Ch 9
Kay was staring at the phone. The clinic was quiet for once. No gang bangers seeking treatment for their fight wounds and no new mothers panicking over what to do with their babies.
She couldn't remember ever having a moment like this during the day. She had put in a few quiet night shifts like this--far too few.
She sighed and grabbed her child psych book. She turned to the reading that was assigned and tried to get it down.
"You want some coffee?"
She shot Miguel a dirty look. "I'm trying to concentrate."
"Sorry I just thought-"
"No. I don't want any coffee."
"Okay," Miguel turned to go back and hide in an exam room. He changed his mind. "Are we ever going to talk?"
"Not if I can help it." She flipped a page.
He stopped. "Look, I don't want to fight. I don't want to make you feel bad about the hell you put your family through. I want to deal with the past, so that it doesn't get repeated in the future."
"Miguel, I am trying to study-" She broke off when the door opened. "Oh God," she murmured.
A boy, no more then sixteen, was in front of them. To say he was badly beaten would be an extreme understatement."
"Dr. Morris!"
Miguel moved to support the kid. "How'd you get here?" He asked. "Did someone bring you?"
"Allergies?" Kay demanded urgently.
"I don't think so," he said hoarsely. "I've always been pretty good when I get to the ER."
"You visit the ER a lot?" Kay asked. "You probably know my sister. She drives for Station 33. Theresa. Long dark hair?"
"Who got you here?" Miguel asked, shooting Kay a look that said 'she isn't YOUR sister.' "Friend? Sister, brother, parent?"
The boy coughed. "My little sister is outside. She don't want to come in."
"I'll get her." Kay promised.
"Right." Miguel walked the boy through the entranceway to an exam room. "Does she have any allergies to medicines?"
"No." The boy said.
"Good. What's your name?"
"Why?"
"Okay, we'll call you John, alright? Like John Doe? Dr. Morris?"
A man with thinning blonde hair looked up and then got up. He was from a hospital a few blocks away. He worked at the clinic four or five times a week. "Name?"
"John Doe," Miguel said.
"Creative."
"Well my parents didn't have any imagination," the boy said painfully.
Between Miguel and the doctor they got him on an exam table. "Allergies?"
"None."
"Thanks Miguel."
"Sure. I'll go talk to Kay and his sister."
"She in as good a shape as you?" The doctor asked.
"She's fine. I wouldn't let them touch her."
Miguel quietly left the room and shut the door behind him. He found Kay and their patient's sister out front.
She looked as if she were a year or two younger than the boy. There was a single bruise on her cheek. Her nose was bleeding, and she was crying. "Will Juanito be okay?" She asked.
"Juanito? Is that his name?" Miguel asked. "Yeah, I think he'll be okay. What's your name?"
She looked at Kay.
"It's okay. You can trust him," Kay said. iI don't really but you can./i
"My name's Rosa."
"I'm Miguel," he said nicely.
She wiped at her nose. He hastily grabbed tissues from the front desk and offered them to her. "Do you want us to check you out?" He asked gently, crouching in front of her and using a tone he had learned from doing police work in Harmony. His voice was both strong and soothing. His presence was reassuring, Kay grudgingly admitted.
"I'm okay. Juanito didn't let them hit me after he got in front of me," she said, a little bit of hero worship shining in her eyes.
"Well, do you want some ice for your cheek? It looks like it might start to hurt soon," Kay said kindly.
She nodded.
Miguel took her hand. "Can you tell me what happened?"
She shook her head silently. Her eyes lowered.
"That's okay." Miguel told her. "Will you tell me if it was fists or anything else? It might help the doctor."
"But he's gonna be okay?" She pleaded.
"Yeah, but he can be okay faster if we know how he got hurt." Miguel soothed. He moved from a crouch to sit next to her.
"They didn't use any knives or anything," she said quietly. "It was just their hands and feet."
"Okay. Do you want some soda?"
She nodded again.
"Okay, I'm gonna go get it and then I'll be back," Miguel said going to the little room where they kept the sodas. "What are you doing?" he asked Kay who was looking through a huge black binder.
"Our version of a hospital's turkey file. They have people who come in for a quick fix, meaning drugs, and we have people who come in to get fixed quick. Juanito looked familiar to me. He's been in here before," she said flipping. "I just want to know what we're dealing with. Gotcha." She sighed. "Gang member."
"And the sister?"
