Chapter 7
Her slow and heavy footsteps plodded up the stairs. It had been a long, grueling night at Station 51. Reese, arms loaded with grocery bags, fumbled for the key to her apartment. Between trying to unlock the door and balancing three bags of groceries, the set of keys fell from her hands and hit the floor with a noisy "thunk".
Dammit. Just great, she thought. Placing the grocery bags on the floor, she retrieved her keys. After sorting through them, she found the one that fit the lock and opened the door. Picking up her grocery bags, she stumbled in. With every ounce of strength she had left, she leaned against the door to close it and paused for a minute to catch her breath. Home, sweet home. Reese's place wasn't the grandest one in LA, but, she didn't need anything fancy. She chose this particular apartment on East Woodward Avenue several months ago because the neighborhood was so peaceful, and she immediately took a liking to the landlady. Giovanna DeLuca was a sweet Italian widow lady who thought of Reese as one of her children. The DeLucas had raised four sons, but Giovanna had always wanted a girl. The more she got to know Reese, the more she thought of her as the daughter she never had. Whenever there were repairs that had to be made in the upstairs apartment, Mrs. DeLuca would always send one of her boys to fix it hoping to create a romantic spark. Or, she would invite Reese down to her apartment whenever one of her sons was visiting because she "made too much food for the two of them to eat", and she didn't want to see it go to waste.
Taking a deep breath and gathering herself together, Reese placed the brown paper sacks on the counter. Immediately, Smokey and Roscoe, jumped onto the counter to greet her as she started to put her groceries away. Curiosity got the better of the cats as they began to investigate the scene, rustling noisily through the bags.
"C'mon, guys. Not now, OK?" She scooped them up into her arms and kissed them on the tops of their heads. Putting them on the floor, she reached into the cabinet for the cat food. Once they heard the box rattle, the cats began to meow and wind their way round her ankles. "I know you guys are hungry, but give me a break. I just got home, and it's already been a long day." After dumping the dry cat food into the dish and filling their bowl with fresh water, she returned to the counter to continue putting her groceries away.
She was almost done when there was a knock at the door. Opening the door slightly, she saw Mrs. DeLuca standing there. She slid the brass safety chain from the slot and let her landlady into the kitchen.
"Mrs. DeLuca. Hello." They exchanged a hug.
"Hello, Reese. I wanted to give you mail. You forgot to pick it up."
"Thank you, Mrs. DeLuca."
"You look so tired, Bella. Did you have a hard day at work?"
"Yes. It was very busy."
"I saw that big fire on TV this morning, were you there?" Mrs. DeLuca let out a sigh. "You know, I worry about you at that job. It's so dangerous. Why don't you take a nice, safe job, like being a secretary?"
Reese smiled, "Because I don't know how to type, Mrs. DeLuca." . If there was one job she didn't want, it involved sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day. She had always been active throughout her childhood and into her teenage years. There was always something to do in and around Boston, no matter what the season. Skiing and ice skating kept her busy in the winter, while the rest of the year was filled with hiking, biking, and camping. There was never a time when Reese was bored.
Giovanna reached out to hug her. "Reesie, why don't you come down to dinner tonight? My son, Armando, is coming over. I've made a lot of food, and I don't want to throw it out."
"Mrs. DeLuca., I would love to, but I think I'm just going to stay here and watch some TV."
"OK, Dear. If you change your mind..."
"Thank you."
"Good bye, Bella."
"So long, Mrs. DeLuca."
Reese closed the door and slipped the safety chain back into place. She pulled her uniform shirt out of her pants and let it hang. Now, she felt more comfortable. She finished putting away the groceries and threw the empty bags into the trash. Taking off her shoes, she placed them on the mat by the door.
Looking at her two "roommates", she said, "Well, gentlemen, I think I'm going to sit down for a few minutes before taking a shower. Then, we can get nice and cozy and watch some TV, OK?"
The two cats looked up from their bowls for a second, licked their lips, and went back to eating.
She noticed that the indicator light on her answering machine was blinking. As soon as she pressed the button, a voice filled the room.
