She hated to be put in a position that required her to make life or death decisions. She glanced around her surroundings, in the dark, a team of 2 was what County considered safe. Nothing she couldn't handle herself, but under today's circumstances was unheard of. 2 people on an incident with no back up. She heard the whirring hum and she secured the newb safely in their vehicle. In the rear of their tactical van with all the modern conveniences, she hid. FUCK, FUCK, FUCK...this is not fair. She'd called for some sort of back up. She'd alerted the powers that be that she and Templeton were alone, had handled the Knowles Ave incident, but were now on code red for a nest. Short of blowing up the local mini mart for the second time, she felt trapped. She dialed Jay. She dialed Tavin. No one was coming. The whirring was ominous, sending tremors through her gut. She remained calm and cool for Templeton's sake, but inside she was terrified. Post-apocalypse, this would be a no brainer. She'd sit in her hiding spot, let that nest carry right on past her and all would be well till she located it in its hiding spot in the morning. But thanks to their Philadelphia interference, that was no longer protocol.
"Get out your phone." She whispered, thinking her one and only salvation started his own business. She had fallen on her sober sword, getting the brass to extend Chess an olive branch. She needed him. She would never say that aloud, but her right hand was off being father of the year and making a name for himself with her back up. She felt alone and scared and ignored and purposefully singled out. She had Templeton. She wished at least for someone of Alex's caliber to be at her side. But Templeton was new and terrified.
Templeton held his phone up.
"Dial this number, please." She stated each number in the 800 number on that stupid magnet that Jayson had stuck on her fridge. To her surprise, he answered.
"Chess? " She whimpered.
"Julia?" He asked, sounding confused.
"Fuck, I need help." She whispered.
"Where are you?" No hesitation, no questions, no price quotes, nothing. A simple question requiring a simple answer. Templeton gave him an address. They both heard him moving, "Gimme ten, fifteen minutes at most. I'll be there. How about you two drive away?"
"Who's helping you?" She asked under her breath.
"I got people." He sent out a page and within 10 minutes, the first response arrived, parking next to their tactical van. Chess arrived five minutes later. Their gear out geared her and Templeton's county supply. She was pissed. Chess took over at that moment, giving directives and orders, which she also followed. She needed a unit and she needed more hands. The 800 number was dialed out of necessity, to save their lives and the lives of Maverick/Oaks citizens. He had a man on the street in transit that located and then led the nest to a secure and predefined area. They then descended upon the nest and eradicated it. Together.
"I know when I need help." She whispered at his side.
"Anytime, Julia. I mean that."
Chess only answered the call and he only answered to himself. He didn't break any laws.
"This is like EMS calling a private ambulance company to answer its calls. What were you thinking?" Her boss railed at her over the phone when he got around to answering her call. It was then she nearly quit and took her talents elsewhere. Instead, Chess took her cell and ripped the captain a new asshole. He could do that now that he was no longer a county employee. Financially, the county was strapped and barely making budget. She and Chess both understood that. Chess was well into the first quarter of his independent business and had the personnel that the county couldn't hire. He had the gear the county could not afford and he would, as of the next day, have the reputation that the county could not achieve even with her pretty face. He would waive his fee graciously and they'd have a joint presser. If not, he'd have his own. He made his phone calls post incident and he wrapped up his incident and would charge accordingly. The Manganelli's would retrieve these bodies. His security would secure the area and the scene and control any perimeter. His clean up crew would arrive as soon as the scene was clear and they'd be paid. But the extermination fees would be waived. They had to be. The county couldn't legally be charged whether he liked it or not. He could take it to court as his legal team had already done twice and won a healthy reward in full.
This was the exposure his business needed and with her pretty fucking face at his side, then they'd only garner public support and for all intents and purposes, county support because they'd called him in the first place. Julia could spin this bullshit any way she chose, but he'd only take the win from being involved. It would appear they worked in tandem, making each other look good.
"Offer still stands, pretty girl." Chess smiled. "You and Templeton would be safer with me."
"What's the offer?" Templeton asked.
"Stop by the office and see Jesslyn for an app. I'll sit with you and go over the package." Chess grasped his shoulder. "You're new and you need time. Don't let this get you down. You are working with the best. Tonight was not her night."