"She's never been here. Usually his buddies drop him off and then take off. We ask less questions then the hospital and we're not obligated to inform the local police."
"So what happens?"
"We fix him up, Doc gives him a prescription, and we see him the next time someone decides to play kick the can with his body."
"Sometimes I wonder about this world." He said bitterly. "That little girl isn't more than fourteen. That boy couldn't even be sixteen." He pulled a soda out of the fridge. "You've been doing it longer, so you know how I feel."
"How?"
"You wish you could give them a way out of here, instead of sending them back to the same pattern. You wish they would take it if you could give it."
"Welcome to LA. It's not all bright lights and celebs," Kay said shutting the book. "C'mon. Let's go keep Rosa calm. I think she needs us more then she needs a cop right now so leave the badge behind, okay?"
"You never leave it behind, Kay." He said. "You know that. But I'm not going to go demanding names and addresses."
"Good. We have a rep in this neighborhood. A good one for being a safe place that doesn't ask questions and doesn't go calling the police every time a beating victim walks through the door. We only call a cop when we're asked."
He sighed, and gave Rosa the soda. She had cleaned the last of the blood from her nose. "Gracias." She mumbled.
"De nada," he said with a smile.
Kay handed over the ice pack and then sat down next to her. "Rosa? Do you want me to call you and Juanito a cab? We'd pay for it. You wouldn't have to worry about it."
Rosa stared. "I don't know." Her hand shook as she held the can.
Kay sighed. "He's not going to walk."
"Can I just sit for a little while and think?"
"Sure you can," Kay assured her. "Do you want something to eat? I think we still have some macaroni and cheese. It should still be good."
"I'm not hungry."
"Eat something anyway." Miguel said.
She looked at him.
"Just saying what my mother would." He added. "She usually gives good advice."
"His mother's pushy when it comes to taking care of people," Kay added to that.
"Hey!"
"Well she is," Kay said, giving him a 'shut up' look.
Rosa smiled a little and nodded, revealing a tooth that had been broken long ago. "Sounds like mine."
Miguel smiled back at her, "I bet it sounds like a lot of people's moms."
"Rosa?" Juanito was standing behind Kay.
She dropped the soda to go over and hug him. He was on crutches. Stitches were visible in three places on his face alone. "They said we can take a cab." She said. "Free."
"We give the cab company the money when they send this back," Kay dug under the desk and handed over a cab voucher. "No strings, I promise. And it's a safe way home."
Juanito nodded. "Okay. Thanks."
"Sure." Kay gave it to Rosa. "Good night."
"Night," Rosa said.
Juanito limped toward the door. His sister hesitated. "Thanks." She said, then followed him out.
"See ya next time," Kay said softly. She looked over at Miguel. "Not exactly Mayberry is it?"
"No." He agreed simply. "Harmony must've been really bad if you think this is a better place for Livvie."
"Livvie doesn't come here. She doesn't see this place."
He picked up the dropped soda can. "Do you think they're both using?"
"Him, probably. Her, I don't think so. She doesn't have that look yet."
"What's worse, knowing they're throwing it all away or not being able to tell them that there's something better?"
"The knowing that even if I did tell them they're too far gone to listen or care."
"Is there a youth center in this neighborhood?" Miguel asked.
"This isn't Harmony."
"I know the kids here see things I can't imagine, but there should be a place for them to go other than the streets."
"There are shelters but kids don't stay there long," Kay said. "If they go to a hospital, they call the cops or social services so more often then not this is where they end up. We fix them up, and we give them some food. Sometimes we slip in some of those information packets about programs like A.A. or N.A. We do what we can. The thing is, most of the people we get in here, Theresa ends up finding when people call to report someone they think is dead in the park or on the street."
"I'll talk to Luis and Paloma. She seems to be the real estate expert, and he's single handedly run the Harmony Youth Center for almost ten years. Theresa might know something about legalities."
"Stop talking like you're staying."
"Maybe I am," Miguel said. "Harmony's nice but Livvie's here."
"She doesn't even know you're her dad yet and then there's the little phone call I have to make to Mom tomorrow morning to tell her where I am and invite her out here with Pilar and Chloe."
"Thank God you're making the call."
"Well, I miss my brother and I'd like to see him."
"Not Jess?"
"How blind were you?"
"She cried for a week straight after you left. She almost completely blamed herself for stealing Reese." He raised a brow at her. "Even though she knew you didn't want him."
