Side Effects (The Prescotts Book 5)

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Books by Tara Wyatt

  About the Author

  Side Effects © 2022 by Tara Wyatt

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Design by Croco Designs

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  ISBN 978-1-7777458-5-1

  PROLOGUE

  One year ago

  Levi Prescott slammed his locker shut, harder than was necessary. He tugged on the shirt of his uniform and adjusted the radio clipped to his shoulder, then let out a sigh, his eyes darting back and forth between his locker and the door, which led to the ambulance bay attached to the FDNY fire station he worked out of. Normally he was excited to come on shift and get out on the road, but not tonight. Why? Two words: new partner.

  Shit. New partners always sucked, and Levi didn’t want a new one. He wanted Reg, the guy he’d been working with for the past two years. He and Reg had clicked immediately when they’d first been partnered, and they’d quickly found an easy rhythm. Reg was easy going, funny, smart, always cool in a crisis. He’d been an absolute dream to work with. Damn him for retiring.

  Okay, fine. Reg was allowed to enjoy his retirement. He’d earned it with over thirty years of service as a paramedic in New York. But it didn’t mean Levi had to be happy about it. Now he was probably going to get stuck with some rookie, or a hot shot who thought he knew everything. Or worse, a lazy dog fucker who didn’t pull his weight.

  It wasn’t that he had a low opinion of his fellow paramedics. Not at all. He just knew that who he was partnered with would have a major impact on his working life, and he wasn’t feeling confident that he’d end up with someone good. Reg had been solid gold. No way was he lucky enough to wind up with solid gold twice in a row. He shuddered, thinking back to the woman he’d been partnered with before Reg. Louise. Just the thought of her name had him pinching his lips together. Yeah, she’d known her shit, but she’d been sour and curt, and her bedside manner had been seriously lacking. More often than not, Levi had been the one to jump in and smooth things over, and given that he didn’t list “good with people” among his skills on his resume, it had made for some shitty calls.

  He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized he needed to hustle if he didn’t want to be late signing on for his shift. With another sigh, he pushed through the door and into the ambulance bay, steeling himself for whatever—whoever—was waiting for him. Sure enough, Miguel, his shift leader was there, and beside him stood—

  Holy fuck.

  The most gorgeous woman Levi had ever laid eyes on. She was tall, probably 5’8 or 5’9, and fit, with willowy arms and long legs evident even through her paramedic’s uniform. Her breasts were round and full, her hips gently flared. Her caramel-colored hair was wound up in a bun, and she wore only minimal makeup on her pretty face. Long lashes fanned her brown eyes, and her full lips tilted up in a half-smile when their eyes met. A jolt of electricity flashed through Levi like lightning, and he cleared his throat, stepping closer.

  Well. This was…unexpected. Feeling a little off-kilter from his reaction to her, he forced himself to frown, clinging to his grumpy mood.

  “Prescott, this is your new partner, Madison Petrov. She’s new to the squad, just transferred over from division three in Brooklyn.”

  Great, a transfer. That boded well.

  Not.

  Hoisting a professional smile onto his face, he extended his hand to Madison. “Levi Prescott.” She took his hand with a cool, firm grip, returning his smile.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  A silence hung between them as their palms slid against each other, and Miguel cleared his throat, shooting Levi a pointed look that clearly said be nice, jackass.

  “How long you been on?” he asked, wondering why his palm was tingling so much. He wiped it on his pants as discretely as possible.

  “Four years now,” she said, tilting her head at him. Goddamn, she was pretty. This was bad. This was going to be a distraction. And he was willing to bet his next paycheck that EMS Barbie would expect him to do all the heavy lifting. “You?”

  “Six.”

  Miguel clapped Levi on the shoulder. “It’s busy out there, so the sooner you can get your rig on the road, the better.”

  “Got it.” Levi turned to Madison and gestured to the red and white ambulance emblazoned with the FDNY logo nearby. “We’re on number four.”

  She nodded and headed for the rig, her long legs eating up the distance quickly. She carried herself with confidence, he’d give her that much. But then she reached for the driver’s side door. Oh, hell no. He scooted around in front of her, plastering his back to the door.

  “Yeah, no. I drive,” he said, shaking his head.

  Her hand was still on the handle, and she didn’t move, one eyebrow arching gracefully.

  “I’d like to drive, if that’s okay with you. I grew up in Manhattan, so I know my way around, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “I’m not worried about anything. I just prefer to drive.”

  “So do I.”

  A tense silence hung between them, neither of them moving. She sucked in a frustrated breath, and Levi couldn’t stop his eyes from dropping to her breasts.

  Oh, God. This was a nightmare.

  She hesitated and then dropped her hand. “Only one way to settle this.” Then she held out her fist. “Rock, paper, scissors, best two out of three. Winner gets to drive all shift.”

  He grinned, some of the tension easing. Maybe EMS Barbie wasn’t so bad. “Deal.”

