Ashley felt exhausted a couple hours after Rafferty left, when visiting hours were over. After having no visitors for most of the day she suddenly had a seemingly endless parade of well wishers. She was thrilled to see everyone but she was actually looking forward to the quiet.
She turned on the TV and stared flipping through the channels. Not surprisingly she found an episode of Criminal Minds on so she put the remote down and tried to get comfortable.
A few minutes later the night nurse came into her room. "How are you feeling Ashley?"
"I'm tired but can't seem to get comfortable." she answered honestly.
"I can imagine," the nurse said sympathetically, then joked "Next time you get a burn you might want to rethink the placement."
Ashley couldn't help but laugh. "I'll keep that in mind next time Cindy."
"Well hopefully there's not a next time for you in here." She winked then held up a vial and syringe, "I know you're not big on pain meds but this will help your comfort level."
"Will it knock me out?" Ashley asked.
"Most likely, especially since you said you were tired already." Cindy answered.
"Then can I ask you a favor?"
"Depends on what the favor is?" Cindy replied. "I'll throw out there that Allison warned me about what type of patient you are."
"I'm sure she did." Ashley said rolling her eyes but quickly continued. "Can we wait about a half an hour or so before you give me the medication?"
"Why?" Cindy asked. "I thought you said you were tired."
"I am but I was hoping to make a phone call before I'm down for the count." Ashley explained.
Cindy knew why Ashley was making this request because Rafferty had explained a bit of the situation while they were having coffee. "Well how about this. I have to check on you every two hours tonight so how about we save the pain meds for my next round?"
"Thank you Cindy." Ashley said with a smile.
"You're welcome." She then proceeded to make not of Ashley's vitals. "Well everything looks good. I'll be back in a couple hours. I'll check the dressing on your shoulder and give you your pain meds then."
Ashley smiled, "See you then. Can't wait."
Cindy headed for the door but turned back to Ashley just before she reached the door, "Oh and keep in mind that I am being nice if you feel any desire to be difficult later on."
Ashley nodded, "Understood. I will do my best to be a model patient."
"At least when I'm your nurse." Cindy said with a smirk before she left the room.
By the time Rafferty made it back to Shay's room there was about ten minutes left of visiting hours.
She knocked on the door and Severide opened the door. "Hey Rafferty. We were wondering if you'd make it back."
She smiled as she walked into the room, "Sorry it took me so long to get back."
"No worries." Shay said obviously trying to hide a yawn. "How's Ashley doing? How did she take the news."
"She's doing alright but I can tell she's already getting antsy." Rafferty said with a laugh then continued, "I think she was a little hurt she didn't know what was going on but she was glad to know you were on the awake side of surgery."
"Thank you Rafferty." Shay said but she wasn't sure what to say next.
Severide sensed some awkwardness so he said, "Hey I'm gonna go see who's still around."
"Severide you should just head home." Shay suggested. "You've been here long enough. Get some sleep, I'm in good hands."
Severide nodded, "If you need me, just give me a call. Don't worry about what time it is." He said as he walked up and hugged her.
"I know you're always there for me Kelly so no worries." She replied with a smile. "Oh and when you come back tomorrow can you bring me some books, pajama pants and toiletry stuff?"
"No problem. I'll see you in the morning." Severide said then left the room.
Shay was the first one to speak, "Can we just forget about how shitty you were to me yesterday and start over?"
"Really?" Rafferty asked.
"I think we can both admit that rumors and first impressions don't always tell the whole story about a person." Shay stated diplomatically.
"I know I judged you unfairly Shay and I'm sorry." Rafferty said. "I tend to judge quick and deal later I guess."
"Happens to the best of us." Shay said with a smile. "I think the fact that we both know Ashley may actually help us get past our rocky start."
"How so?" Rafferty asked.
"Well you said earlier that if I was close with Ashley maybe you misjudged me." Shay recalled then continued. "Well I can't imagine Ashley would be friends with some homophobic bitch so I may have misjudged you too."
Rafferty smiled, "That you for giving me a second chance."
"I don't like actual conflict Rafferty. Bull shitting back and forth and giving each other a hard time is a totally different story." Shay said with a smirk.
"Sounds like a challenge." Rafferty joked raising her eyebrow.
Before either woman could say anything else a nurse entered Shay's room, "Visiting hours are over." she said looking at Rafferty.
She nodded and turned to Shay, "I'll stop by tomorrow and see how you're doing partner."
"I look forward to it," Shay said. "As long as you get some sleep between now and then. I'm gonna be honest, you look like hell Rafferty."
Rafferty smiled, "I've been told a few times. Goodnight Shay."
"Night Rafferty." Shay replied.
Once Rafferty left the nurse asked, "How is your pain level?"
Shay thought for a moment then replied, "Pain is about a five, tiredness is about a seven."
The nurse smiled at the comment as she entered the details into her computer. "Well we still have a couple hours before you're due for any pain medications."
"Then I guess I'll relax in front of the TV for a bit." Shay replied.
The nurse nodded, "If anything changes you know where the call button is right?"
Shay nodded, "Yep, I'm good." Once the nurse left she started flipping through the channels. She came upon an episode of Criminal Minds she'd only seen once so she decided to tuck in and watch the show.
Ashley stalled for a while before she made the phone call she wanted to make. She couldn't explain why she had waited over an hour before she made the call, but she finally did dial the numbers Rafferty had left for her. She was nervous about calling Shay but she really wanted to hear the blonds voice.
"Hello." Shay answered and Ashley could hear the drowsiness in her voice.
