"Abigail." Jules suggested.
"Sounds like an old person name."
"Mandy?"
"I knew a girl in high school named Mandy." Megan said, as she eyed up her work, "She was an idiot."
"Well, that's all the ones on my list. You got a list?" Jules asked, from where she sat on a chair on the concrete pad for the addition.
Jules was ordered to ensure that she rested for at least 8 hours a day, so she wasn't able to work on the addition to the house as much as she wanted to, so she was letting Megan do a lot of the work on her days off- with her supervision of course.
"Hey, I think you're a bit off there." Jules noted.
"No, it's straight," Megan replied, as she picked up a level from beside her and showed her mom that the stud that she had just screwed into place was straight, "See?"
"Whatever. Ideas?"
"I don't know." Megan thought, "I still don't understand how this addition is going to help."
"How many times do I have to tell you- on the 1st floor, it's going to be an area in which to relax and…"
"Exercise in?" Megan asked, as she descended the ladder.
"Sure, whatever." Jules replied, as she sipped on her smoothie, "And upstairs, it'll butt into the hallway, and it'll enter into another room, which will be your new room, and the baby's room will be your old room."
"Cassandra?" Megan suggested.
Jules made a disgusted face, "Eww, no."
Megan sat down in the lawn chair beside her mom.
"I don't think I'll need the sleeping pills tonight." She said, as she yawned.
"Heyo!" came a voice from around the section of the pad where an exterior wall wasn't put up yet.
Spike entered through the opening, sporting two large take out bags. He put the bags down on the concrete, as he opened up another lawn chair and pulled up to them.
"He brings food every time." Jules said to Megan, "You trying to fatten me up?"
"Looks like it's working there, mommy." Spike joked, as he got up and rubbed Jules' baby bump, "A mother has to eat."
"You don't think I am?"
"I mean real food." Spike said, as he removed some Italian sandwiches from the bags.
"Spike, I hate to rain on your parade," Megan started, "But there's other food in life that isn't Italian."
Rather than being offended, Spike laughed, which caused both Megan and Jules to follow suit.
Megan yawned.
"Megan, if you yawn again," Ed said, halfway through a yawn, "I'll run you through the shoot house."
"You know Ed, I think I deserve a little slack, don't you?" Megan replied, "It's my first night shift I've ever done."
"Don't blame us." Spike said, as he pedaled on a stationary bike, close to where Ed and Megan were sitting, "Blame Team Six- they wanted to switch shifts and the boss said yes."
"So, it's Team Six's fault?" Megan asked.
"What? No…" Spike started, "Just….whatever, ok?"
"That's what she said." Megan replied, which made Ed and Spike laugh. "I feel like I should be doing something."
"Who does that sound like?" Greg asked Ed, as he walked in, "Something to do- Ed versus Megan in a hand to hand match."
"Oh, I'd like to see that." Spike said, as he finished his cardio, and got off the bike, "Anybody taking bets?"
"I'll take that." Kiera said, as she strolled in.
"I thought you were on holidays?" Spike asked.
"That a yes or a no?" Kiera asked, as she looked over at saw Megan and Ed setting up for the hand to hand match, "Put your money where your mouth is Scarlatti."
"You're on!" Spike wagered, "$5 says Ed finishes it in less than five."
"And I'll go Megan in 3 minutes."
Greg put his watch into stopwatch mode and said "And go!"
Ed immediately lunged forward, but Megan easily side swiped the attack. Once Ed had his back to Megan, she threw herself down, grabbed and twisted Ed's legs as she fell onto the mat.
Ed fell back first onto the mat, but quickly composed himself into a side long roll, and used his forearms to stop Megan from grappling his chest. Once the blocked move was out of the way, he stood back up and started some basic punches, but all of them were either dodged or blocked by Megan's nimbleness.
After dodging one of Ed's punches, she darted to the left, and hooked her right foot onto Ed's foot, and knocked him, unknowingly to the ground. Before Ed could even register, Megan was ontop of him, faking a gun with her hands and fingers.
"Wow." Spike said, as he opened his wallet to pay up, "I don't know about you Ed, but you need to shape up, I'm losing money here!"
After the workout, the team decided to relax in the debriefing room.
Megan sat on the one end of the table, looking very bored, as she took in the engaging activities that her team-mates were doing.
Greg was finishing up some paperwork and Spike was showing Ed how to set up the radio system in the Chevelle that Ed was restoring.
"You know what, Eddie, why don't I just stop by sometime tomorrow and do it for you?" Spike said, giving up, as teaching Ed which wires to hook up to on a simulation on the computer was an obvious waste of time.
"Would ya, could ya, Officer Scarlatti?"
"Just make sure that there's something to drink afterwards." Spike said, as he looked down at Megan, "Wake up, Textbook! Why don't you teach us something?"
"I wasn't sleeping Spike." Megan said.
"Sure you weren't." he replied with a wink, "Teach me everything I don't know."
"I don't know Spike, that might take a while. Megan responded with a smile.
"Oh, yeah!" Ed exclaimed, "That's a burn on you!"
Both Megan and Spike looked over to Ed.
"Ed, if you don't know the terminology, just don't use it."
"Team One- hot call!"
"Finally- something to do!" Megan yelled out, as they got up to get ready for the call.
Once on route, Kiera spoke to the team via the headset.
"Crash scene at Parkwoods & Scenic. No one survived the crash. A paramedic apparently snapped and managed to grab a police officer's gun."
"Hostages?" Greg asked.
"The paramedic apparently used medical tape to bound and gag four other paramedics, including their supervisor, and two police officers. The officers that were going to respond have stayed back and are awaiting SRU orders."
