vii. bonnie and clyde:
THE 118 were called to a hospital where everyone had passed out except on person, who was being operated on. The 118 wore hazmat suits as they entered the hospital.
"What are we thinking? Gas leak?" Chimney asked.
"Could be some pathogen. World's a crazy place these days." Hen stated.
"Negative for combustibles as for now. Mask stay on for the duration." Bobby instructed as he led the team through the hospital.
"Where is everyone? It's too quiet." Buck questioned.
"Probably passed out, Buck." Jazmyn answered.
"Got one over here," Eddie called out once he noticed the passed out person. He bent down to check the woman's pulse and check out the rest of her body. "She's gotta pulse. Pupillary response...normal."
"Help! Please help!" a woman called out in the distance. The rest of the 118 followed the woman's cried. Once the 118 reached the room the woman pointed to the men on her legs. "Oh, help me. They're crushing me."
Trying not to point out the woman's skin that is off of her neck, revealing the tissue underneath, Bobby looked at Buck. "Buck, give me a hand over here. Chimney, you check on her." he instructed.
"What's wrong?" the woman scratched her neck and ignored Bobby's protests to stop. "What the...?" the woman noticed the blood on her hands.
"Ma'am, it just looks like the staff here just wasn't 100% done before they lost consciousness. You're still under the effects of the general anesthesia, which is good. Okay, we're gonna keep you nice and numb. But, I'm gonna need to put a cold compress on your face, okay?" Hen tried to calm the woman down before she looked at Jazmyn. "Jaz, a little help over here?"
"Is there a stitch loose?" the woman asked.
"Look, you're probably gonna feel cold, but you're not gonna feel any pain. We've got to preserve as much tissue as possible when we travel you to a hospital." Bobby explained.
"Tissue?" the woman asked as she sat up and the flesh on her face fell off her forehead. "Oh, my face is off!" the woman yelled.
"Same symptoms over here, Cap. She's sleeping like a baby, but she's stable." Chimney checked the nurse who was passed out on the ground.
"They run the anesthesia lines through the walls in these places, don't they?" Bobby asked Chimney.
"What are you thinking, a leak or a rupture?" Chimney asked.
Buck pointed towards the lady. "Yeah, then why isn't she out?" he asked.
Jazmyn pointed toward the oxygen cord. "Oxygen, maybe." she answered Buck.
Bobby radioed Eddie. "Eddie, you copy?" he asked. Eddie radioed him back. "I'm going to send Chim your way. You guys see if you can locate the tank supply room. You turn anything off that's got a knob or valve in this place." he instructed.
"Pipe must've busted, yeah?" Buck commented.
"Probably the construction guys." the lady guessed.
"You saw construction guys?" Bobby asked her
"I heard them, right before I went under." the lady informed as Jazmyn placed the compress on her face.
"I don't hear anything now." Hen replied.
Once Eddie and Chimney reached the tank supply room, Eddie sealed the valve then help Chimney free the man with a blade in him. The 118 manage to get the woman and the man on to stretchers.
"Don't worry. We're gonna take you to the hospital and they will fix you right up." Buck assured the woman.
"You're still get your new beginning with your new face." Hen stated.
"I'd be happy if I could just have the old one back." the woman replied.
☽
"WHY are my off days the days you guys do something big? Like a shark? An actual shark?" Jazmyn asked as she played the kids plates.
"Yeah, an actual shark. It was...different." Eddie answered as he poured the drinks.
Jazmyn looked down at the plates before she looked up at Eddie. "This is too domestic for me. I'm only 25." she shook her head.
Eddie looked up at her. "You're the one that was wilding out." he chuckled.
"No, I wasn't. I was in a police academy." Jazmyn defended herself.
"And still wilding out. Jazmyn, please." Eddie put the cups on the kitchen table.
"Whatever, you can wild out in your twenties." Jazmyn scoffed.
