"We've been here before." Hen said when they got out of the truck. They were on a call, responding to a male injured from a single gunshot wound. The second they all stepped out of the truck though, they were hit with the sense that they'd been there before. Jane looked around, confused, but then she saw the tree, or rather, what remained of it.
"I remember." Jane shuddered. A woman had hung from that tree, a presumed suicide. Her husband had mentioned that she'd used the tree for target practice, and they'd all noticed a bullet lodged into the tree as they were cutting her down. She'd had marks on her arms that had spoken of domestic abuse and they all imagined that at one point she'd tried to kill him. Since he didn't die, she'd had to die. It had been a difficult case for them all and left each of them with a bitter taste in their mouth. Jane had been back at work for only two weeks before that call, recovering from her own trauma and she'd had to go to Hen and Karen's after that shift.
"When?" Buck asked the crew, looking around, expecting to see something that sparked his own memory.
"Before you joined us kid." Bobby said softly. They all shuffled out into the field, seeing the body lying there, somewhat twitching.
Jane took it all in, considering what they were looking at. The husband of the original victim, the woman who had hung herself, now lay in the field, bleeding from a gunshot wound. Apparently, he'd blown up the tree that his wife had hung herself from. Once they put all the pieces of the story together, they guessed that the bullet his wife had shot into the tree had ricocheted back and hit him when he was blowing the tree up. In the end, she'd killed him. It seemed- poetic somehow?
Hen was less introspective about the whole thing. Her exact words were, "Karma's a bitch."
"Language," Jane chastised gently as they headed back to the truck. The police and a coroner had been called and they were heading out. "You really shouldn't curse too much. Especially since you are the one who complained just the other day about Denny's use of such language."
"You are so weird." Buck shook his head at Jane as he hefted himself into the truck.
Jane followed, confused at his statement. He wasn't wrong, but... "Why?"
"You're such a mom. I mean you are like really sweet outside of the uniform. Or well...when we aren't on a dangerous call. The minute you go into work mode, you become like, someone else. It's all very, Jekyll and Hyde, except it's like mom and firefighter."
Jane winced at the word mom, but quickly concealed it with pointed sass. "I'm a firefighter. Firefighters can't be too sweet in the field or the flames will consume them."
Hen heard the bite in her words, but Buck wasn't so observant. The older woman tried to send him warning looks, but he ignored her. As a matter of fact, he was just going to town with his foot in his mouth and he didn't even realize it.
"Speaking of moms, did I tell you about what Bobby and I had to do on the full moon? A class full of pregnant women's yoga, three deliveries, and one surrogate had strained her muscles."
"Oh," Jane's throat was dry and so she struggled to swallow over the lump that had formed in her throat. "That's...that's lovely."
"How was the wedding?" Hen interrupted, trying to help.
"Any guys that didn't have STDs?" Chimney said it jokingly, but they shared a grin at remembering the all too real events of Valentine's Day.
Jane wasn't willing to share too many details of that night though. It had been so incredibly out of character for her, and she didn't want the guys to look at her any differently. All of that aside, she didn't want to outright lie to anyone.
"I'm sure that's none of your business, Chimney," she said primly. "However, please be sure to tell us when you find a girl. Any girl that will actually go out with you."
Chimney clutched his hand to his heart, in mostly good humor at the reminder of his singleness. "Ouch. That just hurt. You stabbed me. Maybe Buck does have something with his Jekyll and Hyde theory. I didn't know you could be so savage."
Hen however, caught on to the fact that Jane had avoided the question of men at the wedding. She sent Jane a curious look and Jane sent a look back that indicated that she'd tell her later. Hen's eyes widened, not expecting that she was in fact right and there really was something to discuss.
Of course, by later, Hen assumed that meant the second they were alone in the locker room.
"So, you met a man, right?" Hen looked down at Jane expectantly, her hands on her hips. Jane was sitting on one of the benches in front of her locker, and before Hen began to interrogate her, she'd been getting out a fresh pair of socks. "That's what the awkward look and avoidance was? You met someone at the wedding?"
