worry about it, Mr. Charles. We were just down the street, so this is on our way back to the station. No hassle at all.” Rory kept up a calm dialogue with the elderly man sitting on the floor of his apartment in one of the assisted living facilities. The staff was excellent, but if a patient fell and was unable to get up by themselves, the EMTs were called. In this case, the elderly man had leaned forward while in his wheelchair, attempting to pick up a piece of paper on the floor. Parkinson’s had taken away his ability to control most of his movements, and he’d toppled into the floor.
“My bones are hard,” Mr. Charles said. “I’m ninety years old and never broken a bone in my life.”
Chuckling, Rory said, “Then you’re very lucky!” Walking through the man’s bedroom, he noticed a faded, olive green blanket folded on the end of the man’s bed. “That looks like an old Army blanket.”
Holding his arm out while he checked his blood pressure, Mr. Charles nodded. “I served during the Korean War. That blanket has been with me since nineteen fifty.”
“You’re kidding!”
“No. My wife kept it in a cedar chest so the moths wouldn’t get to the wool. It’s old, but it’s still just as warm.”
“I’m recently out of the Army myself.”
Mr. Charles’ eyes lit and he smiled widely. “Good for you, son. I thank you for your service.”
“And you as well.”
The old man chuckled and rubbed the whiskers on his chin. “I didn’t have any choice, you know. Not back in those days.”
“It doesn’t matter how we were called to serve, Mr. Charles. All that matters is that we did serve.” Mr. Charles’ smile widened, and he nodded, a twinkle back in his eyes.
It appeared Mr. Charles was right about his strong bones, and he’d suffered nothing more than a loss of dignity when he fell. Rory and his partner, Shania, gently lifted him to his feet, steadied his wheelchair, and assisted him to sit. The facility’s CNA on duty hovered about, making sure he was comfortable. Rory glanced at the nightstand, seeing a wedding picture with a much younger Mr. Charles and his beautiful bride. Noting that there was a single hospital bed in the room, he sighed, fearing that Mr. Charles was a widower.
As though following his line of sight and train of thought, Mr. Charles reached out to take Rory’s hand, shaking it firmly. “That’s my Millie. She’s been gone about five years now.”
“She was a beautiful woman, Mr. Charles,” Rory said, holding the older man’s gaze while Shania packed up their equipment.
Mr. Charles grinned and nodded. “She was beautiful. Best cook. She could fry a mighty fine chicken. And let me tell you, she didn’t suffer fools lightly.”
Rory chuckled, thinking of his own mother, then patted the older man’s shoulder. “Make sure to put the brake on your wheelchair before you make a transfer, Mr. Charles. I don’t mind coming back to see you, but I’d rather it be for a friendly visit and not a broken hip.”
Finishing the paperwork at the nurse’s station, he had it signed before he and Shania walked back out to the ambulance. He climbed behind the steering wheel as she buckled into the passenger seat. Now that he was assigned to the Second Battalion’s Clifton Street Station, he’d been partnered with her for the last month. The relationship worked well. She was smart, funny, nurturing, and dedicated to the job. She was also dedicated to busting his chops when needed.
“You were good with him,” she said.
“He reminded me of my grandfather. In fact, it was funny, but I even thought of my mom when he talked about his wife.”
“If nothing else comes in, we can head back to the station.” Just then her phone vibrated, and she grumbled under her breath. “My kids are going to be the death of me.”
“What’s going on?”
“Today was a teacher workday, and for the first time, I allowed my thirteen-year-old daughter to babysit her two younger siblings. Leon was home this morning, and then when he went to work, our next door neighbor had her eye on the house as well. So far, they’ve been fine, but my phone has vibrated with a million texts. Mom, we’re almost out of peanut butter. Mom, I put grape jelly on Julius’ sandwich, but he now says he wants strawberry. Mom, I told him I’m going to take his Xbox away.” She sighed heavily and shoved her