Baby Without Benefits

Chapter Eight

JERICHO

There's just something about getting to the scene of a call that always gets my blood flowing. Nothing's funny about someone's life being in danger but humans will be humans which means they always end up acting stupid, needing rescuing and that's where we come in. My job is as chaotic as it is rewarding and I embrace all parts of it.

"Fire and Rescue, please make a way." Cortez yells as we make our way across a crowded bar to where we are needed.

The people part like the Red Sea leaving enough room for us to pass.

"What happened here?" Captain Raith asks when we walk up to what is a very confusing scene.

There is a man half stuck into a pool table with his legs sticking out. "Help me!" He screams his voice coming out all muffled.

"These two bozos were fighting over a bet when this one went through the table." Someone, the owner of the bar I'm assuming explains.

"That is one way of ending a fight. Before we try to get him out we'll let the paramedics examine him to make sure he hasn't broken or hurt anything that might compromise our rescue." Captain Raith commands waving the paramedic Captain over.

"Man, they just wrecked my favorite pool table." Cortez laments next to me.

"You've never been here before." I retort.

"Are you sure? This place looks familiar." He argues looking around.

"Yes I'm sure because it's across town and you only like one bar." I point out.

"I like Jerry's too." He defends.

"Jerry's is not a bar."

"They serve beer." He says as if that qualifies in making Jerry's a bar.

"So does every other restaurant."

"True but just talk of Jerry's is making me miss their barbecue. Wanna go there after work?" He asks me.

The last time I was at Jerry's was a month ago with Hillary and memories of that night are still haunting me. I don't know if I'm ready to go back there yet.

"Let's discuss this after we save that man." I reply when I see Captain Raith waving us over so we can get back to work.

The paramedics have cleared us to get to work getting this poor man out of the pool table. There is no saving the table. Much to the dismay of the owner since we have to cut it apart to get the man out as he managed to go completely through it.

"Get the saws boys and get to work." Captain Raith commands and we immediately jump into action.

It does not take us long to get him out seeing as this is a fairly easy rescue.

"Great job team, now put him on the backboard and let the paramedics take it from here." Captain Raith instructs once the man is free of the pool table.

He has a few cuts and bruises both from the fight and the crash but other than that he is completely fine.

"So about Jerry's?" Cortez asks me on the ride back to the firehouse.

"Sure I'm in but didn't you have plans with Tamara to go to that Asian Fusion place tonight." I remind him.

He looks at me confused at first until his eyes widen when he recalls his earlier plans. "Shit yes! I almost forgot about that. Thanks, man. Raincheck?"

"Sure." I chuckle glad to have saved him a fight if he had missed dinner with his girlfriend.

Now that Ian has successfully triggered my memory about Jerry's I cannot help but think about Hillary and the night that we spent there. Honestly, after four weeks you'd think that I would have forgotten her by now. But how can I when there is a nagging at the back of my head that she is out there somewhere and probably pregnant with my baby.