Saving the Wedding by Nicole Dennis
Book 7 in the Southern Charm series
General Release Date: 10th May 2022
Word Count: 102,663
Book Length: SUPER PLUS NOVEL
Pages: 430
Genres:
CONTEMPORARY,EROTIC ROMANCE,GAY,GLBTQI
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Book Description
Out of the swirling mix of secrets and a hurricane, can love survive?
Two years later, part of the Charm family, Gavin Hartfield creates magical memories and events. One of those weddings will be for the Charm’s owners, Samuel Ashford and Dakota Mitchell, if they ever make up their minds. The other one for his ex-boyfriend and his new partner. In the middle of all this, he keeps tangling with a tattooed brusque EMT.
Xavier “Gray” Grayson feels a bit on the outside looking in when it comes to the collection of Charm men. He envies all of them finding love. Pushing his non-existent sex life filled with one-nights at clubs aside, he runs through life as an EMT and college student pushing to better himself. Running along the beach and trails become his relief and sanctuary. Until he keeps tripping over the new event coordinator.
An incoming hurricane takes aim at Shore Breeze. The town braces for the impact. Plans falter and change. Will life, love, and a wedding follow these changes?
Grayson heard the radio call come through.
“Base, this is SB-P2 on scene.”
“SB-P2, report.”
“Two-car accident at South Zephyr Road by the corner of A-3 and the cinema. Possible injuries. Require EMT. Request back-up assistance to restrict access to the crime scene and onlookers.”
“Set the perimeter. Control the crowd. Additional responders are on their way.”
“On top of it. SB-P2 out.”
Immediately alert, Xavier ‘Gray’ Grayson listened. All the while, adrenaline raced through his blood to prepare him for the upcoming scene. Even as the chief paramedic, he went through a two-days-on and one-day-off shift. While it seemed a little chaotic to most folks with a regular day job, Xavier was used to the hours. This week he was on day shifts but would soon shift back to nights with the next rotation. On top of this schedule, he also went to college to pursue his nursing degree.
“Let’s go. That’s our call,” Xavier called out to his EMT partner and good friend, Norman Perry.
“Crazy amount of calls for a summer afternoon,” Norman muttered.
“Complain. Complain. We could be back in a pandemic.”
“No thank you! Never again!”
They climbed into the rig and within minutes were on scene. Norman reported their status.
Stepping out, Xavier snapped his blue gloves in place and checked out the entire situation.
In the first car, the driver extracted himself from his broken vehicle. He kept one hand pressed against his bleeding temple to staunch the blood. He cursed while he circled his car, inspected the damage and tugged out his phone. With only one hand, he tapped something on the screen but appeared to just be taking pictures.
The male driver of the second car remained behind the wheel. The front and driver’s side windows were smashed. Bits of shattered glass scattered across the road. The shards sparkled like diamonds in the morning sun. He moaned, belched in a loud disgusting fashion and whined.
“Shit, we have a damn drunk,” Norman muttered.
More screaming and high-pitched crying.
“The cars aren’t the only accident. Something else happened. Something worse,” Xavier said.
As if proving his words true, someone screamed out, “Here! We need help over here!”
Xavier turned his head at the cries.
“SB-P2 to Base, secondary scene active. Additional injuries. On my way to secondary scene,” the deputy said. He rushed around the front of the smashed vehicles to the smaller group. “Gray! Norm! Over here!” He waved to alert the EMTs.
“Go ahead. I’ll get the gurney,” Norman said.
Xavier raced across the chaos, his bag in hand, and followed the deputy.
Together, they discovered the second scene. This one involved a small bicycle mangled underneath the wheels of the first car. The thin frame of a preteen boy was sprawled across the pavement and sidewalk, his limbs bent in odd ways. There was a slight glistening of blood.
Two more boys with their bicycles stood by their friend. Tears streamed down their faces. The taller blond boy waved to get their attention.
“The car. The car swerved. It hit… It hit Adam. We didn’t see it coming. We had the light to use the crosswalk,” the boy called out in between hiccups and sobs. “He’s hurt. He’s hurt bad. Ya gotta help him.”
“Base, SB-P2 on second scene. Adolescent victim. Male. How old is Adam?” the cop asked.
“Twelve. We’re twelve.” The boy snuffled and swiped the back of his hand against his snotty nose. “We were heading home after a movie.”
