Chapter 3, part 2

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At the ambulance they used the stair chair to lift the patient in, then shifted her over to the stretcher. Three Two Boy folded the stair chair put away and said goodbye, and left. Frank listened to Mrs. Freed's lungs again and turned to Ian. "Turn around and take us back down to Flushing street, then left. Hospital is just after the el."

Ian had spun the steering wheel around for the second leg of his K-turn, but had not yet shifted her to reverse when he heard Frank's growl from the window from the patient compartment: "what the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm turning around."

"Go to the end of the block, make a right, and right, and go."

"Tell me what to do and I’ll do it," Ian said, but quietly, and to himself. He backed the ambulance away from the curb and pulled down to the street at the end of the block, where he made a right. "Just don't be an asshole about it. How am I supposed to know?"

Five minutes later they rolled under the elevated subway and made the left into the common driveway. He made another left from the driveway, pulled into the Gantry's ER bay, and parked next to a commercial ambulance. Around back he helped Frank unload the stretcher.

Inside the hospital Frank gave his report to one of the nurses, then he and Ian shifted the patient over to an ER stretcher. Frank completed his written report, while Ian remade their stretcher with clean linen.

Another city medic joined him, and Ian recognized the man who had opened the door for him that morning. "How's Richter treating you?" He asked as they tucked the linen under the mattress.

Ian held his reply until he was standing beside the man, whose name plate read Harvey. "He's a schmuck," he said quietly.

Harvey laughed. "He knows his shit, though. You've taken Richards' place, so he's upset."

Ian opened his mouth to ask about Richards, but another medic came up on tap Harvey on the shoulder. "CPR in progress, let's go."
“Hang in there,” Harvey said.

"Thanks," said Ian, but Harvey disappeared through the sliding doors to the ambulance bay, and Ian doubted that he heard. Frank appeared in Harvey's place. He looked Ian over, but only said "let's go" as he grabbed one end of the stretcher and pulled it out to the ambulance.

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