alexa was in the parking lot when she got the call. she’d been on the receiving end of many of those calls, always panicked that it’d be last one. she sent a quick apologetic text to her date, hopeful they could reschedule. since the divorce, she’d finally gotten back out there and of course, shonnetta would by some means pop up again. she wasn’t mad, frankly. worried, on the other hand, she might have been. still dressed in her doctor’s coat, she entered the room. “ they called me. ” she kept her distance, at first, while she assessed the situation with her own eyes. “ you’re banged up, borrowing oxygen from a tank and you’re asking me if i’m ok? ” she shook her head, slid a chair next to her ex-wife. somethings never changed. “they said there’s no internal bleeding, which is a good sign. how’s your pain level? you need anything? ” she breathed out, reached for her hand.
“ umm .. yes ? ” the firefighter replied with a dopey grin. it didn’t matter how bad her own injuries were , it was her job to take care of others and for many years it’d been her job to take care of alexa as well. old habits died hard. “ i’m not in any pain , ” she insisted , though it was a lie. her head was still throbbing and her ankle felt like it was on fire every time she moved it , but she’d seen one too many firefighters become reliant on pain medication after suffering from an injury so she always tried not to take any unless it was absolutely necessary. “ i’m alright , ” she promised , giving alexa’s hand a gentle squeeze. “ i got out. ”