Chapter 12
After Melanie hung up from Bobby, she called the airport to book two seats on the next flight to Akron. Then she called Catherine to let her know what was happening. She told her to pack some things and that she'd be over in half an hour in a cab to leave for the airport. She was rushing around the apartment, throwing things into a bag - not sure how long she'd be gone. She looked around to see if she needed anything else when she heard the cat purr at her feet. She bent down and scooped up the kitten, "Sorry Barney, I almost forgot about you." She opened a can of cat food and put it in the dish on the floor and poured fresh milk in the other dish. She called her landlord who agreed to take care of the cat for her while she was gone.
She made sure everything was turned off and opened the front door and almost slammed into Jimmy on her way out. She drew in a quick breath, startled and trying to think of something to say.
"Jimmy, you scared me! What are you doing here?" she asked him; trying to stall for time to think of an answer to the question she knew was coming.
"Where are you headed, Mel?" asked Jimmy, noticing the suitcase in her hand.
"Uh, I'm on my way to meet some friends from work. We booked a cabin upstate for a few days. A girls' weekend," she said quickly. "Good thinking," she thought to herself.
"Oh. I just wanted to stop by and see if you've heard from Kim," Jimmy said sadly.
"C'mon down with me. I'm waiting for a cab," she said, closing and locking the door behind her. "I haven't heard anything, but I'm sure Joey's fine. I'm sure she'll call you soon Jimmy. She just needs some more time maybe," she assured him, not wanting to lose Kim's trust, but also feeling terrible about how Jimmy was feeling. He looked worse every time she saw him.
His bruises had healed from the beating he took from Lombardo. He had a long talk with Melanie after the whole Linda/Lombardo/Brooke ordeal. She knew that Brooke had walked out. She knew that Jimmy had lost one of his best friends. She knew that Jimmy was getting more and more depressed about not seeing Joey for so long.
"And you know that if anything was happening with Joey, she'd call you for sure," she said gently, putting an arm around his shoulders and giving him a hug. "Jimmy, are you okay? You look terrible. Are you eating or sleeping?" she asked him with concern.
"I'm working a lot of overtime. You know, covering shifts for guys that are sick or want some time off. It's better if I keep busy." he was interrupted by the horn from the taxi that had pulled up to the curb.
They both stood up from their seats on the steps. Melanie gave him a big hug. "Jimmy, please hang on. I'm sure you're going to hear from her soon. I'll be back in a few days and I'll give you a call, okay?" she said, descending the stairs to the cab.
Jimmy nodded. "Sure. Have a fun trip. Breathe in some fresh air for me," he said, not noticing the look of shame on Melanie's face for lying to him yet again.
"Bye Jimmy," she waved as the cab pulled away from the curb.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catherine was waiting outside the house when Melanie pulled up in the cab. The driver got out and opened the trunk to put in her bags. Just as Catherine was getting into the cab, she heard a horn sound and turned to see an ambulance coming down the road.
The rig slowed to a stop alongside the cab's open door and the driver noticed Melanie was already in the cab. "Hey guys. What's up?" asked Alex with her arm resting on the edge of the door, the window open.
"Oh, hi Alex," Catherine said. "Melanie and I are just going on a shopping trip," she said quickly, not really knowing what to say to Alex.
"Yeah, it's a bus trip through work. We're going to Quincy Market in Massachusetts. It's an overnighter," Melanie added quickly, knowing that Jimmy and Alex might talk and then Jimmy would know something was up.
"Great!" Alex said. "Spend some money for me," she said as she started to drive away.
"Bye," Catherine called as she got into the cab.
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Bobby had just come from seeing Kim. He had left Joey in a chair just outside of her room, but within his sight. He was talking to the doctor and Joey couldn't understand a word of what they were saying. The only thing he noticed was the look of concern on Bobby's face as the doctor explained things. He slowly stood up and managed to go unnoticed as he slipped into Kim's room.
The sight of his mother immediately greeted him with a bunch of machines hooked up to her making noises. He hesitated for a moment, afraid to approach the bed, but the need to see his mother, feel her near him, won out and he slowly approached. He climbed up into the chair next to her and took her hand.
"Mom?" he said, quietly, not getting any response. He didn't really know what was wrong, but she looked so white under the light overhead. "Mom?" he said again a little louder this time. A few tears escaped down his cheeks as he again got no response and moved closer to his mother.
At some point, Bobby had finished speaking with the doctor and looked around to see Joey was not in the chair where he left him. He spun around and looked through the window to see him lying on Kim's bed alongside her. He watched as Joey took Kim's arm and draped it around himself.
Bobby quietly walked into the room, the nurse following him in noticing Joey in the bed. She started to say something to Bobby about the boy not being allowed in the ICU, but Bobby pulled here aside and quietly said, "I know. He'll only be a minute. She's all he has here in Ohio and he's scared to death. I'll move him in a minute. I'm a paramedic and I won't let him pull any lines out or anything."
The nurse nodded and went on to her next patient saying, "I'll be back in a few minutes. Call me if you need me before then."
"Thanks," Bobby said, walking over to Kim's bed and putting a hand on Joey's back.
Joey looked up at him and asked him, "Is Mom going to be okay?"
"They're doing everything they can for her, Joey. We just have to think positive," he said quietly.
