Hit and Run
Chapter 25
~~~~~~~~~~
Jimmy had talked the patrol officer into stopping by the firehouse to pick up his gear. It was on the way so he didn't give him too much trouble over it. Jimmy got out of the RMP and headed over to where the most activity was apparent.
"Captain, where do you want me?" Jimmy asked his boss as he finished donning his gear.
"Jimmy! Glad you're here," said the Captain. "Nieto is trapped under this pile of debris. It's slow going because we have to keep shoring it up as we go. We're waiting for schematics from the owner of the building. He was making noise earlier, but we haven't heard from him in a while. We don't know how badly he's injured. Go relieve Lombardo and Tommy," he ordered Jimmy.
Jimmy headed over to where Lombardo and Tommy were working. He passed Sully and Davis along the way who were pulled from the digging by the Captain because they didn't have the proper gear. It wasn't easy getting them away from the pile, but now they were standing by the wreckage, watching and waiting.
"Sully, Davis. You guys okay?" Jimmy asked, taking in their appearance.
"Yeah. Just scrapes and bruises. Get in there," Davis said, waving off his friend's concern.
"I'm on it," Jimmy said as he walked away. He walked up to Lombardo and Tommy just as D.K. saw that he was there. D.K. came over to partner up with Jimmy since Billy was pulled from the work after he sustained a nasty gash on his arm. He was sent off to Mercy for stitches, but knowing Billy, he'd be back and ready to get to work again.
"Good to see you, Brother," D.K. said, coming up behind Jimmy. Jimmy smiled and slapped D.K. on the back and they went to work.
"Where exactly did Lombardo hear Nieto?" asked Jimmy.
"Right about there somewhere," advised D.K., indicating an area near the middle of the wreckage.
Jimmy thought for a moment and suddenly grinned, remembering the window that was around that area somewhere. He hoped that Nieto had found it and managed to get pushed through it and not crushed between the building and the vehicles. "C'mon," he said to D.K., pulling on his arm and heading in the direction of the rear of the building.
"Where're we going," D.K. asked him.
"I think I know a way to get to him," said Jimmy as he notified the Captain via his portable that he and D.K. were heading around back.
D.K. followed Jimmy and they entered the building through the rear entrance. Instead of walking straight ahead to the dining area, Jimmy pried open a door and shone his flashlight down the stairs. There were a lot of dust particles floating in the flashlight beam, but the support at the rear of the building looked unscathed.
"I found this room about two years ago when I was dating that waitress, Sheila," Jimmy informed his friend after seeing the confused look on his face. D.K. made a face and Jimmy replied, "What? She was on a break," Jimmy said, making excuses.
"Whatever, man," D.K. replied as he followed Jimmy to the basement. They made their way to the front of the diner, running into more debris as they progressed.
"Carlos! Can you hear me?" called Jimmy. There was no response. They worked to get a little closer and Jimmy called out for Carlos again. This time they heard a faint moan.
D.K. keyed his radio and advised all units to hold up rescue while they attempted to locate Carlos from below.
"10-4," replied the Captain. "Additional manpower is being sent around to you. Keep me apprised," he ordered.
"Carlos! If you can hear me, we're almost there. Hang on!" D.K. shouted out to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carlos heard the sounds of someone coming from a different direction - somewhere behind him. He was having a hard time staying awake. He could feel the slow trickle of blood run down his scalp. He noticed it more because the numbness he was feeling in his lower legs was completely gone. He didn't even feel them anymore. He was having a more difficult time breathing and he was fighting as hard as he could not to go into shock, but he could feel himself losing the battle. Gradually, as the digging and voices got closer - "Is that D.K.?" he thought to himself - they soon faded as did the small amount of light that he had as he drifted off into unconsciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex and Doc had brought the gear around to the back of the building to wait for Jimmy and D.K. to bring Carlos out. They had left the treatment of the minor injuries to the other arriving EMS units. There was no way that anyone but them was going to treat Carlos.
"How long's it been?" Alex asked Doc.
"Coming up on too long," he said, concern evident in his voice. "I just wish we knew what kind of injuries we're dealing with for sure. We know there's going to be cuts and bruises, possibly some fractures, but I'm worried about head injuries and spinal injuries," he said.
"Jimmy and D.K. know to keep him as immobile as possible," assured Alex.
Doc nodded and he felt Sully and Davis walk up behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at Mercy, the nurse came out to the detective waiting outside of Dr. Jamison's room in the ICU.
