Ground Zero
Chapter Two
**********
August 18. O659h. Station 55.
Kim tossed her equipment on the table and slipped out of her civilian shirt to replace it with uniform. She didn't even have a chance to say hello to her awaiting partner before he was on her case.
"You better get on that phone right away!" Bobby fumed, jabbing a finger towards her chest. "If Jimmy calls back one more time I'm gonna personally go over there and strangle him with his damn phone cord!"
"Oh? It's his day off? One of us had to take Joey to the dentist, my mom was busy," replied Kim, stunned by the unexpected greeting. She furrowed her brow and scrutinized her partner. "Did Jimmy called here for me? I hope nothing's wrong."
"Seven times in the last half hour!" seethed Bobby. "Seven times."
*** *** ***
August 18. 1205h. Hospital. Dr. Morales' office.
Morales was finishing some paper work in her office when a nurse poked her head in. "Doctor," she said, breaking Morales' concentration. "There's a couple of pretty determined men out here trying to kidnap that John Doe from the tanker accident. I called security, but I thought you'd want to talk to them yourself."
"What? Are you serious?," replied the doctor, pushing back her chair. She didn't know what this was about, but she sure as hell wanted to find out. No one *kidnapped* a patient of hers.
They reached the room just in time. One security officer was already nursing a bleeding lip. The other was up against the wall, a gun to his throat.
"What's going on in here!?" Morales demanded, eyeing the crowd of soldiers littering her patient's room. The nurse had mentioned men, not men in uniform, so Morales was a little more than stunned to see an army in her patient's room.
Smiling, a distinguished man in a suit patted one of his henchmen on the shoulder. "Carry on," he ordered. "I'll talk to the nice doctor and explain what's happening."
Morales took a step further into the room. "Before you do that, could you ask your goon to release the guard?!"
The man nodded and the guard was quickly released. Then he smiled, patronizing the doctor. "Hello, Doctor- Morales?" he asked, reading the name tag on the her medical jacket. "My name is Jeff Withers."
Morales shook the man's hand reluctantly. Surprised by the amount of pressure the man employed in the shake, she rubbed her hand to get the circulation moving again. "I'm Head of the Emergency Department here. What the hell is going on? And tell me why I shouldn't be calling the police right now?"
"That won't be necessary," started the man, slowly pulling papers from inside his jacket. "I'm sure these papers will explain everything."
Morales read over the papers, casting a glance at the man every few seconds. When finished, she folded up the papers and stepped out of the way. She reached for the phone on the wall and made a call to hospital management. A minute later she turned back to the soldiers. "I guess he's all yours," she sighed helplessly. "I'll make sure you have all his medical records. But you'll have to wait for the blood work up. It'll take a few hours to get them back from the lab."
"That won't be necessary," informed Jeff Withers with a placating wave. "Our doctor's could probably have them faster." Then he headed out the door, his own army of medical doctors trailing the patient on a gurney.
The nurse started to say something, but Morales held out her hand, shaking her head somberly. "Not now. Definitely not now."
*** *** ***
August 18. 1205h. Station 55.
"He didn't say anything. He just asked for you and hung up," Bobby explained with frustration.
Kim had tried to call Jimmy back several times over the morning, but there had been no answer. Seven times was a little obsessive, and she was starting to get worried. Jimmy was with Joey today, and she didn't need to hear something was wrong with her kid. Subconsciously, she prayed something was wrong with Jimmy instead.
"He kept calling, even after I told him your shift didn't start for another half hour. Which, by the way, he knows, doesn't he?"
"Maybe he just forgot?" Kim suggested, in defense of her ex-husband.
"Seven times, Kim? One time he didn't even speak. He just hung up when I answered the phone!"
"Really? Are you're sure it was him then?"
"Yes, I'm pretty sure."
"So, what exactly did he say?"
"I told you," answered Bobby irritably. "He just asked for you."
"Did he sound upset?"
"Sort of."
"And he didn't say what it was about?"
"Kim, babe," replied Bobby, rolling his eyes. "I love ya and all, but would you please stop with the interrogation. I know you're going to try and call him back again, so why don't you just go and do it."
