Chapter 10
KEVIN HURT all over. His left arm and neck ached, and he knew he’d been burned, but not too badly, thanks to his fire suit.
But damn, it was like he had been hit by a truck.
What really bothered him was his breathing.
The ceiling collapse had taken out his breathing gear, so his lungs ached if he took a deep breath.
Clair had gotten him out. They didn’t often work together, but she was tough as nails and a great firefighter.
She hadn’t hesitated to pull him out and had gotten him on his feet and to safety.
Once he’d been taken to the ambulance, he lost track of what was happening with the fire, but that was okay.
The other firefighters would do their jobs and make sure the scene was safe.
“How is your breathing?” a nurse asked him when she came in.
“It’s okay,” he said. They had him on oxygen, and he was getting enough air. What concerned him was the way his lungs felt tight when he took a deep breath, and he told her what he was feeling.
She checked all the monitors and the IV that they had given him. “Is it feeling any better over time, or about the same?” He started to speak but had a coughing spasm and closed his eyes. Then, once it passed, he slowly took a deep breath again. This time the tightness came later and wasn’t as bad.
“I think it’s getting better,” he told her.
“Good. Just relax and give your system a chance to deal with what happened. You had a close call.” She pulled out a tray and began checking over his arms and neck. “You got a few small burns, and I’m going to clean and dress those, but if you ask me, you were pretty lucky.”
“Yeah, I was. My partner did a great job getting me out. Clair is a real badass.” He felt a cough coming on but relaxed and the sensation passed. “Am I going to be okay? I still have the rest of my shift.”
“I think you’re going to be here for a little while.
” She worked on his wounds, and he closed his eyes and let her do her thing.
They needed to be tended to, but he needed to get back to the station so he could do his job.
Lying here in a bed was not helping anyone.
She finished up and was about to leave. “The doctor will be in soon to talk to you.” She flashed him a smile and then left his room.
“Shit,” he swore, half under his breath.
He should have been more careful, but the ceiling hadn’t looked that bad.
Then, damn, it just all came down on top of him.
He had been lucky in that there must have been water soaking it from the other side, because the weight did more damage than the actual on-fire part had.
Still, he felt like a fool for allowing this to happen.
But there was nothing he could do about it now, so he closed his eyes and tried to relax.
“Here he is,” a familiar voice said, and Willy came in the room with April and Grant each holding a hand.
“Are you okay?” April asked, letting go of her daddy’s hand and coming right up to the bed. She then took Kevin’s hand. “Do you have an owie?”
“Yes, I do. But they’re trying to make it better,” Kevin told her. “I promise.”
“Really?” Grant asked. “Did they bring you in an ambulance? Did you get to run the sirens?”
Kevin chuckled but stopped when coughs threatened. At least taking deeper breaths was getting easier. He took another one and closed his eyes, relieved that the tightness seemed to be dissipating.
“Chase called me and we hurried over,” Willy said from next to him. “How is your breathing? What are they worried about?”
“That he’ll act like firefighters usually do and try to go back to work too danged soon,” Dr. Rosco Mortimer said as he walked into the room.
Kevin and Rosco had crossed paths quite a few times over the years.
“Don’t tell me you aren’t thinking about how you can go back to work. Just know, it’s not happening.”
“But Rosco—” Kevin began, but he knew it was useless when he got that look.
“Your lungs took in a lot of soot. You’re lucky your partner got you out of there as quickly as she did or it would have been a lot worse.” He used the stethoscope to listen to Kevin’s lungs and heart. “It’s better than it was when you came in, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods.”
“So what now?” Kevin asked.
“I’m going to send you home, but you need to rest. Do you have someone to look after you?”
“Kevin is going to come home with me and the kids. We’ll look after him.
His dogs are already there, and I’m sure they’ll stand guard and make sure he takes it easy.
He can sit on the sofa with the kids and watch cartoons.
It’s Grant’s turn to pick today, so Kevin can watch Encanto until he passes out. ”
“Good,” Rosco said with a smile. “He needs someone to look out for him or else he’ll go running into burning buildings.” Rosco was teasing, and Kevin thought about flipping him the bird, but he remembered the kids were there, and he did not want to have to explain that to them.
