Here is chapter 6, Mary sue or not IDK, I didn't look it up :P
Hank rose early at four AM knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Today they had a shift, and they were all going to work. That was a promise they made before they parted ways for the night, Lou wouldn't want them to withdraw. He nursed his cup of coffee till it was cold while he flipped through the early morning news programs, he knew that there would be no news about Lou's 'disappearance' but if there was any news about her, even grim, he didn't want to miss it. As the sun rose so did the rest of his family and they moved around numbly and quietly. The girls were going to miss school today and he didn't protest a bit at it. He almost wished he hadn't made the promise he did so he could stay home and wallow in his sadness. After getting ready and three very tight hugs later he drove his truck to station 51 parking in his usual spot next to Lou's spot and trudged in.
The men of C-Shift knew of what had happened and they too were subdued in their report before they left for their day off. Today, though, instead of chores, resting, and dates they would be calling fire stations across California to speak with the crews there. The police may not be treating this as a serious matter, but the fire department was, and the network of firefighters was far reaching. Before the end of the day there would be hundreds of stations looking out for the Caprice and the missing paramedic.
Hank had assigned latrine duty to Kelly as he was the last one in, but the older man almost hated to do it to him. The Irishman looked far worse for the wear, even his hair was flat. He decided to check on the man once his morning report was done and was greeted by the sound of retching and a flush. The captain hurried the rest of the way in and bumped into the man, one look at the squinted blood shot eyes he knew that this illness was self-inflicted.
"You gonna be able to work, Kelly?" The Irishman nodded, unsure but determined. His captain sighed, "When did you stop?"
"Two," He thought some and then admitted, "Maybe three, but no later." The older man steered him into the kitchen area and poured him a cup of coffee while waving over his two paramedics.
"Check Kelly out here, see if he's fit to work, seems he was up late inflicting damage to his liver." He told the two, Johnny going to the squad to get the needed equipment to check the lineman's vitals. "If you have an inkling he can't, we'll call it in as a still alarm and get him detox'ed at Rampart."
Chet didn't say a thing which was not a good sign, even when he was seriously injured he would protest and quip his way through it. He complied as the men took his vitals and reflexes, sipping some on the coffee he was given.
"Vitals are good and other than a sensitivity to light his reflexes are normal, as is his balance," Roy reported. "He's a bit dehydrated so he definitely needs to drink plenty of water or if we have a chance get a bag or two of IV fluids in sometime today." Johnny tossed his partner the bottle of aspirin and he shook out three handing them to the man he was assessing. "It's really up to him now if he feels like he can continue."
"If I don't work, Roy, I will just further the abuse." He knew this statement to be true because the only reason he had stopped early this morning was because he had made a promise to his fellow crewmates and in turn, Lou. She would be disappointed with him if he was still drunk when the shift started or too hung over to work, that is not who he was and he refused to become that person. He watched as the paramedic's jaw twitched at the admission, Roy knew about his alcoholic father. Chet had gotten blasted drunk one time with the crew and when they had scooped him up into a cab he made the joke about he was nothing like his father who would get like this each night. The senior paramedic was the only one who picked up the honesty in it.
"Well we can't have that, can we?" Hank said with a pat on the man's back. "Just let us know if it becomes too much and I will drop you off at my house."
"Cap." He whined a bit
"Nope, no whining. If you decide you can't work and you feel like you're gonna drink yourself into a stupor, if left alone, then my house it is. The wives are over there today with the kiddos and they will make sure that doesn't happen and that you will live to regret this hangover even more than you do now."
Chet nodded, stood, swallowed the aspirin and drank the last dredges of the coffee before he went back to his latrine duty. He was finishing up the chore just as the klaxons rang out dispatching the station to a fire at a residence.
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Captain Gregs of Santa Monica Station 4 kept his head on a swivel as his engineer drove back from the scene of their latest run. He knew it was a long shot that he would see the late model Caprice or the missing paramedic but he had to try.
"Holy crap! Young, stop the rig!" His engineer complied as his captain pointed at a parked car and looked at his notebook. "I can't believe it! The license plate matches! Box them in we got some questions that need answered."
The eight-member crew exited the cab of the truck and began to look at the car seeing if there were any clues to the missing paramedic. They were peering in the windows when two men walked up to them. One was dark skinned, tall, skinny and the other was very pale with a bit of middle age spread.
"Can we help you?" The dark man asked.
"This your car?" The captain spoke up, getting a nod as an answer. "Is it new?"
"New like how? It's a '76 and we've had it for about two weeks."