Kim winced. "Sorry," she apologized. "I'll try and reach him again."
"You do that," sniped Bobby, tired of having spent this long in a conversation concerning Jimmy. It was ten minutes he knew he would never get back.
Kim sat down next to the phone and dialed her ex-husband's number. When she put the receiver to her ear she was greeted by the busy signal. She hung up and tried again.
Another busy signal.
She tried again, and once again got the busy signal. That was when she noticed her partner standing over her shoulder.
"Kim, did you get a hold of him?" Now that he had time to calm down, the implications of Jimmy's phone calls began to worry him as well. As much as the guy irritated him, Jimmy did have a kid with Kim, and for all he knew the call could have been concerning Joey.
Kim glanced at her partner, shaking her head.
*** *** ***
August 19. 0245h. Clarkeson overpass.
All day Kim had not been able to reach Jimmy over the phone. Around 1am she had given up and headed for the squad- dragging Bobby along with her and going mobile. He had waited in the ambulance listening for calls while she had gone in to check on Jimmy and her son.
She had found her ex-husband sitting in the middle of his apartment, most of his possessions strewn about the living room. Jimmy had seemed completely at ease with the mess, but he lacked an explanation. He also couldn't remember why he had called her in the first place.
Kim knew something was wrong, and pushed the topic of Joey. But Jimmy reassured her everything was all right, and together they checked on their son sound asleep in Jimmy's bed. Feeling better about that, she had tried to talk to him about what was wrong, but Jimmy wasn't being very attentive. He had been preoccupied with inconsequential matters, constantly throwing the conversation off track.
It had been a frustrating hour, but eventually Kim had to leave. She couldn't spend the entire evening baby-sitting her ex-husband. She convinced herself he was all right. It was nothing a good night's sleep couldn't fix. And since she couldn't see anything physically wrong with him, she reluctantly left.
But she didn't get very far- annoying her partner even more with her incessant ramblings concerning Jimmy.
Half way back to the station, Bobby had pulled over to the side of the road. He needed to clear his head, so he decided to kick Kim out and make her take a walk until she had other things to talk about. Because, honestly, he was getting pretty sick of hearing about Jimmy.
Kim got out, and strolled across the overpass just ahead of the ambulance- the headlights turned off to give her privacy. When she reached the middle of the overpass she stopped. Leaning over the guardrail, she glanced down on the highway beneath. It was deserted.
"Jimmy," she said aloud. "Why is it you still have the ability to do this to me?"
Kim glanced at her watch. She hadn't realized how late it was. Her shift ended in just a few hours. She needed to go home and get some rest, but he knew sleep wouldn't come. Grasping the handrail, she leaned back and closed her eyes. When she opened them-
Blackness.
"What the he..."
Kim was standing in complete darkness. All the streetlights had flickered off. She couldn't even see the ambulance parked a few meters down the road. She figured Bobby would have turned the ambulance back on, to give her light, then realized he must have his closed his eyes- trying to get back a few moments of lost sleep she had caused him tonight.
Then she heard it. A low rumbling, gradually growing louder.
She ran to the other side of the overpass, searching down the highway for the sound. Dark shadows were moving beneath her.
Kim swallowed hard. "Oh my God." She turned and made her way back to the ambulance as Bobby was rolling down his window. "What the hell is happening?" she called, nearing the vehicle.
Bobby leaned out the window. "Who turned out the lights?" He opened the door and climbed out, reaching back to grab the portable radio. "I opened my eyes to see where you were, and I couldn't see anything."
"I know!" cried Kim, grabbing her partner by the arm and dragging him over the overpass. "Something's going on down on the highway," she continued. As they pulled up to the guardrail where she had previously been standing, Kim pointed to the dark shadows below. "Are those what I think I they are?" she asked quietly, a hand to her mouth.
Bobby knelt down and squinted into the abyss below. He pulled Kim down beside him, an uncomfortable feeling building in his stomach. "They look military," he said with a raised eyebrow. "What the hell are they doing here? And why the hell did they turn off all the lights?"