Jane immediately blushed and bit her lip, turning her gaze back to the lockers. This caused Hen to break into a giant smile.
"You did!" the paramedic exclaimed triumphantly, pointing a finger directly at Jane. "Tell me everything!"
"I did..." Jane's face felt like it was on fire, "but it wasn't like we exchanged numbers. It was more like we danced together and bonded and at the end of the night we barrowed a hotel room and took each other's clothes off."
"No." Hen's face was a mask of intrigued denial. This was Jane. Jane didn't do one-night stands. Jane had a cat and made baked goods every other day of the week. Jane didn't...have sex with strange attractive men at weddings.
"Yes."
"But I thought you didn't do one-night stands? You said they were meaningless." Hen told her. "I remember the entire conversation. It was right after Buck stole the firetruck and got it on with the snake girl."
"I still don't understand the attraction of that one," Jane thought back to the incident. "I mean...there were so many snakes. It was a bit disturbing."
"Stop avoiding!" Hen interrupted her attempt to change topics. "What happened?"
"Well," Her voice became shrill in embarrassment, "Maybe I was being too judgmental."
"Jane," Hen said gently, "I'm not sure that you have a judgmental bone in your body. The entire time we had that conversation you kept saying how great it was that women could confidently express their sexuality, but that it wasn't for you given your history of...sex. It wasn't from a place of judgement, but a personal choice you had made. Now, I'm just curious as to what changed."
"That's just it Hen...it hasn't changed!"
"But the other night...."
"I know. It's like it wasn't me. I can't do casual...at all. I'm not a casual person. It was like I was someone else. I don't know what happened. What changed. All I know is that what happened the other night was so good for me. For the first time in my entire life, a man was there offering something no one else had, something no one else could offer, and I needed it. I craved it and I was drawn to it and there was so much need...and then I took it."
"Okay then, no judgement here." Hen raised both of her arms in a surrender gesture. "So...was it good?"
"Hen, he was so incredibly hot and I mean," Jane lowered her voice, and her face turned crimson, "he got the job done...at least three times."
Her eyebrows rose, "Three times? How long were you two together?"
"We weren't together all night. He left around three in the morning. I might have blacked out somewhere in the middle so I can't be entirely sure."
Hen looked concerned at her choice of words. "You were blacked out?"
Jane immediately rushed to reassure her. "Only figuratively. No drugs or alcohol involved. Hen, by the time we were done I could barely move. It was so unlike me...like I was a completely different person. Uninhibited. Hell, I'm the one who kissed him first!"
"You made the first move?" Hen's eyebrows were raised again and her voice was higher with her disbelief. "And this would have been your first time since...?"
Jane nodded. Hen shook her head at the young woman. She understood being a completely different person on the full moon, but she wasn't quite ready to talk about her life regrets now. Besides, they were talking about Jane who'd just had her first sexual encounter since everything she'd endured last year. This was a big deal.
"So, you really didn't get his number?"
"No," Jane said thoughtfully. "I think it was just one of those things that we both needed. I mean, I know I needed it, but the way it happened, I think we both just needed the relief. Besides, he was...beautiful and kind and a really, really good kisser."
"Beautiful huh?"
"God yes. He was taller with dark hair and dark, amber eyes and the best voice. The kind that sends shivers down your spine." Jane's smile was a bit dreamy. "He was so careful with me. I spend so much of my life trying to block everything out, but with him I couldn't have blocked him out even if I wanted to."
"Good," Hen said. "Does this mean you'll consider letting us set you up now? You know Karen's co-worker is still single and she swears you two would get along."
Jane thought back to the Texan who she had done more than get along with. They wouldn't see each other again, but maybe that was alright. Maybe, that's all it was. One night where she could let go and then be okay.
"Maybe. I might finally agree." She looked over at Hen, who'd gotten distracted. She was staring at the lockers, her mind a million miles away.
"You alright Hen? You need to talk?"
"No. I mean," the older woman stumbled on her words, "yeah. I'm fine."
