Chapter Six

A/N The paramedics in this chapter are also my own creations.

A/N Thanks for the reviews, suggestions and answer to my question-about Mac's eye color.

A/N In this chapter there's a comment about Jim's and Pete's 'favorite watch commander' That is for the benefit of my special needs friend. I had to chuckle when I asked her who was her favorite character. Basically, she said that she couldn't pick between Pete, Jim and Sergeant MacDonald. On her own, she added that she thought Ed Wells was downright annoying.

~oOo~

Pete and Jim pulled to the side of the dirt road that led through the ghost town they both remembered well and got out of their squad car the moment they saw the woman they assumed was Robert Parker's cousin. By the time they saw her, she was racing towards them. The ambulance that had been following them stopped in the middle of the road.

"Boy, are we ever glad you're here! Where's Robert?" Eliza looked behind the two police officers and over to the ambulance. "He was the one who sent you, right?" The fact that she was concerned when she didn't see her cousin wasn't anything she attempted to hide.

"Yes, he did, ma'am." Pete's smile was warm and reassuring, though the smile quickly disappeared as he started talking about wreck. "There was an accident…"

"What? How badly was he hurt?" Eliza interrupted and asked, only to hurry and apologize. "Interrupting is rude; I am sorry."

"You're fine; we understand." Pete and Jim both assured her. Pete then told her everything. "Your cousin will be fine. Doctors say they're releasing him in the next few hours and, yes, Mr. Parker told us everything the very first chance he got." He then told her the results of the accident, along with the fact that the description Robert had given of the two men who dumped -as Robert said -'the stranger' in the ghost town—fit the drivers of the pickup truck that hit Robert's vehicle.

'Those two jerks died?" Eliza looked at the men standing in front of her.

"The driver has; the other is in critical condition, ma'am." Jim spoke up.

Eliza shook her head and turned to go back to the building where Mac was waiting, muttering loud enough for Pete, Jim and the paramedics to hear, "Cowards!" The four men couldn't help but grin just a little- as they agreed with the assessment whole heartily. She then suggested the paramedics park closer to the building she had been using.

Pete and Jim followed her past more than one building, and listened as she continued talking. "First, you can call me Eliza or Dr. Parker, only no ma'am. Second, you might as well know Mac won't be able to tell you anything but the name Mac and that he's a widower. Oh, there's terms that bother him-just because he feels like he should know them for a specific reason-but doesn't."

Because they were walking behind her, Eliza did not see the look of utter shock and disbelief that leapt onto Pete's and Jim's faces, as they threw quick glances towards each other. That being the case, she continued talking explaining about his injuries. "It's a miracle he can even eat with how hurt he was." She commented just as they reached the stairs that led up to the room where she and Mac had been using. By that time, the paramedics were waiting for her, Pete and Jim. Soon the group was walking up the stairs. Both Pete and Jim found themselves bracing themselves as Eliza opened the door. The two partners couldn't help wondering if their search for their *favorite watch commander was over before it officially began.

"Help's here, Mac." Eliza stepped into the room and walked over to the bed. Pete, Jim and the paramedics were right behind her. It was all Pete and Jim could do, along with the paramedics, to remain standing when they realized it was indeed Sergeant MacDonald lying in the bed looking at them as if they were complete strangers—and looking just as rough as Eliza had said. "And you don't have to worry about those men who hurt you so badly and abandoned you here coming after you. These men," Eliza gestured towards Pete and Jim, say one of them is dead, and the other is in the hospital. At least, from Robert's description, that is the case."

"What happened?" Mac looked straight at Pete.

Pete took a deep breath and repeated the story once again. Only, once he was done, he, Jim and the paramedics looked sideways at Eliza. They couldn't help it -as Mac growled and muttered loudly, "Cowards!"

"Dr. Parker says you can remember nothing about the attack." Pete asked, worried that-maybe- the deceased men had friends the Parkers knew nothing about.

"Nothing...just get a feeling I was supposed to have seen- maybe heard-something I wasn't supposed to." Mac sighed; a look of frustration was in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I really wish I could tell you something."

"Don't worry about it, sir." Jim wanted to say Mac instead of sir only his coworker didn't even recognize him. He wondered if he could keep that up though. However, it turned out to be a needless concern when his coworker spoke again.

"Name's Mac. I might not remember everything only I do remember the name people call me. Feel free to use it."

"Yes, sir. I mean, Mac." Jim corrected himself when Mac gave him a look Jim and Pete had seen many times before-even if Mac didn't know it. It was a look that, in essence, asked 'Did you not hear me?'

"I think we best let these men," Eliza-who had to fight to keep her own laughter in at hearing Mac repeat what she, herself, had just said moments before, pointed towards the paramedics, "help you."

"Don't suppose you have anything for pain?" Mac wrapped one arm around his chest while rubbing his leg with his free one.

"Any pain killers I had with me are gone." Eliza glanced at her emergency medical bag.

"We'll get you something once we have you in the ambulance." Mike, a slightly balding forty-four-year-old veteran paramedic, replied as he and his partner-a young blonde-haired man who had only been a paramedic for six months-started the process of moving Mac onto a gurney.

"Are you staying here?" Mac looked at Eliza. He knew she wouldn't be his doctor once he was in the hospital, only he was concerned men like the ones who had attacked him for whatever reason might show up after he was taken away.

The concern she saw in his eyes made up for losing any vacation she'd been looking towards. "Maybe these gentlemen…" She pointed at Pete and Jim, "will give me a ride to the hospital. I might as well see where I'll be working, along with meeting and talking to my future boss."

"You can ride with us." Mark grinned and spoke up. "It's not a problem, really."

"All right, thanks." Eliza grabbed her medial bag, figuring she could always come back and get the items left behind, followed the paramedics as they carried Mac down the stairs.

Once Pete and Jim were in the squad car, Pete whose eyes held a mixture of emotions, looked at Jim, who had the same look in his eyes, and asked, "Do you want to break the news or me?"

Jim slowly reached for the CB. "I will."