by Jamie Davis
“But it looks like he’s slowly disintegrating,” Dean said.
“Yes, that’s true, unfortunately,” Brynne said. “He’ll slowly rot away and eventually die, or whatever it is that zombies do since he’s already dead. Our job is to help occasionally reattach things to him that fall off and keep him from ending his existence early by choking on the food he can no longer eat.” She pulled up next to a dumpster in the industrial park next to their building. “Toss that baggie in there and then we’ll park and go inside to finish our lunch.”
Dean tossed the baggie of brownies into the open dumpster. He again got the impression he was never going to figure out all the nuances of this job or get used to the surprises it held in store. Maybe he hoped he never did.
———
On the way back to the station, Brynne drove by the hospital to pick up some supplies for the station. They went into the supply closet where Brynne loaded Dean up with an armload of gauze and other assorted first aid items. As he was standing there, he heard a melodious voice behind him.
“Brynne, are you going to introduce me to your new partner? I heard you had a new probie to break in.”
Dean turned around and saw the girl from the convenience store, the one who had seen the stamp on his hand the week before. She was dressed in light blue scrubs, and her badge read Ashley Moore, RN, BSN.
Brynne laughed aloud. “Ashley, you have no idea! Dean, this is Ashely Moore, one of the charge nurses here in the ER. Ashley, meet Dean Flynn, our newest initiate into our little world.”
“Welcome to the club, Dean,” The nurse said with a smile. “I think we’ve run into each other before. You were getting donuts, I think.”
“Uh, right. Um, yeah, they were donuts.” Dean stammered as he tried to free one hand to hold out and shake her hand.
“Hey, probie,” Brynne said with a chuckle. “Don’t drop anything. Just say hello.”
Ashley laughed along with Brynne. “Don’t mind me. I was just checking to make sure you guys found everything you needed. Was there anything that you couldn’t find, Brynne?”
“Nope, I got everything on my list.”
“Alright. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Dean. Tell Brynne to bring a patient by once in a while and not to be such strangers.” The young ER nurse turned and walked back around to the nurses’ station.
Brynne snapped her fingers.
“Dean. Yo, Dean. Wake up and pay attention to what you’re doing.”
“Oh, sorry Brynne. I had just run into her before, off duty, and hadn’t expected to see her again here of all places.”
“Well, you’ll see her again. She’s here all the time.” Brynne said. “Come on, let’s get this stuff out to the ambulance and get back to the station.”
As they walked out through the automatic sliding doors to the ambulance bay outside, Dean stole a look over his shoulder and caught Ashley glancing in his direction. She smiled and turned back to her work.
Chapter 8
The meal that Freddy made for the four paramedics the next night in their station’s tiny kitchen was truly amazing considering what the dead chef had to work with. Station U’s third shift team of Brook Barnes and Tammy Haines entered to the smells of fresh pork chops with cornbread and herb stuffing. There also real potatoes au gratin, not the boxed crap, and green beans topped with a honey glaze and toasted, slivered almonds.
The paramedics sat down to eat while the chef watched. A crooked smile was the best he could do to express his pleasure. It was easily one of the best meals Dean had ever eaten. It was almost sacrilege that they ate such a fantastic meal on styrofoam plates with plastic forks and knives. The pork was so tender that it hardly took any effort to cut and the sauce, with a slight hint of apricot, literally topped it all off perfectly. Satiated, Dean slid back in his seat at the small table and shook his head in disbelief. After seeing the kitchen disaster in Freddy’s home yesterday, he found it hard to believe that the same cook could turn out something so refined.
He raised his can of soda to Freddy. “My compliments to the chef.”
“Here, here!” his co-workers replied in unison. A gap-toothed smile grew on Freddy’s mottled face.
“I appreciate the opportunity to cook for you guys once in a while,” Freddy said in a raspy voice. “You make me feel almost alive again.”
“The pleasure is all ours,” Brook said. “I can barely boil water safely so having an occasional restaurant quality meal here at work is a big bonus.”
There was a sound of a car horn from outside and Brynne checked her watch. “That must be James,” she said, standing and grabbing her purse. “Time to go.” She looked over at Brook and Tammy. “We bought the ingredients, you clean up and give Freddy a ride back to his trailer?”
“Sure, although we might just have to make a run to the store and see what he can come up with for dessert,” Tammy laughed.
“Just make sure it’s not leftover brownies,” Brynne said.
Brook smiled. “Oh, we heard. We’ll all avoid the brownies. Although, we heard that the newbie here almost ate one.”
“Hey,” Dean said with mock indignation. “It was an honest mistake.”
The horn sounded from outside, longer this time. “Uh, I really gotta go,” Brynne said rushing for the door. Brook and Tammy exchanged a glance.
“Bye, Brynne,” Tammy said. “Say hello to James for us. Tell him we’ll come looking for you if you’re late tomorrow morning.”
Brynne waved them off, then left. Dean turned and looked around. “I can give Freddy a lift home,” he offered. “It’s sort of on my way.”
“That would be great, Dean,” Brook said. “We’ve got quite a bit of clean up to do and we should do it now in case we get busy with calls tonight. Thanks.”
