Deep Night (12 page)

The headache returned in the middle of the shift and got progressively worse as the night went on. Even though she didn't mention it, she could tell that Chris knew. He drove the bus unless the patient was critical. In that case, he let her drive while he took care of the patient in the back. It was an unusual division of duties, but it took most of the burden off of her. He carried their kit, took care of every patient on scene, and whenever they were available, he got a fireman to help him load the stretcher. Once at the hospital, she stayed in the cab while he delivered the patient.

Sara's parents hadn't always been there when she needed protection. Chris, on the other hand, had always taken care of her. Even when she'd severely provoked him when they were kids, which she had to admit she had done often, he never lost his cool enough to hit her back. She had seen it in his eyes that he really wanted to, but he always stepped away. At the time, it infuriated her because she had been spoiling for a fight. When she had gotten into an argument with another boy, the boy hadn't hesitated to attack her. He bloodied her nose and blackened both eyes. And he had thrown her backpack into the lake.

It wasn't Sara's mother or father who jumped into that lake and retrieved her books. Neither had they gone after the boy and explained to him that it wasn't right to hit a girl. But Chris had. Even though the temperature was in the 30s, he had taken off his boots and coat and waded into the shallow pond. By the time he found the backpack, he was wet from his shoulders down. He insisted on walking her home even though his teeth had been chattering so bad that he couldn't talk. The next day, he forced the kid to apologize to Sara in front of their whole class during lunch.

She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. She had completely forgotten about that embarrassing childhood memory until tonight. Having Chris rescue her wasn't anything new. He'd always been there for her…until he started high school. Caught up in the activities and surrounded by females, Chris barely had time to notice the girl in junior high who had been his almost daily companion up to that point. Then he disappeared completely for the next few years as he went to college and then into the military.

But now he was back, and once again he fell into the familiar role of protector for her and for the strangers he scraped up off the street nightly. It was a perfect occupation for him. Was any of it personal? Would he do the same for any other partner? Did he still see her as that little kid he hung out with, almost like a sister?

Every day she spent with him was making that answer more important to her. She wasn't sure what he considered her to be, but the last thing she wanted to be was his sister. Exactly what she did want wasn't clear, even to her. She was really glad to have her old buddy Chris back in her life. These other, newer feelings were still a mystery to her.

Luckily, the shift was light, with only three calls and nothing unusual. Even though he had done double work, Chris wasn't even tired when they got home. He left Sara at the apartment and went to the gym. She took three Tylenols, ate an English muffin and crawled into bed. She didn't hear him come in that night, but when she got up, the wet towel hanging in the bathroom showed her he had taken a shower and gone to bed. Since it was Saturday, neither of them had classes or exams, so it was kind of nice to be able to sit around and do nothing.

Sara caught up on the last couple of episodes of
Grey's Anatomy,
which had aired its final show of the season last week. It was one of her favorite shows. She couldn't wait to be an intern, because that would mean she was getting closer to her dream of becoming a pediatrician.

Chris slouched out of his room just after three, wearing only a pair of running shorts that were riding low around his waist. Sara felt an odd flash of heat run through her as she watched him walk to the bathroom. Once the door shut off the view, she sucked in a deep, steadying breath. What the heck was that all about? She had seen plenty of men with their shirts off. Even naked men. But she had never had a bolt of lightning streak through her like that.

When the doorknob turned and he came out of the bathroom, she kept her attention focused on the TV screen, even though she couldn't concentrate on Dr. McDreamy when she had her own flesh-and-blood version standing in her kitchen.

“Want a ham sandwich?”

She realized Chris was talking to her, but she didn't look his way. “Sure.”

“Cheese?”

“Swiss, if we have it.”

“Got it.”

She heard him getting things out of the refrigerator and putting the sandwiches together on the counter.

“Hey, I've got a great idea,” he said. “Let's have a picnic. I miss being out in the sunshine.”

“I don't know…”

“Give me a minute to get dressed,” Chris told her as he wrapped the sandwiches in paper towels.

Anything to get him to put a shirt on. When she was sure he was out of sight, she got up and went to the kitchen. He returned, now fully clothed.

“Where do you want to go?”

“How about the courtyard downstairs?”

“I've never been down there before,” she admitted.

“Then this is a good time to check it out.”

He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch while she took some cans of soda out of the refrigerator. A picnic? How long had it been since she'd been on a picnic? They rode down the elevator and walked out the glass door that led to the small courtyard.

She eyed the grass suspiciously. “I wonder how many dogs have pooped on this.”

“Since when have you been so fussy? I remember when the little girl next door gave mouth-to-mouth to a newborn puppy that wasn't breathing.”

“That was different. I saved his life.”

“Yeah, well, you're saving mine by sitting in the sun with me today.”

“Exaggerate much?” But she spread the blanket on the grass after checking to make sure there weren't any forgotten nuggets.

The courtyard was surrounded on all sides by apartments that blocked the sun for much of the day, but there was still a wide sunny patch on the east side. Circling the grass was a ring of gravel and shrubs along with a half dozen wrought-iron and wooden benches. Chris plopped down on the blanket and lifted his face to the sun.

“Ahh, that feels good. Deep Night is making me pale.”

Sara handed him a sandwich and unwrapped one for herself. “It's not for everyone.”

“So, you've only got one more year, and then you'll be going into your internship,” he commented between bites.

“If all goes well.”

“And I'll be stuck with Denny.”

Sara laughed. “I served my time with some bad partners.”

Chris cocked his head and studied her thoughtfully. “I'd rather be with you.”

Again, that little flutter in the pit of her stomach.

He leaned back and broke the tension. “This is nice. You and I never just hang out.”

