Judgement Day

The older doctor grinned and said, "Mark my words, something else strange will happen, the shift isn’t over yet!"

Dixie shook her head, enjoying the teasing going on between her guys. The three of them had worked together in the emergency department for a long time and had an easy friendship between them. Dixie and Kel were close in age, Kel was 39 and Dixie was 37. Neither of them had ever found the right person and had their careers running their lives. Joe was the oldest; he had twenty years on the both of them, but enjoyed the company of the younger two. The three of them were like the three musketeers, however, Joe really wanted to see Kel and Dixie in a romantic relationship, they were perfect for each other but their jobs had always stopped them from exploring anything other than a good friendship.

The teasing stopped when the familiar voice of Roy DeSoto came over the biophone.

"Rampart, this is Squad 51."

"Go ahead, 51," responded Kelly Brackett.

"Rampart, we have a male victim, age 30, he’s been bitten by a dog."

The paramedic proceeded to give the vitals, and explained the dog had a rabies tag on, but the wound was deep and needed stitches. His voice sounded odd to the trio listening. Kelly's face showed concern and he asked if every thing was all right.

Roy’s voice sounded choked as he said, "Everything’s fine, Rampart, we will be there in about 10 minutes."

"10-4, 51," Kel answered.

"Did he sound funny to you?" he asked the other two. Joe and Dixie nodded.

Joe said, "Kel, what do you want to bet something is funny about this run?"

Kelly looked at Joe and said, "Come on Joe, just because Roy's voice sounded funny doesn’t mean that the full moon has struck again."

"I don’t know Kel, he did sound kind of strange . . ." Dix couldn’t resist egging the handsome doctor on.

"Don’t tell me you believe him!" Kel looked at the two of them, shaking his head, knowing he was in a no win situation but enjoying it all the same. What they didn’t know was that Roy DeSoto was trying desperately not to laugh at the latest predicament his accident-prone partner had gotten himself into.

The ambulance arrived and Dixie raised an eyebrow as she directed the gurney into treatment room 2. John Gage was lying on his stomach, a blanket covering his behind. Roy was completely soaked. She couldn’t wait to hear this one. She started to open her mouth and Johnny said, "Don’t ask, Dix, just don’t ask!"

The two doctors saw the parade coming and knew this was going to be a good one. They entered the treatment room and found two silent paramedics.

"Ok, guys, what happened?" asked Kel, trying to stay professional. 

John just groaned and put his head down, looking as if he would die of embarrassment. Roy started, "Well, we went on this run, for a woman with shortness of breath. Turns out it was Mrs. Stanton again."

The staff was well aquatinted with Mrs. Stanton, an elderly widow who doted on her cat. Whenever it got loose, she had a panic attack and called the paramedics, who always ended up getting the cat out from where ever it was hiding.

"We found Simba next door."

Kelly nodded, saying, "Sounds routine so far."

"Well, Simba doesn’t get along too well with the dog next door," Roy continued. "It’s a big dog. I went after Simba and the dog chased me and I fell into the pool. When I was getting out, Johnny caught Simba, and the dog got mad and bit Johnny right in the . . ."

The paramedic couldn’t finish, because the two doctors and the nurse couldn’t hold it back any longer and broke out in laughter. Roy couldn’t help it, he had tried so hard not to laugh, now he gave in and cracked up with the rest of them. John wasn’t amused.

"I don’t see anything so funny," he said grumpily.

Kel wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "I’ll take care of it, Joe" He asked Dixie for the surgical tray and tried to calm the giggles that threatened to start again. He shook his head and said, "Sorry Johnny, I know it’s not funny for you." He gave him a shot of Novocain to numb the area for the stitches.

"Man, that smarts as much as that stupid dog!" Johnny griped.

"Sorry."

Dixie asked, "Johnny, how do you get yourself into these messes?"

The paramedic winced and said, " I don’t know...but I do know there’s a full moon tonight. Have you guys been getting lots of goofy stuff, or is it just us?"

Dixie chuckled, remembering the conversation of before. "See Kel?"

The doctor let loose a long-suffering sigh and muttered, "I’ll never hear the end of it."

***

A few days later, the staff was wishing for some of the levity of that day. It was a hard day to be at work. The caseload wasn’t overwhelming, but what patients they saw had very serious injuries. Kel and Dixie were in treatment room one with a small boy who had been the victim of a car accident. It was an awful story, the car had been slammed into by a man driving a stolen car, trying to escape the police. The boy’s brother had already died on the table next door, where Joe and Mike Morton tried to save him. So far the little boy was hanging on, but deep down Kel had the bad feeling it wasn’t going to be too long before he lost the battle. He had done everything he could, and gave the orders to send the child to ICU.

It wasn’t very often that a case got to Kelly Brackett. He had seen just about everything, and he knew it was dangerous to get emotional about a patient. This was one of those times. He sat on the stool in the treatment room and gave a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes and said, "God, I hate days like this. That little boy probably isn’t going to make it, and he doesn’t deserve to die because some scumbag had to steal a car and run."

Dixie walked over behind him and put her hands on his shoulders and gently massaged them. "I know, it stinks," she quietly said.

Kelly rolled his head around, letting Dixie release some of the tension from his neck. They were both quiet for a minute, and then Kel swiveled around to face Dixie. He reached up and covered her hands with his. "Thanks Dix, those magic fingers of yours did the trick."

Their eyes met as he smiled at her and thought not for the first time of how special she was. Dix, you can do that anytime. That and more. He was surprised at what he just thought. It had been happening more and more lately, him thinking very unprofessional thoughts about his beautiful head nurse.

Dixie returned the smile, and as she caught a look of those deep blue eyes of his she thought Oh Kel, I love touching you. She was startled by the way her mind had started working lately. More and more she had been thinking about the friend she worked with every day and finding him more and more attractive, and doing a little wishing that they could become more than good friends.

Kel stood up and the moment was gone. He signed the chart and gave it to Dixie to file. They headed back to the base station and Dixie asked one of the nurses to prepare the treatment room for the next case.

***

The next few days were routine. Kelly was in his office to work on the ever-present paperwork. Joe had just entered Kel’s office and was going to ask him a question when the phone rang. Kel answered it.

"Dr. Brackett."

It was a nurse at the front desk of the hospital. "Dr Brackett, I have a woman on the line that says she is going to kill herself. She has turned on the gas and swallowed some pills. She wants to talk to someone and no one from psychiatric is available."

Kel’s eyebrows shot up in concern. "Ok, I’ll talk to her, put it through here to my office."

The nurse gratefully replied, "Thank you Dr. Brackett," as she transferred the call.

"Hello, I’m Doctor Brackett, what’s your name?"

A woman’s voice said, "No names . . . I just want to talk."

Kel reached for a tablet and pencil and put the call on the speakerphone. "Ok, that’s fine, what would you like to talk about?"