"That's all the answers I needed for my next question." The two men grew nervous as the eight, somewhat burly, firefighters circled them. It wouldn't matter that they knew how to fight or that they had guns they were more than outnumbered. "Where's the girl?"
"Girl?" Dave asked, "Man, we don't have any girl." His hand twitching getting ready to draw if needed, his partner didn't miss the motion and he shouted.
"Wait!" Everyone paused, "Before anyone gets the wrong idea here, we're PIs." David tried placating. "We don't have anyone we just work for hire." The firefighters stopped their advance as he flapped back his jacket to reach for a card, the gun in the shoulder holder flashing. "We're not a threat unless someone threatens us, ok?" He handed the card to the fire captain and kept his hands in a neutral held up in front of him gesture. "David and David PIs. Now what makes you think we have a girl?"
The man looked at the card and surmised it was legit before he continued. "Through the grapevine we were told about a Caprice with your license plate number driven by a black man that kidnapped of our own, a Louise Werner."
"Oh," The man suddenly felt that wasn't the best answer as the face of the men seems to snarl.
"Ok stop!" Dave now shouted, "Yes, we had Louise Werner, had, she came along willingly, and we dropped her off at the luxury apartments near the seaside." He drew out his own card and wrote down the address, "This is the address, I promise you she is safe and when we last saw her, she was happy."
The firemen didn't want to let this lead go but, honestly what were they going to do, abduct them? Besides they were starting to draw attention and it would only be a matter of time before the police were by and, right now, the only ones who had broken the law were the firefighters.
The captain took the card and poked David in chest, "If this doesn't check out trust me this is not the last you heard of us." They climbed back into their truck and pulled away into traffic.
"Dammit Dave! Why did you give them the address? That lady will never hire us again."
"Hey, I'm ok with that let them be her problem." His partner responded. They got in the Caprice and drove off themselves, seriously contemplating if they should get a new car.
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Mike and Roy backed the engine and squad into the parking lot only to notice the batallion chief's car was parked in Lou's spot. Before Mike could have the engine to a complete stop Hank and Chet had exited to greet the man who was standing in the doorway of the Captain's office.
"Chief?" The Captain asked as he rounded the corner.
"Exit the engine like that a lot Stanley?" The man asked only half serious.
"No, sir." He responded no ounce of regret of his hasty exit, he didn't see that the man was biding a bit of time for the other to join them. The slap of footsteps behind the captain announcing their arrival.
"Ok," He clapped his hands together, "I have some news. Stanley your idea of using the network of firemen and their stations turned up the Caprice, in Santa Monica." He held his hand up silencing the questions the men had, "Hold them till I am done, ok? Lou was not there, it was the PI's private vehicle, the David and David firm. We knew that name from that day in the hospital, so we know that part checks out." He sighed, "They gave an address for some luxury apartments that are there, when we call and ask for a Werner the front desk doesn't forward the call they just hang up. The captain over there says these are high security so they probably have a passcode. He has one for the fire department and he tried it, but it didn't get him further than the engineer that works there."
"So we don't even know if she is there?" Johnny asked.
"Correct and guys..." The chief swallowed knowing this might elicit some anger, "The PIs said she went willingly and was happy when they left."
"Happy?!" The Irishman shouted walking away the other men could hear the slam that was definitely a fist going through wood paneling. The rest of the crew going toward the sound quickly to help prevent further damage. Hank looked at his superior and waffled.
"I'm sure it was a front, Chief. Thank you for delivering that information in person." The man patted Hank's arm and began to walk out.
"Be sure to see to that hole that just spontaneously happened, we don't want it to keep happening."
"Sure thing Chief." He spun on his heel and practically ran to where his men were.
Chet was seething, his face flushed and hand bleeding while the paramedics checked it out. Mike was already looking at the wall and Marco was making coffee.
"Kelly!" The man looked up ready for a fight, "The hell is wrong with you?!"
"How could they say she was happy?! In what world would she be happy with those...those....pieces of shit that are her parents!?" The older man flinched at his shouts.
"Don't you think we know that?! She was probably putting up a front to, I don't know, try and placate them." Hank sighed, "We know the real story and that's all that matters."
"It doesn't look broken, but you split all your knuckles, Chet." Johnny said to the angry man.
"And the wall will be an easy repair, Cap." Mike reported, "Maybe a patch, he must have hit it hard it's a perfect fist size."
The superior sighed and nodded, "Chief gave grace on this too, you got lucky. So I say you pay for and fix it and he probably won't mention it again, as long as there are no more holes." He practically threatened.
"There won't be." The lineman looked down at his feet now flushing in embarrassment. "Made an ass of myself, didn't I?"
