Chapter 4-
"Mel, honey, Bobby does not think you're ugly." Kim said as she arranged charts at the desk and talked to Melanie at the same time. "Why hasn't he kissed you? I think it might have something to do with fear. You did threaten to castrate him and label it brain surgery if he ever came near you again."
Holly, one of the other nurses, giggled at Kim's statement. "That's a good one. I'm gonna have to remember that one when I have kids."
"How was he supposed to know that was the pain talking? He's never been in that situation before. He was supposed to be but I was unconscious remember?" Kim rolled her eyes. "Look, tonight when he gets home, kiss him. Don't say hello or ask how his day was, just kiss him, okay?" Kim nodded. "Yeah. Mel, I'll talk to you later. I gotta go. Bye." She hung up. The phone rang again. "Holly, do you mind?"
"ER." The redhead said as she picked up the phone. "Sure. Hold on a minute." She handed the phone to Kim. "It's Jimmy."
"Finally, someone I wanna talk to." She took the phone. "Hi honey."
"Hey. What time are you off tonight?"
"Seven. Just like always."
"Can you come to the house?"
"Uh sure. Joey's going to his friend's for dinner and Mom is getting Charlie from school. Everything okay?"
"I just want to talk to you face to face."
"This cannot be good." Kim said. "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to have this conversation over the phone, okay?"
"Yeah. Okay. I'll see you in a few hours."
"Okay."
"Hey. I love you."
"I love you, too, Kim." Jimmy said.
Kim smiled faintly and hung up the phone. She had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Whatever Jimmy wanted to tell her could not be good.
*#*#*#*#*#*
"So she's okay?" Jimmy said into the phone. "That's great. Thanks Catherine. I'll see you later. Bye."
"Charlie okay?"
"Yeah. Catherine picked her up and took her right back to your place. Kim will pick her up after we talk and Joey's at his friend's house. They're studying." Jimmy folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. "What'd the guy at the Parole Office say?"
"That they don't have to inform us of a possible parole only when it actually happens."
"The justice system at work. I called the 2-5."
"And?"
"Brooke transferred to Miami about six months ago."
"At least she doesn't have to worry about getting the crap beat out of her again."
"This guy comes near any of member of my family and I will rip his head off."
"I'll help." Bobby told him.
"With what?" Alex asked.
"Party for Mel. She's been feeling kinda down in the dumps lately. She doesn't think Bobby finds her attractive anymore." Jimmy lied. "Hey Alex, who's cooking tonight?"
"Doc."
"Tell him to make enough for Kim. She's coming here after her shift."
"Sure. I'll let him know. You two okay?"
The two men exchanged a look before returning their attention to the blonde.
"Sure." Jimmy said.
"Why?" Bobby asked.
"I don't know. You just look really serious." Alex told them.
"You worry too much Taylor. Go lift some weights. Get some tension out." Bobby said. "I'm gonna go shoot some hoops while we wait for our next call."
"I think I'll join you. A little one on one." Jimmy said following him.
Alex shook her head. She did not know how Kim and Melanie put up with those two.
*#*#*#*#*#*#*
Kim walked up the stairs and into the kitchen of the firehouse. It was as empty as the garage had been. She settled herself down into a seat and waited. She flipped through a magazine while she waited.
"Hey Kim."
She looked up. "Hey Carlos. Do you know where the company is?"
"Right behind us. Car fire. One fatality unfortunately."
"Hey Kim." Doc greeted. "Joining us for dinner?"
"Who cooked?"
"I did." The older man smiled.
"Then yeah I'm joining you for dinner." Kim smiled. "Hey Walsh. Jimmy downstairs?"
"Yeah. What did he forget this time?"
"Nothing. I just wanna kiss my husband. Is that okay with you?"
"Can we watch?" Carlos asked.
"No!" Kim said as she left the kitchen and went back downstairs. "Hey good looking." She said to Jimmy as he climbed out of the truck.
"Hey." He lowered his face to hers and kissed her. "Why are you still wearing scrubs?" He asked.
"Too tired to change."
"One of those days, huh?"
"Yeah. Besides I wanted to know what was up."
"You don't wanna wait till after dinner? This could make you lose your appetite."
"Let's take a little walk, okay?" Kim said.
"Sure." He turned back. "Hey Joe? I'll be down the street for a little while. Tell Loo."
"Yeah, okay Jimmy." Joe Lombardo said.
Jimmy put an arm around Kim and they walked down the street.
Kim finally broke the silence. "What's going on Jimmy? You're starting to scare me."
He turned so that they faced each other. "I need you to stay calm okay? This isn't easy to hear." He took her hands with his and pressed the palms against the sides of his face. "A letter came to Melanie and Bobby's today. Catherine was the first to see it and when Bobby called to check in, she told him about it. He asked her to open it."
"What was in the letter? Who was it from?"
"It was from the New York City Department of Corrections, Parole Division."
"Oh God."
"Yeah. Tony's out on parole." Jimmy said. He kept his hands on Kim's and watched her face carefully.
"Does Melanie know?"
"No not yet. Bobby wanted to find some things out first. He's gonna tell her tonight when he goes home. I didn't want to wait that long." He released Kim's hands and framed her face with his. "Hey. Talk to me."
Kim finally looked at him. "I feel like I just got the wind knocked out of me. This is gonna kill Mel. How could this happen? Why didn't we know sooner?"
"Bobby talked to the guy in the parole division and apparently they don't have to inform anyone of a possible parole just the actual event."
Kim didn't say anything; she just wrapped her arms around Jimmy. "There's no chance that this is just a bad dream right?"
