Chapter 28
When the adults left the conference room they found their nervous but not quite remorseful children sitting together on a bench with two armed bailiffs standing guard over them to keep them in place. To John's surprise, he also saw Marco Lopez and four other guys that seemed to be friends of his.
John and Elise both greeted Marco and then everyone was herded into the court room, starting with the three boys.
John helped Elise into a seat at the right of the room and Marco and his friends sat behind them while the boys and their parents filled into chairs on the left. When the bailiff asked all to rise John helped Elise to her feet and kept his arm around her waist.
As the charges were read it was discovered that the boys had terrorized other people and been responsible for at least eight trash fires in addition to the ones started on John's ranch. This was the second time in six months that they had been brought before a judge putting them in violation of their probation. With this information John looked at Elise in question of her plan but she just gave him a subtle smile.
"Mrs. Gage," The judge asked as he was flipping through a file on her desk. "Could I get you to explain this program to me in more detail?"
Elise rose to her feet as John placed a hand in the middle of her back from his seated position. "Your Honor, due to some surgery to repair some damage done to my head, I'm not able to remember all of the details of this project. I would like to direct your attention to Mr. Marco Lopez, Mr. Lopez is a member of a semi-pro Soccer league in the area in need of a place to call home, he is also a member of the fire departments community action committee in this area and has been voted as the spokesman for the combined organizations that include representatives from the police department, several church groups and a neighborhood group that have come together to turn an otherwise worthless piece of property into a neighborhood recreations area. He is prepared to give you a full explanation of the details surrounding this project and answer any questions you may have."
John helped Elise sit back down and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as Marco rose to his feet and waited for the Judge to give him permission to begin. For the next ten minutes Marco detailed the project to build a soccer field and a baseball diamond on the property next to the horse ranch. He told of the work that could be done by three rambunctious boys, none of it glamorous but all of it needed. He talked about the hazards of the nearby pond if children were to climb the fence. Marco also talked about the recent small fires that had been started and the risks if they were ever to get out of hand.
It was proposed that the boys attend a fire education camp as part of the training they would need to take part on the committee to come up with ways to make the area safer. What Marco didn't explain, but John knew full well that the Judge knew, what fire education camp was. It was a camp set up by the fire department for youth who delighted in playing with fire. It would start with a film that would last a full hour, if it was run nonstop, that contained pictures of how fast a fire could get out of hand and several pictures of burn patients, the burns when they are just beginning to be treated, the patients screaming when they are enduring debridement, the disfiguring scares left behind when the burns are declared, healed.
John himself had seen the movie, it was part of his training and had been shown to him and his fellow students in short pieces to prepare them for the work that lay ahead of them. The images were intense and led to two out of his class at the academy choosing to drop out and find another line of work.
John had also heard tales of the delinquents who had been ordered to complete said camp. Many of them ended up puking their guts up at the sights shown in the movie. The person who most often ran that camp was also famous for stopping the movie until they were done being sick to make sure they didn't miss any of it.
Before the camp would be completed there is a requirement to spend twenty hours of service in a burn rehab center where they would witness firsthand what burn patients have to endure to be able to move again. There was a particular employee at the burn rehab center that they usually used who was himself a burn patient left with severe disfigurement. The fire he survived took the life of his brother and sister and was started by a boy playing with a cigarette lighter in the apartment below his. If the movie didn't get to these boys this man would.
It was clear the young men in question didn't understand what was ahead of them when one asked. "When we get done doing all the measuring and stuff do we get to ride the horses?"
Elise turned to John and gave him a smile and a subtle nod to inform him that it was now his turn to talk.
"NO," John spoke without the preamble of addressing the judge, "The first reason is that it's not safe for you to ride my horses any more. You hurt them and now they don't trust you. They will do whatever they have to do to keep you from hurting them again."
"Awe come on, they're just dumb animals. They don't know nothin," The second boy broke in.
