Life After...
Chapter 6
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Lieutenant Johnson had had a rough day. His body was fighting as hard as it could to fight off the infection that wracked him. The pain from the twice daily debridements was almost more than he could bear, but the look on his wife, Ruth's, face each time he had finished hurt him more.
He knew that she never liked him being a firefighter; she was terrified that something just like this would happen someday and she'd be left to raise the kids by herself. Then, when he'd gotten the promotion to Lieutenant she thought he'd spend more time outside of the fire directing things from outside. He didn't let her think any different. Whatever helped her get through one of his shifts.
And now, she held his left hand - the one that somehow escaped the flames - until the pain medication took over and let him sleep. She'd head home for the night, even though she hated to leave him. He'd made her promise to take care of herself and even though he knew she wasn't, it made him feel better for her to say she was. He felt himself drifting off to sleep finally and she gently lifted his hand as she bent down to kiss it.
"Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning. Have the nurse call me if you need me sooner. I love you," she whispered to him before she left and then he was fully asleep.
After a short while, the nurse came in to check on him and noticed that his heart rate was somewhat increased. "He's dreaming about something again," she thought to herself as she held his hand and he seemed to relax slightly. Every night it seemed he dreamed. She wondered what it was about - the horrible circumstances of what brought him here no doubt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm walking around the scene of the accident, surveying the people in my charge. I look up and see you up on top of the car that's burning as you try to calm and help the elderly couple in another car.
"Taylor! Get off that car," I yell, moving to another location without checking to make sure you heed my warning. But I know you heard me, because you look right at me for a moment.
I go about my job of overseeing the efforts. Doc is keeping me informed on the status of the patients. The crew is intently working on getting the fire out and helping to extricate the victims. Walsh and his partner are having trouble getting the hood open on the burning car. D.K. is helping Doc and Sully stabilize a bicyclist that is pinned under a car. Carlos is on the other side of the accident scene, helping another victim. I know exactly where all of my crew is.
I'm standing there next to Doc as his patient shivers from the shock. I hear the man say he is cold. I take off my turnout coat and hand it to Doc to put over the man. After all, it's a beautiful afternoon. The sun is shining down making me warm. I start to walk around again and suddenly have a feeling of dread that I can't explain. I stop next to the vehicles and look up to see you still on top of the car and Walsh still having trouble getting the hood open.
"Taylor! I thought I told you to get off there!" I bellow. You look at me with that 'You worry too much,' expression on your face.
"I'm fine, Lieu," you yell back, looking back to your patients.
Suddenly, it all seems to happen in slow motion. There is the awful sound of metal expanding from heat. We both hear it. I look back at you and you turn and look toward me. Our eyes lock and we both have the same look of shock and then acceptance. We know that things have gone horribly wrong and that one or both of us will pay the ultimate price for our mistake - yours of being on top of that car and mine of not following through to make sure you got out of harm's way. And now it's too late - too late to move out of the way.
Our eyes never leave each other's as I see Walsh and his partner jump away from the inevitable explosion in my peripheral vision. Suddenly, I am flying through the air, the orange and heat of the explosion seeming to follow me. I land on the ground near Doc, Sully and D.K. Doc and D.K. grab my turnout coat from their patient to smother the flames.
At first I don't feel anything. Then - I don't know if it was from the look of the people around me - or the reality of the situation, but I feel a searing pain as my nerve endings are exposed from the flesh that burned from my torso and arms and head. I hear myself crying out in pain. I'm trying to call out to you - to see if you're alright - but my body and brain won't let me form the words. I hear Doc trying to calm me down as he calls out orders to the others for supplies and assistance. Everyone is running around, the urgency of the situation evident. Doc is calling for you, Alex, but you don't come. Where are you? Are you alright? Alex? Alex! Doc gives me the pain medication and I fade into unconsciousness.
Oh yeah, I remember now. Doc told me. You didn't make it. You paid the ultimate price. I'm sorry Alex. I'm sorry I didn't make you get off that car. I'm sorry it had to be you. What your mother must be going through so soon after losing your father. I hope you're with him now, Alex.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The nurse feels her patient calm under her touch. "It's okay, Mr. Johnson. Just try to relax. You're not alone," she says gently. She holds his hand for a moment until she senses that he is once again sleeping peacefully. She checks his vital signs and looks back at her patient once more before going to her next patient.
