Chapter 6
Alex came into the station and Doc was waiting for her.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked cheerfully as she walked over to pour herself a cup of coffee.
"Alex, Bobby's taking some time off, so we got a new guy coming over from the 5-3 to fill in for a couple weeks," Doc explained to her. "Do you think you can work with the guy, or do you want to ride with Carlos and I'll take him?" he continued, giving her the choice. Alex and Carlos had not gotten along that great in the past. They could work together if they had to, but Doc thought he'd give Alex the choice.
"Why don't I take the new guy and you can KEEP Carlos," she said, sarcastically.
"Okay, Alex. He should be here any time now. His name is Dan Anderson. From what I've heard he's pretty good and a little full of himself. I've advised him that you're senior on this bus and you call the shots though."
"Ooohh, a challenge. Thanks Doc, just what I needed," Alex replied jokingly. "No worries, Doc. We'll be fine. Is everything okay with Bobby though?" she asked, wondering where he was taking off to on such short notice. He hadn't said anything to her about going away, and they had ridden every shift together since Kim took off.
"Yeah, he called me last night and said that he got a call from a relative out of state that one of his uncles was pretty sick. They wanted him to come out and decipher the medical jargon being thrown at them or something. I guess that's what you get when you have a little bit of medical background," explained Doc.
"Yeah, lucky him," replied Alex skeptically. She knew that he had been trying to find out where Kim went and wondered if he'd gotten a lead. "Did he say where he was going?" she asked Doc casually.
"Nope, just said out of state and that he'd be back in a couple of weeks. I couldn't really deny him - he hasn't taken any time off in I don't know how long. He has vacation time piled up," he continued.
Just then, they heard an unfamiliar voice coming through the firehouse. "Hello! Where is everyone?"
"That must be Anderson," Doc said, getting up to go greet the substitute medic. Alex followed him out into the apparatus room and began the tour as Carlos walked in. Doc muttered to Alex, "This ought to be interesting - two medics full of themselves meeting. Stand back," and they both chuckled.
Surprisingly, Carlos and Dan Anderson had hit it off and after the tour of the station and rigs, they were outside playing some basketball.
"Aw, he followed me home, Mom. Can I keep him? Huh?" said Alex to Doc sarcastically.
"Hey, as long as I don't have to break up any fights, I'm a happy man," Doc replied, flipping through his newspaper.
**********************
Bobby hailed a taxi from the Ohio airport and headed over to the address that Faith had given him. He looked at his watch, worried that it might be too early to knock on her door. It was just 7:00 a.m. "Better to catch her off guard, I guess," he thought to himself. He had caught the first flight out from JFK and was lucky enough to find a non-stop flight to Akron. He managed to catch a little sleep on the plane, but he was too nervous to get any serious rest.
Finally, the cab pulled up outside of the address and Bobby looked out the window and up at the apartment building before him. He saw the front door to the apartment open and sunk lower in the seat as he recognized Joey coming out with this book bag slung over his shoulder. Right behind him, a pregnant woman followed him out, pulling the door shut behind her. Bobby looked closely at the woman and realized that it was Kim.
"What?!?" he exclaimed, startling the cab driver.
"Hey pal, I need $5.80," the cab driver replied.
"Look, just pull around that corner and I'll get out," Bobby instructed, indicated the corner in the opposite direction that Joey and Kim were walking.
"Whatever," sighed the cab driver and did as Bobby requested. "Okay, now it's $6.00 even."
Bobby handed the driver $10.00 and told him to keep the change. He opened the door and grabbed his carry-on bag. The taxi pulled away and left Bobby standing there wondering what he should do next.
He decided to try to follow Kim and Joey for a little while. He was sure she was bringing him to school, but didn't know if she would be returning home or going somewhere. He kept his distance and noticed the two of them joking back and forth. Then he heard that unmistakable sound, Kim's laugh. He loved that laugh and it made him smile despite his confusion at what he had seen. After a few minutes, he noticed that they had arrived at Joey's school. She leaned over and gave Joey a kiss good-bye despite Joey's protests at her kissing him outside of his school.
Bobby heard Joey say, "Mooom!" as he pulled away and headed into the building.
She called after him, "I'm not working today so I'll be at home. Hurry home, maybe if you get your homework done early enough we can get a movie or something!"
"Okay," he called back to her and waved.
Bobby hurried back to the apartment building and decided to wait across the street in the coffee shop for Kim to return. He sat a few tables away from the front window so that he could see, but far enough in the shop so that she wouldn't be able to notice him if she looked in. He watched her slowly walk back to the apartment. She opened the door and let it close behind her. Bobby got up and paid for his coffee. He walked out of the shop and headed across the street. He got there just as someone was coming out of the building and was able to catch the door before it closed and locked. He looked at the directory next to the mailboxes in the lobby of the building and found Kim's name. The apartment number was 4G and he started to look around. He figured out the numbering of the apartments and headed up to the fourth floor. He slowly walked toward 4G and paused outside the door. He could hear the clang of her washing dishes through the door. She had the radio on and was singing along to the music. He knocked on the door and soon heard her voice through the door.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"UPS. I have a delivery for a Kimberly Zambrano," Bobby said, disguising his voice slightly.
"Um. Who's it from?" she asked, not expecting any deliveries.
"It's from a Catherine Zambrano. Looks like an address in New York City," Bobby replied.
"Just a minute," Kim said as she unbolted the door and slide the chain off the door. She opened the door and drew in a sharp breath, dropping the dish she was holding, as she saw Bobby standing before her.
The dish crashed to the floor, shattering.
