by Jamie Davis
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The buzzing woke Dean from a sound, satisfying sleep. He was curled up around Ashley’s sleeping form in her apartment. She woke as he stirred next to her.
“Sweetie,” She murmured. “Your phone is buzzing.”
Dean groaned and rolled over in Ashley’s bed to paw at the top of the night table on his side of the bed. He felt his phone and held it up to squint at the phone’s screen in the darkened bedroom. It was four o’clock in the morning. The caller ID said it was his partner, Brynne. He noticed earlier calls listed on the screen from headquarters. He must have missed them. Wiping the sleep from his eyes as he propped up on one arm, he swiped the screen to answer the call.
“Go for Dean,” He said as his voice broke a bit with the early morning lack of warm-up.
“Dean,” He heard Brynne on the other end of the line. “Where are you? I went by your apartment to check on you after the all-call for Station U from headquarters. You weren’t there, and I started to fear the worst.”
“I’m fine. I, uh, stayed over at Ashley’s tonight,” he explained. “What’s up? Why the all-call?” He sat up in bed as he realized that something serious was going on.
“There was a fire at Sabatani’s tonight,” Brynne said. “It’s bad, and I knew you had gone there with Ashley.” She paused for a bit. “It was another attack, Dean. An anonymous email was sent to headquarters with a picture of you and Ashley at dinner talking to Kristof. We all thought you might have been there when it happened.” Ashely had rolled over in bed, and he felt her warm skin press up against his bare back as she leaned in to rest her chin on his shoulder.
“We’re both fine, Brynne,” Ashley said. She had clearly overheard his partner’s frantic voice coming from the phone in the quiet room. “Do you need us to respond somewhere? Is there a call into the hospital? I don’t have anything on my phone.” Dean toggled the phone to speaker mode and set it down on the dresser as Brynne answered Ashley.
“Oh, hi Ashley,” Brynne responded. “I don’t know what the hospital is doing. There are some injuries. Mostly it’s smoke inhalation and minor burns. It was late, at the end of the evening, when two men threw Molotov cocktails into the entry foyer. The staff there saw them light the bottles from outside and cleared out of the area before they threw the firebombs into the restaurant. The staff were able to evacuate most of the patrons through the back, but Kristof and a few others tried to fight the fire with the restaurant’s fire extinguishers before the firefighters arrived. They all had some injuries.”
“Okay, well we’re fine,” Dean said. “Do you still need me to report in?”
“Call in to HQ,” Brynne said. “Based on the photo they received, they just wanted to make sure you were safe. The Chief is there, and he’ll tell you what they want you to do. I’m glad you’re both alright. Sorry I had to wake you.”
“No worries, Brynne,” Dean said still shaking out the cobwebs in his sleepy brain. “I’ll call in and talk to Chief Ari and see what he wants me to do. Thanks for calling. Bye.”
He touched the End button on the screen to stop the call and turned to Ashley, momentarily distracted by her naked form lit by the streams of moonlight coming in her apartment windows. Good Lord, she was beautiful. He reached out to stroke her shoulder absently as he thought about the information Brynne had shared with him. Someone had been stalking the two of them, and then firebombed the restaurant where they had been eating. Did that mean they were here, outside as well?
He left Ashley’s embrace and padded in bare feet across the hardwood floor of her bedroom to look out the window through sheer drapes to the street below. There was no traffic, and he didn’t see anything unusual, but then again, he wasn’t sure he knew what he was looking for. He turned to look at Ashley still sitting on the bed watching him.
“You heard everything Brynne said?” Dean asked. “You heard about the photograph of us at dinner sent in to Headquarters after the attack?
“Yes,” Ashley said. “You need to call in and tell them you’re okay.” She picked up his phone and held it out to him. “If you wait too much longer, they might have the police trace your GPS and come knocking here directly.”
Yeah, you’re probably right,” Dean admitted. He crossed back to the bed, took the phone from her and tapped the screen to call HQ back. He keyed the speaker phone function again so Ashley could listen in. The line was picked up immediately. They must have had caller ID on the line because the voice on the other end knew it was him.
