The shrilling screech of metal scraping pavement pierced Sam’s head. “Shit! Not again!” She watched the number-thirteen car slam into the barrier and immediately took off toward the pit truck. Racing across the Sonoma Raceway track, she couldn’t take her eyes off the crash. No way in hell would she lose her brother today.
“Don’t blow!” she shouted, watching twisted metal rip from the mangled machine and fly across the roadway. The first high-speed impact. The car was moving at an incredible speed, and more collisions would come.
The packed stands cleared as the car shot across the track without slowing, smashing into the side barrier. After skidding across the asphalt again after the impact, the car finally stopped. The engine burst into flames—Sam’s worst nightmare. Soon the whole car would be engulfed. Her heart hammered and her vision tunneled as she sprang into action, speeding to the mangled race car. Dead or alive, she wouldn’t leave Tommy to burn.
Heat radiated through the windshield, the intensity of the blaze unreal. Please don’t die, please don’t die.
She jammed her foot down onto the brake and halted the truck. It bucked as she bolted from it.
Her father’s voice screamed through her headset, “Damn it, Samantha, stay back! Let the emergency team get him!”
She searched the track for the fire truck. “Wait? Are you crazy? It’s gonna blow.” She refused to leave this to someone else. Tommy would be dead before they even got close. She ripped the headset from her head, her scalp stinging as a tangled wad of hair went with it.
Her eyes and nostrils burned as she ran toward the inferno, the scorching heat unbearable. She turned her head down track. The fire crew would never make it in time.
Sam had no choice but to act—NOW. She shut her eyes for an instant, steeling herself for what would come. Then, with no more hesitation, she reached through the window, groping for the harness release.
“Fuck!” She hissed a breath through her teeth. The searing hot metal of the buckle blistered her fingertips. Pain shot across her skin, nearly knocking her off her feet. Fumbling through her pockets, she took out a red bandanna, wrapped it around her hand, and reached back into the car. She popped the harness button and yanked the straps from Tommy’s unresponsive body. She hauled him through the window with all her strength, and his weight took them both to the ground.
“Stay with me, Tommy. We’re halfway there.” Sam pulled herself up, dug in with her heels, and dragged him across the asphalt backward. An explosive pop blew her to the ground again. She knew that sound too well. The car would explode any second. Heaving Tommy to one side, she rolled on top of him to shield him from the blast.
Ow! Pain seared through her. She stared at her leg and panicked. Fire! She slapped the spreading flames, a useless tactic. Sam tugged at her racing-suit zipper but realized her mistake. Without the added protection, she’d be toast. She couldn’t expose herself to the flames.
She fell to her knees and the car exploded again, blowing her to the ground headfirst. Sam raked her hand across her splitting head. Blurry eyed, she tried to see her fingers, barely able to focus. Covered in blood, her hand shook. No hope for them now.
Blinking, she saw the stream of suds spewing from the fire hose. Flames swallowed the foam flying silently through the air before it even touched the car.
She made out black boots in the distance. More firemen. Raising her arm, she shouted, “Over here.” But they didn’t turn. She shouted again. Still no response. Was her voice working? Only a deafening, high-pitched tone rang in her ears.
Looking over at her brother, Sam stared at his vacant face. She touched his cheek and shivered. It was cold. She was too late. She blinked again, trying to maintain focus. Forgive me, Tommy. Her vision faded and everything went black.
* * *
A constant beep forced Sam to pull her weighted eyelids apart. The lingering stench of heated pavement slowly dissipated, replaced by an antiseptic smell. The new odor produced an overwhelming feeling of relief.
White walls, window, TV. Too much noise. She turned her head, following the annoying sound. Heart monitor. She was in the hospital.
“Where’s Tommy?” Her words were muffled.
“Hang on there, little lady.” Ray pulled the oxygen mask from her face.
“Tommy? Is he okay?” Her voice didn’t sound right. It was low, and rough. Probably from the smoke.
