The Whirlwind Rescue Read online

  The Whirlwind Rescue

  Disaster City Search and Rescue

  Ginny Sterling

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by Ginny Sterling

  The Disaster City Search and Rescue Series

  Remember Love

  Remember Courage

  Introduction

  Natalie Allen is living the dream, launching her own bed & breakfast resort on the coast. She’s fascinated with the idea of being able to live in paradise and the peace it brings to her soul. Sand, sun, flowers, and gentle warm rain – it’s supposed to be the idyllic life. When a hurricane threatens, she is rescued by her ex-boyfriend, Gavin Tanner.

  Gavin knows that when the storm hits, it’s his job to save the lives of the people who’ve been stranded among the chaos that nature delivers abruptly. When he comes face-to-face with the woman who once broke his heart, he realizes that the buildings around him aren’t the only things that were destroyed by a strong female. Hurricane Dottie is nothing compared to the wrath of his beloved Natalie!

  Will these two strong personalities handle the influx of emotions, as well as the surge of water, that threatens them? Can they set aside their differences and work together in order to survive the onslaught around them?

  Step into the world of Disaster City Search and Rescue, where officers, firefighters, military, and medics, train and work alongside each other with the dogs they love, to do the most dangerous job of all — help lost and injured victims find their way home.

  Praise for Ginny Sterling

  What can I say except I absolutely loved this story, I laughed out loud and I shed emotional tears.” – Amazon Reviewer (Lawfully Gifted)

  “This series has quickly become one my favorites. Love the storyline, love the characters, love the back stories and love the sweet romance between each couple.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Love)

  “What an amazing start to a new series, Healing Hearts, a clean contemporary and extremely emotional tale. I loved the characters, the angst, and the honest discussions, along with the chemistry and interactions. The people are broken, but with encouragement, friendship, and the added benefit of animals, it is the beginnings for healing.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Hope)

  Chapter 1

  Turning up the radio, Gavin began belting out the lyrics to the pop song from the eighties. He didn’t care that it was silly, outdated, or the fact that it was sung by a girl who used to perform in the middle of a shopping mall for attention. The music of that time period just stuck with him, making him feel happy.

  Tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel, he began to roll his shoulders, dancing in the driver’s seat, as the chorus started. He loved music and always had. It could influence a mood for anyone or anything. He’d played an instrument as a kid, remembered the joy of getting his first Walkman, and the absolute perfection that was his shiny new iPhone.

  Looking at the large Dalmatian in the middle seat of his truck, Gavin grinned at his best friend, Tobin Randall. They weren’t just some paramedic, a firefighter, and his dog. They were bosom buddies who had known each other since middle school; then their small circle grew with the addition of Domino a few years ago. Tobin had always been shy and quiet, while Gavin was his exact opposite. The two seemed to complement each other easily, making them inseparable.

  “Domino! Here’s your part…sing it, buddy!” Gavin encouraged, taking a second to remove his hands from the steering wheel and point both fingers at the dog. He knew Tobin wouldn’t sing with him no matter how hard he tried. The large dog immediately began barking and howling in cadence, making Gavin laugh as he sang off-key over the animal. Tobin rolled his eyes and slunk down in his seat to hide, embarrassed.

  Ignoring the other cars that passed his truck, and the people looking over at him as they performed. He drove on happily down the wide-open road, glancing up at the clear blue skies above him feeling lighter than he had the last few weeks.

  Seeing death and destruction had a way of deflating your soul. Music, Tobin’s friendship, and Domino were the only things keeping the depression away. It’s a slippery slope, handling emergencies all the time. He could let the screaming, crying, and sheer desperation from the families tear him apart mentally…or maybe he was the cold-blooded monster that his ex-girlfriend Natalie had named him long ago.

  Clenching the steering wheel, Gavin fought the pain that even thinking her name brought him. Gosh, he’d loved her so much. He still thought about her every day and that was when he usually put on some music. Her voice, her smile, her sweet kisses had been a melody to his soul. Everything else was dull in comparison…

  “But that doesn’t mean we don’t drown out the memories, right Domino?”

  “Are you talking to the dog again?” Tobin asked wryly in disbelief, “You know Domino is my partner and will be working with me at the Disaster City Training Academy.”

  “We both know that, don’t we, buddy?” Gavin crooned, rubbing the large dalmatian’s forehead affectionately.

  Whoof! The loud bark sounded like the dog had deepened his voice, coming out low pitched.

  “You don’t have to sound so tough, big guy. It’s just you and me… and the ‘party of three’ against the world…” Gavin teased, smiling at Tobin who then held up his hand in a rude gesture.

  “You are certifiable, Poprock,” Tobin quipped easily, calling Gavin the nickname that stuck several years ago when the rest of the EMS and Fire team found him singing Madonna to his toothbrush in the locker room. He could have sworn he was alone but instead the audience had jeered, teasing him, as he’d stood there in his towel singing in the steamed-up mirror.

