Jean and Judy sat in the hospital waiting room watching the special report
on TV. It wasn't long after they'd gotten there that the names had been released.
When they first heard their husbands' names, they reached for each other and
held hands in support. Woods and Brinkman sat on either side of them, wishing
they could be helping their friends. Of course, their mere presence was helping
their friends' wives, but they wanted to take a more active role.
"It looks as if one of the officers is about to be brought out of
the car," the voice on the TV droned on, "That's the Jaws of Life
the firemen are using. It will be used to get the officers out of the car
where they've been trapped for almost two hours…"
The ladies tensed as they watched; they both knew it was Jim that was about
to be freed since they were working on the passenger side. Jean gave a small
smile to Brinkman as he placed a hand on her shoulder for support. They sat
in silence as they watched.
"The first officer is out of the car now, and is being put into the ambulance.
We understand that he will be taken to Rampart General Hospital…"
"How long until it gets here?" Jean wondered.
"It should only take a few minutes. This is the closest hospital." Brinkman
told her.
Jean nodded, "I want to see him."
"Jean, you know they won't let you in the room while they're treating him.
You might as well stay here and…"
"No," she interrupted. "I want to see him brought in."
"Okay," Brinkman gave in.
"Jean, I'll be right out." Judy squeezed her hand. "I just want to see
them get Pete out. Make sure… well, you know, make sure they get him
out okay."
Jean nodded and left the room with Brinkman. Judy reached for Woods' hand
as she continued to watch.
"… one of the paramedics seems to be getting some more equipment for
the other officer still trapped in the car. It looks as if the police and
firemen are having a conference. Several officers have been sent over to
the ambulance, and there's a flurry of activity. It's hard to tell at this
point what is going on. If you're just joining us, LAPD Officers Malloy and
Reed were involved in a multi-car accident a little before 4 p.m. today. They've
been trapped in their car since that time. One of the officers was just freed
and is on the way to Rampart Emergency at this time. Firemen and police are
now attempting to free the other trapped officer…"
Judy watched as Pete was finally pulled from the mangled wreck of the car.
She couldn't see him very well because of the many people surrounding him,
but an icy chill settled on the back of her neck and stayed there.
"He'll be okay, Judy." Woods tried to comfort her. "Pete's strong; he'll
make it."
"I hope you're right, Jerry." She whispered. "Let's go wait with Jean."
Jerry didn't even try to argue; he knew it was useless.
The first ambulance was just arriving when Judy and Woods joined Jean and
Brinkman. There was a flurry of activity as hospital personnel rushed out
to meet the ambulance. Jean rushed forward as Jim was wheeled in.
"Jim? Oh, God, Jim!" She leaned down and gently touched his face with its
numerous cuts from the flying glass. "Jim, can you hear me?"
"Ma'am," one of the paramedics detached from the group and took her arm,
"Ma'am, please, you have to stay here. They'll take good care of him. Let
them do their job."
Jean nodded and let them wheel him into one of the treatment rooms. She
shuddered, and Brinkman put an arm around her and guided her to a nearby bench.
Her head sunk into her hands as she tried to put the image of her husband's
battered body out of her mind.
Judy watched and couldn't help but wonder what her own husband would look
like when he was brought in. She steeled herself for the worst and continued
to stare at the doors and wait.
Less than ten minutes later, the wait was over. The ambulance backed up
to the doors and she watched and tensed as the attendants got out and opened
the doors. They eased the stretcher out of the back, guiding the paramedics
as they went. She gasped as she saw what they were doing. The man with "DeSoto"
stenciled on the back of his coat was busy squeezing a bag attached to a tube
in Pete's mouth, providing the oxygen he wasn't breathing on his own. More
hospital personnel rushed forward and helped usher them into one of the other
treatment rooms.
Judy sat down next to Jean and gave her a hug. They clung to each other
while the officers next to them fidgeted. They weren't sure what to do until
suddenly they were surrounded by shouting reporters shoving microphones in
their faces.
"Are these the officers' wives?" One reporter questioned while his partner
snapped a picture of the distraught women.
"Just let us talk to them." Another complained as Woods and Brinkman held
their arms out to keep them from intruding.
"Hey, you," Woods noticed one of the press had sneaked around them and
was asking Jean and Judy all sorts of questions. "Back up, buddy."
"I'm just trying to get some basic information." He turned back to the
ladies, ignoring their attempts to avoid him. He pressed on with the questions.
"I said 'back up' and I mean it. Now, do it!" Woods warned him.
The reporter stood and glared at the officer, attempting to intimidate
him. "Now, just you wait a minute! You can't talk to me that way!"
A hand on his shoulder stopped Woods from replying. "How would you like
him to talk to you?" Mac wondered.
