Souls' Rescue Part 13

"You're in ICU until tomorrow. We need to keep an eye on you. It's standard procedure after the surgery you've had." She picked up the chart from the foot of the bed, and paged through it. "As for the pain, some amputees report feeling what is termed phantom pains. These should lessen over time."

"There's nothing phantom here. The pain is real."

"Yes, I realize that. You see, the brain thinks it's still receiving information, despite the fact that the leg is gone. Trust me when I tell you that this will get better. It may never go away completely, though. I can prescribe you some pain pills if you'd like."

"No. I don't want more drugs. Can you explain why? Why did you have to amputate?"

Dr. Lin replaced the chart and moved to stand next to the rail on the hospital bed. "The infection couldn't be stopped. We tried several antibiotics, and the last surgery was supposed to help drain the infection. Nothing was working. The only way to stop it was to amputate your leg. Otherwise the infection could have spread to your bloodstream and that could be fatal."

"Is the infection gone now?"

"We won't know for a while. I expect it to clear up quickly now. We'll test your blood, keep you on the antibiotics, but I feel we removed enough of the bad tissue." Dr. Lin patted her on the arm in a rare display of good bedside manner. "Talia, you're going to be fine. You'll be moved to a regular room in the morning, and in a few more days, you'll be out of here and on your way to Drake Hospital where you can start your rehab and get a temporary prosthesis. It won't be long before you'll be up and walking like this never happened."

"I wish I felt your optimism, Doctor."

"You will. Just give yourself some time." Dr. Lin stood. "I have to prep for surgery. Don't hesitate to have the nurses call me if needed."

"Can you call someone for me?"

"Who?"

"My friend Kelly McCoy. I need Kelly to be here."

"Is she a relative?"

"Close enough." Talia looked at the doctor. "Please. I need her here. Will you make sure she's on the list of visitors allowed in?"

"Sure, and I'll have the nurse get you a phone. Okay?"

"Thanks."

JACOB'S VOICE WAS soft. "I'm here, honey." He combed Talia's hair with his fingers. "You okay?"

"Groggy still. Is Kelly here?"

"She stepped out to use the restroom." Jacob said. "The Queen Mother left before we got here, thank G.o.d."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"You called me at about seven-thirty this morning and it's after one now."

"Wow. Glad I slept through Mother's visit. I don't think I can handle her right now."

"She told the nurses she'd be back this evening."

"Can I come in?" Kelly called from the doorway.

Talia looked past Jacob and burst into tears. Kelly was at her side in an instant, pulling Talia into a gentle embrace. "Oh, baby, it's okay. I'm here."

Talia couldn't speak. She sobbed into Kelly's shoulder until she was sure she had no tears left. Jacob kept a steady supply of tissues coming her way.

After a while, Kelly sat on the bed beside her and used a tissue to dry Talia's face. "Better?"

"Yeah," Talia squeaked. "Jacob, could I have some water?"

"Of course," he said and poured some into a little Styrofoam cup.

Talia sipped the cool liquid and tried to compose herself. She hadn't expected to be so emotional when she saw Kelly. But she'd needed her so badly. And she was here. Kelly hadn't disappeared for good after all.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here when you had the surgery," Kelly said.

"It's okay," Talia lied, and by the expression on Kelly's face, she knew it. Her eyes filled with tears again. "So it wasn't okay, but you're here now. That's all that matters."

"I promised you I'd be here, baby." Kelly held Talia's hands in hers. "You really need to understand that I care about you, Talia Stoddard. Seriously."

"It's hard."

Kelly brought Talia's hands to her lips and planted a kiss across her knuckles. "I'm not leaving. You've got a long road ahead, and I plan to be right by your side. Got it?"

"I got it." Talia felt like crying again, and Kelly wrapped her up in another embrace that soothed her enough that she didn't burst into tears. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"Got hit by a ton of bricks?" Kelly laughed, and the sound brought a smile to Talia's face. She drew back enough to look into Kelly's eyes and saw tears forming there. She looked at Kelly's lips, so warm and inviting. She fought hard for the courage to kiss her and couldn't quite marshal the strength.

It was a good thing Talia didn't have to. Kelly leaned closer and kissed her on the mouth, a light kiss, but a lingering one that Talia felt long after Kelly pulled away.

