p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"Chapter 12- Suspicious Minds /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;" Two weeks passed and still no change in Elvis. But SOME good news did come. "Welcome back Bronwyn!" The team shouted! "Oh my! Thank you everyone!" she said as her eyes welled up! "How are you feeling?" Penny asked. "I'm doing alright. Sam, Penny, thank you SO much for helping take care of the twins," "Of course Bronwyn. We're family." The tight knit community celebrated the homecoming of one member but it was bittersweet. Two members were still on light duty due to their injuries. Therefore they wouldn't be cleared for full duty for another 4-6 weeks at least. Plus one was still in the hospital. Sam felt guilty celebrating without everyone here. The family wasn't quite reunited yet. For now, Penny, Sam and Station Officer Steele would have to cover the extra shifts. It was exhausting and Sam was barely able to spend time with his family or Penny. He tried to see Elvis as much as possible. The bruises were almost healed now. The police fatally shot Tobias Cridlington the day he took hostages. Their investigation was still underway but Elvis's beating and the hospital hostage situation was definitely connected. Sam couldn't help but wonder if Someone else had a hand in all the other accidents and emergencies surrounding his team too. Ever since this mess started he couldn't help but think that this wasn't a coincidence. But he had no proof. He also didn't like the effect all of this had on him. He was now jumpy and paranoid. This was messing with his head. Sam sighed heavily as he pulled into the station. He had just come back from spending time with Elvis. Life felt just a little less full without him here. While everyone missed him, they would have to settle into a new normal. Hey Sam," Penny greeted. Penny wasn't showing it, but this had deeply affected her too. Ellie and Arnold took turns doing desk duty and dispatch. "Got the night off Pen?" Sam asked. "Yeah. Hopefully I can catch up on some sleep tonight," she said. Sam could tell she was trying to fake being cheerful. But Sam knew otherwise. He gently grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tender hug. He then said quietly in her ear, "Baby, why don't you go to my place so you don't have to go so far?" Penny looked up at him with a smile, "I don't want to inconvenience you," "You're my love, it's not a problem," She hesitated, then said, "Well, if you insist. I'll see you in the morning ok? I love you" she said gently. "I love you too," Their sweet embrace was interrupted by a stern "Ahem!" by Station Officer Steele. "See you guys tomorrow!" Penny said quickly as she walked away, blushing furiously. Station Officer Steele just raised an eyebrow as if to say 'we talked about this' "Sorry sir" Sam muttered as he walked into the station. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;" It was just Station Officer Steele and Sam at the station. The village kids had school the next day so they were all in bed. Usually school nights were nice and quiet. Problem was, Sam wasn't sure if he welcomed a quiet night or preferred a busy night. On one hand, a quiet night would give Sam plenty of time to think of all events that had come to pass. On the other hand, he wasn't sure if he WANTED to dwell on it. A busy night would ensure that he didn't have time to think about all these things. It was a puzzle to Sam, and he wasn't quite sure how the pieces fit all together… yet. "Tea, Sam?" Station Officer Steele asked, taking Sam out of his thoughts. "I heard you went and saw Elvis today. How is he?" Station Officer Steele asked softly. "No change yet. Mrs. Cridlington was there. She said if the doctors don't see an improvement, they're going to discuss taking him off life support," Station Officer Steele shook his head sadly. "He's a good man," was all he could say. Their somber silence was broken by the fire alarm going off. "There's a fire at Ben Hooper's home," came the automated computer voice. Both firefighters looked at each other shocked! Quickly they ran to the poles, slid down, jumped into Jupiter, and sped off like a shot!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;" They pulled up to Ben's house, not knowing how bad it would be. The house was quickly becoming engulfed by the flames. Thick, black smoke bellowed from underneath the windows and doors. "We're going to need our B.A systems! Sam, I want you to go in and search for Ben!" "Yes, Sir!" Sam didn't want to waste any time. He quickly put on his B.A system and kicked in his friend's door. "BEN! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" The house was quickly filling up with the toxic smoke they had see when pulling up. Carefully he checked each room and put out any small fires he found. But Ben wasn't anywhere to be found. 'There must be an upstairs' he thought. He soon found the stairs and that's when he heard it, "Help!" It was faint but he heard it. He quickly ran up the stairs. Then he saw him. Ben was crawling blindly towards the stairs. "Ben! Hang on! I'm going to get you out of here," Sam said reassuringly. "Sam. Can't. Breathe. Pain. Shoulder." He gasped. "I know. But we're going to get you out of here and taken care of," Sam continued to reassure. "Ben, I'm going to lift you up and carry you out. I need you to just relax and trust me ok?" He instructed. Ben nodded. As gently as he could, he lifted Ben up into a fireman's carry and headed towards the stairs. The stairs creaked and groaned under the combined weight of the two men. 