*** BEEP! Hi – please leave a message. I'll call you back as soon as I can. BEEP! ***
Hello, this is Heidi from the Arthur McMurray Studio of Dance. You're
this week's lucky winner of a free dance lesson at any one of our local
studios. Amaze your friends with new moves on the dance floor…
Reese laughed as she hit the delete button, saying "Thanks, but no thanks, Heidi."
The voice on the second message filled the room as she opened up one of the windows in the kitchen.
Earl? It's Clyde. Remember to pick me up for work tomorrow, OK?
Hitting the delete button again, she erased that message as well.
Hello, Miss Murphy. This is Amalgamated Credit Company.
Your last installment is seven days overdue. If you have made your payment,
please disregard this message. If not, please let this be a gentle
reminder that a payment is due within the next 14 days or we will
have to take drastic measures.
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered. "The check is in the mail." Hitting the red button on the machine, she deleted that message, too.
*** BEEP – End of Messages ***
Reese grabbed the newspaper from the pile of mail and sat down on the couch. It felt good to relax after the day they'd had. The factory fire had taken hours to get under control, and transporting victims to the hospital and follow-up had taken a few more. It was a good kind of tired, she thought, knowing that you put in a hard day's work.
It didn't take long before her eyes began to grow heavy. A few minutes later, she slumped over into a sound sleep. Smokey and Roscoe cuddled in between the pillows at the other end of the sofa to keep her company.
A few hours later, she was rousted from her nap by knocking at her door. Waking up with a start, she looked around and slowly got off the couch. Arching her back, she stretched deeply as the bones in her neck and spine let out a soft crack.
She glanced at the clock on the kitchen counter. Oh, my God, she thought…it's 2:00 already. Who could that be?
She got to the door and opened it slightly.
"Reese?"
"Yes?"
"Hi, Reese! It's Joanne DeSoto. May I come in?"
Reese looked out the door and slowly unhooked the safety chain. Smiling, she said, "Joanne! Hi! What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry to interrupt you on your day off, but I was on my way to pick the children up from school. I wanted to stop by and talk to you."
"Uh, sure. I'm sorry. It was a rough shift, and I fell asleep on the couch."
"Did I wake you? I apologize. I can come back…" She began to turn away.
"No, no. Joanne. That's OK. Come in and sit down. Can I get you something to drink?"
"No. I'm fine thank you," she said as she sat down at the kitchen table. "I'm really sorry to bother you."
Reese smiled. "Don't be silly! It's no bother at all."
Reese opened the cupboard door and selected a glass. She placed it on the counter, reached into the refrigerator and poured herself some juice. Upon hearing the refrigerator door opening, Roscoe and Smokey darted out from the living room. "No, guys, go back to sleep. I have nothing for you." Feeling dejected, the two felines turned and went back to the couch.
Placing her glass on the table in front of her, Reese sat down opposite Joanne. "What can I do for you?"
Joanne shifted uncomfortably in her chair and cleared her throat. "I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me? For what?"
"Roy…uh…well, he told me what happened at the warehouse fire last night…how you pushed him out of the way to keep him from getting hurt."
"It's all part of the job. He would have done the same for me, for Johnny, for anyone."
"It scares me to think what could have happened." Joanne paused and let out a sigh. Her eyes began to tear up. "I know Roy loves his job, but sometimes…"
"You worry?" Reese drank from her glass and set it on the table in front of her.
"If I were to lose him, I don't know what I'd do. Every time he walks out that door, I realize that may be the last time I see him." She paused again to clear her throat. "I never forget to tell him how much I love him." She laughed nervously and began to twist the diamond engagement ring and wedding band around her finger. "That's the curse of a fireman's wife, I guess. You…you must think I'm crazy…"
"No. No, I don't. Do you want to know what I really think? I think you and Roy are two of the luckiest people I've ever met. You have each other, and you have two beautiful children. A lot of people would give their right arms for something like that, and you're looking at one of them. Someday, I hope to be as fortunate as the two of you are."
