The first Sign.



The day was warm. The April sun had risen, spreading its bursting rays across the city's landscape as it slowly settled in the sky. Skylarks, Robins and Magpies filled the mid morning air with harmonious song as men and women alike went about their business in the city of Kingsport. On Luster St. An aged woman pushed along her cart of soda cans, water bottles and the like, While on Windsor Rd. a group of Hispanic construction workers, mixed concrete for the new Kingsport shopping district. In a restaurant window, just on the corner of Range and Turner St. there sits a jovial group of five, Alex, Hank, Tyler, Val and finally Brooke of the Kingsport EMT station.



"So anyway like I was trying to say, " Brooke said slowly casting a mock annoyed look to the group of laughter stifling people before her. "As we all 'now' know . . . today is Jamie's Birthday and I wanted to make sure everyone knows their part in his surprise party." "Now Alex, you were in charge of getting the cake I pre-ordered at . . . "



"Brooke, it's okay everything is gonna' be fine. We all did our jobs to make this work and even if someone did forget something, I doubt it will matter very much to Jaime, so just take it easy, relax, "Alex interrupted looking kindly at the over precise fourteen-year-old.



"You're right. But I just want this to be perfect and I don't want anything to give away the surprise."



"I wouldn't worry about that Brooke, I don't think Jamie has a clue." Hank said looking through the fingerprint-smudged restaurant, window pane.



Three eyes turned their line of sight to where Hank was staring. Out the window, in the parking lot sat the EMV (Emergency Medical Vehicle) and next to it working laboriously was Jamie Waite, man of the hour. Wax can placed within easy reach on the hood next to his diligent frame Jaime scrubbed the rig tell it gleamed and was now applying the requested second coat. Everyone who was on the team, excluding Alex and Brooke, had to do this unwanted job. Today it just happened to be Jamie's turn.

"Yeah Jamie probably thinks that even if we do know about his birthday we don't care." Val added.



"You can tell he's a little mad, by the way he's cleaning the rig." Tyler announced, quickly moving his hands across their table in an exaggerating mimic of Jamie's rough movement's.



The group erupted small laughs and snickers as they watched the antics.



"It's good that he's taking his anger out at the EMV, " Hank said as everyone turned with surprised confusion to him. "I'm mean, better it then me." Laughter erupted again as the joke was taken and the conversation continued.





Jamie looked up from where he was working at his waxing job. Some things would never change. Somehow he was always going to be an outcast. It was obvious. He thought to himself watching his four co-workers and his boss burst into laughter over their meal. Even though he couldn't hear them, he could tell he was the topic of conversation. But then again he was used to being the subject of negative attention. Most of it was usually brought on by himself and he usually deserved it, but lately he'd been on his best behavior and besides they were supposed to be his friends.

"Jamie, come on this is childish, just because they forgot your birthday doesn't mean they're against you all of a sudden." He told himself.

Jamie smiled slightly, great now he was talking to himself. Well having consoled his previous feelings as much as possible, things were looking a bit brighter then before. They probably weren't even talking about him, besides, he doubted they even knew when his birthday was. The only person he could ever remember telling was Cattie. But didn't Cattie tell 'super squad' Val everything? Then Val of course would tell 'super squad' Tyler and he would tell Hank and Hank would tell Alex and Alex would tell Brooke and, oh well it didn't matter. It was just another birthday. It's not like it was any more special then the ones before or the ones to come.



The presents he'd gotten so far were from his grandparents. He'd lived with them ever since his mom had left him and his brother Peter when he was eleven and Peter sixteen. He'd never known his dad and he didn't really know very much about him except that he was famous and was an expert sweet talker. Peter moved away a year after they came to live with their grandparents. Jaime hadn't talked to his brother since. He didn't even know where he was, for all Jaime knew he could be dead, or he could be a millionaire. Jaime knew it wasn't his fault that his mother left, she was . . . well, she just wasn't exactly the mother type, but somehow it had always seemed that Peter blamed Jamie for their mother leaving.



Suddenly Jaime stopped this line of memorandum and realized that he'd ceased working and was leaning against the now shining side of the rig. Well now was a good enough time to take a break, he decided. Enough reminiscing. Moving over to the radio\cd player he had brought along, Jaime pressed a button and the Linkin Park cd that was in the deck began play. Cranking up the volume he turned over to the donuts and coffee that Brooke had brought out to him. See that was nice. Maybe he got this all wrong, maybe the reason they were being so offish was because they had something up their sleeves. That had to be it. They were planning something. A party maybe? Nah. That couldn't be it. Although it was true that he had gotten pretty close to his co-workers at the EMT station he didn't think they knew even knew when his birthday was at least it was highly unlikely.



Jamie put down his half-finished donut and began again to polish the rig. As he was about to begin buffing again, he felt a tickle under his nose, quickly, he raised his hand to brush away the sensation but his hand was suddenly covered in blood. "Crap," Jamie said as he quickly pinched his nose tightly. Dropping his rag he ran through the donut shop entrance to find the restrooms.



Val looked up from her mocha and caught Jamie's running form as he rushed through the entrance to the bathrooms in the back. Tyler watching her followed her gaze to the now empty corridor.



"Watcha' looking at?"He asked.



"Jaime just ran through here to the bathroom."



"Well, when you gotta' go, you gotta go," Hank added to the conversation.



Val rose as he said this and said, "No, you don't understand his hand was bleeding."



Everyone was listening now. Alex got up from his seat and ran in the direction that Val had seen Jaime, Tyler, Hank Val and Brooke following close behind.



Alex rushed into the men's bathroom. He raised his hand in a 'stay put' gesture at Jamie's anxious friends and went in. As he entered, he heard the unmistakable sound of retching coming from one of the stalls. Following the sound and the drops of blood that had fallen to the floor he found Jamie huddled tensely over a toilet seat in one of the last stalls. He put his hand on the small of Jamie's back as Jaime vomited. The copper smell of blood mixed with the thick aroma of vomit. Alex realized now, that Jaime's nose was bleeding and not his hand. After a few minutes' Jaime's body relaxed and his retching stopped. He leaned back into the waiting arms of his boss. Alex reached up and pulled some toilet paper from a dispenser, pinching the bridge of Jamie's nose and stemming the blood flow. He looked down at the young man trembling in his arm's. Blood dotted the front of Jamie's EMT uniform and his face. His eyes were shut but after awhile slowly they began to open. Jamie sat up hesitatingly, taking the tissue paper from Alex's hand into his own and with his free hand he flushed the toilet.

"Alex, I-I'm sorry about that."



"It's not your fault James."



"I guess I have the flu, and all this dry weather has caused me to have a lot of bloody noses."



"Your' sure that's all this is?"



"Yes, I'm sure. Don't you think I know my own body?"



"Hey don't get so upset, I'm only trying to help here," Alex said noticing Jamie's agitation.



"Well. The bleeding's stopped," Jamie said rising from the stall to get to the sinks. After cleaning himself up a bit, Jamie headed to the door when Alex stopped him.



"Why don't you take the day off, get some rest? I'll drive you home."

"Sure. I think I'll walk but thanks anyway, "Jamie said, opening the door only to find the faces of the 'super squad' staring him down. He quickly sidestepped them and rushed out of their view. Turning their eyes from Jamie's retreating figure, they looked questioningly at Alex who stood in the restroom doorway. Alex sighed.