Revenge
Chapter 35
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Billy was driving the ambulance to Mercy as fast as he could. The traffic today was unbelievable. He changed the tones of the siren frequently, trying to get the attention of the other drivers to get them out of the way.
"C'mon!" he yelled in frustration.
"Billy?" Kim asked, concerned with what was happening.
"These damn drivers... What part of 'pull to the right for sirens and lights' don't they understand!" he said in anger. "If it was their house or their family member, you can bet they'd be yelling at us about what took so long!"
"I know. Just try to hurry," Kim said sympathetically. As she kept forcing the oxygen into Bosco's lungs while he couldn't breathe for himself, she looked over the trauma that his body had been through. They'd had to basically strip him down so they could look for any signs of major bleeding or injury that could increase the threat on his life. Now, he lay on the stretcher, helpless, his face, neck and hands covered in the black soot from the fire. A sheet covered him from the waist down and Kim couldn't move her eyes from all the bruises and scrapes and the two gunshot wounds that appeared to have missed anything major. They MUST have missed. There was no other way that Kim could understand how he could still be alive when they had first seen him. Her eyes focused on Carlos' hands performing the CPR that kept the blood and oxygen circulating for Bosco while he couldn't - keeping him alive until they could repair his body enough to do for itself.
"C'mon, Bos. Pull through," she said, leaning down next to his ear. "We're almost there. Hang on."
As a matter of procedure, Kim felt for a pulse while she was ventilating Bosco. She visually checked the fluid levels in the two IV bags that were running into him trying to replace the fluid he'd lost due to his injuries and from dehydration. He'd gone through almost three bags of solution. He had enough to make it to the hospital where they'd hang another full bag.
"Two more blocks," Billy called back to them.
"Wait!" Kim cried out, feeling a pulse in Bosco's neck. Carlos stopped compressions and looked over at the monitor. There was a rhythm there. It wasn't a great rhythm, but at least his heart was trying to beat on its own. Kim continued to ventilate him as they watched the monitor. The rhythm picked up a little and Kim felt the resistance on the ventilator as his body tried to take a breath on its own.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Faith heard noises first. She heard the sounds of the siren. She felt something covering her mouth and felt the cool, clean air as she breathed in. Suddenly, the memories of what had happened came back to her and she fought to sit up. There was an IV running into her and she didn't recognize the medics who were taking care of her.
"Officer, it's okay. You're on your way to Mercy. You took in a lot of smoke, but you're going to be okay," one of the medics told her. "Just lie back and try to relax. You need to calm down."
She fought back and finally was able to get to a sitting position as the medic put the back of the stretcher up. "Bosco," she said hoarsely, her throat dry from the heat and smoke and oxygen.
"He's right in front of us. They're working on him," she was told.
"Is he gonna...," she said, unable to finish the sentence.
"They're doing everything they can. It's a miracle he made it this far so let's keep a good thought. You'll be able to see him in a minute. We're almost at the hospital," she was told.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**^
Ty followed the two ambulances closely. Rose, Mikey and Trisha sat silently in the car.
"He's strong," Rose said quietly.
"I don't know, Ma," Mikey answered. "He's been through a lot." Rose turned to look at her son from the front seat. "I'm sorry," Mikey said, apologizing for his lack of positive thinking.
Trisha sat staring out the window of the car, not taking her eyes off the ambulances in front of her. Every time they took a turn she got another glimpse of the ambulance in front - the one that Maurice was in. Her grip tightened on Mikey's hand, tears started to fall and she quickly wiped them away.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**
Sully arrived at Fred's parents house and knocked on the door. He hated these kinds of things. He knew that every time he had to go to the family of someone on the job, terror went through that family as they saw an officer at their door. They expected the worst.
Fred opened the door and looked into the sad eyes of Officer John Sullivan. They'd just gotten home from the store and weren't aware of what was going on over the last few hours.
"Sully?" Fred asked, fear suddenly gripping him.
"She's okay, Fred. She just took some smoke at a fire. They're just bringing her in to get checked out," Sully told him.
