Bejewelled

CH 10

Gabe had almost panicked as he’d driven down the street that his GPS told him was Cinda’s street. There were two fire trucks, an ambulance and a police car outside the front of an apartment building. He had snapped his truck to the curb and jammed on the breaks, jumped out, with his heart pounding inside his chest as he realised it was Cinda’s apartment building.

What the hell had happened? Was she in there still? Was he too late? If he was, how the hell was he going to explain this to his mother and father? It would kill his mother.

Then as he ran down the street, closing the distance from where he’d had to park, as the way was blocked, he saw her unmistakable green eyes flash in the streetlight, as she turned to talk with someone. For the first time in a long time, he was truly glad to see those brilliant jewel green eyes of hers, his heart had skipped a beat entirely, she was okay. Relief flooded through his veins.

She didn’t even look at him when he asked her if she was alright. It could just be the shock of the situation, or it could be that she just didn’t want to. Ignored the hissing cat in her lap. Made her look up at him, sadness was what he saw in them. She had lost her father-in-law just hours ago, and now this. Had she unwittingly left something burning? A gas top left on maybe? In grief people forgot things.

He had to find out who was in charge, what had happened? and before he knew it, the ambulance behind him had snapped on its sirens and taken her away. To who knew which hospital, he cursed out loud and had been headed for his truck when a rather large hand fell on his shoulder, halting him in his tracks.

“Do you know her? How?” A deep gravelly voice enquired.

Gabe had turned to look at the fiftyish man, in a fireman’s uniform, staring down at him, a hard expression on his face. Gabe had always thought he was tall at 6ft 5inces, but this man was a giant. Stood another two inches taller than him, Gabe rarely ever had to look up at anyone. It was a bit of a shock.

“She’s my...” how did he answer that question? How could he explain it? It was a damned mystery even to him “foster sister.” He finished, it was the only way he knew how to put it into words. He had only ever used the actual word brother just once, and had regretted it every day of his life since.

“Royal North Shore, it’ll be headed to.” The giant of a man told him, releasing him from his grip, and it had been like a vice, so he could go, and he did.

Gabe stood in the hospital’s emergency waiting room, he was listening to the firemen who had turned up after they had put the fire out. They were still wearing their uniforms, had come from her place, right here to the hospital, they were talking amongst themselves, there was nothing left. She’d lost everything.

It didn’t take Gabe long to figure out that they all knew her somehow. From that giant's concern and grip on him back at her apartment, it was clear they were all worried about her, and as to who he was. They were now here, all waiting on word of her, just like he was.

“I know James installed smoke detectors.” One of them said “why didn’t they go off?” Another one muttered.

“Just be thankful her neighbour came home when he did and called us right away.” The giant of a man said.

“Yeah, James would come back and kill us all if we’d let anything happen to her.” Another said and then crossed himself. James was likely the name of her dead husband, he’d thought to himself. Grey had not said the man’s name, but by the way they were talking, James had been one of them.

Several of them had eyed him off suspiciously, but none of them had approached him. Gabe had used his phone several times, he’d put a call into his mum and dad, they had to know. He’d hated every moment of that conversation, hearing his mother cry like that. He’d told them to stay put and that he would keep them up to date.

He put a call into Grey and asked him to dig up everything on James’s case, because his gut was telling him that things looked suspicious down here, he’d not even stumbled over the man’s name, not only surprising himself but Grey too.

He’d then put a call into Johnny, who was now on his way, and Senior Sergeant Bentley to get him to pull some strings and get some cooperation from the other police down here in the city, who earlier hadn’t been all that eager to talk to him, they didn't know him, weren't from the police station that he had worked in, while here in the city right out of the academy.

Gabe also knew that those firemen, though talking amongst themselves, would all be listening to him as much as he was to them. They would know from his conversations he was not just her foster brother but also a cop.

