Life Goes On–Part 6
By Nancy F. Thysell (The Nifty Lady)
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Dr. Brackett signed Chris’ release papers and now she waited impatiently for Johnny to arrive to take her home. She opened the closet to find the clothes she had worn the night she fell. The blouse was torn and the outfit was dirty but she didn’t have anything else to wear. And she didn’t want to wait for Johnny to go home and return with something else. The door opened and Dixie McCall entered.
"Good morning Chris," she greeted. Chris looked over at the nurse with a sad expression.
"Hi Dixie."
"What’s wrong Chris?"
"This!" Chris replied holding out the clothing.
"I see. And I assume that’s all you have here to change into?"
Chris nodded. "I guess Johnny didn’t think about bringing anything over before now. He probably doesn’t even know I’ve been released yet, either."
Dixie looked at her wristwatch. "Well, he should be here before too long. His shift ended at eight unless they were on a call."
"I know. I worry when they keep them over," Chris admitted. She looked at her clothes. "I should just throw these in the trash."
Dixie looked them over as well. "I agree. I’ll tell you what. I’ll go borrow a pair of scrubs for you. Heaven knows I’ve sent Johnny and Roy home in enough of them."
"Really? Thanks Dixie," Chris said greatly relieved.
"I’ll be back in a few minutes," Dixie promised and left. Chris crawled back under the covers. It would be so good to be home again and sharing a bed with Johnny. The thought made her feel warm all over.
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Dixie walked down the corridor of the ER to the supply closet to retrieve a set of scrubs for Chris. Suddenly the doors burst open and the ambulance attendants hurried in with their patient. Van Kessler ran along beside them, holding the IV bag aloft. Dixie ran ahead of them.
"Treatment Three," she ordered and the men followed her into the room. She pushed the door open and held it as they pushed the gurney into the room. Dixie gasped as she saw who the patient was! John Gage writhed on the gurney in pain!
"What happened?" Dixie asked in a startled voice. Van looked over as they transferred Johnny onto the exam table.
"We were on a call this morning. There was an explosion and Johnny caught the brunt of it."
Dr. Early entered the room as the ambulance attendants left and quickly began his assessment of Johnny’s injuries. The room became a flurry of activity as the medical staff began treating Johnny. He had a number of cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken left femur. He was lucky it could have been much worse.
Dixie watched as they wheeled Johnny down the hall. Dr. Early came and stood by her.
"I can’t believe it. I can’t recall another firefighter that’s gotten hurt as often," Joe said softly. Dixie nodded, she was afraid if she said anything she’d lose her professional demeanor. Then she remembered that Chris was waiting.
"Excuse me, Joe," Dixie said and hurried to the supply closet. She grabbed a set of scrubs and leaned against the shelves for support. It was true. Johnny did get more than his share of injuries. Despite that, John Gage was one of her favorite people. She hated seeing him injured. A single tear made its way down her cheek and in the privacy of the closet, Dixie let her guard down and cried.
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Chris rolled onto her side and pulled the blanket up close to her chin. She punched the pillow with her fist. Did Dixie forget about me? And where’s Johnny? I want to go home! Chris punched the pillow again. She wanted to get dressed and she wanted to leave! She looked at the phone and considered calling the ER but then figured that Dixie must have been pulled into the treatment of a patient.
The door to her room opened and Dixie entered slowly, scrubs in hand.
"My clothes!" Chris squealed happily but then she noticed Dixie’s expression. "What’s wrong, Dix?"
"Uh, Chris. Johnny..." Chris’ stomach flip-flopped.
"What? No! He’s not..."
Dixie rushed to her bedside. "No! No. He got hurt this morning."
"How bad?"
"He has cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a broken leg."
"Oh no! Where is he? I want to see him!" Chris demanded as she threw back the covers. Dixie handed her the scrubs.
"Get dressed and I’ll take you to him. He’s in orthopedics right now. They’ll have him in a room soon."
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As soon as she could, Dixie led Chris to the floor where they would find Johnny’s room. She left Chris alone while she checked in with the floor nurse. Chris sat with her vase of roses and waited. Finally Dixie returned and she directed Chris down the corridor to Johnny’s room. As they entered, Chris could see all the equipment they had hooked up to her husband. His chest and right shoulder were tightly taped and his left leg was encased in plaster. He was hooked up to an IV and had been sedated so he was asleep.
