Starlight Starbright

These good fellows don't belong to me but I promise when I'm done to pick um up, dust um off and with a kiss on the cheek return them safely home.

"Gone – flitted away, taken from the stars from the night and the sun from the day! Gone, and a cloud in my heart." Alfred Tennyson.

Sorry this took so long, thanks for hanging in there with me. Please leave reviews. This story is just beginning.

Chapter 6

After making a quick side trip to drop off her children at the neighbors, Amy and her husband pulled into the ER parking lot. Bobby got out of the car and waited for her but after a moment he decided she wasn't making the same move.

"Honey?"

She didn't respond to him. He opened up her door and leaned down to see her, "Amy, we're here."

"It's too late," she turned to look at him as the tears rolled down her cheeks. He didn't know what to say but he believed her. He took her by the hand and helped her out of the car.

Dixie looked up to see a couple standing at the desk in front of her and she caught her breath. It was Amanda, well not Amanda. Couldn't be Amanda. "Yes," she managed to get out. "Can I help you?"

Amy swallowed and found her voice, "My sister. She was brought here earlier. Amanda. Amanda Blake."

This was the sister Dixie had been trying to find, "Yes. She was in an accident."

"I know she's already gone but I want to see her."

Dixie was surprised, "We've been trying to call you. I'm so sorry for your loss. Dr. Brackett will want to talk to you first okay?"

Amy shook her head no, "I already know about everything that happened."

Bobby put his arm tighter around her, holding her close, supporting her. "Yes, we would like to see Dr. Brackett."

Dixie wasn't sure what to say. She was still trying to get past the fact that Amanda had a twin then she says she already knows what happened? "Follow me," Dixie said as she led the family to Brackett's office.

"Jo?"

"Hey hon, everything ok?" No matter how many years her husband had been a firefighter she still felt her heart skip a beat whenever he called her during the day like this.

"I need you to do something for me."

"Anything babe." At least he sounded unhurt.

"Can you go by Johnny's place and check on him. Something happened here at work and he's gone home for the day." He heard the small gasp on the other end of the phone.

"He's physically okay Jo; it was just a really bad day. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. I just need to make sure he made it home okay."

"I've got to run to the store before the kids get home, I'll go by there now."

"Thank honey." He knew Joanne would go straight over to Johnny's and check on him but it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to make sure Johnny was alright himself but it would have to do for right now.

Brackett stood up and extended his hand, "I'm very sorry for what has happened. Please have a seat."

"Dr. Brackett, can you tell us what happened?" Bobby asked. Amy may say that she knows about everything, but he didn't. And with his sister in-law dead, he wanted answers.

As Brackett shared the details with the couple he could see the husband get more and more tense.

"What do you mean she wasn't treated at the accident?" he asked the doctor.

"Apparently she left the scene of the accident before being cleared by the paramedic," Brackett told them while trying to hold back on fine details.

Amy didn't want to argue about it. Her sister was gone and she just wanted to see her and take her home. "Doctor, we need to make arrangements for Amanda to be sent back home to us. The funeral will take place back where we live."

"Dixie will help you with those phone calls," he stood up. "Again I'm very sorry about your loss." It was still odd looking into the face of the person he had worked so hard to save earlier today.

Once the couple was gone Brackett sat down and leaned back in his chair. Amanda's family had questions that he couldn't answer yet. It was just not in Johnny's nature to ignore any potential injury. He was an excellent paramedic and one of the most consciousious men that Brackett knew. He had examined Amanda's liver and spleen. The spleen was intact. The liver was badly bruised with a very small laceration but he just couldn't figure out why the bleeding was so severe.

The station was uncharacteristically quiet as the men went about finishing up chores. Hank stayed in the office between runs pretty much avoiding contact with everyone. Mike, Marco and Chet felt in the dark about what had transpired but with Roy's dark mood they dared not ask right now. Roy did Johnny's duty of mopping the bay without question. With every breath he worried about his friend. Now that Johnny wasn't right there he realized that sending him home was possibly the dumbest thing he had ever agreed to do.

Johnny sat on his couch looking at the TV but he wasn't really paying any attention to it. In fact it was rather annoying. Standing up to turn it off he heard a knock at the door. He looked at the clock so he knew it couldn't be Roy yet. Out of curiosity he decided to go ahead and answer it, surprised to find Joanne standing there.

"Johnny, are you doing okay?" She was truly concerned about him; he was as close to a little brother as she had ever had. And if Roy was worried about him then she was too, even if she had no idea what had happened.

"Jo, I'm fine. What are you doing here?" He simply turned away from her and walked into the living room. She followed him after closing the door.