"Well, I, uh," the reporter faltered at the look on the man's face. "I'm
just trying to get some news for the folks at home. They have a right to know…"
"And what about these women?" Mac was really struggling to retain his temper.
"Don't they have a right to a little privacy? They just saw their husbands
brought in here. Now, give them some space or I'll have you arrested for disturbing
the peace. Do I make myself clear?"
The man's head wobbled up and down nervously, "Yes, yes, of course." He
shuffled back behind the others.
"Good." Mac turned his attention to the two women. "Jean, Judy, how're
you doing?"
Jean just shook her head and wiped away tears. Judy managed to speak despite
her tears, "Not good, Mac."
"I know." He patted her on the shoulder and then looked around. "C'mon,
let's get away from the reporters and go into the waiting room."
The reporters continued to fire questions and take pictures as the women
were led away by Mac. Woods and Brinkman had their work cut out for them keeping
them at bay.
As they entered the waiting room, Mac reached up and turned off the TV
that still had pictures of the accident as the news came on. He guided the
women over to the couch, "You want some coffee or anything?"
"Not right now." Jean shook her head.
"Mac," Judy's voice was barely above a whisper. "Do you think you could
find out how they're doing? They didn't look good coming in."
"I'll see what I can find out. Will you be okay, or do you want me to
send Woods in?"
"We'll be okay." Jean assured him.
"All right. I'll be right back."
Mac sighed as he saw the press still trying to get information from Woods
and Brinkman. The two officers just kept shaking their heads and saying they
knew nothing more than the reporters did.
"Sergeant," one called to him, "how are the two officers?"
"We don't know any more than we did before." Mac held up his hands to silence
everyone before they could call out more questions. "You might as well go
back and work up your stories with what you have because we won't have any
more news for you for a while. We'll release their conditions when we know
something, but it's going to be a while."
There was some grumbling, but a few of them started to drift away and leave.
One or two photographers stuck around but they weren't hard to handle. Woods
and Brinkman went over to stand guard over the door to the waiting room just
in case.
"Excuse me, Nurse?" Mac went over to the emergency desk. "I'm Sergeant
MacDonald, and I was just wondering if you knew how the two officers that
were brought in are doing."
"I'm sorry, Sergeant, I don't know." She apologized. "But I'll go let someone
know that you're waiting for news. Are their families here?"
"Their wives are in the waiting room over there. We'd appreciate knowing
something soon."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you."
Mac nodded at Woods and Brinkman as he went back to the waiting room, approving
of their new position.
Jean and Judy looked up expectantly as he entered. "Well?"
"The nurse is going to go check." He tried to ease their minds. "She'll
send someone in as soon as she can."
"I do hate this part." Judy complained. "I hate the waiting."
Jean nodded in agreement. "I feel so helpless!"
Mac nodded as well, "There's nothing else to do at this point."
"I know, that's why I hate it." Judy reasoned.
Just then, the doors opened to admit Paramedics DeSoto and Gage. Woods
and Brinkman stepped just inside the door so that they, too, could hear the
news.
"Jean, Judy," Mac stepped forward to make the introductions. "This is Roy
DeSoto and John Gage, they're paramedics with Station 51. They were the ones
that helped Jim and Pete." He pointed to each of the women in turn, "Jean
Reed. Judy Malloy."
Roy nodded, "I wish we were meeting under different circumstances."
"How are they?" Jean wondered.
"Dr. Brackett will be out to talk with you in a few minutes." Roy explained.
"Don't worry too much. He was conscious and coherent in the car. Even joked
that you were going to put him to work this weekend!"
Jean smiled and let out a small laugh, "Thank you."
Johnny spoke up for the first time, "Hang in there. Jim's tough."
"What about Pete?" Judy was almost afraid to know. She couldn't shake the
image of them performing CPR on him.
Roy took a deep breath. "Dr. Early's taking care of him. He'll let you
know something as soon as he can."
"Was he ever conscious?"
Roy shook his head. "No, but I wouldn't worry. That's not uncommon with
this type of accident."
Judy nodded and blinked back tears, "You were doing CPR when he came in…"
"He's holding his own. The doctors will be able to give you the details."
"Don't worry," Johnny interjected. "Dr. Early will take good care of him.
I can vouch for him – he saved my life once."
Judy took a shuddering breath but didn't trust herself to speak.
Roy made sure he spoke to both of the wives, "The doctors will keep you
updated."
"Yeah, and they're both tough guys. You can't give up hope, okay?" Johnny
waited for a reaction. "They are both tough, aren't they? I mean, that's what
they told us. You're not telling me that they lied to us are you?"
That got the reaction he was wanting. They both smiled.
"That's better," he noted. "Now, we have to get back to work. Hang in
there, okay?"