"That you did. So we'll..." The phone ringing stopped his train of thought and he turned to pick up the extension in the kitchen.
"Station 51, Captain Stanley speaking."
"Hank, thank God. I've been calling every ten minutes for the past two hours." His wife's voice filtered through the line. He snapped his fingers at his men signaling to both shut up and pay attention.
"Em what's going on?"
"You and the guys need to come home now, it's about Lou." He slammed down the receiver before his wife could say more and had the whole station respond to his address.
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"She's here." The dial tone greeted her the last words, she looked up at the women around her, "I don't know if he heard that last part."
When the Rolls Royce pulled up outside her home, she was not expecting their way ward paramedic to be the one who got out from the back seat with the help of an older man. A long conversation later she began calling the station in increments hopeful of catching the guys soon and to deliver the news. She hugged the young woman again tightly as if to ensure she wasn't part of a dream which elicited a laugh from the younger woman..
"I really am here, Emily, and I am not going anywhere else." The sound of sirens alerted that A-Shift was arriving. "Help me up and out Uncle Charlie, the guys will come thundering in here and I don't want them to wake Little Lou so we better meet them in the drive." Her uncle was more than happy to comply, he was excited to meet the men who had taken her under their wings and pulled her from her shell like they had. She stood in the drive and waited smiling broadly when the engine pulled up. The first man that was out was a tall man from the passenger side of the engine he crossed the expanse quickly only slowing when his niece reminded him that she had surgery recently. The man still hugged her tight to him much like the blonde woman inside had.
"Oh my God! Where were you?" He let go of her while the other men greeted her in their own way with hugs and pats on the back.
"She was with us." Charie said and was met with more than a few glares. "Me and her grandmother." He wasn't a violent man and had never been in a fight other than sibling squabbles but he felt like the men in the drive were about to break all his bones. "She...Lou...was safe. I..." he trailed off.
"Everyone stop." Lou's no-nonsense tone broke through to them. "This is my Uncle Charlie, take a breath. I tried to call you guys all night till about two AM till I was forced to get some sleep but every time I tried the phone lines were busy, except Chet's his was off the hook." She huffed, "Seeing him now, I know even if he picked up he would be too far gone to know it was me. Can we go back inside now? Quietly, Louie's sleeping." She began to shuffle back in and her uncle made to help her but he was beat out by a short curly haired man and the sandy haired man that drove the fire squad. They help usher her in giving odd looks to bespectacled man she called uncle. Once settled in the captain's recliner, she got bombarded by questions from the men.
"This is your Uncle?"
"That's really your grandmother?"
"Are you ok?"
"Where did they take you?"
"How do we still know it's not a lie?"
Hank put his fingers to his mouth and let out a loud whistle shutting everyone up, he felt Lou slap his arm.
"Louie, remember?" He had forgotten and the wail of the infant greeted their ears, he sheepishly ducked at the glare Rebecca gave him as she rushed to get the infant.
"Sorry, but back to you." The woman laid back in the recliner looking much more comfortable and relaxed.
"It's a bit of long story I will try to shorten it best I can." She told the story as succinctly as possible with a few bits added from her uncle and grandmother. "As soon as I woke up, we drove here. I really am sorry and really did try to get a hold of you guys." She ended the story and snuggled down further into the recliner the pull of sleep very real. "And for my birthday no more worries, Granny Beth already cut my parents off." She raised her hand in a tired fist pump. "I'm already a millionaire!" She whisper shouted, eyes closing fast a soft puff of air escaping her lip indicating she had fallen asleep already.
"She really loves every last one of you, you know?" The older woman said, "I am sorry about how everything happened but she deserves to be with family." Hank and Emily looked sad at that proclamation, "That's why she made me promise to take her here first thing, back to her family." She sighed, stood, and smoothed Lou's hair. "I don't want to leave but I have too, I am going to be moving closer to Carson to be here for her. I can assure the plan was never to take her." The married couple relaxed, Emily smiling at having her 'girl' back. Hank shook her hand and the hand of Lou's uncle.
"Thank you for taking care of her." He said to the man
"Always."
The two departed, lingering a bit to look at the sleeping woman one more time.
The men of A-Shift didn't want to leave either, but they didn't have a choice as Cap made them available from his home and they were almost immediately toned out, the married men gave their wives quick kisses and responded to the call for help.
The rest of the shift seem to fly by for the men.
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Lou woke slowly to someone tapping her forehead, she swatted at the taps only for them to return. She opened one eye slowly and registered six year old Jennifer DeSoto was tapping her with her play thermometer.
"My mama, says you're sick, so Imma fix you like my daddy would." The woman smiled at the girl and sat up a bit straighter.
