EMT

Ryan knew what a Gordian Knot was and wondered if her life had really been that bad. He had no way of knowing but took her at her word.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

He squeezed her hand then added, "Not just today although that had to be sheer agony."

"I'll be fine, but I think you're much too hard on yourself," she told him, this time with a little bigger smile as she focused on him rather than herself.

He sat back, ran a hand through his thick, dark hair, then sighed.

"I've never told anyone about that stuff before. You know, my...insecurities."

She reached over and squeezed his hand and told him she was glad he had.

"You're easy to talk to, Lisa."

"Yeah, you too," she replied as he took his hand away saying it was high time to get out of her hair.

"You're not bothering me, Ryan. This has been very nice, and had we not talked, I think I might have ended up in another wing of this hospital."

She laughed a little and said, "You know, the one with the padded rubber rooms."

She saw the way he was looking at her, and that made her stop smiling.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked, feeling bad before knowing the reason why his expression changed.

"No. Not at all," he told her. "I was just thinking that you have an amazing smile."

"Oh," she replied as she looked down at the coffee cup in front of her.

"You do," Ryan assured her. "In fact, you're a very beautiful woman."

She suddenly felt so discombobulated she couldn't speak. But the way he was smiling at her told her he wasn't kidding, and that made most of the inner turmoil disappear.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "And thank you for the coffee. And the conversation."

Now certain she was letting him know she wanted him to go, Ryan made another excuse about needing to leave.

Lisa was equally certain something had happened and that 'this' really was going to be nothing but a cup of coffee and some polite chit chat.

"Okay. I understand," she said, wishing she'd said or maybe not said whatever it was that changed things.

"If it's okay with you, I'll come by tomorrow morning before I go to work to check in on Noah."

She again felt confused but told Ryan that would be nice.

"I'm up early and start my shift at 8am, but I'll be here around seven if that's okay."

"Sure. Anytime," she told him as he stood up and thanked her for a very enjoyable chat.

"No. It was my pleasure," she countered. "I really needed a solid dose of sanity."

He laughed then said, "And yet all you got was me."

His self-deprecating humor made her laugh as she let him know she really had enjoyed talking with him.

"Then I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

Ryan hesitated then asked, "Are you staying here all night?"

"I...think so. I won't be able to sleep if I leave, so I think I'll just stay here. Unless I can talk a nurse into letting me stay in Noah's room."

She saw him raise an eyebrow before saying, "I might be able to help with that. Give me a minute, okay?"

It took more like ten, but when he came back he was smiling.

"You're all set," he told her.

"How...how did you do that?"

Before he could answer she laughed.

"Oh, I know. That cute young nurse who couldn't take her eyes off of you, right?"

Ryan chuckled then said very seriously, "Honey? This jealousy thing does not look good on you."

Now feeling even better than before, Lisa laughed and told him she really needed that.

"What? Me making you laugh or letting you know that jealousy doesn't became you?" he asked just as seriously as before.

He didn't offer her his arm, but she put hers in his anyway, and when she did, he took her hand and sent a shockwave through her body that caused her to forget what he'd just said.

"Ryan?" she asked once they were about halfway to Noah's room.

"Yes?"

"Are you...seeing anyone?"

Lisa couldn't believe those words had come out of her mouth, but they had, and she couldn't call them back.

"No. I'm not seeing anyone."

He hesitated then asked, "Are you?"

"Me? No. I...I don't date a lot."

Now she hesitated then told him, "The truth is I don't date much at all."

She saw him look her way, so she fessed up.

"I have this huge...trust issue...where men are concerned."

"I barely know you, but from what you shared, that lack of trust seems more than justified."

She then looked up at him, smiled, and squeezed his hand just as they got to her son's room.

The cute, perky, young nurse was there waiting and smiled. At Ryan.

"I don't do this for just anyone," she said as he stopped and let go of Lisa's hand.

"Well, thank you for doing it for me," he said before quickly adding, "and my beautiful wife."

The younger woman cut her eyes Lisa's way, faked a smile, then told them they could go in.

"I uh, I'm not staying," Ryan said. "I'll just go in real quick then I'll be leaving."

The look on the nurse's face changed as she said, "I wasn't aware of that," in a way that sounded almost caustic.

Ryan then smiled at her and thanked her again, and that seemed to be enough to placate her, and with that, the young nurse went back to the front desk.