"You sure?" Jane asked gently. "You've been kind of quiet today. Everything alright at home?"
"No," She said, honestly. "But...I'm not ready to talk about it yet. I don't think so anyway."
"That's okay. I'm here when you need me. No judgement."
..............
Two days later, Chimney was hosting a blood drive at the Firehouse and so Jane, Hen, and Buck all came in early to donate before they would start their shift. Jane made and brought in chocolate chip cookies for afterwards to replenish their blood sugar. She'd fainted the last time she'd had to give blood and she was determined not to have a repeat experience.
"So, I want to thank everybody for donating today." Chimney came onto the floor and sent smiles to everyone as they donated. Jane was sitting between Hen and Buck chatting amiably in their chairs.
"I don't know if you know this or not, but ninety percent of all the blood given to patients in the Los Angeles area comes from volunteers. I know that we all put our asses on the line in the field every day to save people but today, you're saving people and all it's taking is a tiny prick of a needle. It's so simple that even Mr. Buckley can't mess that up." Chimney was giving the speech and waving his arms at them with a large smile on his face. Jane gave him an encouraging smile back. It really was a great thing he was doing.
At that moment, Bobby arrived for his shift and walked up to Chimney after sending smiles to them all. He was dressed out of uniform in a plaid flannel, and he seemed cautious about the entire blood drive situation.
"Still at it huh? How'd you do?" He asked Chimney.
"Incredible," Was Chim's immediate response. "Everyone donated. Some people even came in on their day off."
"That's great!" Bobby's voice was cheerful but stilted. Jane knew that he hadn't given blood. "Alright let's wrap it up!" He was rushing now, trying to evade Chimney and his clipboard, a futile effort if there ever was one. "We got to start our shift!"
"Uhum," Chimney interrupted his anxious escape, noticing Bobby's absence on the clipboard. Jane sent Bobby a pitying look, which he responded to with a panicked one of his own.
"Hold up!" Chimney turned around and faced Bobby, who sent Jane another anxious look. "Looks here like I am two pints shy of my goal for the day."
Bobby's face was just repressing his panic. He deflected like any other self-respecting adult would. "Well, that'll give you something to work towards next time."
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! You're the Captain of this house and you're the only one who didn't participate." Chimney's voice was low, but Buck and Hen were already sending Bobby looks. The nurses had finished with the trio and they were slowly leaving their chairs to join the discussion Bobby and Chimney had moved about ten yards away by the trucks.
"I don't like needles. End of story," Bobby said firmly and he tried to walk away. Yet another futile effort.
"Oh Captain, come on. You gotta do it." Hen said.
"He doesn't really. If he's that scared of needles, we shouldn't bug him. Some people have genuine fears that we shouldn't push." Jane argued softly.
Hen, Buck, and Chimney just gave her an unmoved look. She sent Bobby an apologetic shrug. "I tried."
"I don't give blood. Alright? I never give blood. When I was a kid, they tried to take my blood and I bit the doctor." They laughed. "The one time someone tried to take my blood as an adult...it didn't go well." He walked away as Hen and Buck really busted out laughing.
Jane turned on them, shaking her head with a disappointed look. "You shouldn't laugh. I don't laugh at either one of you."
"Untrue," Hen said. "You laughed at me when Karen pretended that it was our anniversary and I panicked over finding a present."
"Because that was funny."
"You laugh at me every chance you get," Buck replied.
"Because your continued existence on this planet is a miracle, and besides, I'm a lot nicer to you than most other people."
"Untrue," Buck argued. "You are ridiculously nice to everyone! If anything, you are meaner to me than you are to anyone else."
"He has a point," Hen said.
"No he doesn't, but that isn't the point right now," she argued. "The point is that we aren't going to tease Bobby because this is going to be difficult for him. We have to be encouraging."
Jane glanced behind her and saw that Chimney was making a moving speech to Bobby. The same one he'd given her when she'd explained the last terrible experience that she'd had giving blood. She could even picture his face while his back was turned to her as he talked about balancing the universe. The man could make one hell of a sales pitch.