He began writing notes to Joe, instructing him to get the phone company to trace the call and to call the gas and fire departments, and to get Dixie. Joe nodded and quickly left the office. He explained the situation to Dix and she immediately went into Kel's office.

The woman answered, "I don’t know, I just felt like some company before I pass out."

Kel asked her, "What kind of pills did you take?"

"I don’t know, just pills, they came from your place so I thought you would be the ones to call. Oh, you don’t care about someone like me, you’re a man, you don’t understand."

Kel answered, " I have a very good friend here who is a nurse, would you like to talk to her instead?"

Dixie’s eyes opened wide, and Kel shrugged his shoulder helplessly. She nodded and sat down by the speaker. "Hi there, my name is Dixie, what’s yours?"

"Hi Dixie, I’m Paula"

Kel knew it was the right thing to have Dixie talk to the woman, she had already made a connection with her.

"Paula, you must have a lot of things on your mind, would you like to meet me for a cup of coffee someplace and we can talk?"

"No, I’m not going any place."

Dixie replied, "That’s okay. Can you tell me what’s on your mind?"

"Well . . ." the woman started to tell Dixie what was bothering her. Dixie knew she had to keep the woman on the line and talking until the phone company could trace the call and help could be dispatched. Kel motioned to her, silently asking if she wanted some coffee. She nodded, and he went to get her some. He brought her the mug, and she squeezed his hand in thanks.

The woman was getting groggy and not responding as well to Dixie. Dix was starting to feel the tension. There was a noise on the line and then the woman quit talking. Dixie looked at Kel and said, "She must have dropped the phone"

He nodded in agreement.

Dixie’s brows knit together in concern as she tried again. "Paula, Paula, can you hear me? Paula, if you can hear me, pick up the phone."

There was silence and then they heard her faintly, "Dixie . . . I’m so sleepy."

"I know you are Paula. I don’t think you really wanted to kill yourself, did you?"

"No . . . I just don’t know what to do."

"Paula, stay with me, I can get you the help you need, but you have to stay awake for me, okay?"

"I’ll try..." was the faint reply.

Kel came over beside Dixie and put his hands on her shoulders in a silent show of support. He gently began to massage her neck as she had done for him earlier. She gave him a grateful smile and said, "Okay Paula, I’m here for you, stick with me, okay?" 

They heard the phone drop and then silence. "I think she’s passed out," Kel said quietly.

"Yeah, I just hope it was long enough," Dixie answered soberly.

Kel rubbed her back and said, "You were great with her. You did everything possible"

Suddenly they heard noise over the phone line. They were relieved to hear John Gage say, "Hello, is this Rampart?"

"Yeah, Johnny, go ahead," responded Kel.

"We’ve got her, Doc, she’s alive. I’ve got to get her out of this house before it blows. I’ll get back to you in a minute."

Kel and Dixie breathed a collective sigh of relief, smiled and gave each other a high five. They headed for the base station and waited for Johnny’s call.

The ambulance brought the woman in, and Kel treated her for the overdose and gas inhalation. She was then taken for observation to the psychiatric ward. At the end of their shift, they both felt like they needed some company.

Kel said, "Hey Dix, you feel like going for a bite to eat?"

The tired nurse nodded and said, "Whose turn is it to buy? If it’s mine we may be in trouble!"

"Somebody needs to get you a raise," he grumbled in a good-natured manner. " I’ll buy."

During the dinner, Kelly found himself once again thinking about Dixie and perhaps furthering their relationship. Dixie found herself getting lost in his blue eyes, wondering what a kiss from the good doctor would be like. They both enjoyed the dinner, even though they had gone out before, somehow this one felt like they were charting new territory. They were both cautious, they didn’t want to mess up the good relationship they had at work.

Kel drove Dixie back to the hospital where she had left her car. He needed to check on a couple of patients and had to cut the evening short. Dixie went home and wondered if Kelly was starting to feel the same way as she was feeling about him. He really was a wonderful guy, and so good looking, with his wavy dark hair and his dark blue eyes. After thinking about it, she decided that she would be open to starting something with her favorite doctor, once she knew he felt the same way. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t going to take the lead and make a fool of herself if she was misreading his signals.

***

Later that same week, they had more drama to deal with. The paramedics were called to a small airport, to find that a pilot of a small two-seated plane was flying with his thirteen-year-old son, starting to teach him about flying. The father had an apparent heart attack in the air and the son was flying the plane, but didn’t know how to get the plane down. Roy had had a few flying lessons, and did his best to talk the boy down. The boy, named Frankie, got the plane down, and the paramedics treated his father and got him to the hospital. The paramedics and the hospital staff were very impressed with Frankie, acting adult beyond his years, getting the plane down and trying to hold it together while his father was being treated.

Dixie asked Frankie if there was anyone who could pick him up. He explained that it was just him and his dad, his mom had died a few years before. He had an uncle in San Francisco, which is where they were from, his dad had brought him along on a business trip. Frankie gave her his uncle’s phone number. Dixie asked John and Roy if they could take the boy to the cafeteria while she tried to contact his uncle. The men agreed and called the dispatcher to declare themselves available.

Kel finished treating Frankie’s father, and Dixie accompanied him to the cafeteria to find the young man. When Frankie saw the doctor, he stiffened and stood up, anticipating bad news.

Kel smiled and said, "Why the long face? You did a great job with your dad, and things look okay. He has to go to the cardiac unit to rest but for now he is okay."

Frankie felt the relief wash over him. He ran to Kel and stopped. He was trying to be a man for his dad and was trying to fight the tears that had been building. Kel saw the uncertainty in the boy’s face. He held his arms open and embraced him. "Go ahead and cry, Frankie, you’ve earned it."

Dixie’s heart was warmed at seeing this tender side of Kel.

Once the boy pulled himself together, Kel asked Dixie to find a spare bed for Frankie to rest, as he couldn’t see his dad yet and his uncle wasn’t due to arrive until the next morning.

Kelly received the blood test results on the father that he had requested. The tests weren’t as good as Kel had hoped. Dixie’s shift had ended and she went home, while Kel went to check on Frankie’s father, he was a little worried about the test results. He returned to the base station deep in thought when the paramedics called in. They had just rescued a man who tried to commit suicide three ways; turning on the gas, ingesting rat poison and slitting his wrists. Kel gave the treatment orders, shaking his head, thinking the guy must have really wanted to die.

When the attempted suicide case had been treated, and shipped off to the psychiatric ward, Kel called it a night. The whole week had been very taxing and he really didn’t want to go home to an empty apartment. He decided to drop by Dixie’s for some cheering up. He knew she would be home, she had mentioned something about a date with a hot shower and a good book.

Dixie had just gotten out of the shower. She wasn’t planning on leaving again and wasn’t expecting company so she just threw on a pair of shorts and an old Los Angeles Dodgers t- shirt. She had just curled up with her book when there was a knock on her door. When she looked out and saw it was Kel, she opened the door.