Chris quietly moved to his bedside and took his left hand. He looked so uncomfortable. She brushed his cheek with her fingers and felt his morning stubble. She leaned over and kissed his cheek and thought his skin felt warm. She rested her cheek against his and looked down at the sea of bandages. A tear rolled down her cheek onto his.
Dixie came over beside her.
"We need to go now," she softly informed her and gently tugged on Chris’ shoulders. Reluctantly, Chris allowed Dixie to force her away from the bed.
"Is he okay?" she asked worriedly as they stood outside the room. Dixie looked back through the glass partition and sighed.
"I think so. He’s not feeling any pain at the moment. That’s for sure. But now we need to take care of you. You need a ride home, right?"
Chris nodded. She looked down at the vase.
"Dixie, can I leave the flowers here for Johnny?" she asked hopefully. Dix smiled.
"I’m sure you can. I’ll just let the floor nurse know."
A few minutes later they were stepping off the elevator on the ER floor. They were immediately greeted by Captain Stanley, Marco Lopez, Mike Stoker, Chet Kelly, and Van Kessler. They were all dressed in their civvies. They were there waiting for news on Johnny.
"Miss McCall?" Hank asked hesitantly, acting as the spokesman. He nodded briefly at Chris.
"Hi Hank. Johnny’s going to be fine. He’s on the fourth floor. They have his leg set. He’s asleep right now so no visitors for the time being. We’ll let you know," she informed the men. There was almost a collective sigh of relief as they all relaxed.
"That’s good news," Hank agreed. "Thanks Miss McCall. How are you doing Chris?"
"Much better. I’m on my way home...I guess," she answered and looked down at the scrubs.
"Oh yeah. You’ll need a ride home, won’t you?" he surmised. He turned to his crew. "Any of you gentlemen up to driving Mrs. Gage home?"
All five of them volunteered. Chris smiled at their generosity.
"I really only need a ride to the station," she reminded them. "I can pickup the Land Rover."
"Okay. Then I’d be happy to drive you over there," Hank offered. He rubbed his hands together and turned to the guys. "Well, we’ve done all we can do for now. I’ll see you guys later."
The crew of A-shift escorted Chris and their Captain out to the parking lot. When they got back to the station, Hank went in and got Johnny’s clothes out of his locker and gave them to Chris. Chris sat behind the steering wheel of the Land Rover and with Hank’s help, moved the seat forward enough so she could drive it. Once the adjustments were made, she turned the key in the ignition. She frowned as she looked out over the tire on the hood. It sure obstructed her view. She called out to Hank as he was backing up. He stopped and jogged over.
"What is it, Chris?" he asked in concern.
"Could you help me remove that stupid tire?" she asked pointing to the offending object. Hank laughed.
"Sure! No problem. Pop the hood," he instructed. He pulled out the tools from the back and in a few minutes had the tire off the hood and threw it into the back of the Rover.
"There. Johnny can put it back on when he’s feeling better," he said with a flourish.
"Thanks Hank. At least now I can almost see over the steering wheel," Chris quipped. "Bye now."
Hank waved as she pulled out from the rear parking lot. He looked down at his dirty hands and headed back into the locker room to freshen up before, he too, headed home.
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Dr. Brackett left his office and headed toward the base station. Dixie barely looked up from her paper work as he helped himself to coffee.
"Hey Dix. How’s it going?" he asked as he leaned against the counter and sipped the hot beverage. Dixie glanced over at him.
"I just hope this lull lasts long enough for me to finish these notes. Plus, I was thinking I should call Roy DeSoto and tell him how Johnny’s doing."
Kel frowned. "How Johnny’s doing? What’s with Johnny?"
Dixie looked up surprised. "Oh! I thought you knew. He was injured in a fire this morning. He’s up on the on the fourth floor."
"How bad?" Brackett asked with genuine concern.
Dixie gave him the run down of Johnny’s injuries. Brackett shook his head.
"I didn’t know. I’ve been in meetings all morning since I finished rounds. How did Chris take the news?"
"Okay, I guess. She really didn’t want to leave him."
"Is she still here? I guess I should talk to her," Kel surmised.
"No, she went home a couple of hours ago."
Kelly frowned again. "She didn’t go home alone, did she?"
"I think Hank Stanley drove her over to the station to get Johnny’s car," Dixie recalled.
"Well, we need to find out if someone is staying with her. I wouldn’t have released her if I had known about Johnny. She still needs someone to check on her. Do you have their number handy?"
