Water Under the Bridge || Evan Buckley [2]

chapter six

"Come on, you finally have a chance to get to know your brother." Buck exclaimed.

"I don't know it just feels weird to me." Chimney truthfully shared. "Sure, we share some of the same DNA, but he's still practically a stranger to me."

Shaking her head, Hen rose from her seat carrying a stack of papers in her hand. "I keep telling you. Family comes to us in different ways, Chim." She patted his back and then handed out papers to the trio before coming around to Buck and Bobby. "Lean in. And don't think you're gonna send him home without meeting all of us. I know you."

"Uh, what is this?"

Bobby cocked his brow, reading aloud. ""Talking points regarding Henrietta and Karen"?"

"Social services are vetting Karen and me to become foster parents. We listed each and every one of you as references so when they call, I need you all to sing our praises." Hen explained to them.

Eddie stifled a chuckle, "You mean these specific 26 praises?"

A laugh slipped out of the paramedic's lips, "Karen made the list. She's very thorough."

"Hen, we know you." Bobby declared, looking up at her. "We don't need some piece of paper to remind us of your many wonderful qualities."

Josephine nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you and Karen are great parents."

"I appreciate the reassurance but I'd rather you didn't improvise. The stakes are very high."

Buck furrowed at one of the printed statements, "I didn't know you played a musical instrument."

Hen took a moment to answer, "Mm-hmm, Bassoon. First chair. And I was damn good. Memorize people!" She encouraged them before retreating to her table.

"What's a bassoon?"

"I don't...I don't...I don't know what came over me. I...look, he said he was gonna take my house a-and I just lost it."

The man leading the team who was clearly in a state of shock of his poor actions told them. This one they all can concur for running over a bank mortgage representative with his tractor. Surely, the first responders have ran into cases when civilians' brains "seize the day" to result in life threatening consequences for others affected.

Soon, the brutal sight of the victim appeared to the firefighters. Hen, Eddie, and Chimney raced to the man screaming in immense pain underneath the tractor. While Bobby, Josephine, and Buck stood to the side ready to assist them to transport after checking the man's current state.

"Sir, can you hear me?" Chimney called out, landing besides the victim.

He grunted, trying to keep his breath steady. "Yeah."

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Harrison."

Chimney glanced up at Bobby after pressing his fingers against the man's throat. "Pulse is strong. It's rapid." He declared.

"Starting a line. Running it wide open." Hen announced, taping it onto his hand.

Eddie chimed in, "Collar and the O2."

Meanwhile, Bobby called into his radio for an LAPD unit to be sent to their location at Saddle Peak Drive. He casted down to the group working on the man. "Chim, can you see if he's impaled under there?" He inquired, instantly navigating a way to transfer the man out under the tractor safely.