En-GAGE-ment–Part 6
By Nancy F. Thysell, the Nifty Lady
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Boring. That was the word for it. Boring. Jimmy Chandler couldn’t understand how anyone would want to be an orderly for a living. He followed the hospital employee around for over an hour as he retrieved breakfast trays and placed them on a towering cart. It was interesting how these people just went about their business with so little regard to everything else that was going on around them. It had allowed him to just blend in. They had tunnel vision. Don’t rock the boat. Boring.
The real orderly was pulling the cart toward the elevator. Jimmy helped by pushing. The doors to the elevator opened and Jimmy thought his heart would stop. The two firemen were on the elevator! They were chatting amiably and took no notice of either orderly or the food cart. Jimmy tried to disappear behind the cart. He didn’t want to be discovered like this. The elevator went up one floor to the fifth floor. As the door opened the other orderly began pushing on the cart, taking Jimmy by surprise. A small "humph" escaped his lips as he awkwardly stumbled into the hall. John Gage and Roy DeSoto gave him an amusing glance as they passed the cart into the corridor. Jimmy stepped back to let the food cart pass. He looked at his feet to avoid eye contact with anyone. The food cart and the orderly went left while the two firemen went right.
Chandler narrowed his eyes with hatred as he watched them swagger away from him. It was then that he noticed the policeman. Crystal! They’re going to see Crystal. And that policeman is standing guard. Damn!
Jimmy wasn’t even aware that he had curled his hands into fists. He felt a tightening of his chest as his fury grew. No one was going to keep Crystal from him. No one! His beady eyes darted around the area for a place to blend into. There was a waiting room. He slipped quietly into the empty room and took a seat near the door where he could watch the hall. He needed time to think. He needed a way to get into Crystal’s room and rescue her. He had to save her!
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Johnny was gesturing with his hands as he and Roy made their way to Chris’ room. Roy had to side step the handi-talkie in Johnny’s right hand as they went. Johnny was in a good mood for the time being. They hadn’t had a call but a convenient supply run to Rampart got him a trip to the fifth floor and a chance to see Chris. They met Officer Byron Young at the door.
"Morn’n Roy. Johnny," the young policeman greeted the paramedics.
"Hiya Byron. How’s it going?" Johnny returned cheerily. Roy just nodded a hello.
"Pretty quiet. At least it was until you got here," Byron joked.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny. Don’t give up your day job," Johnny advised as he stepped past the officer to open the door. Young put a restraining hand on Johnny’s arm.
"Just for that you’ll have to show me some I.D. before I allow you in that room," he ordered sternly. Johnny gave him a disbelieving look. Roy just chuckled.
"You’re kidding? Right?" He patted his name tag and badge. "Are these good enough for ya?"
"Well, I have been asked to see photo I.D.s. Uh, Roy, you can go on in," he directed the other paramedic.
Johnny placed his hands on his hips. "Byron, you’d better be joking with me," the dark-haired paramedic snapped at the policeman.
"Oh, Johnny! Sometimes you’re just no fun!" Young exclaimed playfully. "Go on in with your partner!"
"Well, thanks. Thanks a lot!" Johnny responded sarcastically but he slipped quickly into the room before Young turned official on him.
Chris looked up from the magazine she was reading when the door opened. A broad smile formed as she saw the blue of the fire department uniforms.
"Hi honey!" she called brightly. Johnny flashed her one of his infamous grins.
"Hi sweetie! How are you feeling this morning?" he asked as he crossed to her bed. She let him kiss her before she responded.
"I’m feeling much better thank you! Hi Roy!" Chris answered as Roy followed Johnny into the room.
"Hey Chris," Roy replied.
"Did you guys have a run this morning?" she asked out of curiosity.
"Not yet. We came over for supplies," Johnny told her.
But Roy added, "Of course, Johnny here, only wanted to come over to see you."
"How sweet! I think I’ll keep him," Chris joked. Johnny perched on the edge of the bed and leafed through the magazine Chris held.
"That’s not one of the ones I brought you, is it?" he asked pointing to it.
Chris shook her head, "Nope. Margie gave it to me." Margie Henderson was the floor nurse.
"Well, wasn’t that nice of her. Are they treating you well?"
"Oh for goodness sakes, Johnny! You know very well how well they’ve treated me!" Chris scolded lightly. Then, she remembered to tell them, "Oh! My boss called. He’s sending over my disability paperwork. It’s only 60 percent of my regular pay but I guess it’s better than nothing. I’m only allotted eight weeks though. I hope I’ll be able to get back to work before then."
Johnny became troubled for a moment. "Are you going to be able to get by on just sixty percent? That’s a pretty big cut. Especially since you just got that new pickup," he pointed out.
"Well, I did talk to my dad about it. I think he’ll be able to help some. All the more reason for me to get back on my feet as soon as possible."