"Hi Kel, come on in," she said, surprised to see him.

He gave a half smile and said, "Do you have a cup of coffee for a tired sawbones?"

"Sure," she smiled. "You look like you have really been through the ringer." She said as she headed to the kitchen to make some coffee as Kel sat on a stool at the kitchen counter, took off his sport coat and loosened his tie.

"Would you believe a guy wanted to die so bad, he slit his wrists, turned on the gas and dropped some rat poison." He shook his head in disgust and said, "The sad thing is that we patched him up, and he’ll probably just try it again. Meanwhile Frankie’s dad is going down hill, he has such a great kid and a lot to live for, and I can’t do anything else for him"

Dix came around the counter and took his hands in hers. "Kel, all you can do is your best. The rest of the job is up to God."

"Yeah," he said softly, still holding on to her hands.

He pulled her closer and gave her a quick kiss. "Thanks," he said.

"For what?" she questioned, looking into his eyes and not letting go of his hands.

"For being here and understanding and . . ." he paused, looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. "For just being you."

He acted on the urge he had fought for a long time, he pulled her into an embrace and gave her a gentle, lingering kiss. Her arms wrapped around him in eager response. The kiss ended, and he looked at her, waiting for a reaction, hoping he hadn’t just blown a good thing.

Dixie smiled and whispered, "What took you so long?" She leaned foreword and kissed him back.

"Mmmmm, just stupid I guess . . ." he murmured, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. They shared another gentle kiss. When the kiss ended, they looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.

"Kel," Dixie started softly, "is this a good idea?"

Kel stroked her cheek and said, "Of course. I only have good ideas, I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time."

Dixie whispered, "I’ve been waiting for you to do that for a long time"

"Yeah?" asked Kel

"Yeah," she nodded. He pulled her close and the kiss they shared became more and more passionate and was the promise of a new beginning for the two of them. Dixie’s phone rang, and she pulled away to answer it.

"Hello, yes, he’s here, just a minute."

She handed the phone to him, saying, "It’s Rampart"

He sighed and took the phone. "This is Doctor Brackett."

Kel listened for a minute and said, "Okay, I’ll be right there. No, don’t wake him unless we have to. About 15 minutes. Yeah, go ahead. All right." He hung up the phone and looked at Dixie.

"Frankie’s father?" she asked.

"Yeah, he’s had another attack," said Kel soberly.

"Do you want me to come with you so someone is there for Frankie if you need it? His uncle won’t be here until the morning."

Kel nodded. "Good idea. I don’t like the sounds of it."

Dixie said, "Give me 30 seconds." She ran and pulled off her shorts, pulled on some jeans and grabbed her shoes. She came back in the living room and said, "Okay, let’s go."

Kel chuckled and teased, "Fastest female in the West!"

Dix locked her door and said, "Come on Doc, let’s go."

When they arrived at the hospital, the patient was in full cardiac arrest. Kel and the medical team did everything they could, but the man’s heart had sustained too much damage and they couldn’t pull him through. Dixie stood off to the side, staying out of the way. She bit her lip as she watched Kel give it his all. When he had signed the chart declaring the time of death, he came over to her, his shoulders slumped.

"Well, I guess that’s it," he said tiredly.

"Yeah. Do you want to tell Frankie now, or let him sleep?" Dix asked quietly.

Kel rubbed his tired eyes and said, "No, let’s do it now, in case he wants to come in and see him."

Dix nodded, and they went on their way. Kelly stopped by his office and got rid of the sport coat and tie. They headed in silence to the room where Frankie was sleeping. They both dreaded having to wake up the boy to tell him his dad was dead.

They entered the room and just looked at the boy’s sleeping form for a moment. "God, I don’t want to do this," Kel whispered.

Dixie squeezed his hand in support. "I know, I don’t either."

"Let’s get it over with," he said, with resignation in his voice.

They went over to the bed and Dixie gently shook Frankie awake. "Frankie, Frankie wake up buddy."

The boy woke up and slowly got his bearings. "Dr. Brackett, Dixie?" he asked.

"Frankie, we need to talk to you. Can we sit down?" Kel asked. The boy sat up on the edge of the bed, and Kel and Dix sat down on either side of him.

"Is something wrong with my dad?" he asked.

"Yes. He had another heart attack. His heart was damaged from the first attack, and it couldn’t handle another attack. Frankie, I did everything I could, but I couldn’t save him this time," Kel said.

Frankie slowly digested Kel’s words. "My dad, he’s . . . he's dead?"

"Yes Frankie. I’m so sorry," Kel said, bracing himself for the blame he was sure was going to come his way. Dixie started rubbing Frankie’s back.

Frankie surprised them both by not turning to Dixie for comfort, but turning to Kel instead. He threw his arms around the doctor and began to cry. Kel held him in a protective embrace and let him cry. Kel looked at Dixie and she could see he was deeply moved by a youngster clinging to him in his grief.

In a quiet hospital room in the middle of the night, Dixie McCall fell in love with Kelly Brackett. The sight of him holding the young man and holding his own tears back confirmed what she unconsciously knew for a long time. He was a wonderful, caring man and she loved him.

In another part of the hospital, the man who had tried to commit suicide was coming to. The nurse noted it on the chart. He lay still, listening to the voice that he always heard in his head, the one that convinced him to kill himself. The voice was angry, demanding revenge. Find out who wouldn’t let us die, the voice told him. Keep calm, we will get to die later. Now we have something else to do. The man looked at the nurse and said, "What happened? Where am I?" 

"You were found unconscious, and brought to Rampart General Hospital," the nurse replied, avoiding mention of the suicide attempt.

"Oh I remember, I guess I didn’t die, huh? I guess that was pretty stupid to try. Who do I have to thank for pulling me through?" the man asked.

The nurse checked the chart. "Let’s see, oh, you had our best, Dr. Kelly Brackett, he’s the head of the Emergency Department."

"I’ll make a point to thank him from saving me from my stupidity," the man said, and then closed his eyes to go to sleep. The nurse left the room and the man lay there, and decided that before he could die, Kelly Brackett would die too.

Kel and Dixie did what they could for Frankie. Dixie called the hospital chaplain and asked him to meet them at the room where Frankie’s father had died. The chaplain did a wonderful job with Frankie, and Kel and Dix stood silent while the chaplain and Frankie said a prayer for his father. Kel instinctively wrapped his arm around Dixie and the pair drew strength from each other. The chaplain left Frankie alone to say a final goodbye. He came over to Dixie and Kel and said, "I’m on duty all night. If you want, I’ll be happy to keep him company, I doubt that he will want to go back to sleep. Go on home, get some rest and you’ll be fresh to meet his uncle in the morning."

Exhaustion was taking its toll on both of them, they looked at each other and nodded. Kel said, "Let’s clear it with Frankie."