The doctor finally came out to speak with them, Cinda was suffering from smoke inhalation and had to be observed closely for the next 24 hours. He told them that hopefully she’d be fine but that there was, of course, the risk that she might not be, depending on the amount of smoke she had inhaled.

The man didn’t sugar coat anything, everyone here milling around waiting for news was up to hearing it, and Gabe was certain that none of them would have settled for anything other than the complete and utter truth. They all knew the consequences of people being trapped inside burning buildings. Better than anyone at that, they would not stand for fluff, would want to know the cold hard facts, no matter how bad it was.

“She is asking after her cat?” He shook his head, somewhat dismayed.

“Hugh, you got that cat, right?”

“Yes, boxed up and at the fire station house.”

“Good.”

“Who gets to go in first?” Another man asked, his eyes moved to Gabe as he spoke. They obviously knew he was family. Likely that giant had relayed his words to them.

Gabe knew that his rights as family came first, so to speak, but he wasn’t about to argue about it. He didn’t imagine that Cinda was going to be all that happy about him being there. They were also likely much closer to her than he was. Seeing as they were all here waiting for news of her and to see her.

The doctor looked from Gabe to the firemen, asked who he was and then sighed, a tough call for him to make so to speak. “You lot first, but only for a minute, then the foster brother.” The man finally defused the tension of the situation.

Gabe didn’t argue with him, just nodded his acceptance of the doctor’s decision and then moved aside so the fellas could pass him. He could tell just from them all being here that they thought of her as family.

Obviously, her husband had been one of them and he understood the code, they’d look out for Cinda forever. As he would if something happened to Grey or Manny, Liny and Kiren were family, and he’d always look out for them regardless.

A minute turned into ten and when they finally left, one of them stepped over to him and said, “Don’t upset her, she’s already been through a lot, the loss of her husband a year ago, her boss 6 months ago and now her father-in-law just hours ago. Then tonight everything she and James had, has been burned to smithereens.”

“I don’t intend on causing any undue stress.” Gabe replied. He was not offended by the man’s attitude towards him, knew why they were on him, they had never seen him before, at all. They had likely never even heard his name mentioned and had no idea about him, he imagined. Just nodded, not at all intimidated by the man, though he did get impression that was what he was trying to do.

“Jack let the man see his sister.” The giant said, clearly the group's chief.

“Foster sister.” Jack corrected him, seemed a little angry and then muttered something about the fact that at least he knew where his place was. Letting them go in first, as it should be.

Gabe ignored it and watched them go; he knew they were probably more of a family to her than he had ever been. Ever would be for that matter, and he doubted that any of them would look at her the way he did sometimes or hurt her the way he had 8 years ago.

He got the distinct impression that if they found out, the lot of them would probably pound him into a pulp, regardless of the fact that he was a police officer.

Gabe stood there staring at the closed door, and was about to walk over when he heard pounding footsteps coming his way. He turned and saw Johnny in full uniform headed towards him, he smiled a little at the firemen, stopped and shook Jack’s hand, obviously knew him. He looked a little on the winded side from the running, spoke quietly with Jack for a few minutes and then came over to Gabe.

“Hey, Gabe, how is she?” Johnny asked.

“Some smoke inhalation, we have to wait and see, just about to go in.”

“Did the boys give you any trouble?”

“Who?”

“Who?” Johnny laughed. “the firies, Jack especially.”

Gabe’s jaw tightened, so Johnny knew about James as well, “Does everyone know she got married but me?” he snapped.

“Um maybe, I don’t know. Perhaps your parents don’t know.”

“Manny?”

“Yeah sorry! But none of us wanted to be the one who got shot for being the messenger. Who did you shoot by the way?” He asked.

“No one.” Gabe frowned at him, why did they all think that he would shoot the messenger anyway?

“So, who told you?”

“Grey.”

“Ouch!”

Again, he frowned at Johnny, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on, Grey. You can’t tell me you haven’t wanted to kill him for years now. After he and Cinda dated, hell man, even Manny and I were jealous, not that we would ever go there with her, knew better.”

