Chapter 21

Assessing the injuries he could see on the driver of the van, AJ knew she needed immediate attention. The crying baby in the sideways car seat appeared unhurt, just frightened from what had happened. He heard the siren of an ambulance approaching and glanced at his watch in amazement. It had been less than seven minutes since his call. Glancing out the windshield of the van he saw the ambulance pull to a stop and the driver get out. Calling out to the man, AJ motioned him over. "We need to get this woman out of here, probably through the windshield would be best. I can cover her from the broken glass while you do that."

"We weren't responding to this call Sir, we have a passenger!" the driver exclaimed. "But I couldn't just not stop."

"Is your passenger stable?"

"Yes, we have a woman in labor," the driver replied.

AJ sighed and said the words he hated to, "I've delivered babies before, there are people here that need immediate care, starting with this woman."

The driver hurried back to the ambulance and came back with a tire iron and the other EMT. AJ covered the unconscious woman with his body as they broke the windshield. When it was safe to, he reached out and cut her seatbelt off of her with his pocketknife. He gently slid her into his arms and as carefully as possible passed her into the hands of the waiting EMT's.

As the two began treating the woman, AJ crawled back into the van and freed the crying little boy. AJ guessed him to be between ten months and a year old as he checked him over for broken bones or injuries. Almost as soon as he was free from his car seat, the baby stopped crying and when he saw his grandmother, he reached out his arms for her. AJ handed him over, assuring her that he was all right. As she sobbed out her thanks, she couldn't take her eyes off her daughter on the stretcher.

Informing the EMT's of the driver with the broken leg and then Luna's condition, but he added that they would need the jaws-of-life to get her out. They had just started putting the injured in the ambulance when the rescue team that had been dispatched at AJ's call arrived. AJ was glad he wouldn't be left to deliver another baby, this time on the side of the road!

He moved back to Luna's car, not aware that she had seen all he'd done. Kneeling down next to her, he softly said her name. Even before she turned to look at him, he could see that there were tears on her cheek. "Luna, are you in pain?"

"Not really, it's just a bit hard to breath," she answered.

"Then why are you crying, my dear?"

"Because I saw what you did out there, and you're a hero as well as being kind and thoughtful and handsome!"

With a bewildered chuckle he asked, "And why would that make you cry?"

"Because, that will just make it all the harder when you stop calling me!"

"Luna, the only reason I would stop calling you, was if there was no reason to," AJ assured her.

She didn't have time to ask him what he meant by that because the rescue crew approached the car and AJ had to move aside so they could free her. It didn't take long once they started, but because AJ had been the one to call in the accident report as well as the information on the red SUV, he was busy giving his statement when they loaded Luna into an ambulance along with the pregnant woman and whisked them away.

By the time he was allowed to leave the scene it was already getting dark. His uniform was filthy as well as having several bloodstains on it. His dry cleaner was going to love this! Not wanting to make the long trip home to change clothes before going to the hospital to see Luna, he pulled up at a gas station. Taking the emergency bag he kept in the Escalade into the washroom, he changed clothes. Stopping at the hospital gift shop for flowers because it was the only place open at that hour, AJ was not impressed with the selection they had. In the end he chose a bouquet of red carnations, which he knew meant 'admiration' and headed to her room.

The nurse at the desk told him that visiting hours were over in just thirty minutes, so he couldn't stay long. Giving her his best smile, AJ promised her he wouldn't.

To be continued…