Frankie agreed to stay with the chaplain, and Kel drove Dixie home. He saw her to her door, and she asked him to come in. She was concerned about him driving any more without getting some rest. Kel agreed, he was both physically and emotionally exhausted and really wanted more of Dixie’s company.

He sat down on her couch and stretched. With a yawn he said "What a day. You know this whole week has really been one for the books. I don’t know about you, but I’m totally drained."

She sat down beside him and agreed. "We haven’t had such a rash of emotionally charged cases in a long time. I feel so bad for Frankie. He’s such a good kid. I hope his uncle will take good care of him."

Kel pulled her close beside him, draping his arm around her. "Yeah, I know," he sighed.

She looked at him, enjoying the close contact. "Kel, you were really great with him."

"Thanks, but I had a lot of help. You were pretty great yourself. You always are," he said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. He tilted his head against hers and closed his eyes

"Thanks," she said quietly.

The two of them were silent, just enjoying the feel of being close and resting. Dixie closed her eyes and reflected on the events of the evening. She wondered what Kel was thinking about her. He seemed to be feeling the same way that she was, but then again, she knew he was exhausted and she couldn’t judge his actions by one night. She heard his deep regular breathing and realized he had fallen asleep. She smiled and gently moved his arm so she could get up. She got him a pillow and placed it on the end of the couch so he could lie down. She gently tried to move him without waking him. His eyes opened and she whispered, "Lay down, here’s a pillow."

He did what he was told, being too sleepy to do otherwise. She then removed his shoes, and covered him with an afghan. He smiled in contentment and mumbled, "Thanks Dix, I love you."

Dixie’s eyes shot wide open. Did he really say he loves me? If only he was awake! she thought. She gently smoothed his hair back and kissed his forehead. "I love you too," she whispered.

She made sure to set her alarm a little early so Kel could get up and back to the hospital. When she lay down to sleep, her mind was full of questions that only Kel could answer. She went to sleep with the memory of the kisses they had shared that evening, which already seemed a long time ago instead of a few hours.

***

The next morning Dixie’s alarm went off, and she threw on her old fuzzy blue robe to go wake Kel up. She went to put some coffee on first. She saw him still asleep on the couch and smiled. He certainly was a looker, even his sleep, maybe more so with the tension that always seemed to be etched on his face gone.

Kelly heard Dixie moving around the apartment. He woke up and saw her in the kitchen making coffee. He appreciated the view in silence, she didn’t know he was awake. God, Dix, do you know how beautiful you are, even in your old fuzzy robe? He closed his eyes again as she came toward him. She bent over him and shook him gently. "Kel, Kel wake up."

She let out a squeal of surprise as his arms suddenly shot up and grabbed her and pulled her down on top of him. He laughed and kissed her and said, "Good morning."

"Kelly Brackett, you’re a no good rotten sneaky . . ." she couldn’t say any more because he was kissing her again.

She gave up the battle and kissed him back. "What were you saying?" he teased.

"Mmmmm, I forget," she sighed, wishing the moment could last. She was really enjoying this silly side of Kel. "I set the alarm so you could go home and change before you have to be back at the hospital."

He sighed and looked at his watch. "Thanks Dix. I appreciate it."

She got off of him and asked, "Do you have time for some coffee before you go?" He nodded as he stood up, stretching his long body, grateful to get off of the couch.

Dixie went to get the coffee, and Kel put his shoes on and folded the afghan for her. He took the seat at the kitchen counter just as he had the evening before. He gratefully accepted the cup of coffee she offered him and took a gulp. She looked at him in disbelief, saying, "Kel, how can you stand your coffee so hot?"

He grinned and said, "Too many years of emergency medicine, getting called away and wasting whole cups! I trained myself to take it hot," he added as he took another big gulp.

Dixie returned the grin and said, " I guess you’re just hot stuff, huh?"

He just looked at her and shook his head, just like he did when she and Joe started one of their comedy routines.

Kel looked at his watch, frowned and stood up. "I’ve got to move it. Thanks for the use of your couch, Dix, I was too exhausted to drive home."

Dixie came around from the kitchen to see him to the door. "Anytime Doc, anytime," she smiled.

He put his hands on her waist and pulled her close. "You really are something special, do you know that?"

She said softly, "I’m glad you think so."

He softly kissed her and it was everything he could do not to slip his hands inside the robe she wore. It was everything she could do not to deepen the kiss and let her hands do some roaming of their own. The kiss ended and she said, "Kel, I think we need to have a talk about us."

He nodded and said, "Yeah, I know. Hey, I’ll see you at the hospital, okay?"

She nodded and he gave her one more quick kiss, then departed.

An hour later, doctor and nurse were on duty, ready for another busy day. Frankie’s uncle came and Kel explained the sequence of events that had led to his brother’s death.

"I can’t thank you enough doctor. Frankie can’t stop telling me how nice you and Miss McCall were to him." The boy’s uncle said as he wrapped his arm around Frankie’s shoulder.

Kel smiled and said, "He’s a great kid. There won’t be any problem, you becoming his guardian?"

"No, Frankie is more than welcome to join us," he answered.

Kel nodded and said, "Good." He was relieved after meeting Frankie’s uncle, he was sure Frankie would have a loving home.

Later that morning, Kel went to the psychiatric ward to check on Richard Novak, the man with the triple suicide attempt. Kel had no way of knowing that Novak was very skilled in fooling doctors, he had been doing it for a long time, acting sane when he wasn’t. He thanked Kel for saving his life and said he regretted it, and it was such a stupid thing to do. Kel was satisfied that he was physically healing well, and was glad to hear that he regretted the act. Meanwhile Richard Novak was hearing the voice in his head saying This is the man we must make pay. Make him happy now and get out of here. Follow him and know his habits, pick a good time and then make him die.

He forced himself to smile when Kel said, "Well Mr. Novak if you continue to heal like this, you will be medically fit to be released, possibly as soon as tomorrow. Of course you will have to talk with one of the staff doctors, but I don’t see a problem. You should be out of here pretty soon. You’ll need to come back for a follow-up, but that’s all."

Novak nodded and said, "Thank you so much Dr. Brackett. That’s very good news."

Kel left the room and returned to the emergency ward, his mind a million miles away, thinking about the change in the relationship between him and his beautiful head nurse. She seemed to be willing, but she was right, they did need to talk, and figure things out.

***

Richard Novak was released, and Kel soon forgot about him as fresh cases hit the emergency room. The man started coming to the emergency ward, but staying in the background, and began observing Kel and who he associated with, noting when he left, and taking great interest in the fact that Kel seemed to be very friendly with the nurse known as Dixie.

Kel and Dixie had not had a chance to have their talk. They went through a period where their schedules were opposite, when one was on nights, the other was on days. Finally at the end of the week, they both had Friday night open. Kel planned a surprise for Dix, he bought them tickets to the popular evening dinner and dance cruise that left the harbor in Los Angeles and cruised along the coastline, giving a spectacular view of the city at sunset. When he asked her to go she was thrilled, a romantic cruise with Kel sounded perfect.

