Loving A Firefighter (Loving Series)

by Susan Leigh Carlton

  “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”

  Chapter 11

  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 awoke 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.

  “Thank you once again for saving my life. I don’t know how sedated you were the last time I told you. If you hadn’t pushed me away and gone after him, he was going to shoot me again. He really hated me I guess, and he blamed you for breaking us up. We hadn’t even met until he started the fire.” With an intensity that caused her eyes to glow, she said, “Chip, I owe you my life, you are my hero and you always will be.”

  “That sounds almost like a goodbye speech. Are you going somewhere?”

  “Only to work when I’m cleared, and here to see you if you’d like me to.”

  “Like you to? Carrie, I don’t even want to think about you not being here.”

  She stood, moved to the bedside and kissed him, her soft lips feeling his dry cracked lips moving in response to the touch.

  The aroma of her fragrance flowed over him like a soft mountain breeze. “When he shot you, a stab of fear hit my heart and I wanted to kill him for hurting you. Nothing could have stopped me either.”

  With a soft mischievous smile on her face, she asked, “Are you sure the stab wasn’t a bullet?”

  “No, that came next. I would have killed him if I could have gotten close enough.”

  “You got close enough to grab him and get shot twice for the effort. I think one of those was the one that hit your heart. Did they tell you the bullet is still in there? Have they told you anything else?”

  “Yes, the doctor told me it would have been very dangerous to remove it. He said there a lot of cases where people have lived for years with a bullet remaining in the heart. I guess mine is in a good place. He also tells me I am paralyzed from the waist down. It may or may not be permanent. His eyes were moist as he told her.”

  “I know. Mom told me about it. She kissed him once again, her lips as moist as were her eyes, with the tears running down her cheeks. When they broke apart, they saw his mother and dad had walked unnoticed into the room.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Reynolds. I was… We were…”

  “Oh hush child, you don’t need to apologize. I think you two are a nice match for each other.

  I’m glad to see you up and about. Don’t you think he looks better today?”

  Her cheeks rosy with her blush, she said, “I think he looks absolutely wonderful. That didn’t come out the way I meant it. He does look better though. I think I’d better go.”

  “No you sit right down there.” She then walked over to her so
n and kissed him. “I love you, son. We thought we were going to lose you.”

  “No way, Mom. There’s too much to live for to die now.”

  “Well, the doctor told us your heart stopped twice during the surgery and then the next night it did again.”

  “I came back though. It wasn’t my time.”

  Chip asked, “Carrie, did you move yet?”

  “No, I’m waiting till you can help find an apartment like you promised. I’m staying with Mom now, but I’m going back to my apartment until you can help me.”

  “It may take some time, but I always keep my promises, don’t I Mom?”

  “Yes you do,” her voice strained with emotion.

  A stranger to Carrie walked into the room. Chip said, “Jim, when did you get here? Carrie, this is my big brother, Jim. Jim, this is Carrie Evans. She was with me.”

  Jim Reynolds looked like a slightly older version of Chip. “Nice to meet you, Carrie. You need to stay away from characters like him. He was always getting into trouble.”

  “That’s because you were always talking me into doing things you were afraid to try.”

  “That’s true,” said Jim with a chuckle. “I was here the next day after you were shot. You were pretty much out of it when I came to check on you.”

  “Guys, I’m going to get out of here and let you visit. Jim, nice to meet you. In case you didn’t know, your brother saved my life. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, good to see you again.” She stood and moved to the bedside. “As for you, I’ll see you later.” She bent over and kissed him, full on the lips. She turned and waved to everyone and walked from the room.

  “I like her,” said Jim. “She’s a beautiful girl, Chip.”

  “She’s beautiful inside too. She’s a reporter for Channel 8,” said Mrs. Reynolds. “He brought her home to meet us the other night.”

  “I’m glad everyone likes her, because I’m going to marry her someday.”

  “Does she know?”

  “No, we haven’t gotten that far yet. I haven’t said anything about it to her and now with this…” His voice trailed off to a whisper. “We’ve only been dating a little more than three months. I met her when the man set her apartment afire.”

  “Better let her in on the secret. If she’s on TV a lot of people are going to see her and your competition will boom. Just saying, little brother.”

  Chapter 12

  Carrie was on the schedule to return to work on Monday. She dressed carefully, not knowing what was in store for her. When she got to the station, she went into a training session with a cameraman to familiarize her with the procedures. After a two hour session, she went out on an assignment with the reporter who had interviewed her at the hospital. She was glad for the opportunity, and it made her more comfortable.

  They were assigned to the scene of a fire in a commercial building. The veteran reporter told her they would get information from the leader of the fire fighters, find out about the owner, the contents of the building and whether there was anyone in the building. There would be no script; however the questions would be pretty much the same as the interview in the hospital. Only when they had as much information as they could get would they begin filming. Their camera would link to their satellite truck and uplink to a satellite; The station would pluck the signal from the air and go live with video and audio. The crew had elevated the transmitting antenna on the truck and verified the link. They were ready when the reporter was.

  The red light on the camera illuminated and the reporter began. She was on the air about 5 minutes, answering questions from the station. The red light went off and that was it for now. They would stay on the scene in the event the fire flared up again or became newsworthy for any reason. For this, the reporter had to stay in contact with the officials for more information.