She immediately felt guilty, "I'm sorry Shay. I know it's late. I should probably call you back tomorrow."
"Ashley?" Shay quickly asked.
"Yeah it's me."
Though Ashley couldn't see it a huge smile broke out over Shay's face. "It's good to hear your voice Davies."
Ashley laughed, "Well after Rafferty told me how your day has gone since you dropped me off it's really good to hear your voice too Shay."
"Yeah it's been quite the eventful day. But generally if I'm gonna have an eventful day I much prefer to have more fun." Shay joked.
"And days that don't result in you staying in the hospital are always preferable." Ashley added.
"Definitely!" Shay agreed. "So how are you feeling Ashley? And don't give me a bull shit, I'm a tough guy answer either."
"Yes ma'am." Ashley said with a laugh.
"I'm not joking Davies. I know firefighters pretty well and they always downplay how much pain they're in." Shay said.
"Valid point Shay." Ashley replied with a sigh. "Honestly my shoulder is killing me. It's been really tough to get comfortable too. I've been told I should plan better next time I get burned." Ashley ended with a joke.
"Probably good advice. If you burned your arm or leg you'd be able to lay down more comfortably." Shay replied with a laugh.
"Yeah I'll take that into consideration." Ashley deadpanned.
Shay was quiet for a few moments then said, "My dad said you'll get back to 100% though. It may take time but he's one of the best so it's worth doing what he tells you."
"He talked to you about me?" Ashley asked, a little surprised. She had gotten the impression they weren't close.
"Not much, just the basics." Shay admitted. "Actually our conversation about your treatment on the scene was one of the longest conversations we've ever had and he actually seemed proud of me which has never happened before."
"Well at least something positive came from my injury." Ashley replied.
"I'd say there were a few positives Ashley." Shay quickly said.
"How's that?" Ashley asked.
"Well you may have gotten hurt but four other people were rescued from that apartment building. You and Mills saved two children from a fully involved apartment. I see these as huge positives." Shay explained.
Ashley hesitated, "I guess you have a point."
"Damn right I do." Shay said forcefully. "Trust me I know it sucks to be injured but I think of it this way. At least you and I are still here to heal and get back to doing what we do best. Unfortunately there are too many that aren't that lucky."
Shay had no way of knowing just how much her statement affected Ashley. She fought through her emotions to say, "You're right Shay."
Shay was immediately concerned by Ashley's tone. "Are you okay Ashley?"
Ashley fought back tears, "Yeah, just tired. Can I call you again tomorrow after visiting hours?"
Shay smiled, "You better."
"I hope you sleep well Shay, I'll talk to you tomorrow." Ashley said
"You too Ashley. Goodnight."
After Ashley hung up the phone she let her tears flow. After a few minutes she hit the nurse call button.
A minute later Cindy entered the room, "What can I do for you Ashley?"
As she dried her eyes she said, "Can me do the checking my bandages and giving me pain meds thing now?"
"Of course." Cindy said sympathetically. "I'll do everything I can to help you get comfortable."
Ashley woke up the next morning feeling somewhat rested. It took her a few moments to remember where she was but the second she shifted in her bed her shoulder reminded her of her current situation. She groaned loudly and immediately tried to find a comfortable position.
"Morning sleepy head." Someone said with a laugh.
Ashley turned her head towards the familiar voice, "Morning Rafferty, how's your head?"
"Way better than your shoulder, no doubt. Do you want me to get a nurse?" Rafferty asked.
Ashley grabbed her remote and held it up, "Nah, that's why I have this nifty call button." then she pressed the red button on the remote.
Shortly after a nurse came into Ashley's room, "What can I do for you Ashley?"
"I just woke up and my shoulder is killing me." Ashley replied.
The nurse nodded, "Let me check on the computer and I'll see what I can do for you." Then she quickly exited the room.
Rafferty laughed when the nurse was out of the room.
"What's so funny Raff?" Ashley asked, not trying to hide her grumpiness.
Rafferty decided to ignore Ashley's mood for the moment and replied, "She's obviously new."
"Why? Because you didn't recognize her?" Ashley questioned.
"Not just that. If she were more experienced she would either have brought pain killers with her or she would have known what you could have."
"Ah." Ashley answered. "But you know I don't want to be doped up and sleeping all the time. I just want the sharp pain in my shoulder to be more of a dull ache."
"They aren't planning on keeping you doped up." Rafferty said confidently.
"How do you know?" Ashley replied.
"Cindy, your nurse last night, and I had coffee last night. She shared some info on your treatment with me." Rafferty admitted.
Ashley thought for a moment before she replied. "From what you know, am I on a good plan?"
Rafferty knew this was a loaded question coming from Ashley. Rafferty had more medical knowledge than most and Ashley knew her story. "I'm no expert in treating burns like Shay's dad but I think your doctors have a good plan in place."
Ashley nodded. She was about to speak when the young nurse came in with a vial of medication and a syringe. She said, "This should help with the pain but not knock you out."
Ashley noticed Rafferty looking at the vial. She looked at Ashley and nodded which comforted Ashley. She said generally to both women, "Thank you."
The nurse smiled, obviously relieved that Ashley was being compliant, "Is there anything in particular I can order you for breakfast?" she asked as she injected the syringe into the IV.
Ashley shrugged slightly, "Something that tastes good that I'm allowed to have."
The nurse nodded with a smile.
Before she left the room Ashley added, "Can you order something for Raff too? I hate eating alone."
Rafferty shook her head, "That's not necessary."
The nurse smiled, "I'll order a few different things for you both to pick at. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you Ashley." and with that she was gone.