“Ok then, Freddy,” Dean said. “You’re coming with me.”
The deceased chef shuffled toward the door. “Thank you for the opportunity to get into a real kitchen again,” he said. “It was a pleasure.”
Dean strode across the parking lot outside their nondescript station and clicked the unlock switch on his remote key. The pickup truck’s lights blinked once. He walked to the driver’s side and waited as Freddy slowly walked over.
“Uh, Dean?” Freddy asked. “You’re going to have to open this door for me. My fingers are too brittle to operate the handle without snapping off.”
“Oh, right!” Dean said, jogging around the front of the truck. “Here you go, sir!” He opened the door with a grand gesture.
“Thank you,” the zombie murmured as he slid into the passenger seat.
Dean returned to the driver’s side, started the pickup and pulled out onto the road through the industrial park. It was already getting dark as they pulled onto Route 40. It was silent for the first five minutes or so as they drove.
“You know,” Freddy started. “You’re not the only one worried about Brynne and James. A lot of us are more than a little worried about them.”
Dean glanced over at his passenger. “That came out of the blue. What do you mean?”
“I mean that James is really old school. He considers himself better than the rest of us. And I don’t think he thinks of most humans as anything more than a snack. He says he’s turned over a new leaf in the last hundred years, but most of us don’t think he’s caught up with current reality. He’s still stuck in the time of feudal overlords and serfs.”
“What does that mean?” Dean said. “Do you think he’s hurting her?”
“I’m not sure,” Freddy said with a creaky shrug. “I used to think she could handle herself, but sometimes I wonder. I said the same thing to her old partner Zach. He said he was going to look into it but then he left town suddenly. I was surprised because he seemed pretty sure that something strange was going on with the two of them. I got the impression he was going try to do something about it.”
“I’ve never heard about her old partner at all,” Dean said. “I just assumed he’d been reassigned.”<
br />
“Not that I know of,” Freddy said. “From what I heard he just didn’t show up for work one day and then they got an email from him that he had to leave and take care of family out of town. When they went to check on him, his apartment was cleaned out. His super said that a moving truck had come and cleaned the apartment out at night. There was an envelope with enough cash inside so that the rent was paid through the end of the lease and the keys were left on the counter inside.”
He shrugged again. “We all thought it was kind of weird. Zach was a city employee and he didn’t seem like he would have had the money to pay a couple of months’ rent in advance like that. It was just strange, that’s all.” They rode in silence for a bit longer, then they were in front of Freddy’s trailer.
“Thanks, I guess, Freddie. The problem is, what do I do with what you just said?” Dean asked as he slid the gearshift into park. “I’m so new at this job, I positively squeak. I’m not sure from one day to the next what I’m doing. I wouldn’t begin to know what to do about something like this.”
“Well you don’t want to confront James head-on or antagonize him in any way,” Freddy advised. “I’m sure he doesn’t deal well with things that don’t go his way. Everyone in the Unusual community knows that. You should be careful. It’s just that we’re worried about her. Brynne’s changed a lot in the last few years since she started hanging out with James. She’s told me it’s nothing to do with him, but I don’t know.”
“Thanks for the heads-up, Freddy,” Dean said as he jumped out and went around to let Freddy out of the passenger side. “I appreciate it, and you can let your friends know that I’ll try to keep an eye on her as best I can.”
“Just be careful,” Freddy warned. “Like I said. James is an old school vampire, you know – feudal lordship and respect and all that. He thinks he’s at the top of the food chain socially and in reality. To him, she’s not just his girlfriend, she’s his property. I don’t think he would just let her go with a ‘fare thee well’.” He took a few steps to the house trailer then turned. “You’re a good kid and everyone already says you seem like a good guy to have around when there is trouble. Do not go out there and get yourself injured, or worse, missing like Zach. That’s all I am saying.” Freddy turned and shuffled up to his door and inside. Dean stood in the pool of the pickup's headlights in the growing darkness.
Dean stared at the closed door of the trailer for a bit before turning and getting back into his pickup truck. He backed onto the road and drove back towards the highway. Freddy had given him a lot to think about. He had a feeling that something was not right with James and Brynne. Now he had some confirmation. Still, he couldn’t act on a suspicion. Brynne was able to do her job and take care of herself, and if she didn’t want help, he couldn’t force it on her. That would be just as bad as whatever James was supposedly doing to her. He was just going to have to watch and see if there were overt signs – not just his hunch and the word of a zombie chef. He couldn’t go tell the shift commander that his immediate supervisor was in danger because she was dating a vampire. Heck, he couldn’t even be sure the lieutenant knew about the Unusuals anyway. He’d gotten the impression that beyond a very tight circle of people, the real purpose of Station U was where you put the rejects and weirdos.
Dean just couldn’t figure out who he could turn to. Then a thought occurred to him. Maybe Mike Farver was the answer. Mike, his old paramedic school instructor, could be the right person. Mike was a founding paramedic member of Station U. He might know what to do with a troublesome vampire or how to handle it with Brynne.
