Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench
Well, in the previous chapter: Bash At The Bench started off with Sarah dedicated Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" to Cherice after her cancer relapse. After the performance, Sarah gave center stage to Jeff and Lester. Unfortunately, the duo ended up as patients of the hospital after they tripped and fell off stage much to the shocking surprise of the audience. Sarah included. Fortunately, they weren't seriously injured. Instead they got the wind knocked out of them. Moving forward, Chuck introduced the newest Rockstar Rebel to the Bartowski Brigade. Her name was Gabrielle "Gabby" Massaro who was suffering from a rare form of ovarian germ cell cancer. A cancer that was similar to the one her mother died off. Plus, she shared a special relationship with her father. It's a relationship that Chuck noted as he dedicated Eric Clapton's "My Father's Eyes" to the both of them. During that interview, Chuck thought about his own father and his foster father who was helping trying to find him. As usual Chuck had a heart to heart with Sarah about why Hartley was avoiding him to the point where Vivian stepped in. She assured Chuck that there was a reason for that and he was looking out for Chuck. In any case, the dedication performance brought the hospital courtyard down once again with Chuck going acoustic. So, what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who was sitting in the hospital cafeteria alone with their thoughts? What happened in the past 48 hours? Where did most of the activity in the hospital happen? When did Sarah start sharing part of her past that Chuck heard for the first time? Why did Casey get thrown off while he was calming down a dangerous patient? How did Casey react to the new name that was shared with him? Read and find out! I hope you enjoyed the read and leave a comment to share your own thoughts on this particular chapters. As always, reviews are awesome.
Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment, I truly appreciate it. Please continue to do so as it gives me the incentive to write more chapters.
I don't own Chuck.
Peace Amongst The Chaos
XXX
It was 10pm on a Sunday evening at Westside Medical Center. Heather was sitting in the hospital cafeteria. She looked lost in thought. The reason being that she was lost in thought was because she experienced something that was far different than on the set of a television show or on a movie about suspenseful drama and action. A place of make believe. What she never expected was being heavily involved in what could have been a very costly and extremely dangerous situation. True, she wanted to shadow Sarah and take part in the harsh realism of her job as hospital administrator. Boy did she ever. For her, it seemed like it all happened within a blink of an eye to the point where she hadn't really processed the whole thing till it eventually hit her later.
While Heather sat there at the cafeteria table, she thought back at how everyone in the hospital worked together tirelessly in their efforts to control the chaos that happened in the emergency room otherwise known as The Trenches. The reason the hospital's emergency room was so chaotic was because it was flooded with a number of serious burns and injuries that resulted from a large warehouse fire that ended up collapsing. The seriously burned and injured included a number of firefighters as well. All hands were certainly on deck as an absolutely chaotic scene unfolded. Heather marveled at how Chief Beckman and Sarah took charge in not only sharing information with other hospitals, but with the media as well to help sort out any confusion, especially for concerned family members and friends. Both women and the hospital itself shifted into a high gear knowing lives were at stake.
If that wasn't enough, officers of the LAPD were there as well because there was a shootout between rival gang members that had innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire so the atmosphere within the emergency room was filled with an incredible amount of emotional tension. Unfortunately, it didn't help matters that the gang members who sustained minor gunshot injuries weren't cooperating with the doctors and nurses who were also treating the innocent bystanders too. It was one of the main reasons the gang members were handcuffed to their hospital beds for precautionary reasons while being treated for their injuries by nurses and doctors. As for the innocent bystanders and gang members that sustained major gunshot wounds, they were rushed to surgery because they truly required immediate attention.
Although LAPD officers kept a watchful and hyper vigilant eye on the rival gang members, Casey's security team was there as well for added back up in case anything went down. Of course, there were a few times the gang members in custody got unruly, especially with the female staff that were trying to tend to their wounds. Overall, both chaotic situations were handled to the best of their ability by everyone working it and managed to keep their professionalism, especially with the gang members not making it any easier on the medical staff.
At that very moment, her thoughts were suddenly broken when something was placed in front of her down on the cafeteria table. That something was a cup of coffee. Heather turned her attention from the cup of coffee to the individual who set it down in front of her.
"I'm sure you need this," Sarah stood there with a supportive smile while she was holding hands with Chuck. "After all that happened in the past 48 hours," she added, shaking her head. "More importantly, what happened to you."
"As Awesome would say," Chuck uttered. "Certainly a brain stamp moment."
Heather nodded. "You two heading home?"
"Finally," breathed Sarah. She shook her head knowing the past 2 days were brutal, physically and emotionally. "Heading out too?"
The actress nodded once again. "Just waiting for Panzer. He had to make an In-N-Out Burger run for me."
"We'll wait with you. "I'm sure you've told Mark about what happened."