Joanne wiped a stray tear from her eye. "I just wanted to say thank you. If you ever need anything…please…" Joanne reached over to hug her. She stopped to think for a minute. "One of these days, I'd like to have you over for dinner. We have Johnny over all the time. It's just as easy to set another place at the table."
"That would be nice."
Reese walked Joanne to the door. Joanne paused for a minute and turned to the young woman. "Reese, please don't tell Roy I stopped by."
"I won't. I promise." Reese smiled as she held the door open.
"Bye, Reese." Joanne turned and walked down the steps.
Reese closed the door and leaned against it. She looked at the clock. It was 2:25 in the afternoon.
Journal Entry:
Last shift was a busy one.
The day started out like any other day until Captain Stanley called me into his office. He said he noticed some tension between Peter and me during his picnic. He called it "an old married man's intuition". I explained that Peter & I were having a disagreement about my career goals.
Then, he asked me about my time at 39's. I never expected that. So, I explained how difficult it was for me to talk about. Since he assured me that whatever we discussed was going to be held in confidence, so I threw caution to the wind and told him what happened. I didn't give him too many details, but I told him I observed a violation of departmental policy. I wondered aloud whether I did the right thing. Captain Stanley assured me that I followed proper procedure, and he explained that whatever happened at 39's was in the past. He also told me if I see anything out of the ordinary, I'm to report it to him immediately. Strangely enough, it felt good to discuss it with him...like a weight that's been lifted off my shoulders. Maybe I needed to let it out and finally put that nightmare behind me.
Later, we got toned out to a warehouse fire on Converse Street last night. When we arrived, the place was pretty well involved. Roy and I had to do a sweep for a missing employee. The smoke in that place was thick and heavy. Fortunately, it didn't take long to find him. We were able to get him out from under a pallet of boxes. He made it out with a fractured leg. As we passed him off to another crew, I heard this loud creaking noise from overhead. The fire had climbed the walls and headed for the roof. An air conditioning unit gave way. Instinct must have kicked in because I tackled Roy to the ground. It all happened so fast. He ended up with a slightly sprained arm, twisted ankle, and a head laceration.
This afternoon, Joanne DeSoto came by to thank me for what I'd done. When I sit and think about it, the feeling is hard to put into words. I guess I know what it finally means to be part of a team.
Even though I've only been at Station 51 a short time, I'm beginning to learn an awful lot just by watching the rest of the crew. Each one of them brings a wealth of experience that I'm trying to soak up.
Captain Hank Stanley is an outstanding leader. Tough but fair, he commands the respect of his crew by his knowledge and steady hand. I get the feeling that every one of the guys under his watch would willingly enter the fires of Hell for him.
Mike Stoker is the strong, silent engineer. Although he's a man of a few words, he says what he means and means what he says. He's Captain Stanley's right-hand man. When it comes to the apparatus, I've never seen anyone take better care of an engine. He'll make a great Captain someday, and the station he's assigned to will be incredibly fortunate.
Marco Lopez is a man with a zest for life and an expert when it comes to Mexican cooking. He's a dedicated firefighter who will stop at nothing to get the job done. He told me that I reminded him of one of his sisters. I can't remember which one, but coming from Marco, I take that as a compliment.
Chet (Chester B.) Kelly is a great fireman with a devilish sense of humor. It never ceases to amaze me how he can keep the crew "up" when they need to be. (Most of the time he does it by antagonizing Johnny!) I'm learning that there's never a dull moment when he's around. I think every firehouse needs a Chet Kelly.
Roy DeSoto is the Senior Paramedic. Because he was one of the first six graduates of the paramedic program, I consider him to be a pioneer in the field. He's unflappable in any situation, and he has nothing but empathy for the patient. Some paramedics can be cold and clinical, but Roy sees patients as people first.
Lastly, there's John Gage. He's usually the first one into a rescue situation, and he's always willing to do anything for the patient. Because he does whatever it takes for the safety and security of the victim, the joke at the station is that there's a special bed on reserve for him at Rampart.