“He’s alive,” he said, his upbeat tone contradicting his sober expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothin’.” He still wasn’t smiling.
Ray was her best friend—he wouldn’t lie to her. Tommy must be alive, but something was definitely wrong.
“Ray, tell me straight. What’s going on?”
Ray’s eyes skittered anxiously. “His neck is broken.”
“Oh my God.”
“He’s paralyzed.”
“Permanently?”
“Not sure. The doc says they have to wait for the swelling to go down. See how bad the nerves were damaged.”
Crazy thoughts flew through her mind. Did I do this? Would Tommy have been okay if I hadn’t pulled him out? Her blood pressure spiked and the machine alarm whined.
“Settle down, Samantha.” Her father’s thunderous voice shot through her. She hadn’t seen him until now. He must have been sitting in the corner chair.
“Where is he, Paddy?”
“A couple doors down.” Ray turned slightly as Paddy stood. “Your dad’s been up with him most of the night.”
“What happened?”
“The crash probably caused the damage, but they can’t say for certain.” Paddy raked his hand down his red-freckled face. “Why’d you rush in there like that, Samantha? I told you to stay back.” His voice rumbled. He wasn’t holding his anger very well today.
“The car was on fire, Paddy.” She held her tone steady, trying not to provoke him. “It was going to explode.”
He grabbed the bed rail, twisting his hands around it. “You should’ve waited for the rescue crew.”
“The fire trucks were nowhere in sight.”
“I know you did the best you could, Samantha.” His tone softened. “But—”
“But what, Paddy? I got him out of the car.” She raised her voice, and his eyes narrowed.
“If you’d waited, he might not be paralyzed.” The bed shook as he released the rail.
“I wasn’t going to let my brother burn up in that car.” The tortured moments in the fire scorched through her again.
“The boy can’t walk, Samantha.” He turned away muttering. “Force him to live like that for the rest of his life or…”
“Or what, Paddy? Let him die?
He let out a heavy breath. “I’m not sure this was the better choice.”
“Tommy would want to live. Paralyzed or not.” Sam couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Would her father really have let him burn to death?
“One thing’s for sure. He’ll never be able to race again.”
“That’s an awful thing to say.” She bolted up in the bed. Her backside burned, a rush of heat flooded her, and she thought she might throw up.
“Maybe we should come back later.” Ray slipped something long and round into her hand. “The nurse said to push this button when the pain gets too much. It’s morphine.”
She sank back against the bed and immediately pushed it multiple times. “When can I go back to work?”
“Let’s not worry about that,” her father said. “Ray can handle things for now.”
“How’s the car?”
“Totaled. We need a new one.”
“I have to get it ready.” She tried to swing her legs to the side of the bed but couldn’t. They felt like bricks.
“You’re going to stay right here for the next few days,” Paddy said.
“And Tommy?” Her words slurred. The medication was kicking in.
“I’m afraid he’ll have a much longer stay.” She saw the disappointment in Paddy’s face. Had she done the wrong thing? Was it her fault Tommy was paralyzed? At the time she was so sure she was doing what had to be done.
Her mind faded into a haze, her eyelids heavy again.
* * *
The warmth was gone. She reached for the blanket. No blanket. She forced her eyes open. Large nurse, hovering above.
“Time to get you up and out of bed.” The nurse took Sam’s hands, gently pulling her into a sitting position. “Can you swing those legs off the bed for me?”
Nodding, Sam took in a deep breath and searched the bed for the morphine button to squelch the pain. No button. She followed the tube in her arm to the saline hanging from the pole. No morphine.
The irritating beep was gone, but Sam was still on edge. “What time is it?” She hauled her legs to the side, found them much lighter now.
“It’s almost nine. You slept well last night.”
After wrapping a light cotton robe around Sam’s shoulders, the nurse prompted her to lift her dangling feet before sliding a pair of slippers on them.
“Can I see my brother?”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” The nurse transferred the IV bag from the bed to a portable IV pole.