"I did," nodded Heather. "It stinks that he had to be out of town over the weekend. Apparently, it was something important for Alexis," she added, rolling her eyes,
Sarah and Chuck chuckled in amusement with Heather's eye roll. A few seconds later, Sarah continued on, with a somber look expressed on her face. "As Chief Operating Officer, I'm sincerely sorry and deeply apologize. We should have had tighter security and…"
Heather held up her right hand and quickly interjected, "You have nothing to apologize for, Sarah. I knew the dangers and it was my bonehead mistake. Thank you for your concern. Both of you," acknowledged Heather. After she took a few more sips of her coffee, the actress shook her head. "But I should be asking how you two are doing? You look dead tired."
"As Chief Beckman would say, no rest for the weary," responded Chuck. "Especially for hospital administrators," he added, glancing over at Sarah. Afterwards, he slid over to his right, inevitably letting go of Sarah's left hand. Chuck pulled out the chair for his blonde fiancée to sit in that was right across from Heather. Sarah gladly accepted it. After the nerdy couple exchanged nods, Chuck had a brief moment thought before he sat down.
He practically grew up at the hospital and experienced so much at Westside Medical Center. Although he was young, Ellie shared stories of when she first started out as a medical student and then an intern. Stories of what happened during her shift. such as how the hospital took in injured patients from the Los Angeles earthquakes and the riots in 1992 that caused extensive damage after 4 police officers were acquitted for using excessive force against Rodney King. There was also the infamous 1997 Hollywood shootout that was all over the news. A shootout where 2 heavily armed bank robbers exchanged gunfire with LAPD. The hospital was on standby in case there were any injuries that were ambulanced in. Miraculously, no officers or bystanders were killed in the terrifying 44-minute shootout. There were many other calamities Los Angeles dealt with, such as El Nino, wildfires, mudslides and floods that resulted in a number of injuries, as well as deaths they had to handle.
"As Casey usually says, we'll sleep when we're dead." Sarah humorously responded. "Still," She paused for a moment and reflected back on how it all could have turned terribly wrong if it weren't for her quick thinking and the actions of one unexpected individual. "The situation you were in was highly traumatic. Not to mention chaotic. If you need to speak to anyone, Dr. Busgang is available."
"Or," interjected Chuck. The focus that Heather had on Sarah was averted to him. "If you want to talk privately and away from the hospital, I suggest Dreyfus. He's awesome." he added, providing an alternative that was previously offered.
"Yes! I highly recommend him, Heather," Sarah nodded. She raised her eyebrows towards the actress. "Trust me." she firmly added.
At that point, Heather held up both hands in front of her. Afterwards, she expressed an appreciative smile towards both the engaged couple. "I'm fine." After she shared that, the nerdy couple stared back at her. Their reaction caused the actress to respond once again. "Really, I am."
Chuck and Sarah briefly looked at each other. Both of them simultaneously raised their right eyebrows and then turned their attention back to Heather. Afterwards, Chuck softened his gaze and expressed a supportive smile. He took a deep breath and locked eyes with the woman who was sitting across from her.
"Whatever you decide, we'll back you up all the way." Chuck firmly nodded afterwards. He expressed his trademark toothy smile towards her.
"Thank you," nodded Heather, with utmost gratitude and appreciation. She then turned her attention to Sarah. "The both of you." A reassuring nod was given to the nerdy couple who were sitting across from her. Afterwards, there was a moment of silence shared between all three individuals.
The silence was broken when Chuck turned to his soon-to-be wife and started pushing himself up to a standing position. "I'm going to head to the bathroom."
That's when Heather spoke up again. "I just," Chuck stopped along with Sarah who was about to stand up from her seat. They briefly looked at each other and then turned their attention back to Heather."
"Or not." Chuck retorted, sitting back down.
"I just keep playing it over and over again in my head. You know."
The actress shook her head with a deep, contemplative look on her face. A look that Chuck and Sarah clearly saw as if she was replaying the events that took place over in her head. Although it was considerably late in the evening, both women sat back down and were fully prepared to let Heather express what happened to her in the last 48 hours.
XXX
48 Hours Earlier
Heather recounted to Chuck and Sarah the moment all hell was about to break loose as the entire emergency room staff were standing outside waiting on the impending arrival of ambulances in the ambulance bay. She was standing in the back with Sarah and Panzer. All three individuals were out of the way to avoid the chaos that was about to ensue. She felt the absolute rising tension in the air, as there was certainly a calm before the storm. In her mind, it was like being part of the final scene of the series finale of E.R. where Dr. Carter was given medical gloves and a protective gown to join the rest of the gang to deal with mass arrivals of injured casualties. That scene was also a full circle moment between Dr. Carter and the late Dr. Greene's daughter, Rachel.
In any case, the chaos that unused on television was far more chaotic when she experienced it live in person, because of how not only noisy it was, but how crowded it suddenly got in the ambulance bay. For her, it felt like an out of body experience within the chaos, but she was suddenly snapped out of it when she was quickly pulled aside by Sarah. The reason that happened was because she was going to get bulldozed over by doctors and nurses who were pushing in an injured, as well as burned firefighter on a stretcher inside the emergency room. Speaking of the injured and burned firefighter it was a sight that would forever be thoroughly engrained in her mind after she saw how severe the burns were.