"Great. Well, yeah, I guess I'd like to see Jessie. But if my mother brings Sister Pure and Good, I am not letting any of them into the house."
Miguel rolled his eyes. "You don't have to worry. Simone and Charity both cloistered themselves. They only come out of the convent for funerals."
"There's something I never saw coming although I can't say I blame her. At least Whitney was able to move on. Of course she was a little bit more stable then Simone was emotionally."
"Simone wasn't happy when you left either. She thought it was her fault for turning her back on you. We all took it hard, but at first I was the only one who knew that it was my fault."
She ignored his statement about himself. "I'll call her and let her know that I'm okay and that it was never her fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. I wanted out."
"No phones. A letter might get there, though."
"That's probably better," Kay nodded. She checked the clock. "We can start closing up. Ah, night Doc," she said as the doctor walked past. "Thanks."
Dr. Morris waved.
"I'm gonna turn off the lights. Would you turn on the machine and put the lock box away in the office?" Kay asked.
"I'll handle it." He promised. "And for the record, I think a youth center is a good idea."
"Yeah, I do too. I just don't know if a cop in training would be someone the youths around here would be able to trust. Hank's more the ne'er-do- well type. Kids might trust him."
"Think he'll stick around anywhere long enough?"
"You are blind," Kay chuckled.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Have you not seen the way he looks at your baby sister?"
"What does that mean?" Miguel asked as he followed her down the street.
Kay just laughed. "C'mon, I brought my car tonight. Get in."
"No, really?"
"You always were prettier than you are smart."
"Hey!"
Kay just rolled her eyes. Once she was in the car, she picked up her cell and dialed.
"Hello?"
"Hey T, you off?"
"We just finished stocking the rig for the next shift," Theresa's voice said.
"Did you drive in?"
"No."
"I'll be there in ten okay? We just closed up the clinic."
"I'll be waiting here. Thanks."
"Sure," Kay hung up. "There's a building across from the fire station. It's been empty for years. It used to be a YMCA."
"Why did it close?"
"Lack of funding, the decline of the neighborhood, and a bad element wanted to claim it as turf."
Miguel smiled grimly. "Seems to me that even if kids around here would trust Hank more, they need to see that not every cop in the world is a bad guy."
"If you're interested, and serious about staying, the Southwest Station is down the road from Station 33."
"I'll go by and see about hiring policies."
"You do that," Kay nodded. She pulled to a stop in front of Theresa's fire station. "Open your window."
"Why?"
"Cause I wanna say hi," she said.
Miguel opened his window and Kay waved to a guy in front of the station. "Hey Vin. How's it going?"
"Kay." He grinned. "How are you, baby?"
"I'm good. Speaking of babies, how's your new nephew?"
"Six pounds of lungs. I live two apartments away and I can hear him yelling."
Kay laughed and then she shot a look at Miguel, "Oh right. Uh Vinnie Tortelli, this is Miguel, Theresa's brother."
"How you doing?" Vinnie asked. "You have two great looking sisters, you know that?"
"Thanks," Miguel nodded. "Paramedic?"
"Firefighter. But I've helped your sister haul enough backboards."
"We always take advantage of the muscle around here," Theresa said. "Trying to make time with Kay again Vin?"
"Hey, don't tip her off." He teased. "I'm working on being subtle."
"Babe, you should really reacquaint yourself with the meaning of subtle," Theresa said. "By the way, Tiny's looking for you. Something about you owing him money."
"Tiny?" Miguel whispered to Kay.
"Firefighter. Looks like a small truck."
"One of those examples of the humor of civil servants everywhere?"
"Exactly," Kay nodded. "C'mon T, I'm sure you've got someone waiting on you at home and I'm just tired."
"Long day?" Theresa asked sympathetically, as she climbed in the back seat.
"Yeah, something like that. I got an 'A' on my presentation though."
"You go girl," Theresa smiled. "How are you adjusting to La-La Land Miguel?"
"It's something else." He said simply.
"He wants to open a Youth Center. I told him about the old Y," Kay said.
"Really? That might work and if you want help, you'd have a lot of free labor."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The firehouse drinks for free at the club so if we need something they're first on our list. Some of them are pretty handy with hammers."
"How often do you call on their muscle?"
"Not often. I think the last time was when the club needed some repairs after the last little earthquake."
"And that was really Paloma anyway. She smiles and talks quickly and they blink and look down and they're holding hammers."
Theresa and Miguel laughed.