On Friday evening, Kel picked Dixie up at her apartment. Richard Novak sat in his car in the parking lot, just watching to see what was on the agenda for tonight. He noted that Kel was dressed in a suit, and when he and Dixie got in his car, Dixie had a sleeveless red dress on and carried a sweater. Follow them, the voice instructed. Looks like the pretty nurse is going on a date with our boy. She’s so pretty to have such bad taste.

He carefully followed behind them so he wouldn’t be noticed. He saw them board the boat, and saw the affection the pair had for each other, noting the kiss that passed between them as they got out of the car, the smiles they had for each other, and the holding hands as they stood at the rail, waiting for the boat to shove off. Disgusted, he drove home to work out his plan of revenge. It seemed the doctor had a weak point, and her name was Dixie.

On the boat, Kel and Dixie were having a wonderful time. They enjoyed a great seafood buffet, and then went on the top deck to watch the sunset, and wait for the dancing to begin. Dixie stood at the rail and looked out over the water. Kel stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close against him. She enjoyed the feel of his arms around her, and reached up and stroked his cheek. "Thanks for a great night, Kel." 

He turned her around so she faced him. He took his hand and brushed her hair away from her face. She normally wore her hair up at work, but tonight it was loose and came to her shoulders. He continued playing with her hair and said, "Have I told you how beautiful you are?"

She smiled, pleased that he noticed.

"Dix," he started, "how do you feel about this thing?"

As she looked into those wonderful eyes of his, she said softly, " By this thing, you mean you and me becoming we?"

He nodded, hoping she was as happy as he was.

"I think it is a wonderful idea."

"You do?" he asked.

"I do," she said simply, with a smile. She slipped her arms around him and her lips met his eagerly. When they parted, Kel said the words Dixie was hoping to hear. "I love you, Dix."

She responded, "I love you, Kel."

They heard the music starting for the dancing. "Shall we?" asked Kel, holding his arm out.

"Sure!" said Dixie.

They headed down to the main deck where other couples were already on the dance floor. The next song started and Kelly pulled Dixie close and they began to gently sway to the music. It was the classic slow dance, " In the Still of The Night." The pair spent the dance looking into each other’s eyes, smiling. No words were needed as they each sent messages of newfound love to the other. Dixie was so happy, she hoped it wasn’t a dream that she would have to wake up from. She rested her head against his shoulder and took in the wonderful sensations, his strong arm around her, his hand absently playing with her hair, the smell of his aftershave and the feel of his hand cupped around hers and pressed against his chest.

Meanwhile, Kelly was enjoying some sensations also, the feel of her silky hair, her soft hand holding his and the general closeness of her. He was thinking, Well, Kel old boy, it took you long enough, but you found yourself one special lady. Love her, and don’t let her go!

The cruise ended much too soon. They got off the boat and walked back to his car arm in arm. They didn’t say much on the drive back to her apartment; they both were too full of new emotions. He walked her to the door of her apartment, and she said, "You don’t have to go yet, do you?"

"No," he answered as she unlocked the door. He followed her inside and took off his sport coat and threw it over a chair.

"Can I get you a drink?" she asked as he made himself comfortable on her couch.

"No," he said, "just come here." He held out his hand.

She came over and took his hand in hers. He pulled her down so she was sitting on his lap. "That’s more like it," he commented.

"Oh yeah?" she replied, her eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Yeah," he said as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Mmmmm..." she murmured.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh Kel," she started, "I just can’t believe that this is happening. It blows me away to think that while I was wanting you, you were wanting me."

He stroked her hair and said quietly, " I know, Dix, I’m happy it finally happened. You are the best, do you know that?"

She smiled and said, "You’re not so bad yourself, Doc." She gave a giggle as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

"What’s so funny?" he asked.

"I was just thinking how jealous some of the student nurses would be if they found out that I was sitting on the great Doctor Brackett’s lap," she said. "You have quite the following, you know."

"Oh really?" his eyebrows raised in interest. "Tell me about this. Here I thought I was scaring those girls half to death"

"Oh, don’t worry, you do. You also manage to generate at least one case of hero worship in every class. Did you know you have a standard issue imaginary wife that I invented to prevent these girls from getting so distracted with your ‘dreamy eyes’ that I lose their attention and they miss something important?"

"You’re kidding," he said, quite amused by the whole thing.

"No. I’m not!" she laughed. "But they are right about one thing."

"What?" he asked, intrigued

She grinned. "You do have dreamy eyes."

"Oh really?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," she responded, her mood suddenly switching from silly to seductive. She started stroking his hair again, "and wonderful hair, and . . ." She lightly ran a finger down his nose and continued, "A perfect nose." She replaced her finger with a soft kiss on his nose and worked her way down to his lips, placing her hands on either side of his mouth. "Oh, I forgot the most important thing . . ." she said, pulling his face closer.

"What’s that?" he asked, thoroughly enjoying her playfulness.

"You’re a great kisser," she whispered, as she began to kiss him. He felt a surge of desire as he kissed her back. Her seductive mood was having a definite effect on him.

"Kel," she said in between kisses.

"Hmmm?" he responded.

"Stay with me tonight."

"Oh yeah," he moaned.

She rose and led him into the bedroom. They slowly undressed each other, kissing and exploring as they went. They leisurely made love, learning each other’s bodies, knowing that they had the whole night.

While they rested, Kel propped himself up on an elbow and smiled down at Dixie. "Why did it take us so long to find each other when we were right here beside each other all the time?"

She smiled that smile that he knew so well and said, " I don’t know, but I’m happy we did. I’m so happy right now I could burst. I want the whole world to know it!" 

Kel kissed her again and then spooned his body against hers and wrapped his arm around her. "I love you so much, Dix, you’ve made me so very happy too."

She sleepily responded, "I love you too, Kel"

He reached for her hand and said, "Goodnight sweetheart."

She squeezed his hand in response and said, "G’night Doc."

She drifted off to sleep in his arms happier than she had been in a long time. He laid there for a while, listening to her softly breathing and enjoying the feel of her warm body against his. He decided this was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time.

While the two of them slept, Richard Novak was losing the battle against the demon voice that plagued him. The portion of him that was still sane was fighting against killing Kelly Brackett. Revenge, the voice screamed at him. He had no business treating us! Now he has no business living!! Why didn’t he just let us die? Kill him! Kill him soon!

Novak checked his calendar to see when he was scheduled for his follow up medical visit at the hospital. He circled the date and smirked. What was it the nurse had called him? Rampart’s best? Well Rampart’s best was going to die right in his precious emergency room.

***

Kelly and Dixie quickly fell into a routine. They had known each other so long and so well that they didn’t have the awkward moments when dating a new person. They were very solid in their love for each other that seemed like it had blossomed over night but in reality was nurtured over a long period of time.

