Chapter 16
Julie slept soundly until nearly nine the next morning when she woke with a bit of a start and didn't know where she was for a few minutes. With panicked breathing she found her way out into the hallway and then to the bottom of the stairs where family pictures were placed on the wall and Julie recognized her father's former firefighter and ranch hand.
Julie sat down on one of the bottom steps to gain her composure and finish waking up all the way. That's where Hank found her. He recognized the look of someone having woken from a nightmare and judging by the look on Julie's face it must have been a beaut; either that or she was getting sick.
"Emily," Hank called to get his wife involved, there was great wisdom in doing that based on Julie's gender and attachment to him. Then as soon as he knew his wife was coming, Hank made his way down the stairs and gently rested the back of his fingers against Julie's forehead startling her as he made his presence known to her just as Emily appeared at the top of the steps.
Two deep breaths later Emily was at his side taking Julie's sweat soaked face in her hands. "Sweetheart, are you in pain?"
"NO, no." Julie was starting to calm and look around. "I just had a bad dream." Then she regrouped. "Nothing in reflection to the accommodations, I assure you. I was just back in the fire where I got these," she held up her bandaged hands. "It seemed a lot more real in my dreams that it was when I was there."
"I've know those kinds of dreams," Hank sympathized as he watched Julie lean back against the stair rails and take control of herself. "It must have been some fire."
Julie smirked then looked at a man she knew would understand like few others ever could. "One man, high end teenager really, died, two more of his friends are looking at some serious time in a burn ward away from their families and severe deformities for the rest of their lives."
Julie calmed a little more and looked around again to gain greater bearings of her surroundings. "They were the camps group of immortals playing with bug spray and magnesium dust in the camp fire during down time."
Hank was willing to listen to all Julie had to say. He knew from his work with other firefighters and through his own experience that sometimes you just needed to talk an incident to death before you could totally deal with it. But as far as understanding what happened he didn't need any more details, he understood exactly what happened.
"Let's get you something to eat," Emily jumped in. She didn't understand what a firefighter went through when things went bad couldn't be solved with good home cooking. As she spoke she took a hold of Julie from the back around her chest to try and help her up.
"Aagh!" Julie called out and moved to protect her side while pulling away from Emily. "Sorry, one of the worst burns I got was right there on my side. That's where his pocket full of magnesium powder was when the flames got to it." Julie explained. "You better just let me get up on my own.
Julie did take hold of the stair rail and pull herself up. She then followed Hank and Emily into the kitchen. Before Emily was able to scramble up some eggs for her guest Julie had finished a phone call then confirmed she would be allowed to move into her dorm in two days. While Julie ate her breakfast Hank and Emily talked with her and found that she was going to live in the staff dorms of a half way house where her friend Frank was going to be getting some self sufficiency training.
"Dad's not happy about it but it will help Frank settle in and I'll be working the night shift as a supervisor so the rent is free while I'm there. After three months I need to move out so that the rest of the staff there could determine how independent Frank was truly capable of being. I really think he can live on his own with a little supervision and that will keep his dad from getting so frustrated with him all the time.
"The timing will be just great because that's about the time I start my practical training for my nursing degree, so I'll be spending most of my time at a whatever hospital I'm assigned and I'll just pick up a place close to the hospital for the duration."
"What do you plan to do once you've graduated?" Hank questioned as he sat with his guest. He knew her father and he also knew her father's opinion on a woman's place. This girl had obviously gotten her father's stubborn streak. Watching her struggle through her burns to help others sure reminded him of his youngest paramedic, too. However Hank felt a little protective of this girl who had once worshiped him and wasn't sure he wanted to let her anywhere near the girl chasing Casanova of the station.
"Not totally sure at this point," Julie responded thoughtfully, "I was planning to go back home and help out there but things have happened in the last year to make me think of going elsewhere to work. I guess a lot will be determined by how Frank comes out of the training program I was able to get him into."
Julie quickly finished her breakfast and started to help clear the table. "I hate to be a pain but um, the doctor wanted these bandages changed again today and if I'm going to be here for a couple of days before my dad get's here with the rest of my stuff I had better pick up a few more changes of clothes."
That was when the phone rang and Hank answered it before passing the phone to his wife. It was JoAnne wanting to ask her a question. After listening for a moment Emily placed the phone against her side. "This is Roy's wife JoAnne, she wants to know about those special ice packs you had that molded to Roy's neck, they're getting ready to release Roy from the hospital and she's wondering where she can get some?"
"Oh, those, they're just something folks in our area make up. Those were made from those new fangled tube socks that are out these days and filled with rice or you could use wheat or field corn. My mom has always kept a dozen around the house, half of them in the freezer and since these new fangled microwave ovens have been around she keeps half a dozen so she can get them warm and use them for hot packs. My dad and brothers are always pulling a muscle or something working on the ranch. They only take a few minutes to make them up, I'd be glad to show you how."
"JoAnne," Emily turned back to the phone, "I'll bring some by the house this afternoon." The call was ended and Hank and his son's were put in charge of finishing up the dishes before Julie and the girls were taken to the store.