“Dean,” The voice said. “Dean is that you? Are you alright?” It was the voice of Chief Ari, the director of EMS for the Elk City Fire Department.
“Yes, Chief. It’s me. I’m fine.” Dean answered. “I just got off the phone with Brynne. She filled me in on what happened. Do you need me to come in?”
“No, stay where you are.” The Chief said. “Just tell me where that is. We want to send a police unit over to check out your location and make sure it’s safe.”
“Uh, okay,” Dean said. He looked at Ashley. He didn’t want to involve her in this, but she nodded and mouthed the words “It’s okay.”
“Okay, I’m at 581 Fremont Street, downtown,” Dean said.
“Is nurse Moore with you as well?” The Chief asked.
“I’m here as well, Chief,” Ashley said before Dean could answer. “We’re both fine.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it,” The Chief responded. Dean could hear the relief in his voice. “You both just stay put until the police get there and check things out. We’re still conferring on what to do next. We’ll have a plan on how to handle this soon. We’re working with hospital administrators, too, since this might involve a member of their staff. Stay put for now. I’ll be back in touch when I have more information.”
“Okay, Chief,” Dean said. “We’ll hang tight and wait until you get back to us.” The Chief said goodbye and hung up. Dean looked at Ashley. “Well, that puts a damper on a rather nice evening.”
“Just ‘rather nice?’” Ashley asked with a sly smile. “I thought it was way better than that.” She swung her legs off the bed, placing her bare feet on the floor. “I suppose we should get dressed. The police are probably going to want to lay eyes on us to make sure we’re alright.” She started walking across the floor picking up the items of clothing she had discarded as Dean had removed them the night before. She slid on her panties and slipped on her bra. Dean started looking around for his clothes in the pile on the floor. Ashley hooked a toe in the waistband of his boxers and flipped them up to him with a flick of her knee. Soon they were both dressed again and sitting on the edge of the bed in the dark room.
“I’m sorry to drag you into this, Ashley,” Dean said.
“You didn’t drag me into anything,” She replied. “I told you. This is why I’m here. This conflict is important. In some ways, it feels bigger now than just a problem in Elk City. There’s something else in play here. You’re part of it and I’m here for you, but there's more.”
“I’m glad you’re so confident,” Dean said. “I’m kind of freaking out inside.”
“I understand that,” Ashley said. “I just have faith in something higher. I know that I have a purpose because I’ve been an instrument of change many times before. I’m not saying it will be easy, or without sacrifice, but it’s always been worth it in the end.”
“Faith,” Dean repeated. “I always thought of that as something some minister on TV talked about. You talk about it as if it’s real.”
“Oh, it’s real, Dean,” She replied. Ashley slipped arm around him, gently rubbing his back with her hand. “Faith as tiny as a mustard seed can be used to move mountains. It’s true. I’ve seen it.”
“I don’t know, Ashley,” Dean said, looking into her eyes. “I’ve never had much faith in anything higher than me. Certainly not like you are talking about.”
“That’s why I’m here, too,” The angel replied. “I’m here to restore your faith. I’m here to resto
re faith for many people, and you’re going to help me.”
Dean got up from the bed and crossed to the window, looking outside up and down the street. He didn’t see anything this time either but he was worried for their safety.
“Do you see anything?” Ashley asked.
“No, but I’m not sure what I’m looking for,” Dean responded. “I’m concerned about our safety. Someone could have followed us here from the restaurant.”
“Nobody followed us,” Ashley said. She sounded very confident.
“How can you be sure?” Dean asked.
“It’s a perk of the job,” She said. “The Eldara are hidden unless we wish to reveal ourselves. I wanted privacy, and I have always masked myself when returning here. You were masked with me when we left the parking lot downtown. I’m sure no one followed us.”
“What, we turned invisible or something?” Dean asked. He had learned over the past few months at Station U that some things he previously thought were impossible were very possible. But invisibility?