She turned back to her friends. "Now, if Chimney gets Bobby to donate, we will be supportive and not make fun of him for his fears." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully. "Got that?"
They nodded. She'd used her mom voice and frankly they were powerless against it. It felt good to have someone want to take care of them all.
"Good," Jane said. "Now, wash your hands and come get a cookie. I can't bring anymore baked goods back to my house. I have absolutely no self-control and I will inevitably eat all of them and end up with a stomach ache."
They all turned to do just that when Chimney made a big gesture, asking them all to come over. "When everyone in this room asked how they could help...well this is how."
They all walked up to take Chimney's place in front of Bobby, sending him various meaningful looks. Buck looked obnoxious. Hen looked pleased. Jane looked sweet and gave her usual wide puppy eyes.
Bobby looked at the three of them in turn and then he shook his head helplessly. "I hate all of you."
"You love us," Hen and Jane told him. Hen crinkled her nose into a laugh.
"Here, you're gonna need this," Buck handed bobby a stress ball. Jane hit him in the stomach.
"What?" Buck asked defensively. "This isn't making fun of him. It's helpful. It's supportive even!"
Jane just shook her head. "Tone, Buck. Watch the tone."
"Alright let's stick 'em!" Chimney shouted.
"Looks like it's not me you should have been lecturing," Buck winked at Jane. Jane just shook her head and looked to the ceiling as if asking for patience to deal with them.
Jane sat with Bobby while his blood was drawn, distracting him with stories about Felix. The cat had recently developed an obsession with Seinfeld and every time Jane would go to change the channel, he'd swipe at her and give her his dirtiest of dirty looks.
Bobby looked amused at the story. "That cat has more personality than Buck sometimes, I swear."
"It's true," Jane nodded sagely. "The cat is an opinionated jerk many days, but he is my jerk."
"Thank you, Thomas."
"For what?"
"For sitting here and distracting me. Its kind of ridiculous to fear giving blood at my age, but..."
Jane just grabbed his hand and offered it a reassuring squeeze. "No problem, Nash."
............
They were heading back from a call at a local gym, where the less than kind gym owner had been cooked in his own tanning bed, when Bobby's phone rang.
"This is Bobby," He answered as he walked over to put the work iPad into the truck. He used it to respond and submit reports on the 118's calls instantly. He opened the truck and set the iPad down, listening to whomever was on the other end of the line calmly, but then his body language stiffened.
He turned around and his face was clouded, causing Jane, who was right behind him and Chimney, who was loading his gear into the back of the ambulance, freeze.
"I-I don't understand why you can't just tell...Okay. Thanks."
Hen and Buck had joined them, all four of them wearing masks of concern.
"What's up?" Chimney asked.
"Are you okay?" Jane's voice was trembly. She didn't like the way he was standing.
"That was Cedar's." Bobby told them.
"Is someone sick?" Buck asked.
"The blood I donated- they sent it to a lab and had it tested so..."
"Well, it's the first time you've donated; they have to do that before they release it to the blood supply." Chimney explained.
"They found something." Bobby's voice was low.
"What do you mean they found something?" Hen asked, her voice impatient with concern as she came up behind the rest of them.
"They wouldn't tell me over the phone, they said they'd rather do it in person."
"Well, then," Jane said softly. "That's fine. It will all be fine." Her voice was soft, an attempt at being reassuring when they all felt like they'd been dealt a painful blow.
The ride back to the station was fairly silent. They were all concerned about what the results could be. Jane wished he wasn't isolated in the front. She wanted to reassure him that it was probably something good. Although, she knew that when the doctor insisted on delivering news in person, it was usually bad news. No one ever wanted to break bad news over the phone.
..........
They sent the results of Bobby's blood test to this specialist at St. Mercy's and that's where he had his appointment later that week. Chimney and Jane both went with Bobby to the Doctor's office. They'd formed a sort of trio, being the single people in the group with no real family around. Jane also felt obligated. He'd been there for her when she'd been in the hospital. It was now her turn to return the favor. Chimney also felt obligated for a different reason.
