Loving A Firefighter (Loving Series) (9 page)

“How are you doing?  You’ve had all of us worried here.  You made our newscast the other evening you know?”

“No, I didn’t know.  I’d just as soon not made it that way.”

“I’m sure.  I wanted to talk with you anyway, but I have a selfish reason here.  What would you think about us doing a segment on the ten o’clock about your experience?
  We carried a bit from the scene after it happened and a followup would be good news.  We would have one of the co-anchors do it.”

“Can you hold a minute?  My mother’s here.  She’s a nurse in the hospital here… Mom, what do you think, they want to do a news segment on me and the shooting?”

“I think it would be neat.  I’m sure the hospital would cooperate.”

“Mrs. Tompkins?  I think it would be okay.  Will you arrange it with the hospital and let me know when?”

“The hospital won’t be a problem.  They love the publicity.  We’ll get it all set up.  How long are you going to be there?”

“At least four more days.
  I start rehab in the morning.”

“I’ll get back to you.  How is the young man…Chip Reynolds?
How is he doing.”

“He’s still in the CICU.  Mom took me up there earlier.  They think there is a slight improvement in his condition.”

“Get well soon, Carrie.  We miss you and I need you.”

Nothing she could have said would have made Carrie feel better.  She turned to her mother and said, “They’re going to set it up.  She told me they miss me and need me.
  I’m so relieved.”

“That’s great, honey.  I am so proud of you I could just burst.  I’ve been thinking about where you’re living.  I’m not sure it’s safe.”

“There were no problems until Nathan set it on fire.”

“I understand that, but what about them giving your key out without your permission.
” 

“
That won’t happen again, Mom.  I have an agreement with the manager.  He replaced my locks too and Chip says the new ones are good ones.  Besides, I don’t want to move until Chip can help me find a new place.  I want to wait for him.  He may be living there some day.”

“Carrie
!  Are you talking about getting married?”

“No Mom
, we haven’t, but if he wanted to move in, I’d let him.”

“Have you…”

“No Mom, we haven’t been doing anything.  Besides, I wouldn’t tell you if we were.”

“Okay, I have an alternate plan.  You’re not going to be completely recovered by the time they discharge you, so why don’t you stay with me for a couple of weeks.  You’ll have your strength back and maybe Chip will be out by then.”

“I would hope so.  I would like to stay with you for two weeks.  It would be a big help since I don’t know when the doctor will release me to drive.”

“Okay, let’s do that.  Now I’ve got to go to work.”  I’ll check in on you later.”

“Bye, Mom.  I love you.” 

“Love you too.”

* * *

Three days later, Carrie’s therapy had progressed well and she was allowed to walk unaided in the hallway.  She
had been cautioned not to overdo the walking. 

When the nurse came into her room, she asked if Chip was still in CICU.  The nurse checked and said he had been moved to the ICU. 
She asked if it would be possible for her to go to the cardiac floor and see Chip.  With the nurse’s approval, she went to the elevator and went up to the surgical floor. 

The Reynolds’s were in the ICU waiting room when she arrived.  She went in and walked up to them.  They stood and Mrs. Reynolds hugged her and said
“I’m glad to see you’re better.” 

“I’m still a bit shaky, but therapy is going well and they said I could walk without a nurse or orderly holding onto me
, as long as I don’t overdo it.  How is Chip doing?  I see they moved him.”

“He had a good night.  They’ve removed the ventilator tube and he can talk, but he mostly sleeps due to the sedation but he
was awake once when I went in.  Carrie, honey he can’t move from the waist down.  The neurologist doesn’t know if it’s permanent or not.”

Mr. Reynolds spoke up,
“Carrie, why don’t you go in with Ellie and I’ll go to the cafeteria and get a bite to eat.  I need to stretch my legs anyway.”

“Are you sure, Mr. Reynolds?  I can wait until you go in and you can tell me how he is when you come back.”

“It’s okay, Carrie.  I’ll see him the next hour.”

“Oh thank you so much, Mr. Reynolds.  I really appreciate that.”

“Carrie, why don’t you just call me Tom.”

“That wouldn’t feel right, Mr. Reynolds.”

Carrie and Mrs. Reynolds sat and talked while they waited for the hourly visit.  “Has Chip told you anything about me, Mrs. Reynolds?”

“No only that you work at the TV station.”

“Yes, and I was just promoted the day we were shot.  I’m going to be field reporting.  That means I’ll be on the air some.”

“Your mother must be really proud of you.”

“She is, Mrs. Reynolds. Chip is such a good person.  He’s so kind and gentle with me, well, except for the night we were shot.  He wasn’t so gentle when he shoved me out of the way. 

He makes me feel good all over.  You should be very proud of him
, as my mother is of me.”

“We are, Carrie.  We are. I’m glad you like him.  You two make such an attractive couple.”

The nurse came out of ICU and announced visiting time.  She listed the rules about washing hands, gloving and gowning up.  They would also need to cover their hair.  She then led the way to the patient area and waited at the entrance where they prepared themselves for entry.

Having seen him before, Carrie was not as shocked as she had been the first time with all of the tubes and leads coming f
rom beneath the sheet.  She hung back while his mother went to the bedside.  She took his hand and rubbed it gently.  Chip stirred and his eyes fluttered open.  “Hi Mom,” came out in a hoarse and scratchy voice.

“Are you having any pain?” she asked.
  He shook his head slightly.  “I have a surprise for you.”  She motioned for Carrie to come closer. “Look who’s here to see you.”

He angled his head slightly
to where he could see Carrie.  There was the faintest smile on his face.  Carrie took his hand and leaned over and kissed his hand through her mouth covering.  “I’m… sorry…  I …   let… him… hurt… you… I… tried… to… stop… him.”  A tear rolled down his face.

