(Author's Note: Like Chapter 9, this also contains some squeamish scenes involving blood work. Please be advised and I hope you're enjoying this story so far.)
"Oh...this is bad...this is getting real bad. I'm not even sure if I'm really ready for the absolute destruction we're about to face...I can almost give you an answer right here and now William, without even giving one single glance at Degrassi Junior High School. Judging by the mess we're all seeing now as we get closer, I say this building is no longer salvageable...Mike's right, it truly is gone." Sue muttered.
"Now Sue, you can't be serious?" asked Lou.
"Lou, she's right. I mean seriously, just look around at all the debris and destruction that surrounds us everywhere! I'm not sure if we can even continue onward down Gerrard Street with all those large scraps of metal, heavy chunks of concrete and bricks scattered all over the place. What do you think, William? You think we could make it?" Josh wondered as William carefully made the turn through the rubble.
"Well Josh, it looks as though I can make it as far as the corner of Boulton Avenue and that's about it! The rest of the way, we're going to have to walk it. Thankfully, we're not too far off since Degrassi's only a block away from where we are now. I just have to be careful not to cause any damage to this truck on the way there! I don't think the city cares to fork out another couple of grand to have yet another vehicle hauled away to the scrap yard, this time over a few ugly scratches brought on by accidental careless driving!"
When they finally approached Boulton, William then pulled off to the side of the road and parked since they could go no further than that.
"Alright folks, this is as far as we can go I'm afraid. Just be darn careful with your surroundings as you make your way towards Degrassi Street, OK?!"
"Will do, William! Come on, guys. It's time for us to face the music and check out the aftermath." declared Sue as she was the first one to step out of the truck followed by Mary, Tammy, Josh, Scott, Lou and Gregory.
"Oh man...PHEW! The smell around here is completely unbearable." announced Scott. "And the fire is still raging as well, just look at the massive plumbs of smoke overhead! William, how long has everyone been here on scene for now?"
"Eleven hours...going on twelve. There's certainly no rest for the wicked, that's for sure."
"Dear God..." Tammy suddenly gasped when she finally stepped off the corner of Gerrard and onto Degrassi. "Look at the hallway that leads into the gym! It's now nothing more than a pile of burnt rubble!"
"And that's not even the worst of it! We still got the front of the school to look at." sighed Gregory as he extended his hand out. "Come on Sue...it's going to be hard for all of us, but I know we can do this! If Louella were here, I'm sure she'd say the same thing!"
Sue looked up at Gregory and took his hand.
"Alright...let's do this. We're all in this together!"
"That's the spirit, Sue! William to Mike, we have arrived." William declared over the radio as Mike turned around just in time to see Sue and her crew make their way up towards him, all with shocked looks upon their faces as the entire full destruction of Degrassi Junior High School unfolded before their very eyes.
"Hey guys..." Mike greeted solemnly. "Listen, I know this all looks...very, very bad...we did what we could...but..."
"Mike, just save it! We all know you guys did what you could...there's really no need to keep on apologizing for something that's way out of your control!" Gregory insisted. "This place was doomed from the very start of this tragedy. What's done is done and we're all just very thankful and grateful that there were no casualties throughout!"
"So, as you guys can all clearly see...this fire is still raging out of control. We've been going at this fight now for what? Eleven, nearly close to twelve hours now, William?"
William checked his watch and nodded.
"As of now Mike, it's Seven o'clock, officially twelve hours."
"Twelve hours...and for the most part since our return back from the last recorded explosion, we've been taking it pretty easy on this blaze instead of going all out on it. The reason being is because we don't want to cause any more damage to the structure just in case there's even a little bit of hope that this place could still be salvageable..."
"Could still be salvageable? Mike, just look at this place...look at what's left! You said it yourself last night when you came back here on scene after the explosion of the Furnace that everything was gone, destroyed, finished! Even if we could find something, anything to salvage out of this burnt out wreckage, we still have the case of the electrical and plumbing, both of which are severely severed beyond repair! On our way here, we literally saw one of our boilers sitting in the middle of First Avenue! The pipe that once sat on top of it was located near the corner several yards away from where the boiler sat! As much as it pains me to say this Mike, you should have gone all out on this fire the mere second you've returned last night cause...Degrassi Junior High School is officially gone! It's gone!" Sue declared as tears quickly rushed to her eyes. "I cannot believe this is all happening...I just can't."
She then turned away from Mike, William and her crew and sat down on the edge of the sidewalk.
"It'll be OK, Sue. It'll be OK!" Josh tried to reassure her.
Mike then turned to William, looking for some kind of second opinion or even an option but there was nothing as William simply lowered and shook his head in defeat.