  Whatever.

  His skin was thicker than that. The embarrassing moment only served to draw the entire team closer once he was ‘one of the guys’ instead of the standoffish newbie in the group. He and Tobin had been the greenhorns on the team and the butt of all of their pranks until that moment. Gavin had looked like a fool and Tobin dubbed him Poprock playfully, immediately setting off a round of laughs and admiration. They ‘fit’ now on the team.

  A year later and they were discussing changes in their future and what to do next, once they’d discovered the new Academy opening up. The name was awe inspiring: Disaster City Search and Rescue Training Facility.

  The trio had taken off for the weekend, just to get away and relax a bit. There was a music festival down by the Riverwalk. They’d spent the last two days eating more queso and chips than a body could handle, sitting in the shade sipping on craft beers, and people watching.

  San Antonio was a peaceful getaway, while still being close enough to his apartment that he could return right away, if needed. The greenish waters of the river wound through the lower portion of town, splitting the hidden scenery in half. You could take several steps down towards the river, and it opened to a promenade of shops and restaurants.

  Beautiful fountains, massive trees, and strings of lights made it seem idyllic… and definitely much cooler than the streets above. The Alamo was two blocks away and he had yet to visit the landmark.

  Maybe on the next trip, Gavin thought to himself, flipping through to another song. The Spice Girls began to play on the speakers. The dog and he shared a glance as they both recognized the song instantly. Domino began to bark/sing again and Gavin chimed in right on cue with Scary Spice’s voice.

  “I swear my dog responds better
to you,” Tobin quipped under his breath, putting his head down in his hands as a jeep pulled up next to them. Several women started waving and laughing before speeding past them. Tobin’s face was beet red and almost matched the intensity of his glare.

  “Do you have to dance like that while you are driving?”

  “Yep. It’s disgraceful that their music doesn’t make you want to shake what your momma gave ya,” Gavin joked.

  He loved his crazy selection of music and the equally insane life that being a paramedic brought to his world. A need for change after Natalie prompted him to sign up for the search and rescue course at Disaster City Training. He had promptly booked himself a vacation on Galveston Island as a graduation present right afterwards. He was determined to succeed and the fact that Tobin had already applied, accepted into the Fire Rescue division portion, had made the decision a shoe-in for him. The Academy was the premiere place to be accepted to further your career – and Gavin needed a change of pace.

  A.N. (After Natalie) he’d tried to lose himself in his work for a while only to realize that it was getting harder and harder to find a way to let go once he’d clocked out. If he wasn’t going to have her in his life, he would have to blaze a new path into another life for himself.

  He hadn’t taken down the photos of them together, nor would he admit how badly it hurt to be rejected. Their love had been a whirlwind romance that started as a chance encounter, blossoming from there. As he drove up towards town, the music faded away as he thought of their first meeting.

  Natalie had been a concierge coordinator at a hotel downtown. He would have never crossed her path if it hadn’t been for an emergency. She’d called 911 when someone slipped and fell in the kitchen. He and Charlie arrived on the scene in an ambulance, just like any other day. They’d quickly rolled the gurney into the kitchen area, while she’d taken control of the room; shooing away onlookers. It was when Gavin was taking vitals that he looked up and met her eyes.

  His own heart skipped a beat.

  “Hi,” Gavin blurted out, feeling suddenly nervous and awestruck by the wide-eyed, concerned look on her face. Her hazel eyes were incredibly lovely, reminding him of wet moss on the banks of a creek where he’d played as a boy growing up.

  “Hello,” she’d whispered, flushing prettily.

  “Did you call this in?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Natalie Allen.”

  “Nice to meet you, Natalie. I’m Gavin Tanner. Do you like Chinese food?” he’d blurted out, only to hear Charlie groan in disbelief towards the head of the gurney, where the older man sat taking notes and checking the monitors they’d just hooked up to stabilize the patient.

  “Uh, hello? I think I dislocated my knee? Remember me?” the woman on the gurney snapped angrily, drawing him back to the job at hand. Gavin flushed with embarrassment, looking away and not waiting for an answer. Yanking his penlight from his pocket, he checked the woman’s reaction time, looking for signs of shock, before nodding to Charlie.

  They stood up and pulled the gurney up to waist level. Rolling it out of the hotel, he climbed into the ambulance first to secure their patient for transport. Giving the signal to Charlie, he saw Natalie’s face only seconds before the doors closed. Her smiling face was framed in the safety glass window of the ambulance as she held her hand up to her head, mouthing the words, ‘call me’.

  The sound of a horn honking at him, broke his thoughts. He was sitting at a green light at the bottom of the exit ramp. Tobin stared at him silently with an arched, knowing eyebrow.

