Extreme Medical Services Box Set Vol 1 - 3

by Jamie Davis

  “Mike has never liked serving our community,” James said. “His distaste for the Unusuals around him, though, dates back to when Brynne and I first met. Up until that point, he was simply doing his job, and he provided good care to our Unusual community. I don’t think he allowed his distaste for the work to show until he realized that Brynne and I started dating. Then it became personal. He has carried this grudge for many years, but it is only lately that he has been emboldened enough to act upon it apparently.”

  “It has to have something to do with his meeting with this stranger that he alluded to,” Dean said. “That seems to be what spurred the formation of The Cause and the initiation of the attacks on the Unusuals in Elk City.” He looked at James. “Are there reports of other, similar attacks in other cities?”

  “No, nothing like this is happening anywhere else. I checked for that right away,” James said. “None of my counterparts elsewhere have had anything like this happen in their communities. They are most concerned about how we are handling things here, and there is a lot of scrutiny of what I am doing to protect my domain.”

  “What would happen if they don’t like what you’re doing?” Dean asked.

  Brynne spoke up. “He holds his post under the authority of another who oversees the whole North American continent. If it is perceived that he can no longer fulfill his duties here, he would be replaced.”

  “So you all don’t have elections like the rest of us?” Dean asked.

  “No, I can be removed by my overlord if they think I’m not doing my job well enough,” James said. “There are other ways to remove me from my position, including the challenge of ritual combat by one of my peers if they want my job, but that has not been done in a very long time.”

  “I’m wondering if your holding of the power here in Elk City is part of what is causing this to happen,” Ashley interjected. “We know that Mike holds you responsible for what happens to Brynne. Perhaps his partner in this also holds some animosity toward you.”

  “But what does that have to do with Dean?” Brynne asked. “He’s new to the city and new to the service of the Unusual community. It’s almost like he’s a wild card.”

  “An astute observation. That is why he is so important, Brynne,” Ashley said. “Dean is the human part of the equation. His unpredictability and free will has been the center of this whole situation. He has been part of the attacks in some way each time. That makes him the crux, the pivot point for things. His decisions will impact all of this, somehow.”

  Dean considered that thought and didn’t like what it said. If he had a decision to make, he wanted to know what he was supposed to do. A wrong choice could have a major impact on the whole situation, just like a bad diagnosis or treatment choice could impact a patient’s life. Somehow, the correlation did not make him feel better.

  “Let’s ponder these things on another occasion,” James said. “I would like to invite the two of you to remain for a late dinner with Brynne and me. We can talk about other things for the rest of the evening. We are glad to know that you are safe here with us for now. I am letting Kristof from Sabatani’s operate a catering business out of my corporate kitchens downstairs while he rebuilds the restaurant. He offered to send up a dinner selection when he heard you two were going to be here to stay for a while. The food should be here soon. Until then, won’t you sit down and join us for some lighter conversation.”

  James led the four of them into the main seating area where Dean and Ashley opted to sit together on a white leather love seat while James and Brynne took the matching couch. Dean never understood the penchant for white furniture. He thought it would be way too hard to keep clean. He thought about this as the conversation turned to more pleasant topics with Ashley and James comparing historical references and trying to see if they had known the same historical figures over the years. What a strange situation in which to find himself, discussing the relative sanity of Napoleon Bonaparte while they waited for dinner to arrive.

  The important thing, as far as he was concerned, was that Ashley was here and safe from any attacks against him. The rest of this he was sure he could handle on his own when it came, as long as she was protected. He relaxed and settled back against the sofa, placing his arm around Ashley as he did. She looked up at him and smiled. It was all perfect. Nothing could go wrong as long as she was here with him.

  Mike Farver swirled the bourbon in his cup as he stared into the smoky depths. He looked up from his booth at the back of the bar in downtown Elk City. He glanced around to check if anyone was watching as a man dressed in a long, dark coat approached him. Mike took a sip of the bourbon, feeling the familiar warmth as he swallowed. He gestured to the seat across from him as the dark figure sat down.

  “Michael, my man, you seem upset,” the man said as he took his seat.

  “You don’t have to kill him,” Mike whispered as he leaned across the table. “Zach is clumsy and foolish, but that is no reason to kill him.”

  “He has become a liability. That happened when he allowed himself to be identified in the video surveillance after the fire,” the man said with a deep baritone rumble and just a hint of an accent. It might be Eastern European, Mike thought.

  “Artur, we could just get him to leave town. That would get him out of the way just as easily,” Mike said.

  “He will be caught eventually, Michael,” Artur said. “I promise, I’ll make it quick. He’ll feel almost nothing. If he is caught by the authorities and talks, he will expose you. I cannot have that.”

  “So what do we do now?” Michael asked. “Zach was our contact with all the goons he had assembled.”

  “You will need to get their names from Zach. You have one day. Then we will take care of the Zach problem and lay a little trap for the paramedic, Dean Flynn. Zach will be the perfect bait,” Artur said. “You get the contact information for the others so you can take over their operations. There is much we have to do while our meddling paramedic is out of the way.”

