by Jamie Davis
19
The van ride back to the city was quiet after they left the scene of the fire. The CERT team members were subdued by what they had witnessed that evening. Dean knew they needed him to do something about it. He wondered aloud if there was a place they could go and get a bite to eat, sit down and talk. It was nearly three in the morning, and all the restaurants were long closed. He didn’t want to go to some diner and talk. Dean felt like it needed to be something special.
“There’s always The Irish Shop downtown,” Gibbie offered.
Dean knew the place. It was an Irish gift shop in the main street shopping district. He’d never been inside, but he was pretty sure it didn’t have a restaurant, at least not one that was open this late. He told Gibbie as much.
“No, we just use the portal there and visit the pub on the other side. They should be up and serving a nice Irish breakfast by now,” Gibbie said, checking his watch. “They are five hours ahead of us, so it’s like eight o’clock over there.”
“Wait,” Dean interrupted. “There’s a shop downtown with a magical portal leading to Ireland? Don’t you need a passport or something?”
“Not if you don’t leave the pub,” Gibbie said matter-of-factly. “It’s just there as a convenience to the owner. He’s a leprechaun who set up shop over here. He needed a connection to the homeland to keep his magic juiced up.”
“Well, if that’s the case, that would be perfect,” Dean said. “To The Irish Shop, driver.”
Dean sensed the mood lighten as the rest of the group anticipated this side trip for breakfast. It would be perfect for their after-action debriefing. He looked back at the group seated in the seats behind him. Marian had resumed her normal position on the edge of the seat, leaning forward in the pose he expected from her. When they left the Barrens, she had been slouched back in the seat just staring at something on her phone screen. The dryad twins, Wim and Dora, started chattering about what they would get for breakfast. Kristof smiled back at him, and even Gibbie was showing signs of good cheer, humming quietly as he drove back to the city. Dean decided it was a good sign of life with the whole team that they were excited to do something new together after the events earlier in the evening.
Gibbie drove them downtown to the shopping district. The Irish Shop was located next to the old Elk City Pharmacy and Lunch Counter storefront downtown. Gibbie pulled up on the curbside parking out in front of the specialty gift shop. At this hour, street parking was not a problem. The vampire pulled out his cell phone and selected a number from his contacts. He waited for someone to pick up on the other end.
“Dougie?” Gibbie asked. “It’s Gibson Proctor. I wanted to take a few friends through the portal for a pleasant, peaceful Irish breakfast.”
A pause and Gibbie took the phone away from his ear and rolled his eyes. Dean could hear the voice chattering on the other side. When it stopped, Gibbie started talking again.
“Dougie, I really need this favor. We just got done helping out with the Barrens fire and could use a break. I’ve got one of the Station U paramedics with me.” He paused again, then continued after a glance around at the whole group. “There’s six of us total. We’re parked right out front.” Gibbie tapped to break the connection and replaced the phone in his pocket. He looked at the rest of them. “We’re all set; he’ll be right out to let us in.”
Dean and the rest of the CERT team climbed out of the van and walked around to stand and look into The Irish Shop’s plate glass window while they waited for the owner to come down and open up. Dean could see a sea of green items with shamrocks on them. There were also some attractive Irish lace and linen items draped on a table there. He saw some Irish jewelry, too. Perhaps he’d come back during regular hours and pick up something there for Ashley. It would be nice to get her something out of the ordinary. This place fit the bill. He was still window-shopping when the lights came on, and a figure moved through the showroom to the front door. He was easily six feet or more tall, with a shaved head and a surly look on his face.
The team moved over to the door as the man unlocked it and then stood back as Gibbie pulled it open and held it for them to enter. The ladies nodded to the man in greeting as they passed him and stood inside the entrance. Once Kristof, Gibbie, and Dean entered, Gibbie introduced them all.
“Dean, this is Dougie, proprietor of The Irish Shop.”
Dean stuck out his hand, and the shop-owner shook it. “I’m surprised,” Dean said. “I expected, uh…”
“Someone shorter, perhaps?” responded the man, his thick Irish brogue evident right away. “I know, I’m not what you’d expect from a leprechaun. I’m half human, and that is the half that decided to show up in my size. Believe me, I hear it all the time from my full-blooded brothers and sisters.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Dean said. “Seriously, no offense.” He held his hands up in surrender.
“Don’t you be worrying about it,” Dougie said. “It’s not like it’s something I haven’t heard before.” He turned to look at Gibbie. “What happened at the Barrens? I saw a brief something on the news last night, but the coverage wasn’t much. I figured it was being covered up to keep away from human eyes.”
“It’s bad, Dougie, bad, bad, bad,” Gibbie said, shaking this head. “The whole neighborhood is a total loss, and there are a lot of bad injuries. Plus, we haven’t accounted for everyone yet either. No one is sure how many dead there are.”
“That’s not good,” Dougie said. “I heard through the grapevine that it was another attack by those human thugs.” He looked briefly at Dean. “No offense intended.”