  “Natalie, again?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “You probably need to at some point.”

  “Not now.”

  Raising his hand, Gavin waved absently and pulled forward onto the farm road that now resembled a large thoroughfare. Farm roads were common in the state, yet none were ‘farm’ driven anymore. He was almost upon the next step in his life and prayed that it didn’t hurt him quite so much anymore.

  The last step that he’d taken… he was still healing from.

  Natalie.

  Disaster City was everything he’d imagined, and more!

  It was an incredible compound that had every sort of emergency training available and he quickly realized that it was a true honor to get accepted in. The application process had been long and arduous; but worth it. There were no goofballs here; it was the best-of-the-best. The elite in their field were brought in and some remained to become instructors. He recognized names from news articles and commendations he’d read online. It was humbling to be among men like ‘Sarge’ Young or Ben Miller, the commanders of the facility.

  The facility was like a world of its own.

  Large barracks, a kitchen, training grounds, and kennels lined the property. They were expected to behave like the professionals they were and each animal was given a uniform that mirrored their owners’. K9 handlers were just as important in the field. Gavin realized once again how lucky he was to have Tobin and Domino sharing this opportunity for professional growth with him. The classes were small, with one instructor to every three students. Disaster City Training Academy was a blessing for those in dire need and he was a part of this world.

  The intense training was rough, but Gavin knew that he could go farther in his career with it. It would open up more doorways if he was cross-trained with other skills. Search and Rescue always fascinated him.

  It wasn’t just being able to give medical aid; it was a real-life chance to become one of the comic book heroes he’d read about as a boy. He imagined swooping in to save the day… and a person’s life.

  He had always felt that his personality was the icebreaker needed to do the job. When children were present, it was a lot easier to get an IV in a distracted kid, than a screaming one. He made it a point to know as many songs as possible and sing off-key to make them laugh.

  Natalie might have said he was ‘cold’ to be able to handle such traumatic events, but he knew otherwise. Someone had to do the tough jobs and he was up to the challenge. Maybe A.N. could mean something else to him someday.

  Chapter 2

  Plop!

  Natalie Allen winced at the large drop of bright yellow paint that smacked her directly in the face; all too close to her eye. Squinting, she leaned down nearly blind and set the roller in the tray in order to make her way to the nearby bathroom. Hands extended, she grimaced as she put her palm against a wall that was obviously still wet from being freshly painted before moving into the bathroom. Turning on the water, she washed her face and rinsed her eye carefully.

  “I’m glad that was water-based,” she breathed aloud and looked up at her reflection. She was covered in yellow freckles that had dried on her skin as she painted the small room that was a part of the bed & breakfast she’d purchased on the coast.

  She had needed a change in her life after the crushing breakup with Gavin. That day replayed in her mind over and over again, gripping her heart with icy resolve. No matter how painful it was, this had been the right decision. They were too different from each other.

  Love only worked if they were both willing to put in their ‘all’ in the relationship. She felt that his work got the best of him and there had to be something seriously wrong, emotionally, for him to be able to see trauma day in and day out without it affecting him. Even their breakup had been cold.

  “Gavin, I think it’s over.”

  “Natalie, I don’t want to fight about this.”

  “That’s just it–we never talk about us.”

  “Because we are fine.”

  “No, we’re not! Don’t you want more?”

  “I’m happy.”

  “You don’t look it. You look like you couldn’t care less right now. Is that how you can handle all those emergencies – by distancing yourself?”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Fair? What isn’t fair is getting involved with someone who’s cold a
nd unfeeling when it comes to life. I want romance. I want excitement. I want love.”

  “And I don’t create that for you?”

  Natalie didn’t answer, knowing that if she denied it, it would be a blatant lie. She missed the playful, romantic side of him and something was obviously bothering him. He’d been distracted a lot lately, whispering to someone on the phone, and cancelling their dates to discuss work.

  “I don’t know that you are capable of that warmth I need anymore. You’ve grown cold towards life in general. It’s not just me either. A cold, unfeeling monster can handle the devastation without it affecting them.”

  “I see.”

  “Even there? You aren’t fighting it, are you?”

  “I guess you are right. Maybe I am a cold unfeeling monster,” Gavin had said, looking away from her, “or maybe we just don’t know each other as well as we thought we did.”

  Natalie had taken his painful words to heart.

  She didn’t know herself anymore. She’d hated her job and her life working for a company that only cared about their numbers. She loved people and the happiness that came with being part of hospitality. She knew every bit about running the hotel, from laundry to cancelled bookings, and it was time to grasp her dream with both hands.

  Going against all advice, Natalie cashed out her 401K. The penalties were well worth the investment in her future. She knew that the savings would never be enough to retire on and she needed to take steps now to ensure she had an income down the road.