Nolan's Journal Chapter 10
"Well, Angela and Nyla finally solved their childcare problem, at least for now. They found one nanny that they both liked, so they've agreed to share her. She's going to watch the kids together, and they'll split the costs. No doubt that will be easier for Angela and Wesley than for Nyla and James, but it sounds like it's all going to work out. I'm happy for them.
"Bailey is still thinking about having a baby, but I believe a high level of nervousness is competing with the longing for a child. Bailey's usually pretty good at compartmentalizing her work from our life at home. But on her last run, she handled a case that really got to her. With privacy considerations, she could only share details that wouldn't allow anyone to identify the patient. But what she shared was terrifying enough.
"The patient was a couple of years younger than Bailey. Still, she was pregnant with her first child, and she was desperate for everything to go OK. Up to that point, everything had. Other than the age issue, the doctor hadn't seen any problems. From what the woman told Bailey, she wasn't doing anything dangerous or even exerting herself. She had her feet up watching a soap opera when she started to bleed – a lot. She called 911 right away, but other than trying to replace some fluid and speed her to the hospital, there wasn't much Bailey could do. The woman crashed before they got there. She lived, but she lost the baby. Also, the surgery required to save her meant that she can never carry another child.
"What's worse is that all that happened to a woman who didn't face the kind of stress that Bailey does every day. She also had all the appropriate prenatal care. And yet, in a few terrible moments, she went from joyful expectation to terror and grief. I could see Bailey grieving for her. If Bailey decides to try to get pregnant, she'll move heaven and earth to make sure that she and the baby stay safe – and then some.
"If she decides to undergo a battery of tests to make sure that everything is as it should be, I'll be at her side to cheerlead. I'll have to take a personal day for that. As a rookie, Celina can't take time off, so I'll be leaving her without a TO. After the mess Tim's been through, I can't see Grey giving him the job. As far as I know, no one else is qualified except Grey. Still, he has a lot of supervisory duties to handle at the division right now. But I'm sure he can come up with something. He always does.
"On a more cheerful note. The boy that Celina and I found at the center continues to make progress. He was finally able to tell Gino his name, Joey. Celina will be asking around about Joeys, Joes, and Josephs. That should help a little. It would be great if Joey could give Gino his surname, but he is very young. It's probably too much to hope for.
"The center is almost ready to open. All the built-ins are finished, and the appliances are functioning. We also found our volunteer dietician. She's not used to dealing with donated food. It leaves a lot of gaps in the meals she'd like to provide. But hopefully, we'll be able to have enough funding to fill in the holes. Many of the people in the area are used to eating on the cheap, rice and beans mostly and whatever meat and vegetables they can find on sale. Even if what the dietician helps the center provide isn't fancy, I think it will be appreciated.
"Damn! I just got an all-hands-on-deck alert. Aside from meaning that there's a serious threat to the city, this is the kind of thing that would wreak havoc on parenthood. If I was watching the child, how could I leave?"
"It's been 24 hours since the alert. We managed to put a lid on what was going on, almost what you'd see in a Scorsese movie. In my time in the LAPD, I've had to deal with gangs and cartels, but this was new. I don't know any other way I can put it. The Mafia invaded the city. Harper thinks they may have spread from Las Vegas, where they established a presence back in the 1950s, but that's just a theory. Right now, where they came from seems irrelevant.
"In old movies, gangsters used machine guns. That was bad enough. But this time, they were using assault rifles. Before we managed to come from the flanks and the rear to take them down, it was a bloodbath. Some of the bodies had to be sent to Orange County because our morgue had no room for them.
"Metro was out in full force and even pulled Bradford back in to take advantage of his expertise in weaponry. I don't know if he'll be going back permanently or if it was a one-time thing. Several cops from Mid-Wilshire were wounded. Thank God they're all going to make it, but Grey doesn't have anyone to replace them on the street. Cops from other divisions were also hit, so the department won't have anywhere to go for replacements. We were already short-handed. If Tim goes back to Metro, that will just make the situation worse.
"Celina has been through a lot before, but nothing like this. She did everything I instructed her to do, and she wasn't hurt – at least not physically. After it was all over, she just seemed kind of numb. Lucy took her home with her. They'll have each other for support tonight. What will happen after this, I don't know. She'd finally got past her guilt over what happened to her sister. Now she has something else to face. This was evil that Celina won't be able to banish by burning sage or whatever else she does. Maybe Sabina can help her. I hope so.
"What happened was also really hard on Bailey and all the other EMTs in the area. They had to deal with the casualties on both sides. While her thoughts had been filled with giving life, she was overwhelmed with death, not only of cops and the mob but bystanders caught in the crossfire. One of them was a pregnant woman coming home from work. By the time Bailey could get her to the hospital, there was nothing the doctors could do to save the mother or baby. That was so much worse than any pregnancy emergency she'd ever seen before. She broke down in my arms over that one. There was nothing I could do except hold her until she was too exhausted to cry anymore.
"Bailey was able to return home with me tonight. She's finally asleep. I wish that I was. I can't close my eyes without flashing back to the tragedy. Still, both Bailey and I will have to be back at work tomorrow. The LAPD and the LAFD have no one left to spare. We'll have access to counseling, but we'll still have to be out on the street. God help us all."