From Gloom to Swoon

Andy was awakened by the siren he heard in a distance it had stopped before he saw the lights flashing in front of the boarding house. He slipped out of bed and pulled on his jeans quietly trying not to awaken Lucy.

Closing his door softly he turned and saw Jim Braddock had also come out into the hallway, "Hey mate what’s going on?" he asked.

"Don’t know," said Jim, "there’s an ambulance outside. They reached the top of the stairs just as the emergency workers came in the door. "Who is that Andy?" Jim leaned over the banister.

"Oh no…its Johnny Ryan," Andy bounded down the steps

"Johnny, mate what’s wrong?"

"I fell down the steps, think I broke my ankle," Johnny tried to smile putting a brave face on for the ambo people.

"Shit," said Andy and noticing Miss Peeg and Amanda, "sorry,"

Johnny was being lifted into the ambo and Amanda followed them out the door. Miss Peeg stood up from the step, "That poor boy," she said in passing. She stopped at the top of the stairs and filled Jim in on what had happened and returned to her room.

Awake now Andy headed for the kitchen to make coffee. He really felt bad for Johnny it looked like he was just finding his feet and now this. He took his coffee and cigarettes out into the back garden and the bench where he sat down.

The sun was just coming up and he sat back and reflected on how quickly things could change. Here was a kid not much younger than himself trying to make it and boom all over in the time it took to miss a step. He was wondering just what Johnny would do now when he heard the door open, it was Lucy.

"Andy what’s going on I heard people in the hallway and saw lights out front."

Andy told her about Johnny, "Oh Andy what a horrible thing to happen to him. Is there anything we can do to help him?"

"I don’t know yet Lucy, Amanda went with him, I guess she’ll call and let us know how he is. I really feel for the bloke you know?"

"I do too…how will he ever get up those steps?" Lucy took his cup and finished off his coffee.

"Want to come in for some breakfast…I’m cooking." Lucy asked

"Yeah in a minute…call me when it’s ready," he turned and smiled.

Later that morning Andy was cleaning the grill thinking about the lunch menu when Millie came in the kitchen and offered to take over, "you have a phone call," she said, "it’s Richie’s office."

"What do they want?" he asked looking worried.

"Go pick up the phone and ask them," she smiled shaking her head as he walked to the phone.

He was back in a minute, "Richie Roberts wants me to come over now is it okay if I just leave?"

"Sure, I’d take off that apron first," she laughed.

"Oh, yeah," Andy removed the apron and washed his hands, grinning at Millie he left out of the back door.