“I don’t blame him.” Gabe said and he didn’t, but he didn’t have to like it or think about it. “Let’s just not talk about it.”

The two of them went into Cinda’s room, Gabe’s chest tightened. She looked so tired and miserable, small and frail even, still wearing an oxygen mask, no surprises there, was likely going to be wearing it for many hours, maybe even a whole day. Her persona didn’t pick up at seeing him or Johnny either, she just sighed heavily and closed her eyes, probably wishing he would go away. It wasn’t going to happen. Not now.

“What now?” She muttered “I didn’t start it, so he can’t arrest me for it.”

Johnny shot Gabe a confused look and Gabe shook his head. “I’ll explain it to you later.” Then he walked right over to her bed and looked down at her. “How are you feeling?”

“How do you think?” She shot back annoyed, her voice all raspy, she coughed a couple of times before turning to Johnny, dismissing him, he supposed “How are you doing?”

“Good.” He nodded.

“On duty I see.” She said calmly, too calmly for Gabe’s liking or Johnny’s for that matter. Heard the man sigh, actually saw him shake his head slightly.

“I won’t do it Cinda.” Johnny commented, “He’s your problem, not mine.” Then he turned to leave. “I’ll wait out in the hall.” He said and left the two of them alone.

“Go home.” Cinda stated flatly, without looking at him.

“I can’t, I’m under strict orders.” Gabe told her, and he was.

“From whom, do you take orders?” She snapped at him, and her emerald eyes moved back to him finally, flashed angrily up at him.

“Who do you think, my mother, of course.” He smiled, she had to know, he wasn’t likely to take them from anyone else where she was concerned. “I’m not to leave until you’re okay and then...well,” Gabe shrugged “I’m to bring you home so she can look after you.”

“I don’t need looking after.”

Gabe almost laughed at that, how could she say that, when she was lying in a hospital bed in need of actual medical treatment and care, the silly woman did actually need it, and he noted that she did not miss his amusement.

“Oh, just get out.” She tried to yell at him. Which only started another coughing fit. He handed her a glass of water when it was done. She took it but still glared at him.

“I’ll go for now.” He simply nodded and was glad to. The longer he stayed in that room and saw her in that state, the more he had to fight the urge to pull her into his arms, to tell her she’d be alright, that he would take care of her. He’d only ever seen her like this once before, when she was 14 and he’d had to carry her out of the bush to town. Reminded him of that.

He sank down on the seat next to Johnny, who just smiled at him “Ordered you out, didn’t she.”

“Yep.” Gabe nodded “I’d hazard a guess that she’s fine.”

“So, what’s this about me having to arrest you?” saw Johnny smile up at him, wondered if he’d spoken to Grey or Manny today and already knew, seemed a little amused himself. The man’s phone was in his hand, and could well be in contact with them now.

“Oh, it’s stupid. Don’t worry about it.” Gabe commented with a shake of his head.

“Oh, I ain’t worry, just real curious, that’s all.”

“Mm, another time when I’m not so tired.”

“Come on then, you can bunk down at my place.”

Gabe’s eyes moved back to the hospital room door. He frowned didn’t like that she was going to be here alone.

“Trust me Gabe, she’s not going anywhere, not at least till 4 this arvo, they’ll want to monitor her for at least 12 hours, maybe even keep her in tomorrow night too, you know this, yourself.” He chuckled and got up.

Gabe got up, he knew that Johnny was right, for he’d seen it all before. “Have you heard anything about the fire yet?”

“No, but I’ll keep my ears open. Jack stated he’d call when the report was done.”

“Good. Because I heard the firies state that the smoke detectors didn’t go off.”

“Hmm, I’m certain they would have been working. Her...well they just would have been.”

Gabe sighed, Johnny had just refrained himself from stating the word “husband”. Why did everyone think he would lose it, just from them saying those words? Had he ever once lost it where she was concerned? No, was the answer to that. He had no right to.