Kim stuck her head between the concrete beams to get a better look. "Maybe they didn't turn them off?" she suggested, although she didn't believe it.
"I'm calling dispatch," stated Bobby, sitting with his back to the guardrail. But voices from below made him pause and take another look over his shoulder. "What's going on? What are they saying?"
Kim pulled her head back in. "I think they said something about hoses? I'm not sure."
Bobby keyed the handset of his radio, fumbling in the dark to see. "Oh, I'm definitely calling dispatch now."
Several minutes later, Bobby and Kim were pulling the ambulance off the overpass- lights off, in stealth mode. "They seriously said back away and let the police handle it," replied Bobby, watching his sideview mirrors carefully.
Kim shifted in her seat. "So, are they coming?"
"I don't know, they just said return to the station."
"And?" prompted his partner.
"And," Bobby said, turning the vehicle around. "I'm returning us to the station. We can go across to the police station and see if anyone there knows what's going on."
Kim nodded to her partner and didn't push the subject any further. And later that night, they both went to bed with no further information. The precinct had told them exactly what dispatch had- return to the station.
*** *** ***
August 20. 0700h. Station 55.
Jimmy swung his vehicle into a parking space and climbed out. He ignored Bobby pulling in beside him and continued into the station.
In the bunk room, Bobby found the firefighter sitting on the bench at the end of his bed. Jimmy had his head buried in his hands- looking tired as hell. Bobby had been anticipating ripping into him about the previous night- and how he caused him to go without sleep, and how he was sick of Kim coming to his preverbal rescue, but Jimmy didn't seem right.
Bobby paused before approaching. He looked around, they were alone. Reverting his gaze back to the firefighter, Bobby ran his tongue across his lips. Something was telling him, maybe his instincts, that he was only going to be asking for trouble he didn't need if he charged in on the guy.
"Can I join you?" Bobby asked, taking a seat next to him, his tirade on the back burner for the moment.
"No," Jimmy stated flatly.
"Why not?"
"Because misery and happiness are mortal enemies," he replied cryptically, not looking up from the floor.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means I'm pissed off right now. And if you sit your cheerful ass down next to me, I'll most likely beat the crap outta ya."
Bobby stood up brusquely. "You know what, Jimmy? That's just great. You keep up this mood, and we'll see how many friends you still have at the end of the day. I was going to rag you out for the other day, but you know what, it's not worth it. Just don't drag Kim down into your problems- what ever they may be!" He grabbed his uniform and headed into the showers. When he was cleaned and changed, he went straight to the kitchen, hoping to by-pass Jimmy in the bunk room.
But Jimmy was already there sitting with Carlos and a few other firefighters at the kitchen table. Averting his nemesis, Bobby made a beeline for the coffee on the counter.
.
"How ya doing, Carlos?" Jimmy asked cheerfully.
"Be careful how you answer that," sniped Bobby from across the kitchen. "He might bite your head off!"
Carlos looked at Jimmy skeptically. Deciding it was safe to answer, he replied carefully, "I'm fine. How are you?"
"Pretty good."
Carlos shrugged, looked over at Bobby. "He seems fine to me," he reported. "What's gotten into you this morning?"
"Yeah," added Jimmy. "What's up with you? What's with that rampage in the locker room?"
"Me!" cried Bobby, slamming his mug on the counter. "What's up with me?! You're the one with the attitude, buddy!"
"I'm in a perfectly good mood."
*Station 55, man trapped on roof. 14 Houston Avenue, cross street Bellingham. One four Houston Avenue, cross street Bellingham. Time out, 0844hrs.*
Bobby was steaming as he followed Jimmy down into the bay. He knew now was not the time, but later, definitely later. Right now he didn't even want to look at him. And even more, he didn't want to bring it up with his partner Kim. The last thing he needed was to be bombarded by her ramblings concerning Jimmy. They drove to the rescue in complete silence. Not even a peep about the situation on the overpass the other night.
*** *** ***
*Author's Note: The roles of the mysterious military men on the highway were played by extras not deemed worthy enough to have their names mentioned in the credits. They're taking it up with their agents, but we're hoping for a peaceful settlement.