"We'll stop to see how they're doing if we're here again this shift." Roy
added.
"Thank you, both."
"For everything." Jean added and then thought of the pictures she had seen
on TV. One of the paramedics had always been in the car with the two men when
they were trapped. "Especially for being with them."
Mac walked with them to the door, "Thanks again, guys. We owe you one."
"Just let us know how they are if we don't get back here tonight."
"We will, thanks."
As the two paramedics left, Mac caught a glimpse of the hallway. It looked
like most of the Daywatch had arrived. They were still in uniform as a show
of support for their wounded comrades. It was known as the Wall of Blue,
and it was one of the finest displays of support a department could show,
even if it was one they hoped to never see.
The reporters in the hallway took a picture of the officers lining the
hallway and then left knowing they would not be given any information. They
left quietly, wondering how they would ever convey to the public the feeling
at the hospital; it didn't take long to figure out that this was something
that could never be expressed to its full extent. It had to be seen to be
appreciated.
Several officers came into the waiting room to await news while the rest
stayed in the hallway keeping their vigil. Woods, Brinkman, Wells and MacDonald
all tried to keep Jean and Judy from imagining the worst by sharing stories
of capers Reed and Malloy had been involved in. An hour later, a nurse came
in to give them their first news since Roy and Johnny had left.
"Mrs. Malloy, Mrs. Reed, I'm Dixie McCall, head nurse."
"No, guys, don't go." Judy motioned to the officers who were about to leave
them alone. "You should hear this, too."
They shrugged and waited for the nurse to continue.
"I just checked on both of your husbands. They're still in surgery, but
the doctors wanted me to give you an update. Officer Reed is doing quite well
considering. He had several broken ribs and was bleeding internally, but
they have that under control. He was showing the first signs of hypothermia
as a result of the extended time in the wet conditions, but they'll keep a
close eye on that. Dr. Brackett said he should be finished within the hour
and will come talk to you when he's finished."
"Thank you," Jean felt a little better. That was better news than she had
been prepared for.
Dixie turned to Judy, "Officer Malloy's also still in surgery. He's holding
his own, but I have to tell you that it's touch and go at this point. He suffered
a lot of internal damage, but they're doing all they can. He also had several
broken ribs and unfortunately, one of the ribs punctured his lung and it
collapsed. He'll be on a respirator for now until he can breathe on his own.
I'm afraid he's going to be in surgery for quite some time, but we'll try
to keep you updated."
"Will he make it?" Judy had to ask. It didn't sound good, and she could
tell the nurse was trying to avoid telling her of the possibility.
Dixie shook her head, "I'm sorry, it's too soon to tell. But he's made
it this far so that's encouraging. Don't give up."
Judy nodded and leaned gratefully against Mac as he put an arm around her
for support.
He led her back over to the couch and made her sit down. Someone pressed
a cup of coffee into her hand, which she drank mechanically without even noticing
the taste.
Jean sat down next to her and grabbed her hand. They didn't say a word,
but none was needed. They both knew what the other was feeling. They spent
the next hour pacing the waiting room. Several of the officers' wives dropped
in to offer words of support and encouragement. When Nurse McCall returned,
a doctor accompanied her.
"Mrs. Reed, this is Dr. Brackett." Dixie introduced them.
"How is he, Doctor?"
"He came through surgery just fine. He's being taken to recovery now and
will be moved to ICU shortly."
"How bad is he?"
"He had several minor injuries including cuts and scrapes on his face and
arms. He has a nasty leg wound, and he lost a lot of blood. He also has several
broken ribs and there was some internal bleeding. We've got the bleeding under
control, and we've stabilized him. He'll be in ICU for a few days."
Jean nodded, holding back her tears. "Thank you, Doctor."
Brackett patted her arm, "Everything looks good, Mrs. Reed. Your husband
should be just fine."
"Can I see him?"
"When we get him settled into ICU, we'll send someone to get you."
"Is there any word on Officer Malloy yet?" Mac wondered, knowing that Judy
was about to ask the same thing.
Brackett shook his head, "I'm sorry, he's still in surgery. Someone will
be sure to let you know when he's out."
"Thank you, Doctor." Brackett left the room and Mac nodded to Woods who
went out to tell the waiting officers in the hall.
"Jean, I'm so glad Jim's going to be all right." Judy hugged her.
"Thank you," she leaned back to look the other woman in the eye. "I'm sure
Pete will be just fine, too."
"I hope so, Jean," Judy blinked back her tears. "I don't know what I'd
do without him."
"I know." Jean agreed. "I know."
Forty-five minutes later, Nurse McCall came back to get Jean. "Mrs. Reed?
Your husband is being taken to ICU now. You'll be able to go see him in just
a few minutes."
