In a Galaxy far, far, away....

Meaning, the rundown break room in a Tulsa hospital. Freezer burnt pizza and snacks no one could really verify the safety of, fueling those of us catching our breath between calls, geared to jump back in the ambulance in a heartbeat. I, Madelyn, was participating in my favorite of pastimes, procrastination and seeing who would buddy up with me and do more of the same. On that particular day, it just happened to be some fellow EMSA medics and their new Tater*.

*Tater: Our affectionate term for new medics who still have a twinkle in their eye and fresh ink on their license.

That tater, was of course, Zach. I introduced myself, thinking nothing of making another medic acquaintance, wrapped up, and ran out to clean up whatever mess my Paramedic decided to make the rest of the night. But after my not–so–Cinderella exit, Zach asked, “Who was that!?” To which his medics laughed and told him about me and Zach very charmingly called “Dibs”. The guys both laughed and wished him good luck.

At the time I was just accepted into Paramedic school and had ZERO intentions on dating anyone. Zach took that as a challenge. Over the next several months we became friends and talked in passing. We even worked a few shifts on the truck together. Come NYE, I was at home with my family and I found myself talking with him all night. My sister in law, Hannah, called me out, asking who had all of my attention. To which, I finally admitted to her that I had a small crush on a coworker. On the other end, Zach was at a friends house and after a few shots of liquid courage, he asked me out on a date at midnight.

The week leading up to our first date, Gabby and Jameson decided to fall extremely ill and claim my home as a quarantine zone. So they set up shop in my house, forcing me to camp out with my parents until they were done filming their own personal Contagion movie. I decided to pick up some extra shifts, and just so happened to end up working with Zach a few days prior to our first date. We had a crazy shift and ended it with a bang. Don’t worry, not literally. There was a lot of awkward tension over the course of the shift but at the end, Zach built up the courage to kiss me. A sweet cliche for two EMS workers, it was romance in the back of an ambulance.

Zach planned our entire first date, start to finish and kept it all secret. We went bowling, did laser tag, and played some pool. I showed no mercy, because unbeknownst to him, I am extremely competitive. And surprisingly, he just saw that as another attractive challenge. We have been inseparable since. We have grown together, fell in love, and even got a dog. I am so excited to see where the rest of our lives takes us. Here is to forever!

Travel

Tulsa International Airport

Will Rogers World Airport