“Not invisible, just, let’s just say that we were not worth noticing,” She answered. “If someone had looked our way, they would have been distracted by something else as we passed by. I have used that technique for a long time to secure my home. It’s habit by now. It’s important to have a sanctuary. I’ve learned that over the years.”
“So this is like the ‘Bat Cave’ or Superman’s Fortress of Solitude?”
Ashley giggled. “You’re too cute, Dean,” She said. “Sure, if you want to think of it that way then yes. Question, though? If I’m Batman, does that make you Robin?”
“Hey!” He said. The door buzzer below sounded and interrupted his comeback line.
Ashley crossed to the door of her apartment in the living room. Dean followed. She keyed the intercom. “Yes?”
“Elk City Police, Ma’am,” The voice downstairs replied. “I’m sorry to bother you. We’re looking for a city employee, paramedic Dean Flynn?”
“He’s here; we’re fine. Come on up.” She pressed the door release for a few seconds and then let go.
“If there’s some sort of distraction field, how did they find us?” Dean asked.
“They weren’t sure they were in there right place, even though you gave the Chief the exact address,” Ashley explained. “If I had said that you weren’t here and that I didn’t know you, they would have returned to their station and reported that they couldn’t locate us.”
There was a knock at the door. She looked through the peep-hole. “May I see your identification, please?” She asked through the door. She continued to look through the peep-hole and seemed satisfied with what she saw because she stood back and unlocked the door, opening it.
Two uniformed police officers and a detective with his badge showing clipped on his belt stood outside. The detective spoke first. “Detective Kineally,” he said showing his photo identification in a flip-open wallet. He slid the ID back in his pants pocket. “Ms. Moore, Mr. Flynn. I’m here to check on your well-being. You were told to expect us?”
“Yes,” Dean said. “I talked to my Chief. He told us you were coming. Is there anything we can do?”
“No,” The detective said. “I just needed to lay eyes on you and verify you were alright. I’m going to leave Officers Burke and Platt here outside your apartment building for the rest of the night,” He glanced at his watch. “As much as is left, anyway. They’ll leave when they see you leave.”
“Is there any information on who is responsible for the fire?” Dean asked.
“Nothing concrete,” Detective Kineally said. “Although, there was a security camera recording across the street that may have seen the individuals involved before they put their masks on. We’ll catch them. These types always make mistakes.” He looked from Dean to Ashley. “Okay, I’ve seen you both. That’ll satisfy the higher-ups. If you need anything or have any trouble, Burke and Platt here will be just outside in their patrol car.”
“Thank you all very much for your concern,” Ashley said. “We’ll let you know if we need anything.” She closed the door and turned the lock as the police officers and detective started to head downstairs to the street.
Dean watched her turn to face him and lean back against the door, striking a dramatic pose. “Oh, I do declare. Here we are trapped in this apartment,” She said in a mock southern accent. “Whatever shall we do for the next two hours until we have to leave for work?”
Dean smiled. He was falling in love with this woman. There was no doubt about that. He could feel it more each time they were together. “I’m sure we can think of something Ma’am,” Dean said advancing towards her. “Don’t you worry. I’m a trained medical professional.”
She laughed in delight and ducked under his reaching arms, racing past him back to the bedroom. He chased after her, shutting the bedroom door as he went through it. This was definitely not a Batman and Robin situation.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Dean’s return to work at Station U that morning was more eventful than he would have liked. The police officers outside of Ashley’s apartment followed him as he dropped her off at the hospital, and then continued tailing him until he arrived at the Station. He noticed another patrol car there in the parking lot, although this one was empty. He waved at the officers who had been outside of Ashley’s apartment as he climbed out of his pickup. He walked over to the station doors, used his key to unlock it and went inside to the squad room.
There was another police officer seated in the station in one of the recliners. He looked up as Dean entered, noticed his uniform, nodded and went back to looking at the tablet computer he was holding. Brynne was already there, and Bill and Lynne were packing up their stuff to leave. Freddy was in the kitchenette whipping up breakfast. It filled the squad room with delicious smells of food that had his mouth watering.