"Damn it." Mike muttered to himself as he pounded his fist against the hood of his fire truck. "ALRIGHT BOYS, LET'S DO THIS...LET'S GIVE THIS FIRE EVERYTHING WE GOT. FULL BLAST!"
William then walked over to where Sue and her crew were, all watching helplessly as the firefighters began blasting powerful shots of water onto the still flaming wreckage of what used to be their beloved school, their workplace.
"I believe our work here is now done Sue. We should be heading back to the hospital!"
"Come on Sue..." urged Gregory as he and Josh gently took Sue's hands and slowly began to lure her back towards Gerrard Street.
"You guys know that we're all now officially out of a job, right?" Sue asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she tried to calm herself down.
"Yeah...we've all known that since last night hon!" replied Lou. "I'm sure as the summer gets underway and the School board sorts this all out, they'll find something for us...no worries!"
Back at St. Michaels, much of the students and affected staff slowly began to wake up, some finding themselves where they had fallen asleep the night before still in the Emergency Room, while others were in unfamiliar territories elsewhere in the hospital.
In Examination Room 14, Lucy Fernandez and Lorraine Delacorte awoke to find both of their friends, Heather and Erica were no longer there in the room with them as they were the night before when they both settled down to sleep.
"I wonder where Heather and Erica are? They were with us last night before we all went down to sleep." inquired Lorraine as she tried to sit up in her bed which was readjusted in the supine position.
"Maybe they were admitted and taken up to another floor of the hospital. Remember, they were both on the Severe to Serious conditions list!" Lucy said groggily as she stretched her tired, aching muscles. "Oh...I must have slept rather tense...every muscle in my body is stiff and sore right now."
"Ah, good morning girls!" the nurse greeted a little too cheerfully as she walked into the room. "How was your sleep last night?"
"Horrible." Lucy replied. "I'm stiff and sore today."
"OK, I guess." said LD. "What happened to Heather and Erica?"
"We had them admitted for further treatment. Now, who wants to have their blood done first?"
"MORE?"
"I'm afraid so. We need to make sure you're not dealing with any negative side effects to the Hydrazine. You may feel and look fine, but your blood may be telling a entirely different story. Lorraine, we'll start with you, OK? Just lay back down and relax. Put your arm out and make a fist for me as tight as you can!"
"I hate needles." Lorraine moaned as she closed her eyes tightly.
"Nobody likes needles hon, but it'll be over with before you know it. Now, hold still and relax...you're going to feel just a tiny, little pinch. There, that's the worst of it...now just keep squeezing your hand for me."
Once one vial was filled, the nurse then popped it out and replaced it with another one.
"Again, squeeze your hand real tight for me...good. And just one more...alright, release your fist and relax. We're all done! This blood work will determine rather or not we can release you later on today or have you two officially admitted as well, OK?"
"Alright...that's perfectly fine with me! I hate hospitals."
The nurse laughed as she then placed Lorraine's blood into the phlebotomy tray and then headed on over towards Lucy's bed.
"Alright Lucy, it's your turn now...let's just readjust your bed to the supine position so you can be more comfortable, OK? Now I need you to hold your arm out for me and make a fist with your hand as tight as you can get it."
Lucy took a deep breath as she felt the nurse tie a tourniquet tight around her upper arm, then began searching for a good enough vein to draw from before applying a cold, wet alcohol pad to the spot.
"Alright Lucy, just a little pinch here...there. That wasn't so bad now, was it?"
"Yes. I feel like a human pin cushion right now."
"Well, unfortunately these are standard procedures that have to be done...especially when one has been exposed to some rather dangerous, toxic chemicals. OK, just one more vial to go and then we're all done...release your fist for me and relax."
The nurse then released the tight tourniquet, took the vial out, placing it into the phlebotomy tray along with the others and then pulled the needle out from the arm.
"There we go...all finished. I'm going to take these up to the lab so they can be tested right away...meanwhile, you two just sit back and rest for a while! Like I said, we'll let you know as soon as we get these results rather or not we'll be admitting or releasing you from the hospital sometime today. If you'd like to reposition yourselves on the bed so that you're sitting up...the control pad is right there beside you. Here...I'll open up the curtains so you guys can talk and socialize. OK?"
"Thanks." Lucy and LD replied as the nurse then set off for the lab.
In the I.C.U, Tessa Campanelli slowly began to come too as she struggled to simply open her eyes.
Her vision was very blurry and out of focus at first, but the more she blinked, the more things became clear. She found herself laying in a white with an off baby blue, perhaps maybe even turquoise coloured room surrounded by a whole lot of machines, monitors, tubes and wires.