"Is he awake?"
"Not yet. He might not be awake for a while yet, and if he does wake up,
he might not be too coherent just yet."
"That's fine, so long as he's going to be all right."
Dixie smiled, "He's not entirely out of the woods yet, but he's doing just
fine."
Jean nodded and turned to Judy, "Do you want me to stay until you hear
about Pete?"
"No, no, you go." She insisted and gestured around them. "Besides, I have
plenty of company. Go see Jim. He needs you."
"Let me know about Pete, okay?"
Judy nodded and sighed as she watched Jean leave with Dixie.
Ten minutes later, Dr. Early walked in to the waiting room. "Mrs. Malloy?"
"Yes?" Judy stopped her pacing and Mac joined her, standing beside her.
"I'm Doctor Joe Early. I operated on your husband. We just finished."
"How's he doing?" Mac wondered.
"Well, the orthopedic surgeon is setting his broken leg now. He had some
minor cuts and abrasions on his face and arms that we've taken care of. He
sustained a pretty big bump on the head that we're concerned about. He also
has some fairly serious internal injuries. Several of his ribs were broken
and one punctured his lung. He's lost a lot of blood…"
"Dr. Early to OR 2. Dr. Early to OR 2." The intercom interrupted
him.
"Excuse me."
"Oh, no, is that Pete?" Judy's voice was near panic as all sorts of scenarios
chased through her mind.
"I'll try to be back soon to update you." He left them with his non-answer.
"Judy, take it easy." Mac tried to calm her.
"But that's Pete! He could be… he might be…"
"Don't even think it!" Mac warned. "He'll be okay, you just have to keep
faith."
Judy nodded, but it was getting more and more difficult to keep her tears
in check. They spent an anxious half-hour waiting for Dr. Early's return.
"Doctor?" Judy questioned as soon as she saw him walk in the door.
"Mrs. Malloy, why don't we sit down?"
Judy stiffened and felt Mac next to her do the same. When the doctor asked
you to sit, it usually meant bad news. She hoped she was wrong.
"Mrs. Malloy, Sergeant, I'm sorry about rushing out of here earlier." He
apologized.
"It was Pete, wasn't it?" Judy stared at him intently.
Early nodded, "Yes. As the orthopedic surgeon was setting his leg, he had
a few more complications due to the thoracic injuries."
"Oh, God!" Judy moaned.
"We managed to bring him around, but I'm afraid he has some rather serious
injuries. We're most concerned about the head injury, but there's no way to
tell how severe that is at the moment."
Judy sat stunned, "What, um, what does that mean exactly? Will he make
it?"
"We can't tell at this point. We're doing all we can for him, but he suffered
severe trauma. The fact that he was trapped in the car for so long and his
injuries couldn't be treated right away, plus the wet conditions haven't helped
him. I wish there was something more I could say."
Judy nodded and managed to whisper, "Can I see him?"
"They're setting him up in ICU right now, but they should be done shortly.
I'll take you up there in a few minutes."
Mac tightened his grip on Judy's shoulder whether for her benefit or his
own he couldn't tell. "Can I see him, Doctor?"
"I can let you go in for just a minute when I take Mrs. Malloy up, but
I can't let you stay long. It's supposed to be immediate family only."
"I understand."
Early glanced at his watch, "Are you ready to go up?"
Judy nodded. Mac put his right arm around her for support. She leaned on
him as they made their way through the waiting officers in the hallway and
to the elevator. She took a deep breath as they emerged on the correct floor.
"Mrs. Malloy, you'll be able to stay as long as you like. He's being monitored
by a nurse at the desk so if there's a problem, she'll know right away, and
please feel free to ask any questions you might have."
Judy nodded and gave Mac a wan smile as they approached the doorway. She
didn't allow herself to look in through the glass window that overlooked the
nurse's station; she wouldn't look at him until she was in the room.
"Remember, Sergeant," Early spoke gently. "Only a minute or two."
Mac nodded, "Thank you."
Judy tightened her grip on Mac's arm and gave him a quick nod to show she
was ready to go in. She stepped in the room and forced herself to keep walking
over to the bed where her husband lay. She thought she had been prepared for
what she would find, but discovered that she was not. She was shocked at
how pale he looked. He was hooked up to a respirator that was doing the breathing,
and she watched his chest move up and down in the strangely mechanical rhythm.
There were all sorts of tubes connected to various machines and she shuddered.
It was all so foreign that she had to remind herself that it was the same
man she had kissed good-bye that morning.
Mac was also having a hard time adjusting to the machines and tubes invading
his friend's body. He'd seen Pete in the hospital before when he'd been shot
and after he'd crashed his unit in Griffith Park, but this was much worse
than either of those times had been. He squeezed Judy's hand hoping that would
help.
