Author's note: For those that skipped over Ch. 10 the summary is Jennifer was planning on a girls' night out with other female firefighters the following night. Jennifer was sexually assaulted at Station 110, she started to shut down, drowns her pain in alcohol, and writes several resignation letters.
Author's Note: Those of you who said I've ruined the story with the last chapter, well I encourage you to stick with this. I hate to say it but I've been doing a lot of research on the subject material and unfortunately everything I'm pulling from had been a female firefighters story. I hope that you all stick with the story to see if Jennifer is like a Phoenix, rising from the ashes.
David was at a loss as to what to do. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 7:00. Still early enough to make a phone call. He found the telephone book and dialed the DeSoto residence. He said a silent prayer that one thing would turn out right-that Chris would pick up. His prayers were answered.
"DeSoto's," Chris answered.
"Chris, it's David. Can you come over?" David realized that as much as he wanted to help Jennifer, he had no idea where to begin. He hoped that after living with Jennifer for eighteen years, Chris might have some sort of idea.
Chris lowered his voice. His parents were watching a game show in the living room and Chris was in the kitchen, which was the room right next door. "What's going on?"
"I've never seen Jenny like this before? She's a mess. Whatever happened at 110s, was not good. She started drinking and writing out resignation letters."
Chris was flabbergasted at the depiction of his sister. His sister never had more than a half bottle of beer. And she was willing to throw away her relationship with her father to join the fire academy. She wouldn't quit the department for something little.
"I'll be over. Can I crash on the couch? I feel like it's going to be a long night and you're closer to Rampart anyhow." The following morning, Chris had orderly duties at Rampart.
"Yeah, that's cool. Thanks, man. I appreciate it."
"Thanks for letting me know what's going on. I'll be ready to move in in about forty minutes," despite everything going on, Chris needed his humor in crises.
Chris took the steps up to his room two by two. He quickly packed his overnight bag and announced his departure to his family. He explained he was going over to spend the night at Jennifer's as they were watching a baseball game on tv. Roy dismissed it, but Chris knew by his mother's look that she knew that something was up. It was women's intuition at work again. He could never get anything past her. He was grateful that she didn't ask any questions. But her eyes did ask plenty.
When David had hung up the phone, he was startled by the phone ringing. He figured that Chris had probably had forgotten to say something. He was surprised when it was Linda calling.
"Hey," David answered.
"Is the Chica there or did she leave already?" She took no time for pleasantries.
"What are you talking about?" His mind couldn't think of anything but Jennifer passed out in her bedroom.
"We have girls' night. I know I'm running late, but I was hoping that she could swing by my place and pick me up. I figure she's not a drinker and I was hoping she'd by my designated driver." David let out a snort at the not a drinker part. She sure turned into a drinker tonight.
"Linda, I'm sorry but she's not going to be able to make it tonight. Um, she's not feeling well. She's laying down right now." He liked Linda, but he also knew of her love for gossip. Maybe not so much gossip, but she liked to talk and things tended to slip out.
"She must be real sick then because it sounded like she was looking forward to our night out. You sure everything is okay?" She had a hunch that something wasn't right. David's voice gave away that something was up. "If it was just a bad day at work, well, we're going to be getting together to bitch and moan about the guy firefighters." She paused trying to backtrack. "Not all male firefighters are bad. You're pretty good. Listen, should I stopover? Maybe I can change her mind. I think she needs to hang out with the other women in the department."
"No, you go out and enjoy. You don't want to catch whatever she has. Plus you can tell her all about your night out."
"Alrighty Chico. Maybe I'll stop by. Not tomorrow cause I'm on shift, but maybe Sunday."
"We'll see you Sunday." David realized that if Chris and he could not talk Jennifer into staying in the program, Linda could probably do it. She might talk her ear off to the point of giving in.
In the forty minutes it took for Chris to make it over to the apartment, David had checked in on Jennifer at least a dozen times. Each view stirred up a different emotion, from helplessness to anger to worry. He would give anything for a magic wand to take away whatever pain caused Jennifer today. When Chris entered, he made a joke about kicking David out of the room and moving into his room. Usually the jokes would be met with a flash of anger from his sister, but then melt away to her goofy smirk. This tactic did not show the same result on David. He was ready for business. David explained to Chris what had happened in more detail and pulled out the letters. As Chris read each letter, his anger started to rise.
