Page 8 of Justice for JoElla

“I guess I… I’m not really sure. At the end of this week, I’ll have nowhere to live and?”

“Can’t you live in that Tesla you’re so proud of?”

“No. The Tesla’s gone.”

“What are you driving?”

Brandon hesitated for a few seconds. How could he even say it? “A Honda.”

He’d thought Landon would instantly begin to laugh, but there was silence. He was about to ask if his brother was still on the line when Landon said, “God, man, I’m sorry. I mean, I know there’s nothing wrong with a Honda?they’re dependable cars?but it’s certainly not what you’re used to.”

“Nothing’s what I’m used to. Nothing. And I’m running out of money.”

“But you’ve got a good savings and investment portfolio, right?”

“Maria’s getting most of that.” Brandon pinched the bridge of his nose with the thumb and forefinger of his free hand. “I’ve spent the rest.”

“On what?”

“The motel I live in. And trying to find a job.”

“Yeah, but that won’t go on much longer and you’ll be back at work.”

Brandon let out a sour chuckle. “I guess you haven’t heard.”

“What?”

“They’ve suspended my license for a year.”

“Holy shit, Brandon, what are you going to do?”

“That’s the question. I have no idea. I can’t find anything. I mean, try going to a fast food restaurant to apply for a job and they ask for your work history. When they see mine, they either laugh me out of the building or tell me I’m a liar. And whatever I find will have to be in Louisville because nobody in Taylorsville will give me a job.”

“Do you really want a job?”

“Yeah.”

“I mean, do youreallywant a job?”

Brandon sighed in frustration. “Yes! I said yes!”

“Then I might be able to help you.”

Dear god. He’s going to ask me to be a firefighter. No matter how down and out, there was absolutely no way. It would take too long to train, and he had no intention of running into burning buildings. He’d starve first. “Yeah? How’s that?”

“We’ve got an opening for an EMT.”

He thought he’d heard wrong. “Really?”

“Yes. Really. And I’d be glad to get you an interview, but there’s something you’d have to understand.”

“Yes?”

“It’s that you’d have a set of parameters and you couldn’t go past them. You could not go out on a call and perform surgery. There would be a line that you couldn’t cross, and you’d just have to accept that. In the ambulance, you wouldn’t be a doctor, just an EMT, and you’d have to work within those parameters. Could you do that?”

“But I took the Hippocratic Oath and?”

“That doesnotapply if you become an EMT. I realize that goes against everything you hold dear, but it’s a reality. That’s just how it would be. Think about it. You don’t have to give me an answer right now, but the job will be filled in no time, so the sooner you can let me know, the better. At least you really wouldn’t have to be trained, just certified, and you could pass that exam easily.” He was about to ask the one thing he could barely bring himself to say until Landon said, “And you don’t have to ask. You’re welcome here. The guest room isn’t Chateau de Fox, but it’s a roof over your head and a place to shower.”

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