Rating: G
Summary: Jim's truck gets totaled...yet again.
Author's notes: Not beta'ed. It's really short! Feedback craved and appreciated ;-) Enjoy!
Another One Bites the Dust
By Trekkieb
trekkieb_99@yahoo.com
It was a dark day indeed for the two men standing side by side. One was tall, the other shorter. They stood there, the shorter man's hand on the taller man's shoulder. They stared at the disaster before them, saddened beyond all words. It had happened again. The smaller man sighed as he tried to impart comfort to his friend.
The taller man's face was contorted with grief. They had lost another one. Another brave soul down in the line of duty. It was a never-ending cycle, really. Lose one and another would take its place. But Jim Ellison didn't want another one. He wanted that one. Damnit, he liked that truck!
"Chief?" he said sadly to the shorter man beside him.
"Yeah, Jim?"
"We'd better call Harry."
"Yeah."
"He should know about this."
"Yeah."
"Would you do that?"
"Don't worry about it, Jim. I'll call Harry.
"Thanks, Chief."
Harry Perkins owned a small garage on 17th Street. He wasn't rich, but he did well enough to be able to afford two other full-time mechanics. It was an accomplishment he was proud of.
When he received the phone call that afternoon, he was both saddened and glad. He was sad about the demise of another fine vehicle, and saddened for the owner who loved it so much. But at the same time, he was glad that Jim Ellison was such a regular customer. That man was going to put Harry's son through college with all the business he generated.
The tow truck pulled into the garage's lot, and Harry went outside to meet it. A car pulled up behind the truck and out stepped Blair Sandburg and James Ellison. They said a few words to the driver, and it drove off. The two walked slowly towards Harry, Ellison staring at the wreck on the tow truck.
Harry whistled. He'd seen some pretty banged up vehicles before--heck, most of them were Ellison's--but this topped the cake.
"Come on, guys," he said. He led them to his office, where they sat down. Out the window, they could see the truck being unloaded into the garage. "You really did it this time. So what happened?"
Jim and Blair shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. They glanced at each other, then at Harry, and then their gazes found a spot on the floor to focus on.
"Well," Blair started, "first there was the semi-truck. We sorta scraped one side against it."
"Then there were the machine guns," Jim filled in.
"And the parade we kind of...interrupted."
"And the rail on the freeway..."
"The fish stands..."
"The broken windshield's from the riot..."
"Then we drove through the air to get to the other side of the bridge...while it was moving."
"And then we ended up in a ditch filled with storm drainage," Jim and Blair concluded simultaneously, looking up.
Harry sat there, stunned. All that, and they were still alive? He was amazed. "I...," he began, ready to tell them just that. But he changed his mind and cleared his throat instead. "Oka-a-y. Let me get this straight. You want me to fix that? Listen, fellas, I'm flattered you think I can, but I think that truck just bit the dust for good."
"No!" Jim stated firmly, looking him in the eye. "I love that truck. You have to fix it."
Harry sighed, then wandered out to the vehicle in question. He circled it, taking in all the damage. Blair and Jim waited patiently.
"Well...maybe," he acceded as he assessed the damage. It didn't really look as bad as it should have after all it'd been through. "But," he warned, holding up a finger, "it's gonna cost you a bundle."
"Fine," Blair said.
"Do it," Jim confirmed, smiling in relief.
Harry nodded, mind whirring. Looked like Ellison was going to put his daughter through college as well.