Here's the last chapter, I feel an epilogue coming on but we'll see. Thank you for hanging in there with me on this and I apologize now for any typos my beta is a little on the busy side and I decided to give her a break this time.
Chapter 21
Roy walked into the house and looked at the questioning look from his wife. "What did Johnny want?"
"TO tell me Jenny called him and talked for an hour and a half," Roy answered, "She's been in her room all morning I checked on her several times at first but decided she must need some time to herself. I thought it was Dixie she was talking to."
"Apparently not," Roy smiled at the knowledge that his wife was aware that they're daughter was on the phone. "Shall we go and see if we can get her to talk to us for a while, at least let her know that we love her and want her to talk to us."
"Just like the councilor has been telling us to do all these weeks?" JoAnne sighed and hung her head.
"Yeah," Roy answered as he took his lovely wife by the hand and led the way to Jenny's room.
"I should have tried harder to get her to talk earlier," JoAnne lamented as they climbed the stairs together.
"From what little Johnny told me I think she did need to talk to someone else this time," Roy reached around his wife's shoulders and pulled her close. "He thinks she's trying to decide about going back to being the first aid girl."
Once there they found the girl asleep with tear streaked cheeks and Roy found her favorite blanket at the foot of the bed and covered her with it before he and his wife sat on opposite sides of the bed and rubbed their little girls back as she slept.
The next day was a school holiday and both children slept in, but Roy had to report for work. At roll call it was announced that there was going to be a group of school board dignitaries coming by the station for a tour and to ask questions about the new 'first Responder training that Roy's children had been involved in advertising. "Roy and John I'm going to let you take that tour since you're so involved with that program."
When they separated to perform their assignments Johnny was quick to Roy's side and his body language made it clear that he was waiting to be told something but he didn't say much.
"Did you and Jenny talk?" John finally couldn't take it any more.
Roy stopped and sat on the running board, "No, she had cried herself to sleep so we just snuggled her."
Then Roy looked up at his partner with a realization, "was she real upset when she talked to you?"
John gave his partner a troubled look and nod his head affirmatively. "She's really mixed up, totally confused. Most of what she talked about didn't make a lot of sense but I could tell it did to her. She's worried you'll be upset no matter what she chooses to do."
Roy let out a major sigh and leaned back against the squad, "I've been on an emotional roller costar about her and this first aid roll she's taken on, since she was watching me teach the boys. I should have known that this could happen."
"Look partner, I'll go get started on mopping the bay why don't you go give her a call and at least let her know you, , Sorry I'm out of line." Johnny stammered and didn't finish his statement.
"No Partner, I don't think you are. I think you have an objective view of what's going on here, it's been that way from the beginning, she always knew you would tell her what to do in a crisis until help arrived, I would waist that time asking her how she got into that situation in the first place. I've had the hardest time seeing her as something other than my little girl, my very little girl." There was an understanding silence between the two as they finished up with the counting and calibrating then Roy placed a hand on John's shoulder. "Thanks, for everything you've done, if you don't mind I'll take you up on the offer to start with out me while I make a phone call."
John just smiled and shooed him on his way.
It took him a while but Roy was able to get Jenny talking even though he could tell she had her fingers in her mouth most of the time, and just as Johnny had said she was worried about a great many things that were not true worries but they were real to her none the less. Roy learned she blamed herself for her brother getting beaten and was shouldering a large amount of the blame for the brawl that ended on the roof of the school. She also blamed herself for the very popular teacher Mr. Bunker being sent to Jail.
Roy also recognized that she needed to be reminded of the good that she has done. He then tried his best to tell her that none of the bad things that had happened were her fault. Before he was done on the phone Roy spoke to his wife and asked her to bring the children by the station after their counseling session. He figured that would be after the big tour he and Johnny were supposed to conduct so he'd be free to talk with his children as long as there wasn't a run. He then called the councilor and asked him to talk with his daughter about those things that worried her most.
Roy then silently joined his partner in mopping the bay and Johnny could tell he was thinking hard so he let the silence linger.
