"Faith?" Kim poked her head into Emily's room. "Hey, can I come in?"
"Sure Kim," Fred answered as he rose. "How are you?"
"Forget me. How are you?" She asked, handing him a bag. "It's some biscuit sandwiches. I got them at the deli near the house. I figured you two were probably living on coffee."
"Pretty much. Thanks Kim."
"Sure."
"You just missed Bosco."
"Oh. Yeah, he got up early and headed into work. I told Joey that Em was sick and he drew her a picture," she handed it to Fred. "It's supposed to be from the summer before Johnny was born when he and Bosco tried to learn how to surf," she explained.
"Thanks," Fred smiled.
"I better go. I promised Doc I'd be in early. Call if you need anything okay?"
"We will," Fred promised.
"Bye Faith," Kim said before leaving.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He was working with Cruz.
Again.
Kim put the pediatric catheters away and slammed the drawer shut.
"Hey Kim?"
"What?" she snapped.
"Whoa!" Jimmy backed away a little. "We not loving our job today?"
"We are not loving anything today Jimmy."
"You wanna talk about it?"
"No."
"You sure?"
Kim looked over at him and sighed. She leaned back against the wall of the rig. "It's so foreign to us."
"What is?"
"The idea that someone doesn't want our help. It's what we do. We help people. We get them to a hospital, we pull them out of fires, or we try and make the streets safer by arresting people."
"What's going on Kim?"
"Doc and I had an O.D. today. It was Cruz's sister."
"Sgt. Cruz?"
"Yeah."
"Oh man."
"She made it disappear. She didn't want her sister going to jail. Now she and Bosco are out there doing God knows what to make the person who sold her sister drugs pay."
"And?"
She looked over at him. "Did you ever memorize a look in a person's eyes so you'd know it if it ever came again?"
"Yeah, sure. Why?"
"I only have two looks memorized. It wasn't intentional, it was purely by accident. But I saw them both again today. The last time was when Bobby died. Cruz's sister had the same look in her eyes that Paulie had in his the last day I saw him. She doesn't care. She doesn't want help. She is perfectly happy slowly killing herself with whatever happens to be available. And she doesn't care if she has to beg, borrow, or steal from her family and friends to get it."
"And Cruz?"
"Combination. She's got the look Bobby's eyes had but she's got Gina's denial."
"Gina?"
"Paulie's little sister and the reason Bobby was anywhere near that awful apartment." She sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if Bobby would've been so bound and determined to help him if Matty hadn't screwed up."
"Putting aside the look and the denial for just a sec, Bobby loved Paulie right?"
"Sure. They were best friends. Bobby still thought of him like that. He probably thought of him like that even after Paulie shot him."
"Well, I seem to remember someone telling me once that if Bobby loved someone that they were his family."
"And there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for them. Yeah I remember."
"Now the look?"
"She's on a mission. She'll roll over anyone who gets in her way. She's also got that denial thing Gina was so fond of. The last thing she said to Sully and Ty the day they went to look for Paulie was for them not to hurt him because he was sick."
"Some people look at it like that. Keeps them from recognizing what's really going on."
"Her brother was a junkie who blew his best friend away. Not exactly the best way of looking at things but at least it's the truth."
"Bottom line Kim?"
"Bottom line is that I'm terrified that she's gonna get herself killed and take Bosco along for the ride."
The speakers crackled to life calling for the squad and the ladder company and the ambulances. The previously quiet station was now abuzz with activity and everyone sprung into action.
"Sure Kim," Fred answered as he rose. "How are you?"
"Forget me. How are you?" She asked, handing him a bag. "It's some biscuit sandwiches. I got them at the deli near the house. I figured you two were probably living on coffee."
"Pretty much. Thanks Kim."
"Sure."
"You just missed Bosco."
"Oh. Yeah, he got up early and headed into work. I told Joey that Em was sick and he drew her a picture," she handed it to Fred. "It's supposed to be from the summer before Johnny was born when he and Bosco tried to learn how to surf," she explained.
"Thanks," Fred smiled.
"I better go. I promised Doc I'd be in early. Call if you need anything okay?"
"We will," Fred promised.
"Bye Faith," Kim said before leaving.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He was working with Cruz.
Again.
Kim put the pediatric catheters away and slammed the drawer shut.
"Hey Kim?"
"What?" she snapped.
"Whoa!" Jimmy backed away a little. "We not loving our job today?"
"We are not loving anything today Jimmy."
"You wanna talk about it?"
"No."
"You sure?"
Kim looked over at him and sighed. She leaned back against the wall of the rig. "It's so foreign to us."
"What is?"
"The idea that someone doesn't want our help. It's what we do. We help people. We get them to a hospital, we pull them out of fires, or we try and make the streets safer by arresting people."
"What's going on Kim?"
"Doc and I had an O.D. today. It was Cruz's sister."
"Sgt. Cruz?"
"Yeah."
"Oh man."
"She made it disappear. She didn't want her sister going to jail. Now she and Bosco are out there doing God knows what to make the person who sold her sister drugs pay."
"And?"
She looked over at him. "Did you ever memorize a look in a person's eyes so you'd know it if it ever came again?"
"Yeah, sure. Why?"
"I only have two looks memorized. It wasn't intentional, it was purely by accident. But I saw them both again today. The last time was when Bobby died. Cruz's sister had the same look in her eyes that Paulie had in his the last day I saw him. She doesn't care. She doesn't want help. She is perfectly happy slowly killing herself with whatever happens to be available. And she doesn't care if she has to beg, borrow, or steal from her family and friends to get it."
"And Cruz?"
"Combination. She's got the look Bobby's eyes had but she's got Gina's denial."
"Gina?"
"Paulie's little sister and the reason Bobby was anywhere near that awful apartment." She sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if Bobby would've been so bound and determined to help him if Matty hadn't screwed up."
"Putting aside the look and the denial for just a sec, Bobby loved Paulie right?"
"Sure. They were best friends. Bobby still thought of him like that. He probably thought of him like that even after Paulie shot him."
"Well, I seem to remember someone telling me once that if Bobby loved someone that they were his family."
"And there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for them. Yeah I remember."
"Now the look?"
"She's on a mission. She'll roll over anyone who gets in her way. She's also got that denial thing Gina was so fond of. The last thing she said to Sully and Ty the day they went to look for Paulie was for them not to hurt him because he was sick."
"Some people look at it like that. Keeps them from recognizing what's really going on."
"Her brother was a junkie who blew his best friend away. Not exactly the best way of looking at things but at least it's the truth."
"Bottom line Kim?"
"Bottom line is that I'm terrified that she's gonna get herself killed and take Bosco along for the ride."
The speakers crackled to life calling for the squad and the ladder company and the ambulances. The previously quiet station was now abuzz with activity and everyone sprung into action.