True, she wanted to take part in and capture every aspect of realism when it came to being a hospital administrator. In other words, a hands-on approach instead of just watching from the sidelines, so to speak. The moment she never forgot was when she was observing at the main nurses' station of the Trenches, she somehow found herself at the bedside of a firefighter who seemed to be not too badly injured, unlike the firefighter she saw stretchered in. The firefighter in question was calling out from someone and reached out for someone. The next thing she knew, she held his hand and sat there beside him to keep him company. While she sat next to the injured firefighter, with half his face wrapped due to injuries to his face, she talked with him.
"What's your name?" she softly asked.
"Ned," he painfully breathed out. "Ned Rhyerson. My friends call me Rhyno." he added, gritting his teeth.
"Hi Rhyno," softly responded Heather. "My name is Heather."
"Where's Angelo?" he asked, wincing in pain. "Is he ok?"
"Is he another firefighter?"
"He was right in front of me when the warehouse collapsed around us."
"I'll find out for you. I promise."
Heather saw the worry and concern mixed in with the pain on his face. Ned was far more concerned with his friend and fellow fighter than himself. Also, it was apparent that he had some difficulty breathing and may have possibly broken or injured something internally. As much as she attempted to help Rhyno feel comfortable, he was pretty worked up and it caused his vitals to be erratically elevated, which was heard on the monitors he was hooked up to. Fortunately, she was able to calm him down enough to get him to focus on her and talk about something else other than his fellow firefighter, Angelo, who he was deeply concerned about.
"Hey Rhyno, I have a question to ask you. Before I do, I need you to do one thing for me. Ok?"
It took a moment, but Heather was able to get Rhyno's attention and have him focused on her. Afterwards, Rhyno nodded. "What is it?"
"I need you to squeeze my hand." she requested. Heather peered down to her hand still holding Rhyno's. "Can you do that for me?" A few seconds later, she felt her hand being squeezed and it caused her to not only smile, but tear up as well. The emotions for her were running high at that point. For one thing, she didn't have any idea what she was doing and all she knew was that he called out for someone. She answered the call. "Good." Heather softly smiled down at him. Tears formed in her eyes.
"Are you a nurse?"
Heather thought for a quick moment and instead of saying she was a nurse or going with her profession as an actress, she decided to answer with something else. "I'm actually a volunteer. How am I doing so far?"
Before Rhyno answered, he doubled over in pain/ causing Heather to be startled. However, she didn't let go of his hand and continued to squeeze it. While she squeezed, she saw the excruciating pain that he was going through to the point where they both locked eyes.
"Don't leave me," tearfully pleaded Rhyno. "Please."
"I won't," she responded back. Heather squeezed Rhyno's hand even tighter with both hands this time.
She kept her promise as Rhyno cried out in pain to the point where it set off the monitor that was monitoring his vitals, which was sounding off. It alerted a number of nurses and Ellie who rushed in to tend to whatever was causing the injured firefighter to cry out in pain. As much as Heather didn't want to let go and break her promise to Rhyno, Ellie urged her to let go so they would be able to properly treat him. She initially refused at first, but then begrudgingly let go of the man's hand. At first. she didn't want to leave the room, but then was told to by Ellie. As she backed out to give Ellie and the nurses the space to help Rhyno, the situation suddenly turned dire, when she heard a steady high-pitched sound and the following two words that caused her eyes to widen.
"He's flatlining!"
That's when the floodgates opened, and tears started flowing down her cheeks. The short time spent with Rhyno deeply and emotionally impacted her as she continued to back up. She ended up stopping in her tracks. The reason she stopped was because there was something, or in this particular case, someone in her way. That person was Panzer. He was peering down at her as she was peering up at him with tears continuing to run down her cheeks. Instead of saying anything, Heather just enveloped Panzer in a hug, which he wasn't truly prepared for. From what Sarah shared with her, Panzer was actually thrown off by what she did. She also learned that for a few seconds, her bodyguard had both his arms stretched out and expressed a look of absolute uncertainty at what to do next. Although Panzer looked like a menacing monster of a man that could break a man in half with ease, he wasn't able to hold on to that tough exterior. His body language just softened to the point where he hugged her back, which was considerably touching when Sarah shared that with her.
The Present
"The next thing I knew," Heather shook her head. "I was sitting in the waiting area within The Trenches. You were sitting with me and doing your best in comforting me." she added, expressing thankfulness and appreciation towards Sarah.
"Situations like those can weigh heavily on anyone," Sarah responded back. "Even veteran medical staff."
Heather nodded. Her attention turned to Chuck. "I saw the video of how you took Camden's death. It hit you real hard."
"That was an incredibly rough day," responded Chuck. "A rough couple of days actually."
"I bet," retorted Heather. "After getting to know you and those Rockstar Rebels, I get how you can't help but get attached to each one of them." Her attention on Chuck was averted to Sarah. "How were you able to manage it?" wondered Heather. "Separating the two."