"Yeah. Sure. Hold on a moment." Dixie flipped through her roll-a-dex and found the number and wrote it on a pad for Kel.
"Thanks. Would you look up Roy’s number too? Maybe they can keep an eye on her," he offered hopefully as Dixie wrote that number for him.
He retreated to his office and dialed Roy’s number first.
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"Hi JoAnne. It’s Dr. Brackett. May I speak to Roy?"
"Hello Dr. Brackett. I’m afraid Roy’s still asleep. That sedative really knocked him out. May I give him a message?" JoAnne answered politely. It would have to be terribly important for her to wake up her injured husband.
"Well, perhaps you could do something for me?" he asked instead.
"What would that be Dr. Brackett?" her curiosity was peaked.
"I released Chris Gage this morning assuming that Johnny would be home to keep an eye on her," Kel explained.
"I don’t understand. Why won’t Johnny be there?"
"Oh! You hadn’t heard either!"
"Heard what? Did something happen to Johnny?" she asked, fearfully.
"Uh...yes. Johnny was injured in an explosion this morning. He was admitted a couple of hours ago."
"Oh dear! Is he going to be all right?"
"I believe so. Nothing life threatening," Kel assured her. "But he is going to be with us a few days."
"And you’re worried about Chris?"
"Yes. She shouldn’t be alone right now. Someone needs to keep an eye on her."
"And you were wondering if Roy and I would do that?"
"Well...yes, I was. Could you?"
"Oh, Dr. Brackett, you hardly needed to ask. Of course we’ll look after her. I’ll go over an collect her and bring her back here. Will you let Johnny know? And I’m sure I’m not going to be able to keep either one of them from wanting to come over to see him. Is he being allowed visitors?"
"He’s sedated at the moment. I’d wait until after five before you come by," Brackett suggested.
"Okay. We’ll do that. Roy’ll probably be awake by then. I’ve been trying to make sure he’s getting a lot of rest."
"That’s good. Thanks JoAnne. Johnny and Chris are really lucky to have you and Roy as friends."
"Well, the feeling is mutual. Now don’t worry about Chris. I’ll take care of her," JoAnne assured the doctor. They said their goodbyes and JoAnne quickly dialed Johnny’s home number. It rang and rang until the answering machine picked up.
"Chris? Chris, it’s JoAnne. Call me as soon as you get this message!" JoAnne dictated to the machine and then hung up. "Oh, Chris. I hope you’re all right!"
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When Chris pulled into the drive there was another vehicle parked beside her red truck. For a split second, she tried to figure out whose car it could be. Then the driver’s side door opened and Van Kessler stepped out. He gave her a friendly wave as she pulled in and parked. She waved back . She let herself out of the Land Rover as he approached.
"Van! What are you doing here?" she wondered.
"Hey, Chris. Johnny mentioned something about horses? Thought maybe you could use a hand," he said congenially. Chris looked over toward the barn and realized that indeed she could use some help with them. Silently she hoped Van had some experience with animals.
"Yeah. I guess I do. Just let me change my clothes," she replied.
"No problem," Van responded as he followed her into the house.
"Have a seat. I’ll be down in a few minutes," Chris said as she headed up the stairs.
While Chris changed out of the hospital scrubs, Van amused himself by wandering around the living room, looking at the pictures and mementos. He smiled at a picture of Johnny and Chris taken at someplace with a carousel in the background. They looked happy.
"She sure is cute," he thought to himself.
A few minutes later, Chris made her way down the stairs now dressed comfortably in jeans, a T-shirt, and boots. Van took in her outfit appreciatively. Chris’ jeans were form fitting snug and the T-shirt was tight. He thought the outfit flattered her immensely. She carefully placed a cowboy hat on her head to cover the bandage. She winced as she secured it with a tug. Then she turned to Van.
"Ready?"
"Yeah. You sure make a cute ranch hand," Van told her with a smile.
Chris blushed slightly at the compliment and found herself feeling a bit ill-at-ease.
"Uh, thank you. So, Van, what do you know about horses?" she inquired as they headed to the barn.
"Not a whole lot. But I’m a quick learner," he promised.
Chris nodded as she tried to recall everything that she knew Johnny did in the barn.
"Well, I think we should feed the horses first and then turn them out into the corral while we clean the stalls."