Joe Early had suspicions that the two had finally come together as he had been hoping. He decided it was time to confront them to see if he was right. He invited the two of them to one of the trio’s favorite after hours places, a small pub where the beer was cold and the food was a treat.

Kelly took a healthy swig of his beer and said, "Thanks Joe, this night out was a great idea."

Dixie nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah Joe, thanks. It’s been way too long since we’ve done this."

Joe set his mug down and said, "You’re welcome. It has been a long time. What have the two of you been up to?"

Kel and Dixie looked guiltily at one another. They were trying hard to keep the romance a secret, but they felt bad about not letting Joe in on what was going on. "I . . .er . . . um. . . .," Kel stammered uncharacteristically.

Dixie was looking down, blushing furiously, suddenly very interested in wiping the condensation off her mug. Joe grinned. "I knew it! Well, it’s about time!"

Kel took another swallow of beer and said, "What did you know?"

"You two are finally an item. Congratulations!" the older doctor said triumphantly.

Kel and Dixie looked at each other and grinned. It was good to have it out in the open.

"Have we been really obvious?" Kel asked his good friend.

Joe shook his head and said, "No, not at all. I’ve just been waiting for this for so long that I’ve been hyper sensitive to you two for a long time."

Dixie looked at him, puzzled. "You’ve been waiting for this?"

Joe nodded and said, "You two were made for each other, it was easy to see, I just had to wait for you to see it. I was getting worried that I was going to have to do something drastic like hit Kel upside the head to knock some sense into him"

They all shared a laugh. Dixie said, "Then I would have had to kiss it and make it all better!" She leaned over and kissed the side of Kel’s head.

Joe warmly smiled at his two best friends and said, "Seriously, I couldn’t be happier for the two of you. Congratulations." He raised his mug for a toast "To Kel and Dix, who finally wised up and are the happiest I’ve ever seen them."

The trio clinked their mugs together and all took a drink.

Now that the secret was out, Kel felt free to put his arm around Dixie and pull her a little closer. "I’m glad you know, Joe. We are trying to keep it quiet, but I hated not letting you know."

"Joe," Dixie asked, "you will help us keep the secret, won’t you?"

Joe nodded and said, "Of course. My lips are sealed."

The older doctor looked at his watch and said, "I’m going to call it a night" He paid the tab then after kissing Dixie on the cheek and slapping Kel on the back, he left.

Someone had put on the jukebox and several couples were dancing. "Want to dance, Doc?" asked Dixie as she pulled him to the floor.

They were in their own little world, swaying to the music. "Remember the last time we danced?" she asked him.

"On the boat," he answered with a smile.

"Remember what happened after the boat?" she said in a low, seductive voice.

"The best night of my life," the handsome doctor responded, pulling her closer and grinning.

"Tonight’s not over yet," she said suggestively.

Kel teased, "You know, for a tough head nurse you sure are a horny broad!"

"And you love it," she answered.

"Guilty as charged!" he laughed. "Come on, lets get out of here!"

They walked to the parking lot arm in arm. Kel opened the car door for Dixie. She put her arms around him, pulled him close and gave him a deep soulful kiss.

"Wow!" said a surprised Kel. "What was that for?"

"Because I love you," she smiled back.

They returned to Dixie’s apartment and Kel turned on her stereo. He found some romantic music and held out his hand. "Dance with me Dix."

She eagerly came and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands came to rest on her slim waist. They swayed back and forth to the music, looking into each other’s eyes. "Dixie McCall, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me," he said softly.

"Kelly Brackett, you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me," she said, looking into his eyes with all the love she felt.

He bent down and kissed her. Her hands came down and started to unbutton the casual shirt he had on with his jeans. His hands reached under her shirt and he began to caress her. She finished unbuttoning his shirt and pulled it out of his waistband. She slowly took off his shirt and began lightly caressing his chest, pausing to kiss it every so often. He ran his fingers through the long blonde hair he found so fascinating.

She paused to look up at him. He took her hand and led her to the bedroom. He pulled the t-shirt she was wearing over her head and then unhooked her bra and removed it. He lowered her to the bed, caressing and kissing her. While the Director of Emergency Services and his head nurse made love, Richard Novak was busy planning how tomorrow he would use the pretty nurse Dixie to get to Dr. Kelly Brackett and kill him.

Kel pulled the sheet up and nestled down into the bed. He rolled on his side and looked over at Dixie. She looked back at him with a look that he would remember for a long time. Her eyes reflected the love she felt and the complete satisfaction that came with making love with Kel. "God, Dix, don’t ever look at me like that during surgery. You might make me drop a scalpel or forget what I’m doing and kill someone!"

"Ok Doc, I promise on one condition."

"What’s that?" asked Kel, eyeing her suspiciously.

She reached up and caressed his face. "That you promise me a million more nights like this."

He smiled that smile that she loved. "Promise," he said as he kissed her goodnight.

***

The next morning, the couple rose early and enjoyed a very sensual shower together before they went to the hospital. Kel had gotten in the habit of having some spare clothes in his car in case he spent the night with Dixie. They ate breakfast and then headed to work. 

It had been a fairly quiet morning in the ER. Mike Morton and Joe Early were handling the cases while Kel was at a department head meeting. Dixie was catching up on some paperwork at the nurses’ station when Richard Novak cane up to the desk. Keep calm, the voice raged. She’s the key. Don’t mess it up.

"Excuse me, Miss McCall?"

Dixie looked up from her paper work. "Yes, how can I help you?" she asked.

"I’m supposed to have Dr. Brackett take my stitches out today." He gestured to his wrists, which were still bandaged from the suicide attempt.

Dixie nodded and said, "I see. I’m sorry but he’s in a meeting. One of the other doctors is available to see you, if you’ll follow me..."

Novak frowned. "No, it has to be Dr. Brackett. I want him to see me NOW."

Dixie took a deep breath and said, "Sir, I’ve already explained that he’s in a meeting."

Novak had not expected this complication and it was making him angry. He pulled his jacket aside to reveal to Dixie the gun he had tucked in the waistband of his pants. "Dixie," he said in a low voice. "This is a real gun. You are going to get Dr Brackett down here now. Do you understand me?"

Dixie nodded, trying her best not to panic.

Novak continued. "We are going to take a little walk. Which treatment room is open?"

"F . . .F. . Four," she stuttered. 

"Ok, come with me to four. Act normally, do you understand?"

She nodded again and came out from behind the desk. He covered the gun up with his jacket again and they entered treatment room four.

He surveyed the situation and spotted a tray of medical instruments ready to go for the next patient. He grabbed a scalpel, not wanting to use the gun until the final showdown. "Ok, Dixie, now you are going to page Dr Brackett"

She asked, "Why does it have to be him?"