“Hi guys,” He said. “Exciting night, I guess?”
“Dean, you have no idea,” Bill said. “We’ve had police following us everywhere since the fire. Luckily we didn’t have any calls. I’m afraid we’ll scare away some of our patients.”
Lynne came over and nodded to the police officer on the recliner. “Officer Waters is here watching the station. His replacement will come by around lunchtime.”
Dean went over and the officer set a plate of what looked like a western omelette down to reach up and shake his offered hand. “Dean,” He said, “Dean Flynn.”
“I recognized you from your photo,” Officer Waters said. “We’ve had people looking for you most of the night. I’m Rick.” He picked up his plate and took another bite. “I have to say, you paramedics have it nice here. You have your own live-in chef and everything.”
“Freddy is in between homes for a while, and we couldn’t just have him out scaring kids on the street.”
“That’s for sure,” the officer replied. “I’m just glad nothing happened to you. After that photo of you and your date came in to Headquarters following the fire, we weren’t sure what had happened.”
“We’re both fine,” Dean replied. “We didn’t even know anything was wrong until my partner finally got through to me on my phone. I’m a pretty sound sleeper, so I didn’t wake up for the other calls.”
Bill and Lynne were headed out to the parking lot to leave, and Rick got up to follow them and check on things out there. Dean looked at his partner across the room after the officer left the squad room.
“What’s happening out there, Brynne?” Dean asked her. “This is crazy. Does James know anything?”
She looked up from where she was sitting in front of the computer. “He’s been talking to police and fire department leaders, as well as the Mayor. They’ve all assured him that they will protect the Unusual community,” Brynne said. “James isn’t taking any chances, though. He has beefed up security for his properties and Rudy has called in outlying members of the pack for additional support.” Rudolf, or just Rudy to his friends, was James’ second in command for the Elk Cit
y area. He was also a werewolf and the pack leader for the region.
“James is most worried that there’s going to be an open confrontation that will get caught on someone’s cell phone video and posted on the internet,” She continued. “Some of Rudy’s pack are making statements that they’ll do whatever they have to do to protect themselves. You can’t blame them.” Her phone chirped, and she glanced at it and froze.
“Damn.”
“What?” Dean asked. “Is that James?”
“Yeah. He just sent me some still frames of some surveillance or security video from last night before the fire.” Brynne said. “Here, take a look.” She turned her smartphone screen and showed him a photo there. Dean instantly recognized his paramedic predecessor in this job, Zach, and some other guy, dressed all in black on a stretch of sidewalk downtown.
“Well, that seals it,” Dean said. “If Zach’s involved, there’s now a tie-in to me.” He shook his head and looked away. Was all of this somehow his fault? If he had handled things differently when Zach first reached out to him, would events have turned out differently?
Brynne must’ve been channeling James’ mind reading capabilities. “Hey, probie!” She said sternly. “This is not your fault. That guy was messed up and he will answer for it. He should have never been put in this job.”
“Well, I was supposed to be his messed up replacement,” Dean said. “We know that Mike’s tied up with this somehow even if the Chief isn’t sure. He recommended me for the job. Clearly he thought I would follow in Zach’s footsteps.”
“And yet you didn’t,” Brynne consoled him. “You’re a good paramedic and a decent guy. Mike miscalculated his play on this one. My guess is that he thought you’d be bitter about being assigned here after graduating first in the class. He probably hoped that would turn you against the patients when you found out who they were. He was wrong, right?”
Dean nodded. Mike might have been right in his assessment about his student being bitter, except that Dean liked a challenge, and the patients here were even more challenging to treat than normal humans. He not only had medical problems to treat, but he also had to wrap his brain around their Unusual nature as part of formulating a plan of care. It also helped that Brynne was so dedicated to her work, and was a good preceptor for him as he continued in his probationary period.