"Thank you. Again," Lisa told him as they stood outside Noah's room.

"I'm just glad I could help. Lord knows I needed something to make me feel a little less guilty."

"Ryan?" Lisa said as they looked at one another. "I don't blame you. For anything. Okay?"

He watched her eyes as she spoke and knew she meant what she was saying.

"Thank you," he told her just as sincerely.

For the briefest of moments Lisa had the feeling that he was going to kiss her, and for that brief moment there was nothing she wanted more. He didn't, but he did smile again.

"I'll just say 'hi' to Noah even if he's still asleep then I'll be on my way."

Lisa stood next to him as they looked down on Noah who seemed so peaceful, and for the first time, she felt like everything would be okay. Not just with her son but with her life, and although she had no reason to believe that, just feeling it for even a short amount of time felt pretty wonderful.

As she watched Ryan gently touch her son's forehead and brush a shock of hair out of the way she realized why she felt so happy, but that realization also meant that it was only going to be a fleeting, one-time feeling. Even so, she was happy to have a sense of optimism again, no matter how short-lived it might be.

"He's a trooper," Ryan said as he took his hand away.

"Yes. Yes, he is," his mother agreed just as Ryan said he needed to go.

She walked him to the door then thanked him again.

"I'm just glad he's going to be okay," Ryan said.

"Thanks to you," Lisa replied with another warm smile.

He wanted to insist that her son wouldn't even be there were it not for his carelessness, but he accepted her kind words then wished her a good night.

"You, too," she told him as he turned to leave.

As she pulled a chair over next to the bed Lisa spent the next few minutes reliving the last few hours. It had been nothing short of an emotional roller coaster ride with the lowest of lows followed by some very warm, very pleasant highs. Could it be there might possibly be something there with Ryan in spite of the obvious?

She sighed then laughed quietly when she remembered a favorite movie of hers from the past and quoted the female lead, Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz, "As IF!"

At some point, due to sheer exhaustion, Lisa fell asleep sitting in the chair. The next thing she was aware of was a quiet voice and a hand on her shoulder. She forced one eye open then smiled.

"Good morning," Ryan said. "I brought you some decent coffee."

He handed a styrofoam cup which Lisa gladly took, thanking him for it before enjoying a first sip.

"I thought that might be an improvement over hospital coffee."

"It's so good! Thank you."

Ryan smiled, looked over at Noah, then asked how he was doing.

"The same?" she answered. "The truth is I fell asleep and have no idea what happened while I was out."

She rubbed her neck then said, "Note to self. Don't sleep in hardback chairs."

Ryan moved behind her then said, "I can help with that."

Lisa sort of glanced at him, but turning her head hurt, and she winced. A second later his fingers began working their magic as he pressed and massaged in all the right places.

"Oh, my. Let me tell you, you have a backup career if you ever need it," Lisa told him as the pain began draining away.

"I hope it never comes to that. I kind of like being an EMT."

A knock at the door stopped their quiet laughter as Noah's doctor popped in to check on him. He gave the boy a quick once-over then explained what was next.

"Noah will be waking up soon. We have pain medication in his drip, so he shouldn't be hurting. If he is, let a nurse know, and I'll address that."

He went on to talk about physical therapy, the time it would take for the wound to heal, then asked if Lisa had any questions.

"When can I take him home?"

"I'd say sometime later today. That'll have given us 24 hours to observe him, and if we seen no sign of blood clots or other concerns, he should be able to go home."

Both of them thanked the doctor who wished them best then continued his rounds.

There was a brief, awkward moment as the two of them looked at one another before Lisa broke eye contact.

"Oh. I totally forgot," she said as she opened her purse and removed the string wristband.

She slipped it on her son's arm then gently ran her hand along it. As she did his eyelids fluttered then one eye partially opened followed by the other.

"Mom," Noah said, his voice hoarse and cracked.

"Hey there. How do you feel?"

"Thirsty."

Ryan reached for the water pitcher near the bed and one of the plastic cups and filled it then handed it to Lisa along with a straw.

"Here you go. Just sip it, okay?"

Noah took one sip then chugged it.

"Can I have some more?" he asked just as he noticed Ryan.

The older man smiled and asked how he was doing.

"Are you the man who got me out?" Noah asked as his man handed him some more water.