"Mac, do you think you could go tell Jean?"
"Sure, Judy. Will you be okay?"
She nodded but didn't look at him, her gaze still drawn to her husband's
still form. "Thank you, Mac, for everything. I don't know how I would've gotten
through tonight without you." Suddenly, her shoulders sagged and the tears
that had been threatening for the last several hours, let loose. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, hey, there's nothing to be sorry about." Mac soothed her and wrapped
his arm around her more tightly.
Judy turned to him and sobbed into his chest as he did his best to comfort
her. After a minute, she had herself under control. "Thank you. I'm okay now."
"You sure? I'm sure the doctor wouldn't mind if I'd stay a little longer."
"Yeah," she sniffled, "I'll be okay. I think I need to be alone with Pete
right now, okay?"
"Sure, sure." He took one last look at his officer and friend before turning
to go. "I'll go tell Jean, and Judy, call me if you need anything, okay? Even
just to talk."
"Thanks, Mac, I will." She smiled and then turned back to Pete.
Mac sighed and left the room. He watched through the window as Judy pulled
a chair up to the bed and gently took Pete's hand in her own, careful not
to bump any of the equipment he was hooked up to. She kissed his hand, and
Mac could tell she was sobbing by the shaking of her shoulders. There was
nothing else he could do for her now. He went to the nurse's station to find
out about Jean.
* * * * *
Mac found Jean sitting in almost the exact same position next to Jim. She
was talking softly to him, and he hated to interrupt. "Jean?"
"Mac." She quickly wiped away tears from her cheeks as she turned around.
"How's he doing?"
"The doctors say he's, uh, he's doing fine." She tried to smile. "I don't
know, Mac, he doesn't look good to me."
"I know, but we have to trust the doctors. He'll be okay."
"Have you heard about Pete yet?"
Mac nodded, unsure of how to tell her. She was already worried enough about
her own husband. "Yeah, they brought him up to ICU a little while ago. Judy's
with him now."
"How is he?"
"He's not good, Jean."
"Oh, no! Will he be all right?"
Mac shrugged and shook his head, "They say it's too soon to tell."
Jean sighed and looked at her husband almost guiltily, "How's Judy taking
it?"
"About as well as can be expected."
"Where's Pete's room?"
"It's just a couple doors down." Mac put a hand on her shoulder to stop
her. "Give her some time. She needs to be alone with him right now, and you
need to be here with Jim."
"Okay, I guess you're right."
"Look, the doctor's going to kick me out of here pretty soon if he catches
me so I better be going. Hang in there, Jean. Call me if you need anything,
anything at all. I'll check back in the morning."
"Thanks, Mac."
"When you need to go home, just call the station. They'll send a car over
for you."
"I think I'll be here a while." She stood up to give him a hug. "Thanks
for being here, Mac. I couldn't have gotten through tonight without you."
"Hey, they're my friends, too. Remember, call me if you need anything.
I'll be back in the morning."
Jean nodded and turned back to Jim as Mac left the room. She began talking
to him quietly again and brushed a lock of hair off his forehead. "Jim, honey,
I really wish you'd wake up. I'm so worried about you, and I wish you'd wake
up to tell me that you're going to be all right." She ran a hand through her
hair and continued to hold his right hand in her left.
Five minutes later, she was still holding his hand and talking softly to
him. She wasn't talking about anything in particular, but was just hoping
he would hear her. She felt a slight pressure on her hand; he was squeezing
it. "Jim! Can you hear me? Honey, it's Jean. Please, wake up!"
A nurse walked in to check on him, "Is he waking up?"
"Yes, I think so. He just squeezed my hand."
"Officer Reed, can you hear me?" She looked closely at him and waited for
a response. "Officer Reed…" His eyes fluttered though they didn't open
yet.
"C'mon, Jim," urged Jean, "you can do it. Open your eyes, Jim."
"I'll go get Dr. Brackett."
"I hear our patient is waking up." Brackett said upon entering the room.
He studied the monitors quickly and made some notes on the chart.
Jean watched intently as Jim's eyes fluttered but still didn't open. "C'mon,
honey, I know you can hear us now just open your eyes."
It took several more minutes, but finally Jim's eyes opened and he peered
groggily at his surroundings.
"Hi there." Jean smiled and squeezed his hand.
Jim blinked and squeezed her hand in response but didn't speak.
"Jim, do you know where you are?"
Jim's eyes flitted around the room and finally settled back on Brackett.
He nodded.
"Good. Do you know why you're here?"
After a few seconds, he shook his head and tightened his grip on Jean's
hand.
"You're okay, honey, just relax." Jean comforted him.
