"Roy, can you help me put out the h'ordeuvres?"
"H'ordeuvres? This man is not here for a social visit Joanne; he's interviewing me to determine if I'm guilty of murder," Roy said, looking at his wife in disbelief.
"Even more reason to be polite and friendly," Joanne said, as she carried a tray out into the living room. "I have a pitcher of iced tea in the fridge; will you please bring it out while I grab glasses?"
Roy just stood there staring at his wife, his mouth hanging open.
Joanne walked back into the kitchen and grabbed several glasses setting them out on the table near the tray of h'ordeuvres. She looked briefly at Roy, and then went and grabbed the pitcher of iced tea herself.
Roy opened his mouth to say something, but the words froze as the doorbell rang.
Roy turned to open the door, shaking his head as he looked at the table with drinks and h'ordeuvres.
Roy opened the door to find a man dressed in a military dress uniform.
"Good afternoon, Mr. DeSoto. I'm Captain Jeffrey Johnson. I'm with the Judge Advocate General Corps."
"Welcome to our home," Joanne said stepping forward and putting out her hand. "I'm Joanne DeSoto, Roy's wife."
Captain Johnson shook her hand. "Ma'am."
"Please have a seat," Joanne said. "Can I pour you some iced tea?"
Captain Johnson gave her a polite smile. "No, thank you, Ma'am."
Roy moved over to the sofa next to Joanne and sat down. Captain Johnson continued to stand in front of the chair.
Roy reached up and lightly grasped Joanne's arm, tugging her to sit down next to him. As soon as Joanne sat down, Captain Johnson took a seat.
"Mr. DeSoto, I'm sure you are aware of why I'm here."
"Please, call me Roy; and yes, I'm aware of the accusations against me."
"If I may, I'd like to read over the information I have obtained from Dennis Kramer and see if there is anything you would like to add."
Roy simply nodded.
"Dennis Kramer states that on April 30, 1968 he and his brother's platoon was ambushed in Dau Teng, Vietnam. According to his statement, your platoon was sent to help them try to hold their position. He ascertains that during the fighting his brother Scott Kramer was wounded. You were working as a medic and came over to assist. Private Scott Kramer's injuries were severe; he'd already lost his right leg from the knee down and had a wound to his abdomen. Dennis claims Scott was emotionally and mentally distraught. He was having difficulty processing the fact that he was going to be crippled, he was in extreme pain and began to beg you to just kill him. Dennis claims that you gave Scott a shot of morphine to help with the pain, but that didn't stop Scott from saying he just wanted to die. He was a college football player that expected to go pro when he returned from the war and now that was all over. Dennis claims that even with the morphine Scott was still in a lot of pain and was begging you for more pain medication. Dennis says that you explained to Scott that if you gave him anymore that it could stop his breathing, and that just made Scott beg you even more. Pretty soon he wasn't begging you to stop the pain, but to end his life. Dennis claims that you gave Scott the lethal dose of morphine, ending his brother's life."
Roy sat stoically as Captain Johnson ran through the statement made by Dennis Kramer.
"Would you like to give me your statement now, Mr. DeSoto?"
Roy looked at Captain Johnson and then over at Joanne. "Jo, will you please go upstairs?"
"What?" Joanne asked, her eyes getting big. Why would Roy ask her to leave, she wondered?
"Please," Roy said.
Joanne stood up and slowly walked up the stairs.
Roy turned to Captain Johnson. "Did Dennis tell you he was also injured?"
"No."
"The platoon was under heavy attack from the Viet Cong. Dennis and his brother were hit by a grenade. Dennis had taken some shrapnel to the head; it wasn't severe, but he did have a concussion. He's correct in stating that his brother had lost his leg, but he had a lot more than an injury to his abdomen. Scott's body had absorbed the majority of the grenade blast; most of his abdomen was gone," Roy said quietly, the images running through his mind as he spoke.