"Roy's worried about you," she said with concern.

"Worried huh?" Worried was not the 'impression' that Johnny had when he left the station.

"Yes Johnny, what's going on?"

"Jo, I can't talk about it right now. I appreciate you coming over but I really just want to have some space now."

She shook her head, "Okay, but you know our door is always open. Please let us know if we can do anything to help." She walked over and gave him a big hug.

Her arms were so warm and inviting, he returned the hug. He wanted so much to get lost in the comfort of his big sister, for her to tell him that everything would be fine. He knew she loved and cared about him but then again she didn't know what he had happened. His heart ached knowing that she would probably think differently about him after she talked to Roy and found out about Amanda.

She felt that he wanted her there but something was holding him back. She could feel he needed to be held, to be comforted but he wouldn't allow it to happen. She backed up and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. He gave her a soft smile then walked her to the door. After saying quick goodbyes he turned back to look into this living room. He made a decision.

Dixie put the couple into a small family waiting room for privacy while she helped them make the arrangements to move Amanda's body back home. Amy's husband paced the floor. He wasn't satisfied with the results of the conversation with the doctor. Someone was responsible for her death.

Johnny, with his fully packed Rover, left the parking lot and headed to the mountains. He had told Cap that he would not be back until the hearing. His head full of confusing memories and his heart full of sorrow he knew the next 5 days were going to be miserable as he waiting for the hearing. He glanced over to the small manila envelope lying next to him in the passenger seat. He only had one stop to make before leaving town.

"Bobby will you please calm down? I just can't take this right now." Amy was watching him pace the room in anger.

"How can you be so calm about this? Amanda is gone and it's probably because that fireman didn't do his job."

She stood up, crying, and went to him, taking him by the hands, "I talked to her Bobby, all through the day. She's the one that left. She told me that she lied to the fireman. She wasn't really hurting that much and didn't want to be kept around there." She could see the uncertainity in his eyes. "I know its hard baby, it's killing me inside. I felt it when she was hurt, and then when she died. I kept telling her to get help, to call her doctor and she wouldn't."

It was so hard on him to see his love hurting but he didn't understand it all. "Why wouldn't she get help? Why would she just lay there and die?"

"I really think she assumed she would be alright. You know Amanda, invincible in her own eyes."

They both turned around to see Dr. Brackett standing in the doorway, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." He stepped in, "Did you say you talked to your sister through the day?"

"Yea, I called about every hour I think. I knew something was wrong but she kept telling me she was fine, just sore. She also told me…" she paused.

Brackett wanted to know more, "Yes?"

"She told me it wasn't the fireman's fault. That he wasn't to blame. She told him she was fine and wouldn't let him examine her or anything. It was her last words to me on the phone," she looked to her husband. "Don't blame him she said."

Bobby took a deep breath.

So did Brackett. Johnny would be glad to hear this, including what he was about to tell this family. "I came back to find you because I just got Amanda's toxicology report back. That looks for any drugs in her system."

"Amanda didn't do drugs doctor," Amy said.

"I know that for sure now but there was one drug that was very high," Brackett said trying to not sound 'excited' about his discovery. "It appears she had taken a lot of aspirin in the short time before her death."

They looked confused, aspirin? So what? "She told me she was taking it for the soreness."

"We'll she did but I think she lost track of how much she was taking because her level was too high. More than likely she took some for the discomfort. However, a risk factor of aspirin is the increased potential of bleeding. She would take the aspirin which probably started the bleeding from the bruised liver, making her hurt, sending her back to the aspirin bottle. The more she took, the more she bled. It explains why she had no symptoms at the accident and felt fine but then died of severe bleeding."

"Oh my God," Amy said as she sat down. "There was no way for her to know that was there?"

"No, not by treating herself at home and not contacting a doctor for the worsening pain."

"Doctor I'm sorry for being so angry before. It sounds like that fireman did everything he was supposed to do for her then," Bobby said.

"Yes, it was just unfortunate that she decided to not stay. I'm not sure if even then it would have been picked up yet." Brackett shook his head. Such a waste. She was a beautiful girl.

Bobby reached out and shook his hand, "Thank you doctor."

Johnny pulled up in front of the station. It was now dark and the lights were out. He knew everyone was asleep by now. The Engine and Squad were safely tucked in behind the closed bay doors. Climbing out of the Rover he placed the small package in the 51's mailbox. Slowing closing the lid back he let out a deep sigh. This was the hardest thing he had ever done but he knew it was something that he had to do. He knew it was the right thing. Glancing back to the station he silently told it goodbye.