Kay was staring at the phone. The clinic was quiet for once. No gang bangers seeking treatment for their fight wounds and no new mothers panicking over what to do with their babies.
She couldn't remember ever having a moment like this during the day. She had put in a few quiet night shifts like this--far too few.
She sighed and grabbed her child psych book. She turned to the reading that was assigned and tried to get it down.
"You want some coffee?"
She shot Miguel a dirty look. "I'm trying to concentrate."
"Sorry I just thought-"
"No. I don't want any coffee."
"Okay," Miguel turned to go back and hide in an exam room. He changed his mind. "Are we ever going to talk?"
"Not if I can help it." She flipped a page.
He stopped. "Look, I don't want to fight. I don't want to make you feel bad about the hell you put your family through. I want to deal with the past, so that it doesn't get repeated in the future."
"Miguel, I am trying to study-" She broke off when the door opened. "Oh God," she murmured.
A boy, no more then sixteen, was in front of them. To say he was badly beaten would be an extreme understatement."
"Dr. Morris!"
Miguel moved to support the kid. "How'd you get here?" He asked. "Did someone bring you?"
"Allergies?" Kay demanded urgently.
"I don't think so," he said hoarsely. "I've always been pretty good when I get to the ER."
"You visit the ER a lot?" Kay asked. "You probably know my sister. She drives for Station 33. Theresa. Long dark hair?"
"Who got you here?" Miguel asked, shooting Kay a look that said 'she isn't YOUR sister.' "Friend? Sister, brother, parent?"
The boy coughed. "My little sister is outside. She don't want to come in."
"I'll get her." Kay promised.
"Right." Miguel walked the boy through the entranceway to an exam room. "Does she have any allergies to medicines?"
"No." The boy said.
"Good. What's your name?"
"Why?"
"Okay, we'll call you John, alright? Like John Doe? Dr. Morris?"
A man with thinning blonde hair looked up and then got up. He was from a hospital a few blocks away. He worked at the clinic four or five times a week. "Name?"
"John Doe," Miguel said.
"Creative."
"Well my parents didn't have any imagination," the boy said painfully.
Between Miguel and the doctor they got him on an exam table. "Allergies?"
"None."
"Thanks Miguel."
"Sure. I'll go talk to Kay and his sister."
"She in as good a shape as you?" The doctor asked.
"She's fine. I wouldn't let them touch her."
Miguel quietly left the room and shut the door behind him. He found Kay and their patient's sister out front.
She looked as if she were a year or two younger than the boy. There was a single bruise on her cheek. Her nose was bleeding, and she was crying. "Will Juanito be okay?" She asked.
"Juanito? Is that his name?" Miguel asked. "Yeah, I think he'll be okay. What's your name?"
She looked at Kay.
"It's okay. You can trust him," Kay said. iI don't really but you can./i
"My name's Rosa."
"I'm Miguel," he said nicely.
She wiped at her nose. He hastily grabbed tissues from the front desk and offered them to her. "Do you want us to check you out?" He asked gently, crouching in front of her and using a tone he had learned from doing police work in Harmony. His voice was both strong and soothing. His presence was reassuring, Kay grudgingly admitted.
"I'm okay. Juanito didn't let them hit me after he got in front of me," she said, a little bit of hero worship shining in her eyes.
"Well, do you want some ice for your cheek? It looks like it might start to hurt soon," Kay said kindly.
She nodded.
Miguel took her hand. "Can you tell me what happened?"
She shook her head silently. Her eyes lowered.
"That's okay." Miguel told her. "Will you tell me if it was fists or anything else? It might help the doctor."
"But he's gonna be okay?" She pleaded.
"Yeah, but he can be okay faster if we know how he got hurt." Miguel soothed. He moved from a crouch to sit next to her.
"They didn't use any knives or anything," she said quietly. "It was just their hands and feet."
"Okay. Do you want some soda?"
She nodded again.
"Okay, I'm gonna go get it and then I'll be back," Miguel said going to the little room where they kept the sodas. "What are you doing?" he asked Kay who was looking through a huge black binder.
"Our version of a hospital's turkey file. They have people who come in for a quick fix, meaning drugs, and we have people who come in to get fixed quick. Juanito looked familiar to me. He's been in here before," she said flipping. "I just want to know what we're dealing with. Gotcha." She sighed. "Gang member."
"And the sister?"
