Life After...
Chapter 1
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"Kim, please pick up the phone," came the voice over the answering machine.
"Kim!" repeated the voice.
"Hello?" said the little voice into the phone after picking up.
"Joey? Where's Mommy?" Jimmy asked with apprehension. "Is Mommy okay?"
"Yeah, Dad. She's outside, getting the mail," Joey answered his father, not realizing the anguish in his voice.
"Oh. Okay. Is everything going okay there, Champ?" Jimmy asked his son, a little more relaxed.
"Yeah. We're just hanging out and taking it easy," he answered as Kim walked in the door.
"Joey, who's on the phone?" she asked, coming over to him and taking the phone and putting the mail on the table.
"Remember, Mommy said you're not allowed to answer the phone unless I'm here with you," she reinforced, tousling his hair and bringing the phone up to her ear.
"It's only Daddy," Joey said, picking up his Nickelodeon Magazine that had come in the mail.
"Oh. Sorry," she said, and then to Jimmy, "Hi, Jimmy. What's up?"
"Uh, nothing. I was just calling to see how you both were doing," he answered, the worry of her trying the same thing she did when Bobby died still fresh in his mind.
Kim sat down in the chair next to the phone and let out a sigh. "Jimmy, I'm going to be fine. I promise," she said quietly into the phone, not wanting Joey to overhear her. They had only told him that Alex had gotten hurt really badly at a fire call and the doctors couldn't help her. They didn't tell him all the gruesome details.
"I know you say that, Kim. And I want to believe you, but sometimes we don't have control over how our mind reacts to something. I don't want Joey to have to go through that again," he told her.
"I know. That's why I've already talked to Dr. Singer," she advised him. "I don't want Joey to go through that again either. And, while I don't think that's going to happen, I wanted to be sure that the sad feelings I've been having are the normal sad feelings when someone dies unexpectedly."
"You talked to Dr. Singer? Well, good," Jimmy said. "And everything's okay?"
"Yes, Jimmy. Everything's fine. I promise. Now stop worrying," she told him.
"Okay. I will," he said with more confidence this time. There was an awkward silence on the phone and she sensed that something was bothering him.
"Are you doing okay?" she asked him.
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine, Kim," he answered, a little too quickly.
"Because I'm here if you want to talk. Or, I could give you Dr. Singer's number," she offered.
"Kim, I wasn't even there," he said.
"Yeah, I know. I also know that you blame yourself a lot when things go wrong and you're not around - even if there was nothing you could have done. There was nothing any of us could have done," she assured him.
"Yeah, I guess," he said. "I stopped in to see the Lieu today."
"How's he doing?" Kim asked him. She hadn't been in to see him the last couple of days. She had days off and then the services for Alex. She'd spent as much time with Joey as possible on her time off.
"He's still critical. They've got him pretty drugged up, which is probably for the best with all the debridement and stuff," he said, remembering the pained look in the Lieutenant's left eye - how the eye had managed to avoid being burned he didn't know, but at least the Lieutenant wasn't going to be completely blind.
"Yeah, that's pretty rough from what I've heard. I can still hear him screaming when he was on fire," she said, picturing the scene in her head again.
"Yeah...," was all Jimmy said.
"Hey," Kim said in a brighter tone. "Joey and I are having pizza and movie night. If you're not doing anything, you could join us," she offered, sensing he was feeling lonely.
Jimmy thought for a moment. "I don't want to butt in," he said.
"You're not butting in. We invited you. You can pick up the pizza on the way over. We've already gotten the movies," she said.
"Yeah, Dad! Please?!" Joey yelled from across the room.
"Well, if you're sure," Jimmy said, brightening a little at spending some extra time with Joey.
"We're sure. About 5:30?" she suggested.
"Okay, sausage and pepperoni, right?" he asked.
"Yup. Better get two. Your son is eating like a pig lately. I'm expecting a growth spurt soon," she said.
"Okay. I'll see you then. And, Kim?" Jimmy said.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks," he said before hanging up.
Kim hung up the phone and looked over at Joey. Joey looked up at her from his magazine. "Dad's worried about you getting sick again?" he asked her.
"I think so, but that's not going to happen again, Joey. I want you to know that, okay?" Kim said, getting up and going over to give Joey a big hug.
"I know, Mom. You're a different sad this time," he said, hugging her back.