“None taken,” Dean replied.
Gibbie continued. “We saw a lot of things tonight, bad things. Dean here thought it might be a good idea for us to sit and talk about it a little bit before we all went home for the night. I thought sitting in an Irish pub like Mulligan’s over breakfast might be a good change of pace.”
“I suppose it might be at that,” Dougie said, smiling. “A bit of the Irish morning sunshine can brighten any soul. Alright, follow me.”
The large half-leprechaun led the group back to the rear of the shop. They went behind the sales counter to the back of the store and into the storage area for the store out front. There were shelves lining the walls with all sorts of knickknacks, and boxes stacked everywhere. The most notable thing in the room was the large, bright green door set in one wall. It was the sort of green that was the color of new grass shoots coming up in the spring. It was also hard to stare at for any length of time. Dean found he couldn’t look right at the door for long without seeing it sort of waver or move, with a haze coming over it like you saw on a distant highway when it was baked with sunlight on a hot day. Dougie took a large iron key from his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole below the door’s antique white porcelain knob. Turning the lock, he removed the key and handed it to Gibbie.
“When you come back, Gibson, leave the key on the counter by the cash register and make sure the door latches out front when you leave,” Dougie said. “I’m going back to bed. I’m not a creature of the night as you are.”
The team members all murmured their thanks as the shop’s proprietor left them standing there. Then they all stood back as Gibbie pulled the door open. On the other side was a small room with a worn hardwood floor. On the other side of the small wooden room, there was a plain, six-panel wood door set in the far wall. Gibbie gestured for them to enter and he came in behind them, closing the green door. He then worked his way through the group to the front as they all waited for what was next. Gibbie grabbed the handle of the other door, smiled at them all and opened it.
Dean’s eye’s widened in surprise. He wasn’t sure what he expected to see, but it wasn’t a bustling pub common room with sunlight streaming in the windows at the far side of the room. As they went through the door and closed it behind them, a woman with an apron tied around her waist walked by with a tray of food. It smelled delicious. She looked at them in
passing and gave a smile.
“Just take a seat anywhere, folks,” she said. “We don’t stand on formality here at Mulligan’s.” Obviously, she was used to people coming in through that entrance. Gibbie led them to a table away from the windows and the bright sunlight shining through them. That direct sunshine would be painful, if not fatal to the frumpy vampire. Gibbie took a seat at the back of the table, settling into the shadows against the wall. The other five sat down around the rest of the seats at the round table with him.
“This is nice,” Marian said. “I didn’t know this was here.”
“It’s not technically ‘here’ in Elk City,” Gibbie explained. “We’re in Dublin.”
Dean looked around and soaked up the old-world aura all around him. This was what he would think of, if he were to picture an Irish pub or restaurant. The name of John Mulligan was painted on one wall near the ceiling next to the bar. The place was full of people, and he could hear the Irish brogue in the English spoken all around him. There were people seated at the bar eating, as well as at the tables along the wall where they sat. He was still looking around when the cheerful waitress came back; this time empty handed. She looked at the group of them.
“Americans?” she asked. They nodded. “I’m Wendi. We are always happy when Dougie sends his friends over to visit us. When you go back though, make sure you tell him not to be such a stranger.” She winked at them. “Now what can I get for you?”
Gibbie spoke up before the others could answer. “Wendi dear, my friends will all have the full Irish breakfast. I’ll have a nice cup of hot tea.”
Wendi looked him over and leaned forward so as not to be overheard. “We have several blood types on the menu if you’d like, sir. Unless I miss my guess, that might be more to your tastes.”
“That’s alright, I’m not that hungry,” Gibbie said. “Just the tea is fine.”
“Suit yourself,” she said. “I just don’t like sending anyone away from here hungry, that’s all. I’ll be right back with your breakfasts. Tea all around for the rest of you, too, or would you prefer coffee? Our barista is quite accomplished. Better than that overpriced Starbucks stuff.”
“I think coffee would be nice,” Dean said. Wendi nodded and went back to the kitchen to get their orders started. He would have to remember this place. Maybe he could bring Ashley here sometime when things calmed down. He looked around at the CERT team. He was happy to see they seemed much more relaxed. This change of pace had been a perfect choice. Gibbie had been right, and Dean would have to remember to tell him that later. He let the small talk continue, listening as the twins shared their thoughts on the best local Elk City night spots for young adults while Marian listened, perched on the edge of her seat, as usual. He caught Gibbie’s eye at one point and nodded his approval. The vampire returned his grin.
It didn’t take too long for Wendi to return with their breakfasts. Each of them got a plate full of food including two fried eggs, pork sausages, fried potato hash, and toast. When the plate was set in front of him, Dean’s stomach growled loud enough for the others to hear.
“Someone’s hungry,” Wendi said with a laugh. “There’s more where that came from, so eat up. We don’t like to send anyone away without a full belly.” She set the steaming coffee cups in front of each of them and left a small bowl full of sugar and sweetener packets, along with a small white pitcher of fresh cream.
