Faith looked over and Bosco, her partner of seven years for a moment. He was quiet today.
Hadn't even said a word to her when they reported to a minor MVA. Minor meaning, oh no, my
bumper is scratched. He'd yelled at the drivers, but he hadn't said much to her so far.
"You okay Boz?" she asked.
"Yea, why?" he looked over.
"You're just really quiet today"
"I'm hoping my mood will reflect the day" he cracked.
"You tired?"
"Didn't sleep" he said, looking over at her. He hadn't slept because of her. "How are the
kids?"
"They're... okay, I dunno, sometimes I feel that they've got it out for me, like I'm the
reason Fred and I fight."
"You and Fred fighting again?"
"Always" Faith sighed, "I-" Faith was cut off as the radio came to life.
"All Units on the 55, we have a multiple MVA on Symington North, we need Police, Fire and
EMS"
"55-David, 10-4"
"55-Charlie, reporting to Multiple MVA on Symington"
"Adam 55-3, Multiple MVA"
The radio crackled to life, calls proceeding on air as Faith flipped the lights and Bosco
floored it.
Tatum had to crawl through the broken window to get out of the car. The door didn't want to
open. She looked back at it, and was surprised to see if compressed like an accordian from
all four sides. Lucky. She'd been Lucky.
She went to the first vehicle, where there was a young woman, maybe in her thirties, holding
a baby and walking in circles. The baby wouldn't stop crying.
She checked for a fuel leak, nothing, then she looked around her. She was surrounded by
crumpled cars. Some minor, some major and some... probably where lives were unsalvageable.
She told the lady to sit in the car. "It's safe there, put you kid in the safety seat, put
your belt on." The woman nodded.
The next car, a crumpled blue toyota, held a whole family. Two kids in the back, a mom and
a dad. The dad who was in the drivers seat was unconscious, but alive. She could feel the
pulse. The woman was conscious.
"Are you okay?" Tatum asked her.
The woman turned her head and Tatum knew she'd shown on her face what she'd been thinking.
'Oh my God'. The womans face looked as if it had been removed. The glass had cut it up
bad.
She ripped off her sweater and went around to the passenger side, pressing the sweater
against the woman's face, "Hold this there okay?" There was no response. "Hold it there!"
she said louder, the woman nodded.
Tatum looked at the kids, who were conscious and crying. They looked no older than herself,
but had their seatbelts on. "Are you guys okay?" she asked them. They continued to
cry.
"They're.. f.. fine" the woman up front said, "they'll be okay"
Tatum nodded, then went to leave the car. Someone grabbed her. She looked up. "Sweetie,
you shouldn't be wandering around, it's too dangerous around here"
"They need help"
"I called 911" the old lady said.
"They need help now" tatum demanded, "I know Advanced first aid"
"how old are you?"
"Eleven and a half"
"That's too young to-"
"I'm not too young to do anything, help me or go sit in a car with the belt on"
"young lady, you have a mouth on you!" the old lady said, Tatum walked away.
She'd almost forgotten, until she saw two people standing off to the side. "Casey!" Tatum
called out.
Her best friend of two years looked over. "Tatum, are you okay?"
"I'm fine" Tatum said, running over, "How about you and your mom?"
"We're okay... we smelt gas so we left the car"
"Where's your car?"
"Over there" she pointed.
Tatum saw the crushed red civiv. There were two other cars right near it, people in both.
"Help me" Tatum told her.
Casey nodded, looking at her mom.
"You and your mom, go over to that black sedan, get all those people out of the car if you
can, but only if they don't have any back or neck pain. If they're unconscious, pinch their
upper arm or cheek, check for a pulse. Just get them away from the gas leak." They set off
to the sedan as Tatum ran over to the Black Camry that had run in to the back of their car.
She leaned over to the man who'd been driving. "Sir?! Sir? Can you hear me?"
No response, she took a pulse. It was there, weak but it was there. She pinched his cheeks
and luckily he roused. "What happened?"
"Car accident, you have to leave this area, there's a gas leak, can you move?"
He tested, "yea, I can" he looked at her, "how old are you?"
Tatum rolled her eyes.
"Check your wife's pulse, I'm gonna get your kid."
"Huh?"
"Check her pulse!" Tatum snapped.
The back door opened with ease and Tatum crawled in next to the kid. He looked about
fifteen or so. "Can you move?" she asked him.
He nodded. "Does your back hurt? How about your neck?" He shook his head.