"That's okay," Brackett reassured them both. "Don't worry about it. You'll
remember later. Are you in any pain?"
Jim nodded, and almost as in emphasis, grimaced and closed his eyes as
a wave of pain swept over him.
"All right, hang in there." Brackett patted his good leg. "We're going
to give you something for the pain. It's also going to make you want to go
back to sleep. That's okay, just take it easy and you'll feel better a little
later." He gave some instructions to the nurse who then filled a syringe and
injected some pain medication into a port on the IV line.
Jim looked at Jean as if to ask her something. She smiled and squeezed
his hand again, "It's okay, I'll be right here when you wake up again. I
promise."
Jim smiled and slowly closed his eyes and let sleep claim him once again.
"Mrs. Reed, would you like us to find you a spare bed so you can get some
sleep? It'll be a few hours before your husband wakes up again." Dr. Brackett
wondered.
"No, no, I'd like to stay here." She smiled at him. "Thank you, but I'll
be just fine right here."
"Okay," he put a hand on her shoulder. "Just let us know if you need anything."
"Thank you."
Brackett and the nurse left, and Jean went back to holding Jim's hand and
talking to him every so often. Eventually, she fell asleep with her head cushioned
on his bed.
****
Judy kept watch over her husband in much the same way as Jean was doing
just a few rooms away. Her tears had spent themselves for the moment, and
she was simply staring at the face of the man she loved. The tears would return
if she let her thoughts dwell on the possibility that Pete could lose this
battle, but she wouldn't let her mind stay on that thought very long. She
wiped the tears away again and began to talk to him.
"Pete, I don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know I'm here.
You know, the doctor says there's a chance that you might not make it," she
paused to wipe away fresh tears and control her voice. "Peter Joseph Malloy,
you can't die! Do you hear me? You can't. David can't lose another father,
and I'm not ready to let you go yet! I know that we've talked about that possibility
several times, but I couldn't let myself think that you'd ever actually die
because I'm not sure how I could have let you keep going to work day after
day. I know you don't think about it or you couldn't do your job, but I also
know that you've faced the idea and have dealt with it. Well, I haven't,
Pete! I haven't, and I'm not sure that I can… not right now! Not
while you're lying there and I don't even know if you're going to make it.
Why, Pete? Why do you do it? Why do you love what you do so much that you're
willing to die for it? Why… " She got up to pace the room as she became
more animated. Deep down, she wondered why she was standing in the hospital
room yelling at her husband.
"Mrs. Malloy?"
"Nurse McCall." Judy jumped, embarrassed that someone had overheard her
berating her unconscious husband.
"Please, call me Dixie."
Judy nodded, "Then you'd better call me Judy."
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
Judy smiled and shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm sorry about that. I
really don't know what came over me."
It was Dixie's turn to shake her head, "Don't worry about it. It's not
uncommon to be upset at a time like this. You wouldn't believe some of the
things I've heard."
"Oh, so lots of distraught wives stand here and yell at their comatose
husbands?" Judy tried to laugh, but couldn't quite get it to sound convincing.
"You'd be surprised at some of the things said, unconscious or not!" Dixie
smiled at a thought, "As a matter of fact, one of the paramedics that helped
with your husband, Roy DeSoto, has been on the receiving end of a few tirades."
"Really?"
"Oh, yes, his wife has chewed him out plenty of times, but they've always
worked it out. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll work it out."
"Yeah," Judy took a deep breath and realized she was no longer mad at her
husband, just extremely worried. "I'll just be happy when he wakes up. I'll
wait to yell at him again until he comes home."
"That's the spirit!" Dixie laughed. "Do you want a cup of coffee or anything?"
"Actually, that sounds pretty good." She thought of something. "Hey, do
you know how Jim Reed is doing? He's my husband's partner."
As a matter of fact, that's part of the reason I stopped in. He's doing
better. He woke up a little while ago. He's asleep again now, but he's looking
good."
"Good, how's Jean doing?"
"When I stopped in a few minutes ago, she was asleep. I didn't want to
wake her."
Judy nodded, glad her friend was getting some rest.
"I'll go get you your coffee."
"Thanks." Judy stopped her before she left. "And, Dixie, thanks for listening.
I feel much better."
Dixie nodded and smiled. Some days there was no doubt in the world that
she was in the right line of work.
* * * *
Mac spent a restless night, sleeping fitfully as he thought of the two
officers lying in the hospital. However, he knew it was a good sign that
he hadn't received a phone call in the middle of the night. If anything had
gone wrong, the hospital would have called him. He put on a fresh uniform
and left for work a few hours early so he would have plenty of time to stop
at the hospital.
"May I help you, sir?" A nurse at the ICU station questioned Mac.
"Yes, I was wondering if I could see either Officer Reed or Officer Malloy.