Chapter Two
**********
August 18. O659h. Station 55.
Kim tossed her equipment on the table and slipped out of her civilian shirt to replace it with uniform. She didn't even have a chance to say hello to her awaiting partner before he was on her case.
"You better get on that phone right away!" Bobby fumed, jabbing a finger towards her chest. "If Jimmy calls back one more time I'm gonna personally go over there and strangle him with his damn phone cord!"
"Oh? It's his day off? One of us had to take Joey to the dentist, my mom was busy," replied Kim, stunned by the unexpected greeting. She furrowed her brow and scrutinized her partner. "Did Jimmy called here for me? I hope nothing's wrong."
"Seven times in the last half hour!" seethed Bobby. "Seven times."
*** *** ***
August 18. 1205h. Hospital. Dr. Morales' office.
Morales was finishing some paper work in her office when a nurse poked her head in. "Doctor," she said, breaking Morales' concentration. "There's a couple of pretty determined men out here trying to kidnap that John Doe from the tanker accident. I called security, but I thought you'd want to talk to them yourself."
"What? Are you serious?," replied the doctor, pushing back her chair. She didn't know what this was about, but she sure as hell wanted to find out. No one *kidnapped* a patient of hers.
They reached the room just in time. One security officer was already nursing a bleeding lip. The other was up against the wall, a gun to his throat.
"What's going on in here!?" Morales demanded, eyeing the crowd of soldiers littering her patient's room. The nurse had mentioned men, not men in uniform, so Morales was a little more than stunned to see an army in her patient's room.
Smiling, a distinguished man in a suit patted one of his henchmen on the shoulder. "Carry on," he ordered. "I'll talk to the nice doctor and explain what's happening."
Morales took a step further into the room. "Before you do that, could you ask your goon to release the guard?!"
The man nodded and the guard was quickly released. Then he smiled, patronizing the doctor. "Hello, Doctor- Morales?" he asked, reading the name tag on the her medical jacket. "My name is Jeff Withers."
Morales shook the man's hand reluctantly. Surprised by the amount of pressure the man employed in the shake, she rubbed her hand to get the circulation moving again. "I'm Head of the Emergency Department here. What the hell is going on? And tell me why I shouldn't be calling the police right now?"
"That won't be necessary," started the man, slowly pulling papers from inside his jacket. "I'm sure these papers will explain everything."
Morales read over the papers, casting a glance at the man every few seconds. When finished, she folded up the papers and stepped out of the way. She reached for the phone on the wall and made a call to hospital management. A minute later she turned back to the soldiers. "I guess he's all yours," she sighed helplessly. "I'll make sure you have all his medical records. But you'll have to wait for the blood work up. It'll take a few hours to get them back from the lab."
"That won't be necessary," informed Jeff Withers with a placating wave. "Our doctor's could probably have them faster." Then he headed out the door, his own army of medical doctors trailing the patient on a gurney.
The nurse started to say something, but Morales held out her hand, shaking her head somberly. "Not now. Definitely not now."
*** *** ***
August 18. 1205h. Station 55.
"He didn't say anything. He just asked for you and hung up," Bobby explained with frustration.
Kim had tried to call Jimmy back several times over the morning, but there had been no answer. Seven times was a little obsessive, and she was starting to get worried. Jimmy was with Joey today, and she didn't need to hear something was wrong with her kid. Subconsciously, she prayed something was wrong with Jimmy instead.
"He kept calling, even after I told him your shift didn't start for another half hour. Which, by the way, he knows, doesn't he?"
"Maybe he just forgot?" Kim suggested, in defense of her ex-husband.
"Seven times, Kim? One time he didn't even speak. He just hung up when I answered the phone!"
"Really? Are you're sure it was him then?"
"Yes, I'm pretty sure."
"So, what exactly did he say?"
"I told you," answered Bobby irritably. "He just asked for you."
"Did he sound upset?"
"Sort of."
"And he didn't say what it was about?"
"Kim, babe," replied Bobby, rolling his eyes. "I love ya and all, but would you please stop with the interrogation. I know you're going to try and call him back again, so why don't you just go and do it."