Roy leaned forward, poured himself a glass of iced tea and slowly took a drink. Captain Johnson noticed that his hand trembled slightly. "It was the worst injury I'd seen in the field where the person was still conscious, let alone able to speak. Scott wasn't going to recover from that wound; most of his organs were gone; his brain just hadn't realized it yet. Unfortunately, it was registering his pain; Scott was begging me to help him with his pain. I gave him a high dose of morphine in the hopes of easing his pain. Dennis was the one saying he didn't want to live like this anymore. He was very emotional, crying that Scott was supposed to be a pro-football player and that he shouldn't have to live without a leg. I doubt Scott had the ability to think that clearly given how much blood he'd already lost and how much pain he was in."
"Did you give Scott a lethal dose of morphine?"
"They were trying to get an evac chopper to our location, but we were under heavy fire. The platoons started to gain some ground and push back the Viet Cong. But, a half-hour had passed and we were still out in that field. I couldn't believe Scott was still alive, but he was moaning loudly and obviously in extreme pain. I gave him another dose of morphine to try and ease his pain. He stopped breathing a few minutes later."
"Was it a lethal dose?"
Roy just looked at him.
"Meaning, could the morphine have been the reason he stopped breathing?"
"It doesn't matter. He was already dead; his brain just hadn't figured it out yet. His liver was in shreds 300 yards away from us," Roy ran a hand through his hair and stood up. "I was just trying to ease his pain."
"His brother is claiming that you gave him morphine with the intention of ending his life."
"It was to stop his pain."
"Was it a lethal dose?"
"It was above the recommended maximum dose, but we were never given an illegal dosage amount. We were trained to give a 10 mg initial dose, but could give up to 20 mg. I gave him 20 mg to start given what I could see of his medical condition. When that didn't help, I gave him another 10 mg."
Captain Johnson made some notes on his notepad. "That's a pretty specific recollection."
"Like I said, it was one of the worst injuries I'd ever seen. Those things don't leave you."
The man studied Roy for a few minutes. "I'm not going to lie to you Mr. DeSoto, there are some records of victims brought into aid stations when they were already deceased, but most are very generic and don't provide a lot of information. This case is a lot of he said this and he said that. I seriously doubt the Judge Advocate General will decide to proceed with this case. I'll present the information you've given me. My counterpart in the office, Captain Matthew Parker will present the information from Dennis Kramer. My guess is this will be dismissed for lack of evidence of a crime. You should be able to put his all behind you by the end of next week."
Roy smiled for the first time in a week. "That's the best news I've heard since this all began."
Captain Johnson stood up. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. DeSoto. I'll be in touch."
E
Ashley stepped into the living room to find Mike and Tina both waiting for her. "Oh, guys, c'mon, don't make a big deal outta this; I'm nervous enough."
"You're first day in your station," Tina grinned.
"I haven't been this nervous since the first day I headed toward Station 51."
"And look how good that turned out," Mike said.
Ashley drew in a shaky breath and just looked at him.
Mike walked over and wrapped her in a hug. "Your gonna do great. You're gonna be teamed up with Kyle Stevens. Johnny and Roy say he's a good paramedic. I've done some shifts with Captain Reagan, he's a fair guy. The Engineer is Tommy Brown, he's smart and takes good care of the crew. He's a bit of a playboy, but nothing you can't handle. Your linesmen are Jake Barker, the senior linesman. Joe Small, is the junior linesman. They've both subbed at 51s and were good. Jake's got a bit of a wild streak, but he's professional on the job. Joe's a nice guy, we've gone dune bugging a few times together."
"I know, Mike. Johnny, Roy, you, Captain Stanley, Marco and Chet have all talked to me about my new crew mates. I know they're nice guys and I've got no doubts that all of you have told them to treat me right; it's just first-day jitters."
"You told us not to interfere, we didn't say anything to them," Mike protested.
Ashley cocked her head and looked at Mike.
"What?"
Ashley kept looking at him.
"Look, Tommy and I were in a class together last week. He happened to mention that they were getting you at their station. I may have mentioned that you and I go way back, but I didn't say anything about how I expected you to be treated."
Ashley just laughed. She leaned forward and gave Mike a kiss on the cheek.
As Ashley grabbed a can of ginger ale and walked out the door to get to the station she remembered leaving her apartment that first day before going to Station 51. She'd taken a pill before walking out the door on that day. She shook her head as she opened the car door and got in. She'd had no idea how much her life was gonna change. She'd reconnected with Mike, was able to start putting Maddie's death behind her, she'd developed some great friendships with the guys at the station. She'd met Tina, who was one of her best friends. A big smile spread across Ashley's face, and she'd met Johnny.