"Fire? What fire?" Fred asked, opening the door to let Sully in. Emily, Charlie and Fred's parents came into the room.
"Dad?" Emily said, seeing the worry on her father's face.
"It's okay, Em. Mom just had to get checked out," Fred said, waiting for Sully to answer him about the fire.
"Um," Sully started, looking at the kids and back to Fred, not knowing if he should let the kids hear what was going on.
"Kids. Go into the other room with Grandma and Grandpa," Fred told them, knowing from Sully's look that there was more to tell.
"But, Dad," Emily started to argue, but Fred cut her off.
"Em! Go in the other room with Charlie," he said, giving her a look that meant she shouldn't challenge him. Emily took Charlie by the hand and followed her grandparents out to the kitchen.
"Bosco's hurt. It's pretty bad. I don't know if he's gonna make it. They were doing CPR when they pulled away in the ambulance. Couple of gunshot wounds, smoke inhalation. I don't know what else," Sully relayed to him.
"My God," Fred said.
"I'll give you and the kids a ride if you want," Sully offered and Fred nodded.
"Emily, Charlie. Let's go. Let's go get your Mom," Fred called to them.
The kids came out into the living room and Emily said, "Dad?"
He looked at Emily and Charlie who were looking at him and waiting to find out what was going on. "Uncle Bosco's hurt pretty bad," he said finally. The three followed Sully out silently. Fred called over his shoulder to his parents, "I'll call you as soon as I see her."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"C'mon, Bos. C'mon back," Kim urged in his ear. The rate on the monitor got a little stronger, but then there were a couple of irregular heartbeats and he stopped again.
"Damn it!" yelled Carlos as he started compressions again. "Billy! We need to be there. NOW!" he yelled into the front of the ambulance.
"One more corner!" Billy yelled back, as he steered the ambulance around the last corner. "You got a whole team here waiting for you," he told them as he saw the trauma team waiting for their arrival in the ambulance bay of the hospital.
Billy pulled the ambulance to a stop and the back doors were pulled open. The stretcher was pulled out and a flurry of activity began.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 35
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Billy was driving the ambulance to Mercy as fast as he could. The traffic today was unbelievable. He changed the tones of the siren frequently, trying to get the attention of the other drivers to get them out of the way.
"C'mon!" he yelled in frustration.
"Billy?" Kim asked, concerned with what was happening.
"These damn drivers... What part of 'pull to the right for sirens and lights' don't they understand!" he said in anger. "If it was their house or their family member, you can bet they'd be yelling at us about what took so long!"
"I know. Just try to hurry," Kim said sympathetically. As she kept forcing the oxygen into Bosco's lungs while he couldn't breathe for himself, she looked over the trauma that his body had been through. They'd had to basically strip him down so they could look for any signs of major bleeding or injury that could increase the threat on his life. Now, he lay on the stretcher, helpless, his face, neck and hands covered in the black soot from the fire. A sheet covered him from the waist down and Kim couldn't move her eyes from all the bruises and scrapes and the two gunshot wounds that appeared to have missed anything major. They MUST have missed. There was no other way that Kim could understand how he could still be alive when they had first seen him. Her eyes focused on Carlos' hands performing the CPR that kept the blood and oxygen circulating for Bosco while he couldn't - keeping him alive until they could repair his body enough to do for itself.
"C'mon, Bos. Pull through," she said, leaning down next to his ear. "We're almost there. Hang on."
As a matter of procedure, Kim felt for a pulse while she was ventilating Bosco. She visually checked the fluid levels in the two IV bags that were running into him trying to replace the fluid he'd lost due to his injuries and from dehydration. He'd gone through almost three bags of solution. He had enough to make it to the hospital where they'd hang another full bag.
"Two more blocks," Billy called back to them.
"Wait!" Kim cried out, feeling a pulse in Bosco's neck. Carlos stopped compressions and looked over at the monitor. There was a rhythm there. It wasn't a great rhythm, but at least his heart was trying to beat on its own. Kim continued to ventilate him as they watched the monitor. The rhythm picked up a little and Kim felt the resistance on the ventilator as his body tried to take a breath on its own.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Faith heard noises first. She heard the sounds of the siren. She felt something covering her mouth and felt the cool, clean air as she breathed in. Suddenly, the memories of what had happened came back to her and she fought to sit up. There was an IV running into her and she didn't recognize the medics who were taking care of her.
