Endless as the Stars Read online

  Endless as the Stars

  By

  Domina Alexandra

  Endless as the Stars © 2021 Domina Alexandra

  Triplicity Publishing, LLC

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

  distributed, or transmitted in any form without permission.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the

  product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any

  resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments,

  events of any kind, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Edition – 2021

  Cover Design: Triplicity Publishing, LLC

  Interior Design: Triplicity Publishing, LLC

  Editor: Miranda Campbell - Triplicity Publishing, LLC

  Also by Domina Alexandra

  I Belong With Her

  A Night Claimed (Claimed Series book 1)

  Omega Rising (Claimed Series book 2)

  Love Undercover

  I’d like to thank Triplicity publishing for giving me a platform to

  share my stories. My editor, Miranda Campbell; you rock. Thanks for all

  your suggestions and catching anything that would take away from Tia and

  Carina’s story. And my three amazing friends, Marisol, Naomi, and Maria

  for helping me come up with options for a cover. Some suggestions will

  never be shared, but I know the ending was a success.

  I dedicate this book to every paramedic/emt partner out there in the

  medical emergency world and my personal best, Steve. There’s nothing

  more powerful than facing every call with someone you trust. And laughing

  through the ones you walk out baffled on. Anyone in the medical field

  knows what I’m talking about.

  Prologue

  “Get me out!” The aggression from the patient was heard loud and

  clear. He shook violently on the gurney, ankles and wrists placed in soft

  restraints. His face was flushed, eyes pinpointed from the drugs he’d been

  taking. “I swear…” he roared loud enough for Tia to wish for ear plugs. Tia

  tried never to place her patients in a box. It was a trap for treating her

  patients with addictions all the same or becoming indifferent to their

  situation.

  The ambulance drew to a stop, Tia sneaking a peek out the back

  double sided small windows. They were at a stop light. “Hey, Paul.

  Remember, we’re not the cops. We only have you in restraints for your

  protection as well as our own.”

  “That’s bull shit,” he sneered. He shook his arms, trying to break free.

  The gurney shook but never broke from its locked position.

  “You good back there?” Bruce called out. He twisted, checking for

  her response.

  Tia shifted forward so that he could see she was physically safe and

  gave a thumbs up just as their patient tried to grab her pants. “Whoa there,

  buddy.” Tia sat back on her seat. The ambulance began to move again, and

  she counted the seconds in her head until they’d arrive. Preferably soon.

  Since picking up their patient from the gas station and having the fire

  department assist them in putting him in restraints, her patient had not

  calmed down.

  “Can I check your vitals, Paul?” Tia held the blood pressure cuff up

  for him to see. She always asked for their permission.

  His face skewed into a new platform of rage. “No!”

  “We’re five minutes out,” Bruce shouted from up front.

  “Thanks.” Tia looked down at her patient. “You hear that. We’re

  almost there.”

  “I don’t want to go. Let me out!” Her patient continued to bellow.

  After the last word left his mouth his rage seemed to deplete, as if his mind

  suddenly switched gears. “Why do I have to go?” He asked in a pleading

  voice.

  Tia moved from the side of him to the captain’s chair directly behind

  him. She heard him begin to cry, groaning from his emotional agony. “Paul.

  You’re not well. We only want to help. Let us.” Tia picked up the intercom

  mic. “Hey Paul, I need to call the hospital, okay?” He continued to cry, and

  Tia took her chance to call the hospital before he went back to screaming.

  “This is Medic 111 to Unity Memorial.” As she gave her report, Tia

  watched as his hands squirmed around, trying to search for a new way out.

  He was about to burst into a new fit of rage and she advised the hospital to

  have security present.

  Finished, Tia slid around the gurney, sitting beside her patient again.

  “You’re taking me against my will,” her patient argued.

  After he tried to destroy the gas station and attack the employees, Tia

  knew he’d only have a few hours of freedom before the cops would come

  and arrest him in the hospital.

  “Let me out, now!” he bellowed. He tried to reach for her leg and

  then spit at her. Tia slid fast across the bench barely escaping his

  unsuccessful attempt.

  “Bruce,” Tia called out.

  “I read your mind partner. Give me one second.” Bruce pulled over

  and helped her place a spit bag over their patient’s head. No one wanted a

  spit bath.

  As she waited for her partner to come to the back, a headache began

  to emerge at the back of her head from all the emotions her patient

  expressed. She looked at the time on her wrist watch and sighed. Another 11

  hours to go in the start of her 12 hour shift.

  *

  “Bro…” Tia chuckled. “I seriously went to sleep with a dozen

  personalities in my head. I had a dream I was on a boat cruise with every

  one of our patients. Trapped.” Tia and Bruce were sitting at the dining room

  table connected to one side of the living room.

