“Seriously, Faurier. If you take the last of those home fries—”

“Gates, pass the coffee, would you? Otherwise McCullough’s going to get Slater to tap a vein for her so she can mainline it.”

“Y’all better stop jawin’ and get to eating. Letting those pancakes get soggy is a sacrilege, now.”

Oh, how good it felt to be home.

“You ready for your last run on ambo today?” Quinn asked, a bittersweet pang moving through her chest as she nudged Luke with an elbow. They’d both insisted on coming back to work with everyone else on A-shift, and after a big batch of grumbling from Bridges, he’d finally agreed. Quinn had had to promise to continue seeing Dallas on a weekly basis for a while, but that was cool. Dr. Phil was actually starting to grow on her, and their session really did help keep her on the level.

“I guess,” Luke said, spearing a forkful of home fries from Quinn’s plate and popping them into his mouth. “But I’ll miss it, too.”

She raised a brow, trying on her very best stern look. “Um, you’re going to be in it if you take my home fries again.”

“No, I’m not.” Luke grinned, swiping another bite from her plate before leaning over to whisper in her ear. “Because if you take me out of commission, I won’t be able to take off your panties and—”

“Quinn?” January poked her head into the common room, and oh God, saved by the bestie. “Captain Bridges would like to see you and Slater in his office, please.”

“Jesus, you two. Shift isn’t even an hour old yet,” Kellan said from across the table. “What’d you do now?”

“I don’t know,” Quinn said. “We finished all the stuff for the case yesterday.”

After a hard-nosed talking-to from both Sinclair and Bridges, a lengthy conversation with the D.A., a raid on several residences in North Point, Ice had woken from his seven-hour surgery to discover that he was being arrested on more felony counts than he could count on his fingers and toes.

He would spend the rest of his life in jail. And every day, he’d wake up and know that it was because Quinn had been brave enough to save him.

Luke stood, falling into step with her as she walked into the hallway. “Probably just some paperwork to get me back on engine. Parker will be back at next shift, right?”

“That’s what the schedule says, but he’s not supposed to be back in Remington until tonight.” His brother’s cabin was way out in the sticks, so she hadn’t been entirely shocked not to hear from him. She doubted he even had cell service. “I’m sure he’ll call me when he gets in. But other than paperwork, I have no clue what this could be about.”

They made their way down the hall, then to the captain’s office. After a quick knock, Quinn walked over the threshold…

And found herself staring face-to-face with Parker.

“Holy crap! When did you get back into town?” she asked, moving forward to give him a stunned hug.

“Hey, partner,” he said, but funny, the word sounded just the tiniest bit odd as it traveled from her ears to her belly. “I came back a little early. Just got in a few hours ago. Hey, Slater. How’s it going?”

“Good, man.” They paused to shake hands. “It’s good to see you.”

“You, too.” Parker swung back to look at her, a metric ton of concern winging through his dark brown eyes. “Seems you two have been through a lot while I was gone. Jesus, Copeland. A kidnapping? And a rescue at gunpoint? Are you sure you’re okay?”

Quinn bit her lip. “Yeah. I wanted to tell you, but for a while, I couldn’t, and then after that…”

“It’s alright. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.” Parker glanced at Bridges, and God, what was that look on his face? “Look, I know I’ve kind of been keeping my distance since I left town. I’ve had a lot of time to think since I got hurt, and I wanted you to hear this from me.”

Quinn’s pulse knocked at her throat. “Parker? What’s going on?”

“I’m leaving Seventeen.”

She blinked once. Twice. Then the words got all the way in. “You’re not taking that job at Six, are you? Because there’s no way—”

“No. God, no. I’m not going to another house,” Parker said over a soft chuckle. “I’m going back to medical school. I talked to some people, who pulled a few strings to let me bypass the applications deadlines…and I landed a spot in Remington University’s medical program. I’m starting in a few weeks.”

Holy. Shit. “You’re going to be a doctor?” Quinn asked, and he nodded.

“I did a lot of soul searching while I was gone, and I realized it’s now or never. I’ve spent six years on ambo, and they’ve been some of my best. But this isn’t where I belong. Just like sitting second chair on that rig isn’t where you belong.”

Bridges cleared his throat. “And that’s where I come in. In order to make replacing Parker as painless as possible, I’d like to do it with you, Quinn. You have more than proven yourself. If you want the job as lead paramedic of A-shift, it’s yours.”

“I don’t…I don’t know what to say.” She’d loved the routine of the last five years, the familiarity and comfort of her job. But Parker was right. She was ready.

“How about yes?” Parker asked. “I wouldn’t feel right leaving here unless I knew my spot was in the very best hands.”

Quinn’s heart squeezed. “Okay. Yes, I’d love to accept the position.”

“Excellent,” Bridges said. “Slater, if you’re amenable to one more shift on ambo after today, I’ll do my best to find someone from the float pool to cover the rest of the time it takes us to find someone to ride with Quinn permanently.”

“Respectfully, sir, I’d like to be considered for the position,” Luke said.

“What?” Quinn’s jaw dropped, but he just smiled.

“I want it. I want the job on ambo permanently.”

“Whoa,” Parker murmured, and even Captain Bridges took a second before answering.

“Well, good paramedics are in short supply, and your training is nearly complete. I think you’d be an excellent candidate for the position, and there’s a new class of rookies coming out of the academy in a few weeks. I’d hate to replace you on engine, but I could make it happen.” He put his elbows on his desk, his face growing stern as he continued with, “However, we do have another factor to discuss. I understand you two are involved.”

As much as her cheeks wanted to burn at the topic of her sex life being brought up by her boss, she also wasn’t about to cover anything up.

“Yes, sir,” Quinn said, and Luke echoed her answer.

“There are no specific rules against two paramedics fraternizing. While it’s not a situation I’d prefer, I also know you both to be professional and dedicated. If it’s not an issue for either of you, it’s not an issue for me.”

Luke shook his head. “It’s not an issue for me, sir.”

“Me either,” Quinn added.

“Excellent.” Bridges pushed back from his desk and stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me and Parker, I’m going to take him to go let the rest of the house know about his plans. January will draw up all the paperwork for your new positions. Welcome to ambo, both of you.”

Quinn turned to look at Luke as soon as the door closed. “Did that just…happen?”

“Pretty sure it did,” he said, breaking into a huge smile that went all the way up to his eyes.

God, she loved him. “And you’re sure? If you take this job, you’ll be giving up engine for good.”

“I know,” Luke said, reaching for her hand. “But I am your partner, and you”—he paused to squeeze her fingers—“are my everything. I belong on ambo, taking care of people. But more importantly, I belong with you.”

“Okay,” Quinn replied, squeezing back. “Then let’s get to work, partner.”