'I'm going to have to be extremely cautious. These stairs might be compromised.' Sam gingerly tested them. He would have to be quick in order to get both of them out. There was not as much smoke now. 'Station Officer Steele must have knocked down some the fire,' he thought. "Sam! Did you find Ben? I don't know how long the structure will hold!" Station Officer Steele yelled! "Understood, Sir," he responded. 'Please hold long enough to get out of here' Sam silently begged. He took a deep breath and rushed down the stairs. "Creak! Pop! Snap!" Sam cleared the staircase as it crumbled. But only just. "Sam! It's time to go!" Station Officer Steele warned. "Right behind you, Sir!" he answered. They got out, got Ben to the ambulance and then focused on getting the fire out before it spread to other homes. It took an hour to knock down that fire. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;" Nurse Helen Flood carefully checked Ben over. Thankfully, he had minor injuries. His shoulder was dislocated from falling out of his bed. Once Helen told Sam she was done, he went to talk to Ben. "Hey Ben, how are you holding up?" "Fine, I guess." "What happened?" "Honestly, I have no idea. One minute I was sleeping, the next, I was choking on smoke. I don't get it. I try to be extremely careful. I'm thinking back to my nighttime routine and I don't think anything was amiss." Ben said distressed and putting his head in his free hand. "I believe you, Ben. I'm just as confused as you are." He said while musing. "I'm just glad that you're ok. Goodness knows we've had enough insanity in this little town lately." Sam said with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, about that. Sam is there something going on? It seems like we've had more than a streak of bad luck." Ben said worriedly. "I know. I'm not religious or even believe in any superstitions, but it feels like this town's been cursed," Sam said. Ben looked at his friend surprised. "Look I have no idea what's going on but we need to come up with a plan to keep everyone safe," Ben said matter-of-factly. "Agreed," Sam said. "Where are you going to stay, Ben," Sam asked. "Oh, I'll just stay at the Ocean Rescue Center. I have another there for when I need to do double shifts" "Are you sure you don't want to stay somewhere a little bit more comfortable?" Sam asked concerned. "Nah, I'll be alright," Ben reassured. "OK then. I'll check up on you in the morning." Sam said as he left. "Alright then, see you in the Morning. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"That night, Sam was restless. Almost everyone he either worked with, or loved had dealt with a mysterious accident. Who would be next? His beloved Penny? Station Officer Steele? Sam resolved to definitely keep a close eye on them. There was also Tom and Moose. But they were out in the boonies. They couldn't be harmed there, could they?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;" Two weeks passed and still no change in Elvis. But SOME good news did come. "Welcome back Bronwyn!" The team shouted! "Oh my! Thank you everyone!" she said as her eyes welled up! "How are you feeling?" Penny asked. "I'm doing alright. Sam, Penny, thank you SO much for helping take care of the twins," "Of course Bronwyn. We're family." The tight knit community celebrated the homecoming of one member but it was bittersweet. Two members were still on light duty due to their injuries. Therefore they wouldn't be cleared for full duty for another 4-6 weeks at least. Plus one was still in the hospital. Sam felt guilty celebrating without everyone here. The family wasn't quite reunited yet. For now, Penny, Sam and Station Officer Steele would have to cover the extra shifts. It was exhausting and Sam was barely able to spend time with his family or Penny. He tried to see Elvis as much as possible. The bruises were almost healed now. The police fatally shot Tobias Cridlington the day he took hostages. Their investigation was still underway but Elvis's beating and the hospital hostage situation was definitely connected. Sam couldn't help but wonder if Someone else had a hand in all the other accidents and emergencies surrounding his team too. Ever since this mess started he couldn't help but think that this wasn't a coincidence. But he had no proof. He also didn't like the effect all of this had on him. He was now jumpy and paranoid. This was messing with his head. Sam sighed heavily as he pulled into the station. He had just come back from spending time with Elvis. Life felt just a little less full without him here. While everyone missed him, they would have to settle into a new normal. Hey Sam," Penny greeted. Penny wasn't showing it, but this had deeply affected her too. Ellie and Arnold took turns doing desk duty and dispatch. "Got the night off Pen?" Sam asked. "Yeah. Hopefully I can catch up on some sleep tonight," she said. Sam could tell she was trying to fake being cheerful. But Sam knew otherwise. He gently grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tender hug. He then said quietly in her ear, "Baby, why don't you go to my place so you don't have to go so far?" Penny looked up at him with a smile, "I don't want to inconvenience you," "You're my love, it's not a problem," She hesitated, then said, "Well, if you insist. I'll see you in the morning ok? I love you" she said gently. "I love you too," Their sweet embrace was interrupted by a stern "Ahem!" by Station Officer Steele. "See you guys tomorrow!" Penny said quickly as she walked away, blushing furiously. Station Officer Steele just raised an eyebrow as if to say 'we talked about this' "Sorry sir" Sam muttered as he walked into the station. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;" It was just Station Officer Steele and Sam at the station. The village kids had school the next day so they were all in bed. Usually school nights were nice and quiet. Problem was, Sam wasn't sure if he welcomed a quiet night or preferred a busy night. On one hand, a quiet night would give Sam plenty of time to think of all events that had come to pass. On the other hand, he wasn't sure if he WANTED to dwell on it. A busy night would ensure that he didn't have time to think about all these things. It was a puzzle to Sam, and he wasn't quite sure how the pieces fit all together… yet. "Tea, Sam?" Station Officer Steele asked, taking Sam out of his thoughts. "I heard you went and saw Elvis today. How is he?" Station Officer Steele asked softly. "No change yet. Mrs. Cridlington was there. She said if the doctors don't see an improvement, they're going to discuss taking him off life support," Station Officer Steele shook his head sadly. "He's a good man," was all he could say. Their somber silence was broken by the fire alarm going off. "There's a fire at Ben Hooper's home," came the automated computer voice. Both firefighters looked at each other shocked! Quickly they ran to the poles, slid down, jumped into Jupiter, and sped off like a shot!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;" They pulled up to Ben's house, not knowing how bad it would be. The house was quickly becoming engulfed by the flames. Thick, black smoke bellowed from underneath the windows and doors. "We're going to need our B.A systems! Sam, I want you to go in and search for Ben!" "Yes, Sir!" Sam didn't want to waste any time. He quickly put on his B.A system and kicked in his friend's door. "BEN! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" The house was quickly filling up with the toxic smoke they had see when pulling up. Carefully he checked each room and put out any small fires he found. But Ben wasn't anywhere to be found. 'There must be an upstairs' he thought. He soon found the stairs and that's when he heard it, "Help!" It was faint but he heard it. He quickly ran up the stairs. Then he saw him. Ben was crawling blindly towards the stairs. "Ben! Hang on! I'm going to get you out of here," Sam said reassuringly. "Sam. Can't. Breathe. Pain. Shoulder." He gasped. "I know. But we're going to get you out of here and taken care of," Sam continued to reassure. "Ben, I'm going to lift you up and carry you out. I need you to just relax and trust me ok?" He instructed. Ben nodded. As gently as he could, he lifted Ben up into a fireman's carry and headed towards the stairs. The stairs creaked and groaned under the combined weight of the two men. 'I'm going to have to be extremely cautious. These stairs might be compromised.' Sam gingerly tested them. He would have to be quick in order to get both of them out. There was not as much smoke now. 'Station Officer Steele must have knocked down some the fire,' he thought. "Sam! Did you find Ben? I don't know how long the structure will hold!" Station Officer Steele yelled! "Understood, Sir," he responded. 'Please hold long enough to get out of here' Sam silently begged. He took a deep breath and rushed down the stairs. "Creak! Pop! Snap!" Sam cleared the staircase as it crumbled. But only just. "Sam! It's time to go!" Station Officer Steele warned. "Right behind you, Sir!" he answered. They got out, got Ben to the ambulance and then focused on getting the fire out before it spread to other homes. It took an hour to knock down that fire. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;" Nurse Helen Flood carefully checked Ben over. Thankfully, he had minor injuries. His shoulder was dislocated from falling out of his bed. Once Helen told Sam she was done, he went to talk to Ben. "Hey Ben, how are you holding up?" "Fine, I guess." "What happened?" "Honestly, I have no idea. One minute I was sleeping, the next, I was choking on smoke. I don't get it. I try to be extremely careful. I'm thinking back to my nighttime routine and I don't think anything was amiss." Ben said distressed and putting his head in his free hand. "I believe you, Ben. I'm just as confused as you are." He said while musing. "I'm just glad that you're ok. Goodness knows we've had enough insanity in this little town lately." Sam said with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, about that. Sam is there something going on? It seems like we've had more than a streak of bad luck." Ben said worriedly. "I know. I'm not religious or even believe in any superstitions, but it feels like this town's been cursed," Sam said. Ben looked at his friend surprised. "Look I have no idea what's going on but we need to come up with a plan to keep everyone safe," Ben said matter-of-factly. "Agreed," Sam said. "Where are you going to stay, Ben," Sam asked. "Oh, I'll just stay at the Ocean Rescue Center. I have another there for when I need to do double shifts" "Are you sure you don't want to stay somewhere a little bit more comfortable?" Sam asked concerned. "Nah, I'll be alright," Ben reassured. "OK then. I'll check up on you in the morning." Sam said as he left. "Alright then, see you in the Morning. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;"That night, Sam was restless. Almost everyone he either worked with, or loved had dealt with a mysterious accident. Who would be next? His beloved Penny? Station Officer Steele? Sam resolved to definitely keep a close eye on them. There was also Tom and Moose. But they were out in the boonies. They couldn't be harmed there, could they?/span/p