He moved so quickly that she didn’t have a chance to fight. Suddenly he was standing there, his arm around her neck and the scalpel inches from her throat. "Shut up and make the call! And no funny business."

Her fingers shaking, she dialed the hospital operator. "Page Dr Brackett to treatment room four, stat." She hung the phone up, wishing desperately that she had a chance to alert security to the situation.

"That’s a good girl, Dixie "

Dixie asked, "How do you know my name?" Her nametag only said D. McCall, RN.

Novak gave an evil grin. "Oh I know all about you, Dixie. I know how you and that scumbag doctor are screwing around after hours, and the first time he spent the night was after the boat cruise."

Dixie felt an icy chill of fear as she realized this man had been stalking either her or Kel. "Why do you know so much and why do you care?" she asked.

"I made it my business. Damn it where is he?" he asked, getting angrier. He put the scalpel to her neck "Make the call again. Just like you did the last time. No funny stuff." 

She did as he asked. As she did, he pressed the scalpel against her neck, enough to start some bleeding and let her know he was in charge. Please don’t let him hit the jugular! she thought wildly "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Why Kel?"

Novak’s face grew dark. "Your precious doctor took something away from me and I have to make him pay."

"What are you talking about?" she quietly asked, hoping she didn’t sound as terrified as she felt.

He viciously slapped her. "Shut up!"

She was quiet, tears of pain and fear coursing down her cheeks. The blood from her neck was beginning to stain her uniform. He began pacing, waiting for Kel. Dixie knew he was walking into a trap and was miserable that she had made the page. Obviously this man was dangerous, and Kel had no idea. If only she had some way to warn him. Novak looked over at her, and got some perverse pleasure in seeing her frightened. Dixie was growing alarmed at the amount of blood that had seeped on to her uniform, she could tell the cut had been deeper than she thought.

"Please, will you let me get a bandage on this cut?" she asked almost in a whisper.

"NO!" he roared. "I told you to shut up!"

He grabbed her arm and twisted it. She cried out in pain. He shoved her roughly away and she fell into a tray of instruments. She stumbled and fell, hitting her head on the table on the way down. She moaned and lay still, her eyes closed. It was this that Kel heard on his way to treatment room four.

He threw the door open and was shocked by what he saw. He came face to face with a wild-eyed man that he vaguely recalled as being a patient. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dixie crumpled on the floor, her uniform blood stained and her face already bruised and swollen from the slap.

The man sneered, "It’s about time you got here. I hate to be kept waiting."

"What happened?" Kel asked, sensing something was very, very wrong.

He moved toward Dixie. Novak whipped out his gun and pointed it at Kel. "Don’t move. Don’t touch her. Not that you haven’t already."

Kel held his hands up and eased away from Dix. "What do you want?" he asked quietly.

Novak got the evil grin back on his face and said "Well, Kel, you don’t mind if I call you Kel do you? What the hell kind of name is that anyway? Kel, it’s judgment day."

Kel’s brows came together in puzzlement. "What do you mean by judgment day?"

Novak said calmly, "Today is the day you are going to die."

"Why?" Kel questioned in almost a whisper, trying to control the fear he felt.

"Don’t you remember?"

Kel tried to remember what he had treated the man for. He caught sight of the bandaged wrists and suddenly it came back to him. The triple suicide. He’s due to have the stitches out. What does he want with me? What did he do to Dix? He stole a glance over at Dix, very concerned about her condition.

"Yes, I remember. You tried to kill yourself three ways and the emergency squad brought you in. I was on duty and treated you."

"Very good," Novak nodded, never relaxing the hand holding the gun.

"What do you want from me?" Kel asked.

"Well, doctor, you took something away from me that I wanted badly. Now you must be punished."

Kel looked at the man, knowing he was dealing with someone who was insane. "What do you mean? I don’t understand."

"Well. Kel, it’s really very simple. That night, all I wanted was to die. I didn’t want to hurt or bother anyone. I just wanted to die. Somehow, somebody found out and called those meddling paramedics who brought me here. You treated me when you had no right. I didn’t give my permission to be saved. The one thing I wanted was death, and you took it away from me. Now, Kel, you are going to pay for that mistake."

Kel nodded and said, "Now I understand." He knew that trying to explain that he had taken an oath that he would try to save any life that came his way would be useless to the man standing and holding a gun at him. "But there’s one thing I don’t understand. Why bring Dixie into this?"

"Because you love her. She could get to you where I couldn’t. I almost decided to kill you at her apartment, since you like to spend so much time there, but I thought your precious emergency ward would be more fitting."

"But why did you have to hurt her?"

"She wouldn’t shut up when I told her to. I couldn’t let her out of here to call security now could I? That would ruin everything."

"She’s done nothing to hurt you. She wasn’t even there that night. Please, let me check her over. That cut on her neck needs attention. Please." Kel pleaded with the man, thinking Hang on Dix, I love you, sweetheart, hang on.

Novak looked over at the crumpled heap that was Dixie. He smirked and said, "I don’t think so, Kel . Maybe she’ll die too and then I’ll be three for three."

It was everything Kel could do not to bristle every time this maniac called him Kel. He knew if he let the guy know it bothered him. He would feel like he had the upper hand. He didn’t want to provoke this nut in any way.

In the corner of the room, Dixie had come to. She remembered from somewhere that sometimes playing dead could save your life. She listened to the conversation and was as convinced as Kel that the man was insane. She also realized that he was serious about killing Kel. Please, God, she prayed. Please give us a way out of this. I love him so much, please don’t let him get killed.

Kelly said to Novak, "I’m sorry that I upset you. I didn’t mean any harm in treating you."

Novak was getting angrier. "Well it’s too late for that, Doc. I really didn’t want to drag anyone else into it, but you had to butt in. Now it’s your turn. It’s too bad about Dixie over there, the only thing she did wrong was to be involved with you. She’s some hot chick, how is she in bed, Doc?" How was the boat ride? I figure you scored with her since you spent the night with her. She must be pretty good as often as you spend the night," he sneered at Kel.

Kel didn’t say a word, his jaws clenched in anger, realizing that this man must have been stalking him ever since he was released from the hospital. He’s serious about this, Kel thought. He’s going to do his best to kill me. Keep your wits about you, Kel old boy. Let’s hope your reflexes are as good as they used to be.

Novak grew more agitated. "What’s the matter, Doc, are you surprised I know you’re screwing Dixie? I know lots about you. Pretty soon it’s not gonna matter, because we will both be dead." He aimed the gun at Kel again.

Kel heard the gun click as Novak cocked the trigger. This is it. Please God, help me. Just as Novak pulled the trigger, Kel dove to the ground. The bullet hit him in the arm instead of the heart as Novak had hoped. Kel lay still, hoping the blood on his lab coat was enough to convince the madman he was dead.

