The triage clinic was one of three stationed at the perimeter of the fire. Hundreds of people had already been evacuated but some chose to remain to protect their homes. However, garden hoses weren’t going to do much to contain this beast. It had been burning for a week and the Santa Ana winds combined with the parched lands made for near-impossible conditions.
“We have another one, Doctor.” Bishop pushed a gurney toward the doctor in charge of the station. “Looks like 3rd degree burns on the hands and lower arms.”
“I’ll take it from here, thanks.” The doctor ripped the patient’s long-sleeved shirt and began to examine him.
Bishop started outside the makeshift building and approached another volunteer. “Any idea where they want us to go next?” His face was sooty and sweat poured off of him.
“You should take a breather while you can. I’m sure it won’t be long.” He studied Bishop. “Where you from?”
“Back east.”
“Long way to come to volunteer. I admire you for that. I’m from the area myself. Been an EMT for about 5 years. This is some crazy shit. It’s getting harder to breathe. They might have to push farther out.”
“Could be,” Bishop added.
“What’s your story? You a tech too?”
“Doctor, actually. It’s a long story. I’m just here to help.”
“You two.” A firefighter approached them. “We need some help over here now!”
“Break’s over,” Bishop started toward the firefighter. “I’m a doctor. What do you need?” He peered back and noticed the man he had been speaking with was diverted to help another.
“Get him bandaged up. I’ll leave it up to you but looks to me like it’s not that severe. You got this?” the firefighter asked.
“I got it.” Bishop smiled while the firefighter left. “He’s right, sir. I think you’ll be just fine. Looks like some second-degree burns.” He continued to examine him. “Maybe some first-degree too. Nothing that you can’t go to your local hospital and have checked out. I’ll get you in good enough shape that you can leave here. Does that sound like a plan?”
The man nodded. “I just wanted to protect my house. But the heat…”
“I know, sir. You did what you could.” Bishop cleaned and disinfected the man’s burns before applying a topical treatment. “You know what, I’m going to give you direct-injection antibiotics. They’re the strongest we have and will fight off any infection you might get as a result of these burns.” He opened his medical kit and retrieved a needle. “You’ll feel a slight pinch here.”
“I doubt it, Doc. I don’t feel nothing but the burn.” He held out his arm.
Bishop inserted the needle and pushed the contents into his arm before placing a cotton ball on the site. “Put some pressure on this for just a moment and I’ll get the bandages.”
The man began to writhe on the gurney. He gasped for breath while foam erupted from his mouth. With his hand, he clutched onto Bishop’s arm.
Bishop swung around and noticed the man in distress. He surveyed the area. Doctors, EMTs, and others were busy treating patients. He looked down at the man again who still had a death grip on his arm. “You’ll be okay. It’ll pass in a minute.” With his free hand, he pushed down on the man’s shoulders so he wouldn’t draw attention. “Shhhh. It’s almost over.”
4
As much as Kate wanted things to return to normal, both personally and professionally, it seemed like the more she wished for that to happen, the longer it was taking.
Kate needed something to sink her teeth into to take her mind off all the upheaval that had happened lately. It had been a mistake to meet with Quinn yesterday. She should’ve known better but had truly wanted to keep the relationship from burning to the ground. Quinn would have to reconcile his behavior as she would hers. Maybe when they both did that, they could move on and work together in some small capacity someday.
For now, however, she would settle for an opportunity to work on something on her own before Fisher had a chance to bring in another supervisor. And it looked like her wish was about to be granted.
“Reid, you have a minute?” Fisher walked into her office.
“Of course,” she replied with anticipation on her breath.
“I got a call a few minutes ago from the Denver field office. They could use some guidance on a case that dropped into their laps last week.”
“Okay. Is this something for the team?”
“No. We don’t need to commit our full resources to this. Not at this time, anyway. But I thought it would present an opportunity for you to showcase your talents without being under the thumb of Noah Quinn, or anyone for that matter.”
“When should I leave?”
“Based on what I know from the agent in charge, my best guess is that this should take a couple of days for you to get up to speed and be able to draft a profile for them. It’s a fairly straight-forward case. You’ve handled worse. So, I can count on you?”
“Absolutely. I’m ready at your say.”
“Good. I’ll send over the details and the contact for the field office. You should get yourself booked on the next flight to Denver.” Fisher started to leave. “I know what you’re capable of, Reid. I’ve seen you in action and frankly, I’ve been in awe on occasion. I want to see what you can do all on your own.”
“I won’t let you down.”
Fisher smiled. “I know you won’t.” He continued into the corridor.
This wasn’t the first opportunity to act on her own. Nick had given her something similar when they worked at the Washington field office and she’d been allowed to spread her wings and work on the case in Los Angeles. But here, this was a different story. Fisher had been reluctant to accept her at their first meeting. He’d also been reluctant to accept Nick as his boss, but that was an entirely different situation. Now, he was giving her a chance to