The radio chatter was entertaining but none of those interesting calls came in for station 51 while the floor was being mopped. The silence continued through a cup of coffee and then a second then the claxons rang loud and long. Grass fire next to the freeway, the wind was blowing hard and the grass was dry. They had to get to it and get it out fast.
As the water was flowing from the hoses one of the firemen saw the motorcycle at the bottom of the hill. They could tell by the burn pattern that it was his bike that had started the fire and it was a sheer miracle that the wind had blown the flames away from him and to that miracle he owed his very life. Still two paramedics risked their life to get to him and get him away from the flames. He had some burns on his feel and legs and injuries from the accident that put him at the bottom of the hill, his condition was serious and moving toward critical they had to move fast and couldn't stop once they were away from the fire. The fire was under control by the time the ambulance arrived and out before the patient was packaged and ready to load. Both paramedics were put to work in the treatment room for nearly thirty minutes once they arrived to help get the man stable enough to take to surgery.
When the squad finally backed into the station Roy and John rolled out covered with soot to find a soot covered Captain Stanley conducting the tour they had been assigned during roll call. The questions were heavy on the new first responder training program and Captain Stanley was quick to turn their attention to the newly arrived experts as they climbed out of the squad.
The group was moved into the break room and invited to sit as John answered a few questions about the program and what it is intended to do.
"We are not trying to train paramedics and we don't encourage anyone to go looking for people in need of help, the program is designed simply to help people know what they can do before we or other emergency personnel arrive. A simple thing like holding pressure on a bleeding wound or maintaining an airway can mean the difference between life and death. Knowing not to move an injured person can also prevent further injury before we get there." John explained.
"But how can you possible train them not to just panic and freeze up at the sight of blood?" one of the women in the group asked.
"Knowing what to do in a crisis is the best way to prevent total panic. Even the slightest amount of training can help them deal with the situation." Roy explained.
"There is power in knowing that the best thing to do is nothing. That's what they would have done anyway but trained they know it's the right thing to do and can with some confidence just talk to the patient and keep them calm until we arrive," John added as he rubbed some of the soot from his face. "Or if they need to do something the dispatcher will usually jog their memory while they're asking the question they need to ask so that they can tell us what we need to know."
Roy and John were so involved with their question and answer session that they didn't notice that a newly showered Mike had answered the door and was guiding JoAnne, Chris and Jennifer to the back of the squad where they could wait for their dad to finish up his tour that had been delayed by the work that they do.
"We have been researching the problem with bullies and child abuse in our schools," an authoritative sounding man began. "There is a student at one of our elementary schools that has made dramatic progress in reporting these cases because the rest of the students will come to her for help. I believe that student is one of you men's daughter. What I want to know is, is there a training program that can help us with getting a student like her in all of out schools."
John just looked at Roy and Roy placed his hands in his pants pockets and looked at the floor for a moment. He then looked up and into the eyes of his audience only to see the eyes of his daughter standing in the doorway having over heard the question about herself, her mother standing behind her and her brother at her side.
"Yes," Roy began with a smile and moisture welling up in his eyes. "The student that you speak of is my daughter, and I couldn't be more proud of her and the things she has accomplished. Sadly however I don't think that all of the traits that have made Jenny the wonderful person she is can be taught. Jenny started by watching me teach her brother's Boy Scout troop basic first aid skills. The same kind of first aid that is being taught in the first responder class we have been discussing. If you look you will find several students in every school that have learned most of what Jenny knows and makes a difference with. Not all students have the confidence to act on those skills, most students are taught to stand back and let grown ups do all the work. Many are so busy with their own lives that they don't know when their help could be used until someone else has taken care of things.
Jenny makes a difference every day because she cares and the other children know it. They also are willing to come to her because they know she won't be telling every one she sees what they did or what they tell her. Skills we can teach but Jenny has a true love for what she learns and for being able to make a difference that we can't teach."
