Emergency Medical Dad

LI: mid august, present

this is longer than usual

JORGEN

The guys corner me by the end of the next week, just two days back into my shift schedule. Not for something I expected. They're heading south to see Zuchs in jail. They want me to go. They said that in his last letter up, he requested to see me because he heard I was back for the summer. He filled out all the paperwork and everything.

So, I take a different shift and before I know what I'm doing, I'm halfway to Vandalia and texting Jessie about what happened and what I should even be doing. She's as sweet as ever, telling me that I need to go in with a kind and open heart and hope for the best.

She doesn't really know that the last time I saw him before he got put in jail we had a shouting match over the fact that I was wasting my life. He doesn't know I'm missing my leg, he doesn't know I got a good job, he doesn't know if I'm even still alive, though, I bet they've told him something.

He was an older brother figure for me for so long and then it was broken up so fast I honestly don't know how I feel about any of it.

Vandalia is three hours away. It's minimum and mostly correctional. I assume he got placed there to study something vocational and because he was well behaved. Zuchs is a smart guy, he would've done what he was told.

"How long does he have left?" I ask, breaking the silence, knowing we're starting to take quicker turns, getting closer.

"About a year and a half," Kaz answers. "He's studying auto mechanics."

"Ah," I mumble. "And... who's going in with me?"

"Me," Kaz sighs. "The rest are here just to be nearby."

"Oh," I glance around. "Alright and are the rules still the same from when we would visit Nino?"

"Yeah, same things," Kaz glances back at me. "You're probably going to have to declare your leg and shit."

"Leg, med tag, all that."

"Yeah, all that."

I sigh, settling my head back against the seat, "and why did he want to see me?"

"We haven't told him shit about you, I... I figured he wants to see you again? That so bad?" Luka shrugs. "I dunno, I'd be curious to see your hot ass again if I were him."

"Thanks," I grumble.

It goes the same as it did with Nino. I show them my identification and all that, they go through a more rigorous checking process with my leg than I'm used to, even with TSA, and then I'm let in.

Kaz goes first. He's not quick.

I sit outside, twiddling my thumbs and making light conversation with one of the officers. He used to work in a police department instead of a correctional facility but switched over a few years prior because, just like me, first response was a lot for him. I quickly realized that his margin of a lot versus mine was very different. He had to stop because he saw too much evil in the world. I'm having to stop because of the death in my job. We still talk about it, about the small lack of good mental health services with first response positions. He was impressed I was working in Chicago. I made an offhand comment about not actually working in Chicago and then we talked hockey for another half hour. His name is Owen, he lives twenty minutes away with his wife and their dog. They're having their first kid in a few months. I shared about my kid and he laughed and commented about how young I am. We talked a little bit about family stuff but nothing too deep, just how he was excited to teach his kid to play sports and all that. I told him about how much fun that is. It was weird. I felt a little too much like the Dads in the bleachers at tee ball games. But at the same time, it was kind of nice, kind of comforting. Kind of made me feel like I was doing alright at the whole Dad thing.