I'm their sergeant."
The nurse nodded, "Yes, Doctor Brackett told me that you would probably
be in. We don't normally allow non-family members in, but he said to make
an exception in this case. As a matter of fact, he's in Officer Reed's room
right now."
"Great. Do you think he'd mind if I went in there now? I'd like to talk
to him."
"I think that would be fine."
"Before I do, though, do you know how Officer Malloy is doing?"
"One moment." She consulted a chart. "There's been no change. He's still
in critical condition."
"Okay, thank you. I'll stop in there when I'm done in Reed's room. Thank
you again."
"You're very welcome, Sergeant."
Dr. Brackett was explaining something on a monitor to Jean when Mac walked
in. "Dr. Brackett?"
"Ah, Sergeant MacDonald."
"Jean, how are you holding up?" He asked as he quickly joined her. He looked
down and noticed Jim watching him. "Hey, Jim, how do you feel?"
"I've been better." He answered weakly.
"You've looked better, too." Mac noticed, and then smiled. "But you look
better than you did. Hey, Doc, is it okay if I ask him a couple of questions?"
Brackett hesitated but figured it was useless to resist too much, "Fine,
but not too many." He pointed at Jim. "No excitement."
"Okay."
"Thank you, Doctor."
"Look, Jim, the questions can wait…"
"No, Mac." He protested. "I want to help if I can."
"Okay, just let me know when you've had enough." At Jim's nod, he continued.
"What do you remember about yesterday afternoon?"
Jim closed his eyes for a minute. "I remember getting the 211 call right
after lunch. Then we were at the station talking to Sergeant Sanchez about
that caper last week." He paused to collect his thoughts as well as his breath.
His voice was still very weak as he continued. "We drove by the school right
before end of shift. Everything was okay. We were on our way back…"
"Hang on, honey." Jean soothed as Jim was overcome by a wave of pain.
Jim shook his head, "I'm okay." He sounded anything but as he continued,
"We were on our way back to the station, I think. I really don't remember
anything after that. One minute we were talking about what we were doing
this weekend, and the next minute I'm waking up here."
"You don't remember the accident at all?"
Jim closed his eyes to concentrate. "I don't know. Let's see… we
stopped at the light and then turned towards the station. Pete was commenting
on something and all of a sudden we were blinded." Jim's eyes snapped open
as he remembered. "There was a car! I think it was a tan coupe." He grimaced
in a half smile. "Pete's gonna nail every tan coupe, now! It was in our lane.
We had no place to go, and it hit us. I don't remember anything after that."
"That's okay," Mac reassured him. "We pretty much know after that."
"There wasn't anything Pete could do." Realization dawned on him. "Wait,
where is Pete? Is he okay?"
Mac looked at Jean who shook her head; he hadn't been told anything.
"What is it?" he noticed the look that passed between them. "How's Pete?"
He was overcome by another wave of pain. He shook his head in frustration
at the interruption.
"Jim, take it easy." Mac soothed. "He's just down the hall."
"But how is he?"
Mac sighed, he'd been hoping to avoid this until he had good news. "He's
not good, Jim. He's in critical condition."
Jim sank back on the pillows and closed his eyes then opened them to look
intently at Mac, "Will he make it?"
"The doctors don't know, Jim. But he's holding his own so don't give up,
okay?"
"Is Judy here?" Jim wondered.
"I think she's still in his room. I saw her a few hours ago, but I haven't
seen her since." Jean told him. "I don't think she's taking it too well."
Mac nodded, "I'm going down there now. Jim, hang in there. I'll stop by
after work tonight."
Jim nodded, "Thanks, Mac. I appreciate it. Hey, would you see if Judy would
stop in for a minute? I want to talk to her."
"Sure, Jim." Mac turned to Jean, "Remember, if you need anything, just
call the station."
"Thanks, Mac."
Mac paused in the doorway of Pete's room. Judy was still sitting next to
the bed holding Pete's hand. "Judy?"
"Oh, good morning, Mac."
"How's he doing?"
Judy shrugged, "I don't know. The nurse keeps coming in to check vitals,
but she hasn't said anything. I don't like it, Mac. I think there's something
wrong but no one's telling me."
"Has the doctor been in yet this morning?"
"No, he had an emergency surgery. He'll be in when he's done."
"I'm sure he'll tell you what's going on, but try not to worry about it,
okay?"
"I'm trying. Have you checked on Jim yet?"
He nodded, "I just came from there. He's awake and doing okay. Matter of
fact, he wanted you to come down for a minute if you would."
"Well, I, uh, guess I should, yeah. Has anyone told him about Pete yet?"
"I just did. He was pretty upset. Why don't you go talk to him? I'll stay
here with Pete until you get back."