Kim winced. "Sorry," she apologized. "I'll try and reach him again."
"You do that," sniped Bobby, tired of having spent this long in a conversation concerning Jimmy. It was ten minutes he knew he would never get back.
Kim sat down next to the phone and dialed her ex-husband's number. When she put the receiver to her ear she was greeted by the busy signal. She hung up and tried again.
Another busy signal.
She tried again, and once again got the busy signal. That was when she noticed her partner standing over her shoulder.
"Kim, did you get a hold of him?" Now that he had time to calm down, the implications of Jimmy's phone calls began to worry him as well. As much as the guy irritated him, Jimmy did have a kid with Kim, and for all he knew the call could have been concerning Joey.
Kim glanced at her partner, shaking her head.
*** *** ***
August 19. 0245h. Clarkeson overpass.
All day Kim had not been able to reach Jimmy over the phone. Around 1am she had given up and headed for the squad- dragging Bobby along with her and going mobile. He had waited in the ambulance listening for calls while she had gone in to check on Jimmy and her son.
She had found her ex-husband sitting in the middle of his apartment, most of his possessions strewn about the living room. Jimmy had seemed completely at ease with the mess, but he lacked an explanation. He also couldn't remember why he had called her in the first place.
Kim knew something was wrong, and pushed the topic of Joey. But Jimmy reassured her everything was all right, and together they checked on their son sound asleep in Jimmy's bed. Feeling better about that, she had tried to talk to him about what was wrong, but Jimmy wasn't being very attentive. He had been preoccupied with inconsequential matters, constantly throwing the conversation off track.
It had been a frustrating hour, but eventually Kim had to leave. She couldn't spend the entire evening baby-sitting her ex-husband. She convinced herself he was all right. It was nothing a good night's sleep couldn't fix. And since she couldn't see anything physically wrong with him, she reluctantly left.
But she didn't get very far- annoying her partner even more with her incessant ramblings concerning Jimmy.
Half way back to the station, Bobby had pulled over to the side of the road. He needed to clear his head, so he decided to kick Kim out and make her take a walk until she had other things to talk about. Because, honestly, he was getting pretty sick of hearing about Jimmy.
Kim got out, and strolled across the overpass just ahead of the ambulance- the headlights turned off to give her privacy. When she reached the middle of the overpass she stopped. Leaning over the guardrail, she glanced down on the highway beneath. It was deserted.
"Jimmy," she said aloud. "Why is it you still have the ability to do this to me?"
Kim glanced at her watch. She hadn't realized how late it was. Her shift ended in just a few hours. She needed to go home and get some rest, but he knew sleep wouldn't come. Grasping the handrail, she leaned back and closed her eyes. When she opened them-
Blackness.
"What the he..."
Kim was standing in complete darkness. All the streetlights had flickered off. She couldn't even see the ambulance parked a few meters down the road. She figured Bobby would have turned the ambulance back on, to give her light, then realized he must have his closed his eyes- trying to get back a few moments of lost sleep she had caused him tonight.
Then she heard it. A low rumbling, gradually growing louder.
She ran to the other side of the overpass, searching down the highway for the sound. Dark shadows were moving beneath her.
Kim swallowed hard. "Oh my God." She turned and made her way back to the ambulance as Bobby was rolling down his window. "What the hell is happening?" she called, nearing the vehicle.
Bobby leaned out the window. "Who turned out the lights?" He opened the door and climbed out, reaching back to grab the portable radio. "I opened my eyes to see where you were, and I couldn't see anything."
"I know!" cried Kim, grabbing her partner by the arm and dragging him over the overpass. "Something's going on down on the highway," she continued. As they pulled up to the guardrail where she had previously been standing, Kim pointed to the dark shadows below. "Are those what I think I they are?" she asked quietly, a hand to her mouth.
Bobby knelt down and squinted into the abyss below. He pulled Kim down beside him, an uncomfortable feeling building in his stomach. "They look military," he said with a raised eyebrow. "What the hell are they doing here? And why the hell did they turn off all the lights?"
