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"I'll have Carol get everything set up. I'll be back in a moment." Mike made a hasty retreat and headed for the nurses' station. A nagging feeling tickled his brain. Kel's behavior and his description of the "accident" didn't add up. Perhaps there was a more sinister explanation. "Carol, who's on call for psych?" She consulted the schedule. "Uh, that would be Dr. Brent Brackett." The intern sadly shook his head. In the first place, it would be inappropriate to ask a family member to consult on a case. But it was also common knowledge the son and father had a strained relationship. Mike was certain the senior Dr. Brackett was NOT to be contacted in case of an emergency. He needed help in assessing whether Kel needed to be held for psychiatric observation in light of the deep slashes to his arm. Turning to the nurse, Mike said, "Page Dr. Early. I need him here as soon as possible for a consult, and tell him who the patient is." He waved Maggie over to the desk. "I need your assistance in Treatment Room 3." |
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They entered to find an agitated Kelly Brackett awaiting their return. "What took you so long? Let's get this over with so I can go home." Mike removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I had a call I had to take care of." Kel impatiently offered his injured arm to the intern. "Well, get to work." Knowing it would take about fifteen minutes for Joe to reach Rampart, Mike carefully cleaned the wounds and began suturing the deep gashes. Fearful of antagonizing his boss, he kept conversation to an absolute minimum. He was enormously relieved when he heard Joe's gentle voice break the eerie silence of the room. "Hey, Kel. I heard you had a little mishap. How are you doing?" Mike concentrated on the task at hand, well aware of the menacing gaze that was being directed at him. "I'm fine," Kel growled. "Did they call you?" "Yeah. They're a little worried about you," Joe said reassuringly. "Well, they shouldn't be. I only need a few stitches and I'll be on my way." The white-haired physician sat down and folded his arms. "Kel, think about it from our point of view. A police officer brings you in. You're stressed. You have several deep gashes on your arm, and you're less than forthcoming about how they got there. What would normal procedure be?" A light bulb went off in Kel's head. "Cr*p. A psych consult would probably be ordered." "Do you know why this wasn't done?" "Because I'm the head of the department and Mike didn't want to embarrass me?" Joe informed him, "No. It's because your father was on call tonight." "I don't believe this!" Kel shouted. "I can't get away from that man!" He wildly jumped off the table, unexpectedly pushing Mike away as he was still suturing the wounds. "Kel, settle down!" Joe commanded. "You don't understand. I just spent a miserable evening with him. I've spent most of my entire life trying to break away from his grasp. But no matter what I do or where I go, there is he is!" The picture was coming into focus. Joe needed time alone with his friend. "Mike, I'll take care of this. Thanks for everything." After the door closed, Joe began. "Come back and have a seat and we'll talk while I finish sewing you up." With the enthusiasm of a lamb being led to the slaughter, Kel lowered his head and made his way to the exam table. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "About?" "Causing so much trouble for everyone. I try to keep my personal life private. But I guess everyone knows my father and I aren't exactly on the best of terms." "What happened this evening that was so upsetting?" Joe asked. "Oh, the usual." Kel tried to sound nonchalant. "We each have our own unique perspective on things." |
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"That never caused you to put your hand through glass before." The dark-haired man's temper quickly flared, and then dissipated. "Well, I think in his own warped way he was trying to extend an olive branch, except it was thinly disguised as a reiteration of my faults since childhood. Suddenly, it all seemed so infuriating." His task complete, Joe began applying a dressing. "You know, you're a lot alike in one respect. You're both stubborn." A small smile crept across Kel's features. "I come by the trait honestly." "Look, this problem isn't going to solve itself. You're here, he's here, you need to get together and work this out." "You sound like Dixie." Joe grinned, "She's a smart cookie." "Don't encourage her!" Kel laughed. "She already thinks she runs the department!" "She doesn't?" Kel's mood sobered. "I suppose I need to tell her about this before she hears it from someone else." He rose to his feet. "I'll give her a call from my office." "I have a better idea. You can call her from my place," Joe proposed. "That's not necessary." His colleague firmly insisted, "I want you to come home with me tonight. After you call Dix, I'll give you something to help you unwind and get a good night's sleep. Take tomorrow off and collect your thoughts. In a week or so when you feel up to it, call your dad and make another dinner appointment. Maybe if you're the one offering the olive branch, you'll find the peace terms more agreeable." "After all these years, I'm afraid to hope," Kel admitted. "But at least you'll be able to find comfort in knowing you tried." Tossing his coat over his shoulder, Kel followed his friend out the door. *********************************** From: "Linda Taggatz" <doc51@att.net> Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2002 21:31:45 -0600 Subject: Re: Shattered Kel and Joe soon arrived at Joe's apartment. It was cozy. In one corner stood a piano. "Nice place Joe." Kel said as he looked around. "Thanks." Joe told Kel to take the coat off and toss it on the chair. Kel complied, then sat down. Kel put his head in his hands. "I don't know anymore Joe. I