As her eyes scanned throughout the plain room, she noticed a nurse was standing next to one of the monitors, writing something down on her clipboard swiftly.
When she was finished, she glanced down to see her patient had awaken and was looking quite frightened as she frantically looked around the room.
"Ah, Tessa...you're finally awake. That's a very good sign! Please try to remain calm, OK? I know it comes off as a frightening shock to people at first when they wake up in unfamiliar territory like this, not knowing where they are or what had happened to get them there, but I will tell you, alright? Just brace yourself for what I'm about to say. First off, you're in the Intensive Care Unit, or the I.C.U for short. Last night while you were sleeping, your health had taken a severe turn for the worst. During the Degrassi Junior High School Fire, you and many of your fellow classmates had been exposed to a very dangerous, toxic chemical called Hydrazine. As it burned, you were constantly breathing that in through the smoke, unbeknownst of the consequences and severe health effects it would have on your body and vital organs. You have pulmonary edema, a common severe reaction to the chemical which caused you to stop breathing. We had to quickly perform CPR, rushed you up here to the I.C.U and insert a breathing tube down your throat to help you breathe so please, don't try to talk...you won't be able to. I'm sure you're probably wondering if you're going to be OK...it's too soon to say exactly, however you are stable at the moment, but not out of the woods just yet. I'll be monitoring you very carefully throughout, alright?"
Tessa nodded as she once again felt her eyes get heavier.
"Just rest...that's the important thing to do right now..."
Heeding the nurse's words, Tessa laid back against her pillow and before long, passed out once more.
In another part of the I.C.U, Joey Jeremiah had also just woken up from sleep only to find tubes, wires, machines and monitors all around him, his hands were unable to move due to being fully bandaged up and was in unfamiliar territory than he was the night before when he closed his eyes.
No longer was his friend Wheels by his side, he was now all alone in what appeared to be one of those isolation rooms.
"Oh man...what happened?" he asked to nobody in particular just as the doctor came in, dressed to the hilt in a protective gown, gloves and a mask.
"Good morning, Mr. Jeremiah. I'm sure you have several questions and thoughts going through your head right now."
"Actually...just one and I had just asked that prior to you walking in the room." Joey replied weakly. "What happened?"
"You do recall what took place last night at Degrassi Junior High School, right?"
Joey nodded weakly. "Yeah...a massive fire took place there last night."
"That's right! And as a result of that fire, you received some pretty serious second degree, nearly border-lining third degree chemical burns to your hands which were brought on by a very toxic, dangerous substance called Hydrazine. We have you in isolation here in the I.C.U cause the amount of exposure you've encountered may cause your vital organs to weaken and could potentially make you extremely sick. Are you feeling very weak and tired at the moment?"
"Yeah...a little bit. I can barely keep my eyes open right now..."
"That's because you're also dealing with lethargy as well...also a common side effect. I highly suggest you get some rest, Mr. Jeremiah and don't worry about a thing, OK? You're in very good hands here at St. Michaels."
"How long will I be in here for, exactly?"
"A while, I'm afraid. You got a very long road of recovery ahead of you...it may even take most, if not all of the summer to fully heal. Until then...just lay back and relax. I'm just going to run some tests and record your vital signs on our chart."
"All of summer...stuck in here?!"
"I'm sorry to say, but yeah...all summer."
"Oh, man! Is there anyone else from Degrassi up here besides me?"
"At least another student from the Seventh Grade and a staff member are up here alongside you so you're not the only one. That's all the information I can give you unfortunately. The rest is confidential."
Letting out a sigh, Joey leaned back against his pillow and closed his eyes as the doctor began doing his work.
"This sucks!"
"We now go live to the Metro Toronto Police Department where the Chief of Police has an official statement to make. Let's listen in." announced City TV's morning news anchor Kevin Frankish as the camera then switched to a live shot of what appears to be a room decorated with various flags, a large Metro Toronto Police emblem on the wall and an empty podium which was surrounded by various media personnel all representing their respective networks, armed with cameras, writing pads, pens and pencils awaiting the arrival of the Police Chief.