  “He won’t stay that way long,” Mike said. “I’m sure that bastard James will work to help get him out of trouble if we are successful. No matter how guilty he looks, he won’t stay that way, not with James’ resources to back him.”

  “That may be, but my plans will make sure he is no longer riding the ambulance at Station U.” Artur paused as a waiter passed close enough to overhear them and then continued then continued after the man had passed by. “You are sure he will be suspended if implicated in a crime, pending the outcome of the case?”

  Mike nodded. “It is department policy in cases where a responder is charged with a felony.”

  “Good, then this plan will get him out of the way. As long as he is not responding to incidents and treating patients, my sources say he will not figure into our plans. Even the Eldara bitch can’t help that.” The bitterness showed in Artur’s tone when he mentioned the angel.

  “Then we proceed with our plans?” Michael said. “I thought that with the loss of Zach, we’d back off for a time and let things cool down.”

  “Oh, not at all, Michael,” Artur said. “No, we will strike while the iron is still hot, and get the most from the upheaval this will cause to our opponents. James will never expect what we have coming next, and with his focus on helping Dean, he will be unprepared for our little coup.”

  Mike looked up and shuddered as he saw the look on Artur’s face. He wondered again how he had gotten mixed up in this. It was Brynne’s fault. She had brought all of this on herself, when she chose that monster over him. And now she had dragged him into this unlikely partnership. Mike had to keep focusing on that betrayal. He must stay the course. He would do anything to bring James down. The old paramedic looked up at Artur and nodded, his lips pressed into a firm line on his face. The other man grinned. He saw that Mike had resigned himself to carrying their plans forward. Mike shivered a little as Artur let his fangs show in an evil smile.

  PART THREE

  The Paramedic's Choice


  Chapter 52

  Dean’s eyes focused on the end of the gun barrel. He froze. He saw the finger tighten on the trigger, starting the squeeze that would fire a bullet from the chamber. That bullet would kill him. A loud bang and a flash announced the coming of the slug, but instead of the pain of the bullet striking his chest, he felt a jolt from his right, knocking him to the ground on the night club’s lighted dance floor.

  He sat upright in bed, jolted awake by the impact with the floor in the dream. It had been a dream, right? He looked around his room in the darkness. He was disoriented until he realized he was in the new apartment. A movement next to him caused him to look down and see Ashley lying in bed next to him. The dream receded into faint memory as he looked at his girlfriend. She was an angel — literally. She was a member of the Eldara race that served as the messengers and representatives of God among humans. She pulled the blankets up to her chin as she rolled over.

  Dean climbed out of bed, still feeling the adrenaline coursing through his body from the nightmare. It had seemed very real, more real than most of his dreams, at least those he remembered. Dean tried to remember the details of the dream. It could be important. He hoped it wasn’t prophetic. He didn’t recognize the location but it was some type of nightclub. When he tried to concentrate on the face in the shadows behind the muzzle of the gun, the memory swam out of focus. Whoever it was, he knew they were determined to kill him and had almost succeeded. Then, just in time, someone or something had pushed him to the ground.

  Walking to the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of juice from the refrigerator. He knew where he was now. He was in an apartment in the Nightwing building downtown, a guest of the Vampire Lord of Elk City. James Lee and his human girlfriend, Dean’s supervising paramedic Brynne Garvey, had convinced Dean to move in here. That had come after a series of attacks on the Unusual patients he served with the other paramedics at Station U. Their patients were the hidden creatures of myth and legend that lived among their human neighbors, unknown except for a small group of humans who knew of their existence. Some of the more bigoted humans had formed a group of homegrown terrorists that decided to drive the creatures of nightmares from the community, striking with hate crime attacks against those served by the Station U paramedics. There was fear that Dean and the other paramedics were at risk.

  He walked back through the dark apartment, sipping his juice. He peered through the bedroom doorway at Ashley sleeping there. He was so lucky that she had come into his life and provided him a level of stability he sorely needed during this stressful time. As well, there was the love, an intimacy they shared, that had filled a hole in his life. This Eldara Sister, one of a collection of mythical healers, was currently a nurse in the Emergency Room at the Elk City Medical Center. She had told Dean that he was integral to unraveling the mystery of the attacks happening in the city, and to ending them. He was supposed to do something, eventually. The problem was that no one seemed to know what that action would be. The attacks intensified, driving him and Ashley to move into two apartments here in James’ secure building. Dean felt the pressure to end this drama but didn’t know how.

  He looked at his watch and snorted. He might as well stay up; he had to leave for work in about an hour and a half. Returning the empty juice glass to the sink, Dean gathered his uniform for the coming day and went in to take a shower.

  As he left the station the night before, Brynne announced to him that he had reached the end of his probationary period as a new paramedic at Station U. That meant there was to be a brief ceremony at the beginning of his shift, including the presentation of his paramedic badge, replacing the probationary badge he had been wearing for the last weeks of training. He was proud of having that distinction. It meant that he was equal to Brynne and the others, and up to the task of taking care of their challenging patients - whether it be a fairy, a vampire, a werewolf, or a genie half-stuck in a bottle.

