Chapter 16
Gabe heard the sirens and knew the ambulance was coming. He was in and out of consciousness. Parts of his body were numb, but his face and hands were so painful, he figured he must be passing out from the agony.
He came to for a short while as he was being loaded into the ambulance and then felt the jostling that meant they were getting his boots off. Then he heard a ripping sound followed by a stab—they were getting an IV into him. Was his femoral artery the only part of him untouched?
After that, he must have been out for quite a while.
He woke in the hospital. At least that’s what he figured, because there were monitors beeping, but he couldn’t see. He tried to move until a female voice said, “He’s awake.”
Whose voice is that?
“Gabe. You’re in the ICU. You had an accident.”
Gabe tried to talk, and his throat was extremely sore, but he managed to eke out, “I can’t see.”
“Your eyes are bandaged, honey.”
Ah, his mother. A familiar voice was probably the most comforting thing he could hear at the moment.
“Mom?”
“Yes, honey?”
“Is Misty okay?”
“Yes, honey. Why wouldn’t she be?”
“Someone said I was in an accident. Was she with me?”
“Oh, it wasn’t a car accident, sweetheart. Do you remember a fire and getting hit with burning gasoline?”
“Sort of.” Then after a short while, he said, “Yeah. Yeah, I remember now.”
“Hang on. Your captain asked us to call him as soon as you were awake.”
“Did they get the guy?”
“You can ask him. Your father is talking to him in the hall.”
“Oh? When you said you had to call him, I thought he was back at the station.”
“No. He’s off duty. But he came in to see you, hoping you were awake. He’ll have to put on a mask and sterile gown. It may take a minute.”
“Are you wearing all that sterile stuff?”
“Yes, honey. Everyone who comes into your room has to. I’ll be right back.”
He heard her little feet scurry off. He was groggy. He felt like going back to sleep, so they must’ve put some sort of pain medication in him. Considering he wasn’t feeling much of anything, that was a good bet.
“Gabe?” The captain woke him out of his drowsiness. “Hey, buddy. I’m glad you’re still with us.”
“How bad is it?” Gabe asked. “And did you get the guy?”
His captain cleared his throat. “We went after him and got a good look, but you were in trouble. We dropped the pursuit and came to your aid.”
“Thanks. I think. Am I going to lose my eyesight?”
A female voice chimed in. “I’m your doctor, Mr. Fierro. Dr. Ella Carpenter. I can tell you more when you’re ready.”