"I think there have been some policies that have been made at the school where Jenny attends," Roy continued, "That can certainly be copied in other schools. Jenny has made very good friends with the school nurse and has learned that said nurse will listen to her. When Jenny can't put her arm around an injured student and guide them to the nurse she can go to the nurse and tell her about the injured student and the nurse will follow up. I personally have no idea how often my daughter performs that act, I have only recently become aware of what a difference she has made. If I were you I'd be looking for boy scouts and girl scouts and supporting those programs and others like them. Set up a policy were they can get acquainted with the school nurse's and know they can talk to them and will be listened to. But I'm afraid I have to tell you that Jenny is one of a kind and there is no mold to make more of her. However I might, just maybe get her to tell you some of the things that help her do what she does so well."
With that statement Roy held his arms out and motioned with his fingers for Jenny to come to him. JoAnne gave a slight nudge and she stumbled forward a few insecure steps before looking at the gathered scary grown ups and running to the safety of her father's arms. As Roy stooped down and gathered his daughter in his arms he looked up and noticed Chris peaking in the door and motioned for him to come also. He lifted Jenny up and sat her on the edge of the table with his arm around her shoulders and stretched his other arm around his son at his side.
"These two are what you're trying to recreate why don't you ask them what you can do to make it easier for children like them to help and look out for other children.
"Tell the teachers to let us do what we know how to do and stop pushing us out of the way." Chris was quickest to speak up. "I once had a teacher push me out of the way and then watched as they tried to make one of my friends walk on what turned out to be a broken leg."
"I remember that," Roy spoke up, "the boy's family lives on our block and more damage was done to his leg that took the boy longer to heal."
"Yes but what percentage of playground injuries are actually broken bones?" one of the dignitaries spoke up.
"The first rule of first aid is to do no harm," Jenny spoke up with a flare of anger in her voice, "If it hurts to try and move it or walk on it then they shouldn't be doing it. What you stupid grown ups need to do is start listening when we kids talk to you. You have to take time to look at everything not just hurry and make them go back to class."
The room stood silent for a moment once Jenny had said her piece. But when Roy didn't say what the dignitaries thought should be said one of them spoke up.
"Don't you teach your children to speak with respect?"
Roy took a deep breath and pulled his daughter closer in a protective hold. "The so called incident at the school where my daughter and several others were corralled, beaten and four of them hauled on the roof of the school took a great toll on my daughter, she spent weeks in a body cast because of the injuries she received that day and her mother and I with the help of professional councilors have been working hard ever since to get her to talk about her feelings. True what she just said was less than respectful and it was spoken in anger, but I have no intentions of punishing her, what she said is true, Adults are slow to listen to children her age. I have to admit that Jenny here has had to teach me how to listen.
When it comes right down to it I think that is the most important move you can make for the safety of your schools is to teach the adults to listen to what they're being told and take it seriously. Before any student can do what Jenny had done they will have to be listened to. The reason Jenny has been so successful is that when one person doesn't listen she finds another person who will even if she has to talk with several different adults until she finds one who will listen. I think most of the children are getting the message we send them that adults don't want to know, and that is why the problems with Mr. Bunker got so far out of hand and why you have such a big problem in your other schools. So in effect the adults are being stupid when they don't listen to what the children have to say because they are the ones who know what is happening to them and they may only find the courage to speak up once."
"I am one of the people young Jenny here has called," Captain Stanley stepped in to the conversation, "when other adults haven't listened or have tried to quiet her with big words that she didn't understand. I can tell you this, when miss Jenny here is on the phone asking to talk to me before I pick up the phone I tell the closet man to gather the crew and be ready to respond, she may be young but she knows when people need help and has made a real effort to learn how to help them and so has her brother. I wouldn't hesitate one minute to respond this station and all its rescores' on their request."
By now Jenny was bashfully burrowing her face in her father's shoulder as she stood on the chair at his side. Chris smiled with pride at his father's side and Roy just looked at his wife and smiled at her as he held his daughter and son.
There was another moment of tense silence then another of the dignitaries spoke again. "Young Jenny is not the first to call us stupid and before we get this problem worked out she will likely not be the last. What Fireman DeSoto and his Captain have said here today is true and I think if we look back at our actions we have to admit some guilt, We have seen in the records that we have been looking over from the last several months that there is a problem and we did come here today to try and learn how to train children to solve that problem for us, But before they can do that, we have to make a few changes on our end. What was it you said was the first rule of first aid again?"