"Detective, Dr. Jamison is coming around a little. You may want to wait by his bedside because I'm not sure how long he'll stay conscious," she informed him.
He nodded his thanks, stood up, threw away his empty coffee cup and tucked his newspaper under his arm. He walked into the quiet room and over to the side of the bed.
"Dr. Jamison? Can you hear me, Sir?" asked the detective quietly.
Dr. Jamison stirred slightly and opened his eyes trying to focus in the direction of the voice.
"Doctor. I'm Detective Stewart from the 5-5. Do you feel up to trying to answer some questions?" asked the detective.
Dr. Jamison tried to speak, but his throat was too dry. The nurse noticed and came to his side to offer him some ice chips. After a moment, Dr. Jamison looked over at the detective and wearily nodded.
"Dr. Jamison. First of all, let me tell you that Samuel Benson is dead and you are in no further danger from him," the detective said, noticing the doctor relax slightly.
"I just need to ask you a few questions about when he abducted you. Did he say anything to you? Like, what his reasons were for his actions? What his plans were?" questioned the detectives.
"What happened to him?" Dr. Jamison asked. The detective didn't know exactly what he should be telling the doctor. He didn't want to upset him or make matters worse. He paused for a moment.
"Detective. I want to know what happened to Benson. I think I deserve to know. I'm glad he's dead, I just hope he didn't take anyone else with him," Dr. Jamison said, running out of breath as he spoke.
The nurse stepped forward poised to halt the detective's questions if her patient became any more agitated. Jamie Jamison held up his hand to the nurse indicating that he was okay and wanted to continue. She took a step back, but was ready to step in again if needed.
"Doctor. Mr. Benson drove your truck into a parked ambulance and police car outside of a diner on Arthur and 19th. Benson died in the collision, which pushed the vehicles into the diner. There were no major injuries inside the diner. The only injury was to a paramedic that happened to be alongside the ambulance when the crash took place," explained the detective as calmly as he could.
"How bad?" asked Jamison
"Excuse me, Sir?" asked the detective.
"How bad was the medic hurt?" Jamison insisted.
"We, uh, don't know yet, Doctor. He hasn't been located yet," the detective informed him.
Jamison let out a long sigh, sorry that yet another person was hurt by this maniac. He looked back at the detective and said, "He said that he blames the police, fire and medics for his family's death. Apparently, there was a car accident on a rain-slicked road. They went over the bridge and ended up in the river. The current was very strong and the police, fire and medics couldn't get to his wife and daughter in time. He was the only one to survive and blames everyone but himself," Dr. Jamison finished, totally exhausted.
"I'm sorry, Detective, but I'm afraid that's all I can allow right now," said the nurse, stepping forward to check on the doctor's condition.
The detective nodded, said thank you to Doctor Jamison who had already drifted back off, and left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Faith and Bosco were watching the television trying to get any news updates to the breaking news story.
Bosco's mother walked into the room. She'd heard what was happening on the news and wanted to make sure that Bosco was okay.
"Hey Ma," Bosco said, watching the pictures from the scene to see if he could figure out who was "missing."
"Maurice. How are you feeling today?" she asked him as she walked up and absently felt his forehead for fever. "Faith. How are you feeling. You look much better today," said Angela. Faith smiled and said hello. They hadn't yet told Bosco's mother of their plans to marry.
"I'm okay, Ma. Hey, have you heard anything about what's going on at that diner," Bosco said, pointing at the television. "I'm trying to figure out who's missing," he finished.
"I already have Mikey on it," she said to Bosco. "I sent him down there and he's supposed to call me on my cell phone," she said, looking at her phone to make sure that it was turned on and had a strong signal.
"Hey, you're okay, Ma," said Bosco smiling.
"Well, you're certainly in a good mood today," Angela said teasingly.
"Yeah, well. Sit down 'cause I - I mean we - want to talk to you about something," said Bosco with a big grin.
He reached over and took Faith's hand as his mother settled into a chair. "What's up?" she asked. "Is everything okay - you're not sicker are you?" she said, suddenly worried.
"No, no. Nothing like that. It's good news for a change!" he said. He saw his mother take a breath and relax. He decided the best way was to just say it.
"Ma. You know how you said you've always wanted to be a grandmother," Bosco said to her. He saw his mother visibly shudder at the word 'grandmother.'
"Yes, Maurice. But I will NOT be called 'grandma,'" she said emphatically. Suddenly, she stopped and looked at her son in shock. "Oh my God, who'd he get pregnant," she thought to herself. She looked over at Faith and saw that she wasn't upset, so it couldn't have been anything like that.