Kim stuck her head between the concrete beams to get a better look. "Maybe they didn't turn them off?" she suggested, although she didn't believe it.
"I'm calling dispatch," stated Bobby, sitting with his back to the guardrail. But voices from below made him pause and take another look over his shoulder. "What's going on? What are they saying?"
Kim pulled her head back in. "I think they said something about hoses? I'm not sure."
Bobby keyed the handset of his radio, fumbling in the dark to see. "Oh, I'm definitely calling dispatch now."
Several minutes later, Bobby and Kim were pulling the ambulance off the overpass- lights off, in stealth mode. "They seriously said back away and let the police handle it," replied Bobby, watching his sideview mirrors carefully.
Kim shifted in her seat. "So, are they coming?"
"I don't know, they just said return to the station."
"And?" prompted his partner.
"And," Bobby said, turning the vehicle around. "I'm returning us to the station. We can go across to the police station and see if anyone there knows what's going on."
Kim nodded to her partner and didn't push the subject any further. And later that night, they both went to bed with no further information. The precinct had told them exactly what dispatch had- return to the station.
*** *** ***
August 20. 0700h. Station 55.
Jimmy swung his vehicle into a parking space and climbed out. He ignored Bobby pulling in beside him and continued into the station.
In the bunk room, Bobby found the firefighter sitting on the bench at the end of his bed. Jimmy had his head buried in his hands- looking tired as hell. Bobby had been anticipating ripping into him about the previous night- and how he caused him to go without sleep, and how he was sick of Kim coming to his preverbal rescue, but Jimmy didn't seem right.
Bobby paused before approaching. He looked around, they were alone. Reverting his gaze back to the firefighter, Bobby ran his tongue across his lips. Something was telling him, maybe his instincts, that he was only going to be asking for trouble he didn't need if he charged in on the guy.
"Can I join you?" Bobby asked, taking a seat next to him, his tirade on the back burner for the moment.
"No," Jimmy stated flatly.
"Why not?"
"Because misery and happiness are mortal enemies," he replied cryptically, not looking up from the floor.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means I'm pissed off right now. And if you sit your cheerful ass down next to me, I'll most likely beat the crap outta ya."
Bobby stood up brusquely. "You know what, Jimmy? That's just great. You keep up this mood, and we'll see how many friends you still have at the end of the day. I was going to rag you out for the other day, but you know what, it's not worth it. Just don't drag Kim down into your problems- what ever they may be!" He grabbed his uniform and headed into the showers. When he was cleaned and changed, he went straight to the kitchen, hoping to by-pass Jimmy in the bunk room.
But Jimmy was already there sitting with Carlos and a few other firefighters at the kitchen table. Averting his nemesis, Bobby made a beeline for the coffee on the counter.
.
"How ya doing, Carlos?" Jimmy asked cheerfully.
"Be careful how you answer that," sniped Bobby from across the kitchen. "He might bite your head off!"
Carlos looked at Jimmy skeptically. Deciding it was safe to answer, he replied carefully, "I'm fine. How are you?"
"Pretty good."
Carlos shrugged, looked over at Bobby. "He seems fine to me," he reported. "What's gotten into you this morning?"
"Yeah," added Jimmy. "What's up with you? What's with that rampage in the locker room?"
"Me!" cried Bobby, slamming his mug on the counter. "What's up with me?! You're the one with the attitude, buddy!"
"I'm in a perfectly good mood."
*Station 55, man trapped on roof. 14 Houston Avenue, cross street Bellingham. One four Houston Avenue, cross street Bellingham. Time out, 0844hrs.*
Bobby was steaming as he followed Jimmy down into the bay. He knew now was not the time, but later, definitely later. Right now he didn't even want to look at him. And even more, he didn't want to bring it up with his partner Kim. The last thing he needed was to be bombarded by her ramblings concerning Jimmy. They drove to the rescue in complete silence. Not even a peep about the situation on the overpass the other night.
*** *** ***
*Author's Note: The roles of the mysterious military men on the highway were played by extras not deemed worthy enough to have their names mentioned in the credits. They're taking it up with their agents, but we're hoping for a peaceful settlement.