Warning: If you are looking for a warm fuzzy Christmas story, this ain’t it. Trauma doesn’t recognize statutory holidays.
Disclaimer #1: Don’t own them, don’t want to; the Audi can’t handle Mama Lopez.
Disclaimer #2 (serious for a change): War is Over (Happy
Xmas) doesn’t belong to me. John Lennon created this beautiful piece; I’m
just borrowing it for a while.
War Is Over
by
********************
So this is Xmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
********************
“Hey, Vince, what you got?”
“Hi Johnny, Roy; see you guys got the short end this year as well.”
“Yeah, working Christmas Day sucks, but I guess someone has to do it.”
“Yeah, ain’t that the truth. I’ll be honest though, I could do without calls like this.”
“What is it?”
“Neighbor phoned it in. Said she heard a gunshot...” Vince glanced down at his watch, “...about half an hour ago.”
“Has there been any contact with the people in the house?”
“Person, a Mr. Sam Leonard. Recently divorced, wife has custody of the two daughters, laid off work couple of weeks ago.”
“Oh, great.”
“Yup, that’s what I thought too, but procedure says we have to wait for SWAT.”
“Why, so the fly population has a chance to experience a baby boom?”
Roy, who had up to this point been an observer in the conversation, put a dampening hand on his partner’s arm.
“Come on, Junior; don’t take it out on Vince. He has a protocol to follow, just like us.”
Johnny took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“You’re right. Sorry, Vince.”
“That’s okay, John. It pisses me off too.”
Half an hour later, the two paramedics were returning their equipment, unused, to its proper position in the squad. As they finished their task, Vince approached.
“Sorry to waste your time, guys.”
Roy turned to face him.
“No problem, Vince; not your fault.”
Johnny moved to Roy’s side.
“Yeah, Vince, you didn’t pull the trigger, he did.”
“Found a note.”
“Did ya?” Johnny didn’t quite manage to mask the anger in his voice. “Did it have the usual crap in it?”
“Pretty much. Tell his ex it wasn’t her fault. Tell the girls he loves them.”
“What a crock! What a selfish bastard! If he loved them, he wouldn’t have done this, especially today. From now on, those kids are gonna remember Christmas Day as the day their dad died!”
Johnny spun around and took a couple of steps away from the other two men. Roy didn’t follow; instead spoke from where he stood.
“Johnny...”
Roy stopped. What did he answer to that? For once, he had to agree with his hot-headed partner.
Vince shook his head and when he spoke again, his deep-timbered voice had a husky quality to it.
“Yeah, I don’t get it either. It’s a lousy choice to make at the best of times, but Christmas Day...” His voice trailed off.
Johnny and Roy took this as their signal to leave. They headed for their respective seats in the squad. Roy paused, his hand on the door handle.
“Catch you later, Vince. Hope your day improves.”
Vince raised his hand to the two men.
“I don’t see that happening in the near future. I have to go and meet two girls, one seven, one nine, and ruin their Christmas. The guy wants me to tell them he’s sorry, but you know what?”
Johnny and Roy both looked at the young patrolman.
“Today, sorry just isn’t going to cut it!”
********************
And so this is Xmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
********************
“Hey, Bob, heard you and Brice needed some back-up!”
Bob Bellingham turned from his position in front of the open compartments of Squad 36 and threw Johnny and Roy a wave.
“Yeah, but you’re not gonna be thanking us anytime soon. It’s not pretty in there.”
He punctuated his words with a nod towards the middle-class home the two vehicles were parked in front of. Roy joined the conversation as the three men made their way up the front path.
“What we got?”
“Six victims of a newlywed’s first attempt at cooking Christmas dinner. The couple isn’t sick, but his six older brothers, who showed up for the meal, are puking their guts out.”
Johnny and Roy groaned in unison. These types of calls were a given in every holiday season, but knowing that didn’t make them any easier to deal with.
The group reached the front door and paused to take in one last
lungful of fresh air. Each making a mental note to remember to breathe through
their mouths, they braced themselves and pushed through the front door. Even
with their preparations, the sour stench hit them like a solid wall as they
passed over the threshold.
It was a long fifteen minutes before Johnny found himself outside again, flanked by the young couple. He watched the two ambulances pull away and head up the quiet street; each one holding three miserably sick men and one unfortunate paramedic. After they had turned the corner and disappeared from sight, he turned back to speak to the pair.