"Yeah, I think I will. Thanks." She got up and placed a kiss on Pete's
cheek before leaving.
"Judy!" Jean hugged the woman as she entered the room. "How're you holding
up?"
"I've been better." She conceded.
Jean noticed the dark circles under the woman's eyes, realizing she probably
didn't look any better. "I know the feeling."
Judy smiled and then looked towards the bed, "Hi, Jim, how're you feeling?"
"I've been better." He echoed her response. He looked towards his wife
in a silent request.
"If you don't mind," she put a hand on Judy's arm. "I think I'll go down
and see Pete for a minute."
"Sure."
"Have a seat."
"Thanks, Jim." She smiled uncertainly, unsure of why he wanted to see her.
"Mac told you about Pete?"
"Just that he's critical." He reached over and took her hand. "Judy, I
don't know what to say."
"I know, Jim." She squeezed his hand. "But he'll be okay. He has to be."
"Yeah." Jim paused a minute. "You know, I don't remember much about the
accident, but I do remember that Pete and I were talking about what our plans
were for the weekend." He smiled. "He was convinced you were gonna have him
painting the living room."
She smiled, too. "Well, he was wrong. I do want him to paint the living
room, but not this weekend. No, truth be told, I had a nice romantic evening
all planned for last night. I'd made him his favorite dinner and actually
was ready to light the candles on the table when Woods came." She blinked
back tears again.
"Judy, I've known Pete for a long time now, and we've been through a lot
together. And the one thing that I can tell you for sure is that he loves
you more than anything."
"I know."
"I used to tease him a lot about finding a girl and settling down. I'm
glad he didn't listen to me until you came along. You've been good for him,
Judy, and he knows it. He adores you and David. I've never seen him so happy.
He has a lot to live for so don't give up on him yet. I haven't." Jim stopped,
exhausted.
"Thank you, Jim. I appreciate that, I really do." Suddenly, she took a
good look at him and realized how much energy his speech had taken out of
him. "You need to get some rest. I'll come back later, okay?"
Jim nodded, "He'll be okay, Judy. He'll beat this."
She leaned down and quickly kissed his cheek. "You're a good man, Jim Reed.
Take care of yourself."
"Yeah." He was already drifting off to sleep again by the time she left
the room.
Judy smiled slightly as she walked back down to Pete's room. Mac and Jean
were still there, of course, and Dr. Early had joined them.
"Mrs. Malloy." Early greeted her. "I just came in."
"Jean, you can stay if you want." Judy told the other woman as she started
to leave. "Jim's asleep, and I know you're worried about Pete, too. Please,
stay."
"Mrs. Malloy, first let me apologize for keeping you waiting. I had intended
to be in first thing this morning to check on your husband, but that surgery
changed my plans."
"I understand." Judy visually checked her husband and didn't notice any
change. She had been hoping though she hadn't been gone that long. "The nurse
has been in a lot, but she hasn't told me anything. Is something wrong?"
"First, let me tell you that your husband's vital signs have improved over
night. His blood pressure and pulse are stable."
"But…?"
"But I'm afraid he's not responding to any outside stimuli or the reversing
agents we gave him that should have brought him out of the anesthesia."
"What does that mean?" Mac wondered.
"It means that he's in a coma."
"What does that mean? When will he wake up?" Judy was having trouble digesting
the latest information.
"I'm sorry, there's no way to know that. But he's in good shape and that
always works in our favor. Keep talking to him; let him know you're here.
That might help."
"Doctor, is it okay if I stay for a while?" Mac wondered. "I don't have
to be at the station for a couple hours."
"Yes, Sergeant, I've told the nurses to allow you access to both rooms
for as long as you like. I realize that they're your friends as well as officers,
and it might be good for you to talk to him as well. As a matter of fact,
if there are any other family members or close friends that want to stop by,
that would be fine. I just ask that there only be two or three in here at
any one time."
"Judy, is that okay with you?" Mac asked her.
"That's fine, Mac. I think that Pete would like it if some of they guys
stopped by. Even Ed Wells." She smiled as did Mac and Jean, leaving Early
wondering what Wells was like.
"I'm sure Jim would like that, too." Jean put in. "Why don't you tell them
at roll call since I'm sure you were going to tell them how they're doing."
"Just please tell them it would be best if they were completely healthy
if they visit so as to reduce the chances of infection both for Officers Reed
and Malloy and the other patients. Also, I know Dr. Brackett would like to
make sure that they don't tire Officer Reed out too much. He needs rest in
order to recover."
"Of course, Doctor. I'll tell them they can stop in for a few minutes,
no more."
"That would be fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish my rounds.
Sergeant, ladies."
"Thank you, Doctor." Judy acknowledged as he left.