When Heather asked that question to Sarah, Chuck listened closely, because it was the first time, he was going to listen to his fiancée share something about her past that involved her time in D.C. True, they have pretty much an open book with each other. when it comes to their relationship, but when it came to her past work life, he didn't push the issue. Of course, she shared bits and pieces of it every so often, but to hear something personal when it came to her relationship with the patients was something that he didn't want to intrude on. Essentially, he was being given privileged access to a part of Sarah's past that she guarded within her heart because of how special it was, even to this day.
Sarah took a deep breath and then shook her head. "It was incredibly tough in the beginning. To decompartmentalize. Keep your personal feelings and professional feelings separate. You form a business relationship first." She briefly paused before she continued on, "But after a while of getting to know the patients, you form a relationship with them. It's inevitable. You're still a human being, after all."
Heather and Chuck sat there as Sarah shared a few stories of how she experienced several situations similar to what Heather went through during her time at Langley Medical in D.C. While she shared those stories, all three individuals that were sitting at the cafeteria table were going through a rollercoaster of emotions. For Heather, she was very grateful to Sarah for sharing those personal stories that have been considered unforgettable and stuck with her years, especially the patients who passed away.
"Early on, I used to have dreams where I was visited by those patients." Sarah shared.
"Were you scared?" wondered Heather.
"At first, I was." Sarah sat there for a moment and reflected back on that time. "But in the dreams, the patient who passed away didn't really harm me in any way. They just smiled at me and that set me at ease. We would have conversations and then my dreams always ended the same way."
"What did they say?" wondered Chuck.
"Thank you?"
"Wow," Heather breathed out.
There was a brief moment of silence before Chuck chimed in. "In a way," Both women turned their attention to the youngest Bartowski sibling. "You had a sixth sense experience. Haley Joel Osment's character talked to dead people. Bruce Willis character," Chuck paused and looked at both women. "Spoilers, if you haven't seen the movie..."
Both women interjected and simultaneously spoke up. "His character was dead the whole time."
Chuck sat there for a moment and then nodded. "Awesome. You both saw it, then."
After Chuck said that both looked at each other and laughed. A few moments later, Heather faced the woman who she was shadowing for quite some time. "Thanks, Sarah. You helped me gain a better understanding of what you do and your position as Chief Operating Officer. "
"No problem," smiled Sarah. "Believe it or not, every day is a learning experience for me. Something new to learn, especially from Chief Beckman."
"Really, like what?"
"Well," Sarah took a deep breath before she continued on. "Do you remember when I had to talk to the Fire Chief after you found out Rhyno passed away due to internal injuries?"
Heather nodded. "That's a moment I will never forget as long as I live."
XXX
48 Hours Earlier
Saturday Night
"We did everything they could for two of your fighters, but the injuries they sustained were too serious, Chief," Devon stated. Heather and Sarah observed everything as they stood by the door with Panzer.
Chief Frank Mauser was considered a familiar face of Westside Medical Center. Sarah shared with Heather beforehand that she formally met him during the whole oil refinery explosion last year when she was in charge of the entire hospital. In any case, her initial first impression of him was that he was not only a menacing figure, but seemingly had the utmost respect of all the firefighters who served under him. Plus, he and Casey were good friends who shared common interests in guns and shooting them at the firing range. In addition, their mutual admiration for Ronald Reagan cemented their lifelong friendship. In any case, once Sarah got to know him, he turned out to be just a big teddy bear with an even bigger heart. She later found out from one of the older veteran firefighters that he was nicknamed Mary Poppins because he routinely added a spoonful of sugar in his coffee. The funny thing was Chief Mauser didn't mind and rolled with it. He even went so far as ordering a coffee mug with the following four words on it: I'm Mary Poppins Ya'll!
After Devon left the waiting area, Sarah stepped forward and spoke with Chief Mauser. As she did, Heather stayed back and closely observed the interaction between the two of them. The actress took into account the overall body language Sarah was giving off. Professional, but at the same time soft as she was empathizing, not only with the grizzled veteran, but a number of firefighters in the room as well who never really left hospital and were impacted by the sad, unfortunate loss of two of their fallen firefighter brethren. Heather continued to watch and listen as Sarah solemnly addressed the Chief Mauser, as well as the firefighters who were there.
Sarah mentioned to Heather that even though she didn't have any brothers of her own, it felt like she lost part of her family because of the sibling relationship that was established after the initial meeting last year. Add to the fact, the firefighters instantly became her brothers and sisters. Of course, the male firefighters were considerably protective of Sarah, seeing her as their little sister. Heather learned from Sarah that when they all found out that she was in a relationship with Chuck, they were happy for the both of them, since they were also big fans of his YouTube show. However, Chief Mauser and a few of the other firefighters did talk with her nerdy fiancé and give the speech about how she should be treated right.
