Hello there, this is my very first Supernatural fic. So please I beg of you be kind . I own nothing of Supernatural, NOTHING. Christine is my own creation however, so I hope you like her.
Well, here we go!
Christine laid in her bed watching the rain hit the window, drops racing each other down the pane. It was 7:30 in the morning and she was not in the mood for work today. The past week felt more like a dream than a reality. One day she was driving her dad to a doctors appointment, and 3 days after she was standing at his funeral. It just didn't seem possible. Being a paramedic she knew that all medical procedures didn't always go according to plan. Complications arise, conditions aren't always optimal. Sometimes, its just someones time to go. She just never imagined that someone would be her dad.
It was supposed to be a simple thing. A gall bladder removal. A surgery performed hundreds of times a day all over the country, in and out. Home by the same day or at the very least the next day. She remembered the look on the surgeons face when he walked into the waiting room. His eyes sought her out and then immediately looked away.
" Miss Parker?"
" Yes, is everything okay?" Christine asked him.
" I'm sorry, no." he replied. " Your father suffered a massive heart attack while in surgery, and despite our best efforts, we were unable to resuscitate him."
" Wait, I'm sorry, what?" she asked in disbelief, " He was fine this morning, absolutely fine. What happened? What did you do? " She asked, her voice starting to carry through the near empty waiting room. " How is he dead!?" she yelled.
" I'm so sorry, as I said he had a heart attack during the surgery. I promise you we did everything we could to try and save him."
Christine began to sob openly. Her head fell into her hands.
The surgeon sat there noticeably uncomfortable. " Is there anyone I can call for you? Anything I can do?"
" No, I'm fine." She said through tears as she got up, gathering up her things. " I have to go." she turned and had to keep herself from running out of the room.
That was a week ago and she remembered everything about the day like it was happening to her right now. The funeral was easy, her dad had always been a planner. His wishes were specific, and he already had his funeral planned and paid for years ago to spare his daughter from the burden. He had no other family to speak of.
His friends and business associates all came to pay their respects in a small viewing ceremony. Afterward he was cremated. No weeping widows, no grand gestures at his graveside. It was just over.
Christine pulled herself from the bed and drug herself to the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror staring at her reflection. Bags hung darkly under her eyes. Her hair looked as if it hadn't seen a brush in days, and it really hadn't since the funeral.
"Ugh," she moaned to herself. She pulled her pajamas off and went over to start the shower. It seemed forever before the water warmed up enough to get in. Finally when it felt right she got in. She sighed again to herself, it was going to be a long day.
Christine pulled up to the ambulance station in her Ford Explorer. She turned off the engine, trying to give herself a pep talk to get out of the car. " Okay, you can do this. It's just another shift, you have to get back to your life." she sighed to herself and opened the door and climbed out of the suv. Shutting the door behind her, she reached and opened the back drivers door and got her duty bag out. She shut the door and leaned her head against the window. " You got this, one day at a time." She turned and walked toward the front door.
Nothing had changed in the days since she had been gone. She looked toward the bay doors, they were closed but she could see through the small windows the 2 ambulances that sat inside. The grass around the station still need to be mowed but with the rain lately it hadn't happened. Opening the front door she saw that the main office area was clean but empty which was not surprising since it was the weekend. Christine continued on through the office to the back hallway which held the crew quarters and day room. She heard the other medics and EMT's talking loudly about the nights calls with some of the oncoming shift that were there.
" Hey did you guys go out on that wreck?" a male voice asked. It was Ricky, she recognized it immediately. He was young and the newest employee.
" Nah, we got toned out but cancelled en route, no injuries." she heard Dennis reply. Christine smiled to herself. Dennis was her partner, and she was so glad he was here today. Apparently he was working a double.
Christine walked down the hall and into the day room where they were at.
" Hey guys." she said
Everyone looked at her, Dennis rushed up and hugged her.
" Hey girl, I didn't know you were coming back today." He said.
" Yeah," she said as she hugged him back. " Couldn't sit at home anymore, besides someone has to keep you guys in line around here."
Everyone took their turn after Dennis stepped back, hugging her, offering their condolences. A few of them had come to the service, but still they let her know again that they were there for her.
" Thanks guys. Really, I'm doing okay. It's been rough, but it's slowly getting better. So, whats been going on while I was gone?"
They started regaling her with stories of funny or weird calls they had gone on while she was away. Christine listened, and genuinely felt better just being here with her little work "family". After a few minutes they all went about their morning duties, some finishing up reports from the night before, others doing morning chores before heading home. The on coming crews were heading out to the bay area where the ambulances were parked to start their morning truck checks. Christine walked out of the day room into a small office on the left. The shift supervisors office, it held a small desk and computer, and a twin bed in the corner. She set her bag on the bed and shut the door. There was a full length mirror on the back of the door and once again she found herself staring at her reflection.
At 29 years old she didn't think she looked half bad. Her blue eyes still looked tired, but her face was still relatively line free. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, ' Standard medic harido,' she thought to herself. She stood at 5'8, and while she was nowhere near fat, she definitely had curves that some women would kill for. Being a paramedic kept her active and fit. 'Not too shabby' she thought in self appraisal. Even in uniform she had to admit she didn't look half bad. Her white supervisors shirt was a little wrinkly, she honestly just hadn't felt like ironing last night, but all in all she looked okay for the day. Christine opened the door and walked out to start her day.
