Chapter 2

Ron spotted him and said, “Guys, I want you to welcome Brody Murphy to our little band. Brody is an RN, and will be my new helper on the EMT wagon. I don’t expect you to remember everyone’s name, Brody; but from my left, you’re looking at Harry, Jonas, Monty, and Parker. The captain you already know. Now have a seat and help yourself to breakfast. If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to eat without interruption.”

“Without interruption?” Brody said.

“Calls to the fire department seem to have a habit of coming at mealtimes.”

Brody looked at the serving dishes in front of him and quickly selected scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, and bacon.

One of the men said, “So, Brody, do you have a girlfriend?”

“I hope so.”

“You hope so?”

“Well, I’ve been dating someone for a couple of years. She’s visiting family in Iowa at the moment, and when she comes home next week, we might have a problem.”

“Mind if I ask why?”

“Yeah. She didn’t want me to take this job, and she’ll be pissed when she finds out I took it.”

Jonas, the first guy he’d met, said, “If she’s a control freak, then good riddance.”

“That’s easier said than done, Jonas,” one of the men said.

“Yeah,” Jonas said, “but in the long run it’s for the best. I speak from bitter experience.”

“That’s right,” Monty said. “I remember that blonde bitch who gave you so much grief about your job.”

“She’s giving someone else grief these days,” Jonas said.

“Don’t let these guys get you down, Brody,” Ron said. “They’re a bunch of cynics.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“You young guys are all so polite,” one of the men said.

“Yeah, but he’ll get over it in a hurry,” someone else said.

Body had just finished his breakfast when Ron said, “Take your plate to the sink and rinse it off, Brody. You’ll get your turn at KP duty, but not today.”

“Where are you going to start him, Ron?” the captain said.

“He needs to know where to find things in a hurry,” Ron said, “so we’re going to inventory the ambulance.”

2

RON LED BRODY back to the bedroom. “Need to brush your teeth?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good. While you’re doing that, I’ll get you a regulation T-shirt.”

When Brody returned from the bathroom, Ron was holding up a dark blue T-shirt containing the Fire Department’s logo. He tossed it to Brody, who removed his own polo shirt and pulled the new garment over his head.

“Fit okay?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I guessed you’d be a perfect medium. Let’s go out to the garage.”

Brody followed Ron to the garage, and they opened the rear doors of the EMT vehicle. Ron handed him a clipboard, and Brody said, “What’s this?”

“This is a list of every item we should have in stock, along with the mandated quantity. Look at the compartments on both sides of the interior. There are labels on each of the doors. The list on the clipboard starts with the compartments at the rear to your left, and works its way clockwise around the truck. Read the list on the clipboard, starting from the top.”

Brody began to read the list of medical items, and Ron counted the quantity on hand of each. They were almost to the bottom of the list when a loud bell rang in the garage.

“Let’s go, Brody, that’s our signal that a call has come in.”

Brody helped Ron close the rear doors of the vehicle, then climbed in the passenger seat while Ron slid behind the wheel.

“What now?” Brody said.

“The captain will come barreling through that door in a minute or so and tell us where to go.”

Brody looked around the ambulance at the nearest fire truck. The other guys were jumping into the boots and overalls that were already in place beside the truck, then climbing into positions on the vehicle. The captain hurried through the doors and handed one of the firemen a slip of paper, then he handed Ron another. All he said was, “There’s a three vehicle pileup at that address. Go.”

Ron pulled the ambulance out of the garage bay and headed toward the highway.

“In case you’re wondering,” he said, “we always send out two vehicles on every call.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s policy, and a good one—you never know quite what to expect when you arrive at a call. For example, with any wrecked car, there’s always a danger of fire and leaking and/or exploding gas tanks; and more than one car increases the risk.”

“That makes sense.”

The radio crackled and came to life. “Heads up, guys. Units from another station have also been dispatched to this call. The FHP (Florida Highway Patrol) says there are multiple injuries.”

Ron grabbed the mike. “Roger that, captain.” He replaced the mike in its holder and turned to Brody. “I’ll give you a chance to practice driving this beast later.”

“Yes, Sir,” Brody said. “I realize I’ve got a lot to learn.”

“That’s true, and nobody in the station expects you to learn it in one day, or even one week, for that matter.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Life in the station has a rhythm of its own, and most people adjust to it fairly quickly.”

“I see blue lights flashing up ahead.”

“That would be our destination.”

The wreck had taken place at an intersection, and since the highway at that point was four lanes separated by a median, Ron pulled the ambulance onto the median and stopped a few feet from two of the wrecked vehicles. The third vehicle was on the other side of the intersection.