“How long before he can go?” Willy asked.
“I want a picture of his lungs, so they’re going to do a CAT scan.
Someone will be in to take him down in a few minutes.
Once those results come back, he should be good to go.
” Rosco left the room, and soon Kevin was on his way down for tests.
April wanted to ride along, but she stayed behind with Grant and a concerned-looking Willy.
BY THE time Kevin got back, Willy was sitting in a chair in the room with April on his lap and Grant on the floor, spread out on his belly, coloring. “How did it go?” Willy asked.
“Oh, it was peachy, but I hate that. It makes me claustrophobic—and I go into burning buildings for a living.” The orderlies put the bed back into place, and April climbed into the bed with him.
“Be careful, honey,” Willy said, but Kevin made room for her, and she settled next to him.
“Did they fix your owie?” April asked and then went off about her last owie, showing him where it had been and telling him that it was all better because Daddy kissed it.
Kevin tickled her a little, and she giggled.
He was quickly becoming addicted to the happiness that radiated from Willy’s small family.
“How is your breathing?” Willy asked. “Is it better?”
“Yeah. That seems to be working its way out pretty well.” At least he could breathe without the tightness. That was good. Willy held his hand, and they sat quietly for a while until Rosco returned with the news.
“You got really lucky. Your lungs are largely clear, but there are areas where you got material into them. But it appears that your system is expelling it. You need to rest and let your lungs heal and your system take care of itself. I’m going to send a message to your regular doctor to have him see you in a week or so. ”
“When can I go back to work?” Kevin asked.
“You need rest and time to heal up. Give yourself some time. I’ll send a message to the station so they know.
” Rosco drew closer to the bed. “And I mean it. Don’t think about going back early because you’re feeling better.
Working with breathing equipment is going to be harder while you’re recovering. ”
“We’ll all watch him,” Willy said. “And you need to do what the doctor says. All of us want you to heal up well.”
Kevin growled. He hated being laid up and everyone knew it, especially Rosco.
“It’s okay. You can stay with us for a few days, and we’ll make sure you get taken care of.” Willy put his hand on his shoulder, and Kevin closed his eyes and placed his own on top of it.
“Are you sure?”
Willy leaned over him. “Of course I am. You took care of us when we needed it, and we’ll take care of you.” He lifted his gaze. “How soon can we take him home to get him settled? And I need to know how much activity he can have.”
“Walking outdoors as long as the weather is good, but he’s not to overdo it. Though I’m sure he will want to run a marathon next week.”
“Actually, it’s the week after,” Kevin quipped and then began coughing. Willy held his hand until the spasm passed. “Okay, I get it.”
“You will cough, and you need to keep an eye on it. If you cough up blood, come right back in here. We need to see you immediately. Also, if the cough gets worse or you have any trouble breathing, don’t wait to see if it gets better, okay?
” Rosco was firm and stared at Kevin as a nurse came in the room with Kevin’s phone.
“A Chase dropped this off for you, but he got called away,” she explained.
“Thanks,” Kevin said softly. The nurse nodded and left the room.
Kevin rolled his eyes at Rosco, but Willy agreed for him. “You can count on it.” He squeezed Kevin’s hand. “I want him to be around, and he needs to take care of himself.” He’d hoped the interruption would have changed the subject.
Kevin’s first instinct was to be pissed, but then he looked at Willy and saw only concern and care. It had been quite a while since anyone felt that way about him.
“Okay. I think I got this.” He lay back. “Can we get on with it?”
“Sure. I’ll have one of the discharge coordinators come in with the paperwork.
But I want to warn you, you shouldn’t be alone for the next few days in case something happens, so spend some time with your family and enjoy it.
The work will be there when you get back.
It isn’t going anywhere.” Rosco left the room, and April shifted next to him.
“Can we get food? I’m hungry.”
“Can we go to the park to feed the ducks, like you said?”
Willy chuckled. “Yes, we can go do all those things, but we have to take it easy on Kevin.”
“Yes, we can do that. Now why don’t you let your daddy lift you down so I can sit up and be ready when they spring me from this chicken coop? Then we can go do something fun. I don’t think I can play with you, but I can probably sit and watch.”