Cherry - S01 E07

Story 2 years ago

Cherry - S01 E07

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 7

A nurse stopped me and said, "Why don't you come over here and we'll take care of you..."

I said, "What do you mean?"The nurse said, "We'll get you sutured up. She pointed to my left shoulder and the back of my head.

I craned my neck to look over my shoulder and only then realized I had at least a four inch gash on my shoulder blade and the back of my t-shirt was soaked with blood. I felt the back of my head and it was wet, too.

"Oh, I didn't even notice... She just pressed her lips together in an understanding 'smile' and said, "Over here"

After the stitches in my shoulder and staples in my head were in place, I walked out of the ER wondering how I was going to get back to the station. I didn't wonder long. Chief was outside waiting for me. One look at my face and he knew there was no need to ask about how Katie was doing.

"You know you did it right." "I'm not so sure," I said.

Chief said, "Listen: you know that there are going to be days like this. We can't save the world, but we do what we can. You take a few days and think about it-get past the emotional part and you will see that there was nothing more you could have done. OK?"

Chief wasn't one for long speeches, but his short talks had a way of cutting right to the chase and getting to the point. I nodded without saying a word and Chief drove me home.

The first thing I did was call Cherry. I had to get my mind off of the day and I knew that Cherry would be the answer. She picked up right after the first ring.

"It's about time you called me! I was starting to think you just used me!" Cherry joked with a smile to her voice. I said, "I'm sorry: I would have called sooner, but I had a really bad

day today. You don't want to know the details; trust me." Cherry's voice became more serious and concerned. "Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. What happened? Are you OK?"

I said, Yes and no: There was a major accident and...it was the worst I've ever seen-let's leave it at that. Can you come over?" I was trying not to tear up and break down and think she could

hear that in my voice.

Cherry answered with uncertainty, "Oh, gosh, I don't know. I mean I

want to, of course! just don't know if I can get a ride."

I said, "What's wrong with your car now?"

"Oh, um... the car is fine, but my Mom has it. Let me call Olivia and I'll call you right back."

I told her 'ok' and she hung up. Several minutes passed and my phone rang. Answering the phone, Cherry said, "I'll be there in a little while, but I'll need you to give me a ride in the morning. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, that's fine, I just really need to see you tonight," I said.

I gave her my address and directions and she said she would be over as soon as possible. A few minutes later, there was a knock at my door. I knew it wasn't Cherry, she lived too far away for it to be her already. I opened the door and saw my buddies Brian and Garry at my door.

"Hey guys, what's up," I asked. They had never just stopped by unannounced like that before.

Garry held up my car keys and I had a sudden realization for why they were there, they brought my car home for me. I invited them in for a beer as a way to say thanks. Garry was declining saying that they had to get going, but at the same time, Brian was saying, 'sure'. In hind sight, offering beer to an alcoholic isn't exactly the best idea in the world, but I wasn't thinking clearly at that moment. Fortunately, I didn't have very much and they didn't stay long. We did talk about the accident and about Katie, but it didn't make any of us feel much better.

A few moments of silent reflection preceded Brian and Garry leaving and I prepared for Cherry's arrival. I was just finishing straightening up my apartment when there was a knock at the door. I opened it and saw Cherry and Olivia at my doorstep. Just seeing Cherry there made me feel better already. She turned to Olivia and thanked her for the ride. Olivia asked her if she was sure about staying here and Cherry nodded and said that she was 'fine'. Olivia told her friend to call her if she needed her for 'any reason' while eyeing me suspiciously. Cherry gave Olivia a hug, kissed her on the cheek, and told her 'thank you'. I invited Olivia to stay for a few minutes but she declined. Cherry came in and as soon as the door was closed, she set down her overnight bag and gave me a kiss hello. I was starting to think she had me under some kind of spell because her kisses were nothing short of magical. If someone fired a shotgun next to my ear while I was kissing her, I'm certain I would not notice.

"I don't think Olivia likes me very much," I said in almost a

question. "She feels like she has to protect me sometimes, I guess," Cherry explained.

"That's kind of cute, actually," I responded, "that SHE would feel the need to look after YOU."

Cherry seemed to think that thought was a little odd but agreed anyway. I just chalked it up to a 'girl thing' and dropped the subject.

Thank you for coming over. I can't tell you how much I needed to see you," I said.

"I thought about you all day, what happened to you today?" Cherry asked.

I said, "It was one of those nightmare days-the ones you hope never happen but know someday it will."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Tell me what happened?"

"Well, you don't want to know how bad it was, but there was an accident and I ended up pulling a small girl from the wreckage. I went with her on the life flight to the hospital, but she didn't make it."

Cherry was saddened and said, "Oh, that's awful. I'm so sorry..." I said, "Everyone tells me that 'did it right', but she is still gone and it sucks, you know?"

Cherry nodded in understanding and asked, "What can I do to help?"

I told her that just her being here was helping me already. It felt cheesy to say that, but it was true. felt better just knowing that she was there for me. It was like her presence made me feel more complete, as if Katie's untimely passing ripped a large portion of my heart out and Cherry replaced it just by showing up. When I told her how I felt, she just smiled ear to ear and hugged me close, putting her head on my chest. After hugging for a few moments, I suggested we go and sit on the couch for a while. I just wanted to hold her close to me.

I sat on the couch and she snuggled up to me, leaning half-way on my lap and resting her head on my chest. I draped my arm over her, resting my hand on hers and I was absentmindedly running the fingers of my other hand through her light red hair. There was nothing overtly sexual about our cuddling; it was just very intimate and caring. Cherry was completely at ease and she closed her eyes; now resting her head in my lap.

She was an absolute vision from every angle and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I began to commit every detail of her face to memory: every curve, every freckle, the way her eyelashes curled, the way dimples formed when she moved her mouth a certain

way. We sat together for what must have been a few hours

without moving or talking. My eyelids began to grow heavy and I was fading in and out of sleep. Cherry had been asleep for about 20 minutes when she began 'talking' in her sleep. Only, she wasn't really talking: it was more like a vocal cadence. She was humming mostly single syllables in a monotone voice. After a few seconds of trying to figure out what she was doing, I remembered that she said she had been a cheerleader in school. 'She must be remembering when she was in high school, thought with an amused smile.