Ashley stopped at the red light and let her mind wander briefly to yesterday afternoon. Johnny had taken her out to a remote lake where he liked to fish and hike on his days off. Ashley felt her cheeks start to flush as she remembered how he'd laid back on the blanket and encouraged her to explore his body. She could still see the image of him laying on the blanket, his eyes closed, a look of pleasure on his face as she…
Ashley was jarred back to reality at the sound of the car behind her honking his horn. The light was green and the car that had been in front of her was already through the intersection. Ashley raised her hand in an apology and quickly hit the gas. Daydreaming would have to wait until she was home on a day off.
Ashley pulled into a parking spot and quickly took another sip of ginger ale. She got out of the car and looked at her new station. The building was older than Station 51, but still looked nice. Ashley slowly walked to the door and opened it, stepping directly into the back end of the bay. She walked a few steps, her shoes echoing in the empty bay. C-shift must be out on a call.
Ashley hesitated by the locker room. She'd worn her uniform in to avoid the awkward dance of trying to figure out how to change without disrupting the usual flow of the crew. She'd like to put her bag away though. Ashley raised her hand to knock on the door and stepped back when the door suddenly opened.
"Whoa," a guy said, stepping back in surprise to see someone at the door as he opened it.
"Sorry to startle you, I'm Ashley James."
"Hi, Ashley; I'm Tommy Brown, the Engineer on 24s A shift. You didn't startle me; I'm just not used to anyone else getting here this early."
Ashley smiled, "I didn't want to be late on my first day."
Tommy stepped back into the locker room. "C'mon in, I'll show you an empty locker."
Ashley followed him into the room. Tommy helped her find a free locker in a separate row than the guys. "That way you can change and not worry about any of us walking in on you. We won't have any reason to go past this row and there's only one entrance."
"But, what about if I walk in on you?"
"If you keep getting here this early the only person you'll walk in on is me, and with this body, I'm not shy," Tommy winked at her.
Ashley resisted the urge to laugh, Tommy was definitely living up to Mike's description of a playboy.
"C'mon, I'll give you a tour of the station while we're waiting for Kyle to show up."
Kyle managed to give her the full tour and she was introduced to Jake Barker and Joe Small before Kyle got in.
"Kyle, your new partner's been waiting for ya for like an hour," Tommy teased the paramedic as he walked in to get some coffee.
"I was really early and it hasn't been anywhere near an hour," Ashley stated, worried that Kyle may not like the teasing.
"Relax, Ashley, Tommy's always giving me hassle because I actually have a life and don't show up 2 hours before our shift begins. Did he actually give you a tour of the station, or was he just trying to impress you with his charms?" Kyle smiled at her over his coffee mug.
"He gave me a tour of the station, but said he'd save the squad for you," Ashley said.
"Then let's get to it before we get a call," Kyle said, moving toward the bay.
Ashley stood up and followed him.
Kyle showed her where he kept the key for the compartments. Like Johnny and Roy, he preferred to keep it unlocked to allow for quick entry when arriving on a call. He went over how the supplies were organized and explained how he preferred they respond in regards to which person grabbed which equipment on calls. He had a lot of preferences and Ashley found she needed to take a few notes to keep it all straight. She definitely did not understand his logic, but did not want to cause any waves on her first day.
"Now, I know you worked with DeSoto and Gage for several months before starting the academy and I've been told you've got a nursing degree; but let's be clear, I'm the senior paramedic and you do what I say," Kyle said, looking her directly in the eyes.
Ashley paused for a minute, a little surprised at the intensity of his voice and the seriousness in his expression. "Sure."
"Good, as long as that's clear, we should get along just fine."
E
"How'd your meeting go with the army lawyer guy go?" Johnny asked Roy as he entered the locker room.
"Good, better than I was expecting," Roy said, opening his locker. "Captain Johnson thinks the case will get dropped due to lack of evidence."
"Well, that's good news," Johnny said, sitting on the edge of his locker so he could tie his shoes.
"Yeah, huge weight off my shoulders. How was Ashley yesterday? Was she really nervous about today?