"Yes he is," his mom answered as she smiled at Ryan.

"Thank you," the ten-year old told him.

Ryan saw Lisa looking at him and she knew what he was thinking. She put her hand on his lower arm, smiled again, then nodded.

"You're um, you're...welcome."

"Noah? His name is Ryan, but you need to call him Mr. Ellis, okay?"

"Okay, Mom," her son said as he handed her the cup.

"More?"

"No thank you."

"You hungry?"

"A little."

"I'll go get the nurse," Ryan told her, knowing Lisa wouldn't want to leave her son.

"Thank you," she said very sweetly as she smiled a different kind of smile at him.

There was a different nurse at the desk, but she knew about Noah and was glad to know he was awake and had an appetite.

"I'll make sure something gets brought down as soon as possible," she assured him.

When he walked back into the room, he heard Lisa say, "I'm sorry, honey. Daddy...daddy died."

Expecting the boy to cry--or worse--Ryan watched to see Noah's reaction.

He not only didn't cry he only looked straight ahead and only said, "Oh."

Ryan moved next to Lisa, and when she looked at him, she again knew what he was thinking.

"He's fine," she told him as she mussed up her son's hair. "Aren't you, buddy?"

Noah didn't answer. He pulled the blanket off his leg, and as soon as he saw the metal plate and the pins, he said, "Cool!"

"That's one way to look at it," his very-relieved mother said with a laugh that was partly a release of pent-up stress.

"I can't wait to show Aidan!" he said as he ran his fingers along the shiny metal.

"That's his best friend," Lisa explained.

"Ah, okay. And that actually is kind of cool looking."

"It's awesome!" Noah said as he turned his leg a little to get a different view.

"Does it hurt, honey?" his mom asked.

"Uh-uh. I don't feel anything."

Noah's food arrived less than a minute before his doctor came back in.

"Hey there, young man. I see you decided to wake up!"

Ryan and Lisa moved aside so the doctor could be near Noah as he asked the boy how he felt.

"Fine," he replied as he went straight for the chocolate pudding cup on his tray.

"I'll give you some pain medication, but try and get him onto Ibuprofen or Tylenol as soon as possible, okay," the doctor told Lisa as he gently lifted Noah's leg then rotated it left and right.

"The range of motion looks good--considering. Follow through with the physical therapy, and bring him back to me in two weeks at the clinic, and we'll see how things look. My sense is he should be well on his way to a full recovery a couple of months from now."

He patted Noah's good leg then said, "Maybe even less."

As the doctor left Ryan looked at his watch and told Lisa he needed to go.

"Right. Yes, don't let us keep you."

"You're not. Keeping me," Ryan told her, that same amazing smile back on his very handsome face.

"I don't suppose you'd like that too much. If we did. Keep you."

He smiled more broadly then told her, "You really don't get it, do you?"

"Get it?"

Ryan didn't answer her question in spite of the confused look on her face. Instead he asked if he could stop by and see how Noah was doing.

"You know, in a few days."

"Yes. Of course," Lisa replied. "Let me give you our address."

Ryan copied it down in his phone then said goodbye.

"Ryan?" Lisa called out after he turned to leave.

"Yes?"

"Um, I...I was just going to say that you're welcome to stop by anytime."

"Okay. Good to know," he said as he smiled yet again.

As he turned Lisa said a little bit more loudly, "You're...you're welcome to stop by...this evening. If you'd care to."

He turned around, the smile still there and said, "Hmmm. Maybe you do get it."

Before Lisa could ask what that meant he was out the door and gone leaving her to wonder what had just happened. But concern for her son replaced the wondering as she took another look at Noah's leg; a look that caused tears to well up in her eyes. The tears were a mixture of joy and anger as she felt both relieved he was alive and would be okay and also angry that her former husband could have been so selfish and so careless.

"But that's a huge part of the reason he was my ex," she said out loud but very quietly.

The rest of that day flew by thanks to a flurry of nurses and doctors who were in and out of Noah's room as they got ready to send him home. But it wasn't until they put her son in a wheelchair that she realized he couldn't fit in her tiny little car. Noah's leg was extended and held in place with a metal bar, and even though he was still young there wouldn't be enough room for him.

Lisa's mind raced as she thought about dropping the rear seat and having him lay down, but the thought of another vehicle hitting her car and doing even more damage to him without a seatbelt on made her shiver.