"She's never been here. Usually his buddies drop him off and then take off. We ask less questions then the hospital and we're not obligated to inform the local police."
"So what happens?"
"We fix him up, Doc gives him a prescription, and we see him the next time someone decides to play kick the can with his body."
"Sometimes I wonder about this world." He said bitterly. "That little girl isn't more than fourteen. That boy couldn't even be sixteen." He pulled a soda out of the fridge. "You've been doing it longer, so you know how I feel."
"How?"
"You wish you could give them a way out of here, instead of sending them back to the same pattern. You wish they would take it if you could give it."
"Welcome to LA. It's not all bright lights and celebs," Kay said shutting the book. "C'mon. Let's go keep Rosa calm. I think she needs us more then she needs a cop right now so leave the badge behind, okay?"
"You never leave it behind, Kay." He said. "You know that. But I'm not going to go demanding names and addresses."
"Good. We have a rep in this neighborhood. A good one for being a safe place that doesn't ask questions and doesn't go calling the police every time a beating victim walks through the door. We only call a cop when we're asked."
He sighed, and gave Rosa the soda. She had cleaned the last of the blood from her nose. "Gracias." She mumbled.
"De nada," he said with a smile.
Kay handed over the ice pack and then sat down next to her. "Rosa? Do you want me to call you and Juanito a cab? We'd pay for it. You wouldn't have to worry about it."
Rosa stared. "I don't know." Her hand shook as she held the can.
Kay sighed. "He's not going to walk."
"Can I just sit for a little while and think?"
"Sure you can," Kay assured her. "Do you want something to eat? I think we still have some macaroni and cheese. It should still be good."
"I'm not hungry."
"Eat something anyway." Miguel said.
She looked at him.
"Just saying what my mother would." He added. "She usually gives good advice."
"His mother's pushy when it comes to taking care of people," Kay added to that.
"Hey!"
"Well she is," Kay said, giving him a 'shut up' look.
Rosa smiled a little and nodded, revealing a tooth that had been broken long ago. "Sounds like mine."
Miguel smiled back at her, "I bet it sounds like a lot of people's moms."
"Rosa?" Juanito was standing behind Kay.
She dropped the soda to go over and hug him. He was on crutches. Stitches were visible in three places on his face alone. "They said we can take a cab." She said. "Free."
"We give the cab company the money when they send this back," Kay dug under the desk and handed over a cab voucher. "No strings, I promise. And it's a safe way home."
Juanito nodded. "Okay. Thanks."
"Sure." Kay gave it to Rosa. "Good night."
"Night," Rosa said.
Juanito limped toward the door. His sister hesitated. "Thanks." She said, then followed him out.
"See ya next time," Kay said softly. She looked over at Miguel. "Not exactly Mayberry is it?"
"No." He agreed simply. "Harmony must've been really bad if you think this is a better place for Livvie."
"Livvie doesn't come here. She doesn't see this place."
He picked up the dropped soda can. "Do you think they're both using?"
"Him, probably. Her, I don't think so. She doesn't have that look yet."
"What's worse, knowing they're throwing it all away or not being able to tell them that there's something better?"
"The knowing that even if I did tell them they're too far gone to listen or care."
"Is there a youth center in this neighborhood?" Miguel asked.
"This isn't Harmony."
"I know the kids here see things I can't imagine, but there should be a place for them to go other than the streets."
"There are shelters but kids don't stay there long," Kay said. "If they go to a hospital, they call the cops or social services so more often then not this is where they end up. We fix them up, and we give them some food. Sometimes we slip in some of those information packets about programs like A.A. or N.A. We do what we can. The thing is, most of the people we get in here, Theresa ends up finding when people call to report someone they think is dead in the park or on the street."
"I'll talk to Luis and Paloma. She seems to be the real estate expert, and he's single handedly run the Harmony Youth Center for almost ten years. Theresa might know something about legalities."
"Stop talking like you're staying."
"Maybe I am," Miguel said. "Harmony's nice but Livvie's here."
"She doesn't even know you're her dad yet and then there's the little phone call I have to make to Mom tomorrow morning to tell her where I am and invite her out here with Pilar and Chloe."
"Thank God you're making the call."
"Well, I miss my brother and I'd like to see him."
"Not Jess?"
"How blind were you?"
"She cried for a week straight after you left. She almost completely blamed herself for stealing Reese." He raised a brow at her. "Even though she knew you didn't want him."
