Infatuation

Chapter 57

After a few days, they put Steve in a plaster cast. He won't stop complaining about it. The cast goes up to his shoulder so he can't straighten his arm all the way. Its bugging him something fierce because he can't work on the cars at the DX very well. Classic Steve.

I got the job. Phillup called me and offered it to me a couple days ago. I haven't mentioned it to anyone else other than Soda. He is happy for me. He reassures me over and over again and tells me that I'll do a good job.

I'm scared. What if I can't do it? Its been a while since my last training and what if I forget how to do something?

I look in the mirror. The uniform fits a little weird since it's ment for a man. The shirt is a light blue and it buttons up. There is a patch on the shoulder and the chest that states that I am an EMT. The pants are a dark navy blue. I have my hair tied up in a braid.

"Are you still worried?" Soda asks as he appears in the mirror behind me.

"A little. I haven't done anything like this before." I explain.

"I know you'll do great. Do you want me to drive you? I can pick you up when your shift is over." He offers.

"That would be perfect." I say as I spin around so I can see him better.

"I like this color on you," he says as he pulls a piece of my hair out of my face. Those short pieces Brenda cut won't fit into the braid. They keep falling out.

"I like blue on you, too." I say as I fix his shirt collar. The DX logo is ripping off. Maybe I can try to fix it. I may not be the best stitcher when it comes to fabric, but I can stitch up skin pretty good. I just need to work harder with fabric.

Soda smiles softly and pulls me into a hug. "I know you'll do great." He whispers.

"We'll see. Let's go. I don't want to be late on my first day." I say with a laugh. Soda and I have the same work schedule. We go to work at the same time, we have the same lunch break. Soda gets off at work thirty minutes earlier than I do, though.

When we arrive to the station I stay in the car. Why am I so nervous? I know what I'm doing. This is something I've wanted to do my whole life.

"Go on, Roe." Soda tells me as he turns my face to him. "You'll be great."

"Do you really think so?" I ask.

"Think so? I know so." He presses his lips to mine. "I'll pick you up at six."

"I love you, Soda." I say as I open the car door.

"I love you, too, Roe. Be safe." He tells me with a smile.

"I will." I reply. I shut the door behind me. I walk to the front door and turn around. He is staring at me with a stupid grin on his face. I giggle and wave to him. He waves back.

As soon as I enter the building, the receptionist waves me over to her.

"You must be Monroe. Did Phillup inform you about our protocols?" She asks.

"Yes, he did." I say. Phillup called me last night and had me take notes on all of the protocols. Luckily, they are almost all the same as they were in Missouri.

"Alrighty. Your bag of equipment is in the backroom. You will be working with Lyle and Wayne. I think they are in the backroom." She explains to me with a smile as she points down the hallway.

"Okay. Thank you," I say.

I step into the backroom and see a black duffle bag on a bench. It has my last name on it. I pick it up and fling it over my shoulder. I look around for Lyle or Wayne, but there is no one here. I turn the corner and my eyes land on a man.

"Do you know where Lyle or Wayne is?" I ask. He turns around to face me. He must be in his late forties like Philllup. He has a long dark beard. His are are a stricking green.

"I'm Lyle. You must be Monroe." He says as he stands up. He holds his hand out to me. I reach out and shake it. He has a firm grip.

"Nice to meet you." I say.

"Say, you can't be older than twenty." He states.

"I'm seventeen," I admit.

"That's how old I was when I started working here. Phillup told me you were related to Dallas. He'll sure like working with you," he tells me.

"What? Dallas works here?" I ask. I feel my face scrunch up as I process the idea of Dallas working for emergency medical services.

"He works at the police station. We will see him plenty on calls. They assist us quite a bit." Lyle informs me.

I'm having a hard time believing what I am hearing. Dallas? A cop? There's no way. "How long has he been a cop?" I ask.

"Quite a few months. I'm surprised you didn't know. He worked the night shift for a long time. He works days now," he explains to me. That explains why Dallas hasn't been at the Curtis' and when he was he was asleep. I just don't understand why he didn't tell me. And then I remember that I didn't tell anyone about this job. Steve knows, of course, but that's it. Not even Darry knows.

Another man pops his head into the room. "We are needed on a call." He says. He nods his head to me. "I can't believe Phillup hired a little thing like you." He says with a laugh. He walks over and grabs his bag. He is very clearly shorter than me. I just stare at him while I wait for him to notice.

"Wayne, she's taller than you, you moron." Lyle tell him. Wayne snaps his head up at me.

"Not by much." He says as he goes back to his bag.

"By enough." Lyle says with a snort.

Suddenly, and alam goes off. I snap my head to Lyle.

"Told ya we were needed on a call." Wayne says.

"First call, ain't it, kid? Come on. We gotta go." Lyle says. I trail behind him to the ambulance.

Lyle offers to drive and I gladly let him. I don't want to be responsible for crashing an ambulance. Of course, Wayne gets shot gun so I have to sit in the back. The radio at the front starts going off.

"We have a twenty to thirty year old male who is agitated and keeps trying to attack people. He has been shot in the arm. We need some kind of sedative." Someones voice rings out.

"We are on our way." Lyle says back. "What is the address?"

Dispatch tells us the address and we speed down the road. I make a mental list of things I will need to do when we get there. I need to make sure he has an open airway. If he doesn't ventilation might be needed. I will need gauze to pack into the bullet wound so the bleeding stops.

"Are you nervous?" Wayne asks.

"No. I think I'll be fine." I reply. Wayne makes some kind of snorting noise. I roll my eyes.