“Please. I need to see him.” A young woman dressed in purple scrubs and a white lab coat slid the glass door aside and entered the room. Sam wasn’t sure who she was, but this was overkill. “I can get out of bed myself.”
“Go for it.” The woman raised her eyebrows. “I’d like to see what you can do.”
Sam eyeballed the nurse. “Nice attitude.”
“This is Jade Barnes, our resident physical therapist.”
Sam took a double take. The woman didn’t look old enough to be out of high school.
“She wants to see her brother,” the nurse said.
Feeling Jade’s gaze rake across her, Sam shot her a demanding stare.
Jade gave her a subtle smile. “Maybe for just a minute.”
Sam stretched her legs to the floor, and pain shot up her backside. Fighting to catch her breath, she stumbled forward, grabbing the IV pole.
“Take it easy.” The nurse held her steady. “You need to do things a little slower for a while.”
She sucked in a deep breath, letting it shudder out. “Which way?”
“I’ll take you.” Jade tried to grasp her arm, but Sam flinched.
“I don’t need your help.” As she pulled herself upright with the IV pole, her stomach roiled and lodged in her throat. “Just tell me where he is.”
“Out the door and to the right.” Jade offered her arm to steady her.
Sam ignored it, leaning on the IV pole instead.
“I heard you were a tough one.”
Sam glared at her.
“It takes a lot of courage to pull someone out of a burning car.” Jade’s tone softened, the admiration in her voice sounding sincere.
“He’s my brother.”
“You saved his life, you know?”
“I paralyzed him.”
“No, you didn’t.” Jade stepped in front of her. “His neck was broken in the crash.”
“But I made it worse.”
“You couldn’t have done anything to prevent it.”
“Do you know that for sure?”
“Ninety-nine percent certain,” Jade said, moving to her side, continuing down the hallway.
Sam almost believed her. There was still that one percent.
Jade stopped before they reached the door. “You need to know a couple things before you go in.”
“I’m all ears.” Sam propped her shoulder against the wall for support. Walking wasn’t as easy as she’d thought it would be.
“He’s wearing what we call a halo vest. It’s a little daunting at first sight, but it’s not a permanent fixture. It’s only there to keep him immobile.”
“That’s all you can do for him?”
“The only other option was to do surgery right away and fuse the broken bones with metal pins, wires, and bone grafts. He was in pretty bad shape when he came in. The doctor didn’t want to risk surgery.”
It was more serious than Sam thought. Her brother would probably never walk again.
“We’re hoping he’ll regain some upper-body movement by letting some of the nerves grow back together. In order to do that he has to stay perfectly still. Understood?” She raised her eyebrows, waiting for a response.
“Understood.”
Rounding the corner, Sam saw her semi-conscious brother. No burns or scrapes. He appeared to be perfectly normal except for the rigid frame locked around his head, neck, and chest. Sharp spikes twisted through his scalp into his skull. It had to be painful.
“I sure did it this time, didn’t I, Sammy?” Reality dampened her brother’s usual playful tone. “I guess Lucky Thirteen’s good fortune ran out.”
She couldn’t stop the tears. “I’m so sorry, Tommy.”
“I’ll be okay, sis.” He gave her a loving smile. “But from now on, you’re gonna have to do the driving.”
“No driving for at least a month,” Jade spouted, following Sam in with the rolling IV pole.
“Who are you, my mother?” Tommy asked, grinning.
“Worse. I’m your physical therapist.” She gave him a don’t-mess-with-me look before glancing over at Sam. “Are you okay?”
Sam nodded.
Without hesitation, Jade grabbed Sam’s hand and placed it on the bed railing. “I’ll be right back. You two visit for a few minutes.”
“I’ll be counting every second.” Tommy shot her a wink.
“Hold that thought.” Heading to the door, Jade smiled. “After a few days of therapy, you’ll never want to see me again.”
