Sudden Response (EMS #1)(5)

"Echo seventeen?" dispatch called.

Eric leveled a glare on her as he brought the portable radio up to his mouth. "I'm going," he announced.

"Nope," she said, loving the power she held over him. Ah, it looked like she was finally going to get some help painting her garage. There wasn't much Eric wouldn't do for a weekend of deep sea fishing.

"Watch me," he said, before he keyed in. "Echo seventeen."

"What's your location, echo seventeen?" dispatch asked.

"East side," Eric answered.

"Echo seventeen, take a priority one call at 258 Lawson for an assault. Police are already in route."

"Echo seventeen received, 258 Lawson."

"Oh my god!" Greg said, shaking. "Oh my god!" He dropped the candy bar, ran for the door, tripped over his own feet, stumbled, but didn't let that stop him from sprinting towards the ambulance and diving in.

With a pained sigh, Joe put her candy bar back and walked to the door. Eric held it open for her. As they walked towards the ambulance Eric asked, "Where are you going?"

"Cape Cod."

"That's a six hour drive," he pointed out.

"Yup, I'm leaving around four in the morning Friday. I won't be back until late Sunday night, but don't worry I'm sure you'll have fun without me," she said, smiling.

"Bullshit, I'm going and we both know it," he said, climbing into the passenger seat.

"Oh my god, oh my god," Greg mumbled from the back.

Joe climbed in behind the wheel and started the rig. She flicked on the emergency lights and pulled out. She kept one hand on the wheel and the other on the emergency switchboard, switching the sirens from the fog horn to the wailing sound.

Eric pulled out an emergency run sheet and attached it to his clipboard, ignoring Greg's "oh my gods," which had now turned to pure excitement. The kid was about to start operating on pure adrenaline. No doubt it would make the call more interesting.

"I'm going," he stated as he filled in the date and their names.

She maneuvered in and out of traffic with the grace of a pro. "Nope, you're really not."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Probably because I didn't invite you?" she said. She really enjoyed messing with him.

He snorted. "And you think that means something to me? I'm going. End of story."

"We'll see," she said.

"Yeah, we will, won't we?" he said confidently as they pulled in behind two police cruisers in front a small yellow house that had seen better days.

"Echo seventeen on scene," he informed dispatch.

They stepped out of the ambulance the same time the front door flew open and a na**d man wielding a knife ran out. "Fuck you, pigs!" the man yelled as he ran towards them.

"I'm so going," Eric said before he launched himself at the guy. He grabbed the man's hand and twisted it behind his back, making him drop the knife.

Joe ignored the man's screams and threats of violence as she kicked the knife away and helped Eric take the guy to the ground. She held the man's legs down while Eric restrained him to the ground.

Two cops came running towards them from behind the house as older officer came out of the house, leading two cuffed, bleeding men towards them. The cops spotted them and grinned.

"Oh look, Eric and Joe brought us a present," Bret, a cop ten years their senior, said as he shoved the two men in front of him. "Don't worry we brought you something, too," he said, gesturing to the two men under arrest.

"Oh, Bret, you are just the sweetest man alive," Joe said, giving him a sweet smile that made the older man chuckle.

"I do what I can. Do you want to look these two over for us?" Bret asked.

"Sure thing," Eric said. "Just as soon as you take tiny here off our hands."

The two officers quickly took over. Eric helped Joe to her feet. She pulled out a small bottle of hand sanitizer and squirted some in Eric's waiting hand before taking some for herself.

"Hey, isn't that your third rider puking?" Jeff, one of the younger cops asked.

Joe and Eric stilled. Slowly, they turned around and sure enough there was Greg vomiting all over a dead bush.

Joe sighed heavily as Eric asked on a drawn out sigh, "Why must you embarrass us? At least aim for the perp on the ground."

Chapter 3

"How's your stomach?" Joe asked. Eric didn't miss the slight twitch of her lips.

Greg' face reddened. "It's fine. Just something I ate I think," he said quickly.

"Uh huh," Eric said, trying not to laugh. The guy puked at all six calls they had. Five hours on the job and the kid still hadn't said one word to a patient. He ended up vomiting every single time they arrived on scene. Then he'd sit up front for the drive to the hospital and remain there sipping a water or ginger ale.

It would suck for Greg, but there was no way Eric or Joe could sign off on this ride along. The kid wouldn't be getting any credit for this. No doubt Greg would try and argue it to death, but Eric wasn't budging. Yeah it sucked to have to do more ride alongs, but it couldn't be helped. Eric wasn't about to put some patient's life on the line for anything.

"Alright, gentlemen," she looked at Eric, "and I use that term loosely. I'm going to catch a few winks." She stepped around them and headed into the fire house.