“Age twelve,” the cop relayed the information on his radio. “Was on a bicycle. Crossed with light at crosswalk. Side-swiped by car. Located under front bumper of first car with bicycle. EMT Grayson with me.”
“Update. We’ll give immediate EMT attention and evac to the boy. Alert clinic to send second bus for the drivers,” Xavier said after a quick assessment.
The cop repeated Gray’s attention to the dispatcher.
“Copy, SB-P2. Responders alerted to changes. Clinic on notice.”
Additional sirens wailed. More patrol cars arrived on scene, surrounding it. Deputies stepped out, and each went to work on a specific task. Multiple deputies corralled the onlookers. Three others rolled out and secured the yellow crime scene tape at different points to block everyone. They used it to contain the scene and possible evidence. The Crime Scene SUV arrived, and the familiar face of Keegan Donaghue slid out to survey the area. Other deputies moved through the crowd, probably to locate witnesses, while the remaining deputies assisted the accident victims.
Xavier concentrated on the wounded boy. Then he lowered his gear and crouched next to the victim. Norman followed him with the rest.
Keegan joined them but quietly took his pictures from multiple angles without interrupting anything. He set a marker next to the bicycle and another one close to the boy’s position. Then he pulled back to another section of the massive scene to begin the rest of his work.
“Hey there, my name is Gray,” Xavier said to the groggy boy. “Can you tell me your name?”
“Adam. His name is Adam,” his teary friend said.
“Thanks. And what about you?”
“Jaime. This is Morgan.”
The third boy wiggled his fingers at his name.
“Hi, Jaime, Morgan. I’m Gray, and this is Norman. We’re going to take care of Adam. Okay?”
Jaime sniffed up tears and snot, then he rubbed his lower arm under his nose. “’Kay.”
“Good. Jaime, Morgan, I need you to listen to the officer here while I help Adam. Okay? He’s going to ask you some questions about what happened, and I need both of you to tell him the truth. Don’t be afraid to tell him everything, because anything could help Adam. Okay?”
“’Kay.” Jamie stepped closer to the officer.
Morgan moved to the officer’s other side. “He gonna be okay?”
“That’s what I’m going to figure out.”
“Step back over here with me, boys. Jamie, how about you tell me how the day started?” the officer said while pulling out his pad and pen. He led them back a few steps.
Xavier went through his primary assessment. He checked Adam’s airway, breathing and circulation. He felt concerned at the boy’s quiet, slow responses to his questions.
Passing the drivers to another pair of paramedics, Norman comforted the almost-hysterical children and double-checked their health. Leaving the deputy in charge of them once it was clear they weren’t hurt, the EMT returned to assist Xavier. “What do we have?”
“Suspect a head injury, possible spine damage. Need a child-size neck brace,” Xavier ordered. “Adam, we need to wrap a special brace around your neck to protect it. It’s a little uncomfortable, but we need to do this.”
“’Kay,” Adam mumbled.
“Responses are slow, simple, repetitive. He’s not fully answering anything,” Xavier said and went through his secondary assessment while Norman secured the brace. This detailed head-to-toe assessment took in everything during the physical examination. He noted any changes in the skin, flicked a small light to check the pupil response, listened to the chest sounds, palpated the abdomen and moved his hands to check for any pain, tenderness and deformities. Together, they untangled the boy from the bicycle. Xavier placed pads against the wounds on both lower legs and secured them in braces, noting possible broken bones.
After the second assessment, Norman nodded. “I concur with the head injury.”
“Right. Recheck his vitals every ten minutes.” Xavier adjusted the backboard. “Get ready to move him.”
Norman checked and rattled off the vitals.
“Load and go. We need to get him to the clinic.”
Together, they rolled Adam carefully to his least-wounded side and strapped him to the backboard. Adam cried out in pain. With a pair of deputies, they lifted and secured the board to the gurney.
A woman appeared within the crowd. “Adam! Adam!” Frantic, agonized fear cracked her voice.
The boy opened his eyes, bleary, darkened with pain. “Mommy!”
“Adam!” The screaming mother shoved past everyone in her desperate attempt to reach him.
Two deputies moved to intercept and keep her away from the scene.
“No, that’s my son! Adam!” she screamed.
“The EMTs are working on him, ma’am. Let them help Adam,” the deputy said.