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TBC...
Chapter 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kim, please pick up the phone," came the voice over the answering machine.
"Kim!" repeated the voice.
"Hello?" said the little voice into the phone after picking up.
"Joey? Where's Mommy?" Jimmy asked with apprehension. "Is Mommy okay?"
"Yeah, Dad. She's outside, getting the mail," Joey answered his father, not realizing the anguish in his voice.
"Oh. Okay. Is everything going okay there, Champ?" Jimmy asked his son, a little more relaxed.
"Yeah. We're just hanging out and taking it easy," he answered as Kim walked in the door.
"Joey, who's on the phone?" she asked, coming over to him and taking the phone and putting the mail on the table.
"Remember, Mommy said you're not allowed to answer the phone unless I'm here with you," she reinforced, tousling his hair and bringing the phone up to her ear.
"It's only Daddy," Joey said, picking up his Nickelodeon Magazine that had come in the mail.
"Oh. Sorry," she said, and then to Jimmy, "Hi, Jimmy. What's up?"
"Uh, nothing. I was just calling to see how you both were doing," he answered, the worry of her trying the same thing she did when Bobby died still fresh in his mind.
Kim sat down in the chair next to the phone and let out a sigh. "Jimmy, I'm going to be fine. I promise," she said quietly into the phone, not wanting Joey to overhear her. They had only told him that Alex had gotten hurt really badly at a fire call and the doctors couldn't help her. They didn't tell him all the gruesome details.
"I know you say that, Kim. And I want to believe you, but sometimes we don't have control over how our mind reacts to something. I don't want Joey to have to go through that again," he told her.
"I know. That's why I've already talked to Dr. Singer," she advised him. "I don't want Joey to go through that again either. And, while I don't think that's going to happen, I wanted to be sure that the sad feelings I've been having are the normal sad feelings when someone dies unexpectedly."
"You talked to Dr. Singer? Well, good," Jimmy said. "And everything's okay?"
"Yes, Jimmy. Everything's fine. I promise. Now stop worrying," she told him.
"Okay. I will," he said with more confidence this time. There was an awkward silence on the phone and she sensed that something was bothering him.
"Are you doing okay?" she asked him.
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine, Kim," he answered, a little too quickly.
"Because I'm here if you want to talk. Or, I could give you Dr. Singer's number," she offered.
"Kim, I wasn't even there," he said.
"Yeah, I know. I also know that you blame yourself a lot when things go wrong and you're not around - even if there was nothing you could have done. There was nothing any of us could have done," she assured him.
"Yeah, I guess," he said. "I stopped in to see the Lieu today."
"How's he doing?" Kim asked him. She hadn't been in to see him the last couple of days. She had days off and then the services for Alex. She'd spent as much time with Joey as possible on her time off.
"He's still critical. They've got him pretty drugged up, which is probably for the best with all the debridement and stuff," he said, remembering the pained look in the Lieutenant's left eye - how the eye had managed to avoid being burned he didn't know, but at least the Lieutenant wasn't going to be completely blind.
"Yeah, that's pretty rough from what I've heard. I can still hear him screaming when he was on fire," she said, picturing the scene in her head again.
"Yeah...," was all Jimmy said.
"Hey," Kim said in a brighter tone. "Joey and I are having pizza and movie night. If you're not doing anything, you could join us," she offered, sensing he was feeling lonely.
Jimmy thought for a moment. "I don't want to butt in," he said.
"You're not butting in. We invited you. You can pick up the pizza on the way over. We've already gotten the movies," she said.
"Yeah, Dad! Please?!" Joey yelled from across the room.
"Well, if you're sure," Jimmy said, brightening a little at spending some extra time with Joey.
"We're sure. About 5:30?" she suggested.
"Okay, sausage and pepperoni, right?" he asked.
"Yup. Better get two. Your son is eating like a pig lately. I'm expecting a growth spurt soon," she said.
"Okay. I'll see you then. And, Kim?" Jimmy said.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks," he said before hanging up.
Kim hung up the phone and looked over at Joey. Joey looked up at her from his magazine. "Dad's worried about you getting sick again?" he asked her.
"I think so, but that's not going to happen again, Joey. I want you to know that, okay?" Kim said, getting up and going over to give Joey a big hug.
"I know, Mom. You're a different sad this time," he said, hugging her back.
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TBC...