Life After...
Chapter 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doc sat in the Lieutenant's hospital room, wearing the disposable sterile glove, gowns, hat and mask to keep the room germ-free. He'd have enough of a hard time fighting the infection from his burns - he didn't need any more germs coming into the room.
Doc had come every day to check up on the Lieutenant. He'd be there before work, stop up to look in the window in between calls while he was working; and occasionally, he'd stop after work. By that time, he'd definitely stay outside of the room and look through the window. The Lieutenant needed plenty of rest. Why should Lieu be kept awake just because he couldn't sleep?
Ruth, the Lieutenant's wife was the only one that was there more than Doc. He'd gotten into the habit of bringing her something to eat or read whenever he came in. She was wasting away to nothing. Plenty of the firefighters' wives and the firefighters themselves made sure to spend plenty of time with her. The firefighters would go over and keep up the house while the Lieutenant recuperated. No one had to ask, no one had to offer - it was just the way things were done in "the Family."
And so, here he sat on this Saturday afternoon. Ruth had just gone to take a breath of fresh air outside as long as Doc was here. She didn't like him to be alone, and she was always with him during the debridement sessions and new bandages. It took a lot of out of the Lieutenant, but it took a lot out of Ruth too.
"Doc?" came the hoarse whisper of the Lieutenant.
"Yeah, Lieu. I'm here," Doc answered, sitting forward on the chair. "What d'you need?" he asked him, standing and moving around so that the Lieutenant could seem him out of his good eye.
"Taylor?" the Lieutenant asked, the pleading visible in his eye. He hadn't been told as of yet because he hadn't asked. They assumed that the shock to his system from his injuries had blotted out the memory of exactly what had happened. He'd been told he was burned on a job, but no real details.
"Um, Lieu. Do you need the doctor?" Doc asked him, trying to change the subject. It was hard enough for him to KNOW what had happened, let alone to TALK about it.
The Lieutenant shook his head slightly and repeated, "Taylor?"
Doc shook his head as a tear formed in the corner of his eye, "She's gone, Lieu. She didn't make it." The tear fell down Doc's cheek as the Lieutenant took in the information.
"Shouldn't have been up on that car. Should've made her get down before," the Lieutenant managed to get out.
"She wouldn't have been up there if I hadn't pulled her from the squad," Doc said, and the tears flowed freely now.
Ruth Anderson walked back into the doorway and saw Doc crying. She'd been trying to get him to talk about it for the last few days without luck. She knew what had happened and she knew that Doc probably blamed himself - which, of course, was nonsense. If it wasn't Alex Taylor up on that car, someone else would have been. It's not like Doc put her in harm's way on purpose. It was an unforeseeable occurance. She stepped back out into the hall to let the two men talk in private. She was glad she didn't have to tell her husband about Alex, but she wished no one had too, because she knew that he would blame himself now. He always did - even if he wasn't working when one of his crew had gotten hurt. He'd blame himself for not being there to prevent it.
"No, Doc. Not you. Me," the Lieutenant said in the raspy voice, tears coming from his left eye. A nurse had come in when she noticed the increased heart rate on the monitor at the desk.
"Mr. Anderson, you need to try to calm down. Do you need more pain medication?" asked the nurse.
"No," he answered, trying to calm himself back down.
"Mr. Parker, I think you need to leave and let Mr. Anderson get some rest. He really does need to stay calm," the nurse said in a soft tone.
Doc nodded his head. "I'll come by later, Lieu," he said. "I've gotta get to work anyway. You need me to bring anything back with me?" Doc asked, clearing his throat and drying his cheeks on his sleeve.
"Tell the guys I said hi and keep 'em in line, Doc," the Lieutenant said, gathering his emotions.
Doc nodded and squeezed the Lieutenant's foot on his way out. "Take care, Lieu."
Doc walked out into the hallway and Ruth Anderson stood up. Doc finished taking off the disposal gown and accessories. When he'd finished, she moved in and hugged him. He fought the tears that were coming again. "He knows about Alex," Doc told her quietly.
"I know. I walked in just as you were telling him so I came back out into the hall to give you a few minutes," she said.
"He doesn't know the details, just that she died," he advised.
"That's all he needs to know. It doesn't matter what the details are. Are you going to work now?" she asked. He nodded.
"Good. Have a good shift and be careful. He'll want all the details when you come in," she said, giving him a smile.
He started down the hallway and stopped when her heard her call out. He turned back to her and she said, "Try to get some rest, Doc. You look exhausted."
He nodded and gave her a slight smile. "I'm tryin', Ruth. It's just hard. I keep seeing it, you know?"
"Maybe you should talk to someone?" she suggested.
"Maybe. I'll see you tomorrow," he said and turned to go to work.
