Chapter 36
The sound of gushing water and a cold bone-numbing chill were the first things to register in rookie officer George Mahoy's thoughts as the cacophony of noise enveloping him in the choking darkness of the collapsed basement finally ceased. Miraculously he found himself virtually unscathed by the debris around him as he had been protected by a tepee of heavy metal sheathing that had come down on either side of him. He slowly sat up from the place where he had fallen and curled up in a tight fetal ball on instinct with his arms laced over his head for protection and gingerly reached for the flashlight laying next to him as his senses steadily returned. Crushing fear from a lifelong case of claustrophobia began to give way to utter shock before he realized what had happened and exactly what he was not hearing…
"Sarge!" he gasped as he picked up the light, frantically casting it about in the direction he last remembered seeing his partner. He knew that Jamie had managed to push him away in the split second before things had collapsed, but there was no sign of his TO anywhere. Instead there were piles of brick, wood and other debris surrounding him and the bare, newly excavated ground had become wet and muddy as water from the broken overhead pipes was rushing down and flooding the space with up to several inches of an icy wet bath already. With the unusually cold December temperatures gripping the region, this complication in the now unheated space of the old building could quickly become deadly all on its own.
"Sergeant Reagan! Do you hear me?!" he tried calling again as he crawled in the direction to where the whole ceiling had collapsed. He was so startled that he almost dropped the light as the radio on his shoulder crackled to life with a familiar voice pleading for a response.
"3-5 Edward, this is 12-Sergeant! Do you read? Reagan! Mahoy! Answer me!"
"3-5 Edward," George gasped as some of his training came back to him and he reached to key his mic. "10-13 Officer down! I mean I don't know... I think he is... I can't find him!..."
"Mahoy! Where are you?!" Renzulli barked.
"Basement! The whole building's come down on us…" he yelled as he crawled through another pile on his hands and knees in desperate search of his partner, his own fears of tight spaces pushed aside for the moment. His heart froze as his light illuminated a patch of sandy brown hair and an ashen, still face. "Oh, crap," he whispered with a heavy swallow, not quite believing what he was seeing. "He's… he's HERE! GOD!" George relayed in shock. "THE BEAM!… it's come down on him! It's up to his chest! He's trapped! We need help! NOW! PLEASE HELP US!" It was clearly evident that George had become unhinged and was starting to panic.
Sergeant Anthony Renzulli stared back at the rubble of the collapsed building as the rookie's cries echoed from the radio and fought off the urge to just lay his equipment down on the ground and walk away… to quit and go find some other line of work where friends and coworkers did not put themselves on the line and die on a regular basis. Instead, he took a deep breath and put his hand to his shoulder radio to do the only thing he could… take charge of the situation and immediately call for help. "Central, 12-Sergeant! We've got a 10-66 gas explosion and building collapse at Bridge and Amsterdam! 10-13! Two officers trapped under heavy debris in basement! Call in everyone forthwith!" he choked out with fear gripping his chest. "Roll busses, Fire, EMS, Rescue… every damn piece of equipment they've got!" He turned to face his own trainee who was standing still and staring once again in disbelief. "Sam! Get a location on 12-David and get Wilson and Janko over here now!" he barked at his rookie.
"Now Mahoy," he started in a slow, calm voice as he switched back to the squad radio and turned around to face the scene head on while over twenty years of experience in crisis management took over. He couldn't allow himself to think about who was in there or the whys or what if's… not until later when it would hit him ironically like a ton of bricks. "Son, take a deep breath. We're going to get you out of there. Now what is Sergeant Reagan's current situation?"
Silence reigned.
"MAHOY!" Renzulli snapped in anger. This was no time to hold a probie's hand and he wasn't losing Jamie without a fight. "Assess your partner! What's his situation?" he demanded.
"There's… there's a pulse," George offered in utter relief as he forced himself to reach out to check what he was sure had to be a dead body lying face up and crushed under tons of debris. Jamie groaned in response to his touch and moved his head slightly before opening his eyes and blinking heavily in the flashlight's glare. "He's awake now!" he exclaimed. Outside, each officer in the growing throng gathered within hearing distance paused to breathe and give thanks. The entire street was lit up in blue and red lights now as emergency vehicles from every division began to arrive en masse.