"Okay, take off your shirt and hold it up to that cut on your head, keep pressure on it to
keep it from bleeding. But you're gonna hafta leave the car, there's a gas leak" He nodded
again. Tatum noticed he'd peed his pants.
"Sir, your wife, is she alive?"
"Yes, she's breathing but I can't wake her up!"
She bit her lip, "Does it look like she's stuck anywhere, her legs?"
There was a pause, "no"
"Okay, sir, you're going to hafta remove your wife from the car okay, the gas could be
ignited at any moment" The smell was getting stronger.
"But.. how?" he asked.
"Tatum!"
Tatum looked over at Casey, "What?"
"We're done, where should we take them?"
"To the other side of the barrier" she pointed across the road to a cement wall splitting up
opposing traffic for the busy road.
"Sir, you're just going to hafta pull her out, make sure she isn't stuck though."
"But-"
Tatum left, running across the road and lifting herself over the cement wall. Other
commuters had stopped, including a truck. She ran up to the cab where the driver was
talking on his CB radio.
"Do you have a fire Extinguisher?" she asked him.
He nodded.
"Where?" she asked, exasperated.
He pointed.
She began to walk away with it when she heard his question, "how old are you?" She didn't
bother with a reply.
She climbed over the barrier again, happy to see that the man, his wife and child were now
standing with Casey. Then she looked at the scene. There was a puddle forming on the
ground, quicker than it had been. Leaning down she saw gas was leaking from two cars now.
She looked three cars down the line of newly formed accordians to see a car fire. She ran
to it.
The hood was already tented and thrown open, black smoke billowing from the engine with
flames licking the hood. She pressed the nozzle, spraying the fire. Then it ran out.
Tatum checked the PSI gage. It was out of pressure. "Stupid!" she screamed, "Stupid
people". She did one last thing, checking any vehicles for other straying people. A crowd
was gathered over with Casey, most of the accident victims had made their way over, with
help or by themselves. Casey must've run around and told them where to go.
Then she heard one thing she'd been listening for. The whoosh of gas igniting. Tatum ran towards the wall.
"Get down!" she screamed, "Down behind the wall, sit down on the pavement!" She'd climbed
the way and ducked her head down so that she could see what was going on. The first car
exploded and she ducked back behind the wall.
Hadn't even said a word to her when they reported to a minor MVA. Minor meaning, oh no, my
bumper is scratched. He'd yelled at the drivers, but he hadn't said much to her so far.
"You okay Boz?" she asked.
"Yea, why?" he looked over.
"You're just really quiet today"
"I'm hoping my mood will reflect the day" he cracked.
"You tired?"
"Didn't sleep" he said, looking over at her. He hadn't slept because of her. "How are the
kids?"
"They're... okay, I dunno, sometimes I feel that they've got it out for me, like I'm the
reason Fred and I fight."
"You and Fred fighting again?"
"Always" Faith sighed, "I-" Faith was cut off as the radio came to life.
"All Units on the 55, we have a multiple MVA on Symington North, we need Police, Fire and
EMS"
"55-David, 10-4"
"55-Charlie, reporting to Multiple MVA on Symington"
"Adam 55-3, Multiple MVA"
The radio crackled to life, calls proceeding on air as Faith flipped the lights and Bosco
floored it.
Tatum had to crawl through the broken window to get out of the car. The door didn't want to
open. She looked back at it, and was surprised to see if compressed like an accordian from
all four sides. Lucky. She'd been Lucky.
She went to the first vehicle, where there was a young woman, maybe in her thirties, holding
a baby and walking in circles. The baby wouldn't stop crying.
She checked for a fuel leak, nothing, then she looked around her. She was surrounded by
crumpled cars. Some minor, some major and some... probably where lives were unsalvageable.
She told the lady to sit in the car. "It's safe there, put you kid in the safety seat, put
your belt on." The woman nodded.
The next car, a crumpled blue toyota, held a whole family. Two kids in the back, a mom and
a dad. The dad who was in the drivers seat was unconscious, but alive. She could feel the
pulse. The woman was conscious.
"Are you okay?" Tatum asked her.
The woman turned her head and Tatum knew she'd shown on her face what she'd been thinking.
'Oh my God'. The womans face looked as if it had been removed. The glass had cut it up
bad.
She ripped off her sweater and went around to the passenger side, pressing the sweater
against the woman's face, "Hold this there okay?" There was no response. "Hold it there!"
she said louder, the woman nodded.