"Tell them to keep their distance and only engage if directed by SRU only." Greg ordered, "And have this incident delisted from the dispatch incident list, I don't want any other police officers or paramedics dropping in unexpectedly."
"Copy that."
Once there, the Team got out.
"The paramedic in question is from truck number 55406, and his name is Scott Esdale." Spike informed, as he put away a tablet.
"Ok, Eddie," Greg said, "Single shield up, with Megan and start negotiations. I'm staying back here with Spike to filter any and all information."
"Who's the primary?" Ed asked.
"Megan."
"You sure?" Megan asked.
"Yeah, my spidey sense tells me you'll have this one. And I'll be in your ear the entire time if you need help. No interrupting, ok Eddie?"
"Copy that." Ed replied, as he grabbed a shield and covered himself and Megan as they approached the scene.
Once at the scene, they got the details. Two vehicles must've collided with each other right in the intersection.
"The first responder reported that neither of the drivers was responsive." Spike replayed through the radio, "When the paramedics showed up, they pronounced them dead on scene, and that's when Scott grabbed a gun and took his co-workers, supervisor and two police officers hostage."
"10-4, Spike. Thanks." Megan said, "Scott Esdale- I'm Megan Perrasmith, and I'm with the Police Strategic Response Unit. What happened here tonight?"
"More people died, that's what happened!" he yelled at Megan, "Death, death, death. That's all I see, and I can't do nothing to stop it, you know?"
"Yeah I…" Megan started
"No you don't, you've never seen death! Every day, I see at least two people die in my ambulance! It makes me sick, to see good people dying every day! It's not right!"
"I hear you." Megan replied, "I do. Can you tell me if everyone is safe over there?"
"Yeah, they're all fine!" he yelled, "They can't do anything about it! Do they even care? When Melissa here saw Joyce die in the ambulance yesterday, did she care? Did she?"
"Scott- people deal with feelings in different ways." Megan reasoned, "Just because someone doesn't talk about things, doesn't mean that they're without pain, without feeling."
"How would you know about death, or feelings? Eh? You're not even…"
"I'm going to stop you right there, Scott." Megan interrupted.
"Megan- you shouldn't have interrupted him." Greg commented through the radio.
"Scott- I know what it's like, ok? You have to believe me."
"Prove it! Tell me what I'm feeling!" Scott exclaimed.
"You're feeling betrayed, lost, and angry at the same time, and I can tell you, it's not good to keep those feelings to yourself. Do you have someone you can talk to about things Scott? A girlfriend, wife, or friend?"
"I have no one- no one understands!"
"I understand Scott." Megan said, "I understand what you're feeling because, even though I'm young, I've seen things that I wouldn't wish upon anyone else. I saw my biological parents get divorced, but it was for the better, because my dad- he met the woman of his dreams, and he married her. Then two months ago, I had to watch as my dad was put in the ground."
"I'm sorry…" Scott sympathized, "How?"
"He was shot. He was a great guy. The world needs more people like him. He didn't care if you didn't have two pennies to rub together, he'd help you if you asked for it. He was a loving husband, and a great father, and I miss him. I miss my father. It feels wrong that a great guy like my dad was just torn from this world, leaving behind his wife, and his daughter. I know what you're going through Scott, and I want to help you."
"Do you want some of the hostages?" Scott offered.
"Only if that's what you want, Scott."
"Good job Megan," Greg commended, "You connected with him, and you're trying to make the idea of giving us some of the hostages seem like his idea."
Scott bent down and removed the medical tape from the EMT supervisor and his co-workers.
"Alright, this way." Megan said, as she ushered them towards her, "Continue down here, and talk to my Sargent, and give him as much detail as you can."
"You saw that, right?" Scott said, "I gave them up."
"Yes you did Scott." Megan replied, "I want to thank you for that, I really do."
"Your dad…" Scott started.
"Yeah?" Megan asked.
"Did you get to say goodbye?"
"No, I didn't Scott. I never got to say goodbye to him, but you know what his last words to me were? 'Take care, and I love you'."
"Whenever people die on me, they thank me. It's like I'm killing them." Scott admitted.
"But you're not killing them Scott, you're helping them, right? That's why you're a paramedic, right, to help people?"
"Yeah- my dad was a paramedic too."
"That's great." Megan said, not really knowing what else to do.
"What did your dad do for a living Megan?" Scott asked.
"What I'm doing know, and what you do. Help people."
"We give, give, give, and give some more, and people still die." Scott muttered.
"Yeah, Scott, there's always going to be those people that we couldn't get to in time, or the ones we couldn't save. But we need to be strong, because tomorrow, or the next day, there's going to be more people who need our help."
"Who need help."
"That's right Scott," Megan responded, "And that's what those two police officers do too. They came to this crash to help. To see if anyone needed help. But you need to ask yourself Scott- do you need help? Because who's supposed to help us, right?"
"Yeah…"
"There's people out there to help us, to help us through the things we can't figure out, the things we can't wrap our minds around. If you put down the gun, I can make sure you get the help you need."
"Ok." He said, as he placed the gun on the ground, and put them on his head.
"Thank you Scott." Megan said, as Ed approached and cuffed him.
Back at headquarters the team debriefed.
"And the end of the incident- Mr. Scott Esdale surrendered his weapon peacefully and was detained by Officer Ed Lane." Greg read his final report.
Spike nodded, "Sounds good."
Greg nodded too, "That was a great job you did out there Megan. You connected, you respected,"
"And I protected." Megan finished, "Thanks boss."
Greg put all the documents in the envelope and passed it around for everyone to sign the official seal on the enclosed documents.
"We did a good job today Team." Greg commented.