Blackburn

As I continue to monitor this call the dispatcher opposite of me, Big Jim who has been eating fried chicken on the job, snaps his greasy fingers at me to get my attention. 'Alright Jim, what's up?' Looking up from my monitor, to see what he wants, he informs me of the call he is on cause it might be related to this call. He tells me that his caller is the house next door to mine and that there is a man dressed in back hiding in some bushes in their backyard. Thanking Big Jim I relay this info to the patrol deputies on scene. "230, 202, ERT, we've just received another call in relation to this one. The next door neighbor is reporting a man matching the description of our suspect hiding in the bushes of their backyard. This is the house next door, 626 Chickadee Lane"

Standing back I watch as the ladder crew gets to work with my orders. As Boorne goes with Noel down the embankment I watch Beard and Wilson get the ladder in position over the patient. It then hits me that the EMS supervisor isn't here yet even though I'm sure I heard O-1 call responding. Oh boy, there's going to be shit stirring back at the station after this one. Going back to the officer's seat of the ladder I grab a bottle of water and take a sip after cracking it open.

Hearing a knocking on the door on the other side of the house I just wonder who that could be. Everyone was gathered on this side where they entered. Heading over to the other porch I open the door to see someone dressed as a repair man. No clue who he is. Maybe he belongs to the Fire Department. 'Welcome, come on in' I say as I wave him on inside.

"And I think this... guy? Though I'm not 100% sure on that part either, is just a run of the mill armed intruder, though I'm not sure where he's hiding a gun in that costume." Hearing Jen say that I pat myself down to show no pockets on this racing suit and then I shrug. No words spoken, just keep them guessing for a bit longer.

Hearing the conversation between Wentz and Steve I nod in acknowledgement to charges not being pressed. Turning back I head into the dining room to talk with Todd. 'Alright Todd, we talked with Steve and he has agreed to not press charges. So now I just want to check if you are standing by your words that you will not press charges either.' 'No, I'm not, if he is not pressing charges then neither will I' 'Alright, with that settled I have to mention to try and keep things calm from here on cause if we have to come back out again then charges will be filed. Understood?' 'Yes ma'am, I, or we'll try to keep things civil from here on in our relationship.' 'Ok, good' Turning back I look at Allen who has been keeping watch. 'Well, we're good to go so let's clear and get back on patrol' With that said I leave the dining room and head out of the house. Getting back in 206 I start up the engine again and key up the radio. "ERT, 206, both parties agreed not to file charges, show me clear and back on patrol." Letting go of the mic I drive off and leave the scene.

Stepping to the edge of the embankment I look down to see the patient stuck in the mud and two EMTs going after her. Turning back I walk over to my crew with a plan that at least sounds good in my head. 'Okay, Boorne, go assist the EMTs out there with the patient. Beard, get the ladder in position over them. Wilson, when the ladder is in position and the EMTs are ready for it, I want you to drop the basket for them.'

'Well, I guess we better go see what Steve wants to do then' Motioning my hand to go back in the living room I follow Wentz behind him so we can figure out how we're going to handle this situation. It's all up to Steve on whether we are making arrests tonight or not.

Leaving Deputy Hill with Steve, we move into the hallway and I listen to Wentz's words. 'Well, that's sort of align with what Todd was saying. Todd mentioned that these two are dating but Steve seems convinced that Todd is cheating on him. Todd also mentioned what started all this was a call from some girl that Steve slept with and knocked up. Todd admitted to destroying the sports memorabilia that was torn and said that Steve was responsible for destroying the Civil War stuff.' Looking back at Todd in the dining room and then at Steve in the living room I turn my attention back to Wentz. 'The stuff Steve destroyed might be worth $21k but Todd says that he's not going to press charges unless Steve does.'

After the rest of the crew gets in we pull out of the bay and follow the Engine. Minutes later we pull up on scene with Bruce parking the ladder in a spot where we can use it to help get the victim out. Hopping out of the truck I assist the crew in getting the ladder ready to be used.

Seeing Allen in the hallway I wave him over. 'Keep watch on him, I'm going to see how Wentz and the new guy are doing.' Leaving Allen to make sure Todd keeps being peaceful, as he has been, I wander over to Wentz and Hill. They seem to be still talking with Steve so I remain silent and listen in as I look back to the dining room where Allen and Todd are.

Keeping in character of the Stig I keep quiet and simply just bow a greeting hello to Jenn as she comes over and says hi. Hopefully the mall cop will do the talking if a discussion happens. Not sure who this guy is either. Probably works for ERT HQs or something. Well I guess if he doesn't speak either I'll break character and talk. However I would like people guessing who I might be before then.