Chess took her aside. "You're out here with a kid on orientation, Julia? Which means by any standards, you were alone. Where's Jay?"
"I called Jay. I called Tav."
"I'll talk with them. You could've been killed out here with the newb."
"He did a great job, old virus. Nest, he was not ready, Chess. I take responsibility for this."
"If you ever need help, you do the same fucking thing you did tonight. You call. I will never leave you hanging and I mean that. Even if I don't answer, my guys will. They got you like I do. I suggest you chat with Jay."
"He's got the fucking flu, Chess. So does Tav."
"If I had the flu, I'd drag my sick ass outta bed."
"Just tell me you love me. Fuck." She growled at him.
"I do love you. And you could say the fucking same."
"I love you too. Thanks."
In time for the presser in the morning, the scenes had been cleared. The incidents, both old and new virus, had been reported, documented and cleared. Chess and Julia stood alongside one another, apparently from 2 opposing teams, and joined their efforts for the news media. Both local and regional reported on their extermination of the threat with little to zero property damage. Chess and Julia both replied to endless questions about their tandem effort and Chess added his comments, polite and professional, showcasing that private and county could both work along each other's side and protect the citizens of their hometowns. Kelly took numerous phone calls for interviews regarding the incident and Chess accepted every single one. He acknowledged he waived fees for the county saving the county thousands. Unclear whether that would be extended in the future as he didn't work for the county, and he had quit the job just for 'reasons like this. Staffing is an issue. Safety is an issue." He paused during one interview and stole one of Jayson's humanity quotes, "Is there a price to be put on human life?" Or something like that, he felt like saying. He couldn't quote him verbatim, obviously. He hadn't been listening. Business picked up swiftly after that and all his interviews went swimmingly. He met with and hired Templeton, pairing him up with experienced and well-trained individuals who could afford him the time and the effort to train him properly. Julia was irate. She had liked the kid and wanted more time with him. But John Templeton jumped ship. He made more money part time with Chess' company than he would full time with the county.
In the beginning, Chess whole life amounted to the business 24/7. Any phone call, any problem, any interview, any situation, he made himself available. His team made themselves available. They participated in local and county wide events. He and his team members consulted throughout the state and responded to any call they got. Their phones never stopped ringing; their pagers never stopped beeping. He was hiring and training and dealing with issues and problems and legal issues and reaping the rewards left and right. He had Tavin at his side full time by the end of the first quarter and divided up the responsibility. Despite Jesslyn being his partner, she could not step in and handle shit. Tavin worked a couple nights and as needed with county EMS, because he loved his job as a medic and a leader. He didn't want to lose his skills, so the part of his life he severed was school. Chess was pissed. "When am I supposed to fit that in?" Tavin yelled at him. There was not enough time in the day for any of them.
When they felt overwhelmed, he wished he had Julia and Jay on board. He reached out to them monthly. They declined.
Julia was the one who suffered the most. Her life amounted to a uniform. She was in her uniform 24/7. How had the County devolved into what amounted to a 2-person crew on each shift. She was on call 24/7. She managed to run a house, a marriage, raise Tia and take what little care of Alex he required, food shopping, laundry, homework, keeping her family happy and comfortable, taking care of Shy as needed and dealing with whatever else came up. She also took the cert courses and continued education courses for the guys in her life and that included Chess Morgan. She had no private life and no peace. She moved and lived with little to no rest and had the responsibility for everything resting solely on her shoulders. When Jay and Tav were sick with the flu, they got to rest and take the time off, but when she fell ill, she dragged herself on meds into work in a uniform with fever and cough. No one tended to her and if they did, they were shot down and rejected. Julia took the business of the dead seriously. She overextended herself in every aspect of her life until the spring when mother nature put her in her place.
