One Night Stand

Chapter 15

Mathis and Gray cleaned Nicole's wound the best they could in the ambo with Gray taking the lead. They tried to be gentle but they both knew their was melted fabric in the wound and were concerned about other debris.
    After about ten minutes Mathis said, "I think that's the best we can do here."
    Gray nodded and started to stand.
    "Gray, why don't you stay back here with Davin. I'll drive." Mathis offered.
    "You sure?" Gray asked.
    Mathis nodded and held her hand out for the keys. She had recognized the concern in Gray's face and knew she wanted to be by Nicole's side.
    Once the ambo was in motion Gray asked, "How are you feeling Nic?"
    "As good as can be expected I guess. My shoulder is killing me but other than that I'm good." Nicole offered a small, short smile then asked, "Any idea what I'm in for?"
    "Not sure," Gray replied. "But I'm sure some good pain meds are in your near futures." She finished with a smile.
    "I hate feeling doped up." Nicole replied.
    "Agreed," Gray said with a nod. "But you have a bad injury. I'm sure you're tough but you've got to do what is best for your healing process."
    Nicole nodded and remained silent for a few minutes. She thought seriously about what she would say next. She had made plans to talk to Morris about her history but if she was honest with herself she wanted to share with Gray first but she knew her story couldn't be told in the span of this ambulance ride.
    "You still with me Davin?" Gray asked.
    "Yeah, I'm here. Just thinking." Nicole admitted.
    "Well you don't have to tell me but I'll ask anyways, what are you thinking about?" Gray asked.
    Nicole knew she could lie but she realized it was pointless because she wanted to share her story with Gray. She didn't know why but she decided to go with the impulse, "Gray I want to talk to you, a bigger conversation than we can have now but for some reason I want to be completely honest with you."
    "Okay." Gray said then looked to see where they were. "We're pulling into the ER right now." She leaned down and looked Nicole in the eye, "When you're ready I'm here to listen to whatever you want to tell me, I promise."
    "Thank you." Nicole replied with a smile.
    When the ambo came to a stop Gray took advantage of the few moments it would take Mathis to get around the ambo. She put a hand on Nicole's cheek, leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. She knew she was overstepping a little but took it as a positive that Nicole didn't pull away or say anything, she just smiled after. Gray decided to assure Nicole, "I'll make sure you get the best of the best here, at least in my opinion."
    "Really?" Nicole replied with a slightly goofy smile. She knew Mathis had connections here but Gray seemed to think hers were better, or more likely she didn't know about Mathis yet.
    Gray nodded and smiled back, "Yeah, I've got connections here."
    The back door opened, "Alright tough guy we're here. Let's get you back into fighting shape."
    When they entered the ER Gray quickly found who she was looking for, "Alex?"
    A woman walked over and asked, "What have you got Gray?"
    "Nasty shoulder injury. She's on truck 51." Gray answered.
    Alex nodded, "I'll take care of her." She looked at the paperwork Gray handed her and looked at Nicole. "Hi Nicole, I'm Alex. Let's get you checked out." She turned to a nurse behind the desk, "What's open?"
    The nurse looked at the computer screen and replied, "Two is open."
    "Thanks." She replied then turned to Gray who was already walking the gurney towards two.
    After getting Nicole transferred to a hospital bed Alex walked the paramedics out of the room. She looked at the clock and said, "Gray, go back to 51 and turn over the ambo. I'll look after Nicole. Text me when you get back and I'll come update you."
    Gray nodded, "Thank you Alex."
    "Hey Gray, I'll get the paperwork." Mathis said and headed towards the desk.
    Once Mathis was gone Alex said, "Look, I'm not asking questions cause I know that look Gray. Nicole is in good hands. We knew you were coming and Dr. Driver, the best burn doc in the city, should be here any minute. I'll check her over and hand her over to him."
    "Thank you Alex." Gray said giving her friend a hug. "It's a weird situation but I care about her."
    "I can tell Gray." Alex said, "Let us do our thing!"
    "Absolutely." Gray replied and looked over at Mathis who indicated they were good to go. "I'll be back soon"

    Once they were outside the hospital Mathis asked, "Do you want to drive or do you want me to?"
    "You can drive." Gray said dismissively.
    After about ten minutes of driving in silence Mathis decided to speak up, "So I'm guessing you have a history with Davin too, right?"
    Gray was surprised by Mathis' question, "Well kinda but..."
    Mathis couldn't help but laugh at Gray's hesitation. "My friendship with Davin is completely platonic if you had any worries."
    "I um..."
    Mathis pulled the ambo to the side of the road then turned to Gray, "Look I know I was a bitch earlier and honestly I'm sorry. I think I misjudged you."
    Gray wasn't sure what had changed her new partners attitude but she had to ask, "Has your attitude towards me changed just because of Nicole?"
    "Yes." Mathis answered honestly and explained, "I got to know Dav... Nicole when she was at 24. I will admit I judged you from what I had heard about you. But if you're close with Nicole that makes me reconsider what I've heard."
    "Why should my association with Nicole change anything?" Gray asked slightly defensively. She knew she should try to play nice with Mathis but she couldn't help herself.
    Mathis considered how exactly to word her response. She wanted to explain without sharing either her or Nicole's stories. "I trust Nicole, that's the long and the short of it."
    Gray looked at her new partner and waited for a few moments before she spoke, "Okay, I'll accept that for now. I get the feeling there's more to the story but I'll take the truce for now."
    "Fair enough." Mathis replied. "Let's get back to 51 so we can officially end this marathon of a day."
    As Mathis pulled back into traffic Gray asked, "Are you gonna head back to the hospital to check on Davin?"
    Mathis nodded, "Yeah. I'm gonna call Rachel first even though I'm sure Bailey already has, then head over. Why do you ask?"
    "Well," Gray hesitated before asking. "Could I catch a ride with you? I don't have a car of my own."
    "Sure." Mathis said as she stopped at a red light just blocks from 51. "Figures we'd catch the red light when we're within shouting distance of the house." She joked.
    Gray laughed, "Given this marathon day, how else could we expect it to end?"
    After a few moments Mathis spoke up, "Does this light seem unnecessarily long?"
    "A tip from me to you, this light is annoyingly long every hour of the day." Gray admitted.
    As Gray finished her statement the light changed. "Finally." Mathis sighed and eased on the gas.
    The ambo was even with the large suv next to them so neither paramedic saw the box truck barreling into the intersection.

    Rafferty had waited around at 51 for a half an hour after squad had gotten back. He knew that Mathis and Gray had transported Nicole to the hospital so he waited around for a bit. Out of habit his ears perked up when the first call of the new shift's day came overhead. It was a multi car pile up just a couple blocks from the house. He knew that was the quickest route to the house from the hospital so he texted Gray to warn her.
    After about ten minutes of channel surfing Rafferty was seriously considering leaving. He wanted to be a good friend to Gray and make sure she was okay after what happened to Davin but he really wanted to go home. He decided he'd wait for five more minutes.
    He actually waited ten minutes before he headed to his car. As he opened the door his phone rang. The caller id said it was Bailey, "Hey chief what's up?"
    "Kylee I just wanted to let you know that ambo 61 was involved in the pile up." He said.
    "Is Gray okay?" Rafferty quickly asked.
    "They are both being transported to the hospital." Bailey informed him.
    "I'm on my way," Rafferty said, hung up and quickly jumped into his car.