Chapter 2
"I'm sorry, ma'am, you won't be able to ride with him, we have two other patients to transport." one of the medics said uncomfortably. "All right, I'll meet him at the emergency room, Rick, I'll see you in a few minutes. I love you." she whispered to him, then let go his hand so they could place him in the ambulance. Turning, she saw that Captain Ron was arguing about getting into the ambulance, and she immediately went to his side. "Captain, please go to the hospital, you're hurt!" she exclaimed, taking in his torn shirt and burned arms. Gazing at her, he reluctantly nodded, "All right, honey, I'll go, just to make sure Rick is ok." Watching as he climbed into the vehicle, she realized the firefighter who had gone in to save Rick was also being helped in and she put her hand on his arm.
"Thank you, sir, for helping save my husband." she gratefully said.
Blinking back soot from his eyes, the young fireman looked at her face, then smiled. "You're welcome, Mrs. Simon. You helped too, telling the Captain where he was. I hope he'll be ok."
"Thank you, he's a pretty stubborn guy, I just know he's going to run that hospital ragged when he comes to. Now you take care of yourself, and thank you!" she replied, then kissed his cheek.
He blushed as two of his comrades teased him, then nodded at her as he got into the last seat in the ambulance.
"Laurie, come on, we'll go in my car!" she heard A.J. call to her, then turning, she saw him wave at her and head toward the parking lot. As Laurie went past a small group of people, she felt someone staring at her, and looked to see a blond-haired woman glaring in her direction. Startled, she immediately glanced away and caught up with her brother-in-law.
By the time they arrived at the emergency room, Laurie had already called her son and uncle on their transmitters. Robbie promised to notify Robin and Oscar was trying to get ahold of Rudy. A.J. dropped Laurie off and went to park, saying he would call Cecilia at Linda's then meet her in the waiting room.
As she checked in at the reception desk, she heard her name called, and recognized the voice of Dr. Allen Clarke, the chief of staff. "Laurie, I heard Rick was brought in, I'll see how he is and come get you when I can." he promised, taking her arm and sitting her down.
"All right, Doctor, I'll wait here", she agreed, then watched as A.J. came in, followed almost immediately by Oscar and Rudy. "You guys, how did you get here so fast?" she gasped, hugging them. "We got lucky, Rob Gamez heard the transmission and burned rubber to get us here in less then 15 minutes." Oscar said, as Rudy went to find Dr. Clarke.
"He dropped us off and went back to cover for Robbie so he could leave the Sheriff's office, Andy's still in Tucson, so he couldn't leave right away." her uncle added.
Laurie sighed, "I forgot, that's so thoughtful of Rob." "I know, honey, he said you had a few other things to think about." Oscar quietly said, putting an arm around her. She tried to smile at him, "What would we do without you guys, no, what would I do?"
"You're never going to find out, my girl, we'll always be there for you and Rick and the kids. He's going to be all right, he's had worse!" her uncle declared.
"I know, but anything with fire scares me so much, and hearing his voice calling and saying he was trapped....", Laurie took a deep breath, then saw Rudy coming back down the hall.
"Rudy, did you see him, is he awake yet?", she jumped up. "Honey, calm down, yes, I saw him. Sit down.", he told her firmly. Taking her seat, she waited as he sat next to her. "Laurie, Rick's going to be all right, he has some smoke inhalation, a nasty bump on his head and burns on his face and hands, but he's fine. The only thing we have to watch for is fluid in his lungs, because of the scorching of his trachea. He's going to be on oxygen for a day or so, but after that Rick should be able to breath on his own."
Letting out a deep breath, she said, "Thank you Rudy, I didn't mean to, well, you know.", she looked down. "Honey, it's ok, if' it's any consolation I did the same thing with Allen Clarke." he joked, embracing her. Gulping back the tears of relief that threatened to spill over, she smiled and asked, "Did he tell you to sit down, too?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact he pulled out a chair next to Rick and pointed to it!", the doctor laughed. "Now, it's going to be a little while before they move him to a room, but Allen said you can go see him for a minute. He's not quite awake yet, but it'll be all right if you just sit with him for a while. "Thanks, Rudy.", she answered, gathering herself together. Standing up, she was about to head for the emergency room when Captain Ron appeared.
"There you are, Laurie. A.J., Rudy, Oscar, I'm glad to see you.", he greeted them, sporting bandages on his forehead and arms. "Captain, I'm glad to see you're all right. Laurie told us you went in after Rick.", Oscar said, concerned.
"I can't thank you enough, Ron, you saved him!", Laurie gulped, then hugged the embarrassed captain. "Honey, I'm all right, you're the one who heard him and told us where he was.", he told her. "Now you go see that husband of yours, I need to ask you some questions but they can wait."