They all dug into their plates as soon as the waitress left. Gibbie sipped his tea and watched as the others devoured the food in front of them. Dean knew that nothing made him hungrier than a long stressful shift of high-energy calls. They all had burned through their reserves that night, and the food was recharging them while he watched. He let them settle into some normal conversations as they ate. They chatted about life in general until their plates were empty. Dean decided it was time to debrief them and talk about the events of the fire.
“I’m glad you’re feeling a little better,” Dean said. “The addition of some calories back to your systems, as well as some fluids, is healing. That’s normal. It’s also normal to have some residual bad feelings, or sad thoughts about what you all saw tonight at the Barrens. Gibbie is a bit older than the rest of us, and he has seen the most so I’ll ask him to go first and share his thoughts and feelings. You don’t all have to take a turn - but it helps, I assure you.” Dean looked to Gibbie and the vampire nodded.
“I am not new to death and dying,” Gibbie began. “I am a vampire and, on top of that, I’m more than four hundred-years-old. I’ve seen people die in a variety of ways, from illness and disease, as well as from injury. Saying that, though, I have to say that tonight is one of the more horrific things I’ve ever seen. Maybe it’s because fire is one of the few things a vampire has to be afraid of, or maybe it’s because the smell of burned flesh seems to stick with you for a long time. All I know is, what I’ve seen tonight will stay with me for a while.”
“Thanks, Gibbie,” Dean said. He looked at the others. “I’ll go next while you all decide if you want to take a turn.” He then proceeded to tell them about Nura and how he found baby Flynn. He had tears in his eyes by the time he was finished, and the others were struggling with tears of their own. “Would anyone else like to go next?”
Marian spoke up before either of the twins could answer. “I’m just mad. I mean I’m really pissed off.” She leaned forward and continued with a harsh whisper. “I want to find the people who did this, shift to wolf form, and tear them to bits. I don’t think that they understand what could happen to them when they came after one of the pack. Those fairy-folk aren’t technically part of the pack, but they might as well be. If they came after us directly, it would be a lot different than attacking a community of fairies. That is what I have to say.” Her eyes had taken on a feral gleam while she was talking, and he thought he saw her canines elongate, and her fingernails start to lengthen to claws. Dean needed to calm her down, or there was going to be an incident with a teenaged American Werewolf in Dublin.
“What you are feeling, Marian, is completely normal,” Dean said, trying to soothe with his voice. He hoped it was working. “I’m angry, too. I want to change what happened. I want Nura to live to see her baby grow up, maybe to be a paramedic like me. Anger is part of what you should be feeling right now. I’m glad you shared with us.” He finished with a friendly grin at her.
She nodded and returned his grin with one of her own. She seemed to calm down a bit, but he would have to watch her closely to make sure she didn’t carry this inside for too long. He knew adolescent lycans were pretty volatile. Brynne had taught him that they were difficult to control and often lacked the self-restraint to keep from shifting in stressful situations. He had not considered that when taking her out on patrols in the evenings. The stress from this night’s incidents could add to that volatility. He would have to say something to her parents when he and Gibbie dropped her off. Wim cleared her throat, and Dean looked at her with a smile.
“I think that I was most upset because I could see it happening to me,” the dryad said. “The trees all around the Barrens, and in among the trailers were crying out in pain from the fire. Many were injured like the people.”
“Yes, I was most upset by the trees,” Dora said. “I mean, the dead bodies were awful, but all I could hear was the trees crying out in agony. Is that wrong?”
“There isn’t any right or wrong in this, Dora,” Dean said. “We all respond differently to this type of thing. Some of us feel anger, some fear, and some, sorrow. You are more connected to the trees and feel their pain in this event. There is no right or wrong answer, and your feelings may evolve or change over time as you talk with others about this, and you should try to talk about it. I’m not asking you to violate patient privacy. But you can describe your feelings, and how what you saw makes you feel while your brain tries to process it all. That’s what I want you to take away from this breakfast and debriefing. Plus, remember that my door is always open for you if you de
cide you need to talk one on one some more with someone who was there with you.”
They all looked at him and nodded in understanding. At least, that is what he thought they were showing. They could all still be in shock. He wasn’t a trained counselor and was nearly as new to all of this as they were. He would keep an eye on them moving forward and check with James to see if other, professional resources could be made available. Wendi came around then and took their empty plates, asking if they wanted anything else. He suggested that they would just like the check. It was time for them to all return to Elk City and the problems that they had left behind there. At least they had gotten away temporarily. It was a start.
20
Their return through the magical portal to The Irish Shop in Elk City was uneventful. They had spent an hour and a half in the Irish pub on the other side, and it had created the desired effect as far as Dean was concerned. The team was laughing and joking with each other again, and the haunted looks they had before breakfast were gone for the most part. He wasn’t so naive as to believe that the trauma was completely healed. They were going to need more time to process what they had seen at the Barrens fire, but this was a start for them to realize that their lives would go on, that they could go on.