Alex came into the station and Doc was waiting for her.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked cheerfully as she walked over to pour herself a cup of coffee.
"Alex, Bobby's taking some time off, so we got a new guy coming over from the 5-3 to fill in for a couple weeks," Doc explained to her. "Do you think you can work with the guy, or do you want to ride with Carlos and I'll take him?" he continued, giving her the choice. Alex and Carlos had not gotten along that great in the past. They could work together if they had to, but Doc thought he'd give Alex the choice.
"Why don't I take the new guy and you can KEEP Carlos," she said, sarcastically.
"Okay, Alex. He should be here any time now. His name is Dan Anderson. From what I've heard he's pretty good and a little full of himself. I've advised him that you're senior on this bus and you call the shots though."
"Ooohh, a challenge. Thanks Doc, just what I needed," Alex replied jokingly. "No worries, Doc. We'll be fine. Is everything okay with Bobby though?" she asked, wondering where he was taking off to on such short notice. He hadn't said anything to her about going away, and they had ridden every shift together since Kim took off.
"Yeah, he called me last night and said that he got a call from a relative out of state that one of his uncles was pretty sick. They wanted him to come out and decipher the medical jargon being thrown at them or something. I guess that's what you get when you have a little bit of medical background," explained Doc.
"Yeah, lucky him," replied Alex skeptically. She knew that he had been trying to find out where Kim went and wondered if he'd gotten a lead. "Did he say where he was going?" she asked Doc casually.
"Nope, just said out of state and that he'd be back in a couple of weeks. I couldn't really deny him - he hasn't taken any time off in I don't know how long. He has vacation time piled up," he continued.
Just then, they heard an unfamiliar voice coming through the firehouse. "Hello! Where is everyone?"
"That must be Anderson," Doc said, getting up to go greet the substitute medic. Alex followed him out into the apparatus room and began the tour as Carlos walked in. Doc muttered to Alex, "This ought to be interesting - two medics full of themselves meeting. Stand back," and they both chuckled.
Surprisingly, Carlos and Dan Anderson had hit it off and after the tour of the station and rigs, they were outside playing some basketball.
"Aw, he followed me home, Mom. Can I keep him? Huh?" said Alex to Doc sarcastically.
"Hey, as long as I don't have to break up any fights, I'm a happy man," Doc replied, flipping through his newspaper.
**********************
Bobby hailed a taxi from the Ohio airport and headed over to the address that Faith had given him. He looked at his watch, worried that it might be too early to knock on her door. It was just 7:00 a.m. "Better to catch her off guard, I guess," he thought to himself. He had caught the first flight out from JFK and was lucky enough to find a non-stop flight to Akron. He managed to catch a little sleep on the plane, but he was too nervous to get any serious rest.
Finally, the cab pulled up outside of the address and Bobby looked out the window and up at the apartment building before him. He saw the front door to the apartment open and sunk lower in the seat as he recognized Joey coming out with this book bag slung over his shoulder. Right behind him, a pregnant woman followed him out, pulling the door shut behind her. Bobby looked closely at the woman and realized that it was Kim.
"What?!?" he exclaimed, startling the cab driver.
"Hey pal, I need $5.80," the cab driver replied.
"Look, just pull around that corner and I'll get out," Bobby instructed, indicated the corner in the opposite direction that Joey and Kim were walking.
"Whatever," sighed the cab driver and did as Bobby requested. "Okay, now it's $6.00 even."
Bobby handed the driver $10.00 and told him to keep the change. He opened the door and grabbed his carry-on bag. The taxi pulled away and left Bobby standing there wondering what he should do next.
He decided to try to follow Kim and Joey for a little while. He was sure she was bringing him to school, but didn't know if she would be returning home or going somewhere. He kept his distance and noticed the two of them joking back and forth. Then he heard that unmistakable sound, Kim's laugh. He loved that laugh and it made him smile despite his confusion at what he had seen. After a few minutes, he noticed that they had arrived at Joey's school. She leaned over and gave Joey a kiss good-bye despite Joey's protests at her kissing him outside of his school.
Bobby heard Joey say, "Mooom!" as he pulled away and headed into the building.
She called after him, "I'm not working today so I'll be at home. Hurry home, maybe if you get your homework done early enough we can get a movie or something!"
"Okay," he called back to her and waved.
Bobby hurried back to the apartment building and decided to wait across the street in the coffee shop for Kim to return. He sat a few tables away from the front window so that he could see, but far enough in the shop so that she wouldn't be able to notice him if she looked in. He watched her slowly walk back to the apartment. She opened the door and let it close behind her. Bobby got up and paid for his coffee. He walked out of the shop and headed across the street. He got there just as someone was coming out of the building and was able to catch the door before it closed and locked. He looked at the directory next to the mailboxes in the lobby of the building and found Kim's name. The apartment number was 4G and he started to look around. He figured out the numbering of the apartments and headed up to the fourth floor. He slowly walked toward 4G and paused outside the door. He could hear the clang of her washing dishes through the door. She had the radio on and was singing along to the music. He knocked on the door and soon heard her voice through the door.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"UPS. I have a delivery for a Kimberly Zambrano," Bobby said, disguising his voice slightly.
"Um. Who's it from?" she asked, not expecting any deliveries.
"It's from a Catherine Zambrano. Looks like an address in New York City," Bobby replied.
"Just a minute," Kim said as she unbolted the door and slide the chain off the door. She opened the door and drew in a sharp breath, dropping the dish she was holding, as she saw Bobby standing before her.
The dish crashed to the floor, shattering.