Chapter 3
A Way Out
Elizabeth was lying in her bed staring out the window. In front of her sat her dinner tray untouched. She heard the door being pushed opened and saw a nurse poke her head in.
"I have a visitor for you. Is it okay to come in?"
Elisabeth shrugged her shoulders and then turned her head to look out the window again. Dixie pushed the door opened and pushed Johnny into the room and over to her bed. "You haven't eaten any of your dinner," Dixie said. But there was no response from the young woman.
Johnny then spoke up, "I know it's not the best tasting stuff but its better then nothing."
At the sound of Johnny's voice Elizabeth turned her head and looked at him. As he watched her eyes began to tear up and she whispered, "Thank you for what you did."
"I was glad to be of help," Johnny told her.
Then the conversation stopped. After a moment Dixie stepped forward and picked up the dinner tray in front of Elizabeth and announced, "I have a few things that need my attention. Johnny I'll come back to get you in about 5 minutes." Then she turned and left the room, Johnny jerked his head around just in time to see Dixie step out the door, leaving him stuck and at a loss for wards. He turned back and looked up at Elizabeth and asked. "So do you have a nick name?" Elizabeth just stared at him so he continued. "I had a friend once who's name was Elizabeth but everyone called her Zibbeth or Zib." He paused to see if she would react but she just continued to stare at him. "It seems that her little brother couldn't say Elizabeth and always called her Zibbeth and it stuck." He paused but again she still just stared at him.
Johnny was beginning to feel really uncomfortable and was wishing that Dixie would return sooner then she said she would. He turned and looked at the door when Elizabeth spoke. "You are the first man, other then my father who has done something nice for me."
Johnny turned back to Elisabeth, "I'm sure that's not the truth. You're memory is just clouded because of what you're going through."
"No."
"A pretty girl like you? I'm sure there have been plenty of men who have been kind to you and helped you out."
Elizabeth turned her head and looked out the window again. Johnny was beginning to feel sorry for the woman and wished he could say something to help her. "Zib, you don't mind if I call you Zib do you?" The woman turned back to look at Johnny with a light twitch of her mouth indicating a possibility of a smile. "Tell you what Zib after your feeling better you and I can go to the movies or something how does that sound."
"Well see."
Dixie stepped into the room and saw a spark of life in Elizabeth's eyes and knew that she had done right by this young woman and hoped that she would be able to work past the depression she was wallowing in. "Well Johnny I think it's time for you to get back to your room so you can get a good nights sleep." Dixie pulled the wheelchair towards the door and looked up to Elizabeth and with a smile she said, "I'll stop by to check on you before I leave this evening."
After Dixie had returned Johnny to his room and got him settled she said, "Thank you Johnny. I think you really helped her."
Johnny just shrugged his shoulders and then with a lopsided grin said, "Just the ol'Gage charm."
Dixie slapped him on the shoulder and said, "Alright you smart-aleck now get some rest."
Roy had stopped by Rampart after his shift with a clean set of clothing for Johnny and to give him a ride home. Johnny had suggested that Roy offer to take Elisabeth home too. The offer was extended but she turned them down.
Roy took Johnny home with him for a home cooked breakfast. Roy kept him there the rest of the day and after dinner took him home.
As they pulled up Johnny noticed that there was a light on in Elizabeth's apartment. He thanked Roy and headed to his apartment.
Roy watched him until he entered his apartment then he drove off.
After dropping off his stuff Johnny stepped out and knocked on Elizabeth's door. "Who is it?" he heard from the other side of the door.
"It's your neighbor John Gage."
The door opened to the length of the chain on the door. "What do you want?" she asked quietly.
"I just wanted to check and see how you are doing."
"I'm fine, thank you for asking." Then she moved to close the door.
Johnny put his hand onto the door to stop it from closing and asked, "Would it be okay if I came in and visited for a little while?"
She looked at him and said, "No. Men are not allowed in my apartment."
Johnny could understand that with all she had been through. "I understand. I just wanted you to know that if you needed any help or anything just ask."
"Thank you," she replied and then closed the door.
The next evening Johnny was watching a movie on TV, when he heard a knock at his door. "Coming," he called out as he stood and headed for the door. He opened it to find Elizabeth on the other side holding a hot pan of lasagna. "I made this for you to say thanks."
"You didn't have to do that." Johnny told her. Elizabeth just looked at him as the smile on her face began to slip away. "Wow this looks great but there is more then enough for me, won't you come in and join me."