"Maybe we should just go ahead and get married now," Johnny suggested. "That way you wouldn’t have rent hanging over your head."
"John Gage, I can’t believe you’d deny me my fairy tale wedding!" Chris pouted in a teasing tone.
"No! Not at all. I was just thinking that it’d be just better all the way around," Johnny explained. Roy chuckled and Johnny gave him a look. "What?"
"Are you sure it’s not just your hormones working overtime, junior?" DeSoto asked with a smirk. Johnny felt the blush creep into his cheeks. Chris turned rather rosy as well.
"Roy!" Johnny exclaimed with feigned offense. He had to admit to himself that it had a ring to truth to it.
"Come on, partner, we’d better head back to the barn. Cap will have our hides if we don’t get our assignments done today," the blonde paramedic urged.
"In a minute. In a minute. Can’t I have a moment with my girl?" the younger man pleaded. Chris giggled at their exchange.
"Well, make it quick. I’ll meet you in the hall," Roy stated as he headed for the door.
"Thanks pally. Be right there," Johnny called after him and then turned his attention back to Chris.
"Now, do you need anything? You have my number at the station?" he asked as he put his arm around her shoulders. Chris looked up into his brown eyes and smiled at him.
"No, I don’t need anything except to see you as often as you can manage," she told him. "And yes, I have your number at the station."
"Okay, well, Roy won’t wait forever, so I guess I’d better get back to work," he resigned himself to the inevitable. He pulled her into a soft embrace and kissed her, long and tenderly. When they parted lips, Chris’ eyes fluttered open.
"Oh, my! I think you’d better go before I beg you to stay!" she said breathlessly. Johnny chuckled.
"I think you’re right. I love you sweetie."
"I love you too. Be careful and hurry back to me," Chris admonished. Johnny kissed her lightly on the forehead as he stood up. His lip was feeling better. He fleeting thought maybe he just need to kiss Chris more often.
"Don’t worry, I will. If we get a run back here, I’ll come see you, if I can, okay?" he promised.
"Okay. I’ll be here," she promised as he crossed the room. They waved goodbye, she blew him a kiss, and then he closed the door as he left the room.
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Chandler paced the waiting room impatiently. How long was it going to take them? He was becoming antsy and he needed to act. He sat in a corner chair and pulled out the fireman’s camping knife and played with the blade. Just then he heard voices in the hall. He put the knife away and crossed to the door, peeking out. That other fireman was there talking to that policeman. Maybe they’d leave soon. He was getting angry about Gage being alone with Crystal. What if he hurt her again? He balled his hands into fists and tried to calm his anger.
Johnny joined Roy in the hall and they headed for the elevator. Johnny pushed the down button. The door to the waiting room opened and Chandler headed down the hall toward the drink machine and away from the paramedics. Both men watched him for a fleeting moment and each had an uneasy feeling that neither man could explain. They stepped onto the elevator and pushed the button for the first floor. Johnny leaned against the hand rail and crossed his feet, pondering for a moment. He stared at his feet. Suddenly it hit him. He looked up at his partner, sharply.
"Roy, did anything about that orderly up there strike you as odd?" he wanted to know.
Roy pursed his lips and then nodded. "Yeah, but I can’t put my finger on it," Roy admitted. Johnny snapped his fingers.
"That’s it! The shoes! He’s wearing brown shoes! Orderlies wear white! Omigosh, Roy! It has to Chandler! Get us off of here!" Johnny felt fear take hold of him.
"Hang on partner," Roy instructed as he pushed the button for the next floor. "Look, I’ll alert security and call the police. Take the stairs, it’ll be faster than waiting for the elevator."
"Right! I know Byron’s there but who knows what Chandler will do!" Johnny said with increased anxiety.
"She’ll be okay, Johnny," Roy tried to be encouraging. The doors to the elevator opened on the third floor and both paramedics rushed into the hall and went in opposite directions. Both hoping that they would be in time.
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Jimmy turned around as he heard the elevator doors shut. He turned back around and took the knife out of his pant’s pocket. Carefully opening it, Jimmy palmed the knife and headed down the hall toward Chris’ room.
Byron Young glanced up from the paper he was reading as he watched the orderly approach. A sixth sense told him something was wrong with the way the man was approaching and Byron rose to his full 6 foot three inch height. He had just placed his hand to unbutton the holster of his gun, when the man ran at him full tilt brandishing a knife in his hand. There was no time to react! Chandler plunged the knife into Byron’s chest and he fell back against the wall. The young policeman tried to ward off the second blow
and felt the searing pain as the blade sank into his forearm. He fell to the floor, the pain of his wounds absorbing all his consciousness.
Chandler sneered down at the wounded policeman as he writhed on the floor. Casually he wiped the knife blade on his pants and stepped over the cop and into Chris’ room.