"Um, did you two forget I'm here or what?" Jacob said. He gently pushed Kelly out of his way and gave Talia a hug. "Look, I'll let you two be alone. I can see you're in good hands."

Talia said, "I'm sorry, Jacob."

"Don't be." He kissed her cheek. To Kelly he said, "You take care of her and call me if anything changes."

"Done." Kelly sat on the edge of Talia's bed and watched Jacob leave. "I feel bad for ignoring him."

"You have nothing to worry about. He wasn't being serious. Except for the part where he said to call. That was serious."

"Hmm." Kelly kissed Talia again, her lips warm and soothing. "Just didn't want you to forget how serious I am."

"I don't think I can."

"Young lady," the familiar voice of Talia's mother announced from the doorway, "you are not family and need to leave."

Talia wanted to argue, but Kelly put her fingers to her lips. "Shh. It's not worth it. Just rest and try to get through this time with your mother, and I promise I'll come back in a few hours." With a lingering look, Kelly quietly left.

"The nerve of that woman." Colette's face twisted in anger. "I should report her."

"Report her? What are you talking about?"

"She's not family."

Yes she is, Talia thought. Aloud she said, "She's my girlfriend and I put her and Jacob on the visitor's list." Did she just say girlfriend? The word was so natural and felt so good to say.

"Oh, no, you're not going to start this nonsense again."

"I don't want to argue with you. I'd rather we forget it and let me rest."

Colette settled into a chair obviously discomfited by the situation with Kelly. Talia had to admit that she enjoyed seeing her mother out of her element. Usually Colette Stoddard was so bossy, so in charge, so entirely in control . . . and right now, she couldn't get her controlling fingers around the situation.

After a few moments, Talia settled down and felt sleepy again. Colette's voice cut through the drowsiness, and Talia opened her eyes.

"How are you feeling? Has the doctor been in to see you?"

"She was here this morning. My leg still hurts and my head is still a little woozy from the drugs."

"Your leg hurts? I thought it was okay. Did the doctor examine it?"

"No, Mother, you don't understand. The leg they took-I can still feel it."

"That's not possible. How can you feel something that isn't there?"

"The doctor said it was phantom pains. My brain is telling me it's there and it hurts, even though it's gone." Talia leaned back in her bed. The whole conversation was giving her a headache.

"Must be all in your head then. You just get some rest. I'm sure everything will be fine when you wake up." Colette took a book from her oversized purse. "I'll be here when you wake up, in case you need anything."

That didn't bode well for Kelly sneaking back in. Talia wanted to comment, to encourage her mom to go, but sleep beckoned and seemed like a much better place to be.

Chapter Sixteen.

SMOKE AND FLAMES engulfed a four-story apartment complex. Most of the top floor was gone, the roof having collapsed earlier. Kelly and Scott were part of the group of firefighters sent to control the blaze on the third floor.

They had done a sweep of all the rooms to ensure no one remained inside. The heat was intense. Kelly was on her knees, one arm holding the hoseline, the other holding an axe as she and Scott crawled through the blackened hallway.

Sweat formed on her forehead despite the protective mask she was wearing. For the last few minutes, she'd been watching the gauge inside the mask that gave her the pressure on her air bottle. She still had another five minutes of breathing air left. Knowing her partner as well as she did, that meant Scott had about two minutes left.

She tapped him on the shoulder and pointed behind them toward the window they'd come in through. She wanted to work their way back so they could get out before he used up his air.

Scott nodded his head and they turned to retrace their steps. They had to stop twice to douse flames on their way to their exit. When they were at the window, Kelly grabbed the nozzle from Scott and yelled, "Out!"

Scott hesitated, but she shoved him toward the window. He had less air than she did and she wanted him out first. She aimed the water at flames roaring around the entrance to the room, but had a feeling it was too little too late.

Scott lifted his legs one at a time over the windowsill and descended the ladder.

Kelly continued to put water on the fire but it wouldn't stop spreading along the walls of the hallway. Despite her efforts the heat was rising. She tossed the nozzle down and leaned out the window to grab the end of the ladder. Before she could get over the window sill and descend, she heard a roar behind her and felt a burst of hot air so strong it pushed her out the window.