"Great. Well, yeah, I guess I'd like to see Jessie. But if my mother brings Sister Pure and Good, I am not letting any of them into the house."
Miguel rolled his eyes. "You don't have to worry. Simone and Charity both cloistered themselves. They only come out of the convent for funerals."
"There's something I never saw coming although I can't say I blame her. At least Whitney was able to move on. Of course she was a little bit more stable then Simone was emotionally."
"Simone wasn't happy when you left either. She thought it was her fault for turning her back on you. We all took it hard, but at first I was the only one who knew that it was my fault."
She ignored his statement about himself. "I'll call her and let her know that I'm okay and that it was never her fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. I wanted out."
"No phones. A letter might get there, though."
"That's probably better," Kay nodded. She checked the clock. "We can start closing up. Ah, night Doc," she said as the doctor walked past. "Thanks."
Dr. Morris waved.
"I'm gonna turn off the lights. Would you turn on the machine and put the lock box away in the office?" Kay asked.
"I'll handle it." He promised. "And for the record, I think a youth center is a good idea."
"Yeah, I do too. I just don't know if a cop in training would be someone the youths around here would be able to trust. Hank's more the ne'er-do- well type. Kids might trust him."
"Think he'll stick around anywhere long enough?"
"You are blind," Kay chuckled.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Have you not seen the way he looks at your baby sister?"
"What does that mean?" Miguel asked as he followed her down the street.
Kay just laughed. "C'mon, I brought my car tonight. Get in."
"No, really?"
"You always were prettier than you are smart."
"Hey!"
Kay just rolled her eyes. Once she was in the car, she picked up her cell and dialed.
"Hello?"
"Hey T, you off?"
"We just finished stocking the rig for the next shift," Theresa's voice said.
"Did you drive in?"
"No."
"I'll be there in ten okay? We just closed up the clinic."
"I'll be waiting here. Thanks."
"Sure," Kay hung up. "There's a building across from the fire station. It's been empty for years. It used to be a YMCA."
"Why did it close?"
"Lack of funding, the decline of the neighborhood, and a bad element wanted to claim it as turf."
Miguel smiled grimly. "Seems to me that even if kids around here would trust Hank more, they need to see that not every cop in the world is a bad guy."
"If you're interested, and serious about staying, the Southwest Station is down the road from Station 33."
"I'll go by and see about hiring policies."
"You do that," Kay nodded. She pulled to a stop in front of Theresa's fire station. "Open your window."
"Why?"
"Cause I wanna say hi," she said.
Miguel opened his window and Kay waved to a guy in front of the station. "Hey Vin. How's it going?"
"Kay." He grinned. "How are you, baby?"
"I'm good. Speaking of babies, how's your new nephew?"
"Six pounds of lungs. I live two apartments away and I can hear him yelling."
Kay laughed and then she shot a look at Miguel, "Oh right. Uh Vinnie Tortelli, this is Miguel, Theresa's brother."
"How you doing?" Vinnie asked. "You have two great looking sisters, you know that?"
"Thanks," Miguel nodded. "Paramedic?"
"Firefighter. But I've helped your sister haul enough backboards."
"We always take advantage of the muscle around here," Theresa said. "Trying to make time with Kay again Vin?"
"Hey, don't tip her off." He teased. "I'm working on being subtle."
"Babe, you should really reacquaint yourself with the meaning of subtle," Theresa said. "By the way, Tiny's looking for you. Something about you owing him money."
"Tiny?" Miguel whispered to Kay.
"Firefighter. Looks like a small truck."
"One of those examples of the humor of civil servants everywhere?"
"Exactly," Kay nodded. "C'mon T, I'm sure you've got someone waiting on you at home and I'm just tired."
"Long day?" Theresa asked sympathetically, as she climbed in the back seat.
"Yeah, something like that. I got an 'A' on my presentation though."
"You go girl," Theresa smiled. "How are you adjusting to La-La Land Miguel?"
"It's something else." He said simply.
"He wants to open a Youth Center. I told him about the old Y," Kay said.
"Really? That might work and if you want help, you'd have a lot of free labor."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The firehouse drinks for free at the club so if we need something they're first on our list. Some of them are pretty handy with hammers."
"How often do you call on their muscle?"
"Not often. I think the last time was when the club needed some repairs after the last little earthquake."
"And that was really Paloma anyway. She smiles and talks quickly and they blink and look down and they're holding hammers."
Theresa and Miguel laughed.