Page 27 of From the Flames
“Can we go to the park to feed the ducks, like you said?”
Willy chuckled. “Yes, we can go do all those things, but we have to take it easy on Kevin.”
“Yes, we can do that. Now why don’t you let your daddy lift you down so I can sit up and be ready when they spring me from this chicken coop? Then we can go do something fun. I don’t think I can play with you, but I can probably sit and watch.”
The nurse came in, and Kevin signed everything he needed to, then took the papers. Willy followed the orderly as he wheeled Kevin out of the hospital and to his car. Kevin got inside while Willy buckled the kids in before they took off.
“Are you hungry?” Willy asked, and Kevin nodded. “Okay, then. What do you want?”
“Soup and maybe some bread or something. They gave me stuff for the pain, and I don’t want to upset my stomach.”
“Okay. I know where to go. The Hamilton downtown makes their own soup, and they have plenty of things the kids will eat. Then after lunch we can go to the park, as long as Kevin is feeling okay.”
Willy found a parking spot right in front of the restaurant, and they all went inside and got a booth. Willy ordered for himself and the kids, while Kevin got the soup and sat back and closed his eyes.
“I guess you’re tired. Maybe we should take you home.”
Kevin shook his head. “The kids can play at the park and feed the ducks. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, so they should have fun today.” He got comfortable, trying to relax, but all he saw and felt was the ceiling collapsing on top of him again and again. He ate slowly and did his best to stay engaged, but his mind kept going over what happened. “I should have—”
“No,” Willy said forcefully, leaning over the table. “You don’t get to second-guess everything you did a million times and try to figure out what you missed. This happened, and you know that fire is unpredictable. That’s why you go in with someone else.”
Kevin’s eyes widened.
“I read a lot on the internet about what you do. Clair was there because she was supposed to be. It was her job to back you up just like you backed her. So this coulda, woulda, shoulda stuff is a waste of time and effort. Now please eat your soup and relax. You’re here with us, and that’s what really counts. Okay?”
Kevin snickered. “You should be a therapist. You could get your patients in and out of your office in a single session.”
“You don’t need to pick on me. Or else I won’t share my fries with you, and these are really hot and fresh, so you’ll be missing out on really good stuff.” He grinned, and Kevin nicked a fry from his plate.
“Okay.” He ate it and then finished his soup, and felt better by the time he was finished. “So what were your plans for today before I interrupted?”
“The park with the swings and the ducks,” Grant told him. “Daddy was going to take us so we can play.” He ate his hot dog with a grin. “Can the dogs come play with us?”
“Yeah,” April added, bouncing in her booster seat.
“How about we go to the park after we eat, and then we can go home and you can play with the dogs in the backyard?” Willy looked tired, and Kevin figured he wanted to get home too. “Kevin is going to need to rest.”
“O-kay,” Grant said, as though the weight of the entire kid world was on his shoulders. He went back to eating, and Willy did the same as Kevin watched everyone, glad to be a part of this little group.
“Do you want some help?” Kevin asked April, and he cut up her hot dog in small pieces. She used her fingers to put some in her mouth. “Be sure to chew well.” He made exaggerated chewing motions using another fry he nabbed from Willy’s plate. He didn’t want to explain how many hot dogs he had seen the paramedics Heimlich from choking kids. “You’re such a big girl.”
“No. She’s the baby. I’m the big brother,” Grant said.
“I not a baby,” April protested, sticking her tongue out.
“That’s enough, both of you. Behave or you won’t go to the park,” Willy told them without raising his voice. He was always so patient with the kids. “Now finish your lunch and be nice.”
“But I not a baby,” April said again from next to Kevin and then began to cry. Kevin put his arm around her.
“Hey. You’re getting to be a big girl, so you can stop crying and finish your hot dog. Remember, the duckies are waiting.” She looked up at him with big, watery eyes but went back to her lunch. Thankfully Grant left his sister alone, and they finished lunch quietly before paying the bill and piling back into the car.
Willy drove to the park, and as soon as he got the kids out of the car, they ran toward the playground at full speed. “You go watch them,” Kevin said. “I’m going to put the window down and relax.” He didn’t want to stop them from having fun, but the pain medication was wearing off, and he felt like he had been beaten up by three clowns and their VW Beetle. None of the pain was acute, he just ached all over. Kevin took a couple of the pills Rosco had given him for pain, put the seat back, and waited for it to kick in.
Laughter drifted in through the open window, and he concentrated on the happy sound, trying not to play the incident through his mind again. Willy was right. He wasn’t going to help himself by second-guessing everything. He was okay, and Willy was looking after him.
“Do you want to see the ducks?” April asked from outside his window.
“You all go,” he said gently.