  Turning on the shower and testing the water temperature, Dean knew he should be proud of this milestone in his career. That pleasure was tempered, however, by the fact he couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread from that dream. He decided to let the warm water of the shower try to wash that feeling away. He stripped down and climbed in.

  ———

  Ashley was just getting up when he grabbed his keys to head out to work. He wanted to leave early and stop by his old apartment to pick up some things he had left behind. There were some items that he might need if he stayed at the Nightwing apartment for any length of time. He really should have packed better the previous evening, but he had just grabbed a few changes of clothes and a uniform for the next day. He didn’t think it would hurt to go back to his apartment and pick up things as he needed them.

  He went over and gave Ashley a kiss good morning as she rose from the bed. She didn’t have to be at work until seven AM, while his twelve-hour paramedic shifts started at six. She mumbled something about needing coffee and hoped he’d have a good day, then headed for the bathroom. He watched her go and closed the door, still amazed at his luck connecting with such an amazing woman. He took off for his pickup truck, parked in the secure underground garage below the building.

  Twenty minutes later, in his old apartment, he grabbed a small suitcase and started throwing clothing and some personal items in it. It didn’t take him long, and he looked around at the spacious apartment he rented, situated over the garage owned by an elderly couple on the outskirts of town. The residential neighborhood was quiet, and his landlords were kind. He had to remember that he still needed to check in from time to time and help out with their yard chores. It was part of his lease agreement with them, but also something he enjoyed doing. Mr. and Mrs. Baxter had adopted him as if he were their own son and had in some ways taken the place of the parents he didn’t have in his life anymore. Dean had been on his own for a long time and had thought he didn’t need that kind of relationship in his life. The Baxters had proven him wrong.

  Zipping up the full suitcase, he went out onto the small porch at the top of the stairs and pulled the door shut behind him, locking it and checking to make sure it was latched. It had just been a few nights before when the former paramedic Zach had attacked both him and Ashley in that apartment. It had been an act of desperation, after his actions as a member of the hate group, The Cause, had exposed him to authorities. The Cause was determined to expose the monsters living among the humans, and drive the Unusuals from their community. Zach was now being hunted by the police, following his exposure on surveillance video firebombing a local restaurant owned by a member of the Unusual community in Elk City. Based on his statements to Dean and Ashley during his attack on them, The Cause was displeased with him getting caught on camera.

  Ashley had disarmed Zach, even while he held a knife to her throat, by using her innate Eldara powers to overwhelm him. The former paramedic had fled the apartment in fear. That attack had finally persuaded Ashley that she and Dean needed to take James and Brynne up on the offer of a safe place to stay downtown. Dean wondered where Zach was now. Ashley had announced to Zach during the attack, with startling finality, that his time on the earth was short, stating that The Cause member would not live out the week. She had told Dean that she sensed his lifeline shorten as soon as he made the final decision to refuse their offer to surrender and accept their help. Instead, he tried to kill Ashley. Wherever he was, Dean hoped he didn’t do anything else dangerous or stupid in his desperation to change his fate. Grabbing the suitcase by the handle, Dean headed down the outside stairs and tossed it in the passenger seat of his white pickup truck. He glanced at his watch. It was time head into work.

  Chapter 53

  Dean pulled into the station parking lot about fifteen minutes early, then went inside to see the two nightshift paramedics, Brook and Tammy, seated in recliners, watching some syndicated, reality court TV show. He laughed because he knew they were hooked on the show, and they talked about it all the time.

  “What’s Judge J
ane up to now?” Dean asked as he walked by. “Is she slapping down some idiot who thinks he doesn’t have to pay his ex-wife’s car payment or something?”

  “You have no appreciation of what good entertainment is all about,” Tammy quipped. “Judge Jane tells it like it is and she doesn’t take any sass from anybody.”

  “Did you really just say ‘she doesn’t take any sass’?” Dean asked, laughing aloud.

  “That’s what Judge Jane calls it, and I don’t know a better word to use than what she uses,” Brook, the younger of the two, defended her partner then changed the subject. “Hey, how’s the new digs downtown? Is the apartment classy?”

  “It’s nice, but it’s not the same as being home in my own place,” Dean said. “It’s kind of like a high-end hotel suite, as in a fun place to stay, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”

  “Wouldn’t want to live where?” Brynne, Dean’s partner and supervisor, entered the squad room, catching the end of the conversation.

  “We were just asking Dean for details on his new place downtown,” Tammy explained. “We wanted details on how the other half lives. You know, Brynne, like when you have a sugar daddy.” Dean knew that Tammy referred to Brynne’s boyfriend, James Lee. He was more than just wealthy. He was also the vampire overlord of all the Unusuals in the Elk City region.

  “Oh, ha ha,” Brynne said. “James is not a sugar daddy by any stretch of the imagination.”

  “He just pays the bills and gives you a free place to stay,” Brook chimed in. “I don’t know. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck … you know.”

  Dean jumped in. “You should see the penthouse apartment on the top floor, ladies, all full of artwork and fancy furniture, personally selected by an interior designer. I thought I’d stepped into a museum. Plus he’s got a big screen TV that is as big as that entire wall,” he said gesturing at the wall with the bookshelf and the station’s small flatscreen television.