Voices of Conflict

Chapter 15

Charlie dropped to his knees beside his best friend.

He reached his hand out to check for a pulse, but he couldn't make it move against Gary's neck.

His hand trembled as he held it out.

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

He couldn't bring himself to complete the simplest task.

The first thing a paramedic was instructed to do upon arrival at a scene is check for life, for a pulse.

He froze.

'God Gary…please…'

For the first time in his career as a first responder…he froze.

His couldn't breathe; he was barely keeping hold of his emotions.

His heart pounded in his ears.

Grayness lingered around the edges of his vision.

He didn't want to feel for Gary's pulse if it wasn't there.

Blood pooled on the floor between the two men.

It was splattered on both of their clothing.

It was impossible to tell who was bleeding or if it was both of them.

'Please let me find a pulse.'

He didn't want to be a paramedic right now.

This was his best friend, his brother.

He wished he didn't have the skills necessary to check for a pulse.

'What if….

No…no what ifs…'

His hand stretched inches further toward the goal.

He had to know. He had to try.

Then he thought he saw the slightest twitch in Gary's eyes.

Reality slammed into him. 'He's alive.'

"Gary?"

Gary's eyes closed ever so slowly. "You're here."

The air rushed from Charlie's lungs and he swayed. "Your alive! Thank God!"

"Knew you'd come."

Gary's confidence in him gave Charlie the push he needed to move into action, and he reached toward Gary's wrist.

"No…I have to keep pressure. He's bleeding. Shot." Gary's concentration was etched on his face.

"I need to check you out." Charlie sat back on his heels and laid his hands on his knees. "I need…."

"Charlie?" Gary could barely speak. "D-did G-Gail call?"

"Gail, Isn't she here?" Charlie looked around the darkened room and remembered the smudge on the wall.

Gary stirred and tried to raise his head and look toward the cellar. "She didn't get out? God Charlie, you have to find her! There were so many shots." His head fell back against the floor.

"Okay Gary. Let me look at you." Charlie leaned forward reaching again for Gary's wrist. "Vince is looking for Gail."

Exhaustion got its hold on Gary. "The v-victim first, Charlie, y-you know th-that." He slurred. His eyes slid closed again.

Charlie sighed. But he knew Gary would not allow him to work on him first, even though they were not on duty. Charlie checked Jimmy's neck for a pulse. He found it very weak, barely there. He saw Gary's eyes close. "Stay with me Gary. Let me take a look at that wound." He pulled Gary's hand away from Jimmy's side. When he did he noticed the slight tremors Gary was having.

He palpated the gunshot to Jimmy's side and gently rolled him looking for an exit wound. "There's no exit."

"I know." Gary whispered.

"Did you get shot?" Charlie had been reaching over Gary to check on Jimmy. Somehow having his body hovering over Gary's gave him a sense of providing comfort for his friend. It was all he could give him until help arrived. His professionalism kicked into high gear. He moved trained hands down Jimmy's arms and legs checking for injury. He didn't find anything wrong with the man except the gunshot.

"N-no-I-I d-don't I don't know."

"Where do you hurt?" Charlie could see a new set of bruises along the side of Gary's face and has seen the cracks in his cast earlier.

"I-I don't f-feel so g-good."

Charlie knew Gary was going into shock. He needed an IV and fast. 'Where is that squad?' He began running his hands down the lengths of Gary's arms. "Who is that guy?"

"Woman down," was all that Gary could choke out. He was struggling to keep his nausea at bay.

"What?"

"His wife…cancer."

Charlie looked at the man, studied his face. Memories of that rescue flooded back to him. "Oh my God." Charlie's head hung. This man had attacked Gary and Gail because his wife had died of cancer. He remembered the call and the man's anguished screams at the two paramedics the day they brought his gravely ill wife into the ER. She held on as long as she could, but the cancer took her life. Gary had ridden in the ambulance on that call. He did everything he could for the woman to make her comfortable. They both had known as soon as they arrived on the scene that she was terminal.

Her skin was gray. Her hair, all but, gone. Her face was drawn, and pain filled her sad eyes. She had begged Gary to look out for her husband, to make sure someone was called to help him through the loss she knew her death would bring him. It was evident that she dearly loved her husband.

Her husband had fallen apart as soon as they walked out of the treatment room. He had lashed out at the two men, screaming obscenities and threats. He had promised to make them pay.

Charlie closed his eyes. He knew the man in the trees yesterday, the man Chris had heard by the barn, the man everyone saw, but no one could place had been there just as Gary had said…watching him. Charlie looked at the man a little more closely. 'It's the man at Mercy in the courtyard. God, why didn't I remember him? Why didn't I believe Gary yesterday or Chris this morning? This is my fault. I should have known. I saw him just sitting there.'

"Charlie?" Gail bent down next to Charlie.

Charlie reached out for her. "God Gail." His relief at seeing her alive was written all over his face. Tears welled in his eyes. "I'm sorry Gail." He moved to wrap his arms around her.

She backed away. "Careful. He nicked me in the arm, and what are you sorry for?" She winked at Charlie and moved in place to assist with Gary's care.

"I saw him at Mercy. I should have recognized him." Charlie dropped his hands to his knees again.

"We all saw him Charlie. He was here at the party, but none of us expected this, or did this. He did." She waved her hand at Jimmy. "Now pull yourself together. He made Gary take Haloperidol. It's an anti-psychotic. His leg is most likely broken again. He struck him across the face several times. " She paused and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Gail?" Charlie put his hand on her back to steady her.

"I'm all right." She shook off the dizziness she felt.

"C-c-oncu-cussed." Gary mumbled out.

"Did you hit your head?" Charlie shined his flashlight toward Gail. He could see the bump on her forehead. He leaned toward her to get a better look. Then he took her wrist in his hand to get a pulse.

"I said I was all right, Charlie." She tried to pull away from him. He held fast and counted her heartbeats. She was as bad as Gary when it came to injuries, always insisting that she was all right.

"The squad is here." Vince told them as he knelt next to them. "How's Gary?"

"He'll be just fine." Gail said as she brushed the damp hair from his face. "Won't you sweetheart?"

"I'm tired." Gary's eyes closed once again.

"I know sweetie, but you need to stay awake a little while longer." Gail turned to Charlie. "When those paramedics get in here tell Mercy we need an IV stat."