After getting the narcotics from the off going supervisor she walked out to help check off her ambulance and she found Dennis already in the back checking things out.
" Hey," she said, " whats left."
" Oh, not much, I was on last night so I pretty much restocked. If you want to check out the monitor and maybe check the main oxygen tank."
"Sure" she replied and climbed up in the truck and started checking the cardiac monitor.
" So how are you really," he asked now that they were alone.
Christine looked up at Dennis. They had been partners for 4 years now. She knew his kids, his wife Sally, heck she'd even been at his oldest sons wedding. He knew her better than anyone else in the world now that her dad was gone.
" I'm making it." she said. " I mean, I know he's gone, it just still doesn't seem real. I keep thinking he's going to call me any minute and tell me all it was just a big joke."
Dennis leaned over and placed his large hand over hers. " I know sweetie, I know. I know there's nothing i can say or do to make it better. Just know that I'm here for you, and so is Sally."
Christine smiled at him. " I know, and I'm really grateful. I promise I'm okay. It still hurts and I know it will for a while, but I'm good."
" You'll tell me if you need anything? Anything at all. Even if it's just someone to listen."
" Sure I will."
" Good. How about breakfast. I think the other crew is going over to the diner, feel like going?" He asked
She just laughed at him, " The other crew huh? Are you sure you aren't wanting some pancakes?"
He smiled at her. " Don't sass me, and pancakes are delicious."
" Sure I could eat." she said as she smiled at him. It was going to be a good day.
After breakfast everyone was either watching TV or playing on their phones. Being a Saturday meant that it was a little more laid back, and no upper management was there. Christine was sitting at the desk in her office searching on Amazon for new bed sheets when a loud alarm tone sounded through the building. A voice came over the loudspeaker, it was the county dispatch center.
" Dispatch to Medic unit 1, Dispatch to Medic unit 1. Need you en route priority one to 728 Parkwood for a gunshot wound, repeat need you en route priority one to 728 Parkwood for a gunshot wound. Unknown aged male. PD is en route, please stage until scene has been secured."
Christine keyed up the handheld radio mic that was clipped to the front of her shirt, " That's received dispatch, show Medic one en route 728 Parkwood priority one for gunshot, stage unit." She stood up and walked out to the day room. Dennis was already walking quickly to the door that led out to the ambulance. He climbed up into the drivers seat and pushed the door opener to raise the bay door. Christine got into the passenger seat and reached over and turned on the lights and sirens. The ambulance pulled out of the bay , traffic stopped in the street to let them out and they sped off to their call.
" What do you think?" Dennis asked as he kept his eyes on the road, driving through traffic.
" I don't know, that's not usually our neighborhood for gunshots. Kid playing with dads gun maybe?"
" Maybe, or maybe someones husband came home early and found the wife cheating."
It was something they always did, trying to guess what happened before they got there, it helped with the pre-call stress. They pulled to a stop and turned off the lights and sirens a few blocks away from the actual address. Dennis picked up the microphone for the unit radio and keyed it up. " Medic one staging, eta on pd?"
" Medic one be advised PD just made scene. Stand by. "
Both Dennis and Christine reached into the box in between them that held latex glove boxes in several sizes and each pulled out a pair in their size.
" First call back on shift. Nervous?"
" Geez Dennis, I was gone like 2 shifts. Not 2 months. I'm fine."
" Hey I'm just checking."
He held out his fist for their customary fist bump, something they had been doing for the past 4 years. Before they made scene on any call they did a fist bump. It was their thing. " Got your back." she said bumping her fist to his.
" Got yours." he replied.
" Dispatch Medic one, you're clear to roll in. PD has scene secure. Pt approx 45 yo male with one gunshot wound to abdomen. Pt is unconscious, is breathing at this time."
Dennis drove the 3 blocks over to the scene of the call. Police cars were in front of the house. One of the officers was on the front lawn kneeling down by the patient, holding a bandage to his stomach at the place of the wound. The ambulance pulled to a stop in front and they both jumped out and ran to the back of the truck. Dennis pulled open the doors and grabbed the medic bag and handed it to Christine. She took it and headed over to the injured man. Dennis followed behind carrying the cardiac monitor and the oxygen bag. Christine approached the officer kneeling with the pt. She recognized her.
" Hey Domingues," she said using her last name, " what do we have."
" Looks to be a 40-50 year old male. Gunshot wound to the abdomen."
" Thanks, we got it from here." Christine said and knelt down on the other side of the patient. She checked to make sure the pt was in fact still breathing, and had good pulses. She opened the bag up to look for a bigger trauma dressing. Finding it, she tore open the package and pulled up the one that the police officer had been using. She pulled her trauma shears out of the side pocket of her pants and cut the shirt away from the mans abdomen and chest. There was clearly a bullet hole in the shirt, and traces of blood on the belly, but she couldn't find a wound anywhere. She looked back over her shoulder to call to Dennis who was talking to one of the other officers on scene. She looked back at her pt to find him awake and staring at her. It caught her off guard and she actually jumped a bit. The man smiled up at her and said.
" Hello darling."