"What the hell happened? What station was she at? Was it a bad call? Did someone say something or do something?" Chris asked.
David shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "She wouldn't tell me a thing. Wouldn't even speak to me. All she did was grab a bottle from me. Downed a whole six-pack."
"She can't even handle one," Chris said. The two stood around the dining room table just staring at the crumpled up mess as if one of the pieces of paper held a magical clue. But there was none. It was the sound of a bang and several curse words directed towards Jennifer's big toe. She caught the corner of the bed. She hobbled and held on to the wall to steady herself to the bathroom. The two watched her, afraid of what could happen.
Then the sound the retching echoed through the apartment. David rushed to her side at the toilet. He helped pull her hair back. Chris was slower as he tried to think of how to play the situation. He recalled a few parties in his undergrad years when he had a few too many. A small part was amused to see his sister do something so out of character. He was torn between being serious and being the clown. He went with his default as he mosied up to the bathroom door. Jennifer was resting her cheek on the toilet seat with her eyes closed while she waited for the next heave David knelt next to her, pulling her hair out of the way.
He stood at the door, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "You got the wrong cheek on the toilet seat." Her eyes slowly opened to see his grin. It was enough to send her into a vomiting fit. After a moment, she returned her gaze at Chris. A pang of guilt hit him as he saw tears starting to slide down her cheek. She gripped the toilet in both hands. The coolness from the porcelain felt so good at the moment. She took a few moments where her stomach found some sort of semblance of peace. Now if only her headache would go away. She slowly pushed herself up. David was quick to help her by cupping her elbow to help steady her. Once she was up, she took a moment to help the room from spinning. She took a deep breath and started to move back to her room. She pushed past Chris but made no further acknowledgment. David never left her side.
When she back into bed, David asked her again to tell him what happened. She just shook her head. She snuggled under her covers and curled up into a ball. David just stood there trying to think of something else to do. Chris glanced back and forth between David and Jennifer. Sometimes Jennifer was a pop bottle. Shaken up and under pressure. If he added a little bit more pressure, she might pop. He hoped that he would get somewhere with it.
Chris made his way over to the bed and yanked off the covers. She curled up tighter. There was no fight. He plopped down hard on the corner of her bed. He could have sworn there was a small glare before she returned curling up tighter.
"You know I just don't get it. You were willing to cut ties with dad to be a firefighter? You get through the academy. I saw Dr. Morton a couple of weeks ago and he was singing your praise. Then what one bad day at work and you're going to throw it all away. I never pictured you as a quitter," Chris announced. David only glanced at him. So, Chris was going to be the bad guy.
David went over to a small porcelain box that Jennifer had explained was her great grandmothers. It was pink with roses on it. He was careful to open it. He knew what it contained, her badge. There was a new addition-a stork pin and the note he had left in her locker. He took the stork pin and set it down to the nightstand facing her. "You know Jenny delivered a baby on Wednesday. She helped bring in life. It was like she was on a high after work. I've never seen her so happy or excited," David explained.
"What makes someone excited one day and ready to quit the next? What a bad call? Some ribbing from the guys? Huh, what? Now you want to quit."
She should have burst. Yell at them all and then tell them what had happened. That's what Chris had thought was going to happen. "I don't want to quit," she whispered. Chris had never seen this side of her. He wanted her anger. What he got was something he had never seen. Something he hoped he would never see again. His sister was broken and it killed him that he was at a loss of what to do to help her.
"If you don't want to quit, then why are you willing to make such a big decision without taking some time to think it over?" She uncurled just enough to look at David. David was trying to figure out the right words, cause he might have just got her hooked. "You do well at the hospital and you're there Monday and Tuesday. From my view, you've got four days to think it over. Whatever happened at the station, must have been bad. But you might get some good stations this week. I mean, maybe you'll get another chance to be at 51s on Wednesday and you'll get to work with me." He swore he might have the slightest smile. "I'm going to support you and care about you know matter what you decide. But why don't we sleep on it for the next couple of nights."