"Goodbye, Doctor, see you in Hell," Novak said. There was a second shot and the sound of Novak’s body hitting the ground. Dixie had opened her eyes and saw the man shoot himself in the temple. She let out an involuntary scream. Kel saw that the gun had fallen from the man’s hand, and knew they were in no more danger. He painfully got up and made his way over to Dixie. Her hand was covering her mouth in response to the horror she had just seen.

"Dix, are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with worry.

"Yeah," she paused to sit up. "Kel, what about you?"

"I’m ok sweetheart. He got me in the upper arm, that’s all."

It was then that Dixie’s emotions got the best of her. "God Kel, I was so sure he killed you," she sobbed.

He wrapped his good arm around her and tried to calm her. "Shhhh, sweetheart, I’m okay. We’re okay. We’re okay."

Mike Morton was at the base station when he heard the first shot. He knew what the sound was, in the neighborhood he grew up in, the sound of gunfire was all too common. He grabbed Vince, the LA county deputy he saw frequently at the hospital. The two of them heard the second shot as they were running down the hall. Vince drew his gun and opened the door. He and Mike were stunned to see the sight of Kel and Dixie both bloodied sitting in a corner, arms around each other, and in the middle of the room the remains of a man who had just blown his brains out.

"Dear God," said Mike. "Dix, Kel what happened? Let me see you." The concerned resident came over and checked them both.

Dixie sniffed. "I’m okay Mike, see to Kel first. He took a bullet in his arm."

"Wait a minute, Mike, I can wait, she’s lost a lot of blood," countered Kel.

"The first thing I’m going to do is get you both out of here," Mike answered. He had already determined that Dixie needed the wound on her neck treated first. He and Vince helped them into another treatment room. Vince got a wheelchair for Kel to sit in and helped him get his lab coat and tie off. Between the two of them, Vince got a statement and a clear picture of what had happened.

Mike was easily able to treat Dixie, the wound on her neck looked worse than it was. He determined that Novak had sprained her arm when he twisted it, and the bump on her head wasn’t serious. He then turned to Kel and said, "Your turn."

Kel got on the table and Dixie and Vince helped him get his shirt off. The bullet lodged in the muscle of his left upper arm. Mike administered a local anesthetic and removed the bullet and stitched up the wound. He ordered Kel to take a week off of work, and Dixie was to take a few days off. Mike didn’t voice what he was thinking, but he thought the time off would help them both mentally, surviving a trauma in the workplace was always tough.

Mike put a sling on Kel’s arm. Dixie didn’t feel she needed one, the sprain wasn’t bad. They thanked Mike for treating them. Mike didn’t want either one of them to drive until their nerves calmed back down, so he called them a taxi. They waited in Kel’s office, knowing that the whole staff would be curious about their bloodied clothes and the drama they had just been through.

They had the taxi take them to Dixie’s apartment. They entered and had never been so glad to be home before. Dixie got out a garbage bag. Kel asked her, "What’s that for?"

She said, "This uniform is ruined, it’s going out of here. What about your shirt?"

He looked at it with the hole in the arm and blood stains and agreed with her. "Out it goes too," he grinned.

Dixie helped him get his shirt off, and asked him if he wanted another from the few he had left there. "No, not right now. This feels good. I could use a pair of shorts though."

She nodded and quickly got him his shorts. She would never complain about seeing him without a shirt, it was one of her favorite sights. She helped him from his pants into his shorts, and took his shoes and socks off for him. Even with his arm in a sling, he was handsome enough to start her insides churning.

She got out of her uniform and gladly threw it in the bag. The blood had even seeped onto her bra, and she decided that would go too. She put on her favorite Dodgers T-shirt without bothering to put a new bra on, and a pair of old shorts. She came back out to the living room, and Kel started to chuckle.

"What’s so funny?" she asked, looking over at him stretched out on her couch.

"Well, here you are, with a bandaged neck, a great shiner developing, your old clothes on, and you’re still the sexiest thing in town."

She sat down beside him and said, "You’re crazy!"

He grinned and said, "Only crazy in love." He tried to bend toward her to kiss her, but the sharp pain in his arm stopped him. "Ohhh," he groaned. "That wasn’t such a good idea."

Seeing him in pain brought back the memories of the awful scene they had been through.

She bit her lip to fight the tears that suddenly appeared. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Kel nodded with a grimace and said, "Yeah".

"Kel," she said quietly, " I have never been so scared in my life." 

He put his good arm around her and pulled her close. "Neither have I," he admitted.

 "It started so normal," Dixie started. "He came up to me and said he was to see you for a follow up and to get his stitches out. I told him you were tied up in a meeting and one of the other doctors would see him. Then he started to get nasty and showed me the gun. He told me to take him to an empty treatment room. When we got there he grabbed a scalpel and got my neck. He wanted you paged, and he kept getting nastier." The tears began sliding down her face. "When I realized he had been stalking us, and he knew so much about us then I really got scared."

She paused and wiped her eyes. She continued, "Kel, after I paged you he made it clear he was out for revenge. Then I knew he had set a trap and I had helped. Oh Kel, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault." She broke down and sobbed, putting her face in her hands.

Kel rubbed her back as he said, "No. No, sweetheart, it wasn’t your fault. The man was crazy and he had a gun, what else were you supposed to do? No, it wasn’t your fault at all. Do you understand me?"

She lifted her head and looked over at him and nodded. He gently wiped the tears away from her bruised, swollen face. "Dix, when I came in the room, and saw you bleeding and your face already bruising, all I could think about was you. It was like a knife going in my heart. All I wanted was to get you out of there and make sure you were ok. Every time I even looked your way, he got more out of control. It made me furious to know he hurt you and knowing I couldn’t help you, it was awful. I just wanted to slam him to the ground and hurt him like I knew he hurt you."

He gently pulled her closer and whispered, because he couldn’t trust himself to talk with out his voice cracking as he felt himself close to tears. "Dix, if I would have lost you, it would have been better if he had killed me, because I don’t think I could live without you. You’re my life. I love you." He kissed her very carefully, mindful of the injuries to her face.

Dixie smiled at the man she loved. "I love you so much Kel. When I saw him shoot you it was the worst moment of my life. I was so afraid I’d lost you . . .." The tears were threatening again. 

"But you didn’t lose me, sweetheart. It’s going to take a lot more than a crazy guy with a gun. Hey, lets look at the bright side..." he gave her a grin, "we both have a forced vacation, you . . . me . . . a nice cozy bed . . ."

She burst out laughing. "Kelly Brackett, I don’t believe you. You just got shot a couple of hours ago and you can still think about that!"

He stood up and took her by the hand. He pulled her up and gave her a leering look. "Come on nurse, let’s go play doctor."

She giggled as she let him lead her into the bedroom. She soon found out he was serious. With a few modifications to allow for injuries, the couple celebrated the fact that they were still alive and had each other. Kel lay on his back and Dixie bent over to kiss him.

"Here’s to forever," he murmured as he caressed her hair and reflected on just how lucky they had been.