Four hours later the girls were coming back in the house with their arms full of stuff and Hank was asked to go out and haul in a fifty pound bag of rice. They had gotten in on a back to school sale. Julie was sporting fresh bandages that left more of her hands free and reporting that Doc Frick had been moved out of ICU and was responding well to the new medication he had been started on. She also reported that with the new fangled equipment in the big city hospital that they had found an extra baby growing inside Susan Martin, she was having triplets not twins. Her doctor had actually had a meeting with the Martin's in Dr. Frick's hospital room so that he could help explain to them what the new game plan needed to be. Of course he had been planning to take the babies by C section anyway and there had been a time or two he thought he could pick up a third fetal heart tone but wasn't sure until he was shown the new ultrasound. It was agreed that the new doctor would take over on the monitoring for the rest of the pregnancy and that if at all possible Dr. Frick would join them in surgery when they took the babies. It had already been agreed he could go in sitting in a wheelchair if he needed to and just be there for moral support of the mother.
"I'll need to put a bug in Jack's ear that they're going to need another crib." Julie smiled at the news.
By the time Hank had the bag of rice in the house Emily had her sewing machine set up on the kitchen table. As soon as the machine was set up Julie sat down and did some quick stitching after wrapping the toe of the sock around a loop tied in a ten inch piece of rope and then Emily and the girls started filling the socks with rice. As they worked Julie talked about the pros and cons of the different grains and the need to rotate them out to keep creepy crawly things from setting up housekeeping.
Hank couldn't see the attraction but soon the boys were happily helping to fill the socks with rice and having a gay old time while Hank answered the phone and talked at length with Julie's father.
On the phone he learned that Jack the truck driver had picked up the part needed to fix Johnny's Rover and that the same Jack would be in the area again with a load of wool the day they were going back on shift. The game plan was to pack the wool around Johnny and Julie's auto's and Carl would drive out behind him and bring Frank.
Hank gave Carl the address and directions to the station and extended an invitation to his home for dinner while he was in town.
While he was still on the phone, the project was completed and Hank was looking at three dozen long rice bags with handles. Emily quickly loaded six of the gizmos in a garbage bag and after tying it shut stuffed them in the deep freeze for the next time someone in her family needed an ice pack.
When the phone call was finished Hank called John to give him the news about his Rover and then called Roy and Chet to tell them that their camping and fishing gear was going to be delivered at the station. Chet wasn't home so he made a note to call him again later and taped it to the wall next to the phone.
Hank's arms were then loaded with eight of the rice filled socks and he was told they were headed for Roy's house.
When they arrived at the DeSoto home, Hank noticed Chet's van parked on the street. He also noticed Julie nervously eyeing the house as she slowly got out of the car hiding a wince as she moved.
Roy's son Chris was quick to let the Stanley's and guest in the house where it was noticed that Chet was helping JoAnne steady Roy on his way back from the bathroom to be seated in the recliner. Once he was seated Roy was able to acknowledge his guests.
"Chet here got his duffel bag mixed up with mine. He just came by to switch them back and was helping JoAnne walk me around a little before he left," Roy explained.
Hank quickly gave Chet the message about the rest of his stuff arriving in the morning before turning his full attention back to Roy.
"Looks like you're still having trouble getting around there Roy," Hank observed.
"I get dizzy with the slightest movement thanks to this inner ear infection," Roy admitted, "but it's better than it was yesterday. It feels a lot better to be home in my own chair," Roy patted the arm of his recliner, "and to have my kids waiting on me hand and foot." Roy reached out and put his arm around his daughter who was standing at the side of his chair with a glass of some kind of juice and a straw for her father.
Hank had to admit he looked better than when he carried him off that semi.
"Doc said the antibiotics should really start to kick in tomorrow," Roy added.
"Well Julie here showed us how to make those moldable ice packs you were raving to JoAnne about," Emily started talking as she pointed to the load in her husband's arms. "They're not cold yet I'm sorry to say."
"That's okay," Roy reached up and started pulling on the foam collar around his neck, "I'll still take one of those now."
As Roy pulled his collar loose Hank stepped up and draped one of the rice bags around his neck and Roy leaned back into the chair with a sigh of relief. "That supports my neck so much more comfortably than that stupid collar and it doesn't feel nearly as strangling."
JoAnne and Emily took the rest of the rice bags and headed for the freezer while Hank sat in the chair next to Roy and started talking. Chet stepped up next to Julie and tried to offer her a chair to sit in.
"I'd really rather not," Julie grabbed at her ribs, "I'm really fine standing."
"Were you able to work out a way to get back home?" Chet small talked. He was so grateful for all that she had done for Roy and the rest of them that he was willing to drive her home. He had even thought of getting the part Johnny needed for his truck and taking him, too, before Cap told him that it had all been taken care of.
"Actually Jack is bringing my truck out when he brings Mr. Gage's truck back and my dad is following him out with Frank. We'll be moving into the halfway house where Frank is going to get some training," Julie explained. "It's a couple of weeks ahead of schedule but that will give Frank a chance to settle in a little and get to know the other residents before he starts his training."
"So you're going to be living in the halfway house with Frank?" Chet questioned.
