Dead on Arrival Read Online Free PDF Page A

leaned back slowly, took a dramatic sip of coffee, and paused.
    The room hushed.
    Even my heart beat faster, and I wondered if everyone could hear it. Poor Buzz looked as if he’d pass out.
    ER then took a long Barney Fife kind of sniff and said, “It’s about freaking savin’ lives.”
    ER Dano then sipped at his black coffee, which still steamed from his mug with an insignia of a red devil on it, and didn’t look as if the liquid burned his mouth in the least.
    Somehow that didn’t surprise me. Intrigued? Yep. Surprised? Nope.
    Still no one made a sound. I couldn’t help but stare at him.
    The guy was tall. About an inch over Jagger. I could tell by the way he lounged in the chair. Hair a bit shorter than Jagger’s and a deep brown. More slender than Jagger, but not too thin, and ER Dano definitely worked out. A lot.
    â€œAs a nurse, Nightingale, you’ll be assigned to patients that need the special care. Mostly on transport,” ER Dano said, and I sat at attention immediately. “For now, you’re just a ride-a-long.”
    â€œFine,” I mumbled. I had to chuckle at his term of endearment for me until I looked at Jagger.
    He looked pissed!
    My chuckle turned into a grin—a naughty grin that I wanted Jagger to notice. “This is all new to me,” I said, “so riding along for orientation will work fine. I’d also like to get a feel for how the company works.” I watched him to see if there was any indication that he might be involved in any fraud, but so far all I got was attitude. A bad attitude. The longer he talked to Jagger, the more I was convinced that ER Dano was a lifer here—but burned out worse than I’d been from my nursing career.
    Clearly Dano had gone up in flames a long time ago.
    â€œYou sit here, Nightingale,” ER said to me while pointing to the bench in the back of the ambulance.
    My first thought was of motion sickness, but when I looked at the cocky paramedic, I refused to let myself even entertain that nauseous thought. I would sit in the back and not get sick.
    From the corner of my eye, I could see Jagger grinning. He was enjoying this so, again, I had to be “big” about it and not complain—even though I’d kill to sit up front.
    And believe me, between the cockiness of ER Dano and good ol’ Jagger, I’d be glad to “off” at least one of them, if not both.
    I sat on the bench directly across from the empty stretcher, said a silent prayer to St. Theresa for the power of anti-nausea, and strapped myself in.
    Suddenly the ambulance zoomed out of the parking lot, and all I could think of was the ones you watched in a cartoon—balanced on two wheels!
    ER Dano was some character.
    This case might be fun…if I lived through this first aspect of it today!

Four
    I leaned over the sink in the staff’s washroom of TLC Ambulance and splashed cold water over my face. Had to in order to settle my stomach, which ER Dano’s driving had managed to slosh up into my throat.
    â€œUgh,” I muttered.
    â€œHello, chérie ?” Lilla said, coming in the door.
    I looked to the side to make sure no one followed her in. “That ER guy is a pip.”
    She grinned, winked, and said, “That he is.”
    Oh boy. Maybe Lilla could be useful in getting info from him since he was the longest-term employee around here. Dano was pretty hot, and it seemed as if Lilla thought so too. Then again, so did I, and Lilla’d had four husbands already! I mean, fair is fair.
    Maybe I wouldn’t suggest Dano to her.
    Slowly I lifted my head toward the mirror. “Geez. I look like crap.”
    Lilla remained silent. I looked closer at myself. Oh well, she was right.
    â€œDo you have plans for lunch, chérie ?”
    I groaned. Lunch? Who asks a vomiting woman if she wants lunch? Then again, Lilla didn’t know about my ride—very similar to a Disney roller coaster