As Chris had heard the noise in the hall, she reached for the telephone. With trembling fingers she tried to pick it up but she couldn’t get a grip on it. The door burst open and Jimmy Chandler staggered into the room. A scream escaped Chris’ throat before she even realized it.
"Hello darl’n. I’m home!" he greeted with a maniacal grin on his face. "Miss me?"
Chris shrank back into the bed. She was trying to unobtrusively find the call button as she kept her eyes on Chandler.
"What do you want?" she asked fearfully. Chandler gave her a look of genuine surprise.
"You knew I’d come back for you, didn’t you? I couldn’t leave you with that man. Not after all he’s done to you. I’m taking you home with me. I’ll keep you safe. Don’t you understand?" Chandler moved closer to the bed. Chris could see the glassiness of his eyes.
"No! I don’t!" she whispered. Chandler frowned at her answer but instead turned his attention to the traction holding Chris’ leg. His jaw dropped open.
"What did that bastard do to you?" he growled as he finished examining the contraption. Chris was trying to follow what he was talking about.
"I don’t understand," she stammered. Chandler had moved around to Chris’ right side. He still held the knife in his right hand. He reached down and ran his fingers against the bare skin of her arm. Chris shrank from his touch as chills ran through her body. Jimmy found her reaction both exciting and confusing. He couldn’t understand why she feared him. His mind couldn’t separate the reality from his fantasy. He reached up to stroke her hair and again she shrank from his touch. Chris trembled as she felt his hand on her hair. There was nothing she could do. She closed her eyes and prayed for help.
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Johnny sprinted up the stairs to the fifth floor and burst into the corridor. He ran down the hall toward the downed policeman. He could hear the floor nurse, Margie, on the telephone reporting the situation. He stopped briefly to check on Byron. Seeing the severity of the wounds, he knew his first priority was to stop the bleeding. He ran back to the nurse’s station.
"Pressure bandages," he yelled at Margie. She pointed to the lower cabinet by the sink. Johnny ripped the door open and pulled out a handful of bandages and grabbed some tape. He sprinted back down to the policeman and using his scissors, he quickly cut open Byron’s shirt exposing the wounds. He expertly applied a pressure bandage to the chest wound and then one to his forearm.
"Take it easy Byron, help is on the way," he told the young man. As Johnny rose, Byron grabbed his arm.
"Don’t go in there Gage. Wait for backup," Young instructed in a raspy voice. But Johnny wasn’t listening as he shrugged off Byron’s hand. Chris was in there and he had no idea what Chandler might do to her. He had to go.
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Roy waited for Dr. Brackett and several security officers to return to the fifth floor with him. It was a tense ride in the elevator as the men tried to prepare themselves for what they might find. They had all heard Margie’s frantic call on the intercom for security.
Roy worried about what his partner might have done. Had he gotten himself in over his head? Not that Roy could blame him if he had. If it were JoAnne, instead of Chris, he’d probably do whatever he had to do to protect her. He just hoped that Johnny would be careful.
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Johnny stopped just inside the door and froze. He could see Chris trembling under Chandler’s touch and felt the rage consume him.
"Get your hands off her!" Johnny roared as he took a step closer. Chandler hadn’t heard Johnny come in and was startled by his presence. He stepped back toward the head of the bed and grabbed Chris by the hair and held the knife to her neck, his eyes wide with trepidation.
"Stay right there fireman! Don’t come any closer!" Chandler hissed.
"Johnny?" Chris whimpered, her eyes filled with terror. Johnny forced himself to remember his training. He had to for Chris’ sake. The paramedic mode kicked in.
"Now, Jimmy. Take it easy. You don’t want to hurt anyone, do you? I know you don’t want to hurt Chris. Right? You care about her. Right? Why don’t you put the knife down before you cut her?" he spoke soothingly as he moved slowly toward the bed. He held his hands in a non threatening gesture. Chandler watched him warily. It was as if he was trying to understand what was happening and he felt confused.
"Stop right there!" he growled angrily. "This is all your fault! Damn you! You should have died in that fire!"
Johnny inched closer. "But I didn’t. And I’m here. You’ve no where to go, Jimmy. Why don’t you put the knife down?"
He had to keep his concentration on Chandler. In his peripheral vision he could tell that Chris was terrified but he couldn’t let her distract him from dealing with Chandler. That was their best chance. Negotiate. Or get close enough to try and take the knife away from the man. He took a step closer. What happened next was a blur.
Johnny felt more than saw the door open behind him. He saw Chandler’s attention shift from him to the person behind him. Jimmy released his hold on Chris and roared at the figure. Johnny thought he heard someone yell at Chandler as he raised the knife in his fist. Johnny’s instinct told him that Chandler intended to stab Chris and he dove across the bed to protect her. There was a loud explosion, followed by a sickening thud as Chandler’s body slammed into the wall behind Chris’ bed. Blood had splattered from the wound as the bullet penetrated Chandler’s chest over the bed. The wall was sprayed with blood that smeared as Chandler slid to the floor. Jimmy Chandler had a surprised look on his face as his life left his body.
