FALLING FOR SHAWN

Chapter 13 - Our Relationship is Real

Camila lay on the gurney with the back elevated now they'd ruled out any spinal damage, and a paramedic worked on her forehead, which only needed butterfly clips, no stitches. She stared at the car as two burly fireman used a cutting tool to remove the door on Shawn's side. Her heart was pounding, and she wanted to go to him, but they wouldn't let her, they had compromised by giving her a view of the proceedings. When she had first been removed, she had heard a fireman yell out as she was being wheeled to the ambulance.

"I think he's crashing!"

She had watched enough Grey's Anatomy to know what that meant and she began to struggle and scream, unable to see what was happening. A paramedic went to find out for her and when she returned she held Camila's hand and she feared the worst.

"He's OK, he's just drifting in and out of consciousness, but his vitals are strong, he's a fit and healthy young man."

"His legs?" she asked, terrified.

"Trapped but it doesn't appear they are damaged. It looks like he might have a couple of broken ribs and a concussion, but they won't know the extent of it until he gets to the hospital and the doctors have a look at him."

"I want to go too," Camila said stubbornly.

"Only relatives in the bus," the older paramedic said from behind her.

"I'm his girlfriend...his partner....we live together," Camila said. The girl holding her hand looked up at the other guy and raised her eyebrows. Camila realised with horror that they knew who she and Shawn were and had assumed they were a fake relationship. Really? At a moment like this? She felt the fury grow in her belly. It was the paparazzi's fault that this happened, why did everyone want to interfere in their relationship? They didn't know them! They thought they WANTED these photographers dogging their heels? They couldn't go to a doctor's appointment, buy toiletries or medication or food, without someone reporting their shopping list, their ailments, or speculating about them. She had always kept a calm view of things but right now she had enough.

"I see you're one of those who judges people's relationship based on media reports," she bit out, slashing at the paramedic with her words. "Well let me tell you that my partner and I, were trying to buy food for dinner, we were stopped from getting to our car and when we finally pushed through them, they followed us, three cars of them, and we were so intent on avoiding them that we didn't see the car go through the red light. I watched them drive off as we lay there bleeding. So if you DON'T mind, I would like to be with the man I love while he is taken to the hospital. And I don't give a fuck if you believe we are PR or not, but do not, I repeat DO NOT, look at me like that or mention anything about it in my hearing or I will report you to the hospital!"

The girl looked embarrassed, her cheeks going red, but she didn't say anything and Camila had the feeling that even now, she was sceptical. What did she want them to do, have sex in front of them, get married and have a dozen babies? They probably still wouldn't believe it. Her heart hurt but it also hardened. She had said it to Shawn and now she knew it was true, it didn't matter what they did, people would think what they wanted. She was annoyed that while he was being cut out of the fucking car she was dealing with this shit. The girl finished her work on Camila's forehead in silence and unable to bear it another moment, Camila swung her legs over the side of the gurney and then climbed down out of the ambulance.

"Miss Cabello! Please come back, we still need to monitor you!" the girl called.

"Fuck you," she muttered beneath her breath, limping towards the car. Her body ached all over, but there were no particular injuries. She wore a cervical collar just in case, but otherwise she just had the cut and a concussion. Another paramedic ran up to her, she looked at him with a thunderous expression, hoping she'd scare him off. He wasn't one of the two inside the ambulance.