“Babe,” he said, dropping kisses on her face. “Wake up. I need you.” Sparks from the Jaws of Life rained down on them. Nick drew the blanket up to protect her face.

Twenty minutes later, the firefighters peeled back the side of the car. Hands landed on Nick’s shoulders.

“Take her first,” he said.

“We need to get you out so we can reach her, Senator.”

Nick kissed her cold lips. “The paramedics are going to take me now, but I’ll wait for you outside.”

He had never felt more helpless than he did leaving her unconscious in the car. Once he was on a gurney, paramedics swarmed around him, assessing his injuries. He couldn’t see what was happening with Sam. “I’m fine,” he said, trying to sit up. His head swam, his side felt like it had been stabbed with a knife, and his shoulder seemed disconnected from the rest of him.

“Whoa, Senator.” One of the paramedics held him down. “You have to stay still.”

“I need to see her!”

“We’re taking good care of her. Don’t worry.”

Don’t worry. Sure. “Gonzo!”

“Right here, Senator.”

“What’s going on with Sam?”

“The paramedics are working on her.”

“Did they get her out?”

“Not yet. Looks like they’re stabilizing her before they move her.”

“God,” Nick whispered. “Don’t let her die. Please don’t let her die. If she does, I will, too.”

Gonzo placed a hand on Nick’s uninjured shoulder. “Hang in there, man. She’s tough. She’s going to be fine.”

Nick wanted to believe him, but the hitch he heard in Gonzo’s voice told him he wasn’t the only one who was frightened for her.

They were transported in separate ambulances. Halfway to the hospital, Nick’s lung collapsed. He’d never, in all his life, experienced pain quite like that. As he gasped for air, the paramedics moved quickly to insert a chest tube to re-inflate his lung. The minute he could breathe again, he asked what was happening with Sam.

“She’s stable, Senator.”

“Is she awake?”

“Not yet.”

Nick realized his mouth had dried up, and his head buzzed. “What’d you give me?” His tongue suddenly felt too big for his mouth.

“Something for the pain.”

“Don’t give me any more. I need to stay alert.”

“It’s gonna be bad.”

“No meds.” Nick tried to move his left arm and gritted his teeth against the agony. “Will you call and check on her? Please?”

The older of the two paramedics nodded to his partner who reached for his radio.

“Nothing new,” the younger paramedic reported a few minutes later.