"But you were in police academy and not on birth control," Eddie gestured towards the plates Jazmyn set on the table. But, before Jazmyn could fire back, the kids ran to the kitchen table. "Slow down before you run into the table, Willow."
Willow crawled into the seat next to him. "I'm hungry." she patted her stomach.
"Me too." Bailey agreed as she crawled into the seat next to her mother.
"Me three." Christopher agreed with the twins as he sat in the seat between the the twins.
"Good, we're all hungry. Time to say grace." Eddie smiled as he bowed his head.
"I got it!" Willow smiled as she folded her hands together. "God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hands, we are blessed.
Thank you, Lord, for this daily bread. Amen!"
"Amen. Now let's eat so we can get you into your baths and go night night." Jazmyn nodded.
Willow poked out her bottom lip. "I no want to." she crossed her hands over her chest.
"I'm sorry, babygirl but you going to bed." Jazmyn shook her head softly.
"But mommy—" she whined.
"Eat your food." Jazmyn cut her off.
☽
THE 118 peered over the balcony as they watched Maddie and Chimney's interaction.
"It's cute." Jazmyn commented as she watched them smile at each other.
Buck looked over at her. "You ever been in love, Jaz?" he asked her.
"Yeah, but never again." Jazmyn scoffed.
Bobby furrowed his eyebrows. "Why not? You're young." he questioned.
"It's different. I have kids." Jazmyn shrugged her shoulders.
"When are you going to put that excuse to rest. It's tired." Eddie gently shoved her.
"Shut up." Jazmyn rolled her eyes at him.
"So, never?" Hen asked.
Jazmyn paused for a moment. "Maybe. Why you asked, Buck?" she asked him.
Buck scratched the back of his neck. "Just making conversation, Jaz." he sighed. Once Maddie kissed Chimney, the 118 hollered the whistled for him.
☽
"I MADE Eddie watch the kids so this better be good, Buck," Jazmyn pointed a finger at him as they pulled up to Maddie's apartment. "It's also not a date, Buck. Wipe the smile off your face."
"Jaz, c'mon we can still have fun. I just need to run in here really fast," Buck informed as he put the car in park. "I'll be right back." he assured as he got out of the car.
Jazmyn sat in the car for a minute until she heard Buck scream her name. She instantly got out of the car and ran towards the sound of his voice. Once she got there, she saw Chimney bleeding out on the ground and Buck trying to stop the bleeding. Jazmyn knelt down beside him. "Hey, take off your coat. I'll take care of him. You call the cops." she instructed.
Buck nodded his head as he took off his jacket and handed it to her. He then pulled out his phone to call the police. "Yeah, I'm with — I'm with Jaz, she's doing her best to treat him now. He's — He's calling out a name" Buck talked over the phone.
"Jason took her..." Chimney groaned.
"Chimney, who is Jason?" Buck asked.
"Maddie." Chimney groaned again.
Buck and Jazmyn looked at each other before they looked at the emergency vehicles that just pulled up. "Maddie. Chimney, where is Maddie?" Buck asked, but Jazmyn pushed him back.
"Evan, this is not the time to ask him questions, okay?" Jazmyn tried to calm him down.
"We got it." a group of firefighters came running towards them.
Jazmyn and Buck stood up to let them get access to Chimney. Buck turned to Jazmyn. "We gotta find Maddie." he told her before he took off running.
"Buck! Buck! Wait!" Jazmyn took off running behind him.
Jazmyn waited by the threshold as she watched Buck call Maddie's name and search for her in the apartment. Once Buck realized she wasn't in the house, he walked towards the table. "She's not here...she's gone." he told the operators on phone. "Oh no..." he picked up her phone. "All of her stuff is still here."
Jazmyn sighed as she walked towards Buck. She gently grabbed his phone and hung up it up. "We're gonna find her." she assured him.
Buck tried to hold back his tears. "He took her. He took Maddie. It was Doug." he stated.