"They're smart enough to remember who shot at them and smart enough to do what they have to, to keep from being hurt again, and they're big enough to inflict some serious damage to a grown man let alone boys your size."
There was silence for a moment before the Judge asked a question, "Mr. Gage you said the first reason, are there any more reasons?"
"At least one your honor, Riding horses is a reward and privilege these boys have not earned, the reason they're here is to be punished for their actions that have damaged property and harmed others."
"You are very right Mr. Gage, and being as this is the second time these three boys have earned the right to enter my chambers I have to agree that they don't deserve to go horseback riding."
When the Judge was finished listening to all sides He not only ordered the three boys to complete the program that was detailed and expected to keep them busy for the next year, their parents were made responsible to supervise them and they would be given ankle bracelets to monitor their whereabouts. Marco and his group, one of them being a corrections officer would see to it that there was always something for the boys to do and in most cases would be there to show them how to do it and assist when needed but they were to do the work and their parents had to be there to watch them.
-0-
With the trouble causing boys taken care of at least temporarily, life at home station was back to normal, too much back to normal for a couple who were expecting a baby in three months or less.
John was still wrapping his head around the whole thing of being a father, with Elise as small as she was compared to his partner's and his captain's wives he just couldn't find the urgency to drop everything else and get ready for a baby.
It was easy to be drawn into working with the horses. He had three that were ready to be broke and feared a repeat of the incident that led to Elise breaking her arm. John felt an urgent need to get the horses accustomed to his voice and work with them to get them to obey some general commands. Elise agreed and was at his side adding her gentle voice to her husband's as they talked to the fillies and built a friendship of sorts.
For her part Elise did pick up baby items whenever she went shopping and kept a small notebook in her purse listing all the things she'd purchased and in the back things she thought they might need. Having grown up near an Indian reservation and worked so many years in impoverished areas Elise's list of baby essentials was much shorter than JoAnne and Emily's.
Emily had suggested throwing a baby shower but Elise felt they had asked too much from all of their friends to even consider asking them to supply the needs for the baby as well. She was sure they would be fine with what was on her list of things to get.
After a conversation where Jo and Emily were trying to justify their list even they had to admit that some of the stuff on theirs was more luxury than necessity. Jo and Emily did however convince Elise not to buy packaged receiving blankets, "Their just too small and you can't really wrap up the baby with them and they will only last the first few weeks before the baby is too big for them." Emily had explained. "I always go to the fabric store and buy the flannel, they have the cutest prints and then you make the receiving blankets that will last till the baby doesn't need them anymore."
Where JoAnne was convinced the new disposable diapers were the way to go Emily still clung to the tried and true cloth diapers and since they were in the making mode of things she made her diapers as well.
Elise often tried to schedule her appointments on the same days and times as her two care givers had their appointments in order to make life easier for them. One John's next shift back it was organized that he would take Elise to the hospital on his way to work where she would get her x-rays and EKG run before her first appointment later that morning. Then both Emily, who had the watch on Elise that shift, and JoAnne would meet up with her after all their doctors appointments were done and the activity of the afternoon was going to be making receiving blankets and diapers.
To make sure he would be ready for roll call John chose to wear his uniform into work and they were off.
"Have I ever told you how sexy you look in uniform," Elise surprised John as he drove.
He glanced at her and smiled the warmest most excited smile he had and since the rover was in cruising gear he had a free hand to reach over and take her hand in his. "Too bad we can't act on that thought right now."
"It'll wait till you get home in the morning." Elise smiled back seductively.
"Are you sure it's alright for us to be doing that sort of thing right now."
"Uh hu, it's perfectly safe and right now we don't even have to worry about protection. It's not like I can get pregnant again right now." Elise tantalized as she toyed with John's right hand ready to let it go if he needed to shift.
"Promise you won't clobber me with that cast of yours."
"I plan to use it to hold you close." Elise smiled seductively.