Rather than just give the answer Roy and Chris prompted Jenny to speak up once more.
Slowly she turned away from her father's shoulder and timidly looked at the gathered people. "The first rule is to do no harm. That means it's okay to splint something even if it isn't broken because that's better than not splinting it if it is." She spoke much more calmly than she had before, and then added, "I'm sorry I called you stupid it wasn't nice but I was mad cuz grown ups don't listen and kids get hurt."
"Apology accepted," two people spoke up at the same time, then the groups spokesperson added, "And I would like to apologize for not listening better to you young lady, and thank you for all that you've done in spite of us. I know we came here today looking for answers and I believe we've found some. They weren't what we thought we were looking for but they were what we needed to solve the problems at hand or at least start to solve the problems at hand. Thank you, thank you for being honest and forthright. And to young Jenny and Chris DeSoto, thank you for the example you have set and the good you have done."
The spokesperson began to clap and the others in the group joined in so did the firemen of station 51 from the captain on down. Roy had his hands full with his pride and joys so he didn't clap but their mother did.
Captain Stanley led the dignitaries to their cars and when he returned he found four firemen clueless as what to do as young Jenny still stood on the chair with her face buried in her father's shoulder crying uncontrollable. Roy just held her tight not making and effort to get her to stop while JoAnne had stepped up and was rubbing the young girls back and her brother was holding one of her hands with both of his.
At one point Roy reached down and scooped the young girl in his arms, she had cried herself to sleep.
The crew allowed Roy to carry his daughter to the car and he woke her up slightly as he buckled her in, "We are going to have a long talk when I get home tomorrow okay." She made no response, "I love you sweetheart and I'm very proud of you."
Roy then turned and placing his hand on the back of his son's head pulled him into his stomach, "that goes for you too son."
Roy allowed Chris to buckle his own seatbelt as he helped his wife in behind the wheel.
00000
Sometime during the night the station responded to a traffic accident and while Roy was working to extricate a victim he managed to cut his shin on a jagged piece of mettle in the car. Not a serious injury but bad enough that once he was stitched up and medicated for pain he was given the rest of the shift off and taken home where Johnny and McGuire placed him between them and helped him into the house and up to his room before leaving him for JoAnne to get ready for bed.
When the pain meds wore off and Roy woke up, the arms that were holding him tight were not his wife's they belonged to his daughter. Shifting to find a more comfortable position brought her immediately to a sitting position at his side.
"Do you need me to go get Mommy?" Jenny asked.
"Na, I'm alright, it's just a little cut on my leg." Roy shifted in bed again scooting up and pulling a pillow behind his back as he rested against the headboard, doing everything he could to let his little girl know that everything was alright. "I'll get to go back to work next shift, the doctors just needed to give me some medicine that made me a little sleepy last night that's all and I can't drive the squad and be giving people medicine if I'm a little sleepy because I might make a mistake."
Jenny stayed sitting on the bed at his side but slouched a little so Roy pulled her against his chest and gave her a hug and rubbed her arm and shoulder while ducking his head in an effort to look her in the eyes.
"Do you really like to go to work daddy?" Jenny asked lifting her head so that the two could see eye to eye.
"Most of the time," Roy answered. "I like to be able to help people."
"But before you help people they have to get hurt or in some kind of predicament?" Jenny questioned and Roy had to smile at her choosing the word predicament.
"Yeah they do, but people get hurt and in all kinds of predicaments every day, weather I'm at work or not it feels kind of nice to be able to help them." Roy responded and watched as Jenny rested her head back down on his chest in thought. He noticed she had leaned in a little so that her ear was over his heart and knew she was seeking the comfort of his heart beat while she thought.
"Did I ever tell you that Mr. James told me that most of those mean boys were jealous of you and Chris for what you know how to do?"
"Really?" Jenny leaned up on an elbow and looked into her dads eyes to make sure he was telling the truth.
"That's what he tells me."
"Why didn't they just help me?" Jenny asked.
"Probably because they didn't know how or even that they could, remember what you and Chris said about how big people just push you out of the way sometimes."