"Well, Faith and I have talked it over and decided that we'd like to get married. So, Emily and Charlie will be your step grandchildren," said Bosco, hoping his mother would be pleased. He squeezed Faith's hand tighter as he fought to retain the smile on his face. He couldn't read his mother's reaction and was waiting for her to say something.
"Ma?" he prodded. "Say something," he said.
Angela stood up abruptly and came around to where Faith was sitting next to Bosco's bed. "I'm so happy!" she exclaimed. "I was wondering when you were going to get your head out of your - well you know - and ask Faith to marry you! You know, Faith, I've known he's loved you for a long time now. I've been praying for this day. And now I'll have grandchildren to spoil - and no potty training either!" she exclaimed as they all started to laugh.
They were interrupted by the sound of Angela's cell phone ringing. "Hello? Oh, hi Mikey, honey. What did you find out? Your brother's very anxious to find out," she said. She was looking at Bosco while listening to what Mikey was saying. "Okay, thanks. Keep us posted. Bye," she said, hanging up the phone.
She put her phone in her coat pocket and looked at Bosco and Faith. "Apparently, this Benson guy rammed this Dr. Jamison's truck into the ambulance and police car that was parked in front of the diner. Alex Taylor, Doc Parker, John Sullivan, and Ty Davis were inside having dinner. The vehicles were pushed into the diner and Benson was thrown out of the truck and killed during the accident," she said.
"So, who's hurt?" asked Faith and Bosco in unison.
"Oh, right. Apparently everyone in the diner was fine. There were only a few minor cuts and stuff. But, this Carlos was outside on the sidewalk next to the ambulance when it was hit. He's stuck in the rubble somewhere and they're trying to get him out," she said. Bosco and Faith were processing the information when Angela suddenly added.
"Oh and Dr. Jamison is down the hall, recovering from surgery from a stab wound from Benson. Apparently, Benson took Jamison's truck after he stabbed him and left him for dead. They're saying something about this Benson character blaming the fire department, police and medics for the deaths of his family in a car accident a while ago," she finally finished.
"Hmmm," Bosco and Faith said looking at each other. "I hope Carlos is okay," said Faith.
"Yeah," said Bosco.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 25
~~~~~~~~~~
Jimmy had talked the patrol officer into stopping by the firehouse to pick up his gear. It was on the way so he didn't give him too much trouble over it. Jimmy got out of the RMP and headed over to where the most activity was apparent.
"Captain, where do you want me?" Jimmy asked his boss as he finished donning his gear.
"Jimmy! Glad you're here," said the Captain. "Nieto is trapped under this pile of debris. It's slow going because we have to keep shoring it up as we go. We're waiting for schematics from the owner of the building. He was making noise earlier, but we haven't heard from him in a while. We don't know how badly he's injured. Go relieve Lombardo and Tommy," he ordered Jimmy.
Jimmy headed over to where Lombardo and Tommy were working. He passed Sully and Davis along the way who were pulled from the digging by the Captain because they didn't have the proper gear. It wasn't easy getting them away from the pile, but now they were standing by the wreckage, watching and waiting.
"Sully, Davis. You guys okay?" Jimmy asked, taking in their appearance.
"Yeah. Just scrapes and bruises. Get in there," Davis said, waving off his friend's concern.
"I'm on it," Jimmy said as he walked away. He walked up to Lombardo and Tommy just as D.K. saw that he was there. D.K. came over to partner up with Jimmy since Billy was pulled from the work after he sustained a nasty gash on his arm. He was sent off to Mercy for stitches, but knowing Billy, he'd be back and ready to get to work again.
"Good to see you, Brother," D.K. said, coming up behind Jimmy. Jimmy smiled and slapped D.K. on the back and they went to work.
"Where exactly did Lombardo hear Nieto?" asked Jimmy.
"Right about there somewhere," advised D.K., indicating an area near the middle of the wreckage.
Jimmy thought for a moment and suddenly grinned, remembering the window that was around that area somewhere. He hoped that Nieto had found it and managed to get pushed through it and not crushed between the building and the vehicles. "C'mon," he said to D.K., pulling on his arm and heading in the direction of the rear of the building.
"Where're we going," D.K. asked him.
"I think I know a way to get to him," said Jimmy as he notified the Captain via his portable that he and D.K. were heading around back.