“You two sure you’re okay? I could take you both with me to Rampart, just to be on the safe side.”
The young woman answered first.
“No, we’re okay. It must have been the gravy. Tim and I don’t eat that stuff; way too much fat content. We’re both in training for marathon season.”
Tim picked up the thread of conversation.
“Yeah, that must have been it. My brothers really piled it on. They’re all bachelors and, since Mom passed away a few years back, they’ve really missed the big holiday meals.”
“God forbid one of them learn to cook.”
“Come on Lisa, you know they’re a little ah...old-fashioned. Anyway, now that Lisa has joined the family, they figured stuff like this would become her responsibility.” The young man turned to direct his next comment to his bride. “I think you’re off the hook now. I don’t think the boys will be back for a meal anytime soon.”
Lisa dropped her gaze to the ground, but not before Johnny saw a ghost of a smile play across her features. He managed to restrain himself as he said his good-byes, but once inside the protective shell of the squad, he gave in to the laughter.
Man, the guys are gonna love this one. Hmm... Maybe Joanne will
let Roy cook the next time her mother is in town. I’ll have to get him Lisa’s
gravy recipe.
********************
A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
********************
“Rampart, Squad 51”
“51 go ahead.”
“Rampart, we have a nine year-old female, car vs. bike. Vital signs, pulse 54, respiration’s 10, BP 75/56. Right pupil is blown, left pupil sluggish. She is unresponsive to pain and is posturing. Compound tib-fib, left side. Instability and crepitus in pelvic region. No breath sounds on the right.”
“51, oxygen at 12 liters, start two IV’s, Ringers. Take full spinal precautions and immobilize fracture. Is the ambulance there yet?”
“Affirmative, Rampart.”
“Transport as soon as you are ready. Monitor vitals every 3 minutes. Keep us informed.”
“10-4 Rampart.”
Roy banged twice on the back of the ambulance door and stood silent while the bus, running full lights and siren, pulled away. He was still watching when he felt the weight of his Captain’s hand on his back.
“Come on, Roy. Let’s get your equipment gathered up and get out of here.”
Roy hesitated for a moment then swung his gaze to the older man beside him.
“Shit like this shouldn’t happen, Cap. This beautiful little girl gets a new bike on Christmas morning, and by Christmas afternoon, she’s fighting for her life. If she does make it, what kind of damage will she have?” His voice broke as he continued. “It’s not right, Cap; it’s just not right.” He paused, trying to control the wavering quality he knew his captain could hear. “I just keep thinking about how quick stuff like this happens. This family is no different than mine. Are my kids next? It’s getting to the point where I don’t want to let them out of my sight. It scares the shit out of me, Cap!”
Captain Stanley let the echo of his senior paramedics words die in the air as he tried to think of something to ease the younger man’s pain.
“I know, Roy, I know. I went through the same thing with my own
kids; hell, I still worry about them every minute of every day. Thing is, life
doesn’t come with any guarantees. You can’t stop living, or stop your kids from
living, just in case something goes wrong. You gotta let them make their own
mistakes and take their lumps and just keep praying that they don’t get in over
their heads. And if they do, you take heart in the fact that there are people
like you and me out there that can take care of them when they need us. That’s
what we’re here for, Roy. That’s why we do this job. Someday, it may be someone
we love and you know someone will be there to help them, just like we were here
for this family today.” Captain Stanley let his arm fall from Roy’s back and
turned back towards the engine. He watched quietly for a moment as his crew
retrieved the remaining equipment and replaced it in its proper place; ready for
the next incident. When he spoke again, it was with an equal amount of authority
and compassion. “Come on, Pal. It’s time for you to go get that partner of
yours.”
********************
And so this is Xmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
********************
Mike Stoker looked around at the debris littering the road side. A flash of
light caught his eye and he watched as the headlights of the coroner’s
wagon cut a swath through the dark night. He turned and ran a weary hand across
his face.
Christ, I hate working Christmas Day; it never gets any easier.
He gave his head a small shake, trying to banish the dark thoughts, and headed over to help gather the extraction equipment. He passed by Johnny who was standing frozen in place.
Man, these bag runs are hard on Roy and Johnny. All that training and not a damn thing they can do.
He took two more steps, then stopped and swung back to face the young paramedic. Johnny still had not moved and Mike could see he held something in his hands.
“Hey, Johnny; what ya got there?”