"I think I kept her mind off of it," Johnny said with a smile.
"I ran into Joe Small right after our last shift at the grocery store. I let him know that Ashley had been a valuable part of our team and was a member of the 51 family, no matter what station she was at," Roy said.
Chet walked in and moved toward his locker, catching the end of Roy's conversation.
Johnny laughed and shook his head. "Mike spoke to Tommy Brown too. Since I happened to see Kyle at Rampart on our last shift, I may have mentioned that Ashley was very important to me."
"Please, Gage, you've told everyone and their brother that Ashley's dating you. I'm surprised you haven't taken out a full page newspaper ad," Chet scoffed.
"That's because he can't believe he's actually finally got a girlfriend, let alone someone as beautiful as Ashley," Marco said, as he entered the locker room and joined the conversation.
"You too, Marco," Johnny looked over at him.
Marco just laughed and moved to start changing. Johnny walked out of the locker room and headed to get a cup of coffee. Roy shook his head and followed Johnny.
"Hey, Roy, everything good?" Mike asked as Johnny and Roy walked into the kitchen.
"Sounds like it should be just fine," Roy said, knowing Mike was talking about the murder accusation.
"Good to hear."
"How was Ashley this morning?" Johnny asked. He'd wanted to come over in the morning, but she had been insistent that it would make her more nervous. Actually, he'd wanted her to sleep at his place, he promised her he wouldn't push for anything to happen, but she said she wouldn't be able to sleep.
"She was nervous, more nervous than I've seen her in a while."
"She'll do fine. She's a good paramedic," Johnny said, as much to reassure himself as to reassure Mike.
"Chet, how's Lizzie doing?" Mike asked, as Chet walked into the kitchen.
"She's doing…okay," Chet said. "School's been pretty tough on her. A lot of whispering behind her back, some outright comments that she should be in jail. Physically she's healing just fine; but emotionally she took a hit. I think it's helping to focus on the fact her mom and I are dating; but that's about to come under fire too."
"Whatdya mean?" Roy asked.
"Mary's parents are coming into town next weekend and Mary's decided to tell them we are back together," Chet said, sitting down at the table.
"So you're afraid their gonna talk some sense into Mary and she's gonna dump you," Johnny joked.
"Gage.." Chet stood up looking angry.
"Roll call," Captain Stanley interrupted.
The man moved into the bay and received their assignments for the day.
"Do you think we'll run into Ashley at Rampart today?" Johnny asked Roy as they moved to do a check of supplies and the biophone.
"Maybe," Roy said.
At that moment the klaxons sounded calling them out for a potential heart attack.
The guys moved into the squad for the start of what was a very long day of multiple calls.
E
Johnny slipped out of the treatment room and into the hallway. He let himself lean against the wall for just a moment and close his eyes. He looked briefly at the clock and gave up on the hope of ever seeing a bed tonight. It was almost 4:30 AM. The day had been filled with bad fires, car crashes, multiple heart attacks, and the most recent call an overdosed teenager.
"Rough night?"
Johnny started to smile before he even opened his eyes. "Hey, Beautiful."
Ashley smiled at him and handed him her cup of coffee. "You look like you could use this even more than me."
"How'd your first day go?"
"Ashley, we got a call," Kyle called from down the hallway.
"It's not over yet," Ashley smiled at him.
"Stay safe," they said to each other simultaneously.
Johnny watched her hurry down the hallway toward Kyle. He lifted the cup of coffee to his lips and took a big drink. He made a face.
"Too much sugar?"
"Ugh, I've got to teach her how to drink her coffee black; especially if she's gonna share it with me."
Roy looked at his watch, "Any chance we can make it back to the station and close our eyes for an hour?"
Johnny shook his head. "I wouldn't hold my breath."
The guys moved down the hallway toward the exit and out into the parking lot.
"So far so good," Roy said, getting into the squad.
As Johnny closed the door, the radio clicked. "Squad 51, what's your status?"
Johnny looked over at Roy. "You had to open your mouth."
Roy reached over and picked up the mic. "Squad 51, available."
"There has been a fight with injuries at the Mason Jar Bar, 124 Highland Way, cross street Wayfair. Time out 4:38."
"10-4."