"You don't have to be here with me, you know?" Bobby was trying to get them to leave, although Jane couldn't blame him for that as she looked up at Chim. Chimney was pacing back and forth, making them all nervous. Well, more nervous.
"Yeah," Chimney sighed, "well, this is all only happening because I'm the one who made you get your blood drawn. I feel obligated."
"What Chimney means to say," Jane interjected from her seat in the corner, "Is that we both care about you and you deserve to have people here to support you no matter what the doctor says. You've been at our sides during our hospital visits, and we intend to return the favor. Right Chimney?"
"Yeah, sure," he cried out as he kept pacing. Jane rolled her eyes at him. He got so wound up and they didn't even know what was happening. Poor Bobby, if he got bad news, he wouldn't be able to do anything because they'd both have to take care of Chimney.
Chimney finally stopped pacing long enough took look Bobby aggressively in the eyes. "Listen! I'm here for you no matter what that doctor has to say, right?"
Before Jane could tell him to sit down, again, they heard a knock on the door. At the sight of the doctor, even Jane stood up, bracing herself for any number of outcomes of this visit.
The doctor was an older man that Jane had never seen before. He had a receding hairline, glasses, and a calming presence. He also didn't look like the harbinger of death, which was always a plus.
"Mr. Nash?" His voice was warm too.
Bobby stood up immediately and reached to shake the man's hand. "Yeah."
"Thank you for coming in so quickly. There are some findings in your blood work that are time sensitive."
That did not sound good, and Jane wondered if she had misread the man's body language. The doctor looked over concerned at the presence of Chimney, who really did not look calm, and Jane who hoped that the serene look on her face was still there after that rather frightening sentence.
"They're good," Bobby assured the doctor. "No need to sugarcoat."
"Please," The Doctor gestured for them all to sit down, and Jane hoped that Chimney would actually listen to him. Fortunately, he did.
"Have you ever heard of Rhesus disease?"
Jane's eyebrows rose exponentially. "Yes."
The doctor looked at her and she felt the need to explain. "I volunteer in the NICU."
He nodded and turned to the men who had no idea what it was.
"No," Bobby explained. "How bad is it?"
"It's terrible. Fatal in most cases." Jane mentally wondered what this had to do with Bobby's test results. "But you don't have it."
Chimney looked immediately relieved, and the doctor continued to explain. "It only effects pregnant women and their fetuses."
"I'm, I'm sorry," Bobby was confused. "I don't understand."
"Neither do I. I'm trying to understand why it was brought up." Jane said lowly.
"There are some 4,000 cases of Rhesus in newborns each year. You are almost an identical match to a man in Australia named James Harrison. For decades his donated blood saved the lives of more than two million children. They call him the man with the golden arm. Now, it seems you have one too."
"Millions of children," Jane breathed out, a smile blooming on her face. Chimney had gained one to match.
He could save millions of children. She looked over at Bobby then...whose face was still somber. Why isn't he happier about this? Millions of babies. Millions saved! This was amazing!
"Now," the doctor began. "If you would fill this out." He handed Bobby a paper. "We would love to get you into our rare donor's program as soon as possible. We could set up regular donations. There are babies at this very moment who need you."
Jane thought about the babies that she'd taken care of who had been diagnosed with Rhesus. One's that she'd held before they died. They do need him.
"Thank you," Bobby responded, nodding at the doctor. Chimney was still beaming beside him, but Jane was on his other side and she could see that there was something wrong.
The doctor stood up and held out his hand. "Congratulations."
"Yeah," Bobby grunted. He was so...detached.
Once the doctor left the room, Chimney pounced.
"Well dude, I guess you're gonna have to get over your fear of needles, huh?" He was laughing and clapping, but Jane just sat there, a fake smile plastered on her face.
Was Bobby going to refuse to donate?
............
They were lifting weights at the Firehouse when Chimney brought up the blood donation again. After the initial enthusiasm, it seemed that Chimney began to understand that it wasn't as simple as they wanted it to be. For a little while, they'd left Bobby alone, although it physically hurt Jane as she knew that the longer babies went without the antibodies, their fatality rates grew higher. His hesitation...it was killing her.
