Stand Of Redemption(68)

“Since when did you start eating French fries?” Ria asked with surprise. Joe had always watched what he ate, resulting in his fabulous body. She had never seen him eat a French fry in the past.

“It’s what I do to control the stress after a run like that,” Joe replied through a mouthful of food.

“Oh. When I saw you earlier, you seemed fine,” Ria said.

“I’ve seen this shit before, but it still blows. Sometimes eating a little grease helps distract me.” Joe dipped a fry into some ranch dressing.

Ria sat at the table with him and followed suit. She took one of his fries and dipped it in the dressing, as well. It was good.

“I know it’s been a rough day, but I’m glad you’re back, Ria. I’ve missed working with you.”

Ria swallowed her fry. “Me, too.”

They sat in silence. Eating the food seemed to have a soothing effect on both of them. Ria was going to gain too much weight if she turned to eating each time they had a bad day.

Fortunately, the rest of the calls were fairly normal. An elderly man with Alzheimer’s had taken a fall, but he came out with only a broken wrist. One other call was a man that had fallen off a ladder and hit his head, but he was fine, just ended up with a bump on his head.

Each time Ria returned to the hospital, she asked about Carrie, but she hadn’t recovered. It appeared she was under water far too long and brain damage had been unavoidable. She could see Carrie’s parents in the waiting room, both had been crying, not knowing what was happening with their child. Ria felt so sorry for them, imagining the pain they were going through.

She finished up the twelve hour shift and headed home to her new apartment. It wasn’t far from work, and while it wasn’t upscale, it wasn’t in the same dangerous part of town she had lived in before.

She didn’t miss the other apartment. This one, she had made her own. She had picked out everything and decorated the small space with bright colors that were cheerful.

She was more mentally exhausted than physically, wanting to sleep. She took off her uniform and climbed into the shower, her mind still on Carrie.

Ria sat down on the couch after her shower to brush out her hair, flipping on the television and stiffening when the local news channel was showing the build up to Nicholas’s next fight. She almost turned the channel, but was unable to help herself.

He looked as handsome as always, yet his face was a little drawn. He was happy or enthused about the upcoming title fight as she would have expected him, too.

She hadn’t seen him in the last two months. Whenever Joe talked about the local fighter, she changed the subject. Lacey didn’t ask about him anymore, either. The first two times had resulted in a burst of Spanish cusswords or tears.

She had seen Emiliano last week. Her mom had invited her for dinner, and when she had gone, he had been there. It had been surprisingly enjoyable. She appreciated the difference he had made in their lives. She didn’t like the methods he had used, but she was ecstatic with the results. Her mother had never looked better. For that alone, she would always be grateful.

When they had left together, she had been tempted to ask him about John and Kataya. The fear of angering him again held her back. She didn’t want to see anyone get hurt, and she felt responsible for what had happened to the people she’d found. Ria had a feeling that John was getting off lighter than Kataya. She had only lived with the guilt a couple of months. She couldn’t imagine how Nicholas had done it since he was sixteen.

The next day, Ria and Joe wheeled their stretcher into the ER. It had been a quiet day; thus it was only their first run to the ER.

A nine-year-old boy had run out in front of a car on his bicycle. Usually, the results were fatal, but in this case, he was lucky with his only injury seemingly a broken leg. He waved goodbye to Ria as they left him and his parents in the tiny room, waiting for the doctor.

“I’m going to check on Carrie.”

He looked at the crowded front desk. “Don’t be long. I’ve got a hot date tonight.”

She looked down at her watch. Their shift should have ended an hour ago.

“You go ahead. Lacey will be getting off in twenty; she’ll give me a ride to my car. Clock me out.”

He hesitated.

“Go ahead. No reason to spoil your date if the news is bad. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Ria.” Relief showed in his eyes as he went through the sliding doors. She waited patiently for one of the nurses to become free before asking about Carrie.

“She passed away, Ria. She never regained consciousness.”

Ria retained her poise. They were supposed to be professional. They weren’t supposed to become emotionally involved.