“It wasn’t your fault he shot us.  What you did was the most heroic thing I have ever seen.  Chip, you saved my life.  If you hadn’t moved in front of me
and shoved me out of the way and gone after him, he would have had a clear shot at me and I would be dead now.  I owe you my life and I’ll never forget you or that,” Carrie said that in a voice filled with emotion.  She was crying now.  She moved her hand over his and he grasped it, squeezed slightly and smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Oh Chip, Keep fighting and get well, I need you to help me find a new apartment like you promised.  I’m going to stay with Mom for a while till you can help me.

“Good,” he said in a tired voice.

“I’m going back to my room, Mrs. Reynolds and let you have some time with him.  Thank you.”  She leaned over the bed and whispered, “I’ll be back, Chip.  Get well for me.”

“Bye
,” almost in a whisper.  Then his eyes closed.

“She walked over to Mrs. Reynolds and kissed her on the cheek.  “Thank you again.”  She turned and shuffled slowly out of the room and down the hall to the elevator.

Later…

Carrie lay on her bed replaying the visit to the ICU.  She
had thanked him for saving her life.  When her mother came to her room during her lunch break, she asked, “Mom, will you do me a favor?  Will you find out how Chip is and what the doctors say about how he is doing?  I was up there today.  He was groggy but answered me.”

“Sure darling, I can do that.”  She left the room and was back in ten minutes.
  “I looked at his chart and it shows steady vital signs.  I talked to the nurse and she said his condition has been upgraded to serious from critical.  Honey, he is paralyzed from the waist down.  They don’t think it will be permanent, but aren’t sure.  In spite of that, he has passed the worst part.  There was a high possibility of a cardiac event one to three days after the shooting.  He had one of those.  A second one would likely have been fatal.  He could still have a clot, so they have to mechanically move his legs to promote blood flow.  He’s on blood thinners to help prevent clots.  Remember, anyone can have a clot. Even me or you.

To net it out, he is better, still serious but better.  Another day or so and he will be moved to a step down room.”

“Thanks, Mom”

Channel 8 had made all of the arrangements with the hospital administration for the filming of an interview with Carrie.  Because of hospital rules, there was a strict limit on the equipment that could be brought in.  They were going to be using a meeting room for the interview.  Carrie would be in her hospital gown and slip proof footies.  She would be filmed in her wheelchair.

The appointed time arrived.  Carrie was nervous, but her mother was there and boosted her confidence.  Mrs. Tompkins was also there and had introduced everyone to Carrie.

The interview would be conducted by a field reporter assigned to crimes and major events.  She had a familiar face, since Carrie had met her several times while preparing research for her. 

The reporter
began, “Last week we carried a live report of a double shooting in the parking lot of a local restaurant.  In the incident, a local firefighter was critically wounded when he was shot three times.  A Channel 8 field reporter was also shot twice.  The assailant took his own life after shooting the firefighter.  The firefighter, Chip Reynolds, is in critical condition in Parkland Hospital’s ICU after several surgeries.  The Channel 8 reporter, Carrie Evans, is also in Parkland in good condition after undergoing surgery. 

We are in a meeting room at Parkland and with us is Carrie Evans of Channel 8 and a patient here.  Carrie
, would you describe the events leading up to the shooting if you can.”

“
Chip Evans was helping me celebrate my promotion at Channel 8, and we had dinner in the Outback restaurant.  We had finished dinner and were headed to Chip’s truck when we were stopped by Nathan, an ex-boyfriend.  He was still angry because of our breakup, which had happened several weeks before and wanted to resume our relationship.  I refused and he took out a handgun and fired at me hitting me twice. 

Chip pushed me out of the way and went after Nathan.  Nathan shot Chip but he kept going after him and was shot twice more.  I was on the pavement by then and didn’t see the rest of it but I was told Chip was shot
three times and then Nathan turned his gun on himself. 

I aw
oke in the recovery room after surgery with my mother, who is a nurse here at Parkland, at my bedside.  She was here five minutes after she was notified I had been hurt.

Chip saved my life.  Had he not gone after Nathan, I would have been killed.”

“Carrie, how long have you known Chip?”

“I met him after Nathan had set my apartment on fire.  He was the first responder for the fire department.”

“Were you hurt in the fire?”

“I was hospitalized for smoke inhalation.”

“Do you consider Chip a hero?”

“Absolutely.
  If he hadn’t pushed me aside after I was hit and then gone after Nathan, I would be dead.  He saved my life.”

“Thank you Carrie.  Now hurry and get well.  We miss you at the station.”

“Back to you, Bill and Jan.”

“Thanks, Carrie, you were great.”

“Thanks.  Is that it?  When will this air?”

“It will be on at 6 and again at 10.  We’ll get you a tape of it.”

The crew broke down the equipment and Carrie returned to her room with her mother.  “So that’s what you going to be doing?”

“That’s it.  I can hardly wait.”

* * *

Cleared by her doctors to drive, Carrie was able to visit Chip in the hospital.  Chip had been moved another step down and was in a standard room, although still on the cardiac floor.

Carrie walked into the room to find him in the bed with it elevated allowing him a better view.  He looked up, his eyes clear and observant.  “What a treat.  It’s good to see you Carrie.  I’m glad you came in,” he said with a voice much less scratchy than the last time she had visited.

She walked to the bed, took his hand in both of hers, and looked at him with a sparkle in her eyes she couldn’t dull.  “You look so much
better this morning.”  She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.  At the touch of his beard stubble, a ripple of excitement ran through her.

She pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down, once again taking his hand in
hers, she rubbed the fine hair on the back of his hand with her thumb.  Never moving her gaze from his face.