“Not since you got all snobby when you started tenth grade.”

“Yeah, I went through a jerk period. Sorry about that.”

She finished her sandwich and wadded her paper towel into a ball. The temperature was in the 70s, and the sun did feel good. “Well, we all go through crappy stages. I was just sad I'd lost my best friend.”

His hand covered hers on the blanket. It was big and warm, and instantly connected them on a far deeper level than just by touch. He didn't say it out loud, but it was clear that he was letting her know he was here now. An unexpected rush of tears filled her eyes. He had no idea how much that meant to her. She had felt like she was all alone for so long. Ever since her mother died just as Sara was starting college, she'd had no support system. Even before that, she and her mother had kind of lost touch. It would have been nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to share experiences with. She'd forgotten how nice it was to spend time with someone who didn't expect anything from her.

It was so long since she had let someone get close to her. This felt good. It felt right. And Sara had no idea how to hold on to the moment.

Chris was rested and relaxed as he and Sara stocked their general kit, as well as the narc kit, OB kit and pedi kit, and organized their ambulance. But he was looking forward to having some days off. Not that he was going to be able to relax. His last two finals were scheduled next week, and he needed a few hours of heavy-duty studying before he would feel ready.

But most of all, he wanted to spend more time with Sara. He had really enjoyed this afternoon's picnic, and he thought she had, too. She was still holding something back, but he was hoping that a little more time together would make her trust him enough to tell him about it.

Their first call of the night was a stabbing at a bar. Sara was feeling better, so she rode in back with the patient, keeping pressure on the wound as Chris tried to avoid bumps in the road. Knife wounds were always messy, and after dropping their patient off it took them thirty minutes to clean and sanitize the bus before they could go back into service.

They stopped at a Taco Bell and took their dinner to their post in the park.

“Two picnics in one day.” Chris crunched down on a taco and reached for a napkin as the juice threatened to dribble down his chin.

“RP heard gunshot at 1659 Cook Street. Unknown if there are injuries or if it was accidental discharge. Sending PD, Fire and EMS. Ambulance 25, please respond code 10.”

Chris stuffed the rest of the taco in his mouth and started the engine. Sara wrapped up the remainder of her burrito and put it back in the bag, then responded on the radio and flipped on the lights and siren.

“Miller lives in that building. I wonder if he heard the shot,” Chris commented as he wound his way through traffic. Even though the apartment was just on the other side of the park, they couldn't cut across it to get there. Instead, they had to go several blocks out of the way, then backtrack.

Even though they were so close, the fire department and two cop cars beat them there. Because they had no idea what to expect or even if they would be needed, Chris and Sara left the stretcher in the bus and just took their kit with them.

When they entered the building, there was a lot of shouting and barking upstairs. A sense of dread increased with every step as Chris bounded up the stairs. He hadn't been concerned that the address was the same as Miller's. It was an older building, probably from the 1930s, three stories tall with eighteen or more apartments crammed inside. It wasn't the first time they'd responded to calls here, and it probably wouldn't be the last. He assumed it was a problem with one of the other residents.

But as he neared the top floor, which significantly reduced the possible victims, he started praying that his worst suspicions weren't true…even though he knew they were.

Even from outside, they heard the incessant barking of a dog. The closer they got, the louder it became until they stopped outside the apartment where the rest of the emergency personnel were gathered.

“What's going on?” Chris asked. “Is someone hurt in there?”

“Don't know,” the cop answered. “The door was locked, and no one responded.”

Chris nodded toward the shattered doorframe. “I gather you forced it open.”

“I think there's cause.”

Chris looked around, confused. “Then why aren't we going in? Is there a victim or not?”

“Fuck if I know. There's a big, crazy dog that won't let anyone inside,” the cop explained. “Animal control is on the way.”

“I know the man who lives here. Maybe his dog will let me in,” Chris suggested. Every minute counted, and animal control could take an hour or more to get there. “Let me see if he remembers me.”

“Be my guest,” the cop said, and stepped aside. “At least you know how to treat dog bites.”

Chris eased the door open, and the barking increased. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Without looking around, he knew who it was.

“I'm coming with you,” Sara told him.

He didn't try to dissuade her. That would cost valuable time.

“Hey, Riley. Remember me?” Chris said in a gentle, soothing voice. “Where's your master?”

Riley stopped barking, but he stood his ground, effectively blocking the bedroom door.

Chris held out his hand, hoping the dog would catch a familiar scent through the antiseptic smell he had used to clean his hands.

Riley stretched his neck out and tentatively sniffed Chris's fingers. The dog still didn't move.

“Hi, Riley. You're such a good boy. You've taken care of your master, but we need to check on him.” Sara knelt down and talked to the dog as if he could understand exactly what she was saying. She made little smoochy sounds with her lips. “Come here, boy. Good dog, Riley.”

The dog looked from one to the other, then back again as if running a facial recognition program through his canine processor. Slowly, he relaxed and his thick tail moved cautiously back and forth. He took a step toward Sara. She extended her hand and stroked his shiny black head. Her other hand eased up and wrapped around his collar. “I've got him,” she told Chris, keeping her voice low and calm.

Chris eased past the dog and into the bedroom. The bed was made with precision military corners. A suitcase sat at the foot. The closet door was open, revealing that it was empty. It appeared he'd been packing for a trip. “Miller,” Chris called. “It's me, Chris…and Sara. Are you here?”

There was no answer. Chris walked closer to the bed and saw there was an envelope with a name and address written on it. He didn't stop to examine it, but moved toward the closed bathroom door. That was the most likely place for Miller to be shooting up. Or maybe he was just taking a long shower and hadn't heard the commotion in the hall.

But there was no water running.