"Oh, I almost forgot!", she exclaimed. "I found a folder on Rick's desk labeled arson investigation when I went to find him, I thought if might be important so I put it in the truck for safekeeping." Now it was A.J.'s turn to leap up from his seat. "Thank God you did that, honey; Rick was looking at a photo in that and thought he found something in it. Captain, I only hope Rick remembers what he saw, I think it could be our break in the arson fires. I'm going to run get it, I'll be right back!"
Seeing her brother-in-law run out the door, Laurie told the others she'd back and again headed to see Rick.
As she entered the treatment room, she steeled herself to see her husband with the oxygen and i.v.'s all hooked up. It still shook her to see him so quiet. Sitting next to him, she carefully took his unbandaged hand, and quietly told him, "I'm back, Rick, I'm going to stay with you until they move you to your own room. Rudy and Oscar are here, A.J.'ll be right back." Watching him breath, she felt so grateful that he was here, safe. Kissing the part of Rick's face that wasn't covered with burn cream or the mask., she was startled by a sudden twitch in his facial muscles, then saw him blink.
"Rick, darling, please wake up. I love you, please come back to me." she whispered. Again he blinked, then his eyes opened, and he turned to look at her. "Laurie", he rasped through the mask. Hitting the call button to signal for Dr. Clarke, she said, "Rick, I'm calling for the doctor, please stay calm. Rudy said you had smoke inhalation and would have to be on oxygen. I don't want you to hurt your throat, ok?"
He stared at her, then nodded as Allen Clarke walked in. "Did you call, Laurie?" "Yes, Rick's awake, I thought you would want to know." she replied. Checking his reactions, the doctor then examined his throat, deciding to remove the oxygen mask in favor of a small inhalation tube. "All right, Rick, I don't want you to talk, just nod when
something hurts." he explained.
After checking his vocal cords and esophagus, he stood up and smiled. "I think you're pretty lucky, my friend. The steroid spray Rudy had us use on you seems to be cutting the inflammation in your throat and bronchial tubes. I want you to stay in the hospital for the next couple of days, then we'll see about you going home."
A ghost of a smile appeared on the older Simon's face, which brightened even more when Laurie thanked their friend, then kissed Rick's cheek.
"See, Rick, that's all the medicine you need!", Dr. Clarke laughed. "I'll get the orderly to take you to your room so you two can have some privacy!"
As soon as Rick was made comfortable in a private room, the doctor allowed the rest of his family to visit him. With the proviso that he not talk for the next 24 hours, Laurie left him a pad of paper and a pen, as she slipped out to talk to Captain Ron and A.J.
Meeting them outside his room, she saw the worried looks on both men's' faces. "What's happened?", Laurie asked.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, you won't be able to ride with him, we have two other patients to transport." one of the medics said uncomfortably. "All right, I'll meet him at the emergency room, Rick, I'll see you in a few minutes. I love you." she whispered to him, then let go his hand so they could place him in the ambulance. Turning, she saw that Captain Ron was arguing about getting into the ambulance, and she immediately went to his side. "Captain, please go to the hospital, you're hurt!" she exclaimed, taking in his torn shirt and burned arms. Gazing at her, he reluctantly nodded, "All right, honey, I'll go, just to make sure Rick is ok." Watching as he climbed into the vehicle, she realized the firefighter who had gone in to save Rick was also being helped in and she put her hand on his arm.
"Thank you, sir, for helping save my husband." she gratefully said.
Blinking back soot from his eyes, the young fireman looked at her face, then smiled. "You're welcome, Mrs. Simon. You helped too, telling the Captain where he was. I hope he'll be ok."
"Thank you, he's a pretty stubborn guy, I just know he's going to run that hospital ragged when he comes to. Now you take care of yourself, and thank you!" she replied, then kissed his cheek.
He blushed as two of his comrades teased him, then nodded at her as he got into the last seat in the ambulance.
"Laurie, come on, we'll go in my car!" she heard A.J. call to her, then turning, she saw him wave at her and head toward the parking lot. As Laurie went past a small group of people, she felt someone staring at her, and looked to see a blond-haired woman glaring in her direction. Startled, she immediately glanced away and caught up with her brother-in-law.
By the time they arrived at the emergency room, Laurie had already called her son and uncle on their transmitters. Robbie promised to notify Robin and Oscar was trying to get ahold of Rudy. A.J. dropped Laurie off and went to park, saying he would call Cecilia at Linda's then meet her in the waiting room.
As she checked in at the reception desk, she heard her name called, and recognized the voice of Dr. Allen Clarke, the chief of staff. "Laurie, I heard Rick was brought in, I'll see how he is and come get you when I can." he promised, taking her arm and sitting her down.
"All right, Doctor, I'll wait here", she agreed, then watched as A.J. came in, followed almost immediately by Oscar and Rudy. "You guys, how did you get here so fast?" she gasped, hugging them. "We got lucky, Rob Gamez heard the transmission and burned rubber to get us here in less then 15 minutes." Oscar said, as Rudy went to find Dr. Clarke.
"He dropped us off and went back to cover for Robbie so he could leave the Sheriff's office, Andy's still in Tucson, so he couldn't leave right away." her uncle added.