After Melanie hung up from Bobby, she called the airport to book two seats on the next flight to Akron. Then she called Catherine to let her know what was happening. She told her to pack some things and that she'd be over in half an hour in a cab to leave for the airport. She was rushing around the apartment, throwing things into a bag - not sure how long she'd be gone. She looked around to see if she needed anything else when she heard the cat purr at her feet. She bent down and scooped up the kitten, "Sorry Barney, I almost forgot about you." She opened a can of cat food and put it in the dish on the floor and poured fresh milk in the other dish. She called her landlord who agreed to take care of the cat for her while she was gone.
She made sure everything was turned off and opened the front door and almost slammed into Jimmy on her way out. She drew in a quick breath, startled and trying to think of something to say.
"Jimmy, you scared me! What are you doing here?" she asked him; trying to stall for time to think of an answer to the question she knew was coming.
"Where are you headed, Mel?" asked Jimmy, noticing the suitcase in her hand.
"Uh, I'm on my way to meet some friends from work. We booked a cabin upstate for a few days. A girls' weekend," she said quickly. "Good thinking," she thought to herself.
"Oh. I just wanted to stop by and see if you've heard from Kim," Jimmy said sadly.
"C'mon down with me. I'm waiting for a cab," she said, closing and locking the door behind her. "I haven't heard anything, but I'm sure Joey's fine. I'm sure she'll call you soon Jimmy. She just needs some more time maybe," she assured him, not wanting to lose Kim's trust, but also feeling terrible about how Jimmy was feeling. He looked worse every time she saw him.
His bruises had healed from the beating he took from Lombardo. He had a long talk with Melanie after the whole Linda/Lombardo/Brooke ordeal. She knew that Brooke had walked out. She knew that Jimmy had lost one of his best friends. She knew that Jimmy was getting more and more depressed about not seeing Joey for so long.
"And you know that if anything was happening with Joey, she'd call you for sure," she said gently, putting an arm around his shoulders and giving him a hug. "Jimmy, are you okay? You look terrible. Are you eating or sleeping?" she asked him with concern.
"I'm working a lot of overtime. You know, covering shifts for guys that are sick or want some time off. It's better if I keep busy." he was interrupted by the horn from the taxi that had pulled up to the curb.
They both stood up from their seats on the steps. Melanie gave him a big hug. "Jimmy, please hang on. I'm sure you're going to hear from her soon. I'll be back in a few days and I'll give you a call, okay?" she said, descending the stairs to the cab.
Jimmy nodded. "Sure. Have a fun trip. Breathe in some fresh air for me," he said, not noticing the look of shame on Melanie's face for lying to him yet again.
"Bye Jimmy," she waved as the cab pulled away from the curb.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catherine was waiting outside the house when Melanie pulled up in the cab. The driver got out and opened the trunk to put in her bags. Just as Catherine was getting into the cab, she heard a horn sound and turned to see an ambulance coming down the road.
The rig slowed to a stop alongside the cab's open door and the driver noticed Melanie was already in the cab. "Hey guys. What's up?" asked Alex with her arm resting on the edge of the door, the window open.
"Oh, hi Alex," Catherine said. "Melanie and I are just going on a shopping trip," she said quickly, not really knowing what to say to Alex.
"Yeah, it's a bus trip through work. We're going to Quincy Market in Massachusetts. It's an overnighter," Melanie added quickly, knowing that Jimmy and Alex might talk and then Jimmy would know something was up.
"Great!" Alex said. "Spend some money for me," she said as she started to drive away.
"Bye," Catherine called as she got into the cab.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bobby had just come from seeing Kim. He had left Joey in a chair just outside of her room, but within his sight. He was talking to the doctor and Joey couldn't understand a word of what they were saying. The only thing he noticed was the look of concern on Bobby's face as the doctor explained things. He slowly stood up and managed to go unnoticed as he slipped into Kim's room.
The sight of his mother immediately greeted him with a bunch of machines hooked up to her making noises. He hesitated for a moment, afraid to approach the bed, but the need to see his mother, feel her near him, won out and he slowly approached. He climbed up into the chair next to her and took her hand.
"Mom?" he said, quietly, not getting any response. He didn't really know what was wrong, but she looked so white under the light overhead. "Mom?" he said again a little louder this time. A few tears escaped down his cheeks as he again got no response and moved closer to his mother.
At some point, Bobby had finished speaking with the doctor and looked around to see Joey was not in the chair where he left him. He spun around and looked through the window to see him lying on Kim's bed alongside her. He watched as Joey took Kim's arm and draped it around himself.
Bobby quietly walked into the room, the nurse following him in noticing Joey in the bed. She started to say something to Bobby about the boy not being allowed in the ICU, but Bobby pulled here aside and quietly said, "I know. He'll only be a minute. She's all he has here in Ohio and he's scared to death. I'll move him in a minute. I'm a paramedic and I won't let him pull any lines out or anything."
The nurse nodded and went on to her next patient saying, "I'll be back in a few minutes. Call me if you need me before then."
"Thanks," Bobby said, walking over to Kim's bed and putting a hand on Joey's back.
Joey looked up at him and asked him, "Is Mom going to be okay?"
"They're doing everything they can for her, Joey. We just have to think positive," he said quietly.