She was once again training new hires. She was the woman in charge and had a crew of 4 additional souls to manage, train, offer advice and keep track of. She was exhausted and she was overwhelmed, but she managed to carry her trainees through the local park and baseball field. The rain pounded them, but she kept them focused and exterminated the dead easily. The dead were not her issue that evening. Nature was. As the crew waited for the ME, the Manganelli's and an end to this spring, super soaker of a night, the late spring sky started rolling with thunder. Lightning strikes lit the night sky, giving ample light to the field in question. One of her trainees had spotted someone who had not been put down and she and the trainee went to the soul mid field in the rain and thunder and lightning. As her trainee put down the soul on the field, she thanked him for having a trained eye and keeping them safe. A good job. Mid-sentence, lightning struck and sent both her and her trainee off the ground and onto the field several feet away from where they stood. The rest of the team watched in awe as the team leader and their newbie coworker sprawled onto the grass 20 feet apart. Jayson, who'd been on the call with her, took the team into action, arriving at their fallen and starting resuscitation efforts. 911 had been called and was in transit. When a team member fell, it was treated as if an officer was down, especially if the cause was not related to the dead in their vicinity. There were protocols in place for an incident that got out of control. This was not in fact an incident out of control. Both team members received lifesaving efforts, and those efforts were successful for both Julia and the trainee. Both were taken via ambulance to the Mav general and treated. Julia was stabilized and since her burns were more extensive, she was prepped for transfer. Both survived. Both were admitted for their injuries sustained that night on duty and both were excused from duty pending their outcomes. Both had burns on their bodies. Both were assessed and had neurological deficits. Both had internal injury. Both were lucky to be alive.
How many times had she been deemed by self or others lucky to be alive? As she lay conscious and in pain in a hospital ER, awaiting transfer to a regional hospital that was sufficient to treat her, she floated on a cloud of morphine and damn near died for a second time that night. She had too much morphine, dosed by two different ER staff in error to alleviate the pain from her burns. She was treated for overdose and the effects reversed, then she was switched to dilaudid altogether to treat her pain. They were at the time unsure whether morphine was a true allergy, or an error had occurred. Her trainee only suffered minor injuries, minor burns, and never had lost consciousness. Julia had taken the brunt of the lightning strike. Through her narcotic haze, she only asked whether her trainee was alive and well? Did he survive? Is he ok? She was insistent and rejected transfer till staff gave her an update on his condition.
Jayson stayed at her side the entire time. He transferred in the ambulance to the regional hospital in Lancaster. Soaking wet, he eventually dried out and refused to separate from her. They gave him a pair of scrubs at the hospital when they arrived. She remained awake and alert throughout even though she floated on a dilaudid high. He had to step out when they arrived in Lancaster and he made numerous phone calls and gave updates on her condition. Alive and talking but high, he texted to everyone. A crowd of family and friends arrived in Lancaster's hospital waiting room. Reporters arrived to the hospital grounds. Lurkers and fans and stalkers alike arrived to get up to date info and be nosy. By sunrise, County and state officials held press conferences. They explained her injury as well as her trainee's injury though less severe. All were relieved to hear she'd survive this. That her trainee would also survive this injury.
Once the narc wore off and Julia was treated and given a room to stay in, she waited for someone to sit aside her. That person was, of course, Jayson. She felt weird and she told him as much. For the first time since the Julia's had jumped her, she felt alone in her head.
"You're high on dilaudid, babe." Jay said, taking hold of her hand.
She accepted that excuse for the moment, but in her head she felt different. She felt alone. She heard nothing but her own thoughts. No intrusive voices heard. When Jay tired, head out for food and to get his stuff from his brother, Chess sat at her bedside.
"Lightening." He stated.
"Yep." She nodded. "I got hit here-" She pointed at her left side. "And it shot through my legs and into the ground." She showed him her bandaged legs. "My lungs-they're monitoring my lungs for burns like my legs, but I'm breathing ok. It's a little rough and it's hot to breathe in." She admitted. "They keep drawing blood gases and they keep sticking me." Tears welled in her eyes. "Listen, Jay doesn't believe me, but I'm alone, Chess."
"No, we're all here. There's a crowd in the lobby, Jules."
She whimpered. She pointed at her head. "In here. It's just me."
"Me who?" Chess asked curiously.
"Your girlfriend. Julia Fry. Not Julia Morgan...er, Keller, his wife and not old Julia. She's-they're silent. They're gone."
"The lightening, you think? The electrical shock? It jolted them out?"
"Maybe." She shrugged. "I'll give it some time and see if they come back." She shrugged, tears rolling over her cheeks. "Chess, what's this mean if it's just me?"
"I don't know. We'll figure it out like we always do, ok." He answered. "Are you in pain?"
