Kate Hardy - The Firefighter's Fiance

‘Do this a lot?’

He sounded slightly slurred. ‘A few times,’ Kelsey said. ‘And I’ve been cut out of a car myself. So I know what it feels like to be sitting where you are.’

The noise. The splintering glass. The fear that something was going to go wrong and you’d be hurt even more. The absolute conviction that you were going to die and you weren’t going to get the chance to say goodbye to the people who mattered.

Again, she damped down the memories. Now wasn’t the time. ‘You’ll be out of here really soon,’ she said.

Though every second seemed to drag. The noise felt as if it was never going to stop. And all the while she kept talking to Harvey, trying to get him to respond.

As soon as the fire crew had finished getting the access the paramedics needed, she climbed out of the car and Matt and Dale took over.

‘I want to get some fluids into him,’ Matt said. ‘He’s going into shock. Kels, can you do us a favour?’

‘Sure.’ It was firefighter protocol for the crew to help other teams where they were needed most once they’d done their own job in making sure the area was safe. And she’d worked with Matt enough times to know what he wanted her to do. ‘Hold the drip and squeeze the bag so you can get the fluids in faster?’

He blew her a kiss. ‘Perfect answer. We’ll make a paramedic of you yet.’

‘Not before we make a firefighter out of you,’ she retorted with a grin.

‘Oi, do you mind? I’m not losing my best partner ever,’ Dale cut in. ‘No, we’d rather pinch you for our team, Brains. Then we might stand a chance in the pub quiz.’

‘No way. Your uniform’s not as sexy as mine.’ She winked at him. ‘Isn’t that right, Harvey? Firefighters are sexier than paramedics?’

Their patient mumbled something none of them could understand. Matt raised an eyebrow and put the line in Harvey’s arm and directed Kelsey to start squeezing the fluid through. Calm, professional, no hint of panic in his voice—even though Kelsey could tell from the look on his face that Harvey was in for a rough time.

But when it came to moving him… ‘His leg’s stuck,’ Matt said grimly.

‘What do you need—dashboard roll or pedal release?’ Kelsey asked.

‘Pedals.’

‘OK. I can do that.’ She handed the drip bag back to him and grabbed the cutters. She slid the shield over Harvey’s legs to protect him, then used the cutters to snap the pedal that had trapped Harvey’s foot.

‘Remind me not to arm-wrestle you,’ Matt said as she gently moved the pedal away to allow Matt to finish getting Harvey out of the car.

‘Chicken,’ she teased.

‘I’d be chicken, too,’ Dale said with a grin.

She put her hands on her hips and tutted. ‘Weaklings, the pair of you.’

‘Yeah, yeah. But thanks for your help, Kels.’ Matt’s eyes crinkled at the corners. Amazing blue eyes, the colour of a summer evening sky. Eyes that had reputedly melted every female’s heart at the hospital, though Matt rarely dated—a fact which shouldn’t have pleased Kelsey nearly as much as it did.

‘Any time.’ She smiled back at him. ‘See you later.’

‘And don’t forget it’s your turn to cook tonight,’ he reminded her as he and Dale gently manoeuvred Harvey onto the stretcher.

Kelsey grimaced. Cooking was such a waste of time. Spending hours fiddling about with food when it would all be eaten within ten minutes. ‘It’s Friday. I’ll bring a takeaway home.’

‘I suppose at least you can’t burn that,’ Matt said, laughing, as he headed for the ambulance.

‘Ah, but if she does at least she’s a trained firefighter and can put out the blaze,’ Joe teased, walking over to them. ‘Ready, Brains?’

‘Sure,’ Kelsey said as the ambulance doors closed behind Matt.

‘So have you two finally seen the light and got together?’ Joe asked as they headed back to the fire engine.

‘Don’t be so daft.’ She waved his comment aside. ‘We’re just friends. Good friends.’

Joe made a face that told her he didn’t believe a word of it.

She rolled her eyes. ‘It is possible for men and women to be just friends, you know. Look at you and me.’

‘That’s different,’ Joe said, sounding smug. ‘We’re colleagues.’

‘Matt’s like my brother,’ Kelsey protested.

‘Hmm. I don’t look at my sister like that. And she doesn’t look at me like that either.’

‘Like what?’ she asked.

Joe shrugged. ‘Work it out for yourself, Brains.’

She flapped a hand at him again. ‘Maggie’s obviously dragged you to too many girly films lately. You’re fantasising.’

‘You,’ Joe said sweetly, ‘need to come back from Egypt.’

‘What?’

‘Out of denial. De Nile,’ he added, to ram his point home further.

Kelsey didn’t dignify the corny old joke with a reply. Of course she wasn’t in love—or even lust—with Matt Fraser. She had red blood in her veins so, just like any other woman, she could appreciate how good-looking he was. Blond, slightly shaggy hair; broad shoulders and toned body from all the physical work he did; stunning blue eyes and a smile that brightened any room. But it was the same way she’d appreciate a good-looking guy in a TV ad. Matt was her best friend. Her housemate. And that was all.

Wasn’t it?

‘HARVEY MITCHELL, aged thirty-two. Cut out of a car at RTC.’ Matt went through the rest of the handover to the registrar on the way through to Resus, detailing the action they’d taken at the scene and the pain relief they’d given already. ‘Query c-spine injury, complained of pains in leg, and his foot was trapped under a pedal.’

‘OK, we’ll take it from here.’ Janice Horton, the registrar, smiled at him. ‘Cheers, Matt.’