As I wait on the porch for more guests and the pizza I see Kat arrive dressed as a bat. Guess she's a vampire? 'Hi Hawke how are you doing?' 'Hello Kat, I'm doing well and you? Also we're not on duty tonight, you can call me Evelyn.'

Seeing guests arrive to the party I stand up on the porch and greet them. From the Stig, the Greaser, Spider Gwen, and Paul Blart, I welcome them into the house. 'Greetings, welcome, glad to see you. The Pizzas are not here yet but the rest of the food, snacks, and drinks are so help yourself.' As I watch the four of them head into the living room I stay outside on the porch to greet the others who might arrive. Also I want to be here for when the pizza arrives.

Hearing the tones drop I feel relief that this didn't happen during dinner. Heading down to the Bay with a full belly I gear up quickly before stepping up into the officer's seat of the ladder. As the rest of the crew gets in I mark us responding and check out the call notes. 'Ok, so some lady falls off her bike, down the river's embankment, and into some mud where she's stuck. Sounds like she's also got a broken legs. Can't tell until we get there but seems like we're using the ladder to repel down again.'

Having had no other plans for tonight I decided to accept the Halloween Party invite at Captain Stone's place. Dressed in costume as The Stig I drive up the driveway until I reach the house and find a spot to park my truck. Shutting off the engine I open the door and grab the helmet to my costume. Exiting my truck I put on the white helmet and shut the door behind me as I begin walking up to house. Unfortunately due to wearing the helmet I do not hear my truck lock itself up and this costume does not have any pockets so the keys are left inside the cab.

Seeing Mark shrug after his smile I listen to his response. Hearing his response I smile back in understanding. 'Ok then, you deserve it permanently, whenever you are ready for it.' Well, if he wasn't ready for it yet then who am I to persuade otherwise. Especially when we are doing good right now in our current positions. It was also his decision to make and not mine to influence in any way. Deciding on that fourth slice I snatch it from the box and take a bite knowing that I likely won't finish this one.

Thankfully Todd stops with his minor resistance the further we get out of the room cause I get no help at all with him. Bringing him into what appears to be the dining room I stop and stand put in the doorway to the room. Facing Todd I wait a little bit until he appears calm enough to have a proper conversation. 'Ok, Todd, is it?' 'Yes, it's Todd, Todd McBride.' 'Alright Todd McBride, I need to find out what happened tonight, find out why you and Steve were in such a heated argument that we needed to be called. So I need to ask you some questions.' As I say this I pull out my notepad and pen. Todd sighs and takes a seat on one of the dining room chairs. 'Okay, we were just about to start cooking diner when Steve gets a call from some woman he met at a bar. He leaves the kitchen to take the call but I can still hear their conversation in the hallway. Bastard didn't have the sense to go outside or take the call off speaker mode. Anyways, the woman who called wanted to let him know she was pregnant with his child. So of course I get mad and confront him about it and then he gets made about my collection of Civil War stuff. Like I can't help it, right? I'm a history professor at Crescent Falls University. History, especially the Civil War, is just something I'm into. Well, hearing that I just can not help but remark that his sports stuff is getting a bit big. Things were said and I guess I just got so mad that I grabbed one of his footballs and deflated it. Then he gets mad and rips one of my antique American flags off the wall and throws it in the fire. So I respond by grabbing one of his baseballs and throwing it out the window and tearing up one of his most prized baseball cards. We only yelled at each other more until you arrived and you saw the rest.' Writing all that down I maintain eye contact on him as Allen comes over with a note on all the damage done. As Allen walks off, presumably to give the same note to Wentz, I look back at Todd. 'What was said that made you so upset that you deflated the football?' 'Steve is convinced that I'm cheating on him when I am not. I've never had relations with any other man while I've been together with him. After I mentioned his sports collection was getting big he accused me of cheating on him again and called me a slut, a whore, a tramp, etc... well, I just had enough of the accusations. It was just too much.' Noting all that I ask one possible final question. 'Has Steve at all, in any way, been abusive towards you?' 'No, he has never hit me nor called me those words before. This is the first time I've seen him being destructive.' 'And he never hit you today?' 'He never even laid a hand on me during the argument.' 'Alright, can you give me an estimate on the property of yours that he destroyed tonight?' Seeing Todd sigh after that question I can only guess that he's doing the math in his head. 'Well the flag was old, it was hand sewn back in 1862, it was probably worth around $20k, the Confederate uniform could probably be worth $1000 after I had fixed it up. To be honest I'm not sure about the uniform. The photo, the photo is worthless, not worth much.' 'So the only thing of absolute serious value was the flag? Alright, and do you want to press charges for the damage that would follow under Criminal Mischief?' 'If I can press charges for that, does that mean he can press the same charges against me?' 'Yes, he can press the same charges as well.' 'Well then, if he presses charges then I'm going to press charges too.' Hearing that, I mentally sigh and turn my head to see if I can catch Wentz with Steve in the other room. Just to see how they are progressing.