"Yeah." She nodded. She took a deep breath and he could hear her wheezing. "Chess, get me a nurse, please. It's hot." She rubbed her chest and tried to stay calm. She took a deep breath and another. He was scared. He got up and went for the nurse like she had asked.
"Please, she can't breathe." Chess alerted the staff at the desk. "She's in trouble." Staff had already started to mobilize as he approached the desk, her monitors already told them what she knew and what he announced. He left the ICU and head back to the lobby with the rest of his family, his broken table. Jay would take over from this point and even he was told to wait in the ICU lobby for any word. The mood went further south when he was asked to confirm her code level, the lengths that he would want them to go to in order to keep her alive. He was familiar with the questioning, and it wasn't their first time with the code determination chat. He sat alone and waited what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly he felt grateful they'd transferred her as the news was announced that her lungs needed rest and she had been intubated. Although there had been no fire, she had breathed in the heat and that could cause damage, scarring, additional complications that superseded the burns she sustained. The next 48 to 72 hours would tell the medical staff more and give them a more clear picture of the extent of her internal and external injuries. She had scans, tests to rule out blood clots, lab work. A central line was placed and they gave her meds to keep her sedated and also treated her with antibiotics to prevent infection taking place in the burns. Burns that would become wounds on her lower back and legs. It was too early to discuss skin grafts, but the docs cautioned him that may be a step in the healing process. As the family cleared out, Tavin was the only one who remained with him for him and not necessarily her.
"She said something to me before Chess went in." Jay announced suddenly, breaking the unending silence in the waiting room.
"What's that?"
"She said they were gone."
"They who?"
"The voices in her head. Julia and old Julia. It was just Fry in there. It's why I left her with Chess. I had to get out of there. When she said that, I felt like I was about to suffocate."
Tavin stared at him oddly. "So-uh-we're sitting next to Fry's bed?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "Don't get me wrong, I love the little one to death, but I just lost my girl. I just lost her all over again and it's selfish, but I'm really fucked up right now."
"We all love little Julia." Tavin nodded. "Does he know?"
"I don't know whether she broke that to him or not. I mean, I'll do right by her. I swear I will, but what's this mean if-"
"Jay, it's too soon to worry about it."
"And it's too late for him."
"I like you better selfish, ok. For once." Tavin groaned. "Quit worrying about everyone else right now. This affects her and you. End of story. She's your fucking wife."
"Where do you think she is right now?" Jay leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling.
"Well, if what you say is true, then two of the three have met their maker. And she's fighting for her life in there for the time being."
"Why's it gotta be so fucked up? I just want normal everyday life."
"Well, brother, if you want normal, faithful, sweet, emotional, kind, caring, selfless, kinda dull company with pretty long hair and other special attributes I know nothing about, then there she fucking is."
"She is kinda sweet."
"In an innocent way." He shrugged.
"And I did kinda fall for her on Stef's flipside, you know."
"Aware." Tavin nodded. 'So is she, aware of that fact. Went both ways if you tell the story right."
"Damn." Jay mumbled. "What are we even talking about? Gonna bring her home like a puppy?"
"Jayson." Tavin said sharply. "Why don't you talk to her when she's awake and make a decision on life when she can add to it? What the fuck does she want? It's her fucking choice, Jayson. She has to feel comfortable in our home, with us and the life we created that is not the life she participated in. Everything should rightfully change because of who she is, not because of who her adopted family is. Just like Jody. She deserves the respect and the freedom to make independent choices and live with the consequences. We have to guide her, encourage her, correct when needed and let her live the life of her choice. She's not bound to us by any connection that I know of. They're different women in just about every aspect other than the physical one I'd assume."
"Oh, well, that-"
"I don't want to know, Jayson."
Jay sat silent.
"I hate to say this out loud, but take a page out of Chess' book and keep your fucking private, private. He was insistent and radical about it. Copy and paste, Jay. Respect the woman. Try something fucking different. We all could use a little of that. And since our girl has moved on, at least temporarily, jump county ship and join us please." Tavin calmed and stared at the same drop ceiling as his brother. "That's all I'll say about that."
"We'll wait till she's awake." Jay said less than enthusiastically.
"We have no choice. As Jo would say, where's the loyalty lie? We'll all find out."
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