As amusing as that was to hear from Sarah, she found out Chuck took it very seriously because he was friends with them. As a matter of fact, he was friends with everyone and every person who he ever interacted with, not just in the hospital, but outside of it as well. Heather wasn't at all surprised about that factoid about him, as people, or even total strangers for that matter, easily gravitate to him. Her thoughts concerning Chuck's ability to make countless friends were set aside and focused on what Chief Mauser was saying after Sarah got done addressing the firefighters.
"Who will remember us?" Chief Mauser paused for a moment to let that question sink for his team. After a few seconds went by, he continued on. "It's a question that we ask ourselves who signed up to do this dangerous job. Yes, we lost two of our own in the chaos." Mauser took a moment to clear his throat and shake his head afterwards. "Peace amongst the chaos. Peace for them without any more pain. As for us," He paused and cleared his throat. "The mental and emotional chaos we're all probably going through right now. Yes, we'll grieve and mourn for them. Yes, their memories will live on. What we won't do is go through dealing with their deaths alone. Look around," He took a moment and stood there in front of the men and women he was in charge of who were looking at each other before he continued on. As he did, Heather saw the emotions showing on all the firefighter's faces as tears formed in their eyes. "All Firehouse 91 can do is honor their memories together. They weren't just firefighters. They were our brothers," Mauser paused. "They were also our friends. You can all agree the both of them were damn good firefighters. They were a pain in my ass sometimes, but they did their job to the best of their ability."
After he mentioned that, the sound of laughter while dealing with the emotional sadness of the situation was expressed. That same emotional sadness was felt by Heather as tears flowed from her eyes knowing how Rhyno spent his last moments and made a promise to not let go of his hand. It was that promise that caused her to suddenly step forward making her presence known.
"Chief Mauser."
The leader of Firehouse 91 turned around and looked directly at Heather. "Yes?"
Heather was hesitant at first because of how intimidating Chief Mauser looked, but she pushed forward after she briefly looked over at Sarah who expressed a reassured, encouraging smile towards her. Heather's attention on Sarah was averted back to Mauser. She stopped and stood about 2 feet away from him. Before she spoke up, she took a deep breath.
"I was with Rhyno before he died," she shared, with sadness expressed in her voice. "I held his hand, and I promised I wouldn't leave his side." Heather added, peering down at her own hands. They were both shaking. Afterwards, she shook her head. "I couldn't keep my promise." Her voice broke with sadness after she uttered those words.
At that point, Heather closed her eyes and continued shaking her head in sorrowful disbelief. She closed her hands and tried to stop them from shaking. She was about to let the floodgates open when she suddenly felt both her hands placed together and then covered. Those hands felt strong but at the same time comforting. She opened her eyes and briefly looked at the hands that were seemingly swallowed up by two much larger, as well as masculine hands. Those masculine hands belonged to none other than Chief Mauser. The next thing Heather knew, she felt a gentle finger placed underneath her chin and lifted her head up. It wasn't long before she was eye to eye with Mauser. Heather saw Mauser was softly smiling down at her, which seemingly resembled her own father's smile. It looked appreciative and understanding.
"I'm glad you were with him during his last few moments," Mauser paused and glanced behind him. "We all are." he softly added.
When Mauser said that Heather's bottom lip quivered, and tears continued to stream down her cheeks. Her emotions got the better of her once she turned to look at Rhyno's brothers and sisters who he fought fires with. Although they were highly emotional, they expressed the same understanding and appreciation on their faces towards her. However, nothing quite prepared for what she was about to hear from Mauser after she felt both her hands gently squeezed by him.
"I," Mauser briefly stopped. He shook his head and then continued on. "We promise to never leave your side just as you promised to never leave Rhyno's. If you ever need anything, whatever it is, don't hesitate to ask." Afterwards, he stepped to his left and made his way around to where he was now standing behind her. Mauser then gently placed his hands on her shoulders as they both were now facing the firefighters he was in charge of. "Look at them. They're your brothers and sisters too. You're now part of our family. A part of Firehouse 91."
After she heard that, Heather started balling and couldn't stop. That's when she found herself mobbed with hugs initially started by the female firefighters of Firehouse 91. A few moments later the guys joined in.
The Present
"Again," uttered Chuck, expressing his toothy trademark smile. "Huge brain stamp."
"No kidding," Heather shook her head in disbelief. "And I'm an only child." she added, expressing an amused chuckle.
"Not anymore," responded Sarah.
In Sarah's mind she never thought she would end up having such a large extended family. However, after the moment she met Chuck, her family grew from just three Walker women to an entire hospital and so much more, which was something she never fully expected to have. The mind-boggling concept of a big family. Yet, she considered herself truly blessed that those same individuals, besides Emmitt, have continually rooted for not only her, but the relationship shared with Chuck. Her cup runneth over and then some, she thought to herself.
"I better give Mark a heads up before they end up giving him the same speech to Chuck." Heather noted. "Plus, it would get Jeff and Lester to stop hounding me for more autographs." she added.
Chuck nodded in agreement. Afterwards, Sarah continued on but not before she softly chuckled in amusement.