The staff of the burn ward are a special group of people. The pain that they see and cause on a daily basis - even though they know that they must cause the pain in order to bring about the healing - is heartwrenching.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lieutenant Johnson had had a rough day. His body was fighting as hard as it could to fight off the infection that wracked him. The pain from the twice daily debridements was almost more than he could bear, but the look on his wife, Ruth's, face each time he had finished hurt him more.
He knew that she never liked him being a firefighter; she was terrified that something just like this would happen someday and she'd be left to raise the kids by herself. Then, when he'd gotten the promotion to Lieutenant she thought he'd spend more time outside of the fire directing things from outside. He didn't let her think any different. Whatever helped her get through one of his shifts.
And now, she held his left hand - the one that somehow escaped the flames - until the pain medication took over and let him sleep. She'd head home for the night, even though she hated to leave him. He'd made her promise to take care of herself and even though he knew she wasn't, it made him feel better for her to say she was. He felt himself drifting off to sleep finally and she gently lifted his hand as she bent down to kiss it.
"Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning. Have the nurse call me if you need me sooner. I love you," she whispered to him before she left and then he was fully asleep.
After a short while, the nurse came in to check on him and noticed that his heart rate was somewhat increased. "He's dreaming about something again," she thought to herself as she held his hand and he seemed to relax slightly. Every night it seemed he dreamed. She wondered what it was about - the horrible circumstances of what brought him here no doubt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm walking around the scene of the accident, surveying the people in my charge. I look up and see you up on top of the car that's burning as you try to calm and help the elderly couple in another car.
"Taylor! Get off that car," I yell, moving to another location without checking to make sure you heed my warning. But I know you heard me, because you look right at me for a moment.
I go about my job of overseeing the efforts. Doc is keeping me informed on the status of the patients. The crew is intently working on getting the fire out and helping to extricate the victims. Walsh and his partner are having trouble getting the hood open on the burning car. D.K. is helping Doc and Sully stabilize a bicyclist that is pinned under a car. Carlos is on the other side of the accident scene, helping another victim. I know exactly where all of my crew is.
I'm standing there next to Doc as his patient shivers from the shock. I hear the man say he is cold. I take off my turnout coat and hand it to Doc to put over the man. After all, it's a beautiful afternoon. The sun is shining down making me warm. I start to walk around again and suddenly have a feeling of dread that I can't explain. I stop next to the vehicles and look up to see you still on top of the car and Walsh still having trouble getting the hood open.
"Taylor! I thought I told you to get off there!" I bellow. You look at me with that 'You worry too much,' expression on your face.
"I'm fine, Lieu," you yell back, looking back to your patients.
Suddenly, it all seems to happen in slow motion. There is the awful sound of metal expanding from heat. We both hear it. I look back at you and you turn and look toward me. Our eyes lock and we both have the same look of shock and then acceptance. We know that things have gone horribly wrong and that one or both of us will pay the ultimate price for our mistake - yours of being on top of that car and mine of not following through to make sure you got out of harm's way. And now it's too late - too late to move out of the way.
Our eyes never leave each other's as I see Walsh and his partner jump away from the inevitable explosion in my peripheral vision. Suddenly, I am flying through the air, the orange and heat of the explosion seeming to follow me. I land on the ground near Doc, Sully and D.K. Doc and D.K. grab my turnout coat from their patient to smother the flames.
At first I don't feel anything. Then - I don't know if it was from the look of the people around me - or the reality of the situation, but I feel a searing pain as my nerve endings are exposed from the flesh that burned from my torso and arms and head. I hear myself crying out in pain. I'm trying to call out to you - to see if you're alright - but my body and brain won't let me form the words. I hear Doc trying to calm me down as he calls out orders to the others for supplies and assistance. Everyone is running around, the urgency of the situation evident. Doc is calling for you, Alex, but you don't come. Where are you? Are you alright? Alex? Alex! Doc gives me the pain medication and I fade into unconsciousness.
Oh yeah, I remember now. Doc told me. You didn't make it. You paid the ultimate price. I'm sorry Alex. I'm sorry I didn't make you get off that car. I'm sorry it had to be you. What your mother must be going through so soon after losing your father. I hope you're with him now, Alex.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The nurse feels her patient calm under her touch. "It's okay, Mr. Johnson. Just try to relax. You're not alone," she says gently. She holds his hand for a moment until she senses that he is once again sleeping peacefully. She checks his vital signs and looks back at her patient once more before going to her next patient.
The staff of the burn ward are a special group of people. The pain that they see and cause on a daily basis - even though they know that they must cause the pain in order to bring about the healing - is heartwrenching.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...