D.K. followed Jimmy and they entered the building through the rear entrance. Instead of walking straight ahead to the dining area, Jimmy pried open a door and shone his flashlight down the stairs. There were a lot of dust particles floating in the flashlight beam, but the support at the rear of the building looked unscathed.
"I found this room about two years ago when I was dating that waitress, Sheila," Jimmy informed his friend after seeing the confused look on his face. D.K. made a face and Jimmy replied, "What? She was on a break," Jimmy said, making excuses.
"Whatever, man," D.K. replied as he followed Jimmy to the basement. They made their way to the front of the diner, running into more debris as they progressed.
"Carlos! Can you hear me?" called Jimmy. There was no response. They worked to get a little closer and Jimmy called out for Carlos again. This time they heard a faint moan.
D.K. keyed his radio and advised all units to hold up rescue while they attempted to locate Carlos from below.
"10-4," replied the Captain. "Additional manpower is being sent around to you. Keep me apprised," he ordered.
"Carlos! If you can hear me, we're almost there. Hang on!" D.K. shouted out to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carlos heard the sounds of someone coming from a different direction - somewhere behind him. He was having a hard time staying awake. He could feel the slow trickle of blood run down his scalp. He noticed it more because the numbness he was feeling in his lower legs was completely gone. He didn't even feel them anymore. He was having a more difficult time breathing and he was fighting as hard as he could not to go into shock, but he could feel himself losing the battle. Gradually, as the digging and voices got closer - "Is that D.K.?" he thought to himself - they soon faded as did the small amount of light that he had as he drifted off into unconsciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex and Doc had brought the gear around to the back of the building to wait for Jimmy and D.K. to bring Carlos out. They had left the treatment of the minor injuries to the other arriving EMS units. There was no way that anyone but them was going to treat Carlos.
"How long's it been?" Alex asked Doc.
"Coming up on too long," he said, concern evident in his voice. "I just wish we knew what kind of injuries we're dealing with for sure. We know there's going to be cuts and bruises, possibly some fractures, but I'm worried about head injuries and spinal injuries," he said.
"Jimmy and D.K. know to keep him as immobile as possible," assured Alex.
Doc nodded and he felt Sully and Davis walk up behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at Mercy, the nurse came out to the detective waiting outside of Dr. Jamison's room in the ICU.
"Detective, Dr. Jamison is coming around a little. You may want to wait by his bedside because I'm not sure how long he'll stay conscious," she informed him.
He nodded his thanks, stood up, threw away his empty coffee cup and tucked his newspaper under his arm. He walked into the quiet room and over to the side of the bed.
"Dr. Jamison? Can you hear me, Sir?" asked the detective quietly.
Dr. Jamison stirred slightly and opened his eyes trying to focus in the direction of the voice.
"Doctor. I'm Detective Stewart from the 5-5. Do you feel up to trying to answer some questions?" asked the detective.
Dr. Jamison tried to speak, but his throat was too dry. The nurse noticed and came to his side to offer him some ice chips. After a moment, Dr. Jamison looked over at the detective and wearily nodded.
"Dr. Jamison. First of all, let me tell you that Samuel Benson is dead and you are in no further danger from him," the detective said, noticing the doctor relax slightly.
"I just need to ask you a few questions about when he abducted you. Did he say anything to you? Like, what his reasons were for his actions? What his plans were?" questioned the detectives.
"What happened to him?" Dr. Jamison asked. The detective didn't know exactly what he should be telling the doctor. He didn't want to upset him or make matters worse. He paused for a moment.
"Detective. I want to know what happened to Benson. I think I deserve to know. I'm glad he's dead, I just hope he didn't take anyone else with him," Dr. Jamison said, running out of breath as he spoke.
The nurse stepped forward poised to halt the detective's questions if her patient became any more agitated. Jamie Jamison held up his hand to the nurse indicating that he was okay and wanted to continue. She took a step back, but was ready to step in again if needed.
"Doctor. Mr. Benson drove your truck into a parked ambulance and police car outside of a diner on Arthur and 19th. Benson died in the collision, which pushed the vehicles into the diner. There were no major injuries inside the diner. The only injury was to a paramedic that happened to be alongside the ambulance when the crash took place," explained the detective as calmly as he could.
"How bad?" asked Jamison
"Excuse me, Sir?" asked the detective.
"How bad was the medic hurt?" Jamison insisted.
"We, uh, don't know yet, Doctor. He hasn't been located yet," the detective informed him.
