Rocky Mountain Rescue, Elle James [rooftoppers .TXT] 📗

He told them he’d gladly load them in the ambulance and take them there.

JoJo shook her head. “No, I don’t need that. I’m going to go back out to the lodge.”

Max said, “You really need to go to the hospital and have them check you out. You landed hard on the back of your head.”

Her lips pouted. “I just want to get out to the lodge.”

“Will you do it for me, please? I promise I’ll take you there and take you back out to the lodge immediately after.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “If my head didn’t hurt so bad, I’d say hell no, take me to the lodge now. Fine. I’ll go to the hospital.”

Max helped her into his truck. He told the sheriff where they’d be after they were finished at the hospital, and then they left. When they arrived at the emergency room of the little hospital in Fool’s Gold, he parked at the entrance and walked her in. Max handed her off to the nurse, and then went to park the truck.

He was back as quickly as he could manage. But by then, they’d already taken JoJo back to an examination room.

“I’d like to see Ms. Ramirez,” he said.

“Are you a relative?” the clerk at the desk asked.

He frowned. “No, I’m not.” He just wanted to see JoJo.

The woman shook her head. “I’m sorry, sir, you can’t go back.”

“But I brought her here,” he said.

“I’m sorry, sir, those are the rules.” The clerk raised her eyebrows. “Now, if you were her fiancé, we would be able to let you back.”

“In that case, I am her fiancé,” he said.

The nurses eyes narrowed. “And if I ask the young lady if she has a fiancé, will she say she does?”

Max started to nod, and then shook his head. “Mmm maybe not, because I haven’t popped the question yet. If you’ll let me go back there, I will.”

The woman tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowing. “Mmm, I don’t know.”

“Please,” he said, “all she has to do is say yes, and she’s my fiancé.”

“Why am I just not buying this?” the woman said.

“Please. Let me give it a shot,” he said.

“First, answer a few questions.” The clerk tapped a pencil on the clean white pad of paper. “What’s her favorite color?”

Max almost gave up then, instead, he said, “Blue.”

“Her favorite football team?”

“Dallas Cowboys.”

The clerk rose from her desk and went through a door behind the counter. “Give me a minute. I’ll go ask her if she wants you back there. And if her answers to those questions are right, I’ll let you come back and do your proposal. It’ll be our first in the emergency room.”

Max paced as the clerk went back. He imagined what JoJo’s response would be to the questions and to the idea that he was her fiancé. All he wanted was to make sure that she was okay. He needed to see her, to know for certain. Then he wouldn’t leave her alone for a second.

A few minutes later, the restricted doors opened, and the clerk waved toward him. “You can come in.”

He hesitated. “Seriously? I got the answers to the questions right?”

The nurse shook her head. “No.”

“Her favorite color isn’t blue?” Max asked.

“It’s orange. The color of the sunset,” the nurse said, “And her favorite football team is the Denver Broncos.”

Max frowned. “Then why are you letting me go back?”

“Because when I asked her if she had a fiancé, she looked surprised.”

“Again, why are you letting me go back?”

“Because when I told her that you were going to propose back here, she smiled. When I asked her if I could bring you back, she said yes, and she wants to see you get down on your knee. So, come on Romeo, the entire staff is waiting for you to ask her.”

Max almost turned and left, but he was more concerned about seeing that JoJo was okay. If it meant he had to go down on one knee and propose, so be it. She’d likely say, oh hell, no, and the nurses would boot him out. But at least he’d have seen that she was okay. So, he followed the clerk and found what seemed like the entire staff of the hospital lining the hallway outside an examination room.

A nurse waved her hand toward the door. “Ms. Ramirez is waiting.”

When he stepped inside, Max found JoJo sitting up on the hospital bed, a smile playing at her lips.

With his audience watching and some of them with their cellphones out taking video images, Max did the only thing he could. He got down on one knee. “JoJo, sweetheart, you’re an amazing woman. So brave, so mechanically talented, and beautiful…” Under the pressure of a dozen eyes watching him, he took a deep breath and asked, “Will you marry me?”

Her eyes widened, and she whispered, “I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

He frowned and glanced right and left at the different people standing watching them. “That’s not much of an answer. They’re going to kick me out if you don’t say yes.”

“In that case, Max, I’ll be your one and only mechanic.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think that was the answer these people are looking for and neither am I.”

“Fine,” she said, “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

“Kiss the bride,” the clerk said.

“I don’t know,” Max said. “She’s been injured.”

“She’s not so badly injured if she can say yes. You can at least kiss her very gently if nothing else,” a nurse said.

The half a dozen people standing around watching clapped and cheered.

A man in a white coat came into the room. “Did I miss something?”

The nurse grinned. “Only our first proposal in the ER.”

“Is that right?” The doctor grinned. “Let me guess, head injury?”

JoJo frowned. “Yes. Why do you say it that way?”

He turned to Max, “Don’t be surprised if she has no memory of this proposal tomorrow.”

“Ya think?” Max said.

“Well, if she wanted it, she’ll remember it. If she didn’t want it, she’ll