  When he won, defeating her paper with his scissors and then her rock with his paper, he hopped up into the driver’s seat. Once they’d been assigned their first call, he eased the ambulance out onto the road. A heavy silence fell between them and he drummed his fingers on the wheel. The first shift with a new partner was a lot like a first date, complete with nerves and awkwardness while you tried to figure out if you were a good fit. So far, the jury was still out as far as Levi was concerned.

  “So…what made you become a paramedic?” he asked after another minute of awkward silence, unable to contain his curiosity. She didn’t strike him as the first responder type. Not when she looked more like a model.

  She shrugged. “I’d actually thought I wanted to be a doctor. Went to NYU, majored in pre-med. But it wasn’t for me. For one, I didn’t want to be in school for freaking ever, and I wanted to do something I felt was making a real difference. I wanted to help people.”

  Okay, so if she’d been pre-med, maybe she’d actually know her stuff. But that didn’t mean she’d be good under pressure. Good in a crisis, like Reg had been.

  “How about you?” she asked, turning the rig’s laptop towards herself to re-read the details of the call.

  A dull ache radiated through his chest, and he swallowed. “Family tradition, and yeah, the whol
e helping people thing. My brother’s a captain with the FDNY.” He didn’t tell her the rest. Probably never would. There were certain things he preferred to keep to himself. “What street are we on?” he asked her suddenly, testing her. She claimed she knew Manhattan, but he wanted proof.

  Without taking her eyes off of the report she was reading, she answered. “Third Ave and East 68th. Why, you lost?” She glanced up at him, her pretty eyes narrowed.

  “No, no. Just, you know. Double checking.”

  She arched that eyebrow again and heat trickled through him. “Double checking what?”

  He just shook his head, not saying anything. After several more minutes, they pulled up in front of a posh apartment building near Central Park.

  “Remind me again the details of the call,” he said, half because he needed them and half because he was testing Madison again. Without looking at the terminal, she turned to face him.

  “Allergic reaction to shellfish, non-anaphylactic. Needs assessment and possible transport.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Any more tests you want to throw at me?”

  His eyebrows rose. “I wasn’t…”

  “Oh, please,” she said, shaking her head as she undid her seatbelt. “I could feel you judging me from the moment we met. So let’s get some shit out in the open, okay?” She jumped down onto the pavement and he followed her, suddenly intrigued. They opened the back doors together, gathering up the necessary gear. “I know I don’t look like your typical EMS first responder. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing or that I’m not damn good at my job. I transferred because I didn’t want to work in my own neighborhood anymore. So, if you’ve got something you need to say to me, something you need to get off your chest, just say it, Prescott. We’re going to be working together, might as well be honest.”

  He let out a low chuckle, trying to ignore the way his dick had perked up at her feisty tone.

  “Fair enough. Sorry if I was being an ass.”

  “You were, but it’s cool.” They stepped down from the back of the ambulance and closed the doors, and she bumped his shoulder with hers. “I’m awesome. You’ll see.”

  Less than ten minutes later, he was positive she was right. She was awesome. Because she was currently tearing into the patient who’d eaten shellfish despite having a known allergy. Now that he wasn’t feeling well, he’d called 911.

  “Let me get this straight. You know you’re allergic to shellfish, but you had a craving for shrimp, so you ate it and then decided to compensate by taking half a package of Benadryl?” Madison asked, her hands on her hips, shaking her head. “That’s quite possibly the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long time.”

  “It worked in the past,” the man mumbled, looking like absolute shit.

  “Listen, you need to take your allergies seriously. Overcompensating with allergy meds is not the answer,” she said, her tone brusque. “Just because you can buy this stuff at the drugstore doesn’t mean it can’t mess you up. You understand me? You can’t do this again.” The man nodded and then visibly paled, tilting to the side.

  “Shit,” said Madison, and she and Levi rushed forward at the same time. Levi pulled out his pen light and examined the man’s eyes.

  “Pupils are dilated,” he said as Madison wrapped the blood pressure cuff around his arm, taking a quick reading.

  “Pressure’s low,” she confirmed.

  “Am I going to die?” asked the man, swaying. The reality of the situation seemed to be finally hitting him. “I’m going to die. For shrimp. Oh, God.”

  “You’re not going to die,” said Madison. “But we need to take you to the hospital. Now.” She looked at Levi. “I’ll grab the meds, you get him up.” She retrieved the package of Benadryl from the man’s girlfriend, and then working together, he and Madison got the patient down to the ambulance.

  “I want you to stay with me,” the man said to Levi, clutching at his arm as they got him settled on the gurney. “She’s scary. Don’t leave me alone with her.”

  Madison laughed. “Darling, that wasn’t even close to scary. But since that means I get to drive, I’ll let my partner take over back here.” She shot Levi a smirk as she hopped down from the ambulance and he found himself grinning.