Tatum looked at the kids, who were conscious and crying. They looked no older than herself,
but had their seatbelts on. "Are you guys okay?" she asked them. They continued to
cry.
"They're.. f.. fine" the woman up front said, "they'll be okay"
Tatum nodded, then went to leave the car. Someone grabbed her. She looked up. "Sweetie,
you shouldn't be wandering around, it's too dangerous around here"
"They need help"
"I called 911" the old lady said.
"They need help now" tatum demanded, "I know Advanced first aid"
"how old are you?"
"Eleven and a half"
"That's too young to-"
"I'm not too young to do anything, help me or go sit in a car with the belt on"
"young lady, you have a mouth on you!" the old lady said, Tatum walked away.
She'd almost forgotten, until she saw two people standing off to the side. "Casey!" Tatum
called out.
Her best friend of two years looked over. "Tatum, are you okay?"
"I'm fine" Tatum said, running over, "How about you and your mom?"
"We're okay... we smelt gas so we left the car"
"Where's your car?"
"Over there" she pointed.
Tatum saw the crushed red civiv. There were two other cars right near it, people in both.
"Help me" Tatum told her.
Casey nodded, looking at her mom.
"You and your mom, go over to that black sedan, get all those people out of the car if you
can, but only if they don't have any back or neck pain. If they're unconscious, pinch their
upper arm or cheek, check for a pulse. Just get them away from the gas leak." They set off
to the sedan as Tatum ran over to the Black Camry that had run in to the back of their car.
She leaned over to the man who'd been driving. "Sir?! Sir? Can you hear me?"
No response, she took a pulse. It was there, weak but it was there. She pinched his cheeks
and luckily he roused. "What happened?"
"Car accident, you have to leave this area, there's a gas leak, can you move?"
He tested, "yea, I can" he looked at her, "how old are you?"
Tatum rolled her eyes.
"Check your wife's pulse, I'm gonna get your kid."
"Huh?"
"Check her pulse!" Tatum snapped.
The back door opened with ease and Tatum crawled in next to the kid. He looked about
fifteen or so. "Can you move?" she asked him.
He nodded. "Does your back hurt? How about your neck?" He shook his head.
"Okay, take off your shirt and hold it up to that cut on your head, keep pressure on it to
keep it from bleeding. But you're gonna hafta leave the car, there's a gas leak" He nodded
again. Tatum noticed he'd peed his pants.
"Sir, your wife, is she alive?"
"Yes, she's breathing but I can't wake her up!"
She bit her lip, "Does it look like she's stuck anywhere, her legs?"
There was a pause, "no"
"Okay, sir, you're going to hafta remove your wife from the car okay, the gas could be
ignited at any moment" The smell was getting stronger.
"But.. how?" he asked.
"Tatum!"
Tatum looked over at Casey, "What?"
"We're done, where should we take them?"
"To the other side of the barrier" she pointed across the road to a cement wall splitting up
opposing traffic for the busy road.
"Sir, you're just going to hafta pull her out, make sure she isn't stuck though."
"But-"
Tatum left, running across the road and lifting herself over the cement wall. Other
commuters had stopped, including a truck. She ran up to the cab where the driver was
talking on his CB radio.
"Do you have a fire Extinguisher?" she asked him.
He nodded.
"Where?" she asked, exasperated.
He pointed.
She began to walk away with it when she heard his question, "how old are you?" She didn't
bother with a reply.
She climbed over the barrier again, happy to see that the man, his wife and child were now
standing with Casey. Then she looked at the scene. There was a puddle forming on the
ground, quicker than it had been. Leaning down she saw gas was leaking from two cars now.
She looked three cars down the line of newly formed accordians to see a car fire. She ran
to it.
The hood was already tented and thrown open, black smoke billowing from the engine with
flames licking the hood. She pressed the nozzle, spraying the fire. Then it ran out.
Tatum checked the PSI gage. It was out of pressure. "Stupid!" she screamed, "Stupid
people". She did one last thing, checking any vehicles for other straying people. A crowd
was gathered over with Casey, most of the accident victims had made their way over, with
help or by themselves. Casey must've run around and told them where to go.
Then she heard one thing she'd been listening for. The whoosh of gas igniting. Tatum ran towards the wall.
"Get down!" she screamed, "Down behind the wall, sit down on the pavement!" She'd climbed
the way and ducked her head down so that she could see what was going on. The first car
exploded and she ducked back behind the wall.