"Yeah," Jenny went back to her thinking position and Roy wrapped both arms around her and held her to him rocking back and forth very slightly.
"I think things are going to change a little in that regard." Roy talked while he daughter thought, "It's going to take a while and you'll still have to teach a few people to listen to you but I think the word is getting out that kids are people too."
Jenny brought her hand up to her father's stomach and stayed against his heart as they swayed on the bed.
"Do I scare you when I do first aid?" Jenny asked with her head still against her father's chest but when he didn't answer quickly she sat up straight and looked at him.
"Sometimes," Roy reluctantly admitted after thinking and feeling honesty was the best approach.
"Is it because I don't do it very good?"
"No," Roy spoke quickly, "that's not the reason at all."
"Why then?"
"Because I don't want you to get hurt," Roy answered with his hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"How can I get hurt when I put a splint on?" Jenny was confused.
"Well you probably won't get hurt putting a splint on but remember the time you climbed under that shed when Joshua hurt his leg. With all those chemicals, and the time the man who liked to hurt kids came to the school looking for you saying he needed some first aid? And let's not forget the day you didn't come home on the bus because you went to a stranger's house to see if you could help. You had no idea what you could have been walking in to that day young lady."
Jenny's face showed some understanding, "that shed was really scary, so was helping the baby be born but Joshua was bleeding really bad and I was the only one who could hold the ar-artillery to stop it, and the Baldwins are our friends now."
Roy smiled, "the word is Artery not artillery." "I was even frightened of you getting hurt when you helped me at that traffic accident the day you got to ride in the squad. It's one of those things us Daddy's do is worry about their kids getting hurt. We know of ways you can get hurt that you have never thought of before and we have a responsibility to teach you how to stay safe. But I do have to say something else. I worry less because I know you know how to take care of a hurt if it happens than I would if you didn't. And I feel a lot better knowing that you will ask for help if you need it and not try and take care of everything yourself."
"Uncle Johnny said that it's the teacher's responsibility to take care of us kids if we get hurt at school. Does that mean I'm not supposed to help?"
"No, not exactly," Roy spoke after a moment of thought. "It means you don't have to help if you don't want to or are afraid to. But it doesn't mean that you can't."
"That's good because the teachers need my help sometimes. They always think they're not really hurt when they are." Jenny looked at her dad and he just rested and looked back at her with a smile on his face.
"I think I better go make sure I have everything in my bag." Jenny sighed somewhat happily. "it's been a long time since I've looked in it."
Roy could only think of one thing to say to let her know it was alright with him, "Would you like some help?"
Jenny climbed off the bed and turned to see if her father needed any help. When Roy put his feet on the floor he could feel the pull of the stitches in his shin but he schooled his expression so not to worry his daughter and slowly followed her to her room. Roy sat on his daughter's bed while she grabbed her bag and unzipped it before laying it out on the bed next to him. There were several empty pockets in need of some more triangular bandages, and maybe some room for some more rolled strips of bed sheets, and she really needed some more Band-Aids.
While Roy looked the bag over Jenny crawled under her bed and pulled out the large container filled with replacement supplies and pulled off the lid. Father and daughter were debating between stripped triangular bandages or race cars or ponies when Chris came in to join in the discussion.
"I lost my triangular bandage when they cut my pants off at the hospital. Could I get another one?" Chris requested.
"I think there are plenty here for you to have one," Roy volunteered. There was easily over a hundred triangular bandages cut from used sheets and stuffed in little plastic bags in his daughters supply box and Roy knew there was a tall stack of sheets waiting to be cut into more once these were used up. Something he never doubted would happen.
"Maybe I can take some extra ones just incase some one else wants to have one." Jenny suggested. "I could teach them how to use them at recess."
Chris liked that idea and was soon picking out prints that he thought some of his friends would like to carry.
After breakfast JoAnne and Roy walked their children to the bus stop and stood with them as they waited. They watched as Jenny and Chris shared the triangular bandages with their friends at the bus stop until they were gone and then watched as they climbed on the bus.
Not all of their childhood problems were going to be solved by triangular bandages but Roy had just seen more uses for the things than he had ever though of or been taught.