"Hey Bobby!" Chimney came down the stairs, entering the weight room where Bobby and Jane were lifting. "So that guy in Australia, ya know, the one who has the same blood makeup as you. It says here that in 1999 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for saving those kids. And what would be our equivalent?" He thought for a moment. "It's got to be the Presidential Medal of Freedom, right? We should totally put you up for one of those."
"I gave some blood, Chim. It doesn't merit a medal. Let's just drop it!" Jane put the bench press she'd been using down and lifted herself up to watch the interaction. She'd remained quiet, but she'd interrupt if need be.
"Chimney..." Jane began with a warning voice.
"Drop it?!" Chim's voice was incredulous, and he had chosen to ignore Jane. She rolled her eyes at him. "It's the Presidential Medal of Freedom?"
Bobby stalked out the door, heading to the locker rooms. Chimney followed him and Jane cautiously followed behind the two of them. Bobby had slammed his locker open and was glaring at the contents when Chimney caught up. Jane hesitated behind them both.
"Alright," Chimney leaned against the doorframe. "You want to tell me what's chafing you?"
Bobby kicked at the lockers and let out a frustrated breath.
"Chimney..." Jane warned again.
"Look! I get it. You don't like needles, but you're a lifesaver! That's what you do. You're a hero man, and somebody just told you that you have the opportunity to save thousands, maybe millions of kids!" Chimney was on a roll. He didn't see the downside, frankly Jane didn't either, but she saw Bobby's reaction. That's when Bobby erupted.
"They're the wrong kids! I want my kids!" His face was heartbreaking, and Jane understood. No matter what she did and who she saved, it would never bring back the one she lost. "Yeah, I'm some lifesaver, aren't I?! That's what I was put on this Earth to do, but I couldn't save my family. I couldn't protect them from me. A hundred and forty-eight. That's the number of lives that I owe for the mistakes that I made and once I pay that debt, I get to be with them again. And I was halfway there, Chim." Bobby was devastated. "I was halfway there. I was going to see my kids again. That was the deal."
"The deal with who Bobby?" Jane asked softly, already knowing the answer.
"The deal I made with God." He sat down on the bench then, worn out and soul tired. Jane cautiously crept into the room and sat down next to him.
Chimney looked down at his worn-out figure. "I don't think it's God you made the deal with Cap."
"And then I got that phone call," Bobby interrupted. "about my blood test. And I thought, here we go. Here it is. Here's my punishment. Cancer. After all the prayers that I sent up there so I could live long enough..."
"You're not talking about killing yourself, are you?" Chimney's voice was painful
"Yes," Jane said lowly, gaining his attention. "He is."
"Yeah, I want out. I want to see my kids again and I want this pain to end. But it's not going to end. It's never gonna' end. Cause God's not punishing me by killing me. He's punishing me by forcing me to stay alive."
"You are alive. You have a purpose. He can't let you destroy yourself yet." Jane's voice was low and soft as she said the exact same words that he'd told her over a year ago.
Only, Bobby wasn't ready to hear them yet. Jane and Chimney were left staring after him when he stormed off. But...Jane knew her Captain. She knew her friend. She had a plan. So, without hesitation, she took out her cell phone and made a call.
"Hey, Farrah. I know you leave for your honeymoon at the end of the week and that you aren't going into the hospital until you get back, but I need a favor."
Jane was going to get this hero into motion.
.........
She'd convinced Chimney to give Bobby an urgent call to the hospital.
Bobby came running in worriedly the automatic doors shutting behind him. "Hey Chimney! Jane! What's going on are you both alright?"
Chimney and Jane gave him calming smiles as they stood up from where they were discussing the actress in a magazine they'd found on the table.
"Follow us Bobby," Jane said soothingly. "We want to show you something."