When he finally came into the room and approached the podium, cameras began flashing and shuttering sporadically.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning and welcome to this press conference. We can officially confirm as of Five o'clock this morning, our team has successfully captured and brought into custody the owners of Narbo Gas Boiler Repair Emergency Service whom we suspect have been responsible for multiple fires throughout the Metro Toronto Area starting with Liberman Junior High School around December of 1988 and finishing off with Degrassi Junior High School the night of June 23rd, 1989 during their annual Graduation Dance. Arrested are Dan Thurman and Marianne Corr, both are from Toronto. We have a very long list of charges here which will get even longer the more we go deeper into this investigation but as of now they are charged with Arson causing damage to property times two, Arson by negligence times two, Possession of incendiary materials, Criminal Negligence causing Injury times two, Refusal to stop for Officers, Failure to appear in court, Identity theft and a Breach of Public Trust just to name a few. As I have said, more charges will be added as we continue on with this investigation. I'm sure many of these charges will be repeats judging by the nature of each crime committed. Although, at this time, we do not have an official court date in line just yet, but as soon as we do, we will inform the general public. That is all and thank you."
"And there you have it...the official statement from the Metro Toronto Police Chief in regards to the situation at hand. Dan Thurman and Marianne Corr, owners of the Narbo Gas Boiler Repair Emergency Service have been arrested for multiple counts of Arson and other charges that are still pending as this investigation continues."
"Good! I hope they throw the book at both of them!" mumbled Bruce Lawrence.
"Same here, Bruce. I can't wait til they announce the court date...when they do, I so guarantee to be there front and centre!" stated Kevin. "I would so love to see them get their just deserts!"
"Me too!" added in Doris Bell. "Bruce, you do realize that this year marks the 60th anniversary of Degrassi Junior High School?"
"July 10th...oh shoot! I completely forgot about that...I wonder how Sue and her crew are doing right now on scene..."
"Well, I think we're about to find out Bruce...just heard the ER doors swish open and I don't really see an ambulance parked outside."
Bruce, Doris and Kevin all stood up from their seats as Sue, Mary, Tammy, Josh, Scott, Lou, Gregory and William re-entered the ER, all with a solemn look on their faces which officially wiped away all hope that Degrassi Junior High School was salvageable.
"Bruce...I'm sorry." was Sue's only reply as she immediately embraced him and cried.
"There's really nothing left Bruce...the whole entire building is completely demolished." affirmed Lou. "You want actual proof of just how bad the structure really is? Let's just say the surrounding areas are practically littered with debris of what used to be the school. Truthfully, we could barely even get down Gerrard Street because of it...originally, we were suppose to take First Avenue, but had to bail out when we saw one of our boilers sitting right in the middle of the street!"
"Oh God..." Bruce whispered as he lowered and shook his head. "You guys now know you're all officially out of a job as of now, right?"
"Yes Bruce, we know. We've known that since earlier this morning." said Gregory.
"So...what are you guys going to do? What are we all going to do?" Bruce continued. "Now that Degrassi is officially dis-functioned..."
"We just wait and see what happens. That's all we can do, really!" declared Tammy. "Sue, are you going back up to see Louella?"
"Yeah...I better head back up and check on her...I'm sure she's probably wondering where I am right now if she's awake. I did after all promise her before she went to sleep last night that I would still be by her side and I'm not one to break a promise! I'll see ya all later on."
"Sue, whatever you do, don't let Louella know...at least not yet anyway, until she's ready to handle it." Josh called out to her.
"I had no plans to tell her that anyways, Josh. If I told her about the devastation and the difficult choice I just had to make, she would most likely have a heart attack or something. That's the last thing I want her to have on top of all that she's going through right now!"
Josh, Tammy, Mary, Scott, Lou, Gregory, William, Bruce, Kevin and Doris watched as Sue made her way back towards the elevators and disappeared.
At the Education Board Office, Lewis Manne, Wendy's assistant sat at his desk reading over the Toronto Sun, the Degrassi Junior High School fire making front page news with the headline "DEGRASSI BURNS!"
Another newspaper, the Toronto Star also had Degrassi mentioned on the front page as well with their headline reading "BYE-BYE, DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH! BURNS TO THE GROUND DURING GRADUATION DANCE!"
"Good morning, Lewis! What a wonderful day for a commencement, wouldn't you say? The Degrassi Junior High School Class of 89'. The last class of the 80's to finally make it through and move on to High School. A new start to a whole new year and era! Today is going to be a wonderful, exciting day!" Wendy declared as she finally arrived to work and headed into her office without even giving a single glance to her shocked assistant.
"Degrassi Junior High Burnt down." Lewis tried to state, but Wendy wasn't paying attention as she continued going on about today's events.
"I even wore my favourite dress and shoes today just for the occasion! That would explain me being about a half hour late...very sorry about that, Lewis. I couldn't figure out exactly what to wear! Oh, I can't wait until noon hour! Out of all the commencements we have had throughout the years, the final last year of the era always seems to stand out the most for me! Lewis..."
