Part V
The day after Christmas was A-shift's first day back to work and Hank made sure that everyone was planning to swing by the hospital and also made sure the visits were going to be spread out a little. He was worried about Johnny exhausting himself by trying to stay upbeat for Roy. And Roy he was worried about because he knew how devastating it would be to him if his wife had done something similar.
In fact, he and his wife had had a long talk about it when he'd gotten home. He needed her as a sounding board on how best to support his man without sticking his nose in where it didn't belong. The consensus ended up that he would make sure Roy knew he was available if he needed to talk and if he did start talking, to just listen without commenting. Unless Roy specifically asked for advice. If he did, well, rest assured that Hank would make his opinion known.
At Rampart, the nurses had made their rounds early and, following the newest round of pain medication after breakfast, Roy was napping. Johnny didn't get anything stronger than aspirin, so he was reading and fairly hopeful that he might get released after lunch if he showed he was eating and keeping the food down. Of course, he probably would stay at the hospital for Roy, but he'd rather be without the IV drip and wearing clothing with more coverage while keeping his friend company.
The phone ringing startled Roy awake and he let out an involuntary gasp as the sudden move shot a pain through his chest. Johnny got up and answered the phone, which was unfortunately closer to Roy than to him.
"Hello?"
"Hello. I want to speak with Roy DeSoto."
The voice was a woman and very formal. It seemed to Johnny that he'd heard her voice before, but he couldn't recall where from. He hoped it wasn't a reporter or anything like that. He put his hand over the mouthpiece as he gave Roy a concerned look. His partner was still trying to catch his breath.
"Some woman on the phone for you, pally. Can you take it?"
Roy gave a nod and gingerly reached for the phone with one hand, the other hand laying across the taped area of his ribs. He spoke a little softer than usual, but clearly.
"DeSoto."
Johnny had turned away to head over to his bed again to give Roy some privacy for his call when he stopped in his tracks. He could actually hear the woman's voice from where he was even though he couldn't make out the words. She had to have been screaming into the phone. Turning back around, he saw Roy was wincing and holding the phone away from his ear.
The door opened and Dixie strolled in smiling - right up until she saw the expression on Johnny's face and heard the voice that was coming over the phone. She didn't miss a beat. Dixie walked straight over and, before Roy even realized she was there, she plucked the phone from his hand. As his eyes widened in surprise, Dixie spoke loudly into the phone herself, just long enough to get the attention of the woman on the other end.
"Take a breath. Thank you. Now, this is Nurse McCall. Would you care to explain why you are screaming at one of the patients under my care? Do you have any inkling of how badly it hurts to have someone yelling in your ear when you are suffering from a concussion?"
Dixie's words brought Johnny's attention back to Roy, who was looking a touch green. Between the aching ribs and his pounding head so soon after breakfast? Johnny grabbed a basin and barely got it to his partner in time.
Tending to Roy kept Johnny from hearing the rest of Dixie's side of the exchange, but the phone was being hung up before too long. Hung up gently in deference to Roy's head. Then Dixie went and got a cool cloth for Roy.
"Mother-in-law?"
With a slight nod that he regretted immediately, Roy acknowledged that.
"Mother-in-law. Apparently I put Chris up to yelling at her."
Then he frowned and looked up to Johnny.
"Did I say anything like that to Chris while he was here?"
"No, Roy. You weren't able to get out a word to anyone about anything. Not that I think you would have if you could have."
Mind you, Johnny made a mental note to give Chris a high-five over that – not in front of Roy, of course. Roy would stick up for most folks – except himself. That trait occasionally made his partner want to bang his head against his locker. In fact, he was already sure that Roy was starting to feel guilty over the incident between Chris and his grandmother even though Johnny would have been willing to wager that Roy had been unconscious at the time. The man could do guilt.
There was a light tap at the door. Chet and Marco glanced through the door and Dixie waved them in. Anything to get Roy's mind away from where it was.
"These guys allowed real food, Dixie?"
"As long as it isn't anything you cooked, Chet. I've heard about your chili. It's too much for men in recovery."
Marco chuckled at the expression of mock hurt on Chet's face.
"No worries – this care package is from my mother."
"In that case, if they feel up to eating, I don't see why not. Roy? Do I need to get you anything for nausea?"
"I think I'll be alright as long as no-one screams. Thanks, Dix. For everything."
"For one of my favorite paramedics? Anytime. I'll leave you guys alone to visit for awhile."
As she left, Dixie wondered if she needed to have calls intercepted before they went into Roy and Johnny's room. She didn't want Roy taking heat from either his wife or his mother-in-law over what Dixie had said. Not that she'd take back a single word, but if they had an issue, they needed to take that up with her.