  When the fire chief on scene reported the fire was under control, the crew packed up to return to the station. While they were off the air, Carrie peppered the veteran reporter with questions. It was a good learning experience for her.

  * * *

  She changed into jeans and a loose cable knit sweater. The color of the sweater set off her eyes and the sweater showed her curvy figure along with some cleavage. She was comfortable with her appearance and hoped Chip liked the way she looked.

  She walked with confidence into Chip’s room. When she walked into the room, she was stunned. It was as if someone had hit her in the chest with their fist. A beautiful girl was kissing him on the cheek. She stood there holding his hand. He was obviously pleased with the situation from the look on his face. Carrie was ready to turn and leave when he saw her and called her name. With some apprehension, she turned. “Come on in. I want you to meet someone. Carrie, this is Laurie, my baby sister. Laurie, Carrie Evans, the girl I told you about.”

  A big load of tension fled her body. She extended her hand and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your mother has told me about you and your protector here. He’s my protector too. He saved my life.”

  Laurie responded with a smile. “You’re the one he’s been talking about since I came in. It’s my pleasure.” They shook hands, each using both hands.

  Carrie walked to the bedside and kissed him chastely on the cheek. “How are you feeling today?”

  “I’m feeling great. No change in my legs though.”

  “Don’t mind me. I’ll just stand here and look out the window or something,” said Laurie with a laugh.

  “Come on sis, be nice. She could be your sister-in-law someday. …Oops, that just slipped out. I’m sorry Carrie. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  “Why not? ” Carrie responded, her cheeks flushed with the warmth of the feeling that flashed over her.

  Now it was Chip’s turn to blush.

  “Now just look at you two lovebirds.”

  “It’s not how it looks,” Chip said.

  “Chip,” Laurie sad with alarm, “The bullet is still in your heart?”

  “Yeah, the doctor said it was too risky to take it out, so there it’ll stay until Carrie knocks it loose.”

  “Damn, it was really serious wasn’t it?”

  “Yes it was. Carrie was shot twice also.”

  “Yes I was. Laurie, your brother is a hero.”

  “He was always scaring off my boyfriends, so I know how he can be,” she said with affection. “He’s a real piece of work.”

  “Ahhhhh, I’ll just lie here, basking in the glow of admiration from those who adore me.”

  “Carrie, do you want his head or his paunchy belly? Let’s make him pay.”

  “Chip, I’ve got to get back to your niece before Mom spoils her rotten. Carrie, it was a pleasure. I’ m sure we’ll see each other again. Take care of my brother. With all his warts, I still love him.”

  “Bye Laurie. I’ll look forward to it.”

  Laurie kissed Chip and said, “You be good.”

  “Goodbye sis. Love you.”

  “What a beautiful girl. I really like her.”

  “Laurie’s special. She made straight A’s in school, graduated summa from North Texas. She is an interior designer or was until the baby was born. I don’t know whether she’ll go back to it or not.”

  “Chip, I need to talk.”

  “Okay. About what?”

  “Us.”

  “What about us?” he said.

  “Where are we? Do you know when you’ll go home? Are you going to go to your mothers? What can I do?”

  “Carrie, I love you. I don’t want to tie you down the way I am now. If this condition is permanent, then I don’t expect you to stay with a cripple. He saw her beauty, the sheer loveliness of her face and he thought, “This is the girl I want to spend my life with.” I don’t have the right to ask you to marry me when I am in this condition. If you want to move on, then I’ll understand.”

  Carrie began to shake her head, as her mind conjured images of him spending a lifetime in a wheel chair. It frightened her. Don’t even talk about that. You’re
going to get better.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “Then we will just have to face that.”

  “I can face anything as long as you’re there beside me.

  Chapter 13

  The next day was a work day for Carrie as were the rest of the days of the week. She spent a good portion of the week in the field and the balance was spent reviewing video tape of previous broadcasts.

  The station maintained phone lists of contacts with the various law enforcement agencies, as well as the spokespersons from many of the industries in the area. She used the list when she was doing research and now it would be her bible in the field. She spoke with Chip each day but had not seen him since the day they had the conversation about his paralysis.

  She went by the hospital after work and went to his room. “Has the neurologist been in?”

  “He was in earlier. He’s ordered a CT scan and something else I don’t remember. Come over here and kiss me.”

  “Ordering me around already, are you?” with an impish grin on her face.

  “Certifiable. You’re certifiable. But I love you anyway.”

  Carrie still did not profess her love for him. Whether Chip noticed or not she didn’t know. She couldn’t bring herself to say those three words.

  Their good night kiss was a long, poignant kiss. It made her warm all over. “Good night, darling, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Good night honey.”

  “That’s five,” and she drove away into the night.

  The next day dawned bright and clear. The sky was so blue you could see forever. Carrie awakened with a big yawn and a feeling of uncertainty. She yawned and got out of bed and washed her face and brushed her teeth. Donning a gown she went into the kitchen where her mother was having a cup of coffee. She poured a cup for herself and sat across from her mother.

  Are you working today?” She asked her mother.

  “No, I’m on my 48 off. I’m going to piddle around here, get some cleaning done. What about you?”

  “I’m going shopping. I need to expand my wardrobe since I’m going to be meeting the public on a daily basis and I can’t do that in jeans.”