"Sorry baby." Jimmy murmured. "But I am not gonna let him hurt you."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Mel, honey, Bobby does not think you're ugly." Kim said as she arranged charts at the desk and talked to Melanie at the same time. "Why hasn't he kissed you? I think it might have something to do with fear. You did threaten to castrate him and label it brain surgery if he ever came near you again."
Holly, one of the other nurses, giggled at Kim's statement. "That's a good one. I'm gonna have to remember that one when I have kids."
"How was he supposed to know that was the pain talking? He's never been in that situation before. He was supposed to be but I was unconscious remember?" Kim rolled her eyes. "Look, tonight when he gets home, kiss him. Don't say hello or ask how his day was, just kiss him, okay?" Kim nodded. "Yeah. Mel, I'll talk to you later. I gotta go. Bye." She hung up. The phone rang again. "Holly, do you mind?"
"ER." The redhead said as she picked up the phone. "Sure. Hold on a minute." She handed the phone to Kim. "It's Jimmy."
"Finally, someone I wanna talk to." She took the phone. "Hi honey."
"Hey. What time are you off tonight?"
"Seven. Just like always."
"Can you come to the house?"
"Uh sure. Joey's going to his friend's for dinner and Mom is getting Charlie from school. Everything okay?"
"I just want to talk to you face to face."
"This cannot be good." Kim said. "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to have this conversation over the phone, okay?"
"Yeah. Okay. I'll see you in a few hours."
"Okay."
"Hey. I love you."
"I love you, too, Kim." Jimmy said.
Kim smiled faintly and hung up the phone. She had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Whatever Jimmy wanted to tell her could not be good.
*#*#*#*#*#*
"So she's okay?" Jimmy said into the phone. "That's great. Thanks Catherine. I'll see you later. Bye."
"Charlie okay?"
"Yeah. Catherine picked her up and took her right back to your place. Kim will pick her up after we talk and Joey's at his friend's house. They're studying." Jimmy folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. "What'd the guy at the Parole Office say?"
"That they don't have to inform us of a possible parole only when it actually happens."
"The justice system at work. I called the 2-5."
"And?"
"Brooke transferred to Miami about six months ago."
"At least she doesn't have to worry about getting the crap beat out of her again."
"This guy comes near any of member of my family and I will rip his head off."
"I'll help." Bobby told him.
"With what?" Alex asked.
"Party for Mel. She's been feeling kinda down in the dumps lately. She doesn't think Bobby finds her attractive anymore." Jimmy lied. "Hey Alex, who's cooking tonight?"
"Doc."
"Tell him to make enough for Kim. She's coming here after her shift."
"Sure. I'll let him know. You two okay?"
The two men exchanged a look before returning their attention to the blonde.
"Sure." Jimmy said.
"Why?" Bobby asked.
"I don't know. You just look really serious." Alex told them.
"You worry too much Taylor. Go lift some weights. Get some tension out." Bobby said. "I'm gonna go shoot some hoops while we wait for our next call."
"I think I'll join you. A little one on one." Jimmy said following him.
Alex shook her head. She did not know how Kim and Melanie put up with those two.
*#*#*#*#*#*#*
Kim walked up the stairs and into the kitchen of the firehouse. It was as empty as the garage had been. She settled herself down into a seat and waited. She flipped through a magazine while she waited.
"Hey Kim."
She looked up. "Hey Carlos. Do you know where the company is?"
"Right behind us. Car fire. One fatality unfortunately."
"Hey Kim." Doc greeted. "Joining us for dinner?"
"Who cooked?"
"I did." The older man smiled.
"Then yeah I'm joining you for dinner." Kim smiled. "Hey Walsh. Jimmy downstairs?"
"Yeah. What did he forget this time?"
"Nothing. I just wanna kiss my husband. Is that okay with you?"
"Can we watch?" Carlos asked.
"No!" Kim said as she left the kitchen and went back downstairs. "Hey good looking." She said to Jimmy as he climbed out of the truck.
"Hey." He lowered his face to hers and kissed her. "Why are you still wearing scrubs?" He asked.
"Too tired to change."
"One of those days, huh?"
"Yeah. Besides I wanted to know what was up."
"You don't wanna wait till after dinner? This could make you lose your appetite."
"Let's take a little walk, okay?" Kim said.
"Sure." He turned back. "Hey Joe? I'll be down the street for a little while. Tell Loo."
"Yeah, okay Jimmy." Joe Lombardo said.
Jimmy put an arm around Kim and they walked down the street.
Kim finally broke the silence. "What's going on Jimmy? You're starting to scare me."
He turned so that they faced each other. "I need you to stay calm okay? This isn't easy to hear." He took her hands with his and pressed the palms against the sides of his face. "A letter came to Melanie and Bobby's today. Catherine was the first to see it and when Bobby called to check in, she told him about it. He asked her to open it."
"What was in the letter? Who was it from?"
"It was from the New York City Department of Corrections, Parole Division."
"Oh God."
"Yeah. Tony's out on parole." Jimmy said. He kept his hands on Kim's and watched her face carefully.
"Does Melanie know?"
"No not yet. Bobby wanted to find some things out first. He's gonna tell her tonight when he goes home. I didn't want to wait that long." He released Kim's hands and framed her face with his. "Hey. Talk to me."
Kim finally looked at him. "I feel like I just got the wind knocked out of me. This is gonna kill Mel. How could this happen? Why didn't we know sooner?"
"Bobby talked to the guy in the parole division and apparently they don't have to inform anyone of a possible parole just the actual event."
Kim didn't say anything; she just wrapped her arms around Jimmy. "There's no chance that this is just a bad dream right?"
"Sorry baby." Jimmy murmured. "But I am not gonna let him hurt you."
"Promise?"
"I promise."