"Fix away little one." She dutifully opened her eyes and mouth as the girl looked at them, got her diagnosis of 'super bad owie,' and took the kiss to the forehead that was going to make it all better.
"You know less than a year ago you would have practically run away from her." The paramedic looked up at Emily who was walking toward her with a tray of jello and broth.
"I know." She eyed the tray, hating the full liquid diet but knowing she had to master this first. She had to admit though, Emily's was much tastier than the hospitals. She was about halfway through her second serving of jello when the doorbell rang, her favorite nurse and doctor bustling through. The blonde nurse took away the tray, which caused Lou to frown.
"Oh no you don't. No pouting." The nurse leaned in and hugged her tightly, "And don't you ever do a fool thing like that ever again." She wasn't letting go and the paramedic was sure the nurse wouldn't let go till she passed out from loss of air.
"Dix, she's getting cyanotic." Dr. Brackett joked and the nurse let go.
"Sorry."
"It's alright." She smiled at the nurse.
"Besides it's my turn." The doctor didn't hug her but started an assessment of the young woman, asking all the standard questions before finally with a tight squeeze to her hand finished with, "So we need to talk about you trying to prematurely gray everyone." She eyeballed the tray.
"Jello first." He chuckled and handed her the jiggly dessert, she took a few bites trying to land on an answer. "I just didn't...it wasn't..." She sighed in frustration. "Dammit I did out of love, ok? I don't know when or how but you people showed me love so much somewhere along the way I grew to love you all too. It's foreign for me, you know love without expectation? And I didn't want to lose that or any of you. I thought it was the right thing to do." She felt tears come to her eyes, she hated that the painkillers made her emotions so close to the surface. The others grew quiet at the admission, this was the first time she had said she loved them outloud, she flushed with embarrassment.
"OOOOOOHHHHHH, mommy! Auntie Lou cussed." Six year old Jenny whispered loudly at her mom who had chased the girl into the room just as Lou gave her short speech. The woman in the chair burst out laughing at the shock of the little girl. She grabbed a pillow to splint her abdominal muscle as she couldn't stop her giggles.
"Ow it hurts but oh my," Tears ran down her face from the laughter, "Yes sweetie I did and I'm so sorry, what's my punishment?" The little girl pondered on it a bit tapping her foot.
"No dessert, I heard nurse Dixie say you can have pudding now but not tonight."
"Oh, but Jenny," She faked whined.
"Nope, Auntie Lou, you know better than that." The little girl put on a 'stern' look, "If you're good the rest of the night you can have it tomorrow."
"Yes ma'am." The little girl ran up to the woman in the chair and kissed her forehead again.
"For the owie." The she bounced back out the room. The paramedic swallowed thickly.
"So I'm Auntie Lou now? I like that." She grinned widely at the people. "How'd I check out doc?"
"Good, better than I expected after you adventure yesterday." He said.
"My grandmother had her doctor take a look at me, he just continued my meds you started and he even complimented your work." She dug a card out of her pocket and handed it to the dark-haired man. The doctor read the card, he knew this Dr. Thomas he was damn good at what he did and getting his compliment boosted his ego.
"This is a good man, hmmmmmm. Well while I'm not happy you did what you did I am glad you had the decency to not skip my instructions for post op care. Your incision looks good and your appetite is improving. If you keep this up by the end of the week you will be able to eat some pasta and overcooked veggies." He tried not to laugh at the woman's expression.
"Tell me when I can eat my spicy food again."
"Well, not for some time but I have a feeling you will heal faster with the excellent care you're getting." He looked at Emily Stanley. "And will continue to get." The wife of the fire captain smiled at his compliment of her care for the young paramedic.
"Speaking of care, Lou it's time to get up and shuffle around a bit we don't want any DVTs." The doctor and nurse looked at her impressed, she shrugged her shoulders, "You learn a few things when you have a paramedic and paramedic trainee in your house." She called for said trainee's help and together they helped her stand and enforced her walking about for the next few minutes. The nurse and doctor took their leave with a few extra instructions to the women.
"Ok Lou let's try the steps," Hannah stood next to the woman providing support, "Let's just do five today and then you can lay back down." The woman nodded and with the girl's cheering her on she made it, exhausted and needing to take a break before she went back down but she had done it her face lit up with elation. Emily had re-fluffed and fixed all the bedding on the recliner which the woman sank into appreciatively.
"I know that training has gotten more intensive but they can't teach that cheerleader you got." She patted the arm of the girl and snuggled down deeper. The short work-out had worn her out and she soon dropped back to sleep.
Lou's safe! Or is she :)