Laurie sighed, "I forgot, that's so thoughtful of Rob." "I know, honey, he said you had a few other things to think about." Oscar quietly said, putting an arm around her. She tried to smile at him, "What would we do without you guys, no, what would I do?"
"You're never going to find out, my girl, we'll always be there for you and Rick and the kids. He's going to be all right, he's had worse!" her uncle declared.
"I know, but anything with fire scares me so much, and hearing his voice calling and saying he was trapped....", Laurie took a deep breath, then saw Rudy coming back down the hall.
"Rudy, did you see him, is he awake yet?", she jumped up. "Honey, calm down, yes, I saw him. Sit down.", he told her firmly. Taking her seat, she waited as he sat next to her. "Laurie, Rick's going to be all right, he has some smoke inhalation, a nasty bump on his head and burns on his face and hands, but he's fine. The only thing we have to watch for is fluid in his lungs, because of the scorching of his trachea. He's going to be on oxygen for a day or so, but after that Rick should be able to breath on his own."
Letting out a deep breath, she said, "Thank you Rudy, I didn't mean to, well, you know.", she looked down. "Honey, it's ok, if' it's any consolation I did the same thing with Allen Clarke." he joked, embracing her. Gulping back the tears of relief that threatened to spill over, she smiled and asked, "Did he tell you to sit down, too?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact he pulled out a chair next to Rick and pointed to it!", the doctor laughed. "Now, it's going to be a little while before they move him to a room, but Allen said you can go see him for a minute. He's not quite awake yet, but it'll be all right if you just sit with him for a while. "Thanks, Rudy.", she answered, gathering herself together. Standing up, she was about to head for the emergency room when Captain Ron appeared.
"There you are, Laurie. A.J., Rudy, Oscar, I'm glad to see you.", he greeted them, sporting bandages on his forehead and arms. "Captain, I'm glad to see you're all right. Laurie told us you went in after Rick.", Oscar said, concerned.
"I can't thank you enough, Ron, you saved him!", Laurie gulped, then hugged the embarrassed captain. "Honey, I'm all right, you're the one who heard him and told us where he was.", he told her. "Now you go see that husband of yours, I need to ask you some questions but they can wait."
"Oh, I almost forgot!", she exclaimed. "I found a folder on Rick's desk labeled arson investigation when I went to find him, I thought if might be important so I put it in the truck for safekeeping." Now it was A.J.'s turn to leap up from his seat. "Thank God you did that, honey; Rick was looking at a photo in that and thought he found something in it. Captain, I only hope Rick remembers what he saw, I think it could be our break in the arson fires. I'm going to run get it, I'll be right back!"
Seeing her brother-in-law run out the door, Laurie told the others she'd back and again headed to see Rick.
As she entered the treatment room, she steeled herself to see her husband with the oxygen and i.v.'s all hooked up. It still shook her to see him so quiet. Sitting next to him, she carefully took his unbandaged hand, and quietly told him, "I'm back, Rick, I'm going to stay with you until they move you to your own room. Rudy and Oscar are here, A.J.'ll be right back." Watching him breath, she felt so grateful that he was here, safe. Kissing the part of Rick's face that wasn't covered with burn cream or the mask., she was startled by a sudden twitch in his facial muscles, then saw him blink.
"Rick, darling, please wake up. I love you, please come back to me." she whispered. Again he blinked, then his eyes opened, and he turned to look at her. "Laurie", he rasped through the mask. Hitting the call button to signal for Dr. Clarke, she said, "Rick, I'm calling for the doctor, please stay calm. Rudy said you had smoke inhalation and would have to be on oxygen. I don't want you to hurt your throat, ok?"
He stared at her, then nodded as Allen Clarke walked in. "Did you call, Laurie?" "Yes, Rick's awake, I thought you would want to know." she replied. Checking his reactions, the doctor then examined his throat, deciding to remove the oxygen mask in favor of a small inhalation tube. "All right, Rick, I don't want you to talk, just nod when
something hurts." he explained.
After checking his vocal cords and esophagus, he stood up and smiled. "I think you're pretty lucky, my friend. The steroid spray Rudy had us use on you seems to be cutting the inflammation in your throat and bronchial tubes. I want you to stay in the hospital for the next couple of days, then we'll see about you going home."
A ghost of a smile appeared on the older Simon's face, which brightened even more when Laurie thanked their friend, then kissed Rick's cheek.
"See, Rick, that's all the medicine you need!", Dr. Clarke laughed. "I'll get the orderly to take you to your room so you two can have some privacy!"
As soon as Rick was made comfortable in a private room, the doctor allowed the rest of his family to visit him. With the proviso that he not talk for the next 24 hours, Laurie left him a pad of paper and a pen, as she slipped out to talk to Captain Ron and A.J.
Meeting them outside his room, she saw the worried looks on both men's' faces. "What's happened?", Laurie asked.