When they got to the lobby Lisa mentioned something to the nurse who smiled and said, "I don't think that'll be a problem."

She laughed when Lisa gave her a nasty look for being so dismissive.

"Honey? Someone's been in touch with us several times today, and let's just say Noah will be going home in style."

Lisa stopped feeling angry, but it wasn't until the the nurse opened the front doors for the wheelchair that she understood.

Ryan was standing there in his EMT uniform, an EMT vehicle behind him, and of course, a big smile on his face.

"Your chariot awaits, good sir!" he called out to Noah while smiling at his mother.

"What's this?" Lisa asked as Ryan and another EMT took over.

"Your ride. Well, actually it's Noah's ride, but you can follow us home," Ryan told her as they hoisted Noah up and into the back.

"Mom! This is so cool!" he said once he was seated inside.

Now on the verge of tearing up again, Lisa smiled at her son and said, "Yes it is," before looking at Noah and mouthing the words 'thank you'.

"You ready, good buddy?" Ryan asked his young friend.

"Uh-huh! Oh. Can you turn on the siren?"

Ryan laughed as he mom said, "No! He can't do...."

"Sure thing," Ryan replied with a chuckle as he climbed inside.

"Thank you," a tearful mom said.

The last words she heard after Ryan helped her up and closed the doors were, "My pleasure...honey."

That last word caused her act impulsively as she banged on the door.

Ryan opened and it and smiled.

"Can't live without me?" he teased.

She wanted to say, "Maybe not," but instead asked, "is it okay if I ride with you?"

During the ride the driver did turn on the siren but only for a few seconds which was more than enough to make an already happy boy feel even better. It didn't hurt that the EMT he was riding with made him laugh, either. Noah was too young to understand how he felt, but this man he'd only just met was treating him the way he'd wished his father would have but never did.

Noah may not have understood, but his mother did, and once again her eyes filled with tears as this, coupled with recent events, caused a sea of emotions to well up inside of her. Those emotions were replaced with a sense of panic when she realized her car was in the hospital parking lot and her only means of transportation.

"Oh, my God!" she blurted out, interrupting the laughter going on between Ryan and her son.

"What's wrong, Mom? Are you okay?"

"I...our car. It's at the hospital. I can't believe I...."

"No worries," Ryan said as he moved over and sat next to her. "I'll have a friend stop by and take us back to the hospital."

He'd no sooner said that when he realized that wouldn't leave anyone home with Noah.

"If you trust me to drive your car, I'll go get it and bring it home for you," Ryan offered.

Feeling better Lisa thanked him but felt bad he was being put out and told him so.

"Hey. Come on. If you know anything about me yet you know I see it as my responsibility to take care of that."

He smiled then gently placed a hand on her arm and said, "Besides, it's the least I can do."

Lisa managed a smile of her own and said, "You truly are a Boy Scout."

Ryan sighed loudly then said, "Yeah. That's me. The last Boy Scout. Just like the movie."

Lisa had never heard of the Bruce Willis movie of that name from 1991. Ryan wasn't even in school when it came out but he'd seen it three times over the years. That was true with pretty much any action movie from Predator to First Blood to all of Liam Neeson's Taken films and dozens of others. If the movie had danger, gore, or anything like it, he'd seen it, and most likely at least twice.

When they pulled into Lisa's driveway the ambulance had its lights flashing. Noah noticed as soon as Ryan opened the doors and thought it was awesome. Ryan held out a hand for Lisa which she took as he helped her down before grabbing a wheelchair for Noah.

"I've made arrangements for you to keep this one for as long as you need it," he explained as he helped Noah get out and into the chair.

"Wow. Talk about going above and beyond," Lisa told him as Noah looked up at her, a big smile on his face.

Ryan winked at her just as she said, "Let me guess. This was your responsibility, too, wasn't it?"

"So you do get me!" he replied before asking Noah if he was ready.

"Let's blast off!" the happy boy told him as Ryan got behind the mobile chair.

The driver knew that was his cue and just as he pulled away he turned on the siren as Ryan gave the wheelchair a shove. The noise faded as the ambulance headed away from them, but Noah was super stoked. He laughed loudly when Ryan tipped the wheelchair way back so far that they could look at each other. Lisa couldn't see Ryan's eyes, but he was making them go round and round and got an even bigger laugh from his young charge.