"Anyways," Sarah shrugged her shoulders. "Even though they're not blood related, Firehouse 91 will always have your back and treat you like your part of the family. Trust me on this."
After Sarah said that someone makes their presence known. "Walker,"
"Speaking of family not blood related." Sarah uttered.
Casey responded in his usual way. He expressed a somewhat scowly expression on his face, which was followed by a seemingly perplexed sounding grunt.
"Nothing," She shook her head and briefly rolled her eyes in amusement.
"What's up big guy?" greeted Chuck.
Casey stared at Chuck. His focus moved directly to Heather. "Ms. Chandler." he acknowledged, with a nod.
Heather nodded back. "Colonel. Is your shift over?"
"It's never really over." grunted Casey. He stood there for a moment and looked at all three individuals sitting down amongst any empty cafeteria. His attention inevitably stopped at Heather. "You held your own. Be proud of yourself.
"High praise from Casey," responded Chuck. "Awesome. He doesn't do that too often with just anybody."
Chuck's attention from Casey turned to Heather. He then gave a thumbs up towards her. Afterwards, she felt considerably proud for getting the stamp of approval from not only the Hospital's Head of Security, but from someone Sarah considered family. It was that thought that had Heather focusing on someone who Casey considered family of his own. Plus, he was also considered a hero of hers during a highly dangerous situation in the emergency room involving a gang member.
"Is Mr. Bennett with you?" questioned Heather. She briefly leaned back to see if he was anywhere in sight behind Casey. A look of disappointment was expressed on her face when she didn't see him at all. "I wanted to thank him for all that he did earlier today." she added, expressing thankfulness and appreciation in her voice.
"He," Casey paused. "Left."
The way Casey said that caused Sarah to arch her right brow. "What happened? What did you say to him?"
"Nothing." responded Casey with a soft growl. Sarah crossed her arms and continued to stare at her hulking partner with right brow still raised. "Fine. I thought he had a death wish with what he pulled off."
"From what I heard," Chuck chimed in. "Your sensei went all Rafiki from Lion King on that gang member. He got him so distracted by talking to him that he didn't know what happened." he added.
"For some reason I ended up listening closely to what he said," Heather chimed in. "For a moment I totally forgot I was a hostage." she added, shaking her head. "He seemingly came out of nowhere."
"Apparently, he showed up at the hospital and wanted to come see me." Casey shared, shaking his head. "We talked for a second but when the whole situation at The Trenches went down, I told him to stay put at the main nurses' station. I even told one of the nurses to keep an eye on him."
"I'm actually glad he didn't stay put to be honest." Heather shared. She sat there thinking about that moment that was seemingly still fresh in her mind.
XXX
Sunday Afternoon
Hours Earlier
"You can end this without anyone getting hurt." Casey stated.
He looked directly at the gang member who had his left arm wrapped around Heather. One half of police standard handcuffs was swaying from side to side with the other half attached to the gang member's right wrist. As for the gang member's right hand, there was a surgical scalpel being held dangerously close to the actress' neck. As for Casey, he went in to negotiate without any of his weapons on him since he did some military training as a hostage negotiator during his time in special forces. It was another piece of information that the hospital staff would end up finding out about him regarding his mysterious military past. In any case, The Trenches of Westside Medical Center were in lockdown as a number of gang member patients were instantly evacuated a LAPD and hospital security.
"Let's make some room guys. Give him some space." Casey requested, looking at all the armed police officers and his security team.
"Do what he says! Back up, vatos! Back up or I mess up this pretty chica's face!" he threatened menacingly.
At that point, Casey backed up and gave him enough space. Before he did, he made sure to back everyone else up for some much-needed breathing room. Essentially, it was a show of good faith so he could show the gang member that he was willing to work with instead of against him. Speaking of the gang member, there was a mix of hesitancy, fear, and dangerous unpredictability on the gang members part as he was quite literally backed into a corner. As a trained military hostage negotiator, Casey needed to do five things to keep him from completely going off the rails and endangering Heather's life. The first moment he engaged with the gang member he focused on actively listening to him by making him aware that he had his undivided attention. Secondly, he empathized with him in order to get a better understanding of where he was coming from by acknowledging the fact that he was getting back at a rival gang member for taking out his friend/fellow gang member. Eventually, Casey moved on to building a sense of rapport where he was at right now.
"My name is John by the way. What's your name?"
"Why?"
"Just want to know who I'm talking to," retorted Casey, holding up both hands. "That's all."
The gang member was momentarily silenced as he continued to not only have the surgery scalpel close to Heather's neck but was also using her as a human shield. Fortunately, the sense of rapport that Casey was doing his best building up was working.
"Hector."
"OK," nodded Casey. "Hector. Now that we know each other, let's talk."
The tension was extremely high as Casey was doing his best to de-escalate the situation while he made sure Heather was staying calm instead of freaking out.
"How are you doing, Heather?"