"There's not going to be a commencement, Wendy. Degrassi Junior High has burnt down, last night during the Graduation Dance." Lewis stated again, handing Wendy the paper he was holding.
After a few minutes, Wendy looked up at Lewis in shock.
"My God...how did this happen? Why has this happened? Do we know anything else at this hour?"
"I don't know...I don't know, again and no...we don't have any information once so ever."
"Lewis, you need to get on the phone and start making some calls, ASAP! We need to know what has happened, how it's happened, if everyone is alright and accounted for and where they are located. That is important."
"That is not necessary, Ms. Watson."
"Sergeant Steals!?" Lewis declared as Wendy turned around to see the police officer standing in the hallway with his arms crossed.
"Yes...and I have all the information you guys need. Can we go in and sit down?"
"Why, of course Serge. Come on in, please!"
Sergeant Steals stepped into Wendy's office and took a seat as Wendy closed the door for privacy.
"First off, I'm sure you're both aware of last night's tragic events..."
"Yes, I just found out through my assistant Lewis here..." Wendy stated as she sat down at her desk.
"And I've been following the reports and reading the newspapers since I first woke up this morning. Even listening to the reports on C-R-A-Z Radio on my way to work." said Lewis.
"As of this time, we have no clue as to how this fire started, but I can tell you that many of Degrassi's staff, faculty and students are safe and sound at St. Michaels Hospital. So far from what I know, at least three are in the Intensive Care Unit right now. Not sure about the others just yet as medical staff are doing their rounds as we speak."
"Who are those three who are in the I.C.U right now, Steals? Can you disclose that information for us?" asked Lewis.
"Louella Hawkins, severe smoke inhalation. Joey Jeremiah, second degree chemical burns to his hands and Tessa Campanelli, fluid in the lungs causing her to stop breathing in the middle of the night. Unsure of their condition at this hour."
Both Wendy and Lewis were in absolute shock upon hearing what little details they just received.
"I know this all comes off as a shock to the both of you...right now fire crews are still on scene battling the blaze which is being quite stubborn and difficult, Degrassi Street and the surrounding areas are completely closed off to the public and will be until further notice..."
"What about the parents of Degrassi students?"
"We've yet to find them...due to sudden evacuation orders, many have scrambled to various locations and we now need to track them down."
"Well, you go and do that Sergeant Steals and Lewis and I will make our way down to St. Michaels Hospital. Thank you for letting us know."
"It's a part of my job, Ms. Watson."
"Wait...one more thing before we go...what about the condition of the school? Is it salvageable? Can we rebuild?"
"Hold on...Sergeant Steals to Fire Marshal William, come in. Sergeant Steals to Fire Marshal William, do you read me?"
"William to Steals, read you loud and clear, over!"
"Have you returned from the scene? Can you clarify rather or not Degrassi Junior High School is salvageable?"
"Yes I have and unfortunately, Degrassi Junior High School is officially dis-functioned as of now. The building is completely demolished and unsalvageable. Sue Jenkins has given us her consent to do away with Degrassi as we see fit."
"Ten-four William. Thank you. Sergeant Steals, over and out. I am very sorry Ms. Watson and Mr. Manne."
"No...no...it's OK, really! We just have a lot now to deal with on our plates this summer...but they'll just have to wait. Right now, we need to get to St. Michaels. Again Sergeant Steals, thank you for your time. Come on, Lewis...let's get going."
"Ms. Watson, Mr. Manne? I'm heading back to St. Michaels...would you two like a lift?"
"Oh...um no, thank you. We'll take our own vehicle."
"OK, suit yourself. I'll see you over there." Sergeant Steals concluded as he then followed Lewis and Wendy down the hall towards the exit.
In Examination Room 5, Karen Avery was sitting up in her hospital bed filling out the Correspondence forms Louella Hawkins had graciously risked her life to get for Christine Nelson.
Before she finished with her signature, she quickly glanced over it to make sure all the lines were filled correctly and properly.
"And there...now hopefully if I get released sometime today, I'll make a stop at the Board of Education to drop this off and get this program underway for Christine...I only hope she hasn't been admitted herself." she said as she then placed the forms on top of her clothes that were sitting on a nearby chair, still reeking of smoke from last night's fire. "Phew...don't know what I'm going to do for clothing...I doubt the doctors and nurses will allow us to wear the clothes we came in here with from last night considering they now reek of smoke and who knows what else! I can still smell them from here on top of this oxygen, despite being put in a belongs bag. I also wonder where we'll be able to go once we're released...doubt we can simply head back home considering Degrassi Street and areas are still under the evacuation order...I guess we'll find out when the time comes. Until then...it's just a waiting game."