With no answer forthcoming, the lanky engineer ventured back to stand beside his co-worker. As he drew closer, he could make out a brightly colored, slightly misshapen parcel in the trembling hands.
“Johnny, you okay?”
The paramedic slowly tilted his head and raised his eyes to meet his friends’. Mike couldn’t help but be struck by the depth of pain he saw reflected in the chocolate brown pools looking back at him. He watched as Johnny unconsciously wiped the droplets of blood off the gift tag.
“Yeah, Mike, I’m okay; aren’t I always?”
Mike sighed and draped an arm across the stooped shoulders beside him.
“No, John, none of us are always okay.”
********************
And so happy Xmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight
********************
“Roy, she’s crowning!”
Roy looked down into the face of the woman who had his hand in a death grip.
“Okay, Liv, looks like this little one is in a hurry. Nothing to worry about though, my partner here has delivered more babies than the stork.”
“Oh great,” Liv managed between gasps, “I’m giving birth to my baby one month early, on my good sheets, my husband, the sailor, is somewhere out on the deep blue sea, it’s Christmas day...” her voice rising in tune with her blood pressure, “and I’m stuck here with Larry, Curly...” She glanced over her shoulder to where Captain Stanley stood inside the bedroom door, “and Moe!”
Captain Stanley, looking more uncomfortable by the second, cleared his throat and mumbled “Ah, Roy, I’ll just wait out at the engine with the rest of the guys. We’ll direct the ambulance attendants to you when they get here.”
Roy threw a grin towards his Captain’s rapidly retreating back.
“Sure, Cap.”
He looked back down at the young woman straining on the bed.
“Okay, Liv, we’re going to do this...”
Liv’s face passed through the red color palette and settled on a deep shade of crimson.
“What’s this we shit? Let’s see you squeeze a watermelon through your right nostril and then maybe we’ll talk. Until then, shut up and give me drugs!!”
Johnny choked back a laugh and spoke up from his indelicate position.
“Liv, we can’t give you anything now. By the time the drugs take effect, the baby will be out. You can do this, and my partner, Larry, and I are going to help you. Whether you’re ready or not, this is going to happen, so let’s just give it a try, okay?”
The answer was delayed for a moment while a contraction took the young woman’s total attention. When it came, there was a new element of strength and resolve in her voice.
“Yeah, okay, let’s get it done. Although,” the voice grew
strained again, “all things being equal, I’d rather be shopping.”
Captain Stanley held the door for the stretcher and smiled down at mother and son.
“Congratulations, Ma’am.”
“Thank you, Captain, and, ah..” She dropped her gaze down to her precious child’s face, “I’m sorry about that whole Stooge’s thing.”
“It’s okay. I have two kids of my own. You were actually pretty calm compared to my wife. Besides...” Captain Stanley’s smile grew wider, “I always thought Moe was the brains behind that operation, so I took it as a compliment.”
Snorts of laughter began emanating from the vicinity of the
engine. They grew even louder as the captain put his arm behind his back, and
gave his crew the universal one finger salute.
********************
A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
********************
“Tina, you don’t have to put up with this. We can help you. We can put you in touch with people who can keep you safe. They can protect you; help you get a new start. You don’t deserve to live like this, and neither does your daughter.”
The battered eyes looking back at Johnny filled with tears again. The faltering voice was so quiet, he had to lean forward to hear her reply.
“He doesn’t mean it. He loves us, really, he does.”
Johnny sighed and wondered, for what seemed like the hundredth time, how a man could treat a woman this way. His tone, when he answered, reflected the weariness in his soul.
“Honey, this isn’t love.”
The woman in front of him quickly hung her head and seemed to shrink even further into the chair she was in. Johnny realized by her reactions, that they were no longer alone. He turned his head to see his partner approaching.
“Ambulance is here, Johnny. You ready?”
“Yeah, we’re good to go.”
Roy turned to leave but Johnny stood and grabbed his arm. He spoke softly.
“How’s the girl?”
“Physically, she’s fine; emotionally, who knows? Chet’s with her
now. I didn’t want her to be alone.”
“Hey, little one, my name is Chet, what’s yours?”
Chet was crouched down in front of the tiny figure huddled on the porch step. When he didn’t receive an answer, he forged ahead.
“That’s okay, honey. Lots of times, I don’t feel like talking.”
Had the situation been different, Marco, who was standing at a discrete distance away, would have laughed. As it was, the emotion he was fighting to control no where near resembled mirth.