“Look at you. Flat on your back and still flirting.” Sam took his hand and squeezed it. He didn’t squeeze back. He couldn’t feel her. She swallowed hard, fighting back the tears.
“What can I say? The girls love me.”
“Has Erica been in to see you?” Sam didn’t like his soon-to-be other half. She’d swooped in six months ago and dug her claws in deep. Now Sam was afraid Tommy would realize the woman was made of pure greed.
“She stopped by this morning. Didn’t stay long.”
“Not taking it well?” Pain shot through her leg. Sam let Tommy’s hand drop and gripped the bed rail.
“Not taking it at all.”
“I don’t know what to say, Tommy.” That wasn’t true. For starters, she could say I told you so. The woman was a gold-digging bitch.
“You don’t have to say anything. I’m not stupid, Sammy. I knew what kind of woman she was when we met.” He gave her a wicked smile. “We both got what we wanted.”
“Life goes on, I suppose.”
“It sure does. Don’t blink, or you might miss it.” He clamped his lips together into a half-hearted smile. “Besides, I’ve got this pretty little physical therapist to spend my time with now.”
Jade walked back into the room shaking her head. “You might not feel the same about me next week.”
Sam took a good look at her. Even without heels, Sam towered over the woman. Considering Sam’s five-foot-nine frame, that wasn’t unusual. Jade brushed back her dark, shoulder-length hair, and Sam caught a glimpse of a small heart-shaped tattoo on her neck just behind her multi-pierced ear.
“You ready to go back to your room?”
“Yeah. My leg’s hurting a little.” That was a lie. The pain was throbbing up and down her entire backside. She could barely stand.
“Just a little?”
Grabbing hold of the IV pole, Sam clenched her jaw. “That’s what I said.”
When they reached the doorway, Jade stepped in front of her and held eye contact. “I’m your therapist too. You need to be truthful with me.”
“It hurts like hell. Is that what you want to hear?” she whispered, trying not to let Tommy overhear. “Can you get me a wheelchair?”
“Coming right up.” Jade slipped down the hall and came racing back with one. “I’ll order something for the pain as soon as we get you back into bed.”
“Why’d you take me off that machine?” Sam winced, lowering herself into the seat.
“I don’t want you to be in pain, but you need to be coherent. We have a lot of work ahead of us if you want to get out of here sooner rather than later.”
“The sooner the better.”
On their way out the door, Jade glanced over her shoulder at Tommy. “After I take care of your sister, I’ll be back to see you.”
“That sounds promising.”
Sam watched her cock her head as though she was going to give him a stinging retort, but instead she clamped her mouth shut.
“Your brother’s some kind of Romeo, huh?”
“Take it easy on him. I think he lost his fiancée this morning.”
“The blonde?”
Sam nodded.
“I’ll save my banter for later in the week when he’s just starting to hate me.” She rounded the corner into the room. “So what do you think happened with the car? Steering-column failure?”
Sam glared up at her. That was an odd question coming from a therapist.
“I’m a fan. Cars are a hobby of mine.”
She should have guessed. Jade was a track junkie gone straight. “I won’t know until I get out of here and take a look at the car.”
“I bet it was the steering column. It probably locked up.”
“You said that, not me.”
“You won’t even hazard a guess?”
“That would be unprofessional.”
“Come on. That’s what you’re going to check first, right?”
Sam narrowed her eyes. “You should really keep your mouth shut. Rumors get started that way.”
Jade tried to help her into bed. Sam waved her off, slapping her hand accidentally. “Sorry. It’s easier if I do it myself.” After climbing in, she closed her eyes momentarily, trying to stifle the pain. “Can you get me that pain medication now?”
“Sure. Be right back.”
The woman was asking questions more like a racing official than a physical therapist. She was trying to make Sam admit something she didn’t know, but to admit something was mechanically wrong with the car would be professional suicide. She’d be blocked for the rest of her career. She would never admit anything like that to anyone, under any circumstances.