It was the screech of breaks that pulled their complete attention to the road ahead of them as they watched one car swerve to keep from hitting the car that cut in front of them and ended up crashing into the side panel of the car in the next lane. Before all motion stopped two tires blew and one car rested unstably on its side while the other entangled itself in the guard rail and teetered over the edge of a slightly steep embankment. Knowing just what to do John pulled his car off to the side of the road and both he and Elise piled out to see what they could do. Elise was limited and she knew it, the cast on her harm that had been an annoyance was never more so than at that moment but she did have one good arm and that she would use to the fullest of her abilities.
John was able to position his Rover and use the winch on the front of it to pull the one car back onto the road enough to stabilize it. Elise was put in charge of the woman and two children in that car while John climbed into the car on its side. By the time the emergency teams arrived, which included station 51 with an annoyed Carlson in the squad covering for John who failed to show up at work on time, all John and Elise needed were a few back boards to get the victims packaged and ready to go.
"That was a good idea to use the spare tires to stabilize the cars there John," Captain Stanley commented as they were pulling the victim out of the overturned car.
"It was Elise's idea, something she used to do all the time back in Montana."
"Yeah well that little truck of hers wouldn't hold a lot of cribbing now would it," Hank marveled again at the conditions the people in that area had to work under.
Elise was put in the cab of the last ambulance to get her to the hospital while John was given a slap on the back and sent to the station. Carlson calmed down now that he understood why John was late.
-0-
As was agreed when Elise was done with her appointments she called John at the station with a report of all that her doctors had to say. When John walked away from the phone he was clearly unhappy and both Roy and Cap were quick to find out what had been said.
"She didn't get there in time to get her arm x-rayed again before her appointment but the orthopedist wasn't worried about that he said it could wait till next time. Her cardiologist was in a waterskiing accident over the weekend and dislocated his hip; he'll be out of action for at least six weeks. Elise had to see one of his associates today and she didn't think he was totally on board with her case so far. Anyway he was uptight about her blood pressure and heart rate and changed some of her medications. I'd have thought given the action she was in this morning that they might want to just watch her for another week before they start messing up the drug regiments that are working right now," John finished.
"Well, you do understand that they're going to be extra aggressive right now, with the baby and all," Roy added.
"Relax there pal, she's going to have both Em and JoAnne fussing over her today she'll be fine."
"Yeah you're right," John smiled back and did feel relieved.
-0-
From the hospital three women went straight to a favored fabric store and were immediately taken in by all of the cute baby prints available to them. An hour and a half later they walked out carrying enough fabric to make a dozen receiving blankets for each of the three expectant mothers and three dozen diapers a piece for Elise and Emily.
Back at home station the three women worked together to fix a lunch that catered to all of their cravings and after the dishwasher was loaded and Elise took her mid-day meds, including the new one, they started spreading the fabric out and cutting it to measurements. With three sewing machines set up in the bay and three women working together, two of them experienced, the blankets were quickly done and the crew started working on the prefolded diapers that Elise had seen used in Montana.
Emily had seen them too and liked the idea, the pattern was simple you simply took the ten yard section of fabric, the large bay floor made this work a lot easier than most homes, and folded it placing several layers down the middle to put absorption where the baby needed it most. Then all that was left to do was two straight top stitching seams to hold the folds in place and cut the diapers to size and zigzag the edges to prevent fraying.
Both JoAnne and Elise marveled at Emily's ability to measure a yard of fabric by stretching it from the thumb and forefinger of her outstretched hand to her nose. Elsie was noticing a lack of energy as she seated herself on the floor of the bay to help fold the fabric and offer directions. JoAnne had just made quick work of pinning the folds in place when she looked up to see Elise had fallen back against the floor.
Both women rushed to her side and were relieved that she wasn't having a seizure but their relieve was short lived, Elise was unconscious, and a quick check of her pulse found it weak under their fingers. After quickly taking a blood pressure it was too low. Way too low.
Author's note: I really am starting to bring this segment of the story to a close. I just want to make it an exciting ending. Please hang on and I hope I can create in words the wild ride that is in my mind.