"Officer, it's okay. You're on your way to Mercy. You took in a lot of smoke, but you're going to be okay," one of the medics told her. "Just lie back and try to relax. You need to calm down."
She fought back and finally was able to get to a sitting position as the medic put the back of the stretcher up. "Bosco," she said hoarsely, her throat dry from the heat and smoke and oxygen.
"He's right in front of us. They're working on him," she was told.
"Is he gonna...," she said, unable to finish the sentence.
"They're doing everything they can. It's a miracle he made it this far so let's keep a good thought. You'll be able to see him in a minute. We're almost at the hospital," she was told.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**^
Ty followed the two ambulances closely. Rose, Mikey and Trisha sat silently in the car.
"He's strong," Rose said quietly.
"I don't know, Ma," Mikey answered. "He's been through a lot." Rose turned to look at her son from the front seat. "I'm sorry," Mikey said, apologizing for his lack of positive thinking.
Trisha sat staring out the window of the car, not taking her eyes off the ambulances in front of her. Every time they took a turn she got another glimpse of the ambulance in front - the one that Maurice was in. Her grip tightened on Mikey's hand, tears started to fall and she quickly wiped them away.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**
Sully arrived at Fred's parents house and knocked on the door. He hated these kinds of things. He knew that every time he had to go to the family of someone on the job, terror went through that family as they saw an officer at their door. They expected the worst.
Fred opened the door and looked into the sad eyes of Officer John Sullivan. They'd just gotten home from the store and weren't aware of what was going on over the last few hours.
"Sully?" Fred asked, fear suddenly gripping him.
"She's okay, Fred. She just took some smoke at a fire. They're just bringing her in to get checked out," Sully told him.
"Fire? What fire?" Fred asked, opening the door to let Sully in. Emily, Charlie and Fred's parents came into the room.
"Dad?" Emily said, seeing the worry on her father's face.
"It's okay, Em. Mom just had to get checked out," Fred said, waiting for Sully to answer him about the fire.
"Um," Sully started, looking at the kids and back to Fred, not knowing if he should let the kids hear what was going on.
"Kids. Go into the other room with Grandma and Grandpa," Fred told them, knowing from Sully's look that there was more to tell.
"But, Dad," Emily started to argue, but Fred cut her off.
"Em! Go in the other room with Charlie," he said, giving her a look that meant she shouldn't challenge him. Emily took Charlie by the hand and followed her grandparents out to the kitchen.
"Bosco's hurt. It's pretty bad. I don't know if he's gonna make it. They were doing CPR when they pulled away in the ambulance. Couple of gunshot wounds, smoke inhalation. I don't know what else," Sully relayed to him.
"My God," Fred said.
"I'll give you and the kids a ride if you want," Sully offered and Fred nodded.
"Emily, Charlie. Let's go. Let's go get your Mom," Fred called to them.
The kids came out into the living room and Emily said, "Dad?"
He looked at Emily and Charlie who were looking at him and waiting to find out what was going on. "Uncle Bosco's hurt pretty bad," he said finally. The three followed Sully out silently. Fred called over his shoulder to his parents, "I'll call you as soon as I see her."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"C'mon, Bos. C'mon back," Kim urged in his ear. The rate on the monitor got a little stronger, but then there were a couple of irregular heartbeats and he stopped again.
"Damn it!" yelled Carlos as he started compressions again. "Billy! We need to be there. NOW!" he yelled into the front of the ambulance.
"One more corner!" Billy yelled back, as he steered the ambulance around the last corner. "You got a whole team here waiting for you," he told them as he saw the trauma team waiting for their arrival in the ambulance bay of the hospital.
Billy pulled the ambulance to a stop and the back doors were pulled open. The stretcher was pulled out and a flurry of activity began.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...