E is for Electrocution

He had woken up in hospitals often enough, that he knew where he was even if he didn't know why he was there. The sound of medical machinery and vehicles moving on hard flooring, as well as the uncomfortable sleeping mat underneath his tires, let him know that he had messed up once again. For a few moments he sat very still, trying to figure out what he had done to get himself in this situation…but reflecting back was a complete and utter blank.

He searched his body for clues to what had landed him in the hospital this time. Sadly, all he felt was an overall feeling of numbness which was accompanied by a strange metallic taste in his mouth. Add the fact that that it felt like his thoughts were trying to move through thick, deep mud, and he started to suspect that whatever had landed himself in the hospital it probably involved a head injury of some sort. It made him wonder if his past had caught up with him again and someone had beaten him senseless.

He knew that at some point he was going to have to face the music and fact that his tire wasn't in a boot gave him hope that perhaps whatever he had done this time Finally, he gained the courage to finally open his eyes and he noticed a shadow by the side of the bed. He couldn't help but cringe slightly. Whatever he had done to himself apparently disabled his system enough so a boot wasn't required but was bad enough to require a cop.

His Abeala was going to kill him…he had just gotten his life properly straightened out. He had kept his nose clean enough that he had gotten into the highly competitive California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's 18-month Firefighter Training and Certification Program. He had become a real-life firefighter and had even managed to become a smokejumper…but it looked like that all had come crashing down.

"Hey…" The vehicle next to him spoke her voice thick was with concern. She rounded the sleeping mat to look him fully in the eye. "You awake now?"

"Dynamite?" He spoke through dry lips. "Why…how…I messed up…"

"True." Dynamite shrugged as she slipped him a small tin of oil. It was low grade, but he had never tasted anything sweeter. His senior sat next to him quietly as he finished consuming. "But at least you messed up in spectacular fashion."

"That is all I seem to be able to do…" The absolute pain on his face must have shown because Dynamite gently bumped him.

"Hey, none of use could have predicted that the wind would have pushed the tree into the powerline…nor could we have predicted that just how spectacularly everything would end up arching. Things could have gotten really bad there. Honestly, if it hadn't had been for Avalanche's quick thinking, we probably would have lost you, but he managed to get you out in time."

"But…" He managed to mutter as he tried to wrap his head around what Dynamite had just told him.

"I know that the Superintendent will probably throw a hissy fit over the loss of power to the park, but neither the Captain or the Chief will stand for that. I was pretty sure that Cabbie and Maru was also ready to sit on him when Spinner started complaining about the lack of power during the evacuation." Dynamite gave him a soft smile. "Well, I know that today has been a terrible day, but I at least have some good news for you…Cabbie picked out a proper working name for you, and if you like it we can make it official. So, what do you say, Blackout?"

He let the name roll over him, balancing the sounds on the tip of his tongue. He let it sink in and realized that it resonated in a way that his companions probably never meant. For they meant it as a reminder of when he caused an electrical blackout in the park, for him it represented the blacking out of his past and creation of a new beginning. "Blackout. Si…yes…yes, it fits."

Dynamite relaxed at his words and gave a genuine smile. "I am glad...Well, I better call back to base and let everyone else know that you are awake." Then she gave a wink. "Plus, you have a visitor."

Dynamite moved over to allow a familiar face to enter the room, the old vehicle smile. "Nieto…"

At the sight of his grandmother, Blackout couldn't stop the tears because first time in a very, very long time he could meet his abeala's eyes without shame.

Term- Electrocution- Classified as death or severe injury caused by an electric current passing through the body. The word derives from the combination of the worlds 'Electro' and 'Execution' and was developed to describe the method of death caused by the electric chair. The meaning of the word over time expanded to refer to any form of severe injury caused by electricity. Because of the nature of their work, Firefighters are one of the occupations most at risk of experiencing electrocution.

Author's Note - Trying to tease out Blackout's backstory has been a challenge, but finally settled on this one because of a wildland firefighter I have had the pleasure of teaching elementary school students with. As a kid, he got caught up in a local gang, made some very poor decisions, and landed himself in jail multiple times. While incarcerated he had the opportunity to join a fire crew and he credited that with saving his life. Because of his experience cutting firelines, he was able to qualify for firefighting training after he had served his time. He quickly became a sawyer and now leads a crew of his own. Amigo...I know that you will probably never read this but this story is dedicated to you and the work to help kids in your community find ways to escape gangs to find careers they can be proud of.