  Bruce took a bite of his burger just as Tia finished her story and began

  laughing in hysteria when she finished. She noticed his eyes widen as he

  coughed harshly. He was choking on his burger and stood, stomping his

  foot on the tiled floor as if that would help him cough it out.

  “Tia, help him,” Carina said, concerned as she saw her husband

  struggle to breathe.

  Bruce coughed two more times and then gasped as his wife patted

  him harshly on the back. She smacked his back again, not sensing that he’d

  recovered. “Ouch, babe.” He winced, arching out his chest and took a step

  from his wife. “Why are you beating on me?” He reached for his glass of

  soda, swallowing most of it down his aching throat. Bruce shook his head

  as if Carina beat him on the regular.

  All while watching Bruce and his wife, Tia chuckled, sticking a fry in

  her mouth. “You weren’t lying when you said Carina beats on you.”

  “Oh, you two.” Carina picked up a fry from her husband’s plate and

  tossed it at him.

  “What’d I do?” He laughed, watching his wife closely for another

  slap, this time over his head.

  Tia knew the number one thing to do when someone was choking and

&nb
sp; coughing at the same time, was to tell them to continue coughing. Bruce

  was a paramedic and she knew he could handle himself. He choked on his

  food once a week, so he was an expert. Going back to their conversation,

  Tia continued. “Seriously though, we had way too many emotional patients

  today. Total overload.”

  “Next shift, we’ll request only patients who have diarrhea or feel like

  they have an allergy who aren’t displaying any allergic reactions,” Bruce

  teased her. Bruce was always great at reminding her of the perks in being in

  the healthcare industry.

  In response, Tia flipped him off.

  “Mom, Tia stuck her middle finger up at Dad,” Rina tattled. She was

  Bruce’s oldest daughter and daddy’s little girl.

  Bruce grinned, pleased by his daughter defending him.

  “Tia, don’t get in trouble in my house!” Carina yelled from the living

  room in a playful tone.

  “Really?” Tia asked, pressing her hand to her heart.

  Rina shrugged. “You take me to a Julia Michaels concert for my

  birthday this summer and I’ll back you next time.”

  “Blackmail.” Tia shook her head. “You see the kind of daughter

  you’re raising?” Tia smiled and looked at her watch. It was almost eight and

  close to her bedtime. “I should get going.”

  “You are crazy,” Bruce stated. He wiped his hands in a paper towel,

  standing back up. “We barely ended our shift a little over 12 hours ago and

  now you’re going to work a double.”

  Tia shrugged. “I need the money,” she argued.

  “For what?” Bruce countered. He held his index finger up, going

  down a list and adding another in his rant. “You aren’t dating anyone, so no

  girlfriend expenses. And you don’t have some sick grandma to take care of.

  Are you finally listening to my wise advice and going to paramedic school

  next semester?”

  Tia snorted. He’d been hounding her for over a year about going to

  paramedic school. They worked together as an EMT and paramedic crew

  and she was content. Being his partner for over three years, she had no

  desire changing to a new crew if she became a paramedic. Countless times,

  Tia relied on Bruce to have her back. And he knew she’d have his. They’d

  been on calls that ranged from cautious to very dangerous. It wasn’t easy

  finding a good partner and Bruce was the best. Tia wasn’t willing to give

  him up. She brushed her finger over her nose a few times and shrugged. “I

  just like working.”

  He planted his hands over his waist, searching her eyes for a better

  answer.

  Carina walked over, saving Tia from Bruce’s potential lecture. She

  wrapped her arms around his waist and he dropped his arms. “Leave her be.

  Tia will do what she wants when she wants. You hounding her won’t

  change that.” She smiled at Tia and winked.

  Tia mouthed a thank you and stood, collecting her plate. She went

  into the kitchen and began cleaning her dirty dish. She stood alone and

  silent until Carina walked up. Tia looked up as Carina stood beside her and

  held out her hand. “Thanks for the save.”

  Carina opened the dishwasher and placed the plate inside. “Of course.

  He means well, as you know, but he just doesn’t know when to quit.”

  Tia snorted. “Agreed.” She dried her hands on the towel and turned to

  face the dining room. “I should get going.”

  “He is right about one thing,” Carina said in a supportive tone. “You

  should take a breath. Go out and have a day to yourself. Or you’ll miss out

  on something special.”

  “Something or someone?” Tia grinned, knowing what Carina was

  trying to say.

  “Both,” Carina said. Bruce entering her life was the best thing that

  could’ve happened to Tia. He was the brother she never thought she’d have.

  The friendship she had with Carina was real too, as well as with their kids.

  “You, Bruce, and those kids of yours give me more than I’ve ever needed,

  but I’ll keep what you both said in mind.”