Chet continued.
“How old are you, five or six?”
Slowly a hand lifted with five tiny little fingers displayed.
“Five. Wow, you’re a big girl. Hey, I bet you like teddy bears.”
Marco, picking up on the direction Chet’s thoughts were heading, was already on his way over to the engine. He quickly retrieved a small stuffed bear regally adorned with a teddy turnout coat and helmet. Earlier in the fall, the men had responded to a fire in a neighborhood toy store. The owner, in his attempt to thank the crew for the quick response and minimal damage, had donated 25 teddy bears in firemen outfits to the station. The captains of A, B and C shifts had decided that the bears would be given out to children they came in contact with over the Christmas season. So far, it had been a rousing success.
Marco carefully approached Chet and handed him the toy, before quickly retreating. Chet took the offered item while keeping his eyes trained on the waif in front of him.
“Here you go, sweetheart. Here’s a present just for you.”
Chet held the bear out to the little girl and his heart twisted as the shy little hands hesitantly reached out to touch the gift. One tiny hand stroked the soft fur as the other touched the bear-sized helmet.
“Go on, little one, take it. It’s my present to you.”
The child finally raised her eyes to meet the stocky fireman’s. He was amazed at the amount of knowledge within them; knowledge no five year old should ever have. The voice, when it came, was as sweet as spun sugar.
“My Daddy says I don’t deserve presents. He says only lovable girls’ get presents. He says I’m not lovable, just bad. Maybe, if I was good, Daddy wouldn’t be so mad all the time. Maybe if I was good, he wouldn’t have to hit us so much - but, I’m not good, I’m bad.”
By the time the solemn speech was over, Chet’s eyes were swimming in tears. He cleared his throat before responding.
“Oh, little one, you’re not bad. That bear is yours to keep because I’m giving it to you and I think you are wonderful...”
Chet was saved from further words by the emergence of the stretcher, carrying the child’s mother, from the little house. Johnny and Roy were following behind it.
“Can you bring her to the bus, Chet?”
“Right behind you, Pal.”
Chet directed his next words to the girl.
“Okay, little one, let’s go with your mom.”
He stood and extended his hand to her, not expecting it to be accepted. To his great surprise, she snuck her warm little hand into his, the teddy finally held firmly in her other arm.
The unlikely pair followed the procession to the waiting ambulance. They hung back, out of the way, as the stretcher was loaded and then Chet turned to his young charge.
“Okay, let’s get you up there.”
He reached to swing her up, but stopped when he saw the look of fear on the little girl’s face. The pressure of her hand in his increased and Chet swung his gaze to search for the source of the reaction. His eyes took in the interior of the bus and he realized, with the bright lights, the equipment, and the ambulance attendant and the paramedic both in uniforms, how scary it must be from a five year old perspective. He glanced down at her and again met the slate-blue, world-weary eyes. He crouched down to her level.
“Hey, honey, it’s okay. They’re friends of mine; really good guys.”
The child remained unconvinced.
“Okay, honey, it’s okay. We’ll work something else out.” He stood up and surveyed the area. He stopped when he lit upon the big Ward.
“Hey, have you ever ridden in a fire truck.” Not waiting for a reply, he raised his voice in the direction of his superior.
“CAP!”
Captain Stanley, already standing beside the engine, sighed and reached inside for the radio. He had a mental image of the rule book growing wings and flying out the station house door.
“Dispatch, this is Engine 51.”
“Go ahead, 51.”
“Dispatch, we are on follow-up to Rampart, out 30 minutes.”
“10-4, 51.”
Chet and his new friend approached the huge red vehicle.
“You’re gonna love this, little one; it’s...”
A tiny voice interrupted his discourse.
“Amy.”
“What’s that, honey?”
“Amy, my name is Amy.”
“Well, Amy, that’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl...”
Captain Stanley climbed up into his perch, shaking his head.
That’s it, Chester B., turn on the charm. That little one doesn’t
get near enough of that.
********************
And so this is Xmas
And what have we done
Another year over
A new one just begun
********************
“Okay boys, there’s no one inside and it’s too far gone for an interior attack so let’s surround and drown. Marco, Chet, get the monitor and blow out those upstairs windows, then pour it on. Roy, John, take that second line around back.”
In the flurry of activity, no one paid much attention to the
family of four huddled by the big fire engine, all looking totally out of place
in pajamas and robes.