'Evening, shift has been decent. One construction accident and one structure fire. Nothing major. About to make some spaghetti with garlic bread for dinner, Valentine is cooking.' Leaving out the reason why Valentine is cooking I respond to Wilson while continuing to watch the news as he comes in.

Entering the lounge I walk up to the refrigerator in the kitchen and grab a can of Monster out of it. Cracking the can open I walk to the TV area and sit down in one of the lounge chairs. Taking a sip of the drink I grab the remote, turn on the TV, and set it to the news.

As we park the Ladder back in the bay I hop out of the truck and take off my gear including turnouts. Noting the time on the wall, it's almost 6pm, I turn to my crew. 'Alright, who is hungry? Since I know we have the ingredients let's have some spaghetti accompanied with garlic bread. Dave, you're cooking. Next time don't forget your helmet.' With that said I start walking out of the bay and into the lounge.

Hearing the orders from Stone that we can clear I help my crew finish packing up and then get back into the officer's seat in the truck. While the others get back into their spots I mark us clear from the scene as Valentine drives us away.

'So I take it yours is for your shining, exemplary service, Miss Shiloh Six Heroine?' Hearing those words come out I try to keep myself from blushing while taking bites off my slice until I finish it. Being called that was kind of embarrassing. All I did that night was do what I felt needed to be done and the department just gave me a Medal of Honor for it. The whole thing just felt so surreal to me that I just never know how to respond whenever it gets brought up. 'And you deserve this promotion as Chief. Permanently not temporary.' I remark while eyeing a fourth slice that I probably won't take cause I am now stuffed and not sure if I can fit it in like I would have if I was still pregnant with Luke.

Arriving on scene behind Wentz I park my vehicle behind 214 and get out. Heading on over to the other deputies I key up my mic to announce my arrival just as the door opens up for Allen. "206 on scene" 'It's all this guy's fault with his stupid Civil War collection. I can't stand this cheating shithead any longer!' - AC/DC guy I overhear the guy in the AC/DC shirt say as I step up to the porch. As I peer inside I see another man pop out into the hallway. He's wearing a Gettysburg t-shirt and holding a hockey stick. 'Oh, I'm the one who cheated? That's rich coming from the guy who met a tart at a bar and knocked her up' - Gettysburg guy After he says that he snaps the hockey stick in two and tosses both broken pieces in our direction' 'FUCK YOU TODD! THAT STICK WAS SIGNED BY MARIO LEMIEUX! IT'S WORTH ALOT! - AC/DC guy I hear the AC/DC remark in horror as he storms down the hallway and pushes himself by Todd as he enters the living room. Following him in I see him grab what appears to be a confederate uniform off a mannequin and toss it onto a fire going in the fireplace. 'DAMN YOU STEVE! THAT UNIFORM TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO MEND! IT WASN'T CHEAP EITHER!' - Todd 'Yeah, I know and I don't care' - Steve Steve then appears to pull a picture of Lee surrendering to Grant of the wall before smashing it to the floor. With that I turn to the others deputies. 'Ok, let's get these two apart and someone get a fire extinguisher before that becomes a big fire.' Might be nice to work the same scene with Mark and his station but maybe not tonight. Moving into the living room I put my hand on Todd's shoulder and start pulling him backwards cause he was the closest to me. 'Hey Todd, Corporal Hawke, Sheriff's Department, how about we going into another room, yeah? Maybe not break anymore stuff and let's talk?' There's some resistance from Todd but I've got a good grip on his shoulder so I'm not letting him go anywhere but out of the living room.

"Copy 201, 214, 206. Marking you responding" Marking those units responding I hear 206's request about the weapons the arguing pair might have in the house. Good thing my call with the caller hasn't ended yet. 'Ma'am, can you tell me what weapons your neighbors might have in the house.' 'No idea, never been inside their house and I don't know them well enough. Didn't even know they had that musket til they yelled about it.' 'Ok ma'am, thank you. Please stay on the line. The Sheriff's Department is en route.' Muting the call I get on the radio to inform 206 of her question. "206, ERT, all that is known is just a musket. Unknown of others weapons in the house."

"ERT, 206, show me responding" Letting go of the mic I start making my way to the scene as I take quick glances at the notes. If this dude has a civil war era rifle he probably has cavalry sabres as well and a bayonet to go with that rifle. Let's hope he's never studied the blade or can't thrust worth a damn. "ERT, 206, can you tell me what weapons they might have in the house?"