"I'm alright, Colonel." she answered. The sound of anxiety ridden fear was expressed in the quiver of her voice. "I'm trying to stay calm like you taught me to."
Casey nodded knowing there were other techniques that he taught Heather that help her in case she found herself in a dangerously dire situation. A situation just like the one she was in now. Thinking back, he taught her the basics but then provided her with other self-defense techniques to the point where it felt like he was training a new special forces recruit. In his mind, it wasn't a bad thing and part of him enjoyed the fact he was teaching moves that were taught to him by his own sensei. His thoughts concerning his unofficial pupil were broken when Hector uttered the following words:
Who are you, old man!?
When Casey turned around, he saw his sensei standing there and for a brief moment he couldn't believe his sensei was standing there. After a few seconds, he forced himself to speak up.
"Sensei," He shook his head in absolute disbelief. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay put." growled the Head of Security. "How did you even get past the lockdown perimeter?"
"I forgot to tell you," He responded, totally ignoring the last question Casey asked. Afterwards, Bennett casually walked forward fully adorned in monk robes. "I go by a new name now. I wanted to share it with you."
Casey briefly glanced behind him, made his way towards, and stopped in front of Bennett. "Now isn't a good time. I'm dealing with something at the moment."
"I can see," Bennett's attention was averted to the individual who was holding a young woman hostage. "Hello young lady. I've heard so much about you." he added, waving over to her. Although it was a high-tension situation at the moment, Heather actually waved back much to Hector's confusion. Afterwards, Bennett returned his attention to his former pupil. "My new name is Kraisee. Do you want to know what it means?"
In response, Casey reached out and placed both his head on the side of his upper arms. He leaned forward a bit and locked eyes with him. "Tell me later, Sensei."
"No," Bennett lifted his right finger and wagged. "It's Kraisee. It means "Brave like a lion".
"Ok," responded Casey, sounding frustrated and agitated. "Kraisee. Great." He glanced back once again at Hector getting antsy with Heather in his clutches. At that moment, he needed to get the situation back in his control because if he didn't, Heather's life would be in serious trouble. "I have to take care of this situation right now."
What happened next caused Casey to nearly suffer an aneurysm. As Bennett reached up to pat his former pupil's right shoulder, he freed himself from Casey's hold. Afterwards, he made his way forward and that was when his former pupil attempted to stop him. Attempted was the key word. Casey found himself kneeling in pain because the man now known as Kraisee established a pressure point hold. A hold that he didn't let go of as he was making his way towards Hector causing tightened his grip on Heather. Speaking of Hector, he was pointing the scalpel back and forth from Heather to Bennett.
"What are you doing old man!? Are you crazy!?"
"Your center is filled with conflict," Bennett stopped 2 feet away from Hector who erratically pointed the scalpel towards Bennett instead of pointing at Heather. "Just like it was with Alex when I first met him," he added, turning to his right and looking behind him. "Isn't that right, Alex."
When Bennett saw Casey kneeling and the pressure point, he established on Casey's right hand, he immediately let go much to the former pupil's relief. At that point, Bennett started laughing. When he did, he reached down and rubbed the top of Casey's head as if he was a little kid. Afterwards, he shook his head with considerable amusement. A few seconds later he turned around and looked directly at Hector who had absolutely no idea what was going on. That wasn't the only thing.
"Alex? I thought that vato's name was John?"
Instead of acknowledging what Hector was saying, Kraisee changed the subject. "Do you know the lesson of the praying mantis? Alex," He calmly looked back over his right shoulder. "You remember that lesson, don't you?" Unfortunately, Casey was too preoccupied with the pain that was inflicted on his right hand. It led Kraisee to return his attention to mainly on Hector instead of both individuals. A few seconds later he spoke up.
"It's not so much a lesson," Kraisee pointed out, shaking his head. "But a poem. As I recall it went something like this,"
When the Praying Mantis prays
In the pleasant summer days
Then beware,
Good Cicada!
For his pray'r
Is not true.
Flee Cicada,
Good Cicada,
He will prey on you!
Stop your singing
And cease swinging
In the balmy air
On your blade of grass.
Good Cicada, oh beware!
Firm's the grip of his paws
And his jaws
Are like brass.
Small he is but strong,
Minds not right nor wrong.
While you sing
He on you will spring.
He will seize you,
He will squeeze you,
Will in battle meet you,
Kill you then and eat you.
In his stomach surely
You will prematurely
Find your grave.
Good Cicada,
No armada
Comes to save.
Numbered are your days
When the Praying Mantis prays.
Trust him not!
Without ado
He will prey on you.
When he ended the poem, the entire area of the Trenches was dead silent. It seemed everyone including Hector was totally transfixed on Kraisee's every word. However, the silence was subsequently broken by Hector himself.
"Nice poem, vato. Why," Hector continued to point the scalpel to the man standing in front of him dressed in a monk robe. "Why are you telling it to me?"
"The poem wasn't actually for you." Kraisee retorted.
"Who was it for then, fool?"
Kraisee's attention moved from Hector to Heather. "Her."
