X-ray Chapter 7, part 6

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Ian slept. He dreamed. He awoke. It was still raining. The radio was crackling: "Woman Acting Strange."

A note stuck to the steering wheel said that Erin had gone ahead with the Williamsburg Rocket, Three-five Charlie. Ian climbed over the console, catching his stethoscope on the radio mic., and slid into the driver's seat, fumbling for the ignition keys as he did so. The engine wouldn't start. He cranked, and cranked, and cranked until it caught, hesitated, and settled into a stumbling rumble. Ian shifted into gear and turned the wheel, shocked at the resistance he met. The power steering was on vacation. Once he had wrenched the wheel sufficiently around, he tried to pull out.

But the bus was stuck in the mud. Deep mud, Ian learned, promptly sinking to his ankles as he climbed down from the driver's seat. The rear wheels were buried to the rims, on both sides, it turned out. He threw his weight against the back of the bus and pushed.

All of the bags were still in the bus because Erin hadn't taken them. All she had was Three-five Charlie's oxygen and their HeartStart. "Ian," she called on the radio, "Ian, Ian."

Ian jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he opened his eyes. "Ian, the shift is over," Erin told him, "It's time to go home."

Ian had slept through the ride back to the station. Sara was waiting for him, leaning against the cab of her navy blue truck; Ian's car was in for an oil change and she had dropped him off to work. Ian pulled his bags from the bus and handed off his narcotics in the station office. In the locker room he changed quickly, then met Sara in the parking lot, tossed his bags in the back seat of her Yukon and climbed in shotgun. He reclined the seat, breathed in and out a few times, and settled down for the ride to the airport, where they were picking up Sam. "Never take it home," he told himself, shrinking from Sara's touch as she placed her hand over his.

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