Jamison let out a long sigh, sorry that yet another person was hurt by this maniac. He looked back at the detective and said, "He said that he blames the police, fire and medics for his family's death. Apparently, there was a car accident on a rain-slicked road. They went over the bridge and ended up in the river. The current was very strong and the police, fire and medics couldn't get to his wife and daughter in time. He was the only one to survive and blames everyone but himself," Dr. Jamison finished, totally exhausted.
"I'm sorry, Detective, but I'm afraid that's all I can allow right now," said the nurse, stepping forward to check on the doctor's condition.
The detective nodded, said thank you to Doctor Jamison who had already drifted back off, and left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Faith and Bosco were watching the television trying to get any news updates to the breaking news story.
Bosco's mother walked into the room. She'd heard what was happening on the news and wanted to make sure that Bosco was okay.
"Hey Ma," Bosco said, watching the pictures from the scene to see if he could figure out who was "missing."
"Maurice. How are you feeling today?" she asked him as she walked up and absently felt his forehead for fever. "Faith. How are you feeling. You look much better today," said Angela. Faith smiled and said hello. They hadn't yet told Bosco's mother of their plans to marry.
"I'm okay, Ma. Hey, have you heard anything about what's going on at that diner," Bosco said, pointing at the television. "I'm trying to figure out who's missing," he finished.
"I already have Mikey on it," she said to Bosco. "I sent him down there and he's supposed to call me on my cell phone," she said, looking at her phone to make sure that it was turned on and had a strong signal.
"Hey, you're okay, Ma," said Bosco smiling.
"Well, you're certainly in a good mood today," Angela said teasingly.
"Yeah, well. Sit down 'cause I - I mean we - want to talk to you about something," said Bosco with a big grin.
He reached over and took Faith's hand as his mother settled into a chair. "What's up?" she asked. "Is everything okay - you're not sicker are you?" she said, suddenly worried.
"No, no. Nothing like that. It's good news for a change!" he said. He saw his mother take a breath and relax. He decided the best way was to just say it.
"Ma. You know how you said you've always wanted to be a grandmother," Bosco said to her. He saw his mother visibly shudder at the word 'grandmother.'
"Yes, Maurice. But I will NOT be called 'grandma,'" she said emphatically. Suddenly, she stopped and looked at her son in shock. "Oh my God, who'd he get pregnant," she thought to herself. She looked over at Faith and saw that she wasn't upset, so it couldn't have been anything like that.
"Well, Faith and I have talked it over and decided that we'd like to get married. So, Emily and Charlie will be your step grandchildren," said Bosco, hoping his mother would be pleased. He squeezed Faith's hand tighter as he fought to retain the smile on his face. He couldn't read his mother's reaction and was waiting for her to say something.
"Ma?" he prodded. "Say something," he said.
Angela stood up abruptly and came around to where Faith was sitting next to Bosco's bed. "I'm so happy!" she exclaimed. "I was wondering when you were going to get your head out of your - well you know - and ask Faith to marry you! You know, Faith, I've known he's loved you for a long time now. I've been praying for this day. And now I'll have grandchildren to spoil - and no potty training either!" she exclaimed as they all started to laugh.
They were interrupted by the sound of Angela's cell phone ringing. "Hello? Oh, hi Mikey, honey. What did you find out? Your brother's very anxious to find out," she said. She was looking at Bosco while listening to what Mikey was saying. "Okay, thanks. Keep us posted. Bye," she said, hanging up the phone.
She put her phone in her coat pocket and looked at Bosco and Faith. "Apparently, this Benson guy rammed this Dr. Jamison's truck into the ambulance and police car that was parked in front of the diner. Alex Taylor, Doc Parker, John Sullivan, and Ty Davis were inside having dinner. The vehicles were pushed into the diner and Benson was thrown out of the truck and killed during the accident," she said.
"So, who's hurt?" asked Faith and Bosco in unison.
"Oh, right. Apparently everyone in the diner was fine. There were only a few minor cuts and stuff. But, this Carlos was outside on the sidewalk next to the ambulance when it was hit. He's stuck in the rubble somewhere and they're trying to get him out," she said. Bosco and Faith were processing the information when Angela suddenly added.
"Oh and Dr. Jamison is down the hall, recovering from surgery from a stab wound from Benson. Apparently, Benson took Jamison's truck after he stabbed him and left him for dead. They're saying something about this Benson character blaming the fire department, police and medics for the deaths of his family in a car accident a while ago," she finally finished.
"Hmmm," Bosco and Faith said looking at each other. "I hope Carlos is okay," said Faith.
"Yeah," said Bosco.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...