Chapter 2
Tuesday, April 30
The 12th Precinct
2:30 pm
Dr. Lanie Parish, M.E., pulled her large navy work van into a space that was miraculously close to the station, grabbed the large manilla envelope of x-rays and headed toward the precinct's main doors.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Parish," desk sergeant Marvin Hanover greeted. "How may I help you today?"
She waved the envelope. "I'm headed up to Beckett and the boys. Might have something that could open their case."
"Well I'm sure they'd appreciate that. I hope it's exactly what they need!"
"You and me both, Marv!" Lanie turned toward the central elevators. "Have a good afternoon."
Sgt. Hanover, who was already busy helping Officer LT Scott with an uncooperative drunk, only nodded in reply.
Just after the doctor pushed the "up" button, a loud boom, accompanied by a brief yet violent tremor tore through the building.
For a split second, everyone froze, and then all hell broke loose.
Hanover, Scott and several other police officers began barking out orders to evacuate the building. People began yelling, crying and pushing as they headed for the front door. One elderly woman, wailed loudly that the terrorists were attacking New York again, but only wandered in circles until Lanie guided her toward the exit.
Right as the two women stepped out, the entire building began to shake again on its foundation. Masonry rained down on their heads as they pushed forward into the street. "Run as fast as you can!" Lanie shouted to the lady, who fortunately picked up her pace.
The whole street rumbled as if a train ran below their feet. The sounds of glass shattering punctuated the already deafening chaos. Dust began to descend like a fog as they continued to flee. People continued to pour out of the 12th and adjoining buildings, while gawkers from other nearby locations filed into the street to watch.
When Lanie and the woman she assisted, reached the end of the block, they turned in time to see the building they'd just been standing in, crumble in what looked like slow motion. Before the collapsing six-story building was eclipsed by the rushing cloud of ash and dust, Lanie saw at least two people jump from upper floor windows. It was in that moment that the realization that Javi, Kate and her other friends and coworkers were very likely still inside.
Numbness paralyzed her while she stood breathless. Her pulse, thudded in her ears. Her heart threatened to implode on itself much the way the former structure just had. But she just stood there with her mouth and eyes gaping wide.
The old woman who seemed to be equally shocked turned and asked, "Did that really just happen?"
The young doctor nodded slowly and blinked away the tears caused by both the dust and wrenching emotional pain of the situation.
After several seconds, cries for help, pleas for doctors nurses and paramedics broke through the dull haze of her mind. She was a doctor; she could help the trapped and injured. But what she feared, was that her experience with death would be used more that day than her experience with the living.
"Ma'am," Lanie said to the frail, shaking woman who clung to her arm, "I'm a doctor, I have to go help. Are you going to be all right?"
A gentleman who stood behind them gently shoved Dr. Parish toward the horrendous scene unfolding before them. "Go. I'll stay with her."
She didn't need to be told twice. Lanie pulled her collar up over her nose and ran directly toward the very real hell in front of her.
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Tuesday, April 30
The 12th Precinct's former bullpen
2:40 pm
It seemed like hours of falling, shaking and screaming had passed, not seconds. Javier Esposito coughed and sputtered, spitting plaster and lord knows what else, out of his mouth. He pawed at the space around him looking to find his bearings in the dark. Cold concrete lay under him at awkward angles. What felt like a large steel beam rested almost vertically in front. Above him and to his sides, wood and lighter metal pieces surrounded him like an igloo. After only minor investigating, he realized he must be under a desk, most likely his own.
Gingerly he tried stretching out his arms and moving his legs. There wasn't much space to maneuver, but everything seemed to be intact. Cuts and bruises certainly covered him, but everything seemed superficial, until something warm and sticky dripped into his left eye. Carefully, he ran his hand along his forehead. Nothing felt particularly painful, but it didn't take long to find the deep laceration running from the from of his hairline, back several inches through his scalp, ending just above his left ear.
"That's going to leave a scar," he muttered to himself.
Using his sleeve to wipe away the blood temporarily cleared the mess from his eyes, but almost immediately the flow returned. So he untucked his shirt, undid the bottom button and ripped several inches off the hem to use as gauze and a bandage. Once he felt that he'd done all he could, he called out into eery darkness.
"Is anybody out there!? Ryan! Ryan, where are you?"
His only answer was the almost constant sound of creaking and mini avalanches of debris. That wasn't right. When everything went down, Ryan was less than five feet away from him. He should be close. Not to mention the half dozen or so other people who were in and around the bullpen including, Gates, Karpowski, and Gino, one of the office clerks.
"Anybody out there!? It's Esposito, I'm stuck below a desk! Can anybody help!?"
Javi held his breath and listened for anything. Any sounds of rescue, any signs of life. Anything other than the sounds of brokenness all around him.
Nothing, except possibly the sound of sirens, but they seemed distant and could just be his imagination playing tricks on him.
He reached for his phone, but it was no longer in his pocket, and in the dark debris he wasn't able to find it.
Fear began to eat at him. What if no one else was alive? What if no one knew he was trapped? How long would this desk hold up what could be tons of rubble above his head?
"Stop it Javi. Be realistic," he coached himself aloud. "We were on the fifth floor, only the gym and locker rooms were above us. Chances are I'm still near the top of the pile. No doubt the city's finest are already here and working on search and rescue. That is.. if its safe enough for them to get in." His hands trembled and his head ached. He closed his eyes, but even then he was tortured with memories from his days in combat, holed up in the middle of nowhere, waiting, watching, not knowing if today was his last.
He needed to get out. He couldn't sit there any longer waiting for others to come to him. He turned his body so that his back was against the concrete and his feet were on the beam. He pushed with everything he had in him, but nothing significant budged. Only tiny pieces shifted down towards what used to be the floor.
He continued to push and strain from several angles, hoping to find a hole, but to no avail.
Winded, he rested a minute to rethink the strategy, and when he paused, he heard it. Somewhere not too far away, "My Girl" began to play. That was Kevin's ringtone for Jenny.
"Ryan, your phone! It's Jenny! You have to answer it. Don't let her down, Kevin! Answer your phone!"
Soon the music stopped, and Esposito slammed his fist against the interior wall of the desk. "Dammit!"
Silence began to blanket everything as things seemed to have settled. And that's when he heard it. It was faint, but somewhere beyond his cell of concrete, wood and steel, Javi heard his partner's painful whisper, "Javi, help."
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A/N: I just wanted to thank all of you who flooded my email yesterday with alerts, favorites, reviews and PMs. Wow! That big of a response was completely unexpected. Thank you, so very much. I don't write for recognition or feedback, I do it to give you a story I hope you enjoy. So to see that so many are already invested, really warms my heart. You are all fantastic!
Also thank you so much to Teel and Kat who have been beta-ing like mad women to help me get this out daily. You two are champions. I owe you both dessert! To those of you out there who are reading this, if you know Teelduo and Castlekat, make sure to tell them you appreciate their dedicated work. Without them, it could have been days between posts, and I don't think any of us would be happy about that! Plus they are the ones that push me to do my best every time.
OK, well look for another chapter tomorrow... we are already hard at work editing it for posting!
Until then, happy reading!
DeBo81