The More Things Change

Chapter 6

Karen ran into the emergency entrance at Bellevue; her badge pointed out like a gun ready to take out anyone who got in her way.

"Frank Daniels," she practically shouted at the nurse manning the receiving desk.

"Exam room three," the bored looking nurse jerked her thumb toward the swinging doors. This was Bellevue, nothing surprised this nurse anymore.

Karen jogged to exam room three and pushed her way inside to find Frank propped up on the table. He was black with soot, clothes cut off, an oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose and his hair and eyebrows were singed.

Karen couldn't believe how good he looked.

When Frank opened his arms Karen dove into his embrace and held him tight; never wanting to let him go.

"Maybe I should get car jacked more often."

"Don't you even joke about that," she didn't know whether to laugh, cry or beat the living shit out of Frank.

"How about I promise to never do that again," he pushed Karen away so he could see her face. "I have to wait for someone called Baldwin Jones to come and ask me a bunch of questions I don't know the answers to. Dad is bringing clothes and my spare chair over and then I can go home." Frank pushed Karen's hair behind her ear, "come with me. I don't think I could take your day bed right now."

"I have to get a change of clothes," she said as rubbed the soot off the end of Frank's nose.

"Pack all your clothes; stay with me, never go back to that cracker box you call home."

"And live in your parent's basement, nice place but not cool, Daniels."

"Mr. Daniels," a nurse interrupted, "your friend has to wait outside."

Frank straightened his shoulders, "this is Detective Betancourt from the 8th Precinct. She's here on business."

"All I see is monkey business and don't you go flipping your badge at me, girlie. I don't care if you are Chief of Police; you get your ass into that waiting room until we call you."

"She's my wife," Frank lied like a lawyer. "I need her here for my well being."

"She can come back after we finish with you. Kiss your detective wifie good bye and let her get outta here." The nurse checked the oxygen tanks Frank's mask was hooked onto and then turned her back on the pair alone.

"You are a pistol," Karen laughed.

"This time next week I swear you will be Karen Daniels. I want to marry you now, this minute. After today I am never putting off any good thing that happens to me… and you are the best thing I ever imagined."

Walter Clark took Jim home. No matter how much Jim swore he could make it to the apartment on his own, Walter wouldn't leave until Jim was deposited safely inside his home.

"You are just too damn pathetic, Dunbar. What are you gonna do to yourself next time, go deaf." Walter said as he checked Hank's dish while Hank checked out his master and then got Jim a beer from the fridge.

"Not if I got anything to say about it," Jim snapped back as he sank down onto the sofa, but he smiled when he wrapped his hand around the cold, frosty bottle.

"I'm heading home before Marie sends out a search party, but I'll be back in the morning to take you to Christie."

"Walter…" Jim almost said don't come, but this was different. This was Walter Clark and he was the closest thing to a hands on father Jim ever had. "Thanks, I appreciate that."

Then, he was gone. Jim took a long pull on his beer and leaned his head back into the couch cushions behind him. About week had passed since the idea that Christie was pregnant entered his mind. Only five days since the test came back positive and today it was all over.

Endometriosis, the doctors said that endometriosis covered Christie's abdominal cavity with thick, sticky blood. It had pasted her fallopian tubes into twisted mazes that would probably never let a normal pregnancy occur. It was a good thing his brothers had kids because there were probably never going to be Jimmy Dunbar Jrs in the future.

"Damn," Jim swallowed down the rest of his beer. He always wanted kids, little boys to play ball with, little girls to… hell, play ball with them too. Maybe it was a good thing, this endo-stuff, his ball playing days were over. Another missed opportunity for the Dunbars, if they had really wanted kids they should have started sooner, planned and maybe thought about something other than their jobs. Jim pulled his arm back to throw the beer bottle at the brick wall. He almost did it, too; except he'd have to clean it up afterwards and the way his luck was running he'd cut his other foot. Jim lowered his arm, "now, a blind guy in a wheel chair; that would be really pathetic, wouldn't it, Walter."

There was a knock and the sound of his door opening. Who had keys to the place now?

"Hey, Jim," Karen's voice drifted over with the smell of pizza. "Sorry I'm late, but something came up."

"I thought Russo was bringing the pizza," Jim reached for the crutches.

"Nay, don't get up," her footsteps were soft against the hardwood floors. Karen had taken off her shoes. "Marty and Tom got a hot case, unset diamonds went awol, and things are really moving fast so Marty told me to feed ya. I'm kinda late." With that she put the pie on the coffee table.

"I just got back," he leaned forward and put the empty bottle on the coffee table and then slid his hand over to find the pizza box and extract a piece and hand it to Karen. "Walter Clark came to the hospital and took me afterwards."

"And ya didn't eat with him?"

"Marty was supposed to be bringing pizza. I never let a chance to get a free meal from Russo go by." Jim expertly pulled out another slice, folded it and bit onto the gooey pie. "So," he mumbled through his chews, "what kept ya?"

"Clark and Jones from the 27th took down a chop shop today, found a Checker Marathon there."

"Frank drives one of those, doesn't he?"

"It was Frank's and he wasn't in it."

Jim leaned back, "oh, is this one of those good news bad news joke. The bad news is the car was chopped and the good news was he wasn't in it."

"He wasn't in the car when it was found, intact. He was in the car when it was stolen."

"What?"

Karen sighed and went on. "He got car jacked, dumped in a wrecking yard after his wallet, cell phone and watch were stolen. He set a fire using a pack of cigarettes… and greasy rags and dead grass and nearly set himself on fire but managed to get noticed and get found."

"And this is the man you are going to marry," Jim deadpanned.

"As soon as humanly possible," the smile in her voice told Jim that Karen meant what she said.

"You know how to pick'em," he laughed.

"Well, I figured I can put up with you, I can put up with anything. Hey, partner, want another beer."

"Only if you want one or maybe some wine; there's some in the fridge."

"I'll have milk," came over the sound of clinking bottles.

When Karen came back to the sofa Jim was chewing his lower lip, putting marriage and milk together and coming up with… something good.

Finally he smiled, "Could you put off the ceremony about a week, 'cause I don't think I can juggle Hank, crutches and a shot gun all at the same time."

Fin

Thank you all who have stayed with this story. It was fun to write and I hope you all enjoyed reading it.