Chris had wrapped her arms tightly around Johnny the moment his body covered hers and clung desperately to him. The terror she felt was uncontrollable and she sobbed into Johnny’s chest. Now that the danger was over, he held her closely and whispered words of comfort. He stared at the lifeless eyes of the man who had caused them so much pain. Now he lifted his head to see Byron Young standing over Chandler’s body. The policeman was pale and trembling, his police revolver still in his hand. The door opened again and Dr. Brackett, Roy and the security guards burst into the room.
One of the security guards helped Dr. Brackett as Byron’s knees began to buckle and they eased him to the floor.
"Jerry! Get a gurney! Roy check him for a carotid," Brackett gestured toward Chandler as he began to attend to the officer’s wounds. Although it appeared the Chandler was dead, they needed a confirmation. Roy gave Johnny and Chris a brief look as he stepped over to check the dead man for a pulse.
"He’s dead, doc," Roy affirmed. Then he turned his attention to Johnny and Chris. He noted a lot of blood on his partner’s hands beside the blood that was splattered over the bed. "You okay, partner?"
Johnny lifted his head again and gave Roy a lopsided grin and sighed. "Yeah. Just shook up. But we’re okay. Aren’t we sweetie?"
Chris still trembled in his arms. As Johnny tried to lift himself, Chris didn’t release her hold on him. Roy turned his attention to helping Dr. Brackett once he knew that his partner was all right.
"Chris honey, I need to sit up," he told her gently.
"Don’t leave me!" she cried.
"I’m not going anywhere, sweetie. I just need to reposition myself. Okay?" Chris finally released her hold. Johnny stood up and then sat on the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his chest and held on to him intensely. He kept her head turned away from the gruesome scene to her right.
Dr. Joe Early accompanied the security guard back into the room with the gurney. Once the police officer was lifted onto the gurney, Dr. Brackett ordered that they take him to the OR. The small group moved swiftly out of the room. A peaceful quiet fell over the room. Dr. Early stepped over to Chris’ bed. Someone had placed a sheet over Chandler’s body.
"How are you two doing?" he asked kindly. Johnny looked up at the doctor. Chris still clung to Johnny.
"Chris is pretty shook up doc. Can you give her something?"
"I think that can be arranged. Chris, would you like something to help you sleep?" he asked the young woman. Chris nodded her head slightly. Dr. Early turned his attention to Johnny.
"Were you injured?" he asked because of the dried blood he could see.
"No, doc. I’m fine. Any chance we can move Chris out of here?" he asked with concern. He didn’t want her to have to stay in this room any longer than necessary.
"I’m not sure, Johnny. The police should be here any minute. Now that this is a crime scene we’ll have to wait for their clearance."
Roy appeared at the door and walked over to his partner.
"I called the station and told Cap what happened. He’s calling in replacements for both of us. I’m going to take the squad back over there. Then I’ll drive my car back over here. I’ll bring your street clothes back with me. Anything else you need?"
"No, thanks Roy."
"Okay, then, I’ll be back as soon as I can," Roy said and he headed out. Margie came to the room at Dr. Early’s summons and provided the sedative for Chris. It took a few minutes for the drug to take effect but gradually Chris began to relax and finally she fell asleep.
The police team arrived and began securing the crime scene, taking photos and getting statements. Several hours later, Chris was settled in a different room. The coroner was finally allowed to remove Chandler’s body. Dr. Brackett reported a successful surgery with a prognosis for a complete recovery for Officer Byron Young.
Johnny wasted no time in changing out of his bloodied uniform into his civvies. Now he sat in Chris’ room watching her sleep. She had been through so much in such a short period of time. At least this ordeal was over for good. Chandler couldn’t hurt her now. He sighed with relief. He trembled as he finally allowed himself to feel the fear he had held at bay all day. He realized how close he had come to losing her. He couldn’t imagine life without her now. He stroked her hair and gently traced her face with his finger. She looked so childlike and angelic. Her innocence made her so attractive to him. She brought out the protector in him. He leaned down and kissed her gently. He hated to leave but they wouldn’t let him stay the night and visiting hours were over. He figured the night nurse Bobbi Smith would be in there at any minute to boot him out.
"I’ll be back in the morning, sweetie," he whispered to his sleeping beauty. Reluctantly he left the room but grateful knowing that she would be safe from now on.
End of Part 6 (Conclusion?)
Author’s note: Thanks to all my fans of the Malibu Nights series because I’m not sure if I would have done this sequel. Hope you like this one as well. And thanks to my faithful helpers Tina and Audrey for all their input and proofing. Couldn’t have done it without you!
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