Chapter 2

The rest of the day was uneventful for the most part. We put Blake through a few patient assessment scenarios and signed off his check sheet. I even taught him how to spike an IV bag in case he ever rode with me again. After he left we drove to the store to pick up our supplies for the rest of our time at work. As we did our shopping a few people waved at us to which we replied with the standard polite wave and smile back method. As we were standing in the checkout line I heard a familiar voice call my name from somewhere in the back. I spun around and scanned the area and finding nothing I turned back and waited in line talking to Seth. "Wakka," the voice repeated. I turned around again and immediately saw who it was. Christy. Shit. Having noticed who was calling my name I decided to act like I hadn't seen her. "Wakka!" she repeated. "I think someone is trying to get your attention," Seth said as we began to unload the cart. I let out a heavy sigh and acknowledged her in the most civil way I knew how.

"Hey what's up, I didn't see you there", I said faking a smile. "Oh not much, just shopping for me and the baby. Are you on shift," she asked seemingly eyeing me up and down. No shit. "Ya, I'm on over at Station 1," I said putting my hands in my pockets while trying to avoid looking at her. She nodded and continued, "You know, I saw Lulu and Kayla the other day." "Oh really?" I said. "Where were they at?" Probably her pimp's house. "She was picking her up from daycare. Her and Jason go to the same one so that's why we ran into each other," she said as we moved up in the line. I looked over my shoulder at Seth hoping he was almost done getting our groceries unloaded but alas found that he was only halfway through. He seemed to catch my glance and just smiled. Something told me he was going slowly on purpose. I reached around back and turned the volume on my radio up hoping it would tone so I could have an excuse to cut this conversation short. "You know, when I talked to her Lulu had said that she wanted to sit down and talk to you. She said that Kayla really misses her father." Just as much as her mother misses not having my credit card, I thought. "Well, we've tried that before and it hasn't worked in the past. I can't believe it would work this time," I said shrugging. Christy began unloading her groceries on the counter opposite of where Seth was just now finishing with ours. As she did she looked at me and said "You know, I think it's worth a try. Jason's father left me when he was a month old and I have been lonely and miserable ever since. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to raise a child on your own." I had to keep myself from snapping at her so I just shrugged and said "I have some idea." As if acting by a script, my partner had decided to finish paying for our groceries and strolled over to where me and Christy had been talking. "Ok, let's get back, I think Cap's probably getting hungry," he said smiling sarcastically at me. I nodded and quickly excused myself from Christy and walked hurriedly out to the ambulance to load everything.

The ride back to the station was quiet until Seth piped up at a stoplight. "Friend of yours?" "Hardly," I snorted. He laughed and said, "She was eyeing you up pretty good. Might be worth a shot." I just looked at him. "Are you fucking serious?" He found the whole situation so amusing that he nearly had to pull over to keep from wrecking the ambulance. I just shook my head and sat quietly until we got back to the station.

After we ate dinner I went into my room and set up for the night. At 10 the rest of the crew went to their rooms and shut down for the night. I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything I had heard that day. Was Lulu really willing to talk and start over? I found it nearly impossible to believe. My mind flashed back to that fateful day two years ago…

The apartment was unusually quiet when I came home. "Hello?" I called as I walked in the door and set my bag down on the couch. No answer. I went into Kayla's room and checked to see if maybe she and Lulu were asleep in the chair. Nothing. That's odd, I thought to myself. She usually answers when I say hello. And where the hell is the baby? Somethin ain't right here. As I continued my search a strange scent began to emanate from my and Lulu's bedroom. Almost instantly I knew what it was that I smelled. Pot. The thought hardly seemed to compute. Walking quietly to the room I cracked open to door to see what was up. The sight was almost too much to bear. There in the middle of the bed was Lulu. She was seated with a broken piece of mirror to her left with some white powder residue and a razor blade above it. To her right was a pile of pills, a bowl for smoking pot and what looked like uncapped syringes. I had to blink my eyes more then once for the image to compute. There seated directly in front of me, almost mockingly, was the woman with whom I had not only been involved with for the last year and a half, but who the mother of my child was. It was more then I could take. I burst into the door nearly ripping it from its hinges. "What the fuck are you doing?!?!" She jumped almost 3 feet of the bed and looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi-truck…

The loud, piercing shrill of the station tone blasted the memory from my head. "Engine 1, Rescue 11, Engine 2, Rescue 2, Battalion 2, Training 2, code 3 response, confirmed structure fire, 961 West White Cloud Avenue." Almost instantly I recognized the street address. Lulu's parents house. Christy had told me that she and the baby had been staying there for the past few weeks. Without even thinking I flew out of my bed and sprinted to the ambulance.