She couldn't argue with it. She couldn't physically or mentally handle any more arguments. "Tuesday night." They had four days to change her mind to stay in the department. "Can I get some sleep now?"
No use pushing their luck. The two ended up going to the living room and shutting her door behind them. When she heard the click of the door, she slowly reached out and took the pin in her hand. She brought it closer to get a good view. She didn't want to quit and seeing the pin was a reminder of one of the greatest days of her life. There was so much that Captain Engle had taken from her already. She wasn't sure if she was willing to give up her passion. Her fist tightened around the pin. Her eyes felt heavy and she was fast asleep.
The two sat in silence in the living room for almost thirty minutes. "I'm going to just pop my head in and check on her." David went in to see her sleeping. No pin was in sight. "Whatever happened, I'm sorry it did," he whispered. He went to his room and retrieved an extra blanket from the closet and took a pillow from his bed. When he returned to the living room, he put it the items on the couch. By this time, it was close to 11:30. He made his way to the refrigerator while Chris was changing in the bathroom. David got out an apple and sat down at the dining room table. He was missing his snacking partner.
When Chris returned to the living room, he saw David at the table. "You guys are made for each other. How the hell you talked her down, I don't know. I've always been able to find out what was wrong when she was mad just by pushing her buttons." He went to the refrigerator and called out that David was all out of beers. David could only roll his eyes. Chris rooted through the cabinets for a glass and poured himself some milk. When he was about ready to sit down with his drink at the table a knock was heard at the door.
David got out of his seat to see who would be knocking at this time of night. "I knew she wasn't really sick," Linda said as she barged in. "Is she okay? What happened? I want the whole story."
"Come on in," David said sarcastically. He stood a moment at the door trying to mentally prepare for Linda. His own breaking point was fast approaching. He sighed as he made his way to the table where Linda had already taken a seat.
"She came home upset. Started drinking and was ready to resign," David explained. "She wouldn't tell us what was going on, but I've never seen her like this."
"She was at 110s. C shift right?" David nodded, unsure of where this was going. "That son of a bitch," she flew up from her seat and began pacing. "That son of a bitch, Engle. Needs to be taught a lesson." She continued pacing, going from the living room to the dining area. The two men's eyes followed her movement.
"What is going on with the women? Full moon? That time of the month?" Chris whispered. David could only shrug.
"Can you explain why someone needs to be taught a lesson? Who needs a lesson?"
And that was when Linda was able to add another piece of the puzzle. She explained that she had dinner with four other ladies who gave her some tips. It included "don't be that woman" who tells on every little thing, men to stay away from because they've committed some sort of sexual harassment or assault, and to not bother with turning in a complaint because it comes around to bite you in the ass. She explained how a few women had quit because of one or more of these things. There were three men's names and stations that should be avoided at all costs. Captain Engle at Station 110 came up during two stories, one woman who ended up hitting him and being placed at a brushfire station to keep her quiet after she filed a complaint the other woman had resigned after he sexually assaulted her after she was placed at the station. He would ask for sexual favors and had promised an ally for training opportunities. She didn't last two weeks at the station. "When the women were talking, I remember that Jennifer had said the station she was working at and let's face it, you suck at lying David." She got no arguments from him.
Chris just sat in the chair trying to process everything. He had only seen the positives of the department. Firefighters coming over to bring food when dad was hurt, visiting the firehouse, all the good stories. It was hard to picture it in such a horrible manner. It was unfathomable.
David got up and began pacing. His hands were in fists at his sides. He began mumbling ideas of what to do. He realized that Captain Engle still had seven hours on shift. He stormed to the dish that sat on the table by the entrance that held his keys and slipped on his shoes. David and Linda looked at each other and took after him.
"David, let's think things through. What are you going to do?" Chris said. David continued down the hallway. Chris grabbed his arm. "You going down to beat him up? Let this guy take two careers away, huh? Take your advice. Let's take some time to think it through. Come up with a plan that keeps you employed and out of jail." David stopped. He couldn't help Jennifer in this situation, but he felt that he could help her now. There needed to be some retribution.