"I'll be staying for a while; I'll work nights on the staff to make sure there's help for the residents if they need it. I'll be going to school during the day to finish off my Nursing degree. Hopefully Frank will be settled in by the time I start my practical training and need to quit at the halfway house."
"I imagine this is going to be a big change for Frank."
"Yeah, I think it will be the first time he's ever been around anyone like himself. It's going to be kind of interesting to see how he adapts. It should be able to open up a whole new world for him though."
"So when do you move in and how can I help?"
"There's not that much to do," the place is furnished and Dad will be here to help me move all my clothes in. I just need to get out there and sign some papers and pick up the key beforehand if I can convince someone at the Stanley's to drive me."
Before anyone seemed to realize what was happening Chet was telling Captain Stanley that he was going to take Julie to sign some papers and that he'd bring her back to the Stanley home after dinner.
Before they managed to depart, Cap did take Chet by the arm and pull him someplace where they could have a private conversation. "That girl's father is a very good friend of mine, you hadn't better do anything, and I mean 'anything' that I have to explain to her father."
"Cap, she's a big girl, she can make up her own mind about things," Chet teased knowing there wasn't a whole lot his captain could do to him as he was already a regular in the Latrine department, "besides I'd never do anything on a first date."
Chet then reached out to Julie making it impossible to have a private conversation any longer and the two made their way for the door. "I'll have her home by curfew."
Several hours later Julie and Chet were sitting on the deck to his duplex, steaks on the hibachi and foil wrapped potatoes in the coals under the grate.
"Thanks for understanding about going to a restaurant," Julie slyly spoke to Chet as he turned the steaks "It's just that I'm not able to shower for another two days because of the burns and the bandages and all. The burn cream doesn't work as a deodorant."
"I understand," Chet smiled sheepishly. Talking of hygiene wasn't what he'd consider the perfect dating conversation but he also hadn't noticed anything offensive in her odor. Sure the burn cream was noticeable but then he knew what that was and well understood.
"I have to admit I'm enjoying a nice evening at home better anyway," Chet successfully ended that part of their conversation.
Julie had already explained that the reason she had wet hair when they left was that her father had helped her wash her hair, which she was grateful for but Chet also picked up on the unspoken embarrassment.
"Is that what I think it is?" Julie eyed something through the back door. Since Chet didn't stop her she walked through the door and stood before the bookcase. A smile slowly grew on her face as she turned back to Chet. "I didn't think I'd ever find another person who collected barbed wire."
"You too?" Chet was surprised.
"Yeah, well it's my mom's, I remember helping her gather the different barbed wire that we found in the area's near the ranch. Her collection is a lot bigger than this but considering where we live that's to be expected."
"Yeah, I bet there is a lot to be found around where you live."
"I'll tell you what; next time I get home I'll pull out the duplicates and send them to you." Julie turned to see some of the other decorations in the room. It was definitely a man's apartment but Julie actually liked it. An old fire nozzle and fireman's ax hung on the wall next to an older fire helmet.
Julie walked over and ran her bandaged fingers along the old hose nozzle. "You might not believe this but this is the same nozzle our fire department still uses."
Dinner was served and Chet and Julie talked about their different worlds of firefighting. Over after dinner drinks, beer for Chet soda for Julie since she was taking pain killers, the conversation drifted to the incident Julie had been involved with before she met up with the off duty crew from LA.
It was later than he intended when Chet walked Julie to the door of his Captain's home. He wasn't surprised to find him waiting up for her and it didn't take much for Chet to pull his Captain out of the house after Julie walked in, smirking at the father extension she was staying with.
"Cap," Chet started before his captain could begin his lecture about getting the girl home on time, it was only 10:30. "I really intended to get her back here sooner but she started talking about that kid that set himself on fire. You know the one she was trying to help when she got her burns. Anyway she really needed to talk, you know how it is, she watched that kid do everything wrong and it was beyond her power to stop him."
Hank let out a sigh of understanding, Chet Kelly had just totally defused any anger he intended to unleash on him. "She woke up from a nightmare this morning, I could tell she needed to talk then but Emily, well let's just say my wife doesn't totally understand the mental aspect of our work and I have to admit I don't really want her to learn, if you know what I mean?
Chet thought for a moment then looked up at his Captain. "Yeah, I think I do know what you mean. Well I guess I better get home and get to sleep, see you at the station in the morning. Oh, and Cap, when Julie's father get's there with Frank, it will be alright to give him a tour of the station wouldn't it. It won't be the standard tour if you know what I mean."
"No, I don't think I know what you mean. Can't picture her taking care of a mentally handicapped adult but it sounds like you've been around him enough to know what he needs, so I'll let you take care of it."
"Thanks, Cap, I just might need a little help keeping him from climbing on the engine if we get a call while he's there. He does get actively involved with the fire crews back where he comes from. Julie said he's the one that makes sure the straps on their air tanks are untwisted."
Hank took in and let out a big breath of air. "Just make sure you do what you can at the very beginning of your tour to make sure he knows we straighten our own straps and that he's to stay at the station."
"Will do, Cap, will do."