"Get that damn light out of my face," Jamie growled as he sluggishly tried to push himself up and away from the wet, freezing cold ground. "What happened?" he asked as his mind remained dull and numb. The last thing he remembered was entering the building and walking down some steps to look for his rookie. His arms were moving but the rest of his body past his lower chest felt like it was oddly encased in cement. That's so weird, he thought for a second before the realization of what that meant came to him and his eyes opened wider as it became apparent that nothing beyond his shoulders was under his control. "JESUS! Get this thing off of me!" he panicked as he pushed up against the beam that had come to a rest on top of him to no avail. "George, help me!" he cried.
"I'm trying, sir!" his rookie acknowledged as he put his shoulder to the massive structural element and pushed to no advantage. "It's not budging!"
"Reagan, talk to me!" Renzulli bellowed over the radio, hoping beyond hope that his old boot was able to give a more thorough report than the flighty trainee. "I've got rescue and EMS two minutes out!"
Jamie fought to control the rising level of fear that was welling up inside of him. If he was going to get out of this mess he needed help, and he needed it immediately. He reached for his radio on autopilot. "I'm… I'm stuck under a beam, Sarge. Can't move!" he gasped while he also became aware of the rising level of moisture seeping in around him as he started to shiver. The sodden mess was almost even level with his shoulder now as he lay on the ground and everything underneath the beam was likely underwater as well. "God! The pipes are broken… it's filling up with water down here! Get somebody to turn the main off now!"
"Mitchell! MOVE! Get that water turned off NOW!" Renzulli ordered as he turned to one of his men who immediately rushed over to the first fire engine as it arrived and physically dragged one of its crew towards the building's utility hook up.
"Harvard, now you listen to me," Renzulli lowered his voice and turned his attention back again. He knew he needed to keep the kid calm first and foremost. "I've got a hose jockey shutting off the water right now. I promise that I'm gonna get you out of there. Do you believe me?" he asked.
"Yeah, Sarge," Jamie managed to breathe. His faith in his old partner was his only lifeline right now… that and George's light. He didn't even want to think about being down here through all of this in the dark.
"Good, now tell me where you are exactly."
"Center of main floor on the southwest side, I think," Jamie said as he tried to get his bearings from his position on the floor in the dim glow of George's flashlight. "How far from the outside wall, George?" he asked. "George help me! Please!"
"About thirty feet, sir," his rookie nervously answered.
"Thirty feet in, Sarge" Jamie relayed somewhat tiredly as he started to shake more. The water had suddenly ceased to run out of the broken pipes, but that had done nothing to rid them of the cold soupy, muddy wetness that had now permeated the area and he was finding himself sandwiched directly against it. Hypothermia was suddenly becoming a real threat. "Sarge, I'm wet… and it's getting really cold down here..."
"Rescue just drove up, they're pulling their gear," Renzulli assured, still fishing for information. "Just hang tight… I'm gonna get them in there right now to help you. I promise. Anywhere near those two small ventilation windows?" the older sergeant continued to pry as he stalked around the side of the building with his flashlight looking for an unobstructed entryway to get into the basement.
"I don't know… I can't see," Jamie replied unevenly as his fear and frustration mounted while his breathing started to become quick and shallow with panic. "Oh God, I feel sick! Sarge, please call my dad… I need to talk to him!"
"Yes! I see them!" George responded enthusiastically as he ignored his partner's angst for a moment and scrambled over to the side while flashing his light against the outside wall. He had finally managed to get ahold of himself and it was obvious from the change in Jamie's demeanor that he needed more help to communicate now. "They're not very big though, someone will need to be really skinny or small to shimmy through."
"LET'S GO! Get these bars cut off the windows!" Renzulli shouted to the fire crew. "Get a saw over here! NOW! We might be able to get someone in this way!" he said waving his hands urgently. He paused for a second and took a deep breath as he saw the familiar black SUV pull up to the curb, followed immediately by another RMP. Judging from the speed they both slid in at, there was no doubt who was on board. "Jamie, your dad's here now, kid. Eddie too. I'll get them on the line to you in just a second. Hang in there," he begged as he prepared to deliver the news that no father ever wanted to hear to one of the most powerful men in the city.
So things are not looking great at the moment for our two favorite officers from the 3-5. Who's gonna step in and come up with a plan to get them out? Next up, Frank and Eddie arrive on scene and another old friend returns to help.