"Okay. You’re the boss. Just show me what to do," Van replied eagerly. Chris showed him where the feed was and instructed him on how to mix it. Before long the two novices had the animals fed and turned into the corral. Now they got to clean the stalls. But by this time, Chris’ head was beginning to throb.
"Van!" she called out and he hurried over. He noticed with concern how pale she looked.
"Chris! Are you all right?"
She shook her head. "I may be overdoing it," she admitted. Van moved in close, to catch her if she fell but his closeness made her nervous. She looked into his hazel eyes but she wasn’t sure what she saw in them. Was it just concern? She took in a deep breath and explained to Van what needed to be done to clean the stalls. He listened intently to her directions. But he also couldn’t help drinking in her fragrance. He leaned in closer to take in her perfume by resting his arm above her head on the stall. He noticed with surprise that she blushed, and that he was making her uncomfortable. He grinned at the thought of making her flustered.
"Maybe you should go lay down," he suggested. His face was within inches of hers now. Chris swallowed hard.
"Y-y-yes..." she stammered. "I think maybe I should."
She ducked under Van’s arm. He found it stimulating as her body brushed against his when she passed. He watched her walk back to the house, admiring the view. Then he chastised himself for having these feelings of desire about his friend’s wife. He threw himself into the chore of cleaning the stalls, frantically working out his frustration.
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Chris was exhausted by the time she reached the house. She noticed the blinking light on the answering machine alerting her to a new message but she was too tired to deal with it right then. She downed a couple of pain pills with a glass of water. Then, slowly, she made her way to the bedroom. She was so tired, she stretched out on top of the covers, too tired to undress.
It took Van over an hour to clean out the stalls considering he really didn’t know what he was doing. It did however, convince him that he would NEVER own horses–way too much work. He was hot and sweaty by the time he finished. And he wondered if Chris would mind if he took a shower.
He rapped lightly on the front door. Receiving no answer, he opened the door and quietly called out for Chris.
"Hmm. She must be asleep," he decided. He quickly retreated to his car and pulled out a change of clothes. He figured he could take a quick shower and be out of there before Chris even knew it.
He found the hall bath devoid of any supplies. He debated for a moment as to whether or not to disturb Chris. Quietly he rapped on the bedroom door and then slowly opened it. He found Chris asleep on the bed. What was it about her that made him lust so? He tiptoed across the bedroom and let himself into the master bath. Everything he’d needed was in that room so he quickly stripped down and stepped into the shower.
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JoAnne had been concerned about how Chris was doing and since she hadn’t returned the phone call, JoAnne was worried. She decided that she’d better drive over there. Besides, she reasoned, Chris would have to pack a bag anyway. She could help her with that.
An unfamiliar vehicle was parked in the yard and JoAnne frowned as she wondered who it belonged to. She parked the station wagon and crossed to the front door and knocked. When she received no answer, she tried the handle and found it unlocked so she opened the door.
"Chris?" she called. She could hear water running up stairs. She assumed that Chris might be in the shower so she waited.
Chris stirred when she heard the knocking and thought she heard someone call her name. Then she realized that the shower was running. She smiled. Johnny. It didn’t occur to her that it might be Van. Her thoughts were so fuzzy that she didn’t even remember that Johnny was in the hospital. She sat up and wrinkled her nose at the smell of her clothes. She’d need a shower, too.
She had just stripped off all her clothing when she heard JoAnne call her name again. She crossed to the door, pulling on her robe and opened it.
"JoAnne? I’m upstairs," she called out. She was just about to rap on the bathroom door to warn Johnny that they had a guest when both doors opened simultaneously. Van stood in the bathroom door with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Both JoAnne and Chris stood in shock with their mouths hanging open. Van blushed appropriately as Chris clutched her robe tightly to her neck.
"Excuse me," he said awkwardly. "I left my clean clothes in the other bathroom," he explained as he tried to modestly exit the room.
Chris was speechless and blushed furiously as he passed by her. JoAnne watched in disbelief as Van exited the room and then turned to Chris, incredulous that she would do something like this!
"Chris! Who was that man?" She was so shocked she could barely talk.
"Uh... that’s Van Kessler. He’s a paramedic. He took Roy’s place last night," she said, timidly.
"Oh? And so today he’s taking Johnny’s?" JoAnne’s tone was accusatory.
"I didn’t know he was in there," Chris explained, feeling confused. "He was working down in the barn. When I woke up, I thought for the moment that it was Johnny in there."
She sank down on the bed and hung her head.