"Like Doug? Like her abusive ex?" Jazmyn asked him, but before he could go on, a familiar voice called out to them.
"Buck, Jaz." Athena called out for them.
"Go ahead and talk to the detectives. I need to call Eddie." Jazmyn informed him as she pulled out her phone from her pants pocket.
"You'll meet me outside, right?" Buck asked her.
"Yeah, of course." Jazmyn assured him as she watched him walk outside. After her phone call with Eddie, Jazmyn went outside to find Buck, who was Athena and Bobby.
"Jazzy. You believe me don't you? It's Doug isn't it?" Buck asked once he saw her.
"Buck, I believe you, but you gotta calm down." Jazmyn looked him in his eyes.
Buck looked at her before he looked down at her shirt, then looked at his shirt. He then turned to the detective. "Can we at least go change our shirts." he asked.
"Alright, but don't touch anything. And bag their shirts when they're done." the detective instructed.
Once Jazmyn and Buck entered the apartment, Buck handed Jazmyn one of his shirts. "Here." he offered before he turned around to let her change.
"Boy, you've already seen everything. I don't know why you're turning around." Jazmyn chuckled as she pulled the bloody shirt over her head.
"Right..." Buck agreed sheepishly as a light blush crept onto his face.
"I've change now," Jazmyn informed as Buck turned back around. "We're going to find her."
"Yeah, thanks, Jaz. I—I'm going to go find Bobby. You want to go see Chimney?" Buck asked her.
"You stole Chimney's phone didn't you?" Jazmyn scoffed.
Buck placed a finger to his mouth. "Shh...you aren't going to tell, are you?" he whispered.
Jazmyn rubbed her hand down her face. "No, but Buck I'm not going to jail with or for you. But I'm snitching if Athena accuses me." she sighed.
"That's fair." Buck chuckled.
☽
JAZMYN waited outside Chimney's hospital room as she waited for Buck to commit a crime. When Jazmyn saw Athena, she put her hands up. "I am not guilty. I didn't steal the phone." she confessed.
"You're guilty by association" Athena crossed her arms over her chest as they watched Buck walk out of the room.
Jazmyn watched as the officers walked over to Buck and take the phone away from him. "Innocent until proven guilty." she pointed at Athena who rolled her eyes.
Eddie walked in and saw Buck and Jazmyn. "When you said you were going out with Buck, this is not what I imagined." he shook his head.
"I'm sorry for roping you into all of this, Jaz." Buck apologized as tears started to form in his eyes.
"You're all good. I willingly went, I might still have a bit of impulsiveness left in me," Jazmyn smiled at him before she heard her name called. It was Athena and Bobby. "I'll be back. Don't do any more stupid stuff still I get back."
"You're not going to put my in hospital jail too, are you?" Jazmyn asked.
"No, I'm going to help Buck find his sister. I was wondering if you wanted to go. Since your his partner in crime." Athena asked Jazmyn.
Jazmyn looked over at Buck before she turned towards Athena. "I would love to go find Maddie, but from what I've heard, Doug is dangerous. I have kids at home, they need their mother." she declined.
"I respect that. I'll make sure he gets back safe." Athena nodded.
"You mean Maddie, right?" Jazmyn asked.
"Yes, both of them. But I meant meant what I said the first time." Athena chuckled.
☽
EDDIE and Jazmyn stood in the kitchen of their shared home as they tried to process everything that had went on.
"You sure you're okay?" Eddie asked Jazmyn.
"Yeah, I'm going to go call my mom. Let me know if you hear anything, okay?" Jazmyn started walking towards her room, but Eddie stopped her.
"Is that Buck's shirt? Jaz?" Eddie asked.
Jazmyn turned to face him. "I can explain..."
ALOHA'S CORNER:
here's my thoughts,
one: not edited as usual
two: i finally updated yay
three: anything you want to see in this book?
four: yk the drill by now, feedback is appreciated!