going?!” I hear someone yelling.

Stupid Ian. He’s standing out in the middle of the road waving his arms behind us. I can see him in the rearview mirror acting like a fool.

“Do you know the right way?” Andie asks. She’s leaning her elbow heavily on the armrest, trying to get comfortable. I don’t think it’s working.

“Of course I know the right way. Map’s up here,” I say, tapping my temple.





Chapter Eight





FOR SOME REASON, WE’RE THE last ones to show up at the emergency room door. Ian, Mack, and Mack’s mother are all standing outside in the slowly falling snowflakes that started ten minutes into my drive. It must have been the traffic that made it take so long. I still don’t know the shortcuts around town. Thank goodness the baby didn’t decide to come out while we were driving around. My jacket has already seen enough punishment.

“Oh, thank God,” Andie says. And then she moans and bends over her stomach, holding it with both arms.

The first one to her door is Mack. He’s usually a pretty cool guy, but today I can tell he is stressed to the max. His face is all lines and hard angles. He pulls the door open and lifts his wife out like a baby. It makes my heart go all mushy just watching it. He’s super strong. She’s almost the size of a small elephant with her coat on.