Dean started putting together a carefully worded email message in his head as he drove back to his apartment. He had to be cautious, making sure the message got the idea across without alerting any others who might see it to what was really going on at Station U. That might just end up with him locked in a psych ward for a few nights. That was not a desirable outcome for this situation and it would leave Brynne unguarded. Dean was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t see the headlights of the darkened SUV behind him or realize that they might be following him home.
Chapter 9
After he got home that night, Dean tried to compose the email he intended to send off to Mike Farver. He couldn’t figure out how to state the problem as he didn’t have any proof. He hadn’t seen any physical signs of injury. He deleted the e-mail – for now. He decided to keep his eyes open and see if he could come up with proof of danger to his partner. He would watch Brynne and learn what he could about both her relationship with James as well as the best ways to treat their patients.
The only thing that stood out over the next few days was that Brynne continued to wear the turtleneck despite the warm temperatures. The calls were routine. They dealt with chest pain, respiratory distress, and the occasional assault. In cases where police were involved, Dean noted the same two or three police officers were dispatched with them. They seemed to be the equivalent to the Station U ambulance crews. Brynne knew them all by name and introduced Dean to them so they would get to know him.
It wasn’t until they moved back to night shift that he saw James again. He was working on a patient care report from a call earlier that evening when the door to the parking lot opened and James swaggered in. Dean was surprised because that door was supposed to be locked. James either had his own key, or there was some vampire talent he didn’t know about. The station wasn’t a home or other residence so they couldn’t deny him access. He’d learned about vampire lore from Brynne and found vamps couldn’t enter a home unless invited in by the homeowner or other permanent resident. That was good news. He felt safer in his own apartment now.
James met Dean’s stare as he crossed to the recliner where Brynne was sitting. “Hello my dear,” he said to his girlfriend. He bent down to give her a kiss. It lingered a little longer than was proper in a public situation, Dean thought to himself.
“What are you doing here, James?” Brynne asked. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight. You said you were traveling for a few days.”
“I am getting ready to leave,” James responded. “I wanted to see you again before I left. I also wanted to let you know that I have left Rudolf in charge here while I’m gone. If you need anything, you let him know and he’ll take care of it.”
“I’ll be here, too,” Dean interjected. “I’m sure we can cover anything that might come up.”
“I’m sure you are up to the mundane challenges you might expect, Dean,” James retorted. “I’m talking about the non-mundane things that crop up from time to time. When the cat’s away, the Unusuals will play, as the saying goes. When those problems crop up it is best to let us deal with it, in-house if you will.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Dean said. “Where are you off to anyway?”
“Personal business,” James responded. “I need to return to Europe and deal with some things that have cropped up.” He turned to Brynne. “It is entirely possible that this is a distraction to get me away from my home base. If so, Rudolf will be ready to deal with things until I can return.”
“I’ll let folks know to contact him if there is any trouble,” Brynne said. “I suppose you need to go. I’ll walk you out to your car.” She got up and crossed to the door arm in arm with James.
Before they walked out, James turned to Dean. “I do appreciate your willingness to help out and watch over my dear Brynne, Dean. I’m sure you will do anything in your power to protect her, too. I thank you for that.” It sounded almost sincere.
Dean nodded in reply.
The couple was in the parking lot for about ten minutes before Brynne came back into the squad room. Dean was just finishing up his report and hit the send button on the screen to shoot it off to the hospital and headquarters with his electronic signature.
“What am I going to do with you, Probie?” Brynne asked as she entered the squad room. “You don’t want to get in a pissing match with James, believe me. Just let him play his games his way. I c
an handle myself without your help.”
Dean turned in the desk chair to look her way. “What was up with all that ‘Rudolf will watch over things’ stuff? It’s like he’s the king of Elk City or something.”
“He is,” Brynne said.
Dean started to laugh but stopped. “Wait, you’re serious.”
“Dean, the Unusual population is a very old and established group of world citizens. They’ve coexisted with humans for thousands of years without being known as anything more than legend and myth by the bulk of the population. They’ve done this by governing themselves. Because their government is so old, it is kind of like a feudal system. They have leaders, sub-leaders, and vassal subjects.”
“So, James is the king?” Dean asked.
“He’s more of a Baron actually,” Brynne said. “His area covers a fifty-mile radius around Elk City. Most of the areas are led by a vampire or other higher order Unusual that craves order. A Minotaur rules Washington, DC and its surroundings.”
“So what is it that James does as the leader of the Elk City Unusual population?” Dean asked.
“He makes sure that no one draws undue attention to themselves for starters,” Brynne said. “Anonymity is key to their being able to coexist peacefully with humans. Anything that threatens that anonymity is cause for action by the Unusual leadership. He also acts as Judge for high and low justice when there is a dispute between Unusuals in the region.”
“Why don’t they just take their arguments to court like the rest of us?” Dean asked.
“That’s a remedy they might use for a dispute with a normal human.” Brynne replied. “But when they have a dispute with each other, they turn to the local leadership for a judgment. It’s much faster than human courts, and the decisions are final. There are rarely appeals to the decisions of the local Barons. You have the right to appeal but if you choose to bother the higher authorities at the national level and you lose your appeal, the consequences can be severe. It deters all but the most desperate cases from going higher.”