Page 9 of Sebastian

I snorted and didn’t bother hiding the sneer that pulled at my face. A pedophile could never be a victim. They gave up that right the minute their hands wandered where they shouldn’t.

Even without saying anything, Damien knew what I was thinking and gave his own sad laugh. “Yeah. I know. But that’s kind of the problem. Technically, it’s still a crime, so the FBI can’t just let it go, but stopping someone who’s punishing pedophiles will also make them seem like the bad guys. It’ll look bad no matter what they do.”

“So, the FBI want us to be the bad guys for them? We catch the criminal while they keep their hands clean.”

“Basically. Of course, they didn’t phrase it that way. It’s not something we need to worry about right now. They still don’t know much. Today’s consultation was just to get us up to speed on the case, so we’re ready if they need to bring us in.”

“Sounds like we’ve got nothing to do for the next few days but wait for information.”

“Yep.” Damien turned to me with a smile. “Max is away on a case and Travis is working late so I don’t need to run home anytime soon. Want to order some dinner and put on a movie? I’ll let you pick this time.”

That was an opportunity I wasn’t going to squander, and I quickly selected a title to watch before he could change his mind.

Damien and I agreed on most things, except when it came to movies. He liked traditional action films, with plenty of explosions, car chases, and fist fights to keep adrenaline pumping high.

I, on the other hand, hated anything with violence in it. We had enough violence in our daily lives. I didn’t need it in my fictional escape as well. That severely limited my choices, especially among adult movies, so I usually ended up watching something meant for kids. I had seen every Disney movie so many times that I had all the songs memorized.

Except for The Little Mermaid. That movie I had turned off after the first few minutes and vowed never to watch again.

I really hated that singing crab.

CHAPTER 6

Newt

It was supposed to be my day off. At that moment, I should have been playing video games or sleeping, but the Firehouse where I worked the ambulance had been short staffed and called me in to cover an extra shift.

So, there I was, helping a man who had been stabbed in the leg. The man was an amateur metalworker and set up a workshop in his garage as a hobby. One of his machines had broken, sending an iron rod piercing through his thigh. The fire department had been called to literally cut the man off his machine, and then I was left to patch him up and transport him to the hospital.

At least, that’s how it should have happened. When I’d arrived, the man and his wife had been arguing with the firefighters about whether to pull the metal rod out or leave it in. Luckily, they hadn’t tried anything yet, but when I stepped in to take over medical care, they started arguing with me. It took me ten minutes to convince them that, yes, I was in fact a paramedic. My short stature and young face didn’t inspire confidence in patients. It was an argument I had suffered through many times before, and could practically repeat in my sleep.

Once I’d convinced them that I was actually a paramedic, my next task was to explain why I wasn’t going to pull the metal rod out. The object had pierced all the way down to the bone. Pulling it out would only do more damage, and likely cause more bleeding.

Eventually, I was able to secure the rod with tape and bandages and load the injured man into the ambulance to take him to the hospital. It was a job that should have taken five minutes but ended up taking half an hour due to the delays. When the ambulance finally started moving, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Sitting in the back of the vehicle, surrounded by medical supplies, I reminded myself that it wasn’t the man’s fault. He didn’t know any better, and he wasn’t delaying me on purpose. He was just in pain and worried, as anyone would be with a six inch piece of metal stuck in their leg.

At least one good thing came out of the delay. The man and his wife had spent so much time arguing with me, that by the time I handed the man off to the nurses at the hospital, my paramedic shift at the Firehouse was over. I could finally go home and restart my day off, only twelve hours later than it should have been.

At least the Firehouse had offered to change my schedule, so I still got a full day off. As much as I loved helping people, video games were waiting for me. I had several new titles I wanted to play and finally a few free hours to play them.

Before leaving the hospital, however, I first decided to check up on the John Doe patient.

I noticed something had changed even before I reached the private room. There were more nurses bustling around the area, and as I approached the open door, I even saw a doctor examining the John Doe. The last shift I’d worked at the hospital, the John Doe’s room had practically been a ghost town. No one went in there unless they absolutely had to. After all, there was no reason to devote extra time to a patient that never changed, never moved, and probably wouldn’t even wake up.

As another nurse rushed by, I grabbed her arm to catch her attention.

“What’s going on? Did something happen with the patient?”

She barely paid me any attention, looking up just long enough to recognize me as a fellow staff member before mumbling a quick explanation.

“The patient has finally showed some reaction. He’s not awake yet, but he has spoken. There might be a chance for him to recover.”

She was gone before I could ask any further questions.

Standing awkwardly in the doorway, I watched the doctor examining the John Doe. Right before my eyes, just as the doctor touched the John Doe’s face, the burned man opened his mouth and let out a yell.

“Meehaw!”

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