"Well, just how did Van get in there?" JoAnne demanded.
"I don’t know. I don’t know. He was cleaning out the stalls when I came in here to lie down."
Chris took her head in her hands and sobbed. JoAnne crossed to her and put her arms around Chris’ shoulders.
"Are you okay, Chris?" She could feel Chris trembling.
"How could he do something like that?" she asked incredulously. She was angry too! She turned to JoAnne, tears forming in her eyes. "I feel so violated!"
"Now. Now. It’s all right. You’re safe. I’m sure, what’s his name, Van? I’m sure Van is harmless. It’s probably just a big misunderstanding. Typical man! He probably just wasn’t thinking!" JoAnne tried to comfort her. She reached for a tissue and handed it to Chris.
"Here. Dry your eyes. Now. I want you to go take a shower. You’ll feel better. In the meantime, I’ll pack a bag for you. You’re coming home with me. And I’ll go have a little talk with Van. Go on now!"
"Yes ma’am," Chris complied like a child. She was really glad that JoAnne was there.
JoAnne quickly packed a few things in a suitcase for Chris and then went downstairs in search of the wayward paramedic. She found him dressed and pacing in the kitchen. Van stopped as she entered the room.
"Look, I’m sorry..." he began but JoAnne stopped him with her hand.
"We haven’t been introduced but I understand that you’re a paramedic," JoAnne stated bluntly.
"Yes ma’am. I’m Van Kessler," he replied meekly.
"Well, Van Kessler, I’m Roy DeSoto’s wife, JoAnne. Just what in the world were you thinking?" she demanded.
Van gazed guiltily at the ceiling.
"Well, I didn’t think Chris would mind if I took a shower but the hall bath wasn’t supplied. I didn’t want to wake her so I just used the master bath. Uh...not too bright, huh?" he admitted sheepishly.
"No. Not at all. Chris is very upset," she informed him evenly.
"Then I should go apologize to her."
"Now’s not a good time. You can apologize later. I think it would be best if you just left," she said coldly.
"Whatever you say. Would you tell her I am sorry, for me?" he asked contritely.
"I’ll tell her," JoAnne assured him. Van bobbed his head and meekly took his leave. JoAnne watched until his car disappeared down the drive. The water was no longer running, so she assumed that Chris had finished her shower. She gave her a few minutes to dress before she climbed the stairs.
"Chris, you decent?" she called before opening the bedroom door.
"Yeah. Come on in JoAnne," Chris answered. JoAnne found her placing a few personal items in the bag.
"Is he gone?" she asked quietly.
"Yes. He wanted to apologize but I suggested that he do it another time. Preferably when Johnny or Roy is around. And I want to apologize too. I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion."
"Thanks JoAnne. I appreciate that. I feel so foolish," she admitted.
"What on earth for? That man, practically a stranger, helps himself to your home while you’re sleeping. No! He was way out of line. He was totally in the wrong! Plain and simple!" JoAnne could feel her anger rising.
"Well, I’m glad you came when you did. I don’t know why but I was thinking that it was Johnny in there. And I was about to join him in the shower!"
"No! That would have been so...so...embarrassing!"
"Not to mention sending the wrong message," Chris said. JoAnne stared at Chris a moment. Chris shrugged her shoulders. "I think he was coming on to me."
"What makes you think that?" JoAnne asked, worried now if she should report Van’s behavior.
"Oh, just some things he said and...that look...I mean, I know what it means when I see it in Johnny’s eyes."
"Chris! You don’t think Van would have..."
"I’d like to think not. I’m just glad you showed up when you did. Thank you!" she said gratefully.
JoAnne hesitated before asking, "Are you going to say anything to Johnny?"
Chris shook her head. "Oh no! That would only worry him and nothing actually happened. He’s got to work with the guy and in their line of work, they don’t need outside tension," she rationalized.
"I suppose. I don’t think I could keep something like this from Roy. But then, nothing like this has ever happened to me." She sighed and looked around the room. "Well, are you about ready to go? Roy’s going to wonder what’s happened to me."
"Yeah. Do you think we can go by to see Johnny later?"
JoAnne laughed. "I can almost guarantee it. As soon as Roy finds out, he’ll want to see Johnny. That I know without asking." She picked up Chris’ suitcase and followed her out of the house. While Chris locked the door, JoAnne stashed her bag in the rear of the wagon.
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END PART 6--TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 7
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