“Adam! Baby, Mommy’s here. Okay, baby, Mommy’s here.”
“Mommy…” Adam said.
Xavier softened his expression. Grateful to get a response out of the boy, he stopped the gurney next to the opened doors. Then he checked over Adam once more. He went through all the vitals. “Hey, Adam, remember me?”
“Gray. Like the color.”
“That’s right. I need to ask a few more questions.”
“’Kay.”
“How old are you, Adam?”
“Twelve…and a half.”
“Twelve and a half. Wow. Were you at the movies with your friends?”
“Yeah. Saw My Little Pony movie. Summer special. Dollar.” Adam’s voice was thick with slurred words.
The symptom warned Xavier that something was happening within Adam’s brain.
“Did you like it?”
“Yeah.”
“Who is your favorite pony?”
“Rainbow Dash.”
“Nice choice. I’m more like Fluttershy, because I enjoy caring for others.”
“You like ponies?”
“Love them.”
“But you’re big.”
“Doesn’t matter. Still like the ponies. I’m a proud ‘brony’.” Xavier checked the boy’s pressure, not liking how it had dropped. “How are you feeling, Adam?”
“Hurt. Want Mommy.”
“I know, and we’ll get her over here.” Xavier flicked his penlight in Adam’s eyes and noted the change in the pupils. “Where is your helmet, Adam?”
“Forgot. Home. Mommy gonna be mad.”
“It happens. You didn’t want to be late for the movie. Can you tell me where you don’t feel good? Or can you point to where it hurts?”
Adam blinked, tried to move, but tears filled his eyes. “Uh-huh.”
“Okay. What’s happening?”
“Can’t move. Hurts.”
“Okay. Everything will be okay, Adam. I know you’re scared.”
“Mommy?”
“We’ll get her.” Xavier placed a hand on the boy’s hair to offer comfort. “A lot is going to happen, but I’m not leaving your side. Your mom will be there, too,” he said. “The same thing will happen at the clinic. A lot of lights, people asking questions, and activity, but all of it will help you get better. Okay?”
“’Kay.” The boy paused, blinked and looked away. After a long moment, he returned his vacant gaze to Xavier. “Scared. Mommy…”
“I know.” Xavier looked at his partner. “We need to go. Definitely a head injury, no helmet. Don’t like the look of his legs. Get the mom here and explain what’s happening. You drive. I’ll stay with him.”
“Got it!” Norman raced away to find the mother.
“We’re moving out,” Xavier said to the cops. “Clear a path.”
“On it,” a deputy said. A bunch of them moved ahead to push the crowds farther away from their path to the clinic.
“We got a short ride, Adam, so we’ll be there in a quick minute,” Xavier said.
Xavier moved the gurney into place until it hit the back to collapse the legs and he pushed it inside. After Norman returned with the mom, he helped her step up and pointed out the extra jump-seat. “Buckle in, please.”
“Thank you. Adam, baby, I’m here. I’m here,” she said while she moved. She dipped down to kiss his forehead.
“Mommy!”
“I know, baby. Hang on.”
Xavier climbed up but paused to glance across the crowd. His gaze stopped on a pair of baby-blue eyes. He lowered his study for a second to catch sight of the bow tie and suspenders. Then he held the baby-blue stare for another moment.
Gavin. That’s his name. The wedding guy. What is he doing here?
With a shake of his head, Xavier closed the doors and concentrated again on young Adam while Norman drove them away.
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Nicole Dennis
Ever the quiet one growing up, Nicole Dennis often slid away from reality and curled up with a book to slip into the worlds of her favorite authors. Over the years, she’s created a personal library full of novels filled with dragons, fairies, vampires, shapeshifters of all kinds and romance. Always she returned to romance. Still, there were these characters in her head, worlds wanting to be built on paper, and stories wanting to be told and she began writing them down whether during or after class. She continues to this day. Only recently has it begun to become fruitful, spreading out to let others read and enter her worlds, meet her characters, and see what she sees. No matter what she writes, her stories of romance with their twists of paranormal, fantasy and erotica will always have their Happily Ever Afters.
She currently works in a quiet office in Central Florida, where she also makes her home, and enjoys the down time to slip into her characters and worlds to escape reality from time to time. At home, she becomes human slave to a semi-demonic tortie calico.
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