Fallout

Chapter 18

The Journal of John Nolan

"I'm going to have a fight on my hands, and this one won't be on the streets. I ran for union rep on a platform of change – and I meant it. But some cops don't want change. Unfortunately, one of them is Lt. Landon Briggs, the union president. He got very pissed off that I went to Councilwoman Gutierrez about having mental health professionals handle calls they're better trained for than cops are. I guess he doesn't like the chance that some funding might be diverted from cops. I don't really see that happening. But even if it does, having cops walk into situations they're not trained to handle could cost more than money. It could cost lives.

Still, what Briggs said outright is that it's all about power. I don't know if he sees what I proposed as siphoning some away from cops in general or him personally. I suspect it's the latter. In any case, I unintentionally made an enemy on the force. But I've had cop enemies before. Armstrong tried to destroy me, but I survived. I'll survive Briggs too. And I'll have a lot more support than I had with Armstrong.

I think a recent case already made my point. We were hunting down a modern-day Dr. Frankenstein who was trying to reanimate dead limbs. Unfortunately, he wasn't just getting them off corpses. He was killing people. It doesn't take much to realize the man has serious mental health issues. But we didn't get much help in that department. Even Lucy didn't have the opportunity to use her psychological knowledge. Bradford treated it as a straight criminal problem and acted accordingly. He did a good job, using his body camera to track the guy as he held hostages. Lucy ended up using her taser, which is a hell of a lot better than having bullets fly. Yet if we'd had some early professional input, there might not have been a hostage situation.

The reanimator is an off-the-wall example, but we encounter plenty of run-of-the-mill ones pretty much every day. Domestic disputes and drug problems are at the top of the list. But for the moment, at least, I've done what I can do. It's up to the City Council now. I'm just hoping that Briggs doesn't throw any political grenades.

On a lighter note, it looks like Lucy's got a new boyfriend, and Bradford played cupid. I don't know all the details of what happened, but apparently, Tim pushed Lucy and the new ADA Chris Sanford together for a double date with him and Ashley. From what Lucy told me, it didn't go well. Among other things, Tim isn't a fan of nouvelle cuisine. Neither am I, to tell the truth. But since Bailey specializes in firehouse cookery, that isn't an issue. Anyway, from what I gather, Tim diverted himself from the food by talking shop with Lucy, leaving both their dates out of the conversation. Despite that, Chris decided to give a date with Lucy a second shot, and that one went well. So Lucy's walking around with a smile on her face.

Of course, Lucy's joy isn't as enthusiastic as Harper's. It's frightening how cheerful Nyla can be – when she's not bawling. I remember Sarah going through a stage like that when she was carrying Henry. At the time, I attributed it to our being young people starting out with nothing but the expectation of a baby on the horizon. At least Sarah got to finish school, even if I dropped out to support the three of us. I can't regret a moment of that. If we'd made another decision, we might not have Henry. Still, for a while, I felt like I was walking on eggs around Sarah.

I don't have to worry about that with Harper. No matter what her mood, she's determined to appear as a pillar of strength. I am wondering about one thing, though. It seems like the hormones hit pretty early in her pregnancy, at least the way I remember things with Sarah. And Harper's getting pretty big for the early months too. I have to wonder if the doctors miscalculated. Harper was acting pretty strange right after Halloween. And she was with Donovan. But that whole thing could be my imagination. James is looking forward to raising a child with Harper. I'm probably looking for problems where none exist.

"For those of you who are unfamiliar with the white flakes falling from the sky, it's not a new breakfast cereal. It's snow," Grey announces. "You're already aware of the hazards associated with rain. Snow, particularly when it melts and refreezes, introduces new ones. Officer Nolan, you're from Pennsylvania. I take it you're familiar with the complications caused by these conditions. Would you care to inform your fellow officers?"

"Yes, Sir," Nolan responds. "As Sergeant Grey mentioned, refreezing is very dangerous. A thin layer of water on the road can form black ice, which can be invisible or almost invisible to drivers. It also makes it practically impossible to get traction. Even vehicles with all-wheel or four-wheel drive can slide into other vehicles or off the road.

"Even in the absence of ice, drivers going too fast, or in some cases, too slowly, can lose adhesion. Snow can also obscure vision, and glare from snow can be blinding. We can expect an uptick in accidents and possibly pileups. We'll also find drivers with cars stuck and unable to move. We should be prepared to assist them if possible."

"And how do we do that, Nolan?" Grey prompts.

"We should all carry salt in our shops. Sand can help in a pinch, as can a blanket or something similar to put under the wheels of a car for traction."

"Which brings us to another problem," Grey responds. "The city has limited supplies of road salt. Apparently, there was a shortage this year, and the colder regions snapped it up. Consumer supplies are also scarce."

"Can L.A. get beet juice, sir?" Nolan questions.

Grey turns to him with a skeptical look. "Beet juice?"

"Yes, Sir. Many cities have opted to use it instead of salt. From what I've seen, it does as good or better a job and causes less damage to road surfaces and vehicles."

"Honestly, Officer Nolan, I have no idea," Grey admits.

Smitty smirks. "Why don't you call your pal, Councilwoman Gutierrez, and ask her, Nolan?"

Grey skewers Smitty with a stare. "Regardless of the spirit in which your comment was made, that's not a bad idea. Nolan?"

"I'll do that, Sir. And about salt for consumers, Sir. The pellets for water softeners are the wrong size and shape, but they're better than nothing. We can offer that advice as well."

"Good thinking, Nolan."

"How about the homeless, Sir?" Lucy asks. "They have a hard enough time finding shelter from the heat. But they could freeze to death in the snow."

"Or they could start fires to keep warm. Those could get out of control," Bradford adds from the back of the room.

"Both good points," Grey acknowledges. "You all already have access to a list of shelters. "Use it. I'll make sure you get updated throughout the day. That's all. Nolan, I want to see you for a moment. The rest of you, get out there and be careful."

"What do you need, Sergeant?" Nolan asks Grey as the rest of the cops file out of the roll call room.

"I just wanted to tell you that Briggs isn't backing off in his opposition to your mental health proposal. And he's gunning for you, Nolan. Any little slip, and he'll push for the hammer to come down hard. So watch your ass."

"Yes, Sir, I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. Get out of here, but don't forget to make the call to Gutierrez."

Nolan waves at the white crusting the windows. "I think I'll have plenty of reminders."