One of the Doctors came out to talk to Beth.
"Mrs. Taylor, I'm Doctor Bowers." He introduced himself.
"How is she?" Beth quickly blurted out
"She's got 2nd and some 3rd degree burns to her legs." He told her. "The strange thing is, that she can feel them, which COULD turn out to be a good thing. I've never heard of it happening before. It's going to take time to heal, and probably a couple of skin grafts. But from what I understand, she's a fighter."
Beth smiled slightly.
"We're doing all we can to make her a little more comfortable in the ordeal." Dr. Bowers added
"Thank you." Beth replied
As Doctor Bowers returned to the room where Taylor was, Beth walked over to Walsh.
"How's she doing?" He asked as she walked in
"The Doctor said 2nd and 3rd degree burns." Beth said
Walsh looked at his own hands.
"Thank you Billy." Beth cried. "You saved her."
The nurse started an IV line in his right arm.
"What's this for?" He asked
"Pain management." She replied
"Why do I need that?" He asked. "I've been fine this far."
"Because your hands haven't been cleaned yet." The nurse replied
Walsh didn't have a chance to reply before the ER was overrun by the rest of the Squad.
"Excuse me, we're looking for two of our friends." Jimmy said at the desk.
"Rooms 1 and 3." The nurse replied
Jimmy spun around to see where the rooms were when he spotted Walsh.
"Billy, you alright man?" Jimmy asked
"I will be." Walsh replied
"What happened?" Lt. Johnson asked
"It's a really long story." Walsh replied
"Is Taylor going to be okay?" DK asked
"The good news is that she could feel the burns." Walsh replied
"And the bad?" Lombardo asked
"They're 2nd and 3rd degree." Walsh replied
The group of firefighters stared at Walsh like he had just hit them in the chest with a bag of bricks.
Lt. Johnson walked over to where Beth was standing.
"Taylor's a fighter. She's gotten this far. I see no reason that she can't overcome this too." He said to her
"Why does everything that happens to her have to be so hard? The academy was made extra hard because she's a female, 9/11 took her father and some of her friends from her, she almost got killed in the warehouse- instead she became paralyzed, and now she's got to fight off infection from burns…" Tears streamed down Beth's face
Lt. Johnson put his arm around her.
"It's not fair Francis. It's not." She cried
The rest of the Squad watched in silence before Shane stepped forward.
"Mrs. Taylor." He began. "You don't know me. I'm the firefighter who had to come in and take Taylor's position on this Squad. You want to talk about a tough job? Try taking over for one of the best damn firefighters this city has ever had. But you ask why everything is harder for her. I'll tell you."
All of the eyes focused on him.
"I don't know her that well, other than to know the stories that everyone has shared. But one thing that I do know for certain is that God doesn't give you anymore than you can handle. And apparently, your daughter can handle a lot because she has made so much of this look so easy. She didn't give up in the academy when they were trying to make her fail. She didn't give up hope that her father was still alive when she would go down to that pile every night to help search. After she was hit by the car, she didn't give up. She didn't give up when they thought that she'd never wake up after the fall. And she sure as hell isn't going to give up after these burns. She's a firefighter- it's not in her blood to give up. There's a long road ahead of her, but take it from someone who knows, she will be fine. With all of us behind her, she will succeed. We won't let her give up."
After Shane finished he walked to the waiting room without saying another word. The rest of the Squad stood in a temporary state of shock, but every word that Shane had said was true. After 9/11 Taylor had become an unshakeable presence. She became the rock of solidarity that they relied on. If Taylor could find a way to make it through those days, they all could. So now it was their turn to help her find a way through these days.
"Shane's right." DK said breaking the silence. "We're gonna all help her get through this. She'd be right here doing the same for us."
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was clear that this could turn out to be a long night, but each member of the Squad was prepared to wait it out, until they all got a chance to make sure Taylor was okay.
"Mrs. Taylor." Lombardo said. "We're here, and if there is anything you need, you let us know."
"Thank you." Beth replied as each member walked up to her and hugged her before heading off to the waiting room.
Lt. Johnson looked in on Walsh.
"So are you going to tell me what really happened?" He asked when he was sure that no one else could hear.
"I'm not totally sure myself." Walsh replied
"I know that you wrapped your Jeep around a tree, and that you pulled Taylor from the fire. They told me that part. You saved her life Billy. I hope that she realizes how much you really care about her. Don't you give up on her." Lt. Johnson said
"I'm not planning on it." Walsh said. "I don't plan on walking out now. The last couple months have been hard time for her, yet she let me in. I'm going to be there for her as long as she lets me."
The nurse walked back into the room.
"Mr. Walsh, it's time to clean those wounds." She said
Lt. Johnson looked at Walsh.
"I think that I'll just go back out and check on Beth." He smiled
"Yeah, now's a fine time to leave." Walsh said sarcastically.
"I'm not one to watch torture." Lt. Johnson smiled
"Is this going to hurt?" Walsh asked
"It shouldn't now that you've had pain meds." The nurse smiled
"Shouldn't? I don't like the sound of that." Walsh replied
Lt. Johnson laughed as he left the room.
"Son of a…" Walsh said aloud as she began cleaning his hands
Lt. Johnson just smiled as he walked back to the waiting area, noticing that Taylor was being moved.
"They're going to take her upstairs. She's going to be here for a few days." Beth said calmly
"She's in the right place to get the care that she needs." Lt. Johnson said
"I know." Beth replied
"Do you have a place to stay tonight?" Lt. Johnson asked
"I haven't even thought about that." Beth said
"Well, we have the spare room since Rebecca is away at college." Lt. Johnson offered
"Thank you Francis. You and Ruth are always so helpful." Beth replied. "I think I'm going to spend most of the night here though."
Adam came running in the doors.
"Mom!" He said. "I came as soon as I heard. Is she okay?"
"Yes. Thanks to Billy." Beth replied.
She looked at Lt. Johnson.
"Wasn't he on duty?" She asked
"Yes." Lt. Johnson replied
"Then how did he?" Beth asked
"I'll tell you later." Lt. Johnson replied. "Why don't we head upstairs?"
With that Lt. Johnson walked with Adam and Beth to the elevator to head up to Taylor's room.