Sully slipped out when the EMTs arrived and jogged back across the street to his car. It was still running, the keys in the ignition and the door wide open. He slid in behind the steering wheel, then shut the door and took a deep breath.

For someone who’d just left the Kansas City Fire Department, this was a hell of a way to start retirement. When he saw an ambulance leaving the scene, he followed it to the ER. His shoulder hurt like hell, and he was pretty sure whatever had hit him was still in it.

* * *

Melissa was in shock. The ambulance ride had felt surreal, and even after they transferred her from the gurney to a bed in the ER, she couldn’t believe this had happened. People were all around her as they began assessing her condition, talking to one another and then asking her rapid-fire questions about what hurt and what didn’t until her head was spinning.

She had the headache from hell. Her eyes were burning, and it hurt to breathe in too deeply. She didn’t know if it was from smoke inhalation, the impact from the steering wheel, or a combination of both. She still didn’t know who’d hit her, and she didn’t know the man who’d saved her life. But a short while later, as they were taking the portable X-ray machine out of her room, she heard his voice again. This time it was coming from the room next to hers, and she was immediately curious.

“The man who saved me is in the next room, isn’t he?” Melissa asked.

Her nurse, Hope Talbot, hesitated to answer.

“I’m not sure who’s there, honey. I can check for you in a few minutes.”

“Thank you,” Melissa said. “Do I have a concussion? Can they tell if I have internal injuries from the X-rays?”

Hope noticed a little bit of drying blood in Melissa’s ear and wiped it out with a swab to make sure she wasn’t bleeding from the ear.

“Just a stray bit of blood from that cut on your head,” Hope said, then checked the gash on Melissa’s forehead that they’d just glued shut. “The test results will answer your questions, honey. Rest for now, and if you need me, remember to just ring this buzzer, okay?”

Melissa nodded, but as soon as Hope left her room, she swung her legs out of bed and sat up. It wasn’t as easy to move as she’d thought, and she had to steady herself until the room quit spinning. But as soon as she felt able, she slipped off the bed and headed next door.

The door was open, and the man who’d saved her was shirtless and sitting on the side of the bed. Dr. Quick was cleaning a cut on his back. The man wasn’t talking or moving, but his hands were clenched into fists, which meant he was likely hurting.

Melissa’s head was pounding as hard as her heart. Every muscle of his upper body was taut and lean, but she was too dizzy to admire the scenery and knocked to get their attention before walking into the room.