Brittney Peek
“911, what’s the location of your emergency?” Kacey stated the line she’d said at least twenty times a day for the last five years.
“Uh, that’s going to be a little hard to answer, but someone is trying to kill me,” the male voice whispered in response. Kacey jolted in her seat and adjusted her headset.
“Sir, what’s your name? Can you tell me where you are?”
“My name is Robbie Sealers. I’m currently hiding in the back of a moving ambulance.”
“Robbie, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Kacey. I’m going to stay on the line with you. Why do you think someone is trying to kill you?”
“It’s not me, per se, but if he finds out I’m back here, I’m for sure dead.”
“Okay, do you see any identifying markers on the ambulance? I can track it if I know which one it is.”
“Um, no, I can’t see any of that. But he was just at the park off Elm Street. That’s where I climbed in.”
“That’s helpful.” Kacey typed on her keyboard, looking for any recent emergencies off Elm Street. Zero.
“Robbie, was the ambulance responding to an emergency?”
“No, that’s the problem. I’m pretty sure the guy driving is not a real paramedic.”
“How do you know that?” Kacey waved over her supervisor and showed him the call’s active transcript.
“He’s wearing a black hoodie and jeans, and he’s got a lot of drugs back here . . . not the legal kind.”
“Okay, Robbie, I’ve looped in my supervisor. We’re going to do everything we can to find you. How did you end up in the back of a stolen ambulance?”
“I saw him at the park with the doors open. I thought he might be helping someone. My mom died in one of these. I guess I wanted to see inside. Then I saw the drugs. I shouldn’t have gotten closer.”
“You weren’t there to buy those drugs?”
“No, ma’am, I assure you I was not. My mom died of a drug overdose when I was in high school. She was treated in an ambulance while my neighbor drove me to the hospital.”
The story sounded so familiar. Kacey racked her brain for the memory. Robbie Sealers? The Sealers lived down the street, but her parents never let her play with them. Except for that one night . . . in the emergency room waiting area. She gasped. “You’re not Robert Sealers from Dover High, are you?”
“Kacey Jones? I always knew you’d make a name for yourself.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “And somehow you keep getting yourself into trouble.” A tap on her shoulder broke the memory. Her boss pointed at his screen. She nodded. “Okay, Robbie, where are you exactly in the ambulance?”
“Crouched down behind the bench and the back door so he can’t see me if he looks back.”
“I need you to look out the back window and tell me if you see any landmarks.”
“I don’t know if I can do that. If he sees me . . .” His voice trailed off.
“Come on, Robbie, you’re telling me the guy who climbed to the top of a goalpost after homecoming is scared to sneak a peek out a window? You can do this.”
“You’re right. Hold on.”
Five seconds of silence stretched into ten. “Robbie? Are you still there?” Silence. She threw her headset off and put the call on speaker.
“Robbie, say something.” She bit her lip and prayed.
“I’m here,” his whispered voice lowered. “We just passed the sign for Dover High. But I’m pretty sure he saw me.”
Screeching brakes filled the call as the ambulance lurched to a stop.
Her supervisor pointed to the screen. Units are en route, he mouthed and held up three fingers. Three minutes. She shook her head and pressed the mute button on her phone. “He doesn’t have that long.” She unmuted and turned back to Robbie. “Robbie, we have your location, and police are on the way. Stay on the line. I’m right here with you.”
A chuckle escaped his lips. “You always believed in me, Kacey. I just want you to know, I’ve changed. I got right with the Lord and have a steady construction job.” He paused. “Just . . . tell my sisters that I love them. I never meant for this to happen.”
“Robbie, you’ll tell them yourself. You’re getting out of this.”
“He just got out. I can hear him walking this way.”
“Find something heavy. Throw it as soon as the doors open and then run. The police will be there soon.”
“I’ve always loved you, Kacey. Thank you for being the one who picked up.” The line went dead.
“Robbie? Robbie, are you there?” Three beeps officially disconnected the call.
“I’ve always loved you too,” Kacey whispered. She stayed at her console long after the call ended, listening to the empty line and praying the police reached him in time.
Two Weeks Later
The dispatch center doors buzzed open halfway through Kacey’s shift. She barely looked up from her screen.
“Excuse me,” a familiar voice said.
Her fingers froze on the keyboard. Kacey turned and nearly knocked her headset off when she saw him standing there, holding a crooked bouquet of carnations. “Robbie?”
He grinned. “In the flesh.”
She pushed her chair back and stood. “You scared me.” She slapped his shoulder.
“And you saved more than my life . . . you saved me,” he said, offering her the flowers. “Figured it was time I started doing the same.”
“What do you mean?”
“I start EMT training Monday.”
Kacey laughed softly, shaking her head. “Try not to end up in the back of your own ambulance this time.”
“No promises.” He grinned.
Before she could answer, he pulled her into a hug and finally kissed her. For the first time since that terrifying call, Kacey knew exactly where Robbie Sealers was.
In the time since, she has written everything from online furniture descriptions to op-eds on the importance of current events. Now, she writes stories with themes of faith and hope that highlight her Christian faith. Most recently, her short story “The Depths of Our Love” was published in Spark Flash Fiction Magazine. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, was a 2021 First Impressions finalist, and a 2024 Crown Awards finalist, 2025 ACFW Genesis semi-finalist, and the winner of the 2026 Sparkie Award for Best Romantic Suspense. When she’s not writing, you can find her attending concerts, shooting scenic photos, or planning her next adventure. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
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