  The kids were chasing after Bruce and screaming through the house.

  Carina shook her head and leaned against the counter. “Take me with you,”

  she joked.

  Tia patted her shoulder. “You chose this life,” she said and headed

  out.

  *

  After working a double shift, Tia went home and planted herself in

  bed. She kicked off her shoes, staring up at the ceiling. Carina’s words

  really stuck with her all shift. What would it hurt to take off one day? She

  practically worked six days a week. She tapped her fingers vigorously

  against the bed, deciding her fate. Tilting her head outward, she looked to

  the window, the sun barely coming up. She’d have to work her normal shift

  with Bruce tonight. Could he survive one shift without her? She smiled. Tia

  dug through her front pocket, heaving out her phone as she texted one of

  her coworkers who worked part time. He’d needed more hours. She offered

  him her shift for tonight and within minutes he accepted.

  It was too late to change her mind. Instead of texting Bruce that she

  wouldn’t be there, Tia figured it would be more entertaining knowing he’d

  look around confused about her whereabouts. He was always toying with

  her; it was about time she did the same thing to him.

  Tia reached for the remote and turned on the TV, finding her favorite

  classic cartoon Scooby-Doo. She liked listening to it in the background as

  she fell asleep. She’d barely watched several minutes of it before her eyes

  drifted shut.

  *

  She woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. Tia tossed it further

  away from her, wanting to stay asleep. The phone began to ring again and

  Tia groaned. She reached blindly for it, getting irritated and shifted onto her

  elbow, blinking lazily to find it. It continued to ring as Tia scooted across

  her bed, picking up her phone right at the edge. She looked at the caller I.D.

  just as the call ended. She had five texts and three missed calls. One from

  the guy who was covering her tonight, one from her supervisor, and the

  other from an unknown number.

  Alarmed by these many calls, Tia twisted, kicking the blankets off her

  body just as her phone began to ring again. She didn’t bother seeing who it

  was, answering quickly. She looked at the time on her watch as Bruce’s

  wife cried out to her in panic.

  “What’s wrong?” Tia asked, the pit of her stomach swirling and

  twisting into knots. She could sense the fear in Carina’s tone expecting an

  emergency to have occurred with one of Bruce’s kids.

  “Oh God, I thought you were with Bruce tonight,” Carina cried.

  It was after eight and Bruce started his shift two hours ago. “No. I

  took your advice and called out. What’s wrong?”

  Carina continued to sob, trying to speak. “He was…shot…” she cried

  out.

  Tia nearly dropped the phone from her hand. Her throat clogged and

  the ability to breathe was removed from her memories. Long seconds

  passed before she gasped for a breath and tears fell from her eyes.

  “Where…where are you?”Tia
stuttered. So many thoughts were attempting

  to force their way into Tia’s mind but she pushed them out when she heard

  Carina speak again.

  “My sister’s watching the kids. I’m on my way to the hospital.”

  Once she learned which hospital, Tia said she’d be there and leapt out

  of bed, nearly forgetting to put on her shoes. She scurried out of her

  apartment, fearing the worst as she drove to the hospital.

  Two of her supervisors, a few coworkers, and a fire crew were seated

  in the waiting room of the ER. Tia rushed up to Dean who’d covered her

  shift. His face was pale, eyes webbed with tears. “What the hell happened?”

  Tia looked to him for an answer, ready to shake him if he didn’t speak right

  away. He sat in the chair, his face in shock. He was wearing ER scrubs.

  That was a clear sign he’d gotten a lot of blood on him and had to change.

  The thought of losing Bruce was unnerving as Tia pleaded with the universe

  for him to be okay. The one night she chose not to work and he was shot.

  “Tia…” Carina sobbed.

  Tia turned, Carina rushing through the ER entrance doors and into her

  arms. “Where’s my husband?” She cried in her arms.

  Tia searched for a nurse and found one she knew. They locked eyes,

  and the nurse mouthed, I don’t know, understanding what Tia was going to

  ask. That meant the trauma doctors were still working on Bruce. Tia could

  feel Carina’s entire body shaking from fear, doing her best to contain her

  own emotions. “He’ll be okay. He has to be,” Tia told Carina as she

  continued to comfort her best friend’s wife.

  Anger surfaced in her eyes, but Tia reeled it back in. The one night

  she chose not to work, and this happened. She should’ve been there to back

  him. Tia knew she needed to be here now for Carina and found them a place

  to sit and wait for a doctor to tell them if Bruce was alive or not.

  Minutes turned into nearly an hour. They were seated side by side, Tia

  never letting go of Carina’s hand. She wanted to find out what happened but

  chose to stay at Carina’s side instead. Bruce wouldn’t want her to leave his

  wife alone. Carina didn’t need to hear the details right now. Tia tapped her