don't know what to say to him. Maybe if we start talking about mom things will relax. But then, he never wants to talk about her." Joe got curious. "Why is that?" Kel shook his head and said "I wish I knew." *********************** From : "patti keiper" <pattik1@hotmail.com> Subject : Breakfast Banter Buffet Style Date : Mon, 25 Nov 2002 15:21:22 +0000 There was a brief pause, for the briefest moment, as Chet walked through the kitchen doors leading to the garage bay and the quiescent fire vehicles parked there. Kelly almost whispered his suggestion, ".....Bartholomew." and he trudged morosely towards the bunkroom. Gage and the others froze into place in their tight ring around Cap. Even Cap's finger paused, from stroking the little beagle's sleeping forehead. "W-W- What did he say?" "Oh my G*d. I don't believe it.." Marco said. "He said Bartholomew.." "Yeah, but was that a suggestion for Chester or was that in reply to Gage putting on a little elbow grease to Chet's moustache?" Stoker asked them all. Cap's eyes bugged out and all his smile lines smoothed out in rapt frankness. "The world may never know.." The gang chuckled in reply, but not Gage. Yipp! barked the sleeping puppy in his dream. The fellas immediately fell to shushing each other and tiptoed out of the kitchen, leaving Cap the honor of spending the first night with the new station mascot. Johnny's self satisfied smirk at a successful Chet tease fizzled into uncertainty as he pondered Stoker's musing. When they all were well out of the range of young canine ears, Gage asked his partner. "Whatdidya think, Roy? Whaa -- uh, which way do you think we should take Chet's answer.." |
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"Careful, Johnny. Don't get into it too much. Or you just may have a complex about it." Roy answered as he peeled shirt and pants down to boxers and a T shirt and sailed with an amused clunk onto his bunk. "You know how devious Chester B can get when it comes to getting you back for muscling around with him." Johnny's face alternately smiled and fell as he regarded Chet Kelly slumbering for all the world like King Nebenezzer on his bunk with his fingers laced nonchalantly over his chest. Gage turned his back on the sight, not sure about whether or not Chet was smiling or frowning. ::Can't tell behind that d*mned moustache..:: he groaned mentally, shifting irritably onto a shoulder to try and forget about it. Sleep was a long time in coming. ---------------------------------------- Breakfast was spread out like a posse's standard grub with a partial roasting steer the next day. The guys, feeling guilty about tricking Cap into spending first nightwatch over Chester, fed him right where he was, in the armchair. Stoker had even gone out into the yard and had picked Hank a magnolia for a bud vase with the breakfast tray he hand delivered to him. "Guys, you didn't have to do this.." Cap said, rubbing sleep mussed hair and his face as he shifted his weight in the chair gingerly around the still oblivious Chester Bartholomew lying like a tiny sack of potatoes in his lap. "Oh, yes we do, Cap. I mean, what fireman in any firehouse is more self sacrificial than a Cap? Am I right fellas?" Chet asked, shoving buttered toast into his hungry maw. He chewed, puffed cheeked as he added. "Made an example of all of us, for ditchin him and keepin him all last night away from the comfort of Cap's own bed." he said. He took a gulp of his too hot coffee a l ittle too fast and started choking a bit. Roy gave his back a thump or two as he reached for a green apple from the fruit basket in front of the breakfast rib roast Stoker had smoking on the spit all last night. "Easy there Chet. Don't talk, chew." DeSoto said, taking a half moon bite out of his fruit. "Yeah.." Gage agreed, his own cheeks big with bagel. "I wanna get through chow without a still alarm, Kelly, if you don't mind.." "Very funny Gage. Tell me something there, uh, buddy. What uh, what is YOUR middle name if you don't mind me turning the tables on ya. And I'll just ask it since you don't have any facial hair for me to grab onto.." Marco nearly spit out his fresh squeezed pineapple juice chortling. Stoker rescued him with a toss of a folded towel. When the light laughter bubbled away into sounds of contented eating, Lopez said, "Yeah, Gage. You don't have anything on the back of your turnout coat. Just "Gage". " "My secret.. So shush.." Chet didn't give him any further clues to answering Gage's Chet mystery by responding back. |
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Cap looked up from where he was adjusting a china blue bowl filled with steamed water moistened puppy chow on his breakfast tray under a ravenous Chester's face. The little one was eating so fast, he was snorting and almost tipping nose up into the food. "Whoops, slow down there Chester Bartholomew.. or you'll end up as fat as ol Henry used to be.." Chet looked up suddenly from his paper as if he was the one addressed. Just as quickly, Chet shot eyes back down to his plate. Johnny's eyes narrowed suspiciously when he saw that reaction. But for the life of him, he couldn't tell whether or not Kelly had thought Cap was speaking about him or the new puppy. ::I coulda told that a lot better if Kelly grabbed his stomach or something too, then, at Cap's comment. "Man.. I'll never find out my answer.." he grumbled to Roy. The guys laughed. "Yeah well, this too, shall pass. No doubt you and Chet will live to fight another day.." DeSoto said, regarding which piece of his sliced apple to devour next with his milk. Then he chose two at the same time and followed up with a thick bite of BBQ beef rib. He was the only one eating with a fork. The others were eating off the bone, including Chester Bartholomew. "Not if he keeps eating so fast like that he won't." Gage said cheek muffled with a beefy spear, glaring at Kelly. |
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