Jane took them through the side door of the waiting room, shooting Halle a grateful look on her way. She led both men down one of the many white hallways and stopped just outside one of the NICU rooms. This room had a full view of a baby that Jane had spent her afternoon with and had met with parents who were grateful beyond all belief that they still had their precious baby after they'd believed that she was going to die.
Jane looked up at Bobby and saw his eyes soften as he took in the squirming baby girl. She was tiny but she appeared healthy and strong and the woman staring down at her in absolute adoration, was beaming at her like the child was everything in the world. Jane, seeing Bobby as caught up in the scene as she was, felt warm. She'd done the right thing, bringing him here.
Steven came up behind them from farther down the hall and Jane sent him a warm smile, which he immediately returned. She nodded towards the two men.
"Her name's Asha. She's our first." Steven looked at Bobby and Chimney who turned around at the sound of his voice.
"Bobby," Jane said softly, "this is Steven. We met this afternoon and when he heard that Chimney and I were bringing you here, he begged us to let him talk to you."
They shook hands and Steven gave him another grateful look before he turned back to Asha. They all looked upon the baby girl in wonder.
"We never thought we would get to meet her. Instead, she's starting out life healthy and disease free. That's because of you. That's your blood they rushed over here." He started to get choked up and the three first responders instinctively wanted to help him, but these were happy tears. These were grateful tears, because Bobby Nash, First Responder, Captain of the 118 and Savior of the hurt, had saved the life of this man's baby girl.
"Thank you," the father gasped. Then, Steven pulled Bobby in for a hug.
Jane was crying unashamedly. "Take care," Bobby said softly as the younger man pulled away. Steven nodded to them all and then left to go join his wife and baby girl.
"Now you tell me that's the wrong kid?" Chimney demanded, looking at the family. They were together and happy and the scene was one of contented healing. It was the product of Bobby Nash, a man who might have been an alcoholic. A man who had done something awful when he was sick with addiction. A man who was a firefighter. A man who did everything in his power to save people he saw who were in trouble. This man had dedicated his life to saving people and now he could save millions.
"No kid we save is ever going to be the wrong kid Bobby," Jane told him. "No kid I ever hold will be the wrong kid."
"Look," Chimney said, "you're gonna see your kids again. I do believe that."
"You will," Jane agreed. "But right now, Asha and a thousand others just like her, they're your kids too. That's your blood in their veins."
"So, you look at her, you look and her and those young parents and you tell us if that feels like punishment."
"No," Bobby said, his head lowering. "It's a blessing."
"The greatest blessing," Jane beamed through her tears.
"Exactly," Chim nodded. "I think you better either throw that book of yours away or get yourself a bigger one, 'cause it seems to me like you're here to stay." Bobby agreed. "And just think you'll only have to give blood once. Every eight weeks. For the rest of your life."
They all shared a soft laugh.
"Could you explain to me again how God's not punishing me?"
"Oh, he's just teasing you."
"He does have a sense of humor," Jane chimed.
"Considering who I work with he must have figured I could take the joke." Jane just shook her head at Bobby's retort while Chimney chuckled.
They sat looking at Asha and her parents for a while after that, and Chimney eventually had to excuse himself to the restroom. They'd all decided to get dinner after the hospital whenever he came back.
"It fills the holes?" Bobby asked softly. "Being here and holding them?"
Jane gave another weary smile. "It mends them bit by bit. You know they won't go away, but each time one is saved the burden is a little bit lighter and the hole is little less empty."
"Good," Bobby nodded. Both firefighters had tears streaming down their faces as they watched the babies. "Good." They gave each other a side hug. It was a comforting embrace of friendship and understanding.
"I'm glad to have met you, Bobby."
"The feeling is mutual."
Double update and a shorter chapter as we approach the end of Season 1! I legitimately wrote this entire chapter while I still had writers block for the Full Moon chapter and I did very brief editing due to insomnia before posting it.
I'm amazed and grateful at the response this book has gotten and I love the comments! I can't promise when the next update is because whenever I give myself deadlines they end up useless because school takes precedent. Please keep reading, commenting, and voting!
Edited 7.28.2021
Song of the Chapter: Some Kind of Love by The Killers