At that point Hector wasn't prepared for what happened to him as he suddenly was made aware that Heather was completely still. The next thing he knows he's suddenly hit with a swift, hard back hand to the face. It completely stunned Hector to the point where he loosened his hold on Heather, which she quickly capitalized on. She ducked down. As she did, Heather grabbed Hector's right wrist very tightly with both hands. Afterwards, she lunged forward a few steps causing Hector to stumble forwards. Afterwards, she did a 180 degree where she executed her next move. With her left tightly gripped around Hector's right wrist, she swung her left arm back then swung it forward and cupped her left hand in a claw-like form. That claw-like hand grabbed underneath Hector's inner arm and with a firm grasp on both, she lifted her right left. What she executed next was a right knee strike that caused Hector to scream in pain. That quickly led to a front leg sweep inevitably using Hector's own forward momentum to flip him onto his back. All this happened in a matter of seconds as Heather had the knife that was pointed at her now pointing down directly at Hector.
The look on Heather's face was of utter surprise that she actually pulled it off. However, she didn't want to celebrate her achievement right now as she put her game face back on and stared down at Hector who had no idea what just happened to him. A few seconds later, Kraisee appeared by Heather's side and looked down at Hector.
"Do not scorn a weak cub; she may become a brutal tiger."
"Confucious?" inquired Heather, with curiosity.
"Old Mongolian proverb," responded Kraisee. "That or from Kung Fu Panda. I'm not certain." he added, shrugging shoulders. "I do like that Master Shifu character."
A few seconds later, Casey finally appeared and stood in front of the two individuals holding his right hand.. He first stared at Heather who looked absolutely uncertain as to how Casey would react. Fortunately for her, he gave a proud smirking grunt which caused Heather to smile. When he turned his attention to his mentor, he shook his head.
"So, Kraisee." he grunted. Afterwards, he looked back nodding at LAPD and his security team to take Hector into custody as Heather handed over the scalpel to Casey. The chaos that erupted in The Trenches ended up turning peaceful thanks to some unexpected help.
The Present
"That sure hit the spot," She finished off what was left of her strawberry shake. Afterwards, she let out the loudest belch that echoed within the empty cafeteria. The sound of her loud blech caused Chuck, Sarah, and Casey's eyes to widen. Panzer, on the other hand, was seemingly used to it by the expression on his face. "Thanks Hugo."
"No problem," nodded Panzer. He reached down taking the bag filled with trash and threw it in the trash bin behind him. "Are you ready to go?"
Heather nodded. She pushed herself out of her seat and before heading out with Panzer Heather turned back to Chuck, Sarah, as well as Casey.
"I learned so much from you guys," Her attention focused on Casey, "Especially from you, Colonel." Casey responded with a grunt causing Heather to smile. "I think I understood that."
"Give it time," Sarah said, stepping forward and hugging Heather. "You'll actually be able to figure out how he's feeling by the way he grunts."
"Really?" she retorted, leaning back looking at Sarah.
"Casey 101." Chuck chimed in. "Morg and I could teach a class about being fluent in Casey. One grunt you'll learn is grunt #7. Skeptical with a side of cynicism." That warranted a grunt from the hulking Head of Security. "That's #9. Annoyed with a hint of intolerance." he added, pointing at the hulking Head of Security.
"I have so much to learn." retorted Heather, expressing a smile. "See ya guys Wednesday." She hugged Sarah one more time before letting go and turned around walking past Panzer.
Speaking of Panzer, he looked at his counterpart and gave a firm nod towards him. "Casey."
"Panzer." Casey firmly nodded back.
A few moments later it was just Chuck, Sarah, and Casey left in the empty cafeteria. A few seconds later, Chuck spoke up.
"Remind me never to get on Heather's bad side." Chuck mused. "She may be short but watch out." he added, letting out a soft whistle. "God help Jeff and Lester."
Casey expressed an amused grunt after he heard that. He was about to throw a jab at Chuck's lack of fighting ability, but Sarah interrupted him.
"Wow, it's late," Sarah shared, looking at the time on her iPhone. "You ready, Chuck?"
"Give me one sec," He turned around and started speed walking in the other direction.
"Where are you off to Bartowski?" questioned Casey, standing next to Sarah.
"Bathroom!" Chuck hollered back.
Sarah couldn't help but laugh while Casey expressed a soft grunt that his blonde partner deciphered.
"Yeah, but he's my nerdy moron."
XXX
NOTE: I referenced two characters from Chuck vs. The Santa Claus. Lt Frank Mauser and Ned Ryherson. In my story Mauser is a Fire Chief and Ned is a firefighter for Firehouse 91. I chose Firehouse 91 because that was how many episodes Chuck had. As for Mauser's speech, it was inspired from an episode of Chicago Fire when Chief Boden dedicated a memorial for a fallen firefighter Otis. Also, this part of the Courtyard Bench will be winding down and hopefully you've enjoyed it. However, what I have for this particular ending won't have a happy ending.