Two hours later, a solitary figure remained. He stood staring at the blackened pile of ashes and soot; all that remained of his home. Captain Stanley approached.
“Mr. Emerson, your family okay?”
“Yes, Captain. They’re across the street at the neighbors. They said we could spend the rest of the night there.”
“Good, I’m glad they’re safe.”
“Me too, Captain.”
Silence reigned for a moment while the two men concentrated their attention on the wreckage before them. Captain Stanley sighed heavily, before speaking.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t save it.”
“Me too, but I know you and your men did your best.”
“Tonight it doesn’t seem like enough.”
Hank Stanley started to turn away, but the man beside him reached out a hand and grabbed the damp roughness of his turnout coat. The captain stopped and turned back to meet the homeowner’s gaze.
“Captain Stanley, you may not agree with me but I see this as my Christmas miracle. It looks like we’ve lost everything, but really we haven’t. Yes, my kids have lost a few toys, my wife and I, a few mementos, but we still have the most important thing; each other. I still have my family. Losing toys and keepsakes isn’t the end of the world. They can all be replaced, a house can be rebuilt. Tonight, we lost our house but we didn’t lose our memories, our loved ones or our faith. In the long run, Captain, that’s all that counts”
********************
And so happy Xmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
********************
Marco Lopez leaned back against the counter in the station kitchen and waited for the coffee to brew. The shift was almost over and he was looking forward to an enjoyable Boxing Day filled with a long nap and a multitude of leftovers. His thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell.
Who can that be? It’s seven o’clock in the morning!
Marco pulled the door open to the sight of a diminutive lady, impeccably dressed, carrying a large food container.
“Mama, what are you doing here?”
“What does it look like? Now close that mouth and give an old woman a hand. Is heavy!”
Marco did as he was told. He had learned long ago that arguing with Mama was pointless.
“There’s more in the car. Where are those friends of yours? They can come and help carry!”
The little figure bustled past him towards the kitchen. Marco took three steps, then stopped dead in his tracks.
“In the car, Mama? You don’t have a Driver’s License!”
The woman stopped and turned back to glare at her son.
“What are you; a fireman or a policeman? Today I had somewhere to be, so I drive!”
With that said, she turned and disappeared through the door.
Chet and Johnny, drawn by the smell of fresh pastries and coffee, wandered out into the apparatus bay.
“Hey Marco, what’s up?”
“Looks like Mama brought us breakfast. She says there’s more in the car. Can you two go out and grab it?”
Chet and Johnny changed directions and started out to the parking lot, already salivating at the thought of a Mama Lopez meal. On his way past his line partner, Chet spoke.
“This is great, Marco, your mom is the best...” A puzzled look came over his face. “...but when did she get her license? I thought...”
A heavily accented voice carried through the building.
“Don’t you start with me, Mr. Kelly or I’ll feed your share to this hairy flea circus in here.”
The two men shared a grin as they went about their assigned task.
“Hey, Chet, do you think she meant Henry or Marco?”
Ten minutes later the men were seated around the table enjoying a feast of eggs, ham, pancakes, fruit and pastries. Mama stood back, pleased at the way the men were digging into the meal. Marco looked up and saw her. He pushed his chair back and stood, making his way over to her. He bent and placed a kiss on her cheek.
“Thank you, Mama.”
“You’re welcome, my son. You boys deserve this; you all work so hard, be here on the holiday, missing family celebrations. Wanted you to have something special. Yesterday was too busy, too much people around. Today, better, quieter. So, today, I bring you breakfast.”
Mama Lopez looked at the table and the men seated around it and continued.
“Son, I look at all of you and I see that you really didn’t spend Christmas away from your families. You boys spent the day together, all of you together, a family, and...” She reached up and ran the back of her hand down the side of her son’s face. “...a very special one at that!”
Marco looked at the tired, disheveled group seated at the table.
He could tell by the smiles on the weary faces that they had heard Mama’s words.
And, because Mama was accustomed to being obeyed, he knew they believed.
********************
A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now
Happy Xmas
********************
Many thanks to Carol, my intrepid and courageous beta reader. Her assistance is greatly appreciated. Also, my thanks go out to Jill for actually wanting to post my story; it still surprises me when someone other than the dog find a use for my stories.
A Final Note: From my house to yours, I wish you all a wonderful holiday season. Take care and stay safe.