  Okay. Maybe working with Madison Petrov wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

  The next several hours went by in a blur. After they’d dropped off their allergy medication patient, they were immediately dispatched to a gunshot wound call, where Madison proved yet again that she was, in fact, awesome. She was fast, smart, cool under pressure, and even though it was only their first shift together, the two of them had already found a rhythm. After that, they dealt with a drug overdose, a man having a seizure, a collision, and a drunk guy who’d fallen in the street and cut himself up. And through every single call, Madison proved herself to be competent and capable. She didn’t take anyone’s crap, but was compassionate. She seemed to have a knack for knowing when a little tough love was needed, and when to have a softer touch.

  Sometime after three AM, things had quieted down and they decided to get something to eat. Levi parked the ambulance by the curb, letting it idle as he tried to figure out what to say to Madison. He kinda wanted to flirt with her, but he knew that was a bad idea. Not only was it their first shift together, but they were partners, so nothing could ever happen between them. Ever. He’d need to find a way to nip this budding crush in the bud. ASAP.

  There was a beat of silence, and then he tipped his chin at the twenty-four-hour McDonald’s half a block up from where he’d parked.

  “I don’t know about you, but I could really go for a cheeseburger right now,” he said. She started to answer when her phone began ringing from inside her pocket and she pulled it out, glancing at the screen. Her face lit up when she saw who was calling her. “It’s my fiancé. I need to take this.”

  Everything inside Levi went still at the revelation that she was engaged. She wasn’t wearing a ring, but a lot of EMTs took their jewelry off for shifts. “He’s calling you at three in the morning?” It was a dumb question, but it was the only thing he could think to say.

  “He’s a doctor, he’s working right now.” She hopped out of the ambulance to take her call, the door slamming behind her. His shoulders slumped slightly and his stomach gave a sick little clench as he watched her laugh and flirt with her fiancé on the phone. The disappointment pressing down on him like a wet blanket was both surprising and oppressive, especially given how he’d felt about her at the beginning of their shift. He’d thought there was chemistry between them, that maybe there was a spark. The beginning of a connection. But there couldn’t be, not just because they were partners, but because she was engaged.

  1

  Present day

  “Come on, Prescott. Just make a decision already.” Madison blew out a breath, crossing her arms over her chest. “The contents of the vending machine aren’t going to change, no matter how long you stare at it.”

  Levi shook his head slowly, his eyes glued to the rows of chocolate bars and bags of chips in front of him. “Don’t rush me, Mads. I’m trying to put together the perfect gourmet meal. What do you think goes better with Twix…Doritos, or barbeque chips?”

  She chuckled, cocking her head to listen to the hospital intercom as someone announced a code blue. Levi rubbed a hand over his mouth, squinting at the vending machine. Just then, his radio crackled to life.

  “ALS 4, come in.”

  Levi unclipped the radio from his shoulder. “Go for ALS 4.”

  “We have a report of a woman in labor at a restaurant in Greenwich Village. You clear?”

  He glanced over at Madison, and she nodded, hip checking him aside and shoving her rumpled dollar bill into the vending machine so she could grab a Snickers before they headed out.

  “We’re good to go. Send the report through to our rig.”

  “Copy that.”

  The radio quieted with a chirp, and Levi clipped the radio back
into his shoulder. Finally, he used the dollar bill in his hand to buy a bag of Doritos to go with his Twix, and then he and Madison headed back through the Emergency Department of Bellevue Hospital toward the ambulance bay. Unwrapping her chocolate bar as they walked, she took a big bite, hoping it’d be enough to stave off the gremlins currently shredding her stomach. It was shaping up to be a busy night, and she knew they likely wouldn’t get their allotted meal break. They’d come on duty at 6 PM, and at 8:30 they were already headed to their fifth dispatch of the night.

  But it was fine. Busy was good. Busy kept her brain from going down paths she didn’t want to go down. Paths about broken engagements and her little sister’s wedding and her family’s ongoing disapproval of pretty much every single life choice Madison had made since turning eighteen ten years ago, despite how hard she’d tried to make them happy, even at the sacrifice of her own happiness.

  Levi opened the driver’s side door and slid behind the wheel while she hopped up into the passenger’s side seat of the ambulance. Buckling in, she swiveled the heavy-duty laptop toward herself and pulled up the report dispatch had put through.

  “Castle Pub, Greenwich and Perry. Report says a thirty-year-old woman is thirty-six weeks pregnant and her water broke while out at dinner with her husband. Contractions were six minutes apart at the time of the call. Looking for transport to New York Presbyterian.”

  Levi nodded and put the ambulance in gear. The familiar, welcome jolt of adrenaline zinged through her, making her feel alive and alert, focused and determined. She’d chosen this job because the thrill and the challenge of helping people in crisis situations never got old. It fueled her, even when the rest of her life was crumbling around her. Every single shift, she got to do something meaningful and important, something helpful that saved lives. The pay wasn’t great and it was sometimes a messy, thankless job, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything, no matter how much her parents looked down their noses at her decision to become a paramedic.