She was flung around like a ragdoll, sure she was going to fall sixty feet to her death. She didn't know how, but her utility belt ended up tangled in the top end of the ladder. She hung there for a few terrifying seconds, unable to move.

A flurry of movement below. Shouts. She couldn't understand their directions, so she stayed still, gripping ladder rungs and feeling entirely helpless as the intense heat from the fire scorched her. How long would the air bottle last? Any minute now, she'd be sucking in the belching smoke. She tried to disentangle herself, with no luck.

The vibration of heavy footfalls smashed their way up the ladder. Strong hands helped to right her, to keep her steady so she could unhook her belt. Kelly didn't even waste a moment pulling herself together. She descended, hampered only by Scott's slightly slower progress.

Several of the guys from her station slapped her on the back when she got down. Scott helped her out of her air pack and though she announced she was okay, Jimmy ordered her to the rehab area to take a break. It was one of the rare times that Kelly didn't argue about him pulling her from a working fire.

Scott left her and went to refill their air bottles. Kelly let her fellow paramedics give her a once-over, then stretched out to rest, lying on her back with her hands behind her head, on the gra.s.s next to the ambulance. She needed a few minutes to remove the image of the blast catapulting her out the window, fire shooting behind her and feeling the heat through her thick protective clothing. She could still physically feel that moment when she was airborne, out of control, and unable to do a d.a.m.n thing about it. What would have happened if she hadn't gotten hung up? She shivered.

When she felt a little more put together, she'd rejoin her unit to work on overhaul, clearing away debris and checking to make sure there were no hotspots in the walls or anywhere in the building. It was going to be a long day. The sun was high in the sky so she figured it must be around noon. The heat of the fire was second only to the heat of a humid June day. She was glad for the little shade in the ambulance shadow.

Heavy footsteps approached, and she figured it was Scott or Jimmy coming to check on her. She opened one eye to see Jason Burke standing a couple of feet away. "What's the matter? Little girly can't handle the job?"

"Go to h.e.l.l, Burke. I was ordered here."

"Like I said. Should never have f.u.c.king let women on the job."

"You need something?" Kelly asked. She leaned on her elbow and looked up at the big dunce. "I mean, you're here for a reason, right?"

"I got ordered here 'cause I used two bottles of air."

"Two bottles?" Kelly got to her feet and feigned surprise. "If you were halfway fit, you shouldn't be sucking down that much air. I mean, I was in there longer than you and I never used my whole bottle. Even old man Sanderson didn't use more than one. What's up, Burke? Too out of shape?"

"d.y.k.e, you're asking for an a.s.s-kicking."

"From the guy sucking air like it was beer? Doubt it." She dusted off the front of her pants. "Besides, you probably couldn't get your leg up high enough to kick my a.s.s."

Burke grabbed a piece of Kelly's shirt, lifted her off her feet, and slammed her against the side of the ambulance, pinning her there. "You f.u.c.king d.y.k.e. You shut your f.u.c.king mouth before I make sure you never talk again."

He knocked the breath out of her, and she couldn't respond. She had both of her hands on his meaty fist, trying to pry herself loose. Finally, she choked out, "f.u.c.k you" and kicked him in the groin. It wasn't hard enough to bring him to his knees, but got him to let her go. "You want a fight?" she said, catching her breath. "Then you've got one."

She clipped his chin with a right hook. Her hand hurt, but that didn't stop her from swinging again. She missed and went for a third try, but someone grabbed her from behind.

"Hold on there killer," Scott said. He pulled her away from Burke.

"He started it and I'm going to finish."

"What the h.e.l.l's going on?" Jimmy bellowed, standing between the two combatants.

Burke said, "That f.u.c.king d.y.k.e kicked me in the nuts."

"After you slammed me against the ambulance, you stupid p.r.i.c.k." Kelly shoved away from Scott. "L-T I want to charge that stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.d with a.s.sault."

"a.s.sault?" Burke shouted. "You're the one-"

Jimmy held up his hand to quiet them. "Both of you can give me a statement when we get back to the station. We'll clear this up then. Meantime, Burke you get your rehab done. McCoy, you get your a.s.s over to the engine and pack up. I need you and Sanderson on overhaul."