4
Just not my Day
A hostage situation occurred in a Kindergarten, whereby a teacher and children are involved. Don, who was given charge of the situation, came to know that one of the children held was known to him.
Characters from my other stories are involved in this: The Kindricks,
The Granwells and especially Elizabeth Kindrick who had a thing for Don.
Don is not involved with Liz Warner.
(Special thanks to my beta Ivy)
Chapter One – A Situation
Don, with the signs of the onset of flu, had to travel across town to testify in court, was called back by Merrick who told him to get back after his testimony.
Merrick had told him to take charge of a hostage situation.
He said that two armed felons were holding a teacher and children in a pre-school kindergarten.
Just not his day, when he thought he could go home and rest after the court case.
He hated it when it was children involved in any kind of situation.
Shaking his head to clear the drowsiness that threatened to invade him, he made his way back to where he had parked his SUV.
It was a long walk for the Court was situated in a very busy part of down town, parking spaces were plenty but a fair distance away.
Don hurried back crossing the roads amidst the traffic crawl from the courtroom after giving his testimony which will hopefully put an armed and dangerous robber away for many years. The case was at its final stages and before he could listen in to the deliberations from both sides, he had no choice but to leave.
After a slow thirty five minutes following the traffic crawl, he finally got back to his office, parked his SUV at his usual spot at the basement of the FBI building.
He caught the lift up to his floor, used his card to get the security door opened and practically ran up to his bullpen, where there was a note on his table with Megan's handwriting, it simply said, "Conference room 2".
Don shed his coat, clipped it behind his chair, took off his gun, kept it in his drawer, locked it and pocketed the keys, went to the conference room.
'What have you got?" Don asked Megan, as soon as he sat on a chair. He looked around and saw his team and two other agents from another team; he acknowledged them with a nod of his head, "Kiley, James, nice of you to join us."
Megan looked at Don, and said, "These two were wandering about and Merrick snagged them by their collars to help us."
The room of people laughed, Kiley and James were just back from a big case back East and they all knew about it.
"No rest for the weary, eh?" Don said.
"You don't look too good; else I think you'll be jumping for joy for our help." Kiley looked at Don.
"No matter we are glad to help instead of sitting around and waiting for them to send us off again." James said.
Kiley and James are noted sharpshooters and other teams usually called for their help mainly for their skills.
"Thanks, OK Megan, shoot." the team burst out laughing and soon died down when Megan continued.
"Two armed felons, they are now holding a kindergarten teacher and five children in a classroom hostage."
"Why only a teacher and five children?" Don asked.
"Five teachers, the Supervisor is on medical leave, there are thirty two children to five teachers. They were all supposed to be outside the classrooms doing a nature study project in the back garden, older ones were helping to set it up and one teacher went in with five children who were not doing the project."
"Why?" Don asked.
"Two were not feeling well and the other three were a bit too young or whatever, so five inside the class. One teacher, a Ms. Brenda Shaw, she said she wanted to go back into the classroom to get some paper when she heard some noise, she saw the armed men herding the children to one corner.
She quickly went out to warn the rest and she helped to get them out through the side gate, she then notified the police who then notified Merrick.
Seems we've got the case now. Negotiations are on the way LAPD and the kidnappers."
"Any idea what they wanted?"
"No idea yet."
"OK come on, it's time we're on the scene." Don said and all of them trouped out the of the Conference room.
Merrick stuck his head out of the door, "Eppes!"
Don sighed and went into Merrick's room, Merrick motioned him to sit.
He came at once to the point, "You know about the hostage situation now?"
"Yes, just got the Intel from Megan."
"Do you know what they wanted for holding those children and teacher hostage?"
"No." Don didn't want to say more, he was not in the mood for guessing and he knew Merrick was going to tell him.
"They wanted Rocky to go free; they wanted him in exchange for the children and teacher."
Don kept quiet, Rocky was the armed killer robber that he hopefully helped to put away today in court.
"So what's our stand on this?"
"No way, Rocky will be in for life, I've just got from the DA that the other side wanted to make a deal, they must have known what the verdict will be. He is paying for his crime. No way are we going to let him go free."
"So we are going to do what we are going to do?"
"Yes, and I want you to be in charge, do anything but……" Merrick left it unsaid.
He nodded to signal the end of the meet.
Don got up wearily from his seat very reluctantly and went to the door.
"Eppes!"
Don turned and looked at Merrick.
"You're sure you're up to this? You don't look so good."
"I can handle it." Don nodded and went out. He gathered his people and told him about their stand on the hostage situation.
Don went inside the break room , hoping to get some Tylenol for his oncoming headache. Searched the cupboards and found an empty box. He threw it into the bin and suddenly a hand holding out two tablets under his nose.
"Looking for these?" Megan asked.
"Yea thanks, headache coming on." Don took a paper cup filled it up to the brim and took the tablets from Megan, swallowed it with the water.
"I think you're catching the flu, Maggie and Lu got it and are on medical."
"Whatever, no rest for the weary?" Don said and he told Megan to get the SWAT ready and with that the group of them grimly geared themselves to a confrontation with what seemed to be a sticky and dangerous situation.
Don really hated any crime scene with children are involved. This scene smells bad for there are five frightened kids and a teacher involved.
Colby and Kiley went with David while Don drove with Megan and James in his SUV, after some fifteen minutes with sirens on, they arrived at the scene.
Tbc …