Ch 29
"Hello?"
"Hey Jimmy, it's me. I got beeped the minute I stepped out of the elevator onto the pedes floor. I'm sorry. We just got slammed. Keep an eye on Joey. Make sure he does his homework. Hold on." She took the phone from her mouth.
Jimmy heard her yell down the hallway. "I'm coming!"
"I gotta go. Tell Joey I might be late picking him up."
"Sure. Bye."
"Bye."
Jimmy hung the phone up and looked at Joey. "Looks like we're stuck with each other for a while pal. That okay with you?"
"Did Mom get slammed?"
"The department did."
"Mom might."
Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Joey, what are you talking about?"
"Mom sometimes gets hurt when she tries to break up fights."
"Oh." Jimmy nodded. "Anything serious?"
"Just bruises." Joey said innocently.
"Okay. Hey, are you almost done with that?"
"Uh-huh." Joey finished writing and then closed his notebook.
"Good cause I thought maybe we could go downstairs to pedes and you can show me which one Charlie is."
"Okay." Joey frowned. "I don't think I can push your wheelchair."
"It's okay. We'll get a nurse." Jimmy pressed his buzzer.
~^~^~^~^~^~
Kim rubbed her neck as she walked up to the admit desk. "Anyone left?"
"Fortunately no. Last guy went straight up to the O.R."
"Thank God."
"Hey Kim, aren't you off?" Bobby said as he and Theresa brought a gurney down the hall from a trauma room.
"Yeah. I just gotta go collect my kids." She checked her watch and groaned. "Although I might as well just stake out an exam room and we can all sleep there."
"Go home. Take the El. See you tomorrow night." Phyllis said giving a chart to the night desk clerk, Casey.
"Right. Night guys." She went in and grabbed her purse. Then she got on the elevator and went to pedes to get Charlie. As she passed by the window to the daycare she stopped short. Jimmy and Joey were on the floor playing with Charlie. She went down to the door and leaned against the frame.
"Please tell me you know him. I just managed to get a hold of your desk clerk and she said you were on your way up. I tried before but I kept getting put on hold." One of the workers said coming over to her.
"It's fine. He's her father." Kim said quietly.
"Oh. Good. Okay."
"Yeah sorry I'm so late. Huge traffic accident. We got slammed with most of the victims."
"It's okay."
"I'll take her home now." Kim walked over to them. "Hey guys."
"Hi Mom." Joey said.
"Hey Kimmy." Jimmy said looking up. "You look exhausted."
"Really? Then I feel better then I look." She bent down and scooped up Charlie. "Now this one is tired. Sorry. I would have had Bobby pick her up but he got pulled in at the last minute to cover for his partner. His wife went into labor this morning."
She caught tail-end of Jimmy's look and shook her head. It looked like she was going to have some jealousy issues to deal with in the next few days.
And probably not just from Jimmy, she thought to herself.
Her mother was right. She did always make things harder on herself then they had to be.
"Hello?"
"Hey Jimmy, it's me. I got beeped the minute I stepped out of the elevator onto the pedes floor. I'm sorry. We just got slammed. Keep an eye on Joey. Make sure he does his homework. Hold on." She took the phone from her mouth.
Jimmy heard her yell down the hallway. "I'm coming!"
"I gotta go. Tell Joey I might be late picking him up."
"Sure. Bye."
"Bye."
Jimmy hung the phone up and looked at Joey. "Looks like we're stuck with each other for a while pal. That okay with you?"
"Did Mom get slammed?"
"The department did."
"Mom might."
Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Joey, what are you talking about?"
"Mom sometimes gets hurt when she tries to break up fights."
"Oh." Jimmy nodded. "Anything serious?"
"Just bruises." Joey said innocently.
"Okay. Hey, are you almost done with that?"
"Uh-huh." Joey finished writing and then closed his notebook.
"Good cause I thought maybe we could go downstairs to pedes and you can show me which one Charlie is."
"Okay." Joey frowned. "I don't think I can push your wheelchair."
"It's okay. We'll get a nurse." Jimmy pressed his buzzer.
~^~^~^~^~^~
Kim rubbed her neck as she walked up to the admit desk. "Anyone left?"
"Fortunately no. Last guy went straight up to the O.R."
"Thank God."
"Hey Kim, aren't you off?" Bobby said as he and Theresa brought a gurney down the hall from a trauma room.
"Yeah. I just gotta go collect my kids." She checked her watch and groaned. "Although I might as well just stake out an exam room and we can all sleep there."
"Go home. Take the El. See you tomorrow night." Phyllis said giving a chart to the night desk clerk, Casey.
"Right. Night guys." She went in and grabbed her purse. Then she got on the elevator and went to pedes to get Charlie. As she passed by the window to the daycare she stopped short. Jimmy and Joey were on the floor playing with Charlie. She went down to the door and leaned against the frame.
"Please tell me you know him. I just managed to get a hold of your desk clerk and she said you were on your way up. I tried before but I kept getting put on hold." One of the workers said coming over to her.
"It's fine. He's her father." Kim said quietly.
"Oh. Good. Okay."
"Yeah sorry I'm so late. Huge traffic accident. We got slammed with most of the victims."
"It's okay."
"I'll take her home now." Kim walked over to them. "Hey guys."
"Hi Mom." Joey said.
"Hey Kimmy." Jimmy said looking up. "You look exhausted."
"Really? Then I feel better then I look." She bent down and scooped up Charlie. "Now this one is tired. Sorry. I would have had Bobby pick her up but he got pulled in at the last minute to cover for his partner. His wife went into labor this morning."
She caught tail-end of Jimmy's look and shook her head. It looked like she was going to have some jealousy issues to deal with in the next few days.
And probably not just from Jimmy, she thought to herself.
Her mother was right. She did always make things harder on herself then they had to be.