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Some trucks didn’t get their lunch, though.
Groaning came over the air from the vehicle in question.
“A 1-8 saidthey’veeaten,” the truck in question advised.
“Copy that,” I offered cheerfully. “A 1-8, Priority Two to Karangahape Road. R6.”
A chorus of moans came over the air as the crews brought their handsets down on their thighs and rubbed them back and forth, making static.
“Can’t please them all,” Dr Jones said.
I smiled at the medical director and said, “But we can make their lives a living hell.”
He laughed, then pulled up a chair and sat down beside me. He watched in silence for a while as I shifted chess pieces around on my electronic chessboard. During a lull in the manic movements, he leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees and announced, “I’ve been meaning to catch up with you.”
“Me?” I asked astounded. What had I done to garner the attention of the medical director?
“You went to that decapitation on Shore Road.”
A lift. Maintenance overalls. Little pieces of brain tissue stuck in the tracks of the sliding doors.
“Yeah,” I said, busying myself with updating a job on one of the screens.
“How are you doing?” he asked quietly.
I glanced up at the room, but no one was listening. Too busy on a Sunday morning dealing with triple one calls.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“And Carl? Your partner? How’s he handling it?”
“Oh, you know Carl. Been around the block a time or two by now.”
“If you need anything, to talk to someone, just let me know.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder and stood, returning his chair to the corner of the room. I nodded my head, forced myself to meet his eyes, and smiled.
It was all a lie.
* * *
Itold Sean about the conversation when I got home.
“That’s nice of him,” he said. “He’s a good guy.”
“Yes, he is,” I offered in reply.
“But that’s not how we do it on the road.”
“No,” I said.
“Twelve years I’ve been doing this,” he added. “And not one time have I seen the likes of Harry Mann or JayCee or any of the other career ambos get any help. It’s just not done,” he added for emphasis.
“But there’s help if you need it,” I argued.
His eyes met mine. “If you need it, go ask for it, Ky.”
“But you wouldn’t?”