"I don't think that would be a good idea." She said with a look of unease coming over her face.
Mentally Johnny kicked himself, 'You idiot, with all she just been through she would be leery of being alone with some one of the opposite sex.' "Hey it's alright." Johnny tried to reassure her. "Tell you what, I'll go get a couple of plates and forks and we can sit out here on the walk way and eat out here." Then with a reassuring smile on his face he turned and headed back into his apartment but paused, "stay here I'll be right back." He hurried to his kitchen and grabbed two plates, two forks, and two cups then he grabbed a carton of milk out of the fridge and hurried back to the door. He was glad to see Elizabeth still standing there. He bent and set the dishes on the walk way and then took the hot lasagna from her and set it on the ground and then he sat down across from where she stood and looked up to her and gestured for her to sit down across from him.
Slowly a smile crept across her face and she slowly sat down across from Johnny. Working with one of the two forks Johnny cut into the lasagna and plopped a messy chunk onto one of the plates and handed it over, "Here you go Zib." Then he quickly dished some up for himself and poured two glasses of milk and set one on the other side of the pan for her. Then he stuffed a large bite into his mouth only to realizing that it was still very hot. He opened his mouth and started blowing air in and out of his mouth in an effort to cool it some. Quickly he gave up and raised his plate to his mouth and spit out the hot food and grabbed his glass of milk and drank from it.
Elizabeth started to laugh and soon Johnny joined in and together the two giggled and Johnny thought that he was breaking the ice with the young woman and they both started to eat the food. "How's your arm healing?"
Elizabeth shrugged and said, "Fine. What about your cut?" She drew her hand across her own chest to indicate where he had been cut.
"Doing good, I should be able to go back to work on my next shift, two days from now."
The two ate in silence. But after a few bites Elizabeth set her plate down and said, "I need to go now I'm not feeling so good." As she worked to stand up she lost her balance and fell forward. Johnny quickly grabbed her and steadied her, "Hey you okay?"
"Yah, I must have stood up to fast is all." Johnny stood up to help her. When he came face to face with her he noticed that her face was flushed and her skin was cold and clammy and she was unsteady on her feet.
"Here let me help you inside." He supported her as he walked her into her apartment and sat her down on her couch. She quickly leaned back and closed her eyes. "Are you going to be okay?"
Elizabeth nodded her head but didn't speak. Alarms were going off in Johnny's mind and he quickly started taking her vitals. Her breathing was slow and shallow and her pulse was weak. "Elizabeth do you hurt any where?" She didn't respond at first, "Elizabeth talk to me. Do you hurt any where, are you feeling light headed?" while he was asking her questions he checked her eyes and realized that her pupils were dilated. He then lifted his head and looked around the room as he began to suspect an over dose. He took her by the shoulders and gently shook her, "Elizabeth what did you take and how much!?" She tried to pull away from him but she didn't have the strength.
"Leave me alone." She slurred.
Johnny let go of her and hurried over to the phone and called for a squad. Then he ran to the bathroom and then to her bedroom looking for any pill bottle that would tell him what she had taken. There on her bed was the empty bottle of her pain pills. He grabbed it and hurried back out to the young woman. "Elizabeth how many pills did you take!?" She turned away from him with out answering. He grabbed her face and turned it so she would have to look at him, "Why!?"
In a slow slurred whisper she said, "This way, no body can hurt me or use me ever again." Then she slipped into unconsciousness.
"No! No! Don't do this." He laid her down on the carpet and checked her breathing and took her pulse for a second time, frustrated that there was little he could do for her until the squad got there.
As he waited for the squad to arrive she stopped breathing and he began mouth to mouth. He was relived to here the siren of the approaching Squad. Soon Peters and McGuire were next to him and Johnny grabbed the oxygen and mask and continued to breathe for the young woman while he explained as much as he knew about the situation.
The three quickly worked to get her stable and loaded into the ambulance. Johnny closed the doors of the ambulance and slapped twice to notify the driver that everything was good to go then he watched as the ambulance drove away. He slowly walked back upstairs to his apartment his mind swimming with questions of why? As he reached his apartment he saw the mess of their impromptu picnic that had been scattered during all the rush. Then his mind turned to the dinner Elizabeth had brought him and it dawned on him, this was all part of her plan, she had taken the medication before coming to bring him the lasagna. Anger flooded through him and he picked up the lasagna and threw it against the wall, causing the dish to shatter and sending lasagna everywhere. "Way to go Gage now you have a bigger mess to clean up." He told himself.