Ruth watched after him for a moment and then turned to go back in to her husband who'd fallen back to sleep again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doc sat in the Lieutenant's hospital room, wearing the disposable sterile glove, gowns, hat and mask to keep the room germ-free. He'd have enough of a hard time fighting the infection from his burns - he didn't need any more germs coming into the room.
Doc had come every day to check up on the Lieutenant. He'd be there before work, stop up to look in the window in between calls while he was working; and occasionally, he'd stop after work. By that time, he'd definitely stay outside of the room and look through the window. The Lieutenant needed plenty of rest. Why should Lieu be kept awake just because he couldn't sleep?
Ruth, the Lieutenant's wife was the only one that was there more than Doc. He'd gotten into the habit of bringing her something to eat or read whenever he came in. She was wasting away to nothing. Plenty of the firefighters' wives and the firefighters themselves made sure to spend plenty of time with her. The firefighters would go over and keep up the house while the Lieutenant recuperated. No one had to ask, no one had to offer - it was just the way things were done in "the Family."
And so, here he sat on this Saturday afternoon. Ruth had just gone to take a breath of fresh air outside as long as Doc was here. She didn't like him to be alone, and she was always with him during the debridement sessions and new bandages. It took a lot of out of the Lieutenant, but it took a lot out of Ruth too.
"Doc?" came the hoarse whisper of the Lieutenant.
"Yeah, Lieu. I'm here," Doc answered, sitting forward on the chair. "What d'you need?" he asked him, standing and moving around so that the Lieutenant could seem him out of his good eye.
"Taylor?" the Lieutenant asked, the pleading visible in his eye. He hadn't been told as of yet because he hadn't asked. They assumed that the shock to his system from his injuries had blotted out the memory of exactly what had happened. He'd been told he was burned on a job, but no real details.
"Um, Lieu. Do you need the doctor?" Doc asked him, trying to change the subject. It was hard enough for him to KNOW what had happened, let alone to TALK about it.
The Lieutenant shook his head slightly and repeated, "Taylor?"
Doc shook his head as a tear formed in the corner of his eye, "She's gone, Lieu. She didn't make it." The tear fell down Doc's cheek as the Lieutenant took in the information.
"Shouldn't have been up on that car. Should've made her get down before," the Lieutenant managed to get out.
"She wouldn't have been up there if I hadn't pulled her from the squad," Doc said, and the tears flowed freely now.
Ruth Anderson walked back into the doorway and saw Doc crying. She'd been trying to get him to talk about it for the last few days without luck. She knew what had happened and she knew that Doc probably blamed himself - which, of course, was nonsense. If it wasn't Alex Taylor up on that car, someone else would have been. It's not like Doc put her in harm's way on purpose. It was an unforeseeable occurance. She stepped back out into the hall to let the two men talk in private. She was glad she didn't have to tell her husband about Alex, but she wished no one had too, because she knew that he would blame himself now. He always did - even if he wasn't working when one of his crew had gotten hurt. He'd blame himself for not being there to prevent it.
"No, Doc. Not you. Me," the Lieutenant said in the raspy voice, tears coming from his left eye. A nurse had come in when she noticed the increased heart rate on the monitor at the desk.
"Mr. Anderson, you need to try to calm down. Do you need more pain medication?" asked the nurse.
"No," he answered, trying to calm himself back down.
"Mr. Parker, I think you need to leave and let Mr. Anderson get some rest. He really does need to stay calm," the nurse said in a soft tone.
Doc nodded his head. "I'll come by later, Lieu," he said. "I've gotta get to work anyway. You need me to bring anything back with me?" Doc asked, clearing his throat and drying his cheeks on his sleeve.
"Tell the guys I said hi and keep 'em in line, Doc," the Lieutenant said, gathering his emotions.
Doc nodded and squeezed the Lieutenant's foot on his way out. "Take care, Lieu."
Doc walked out into the hallway and Ruth Anderson stood up. Doc finished taking off the disposal gown and accessories. When he'd finished, she moved in and hugged him. He fought the tears that were coming again. "He knows about Alex," Doc told her quietly.
"I know. I walked in just as you were telling him so I came back out into the hall to give you a few minutes," she said.
"He doesn't know the details, just that she died," he advised.
"That's all he needs to know. It doesn't matter what the details are. Are you going to work now?" she asked. He nodded.
"Good. Have a good shift and be careful. He'll want all the details when you come in," she said, giving him a smile.
He started down the hallway and stopped when her heard her call out. He turned back to her and she said, "Try to get some rest, Doc. You look exhausted."
He nodded and gave her a slight smile. "I'm tryin', Ruth. It's just hard. I keep seeing it, you know?"
"Maybe you should talk to someone?" she suggested.
"Maybe. I'll see you tomorrow," he said and turned to go to work.
Ruth watched after him for a moment and then turned to go back in to her husband who'd fallen back to sleep again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...