SOLACE: Behind The Shield (Beauty 0f Life Book 2)

by Laura Acton

  “We’re on the east side. Ten minutes at most, Boss.”

  Nick paced. Can we wait that long? “Get here as fast as you can.”

  TRF SUV with Dan and Bram

  “Copy,” Bram responded and pressed down on the gas pedal. Lights and sirens on, Bram and Dan sped through heavy traffic.

  Dan became frustrated by all the autos failing to move to the right to allow them to pass, but he kept his mouth shut. He imagined the ribbing he would endure for jinxing them. With less than an hour of shift left, now they needed to deal with a wife threatening to kill her husband. If she succeeded, four children would be parentless.

  Muttering to himself as he expertly maneuvered through the traffic, Bram tensed as he was forced to cross into oncoming lanes several times to navigate around cars which didn’t pull to the side before stopping.

  Bram noted the red light as he approached the intersection. Conceding the scenario presented the most dangerous challenge for first responders, both men checked for oncoming traffic. Appearing clear both ways, Bram proceeded into the juncture. Neither glimpsed the truck traveling on the cross street toward them hidden behind the two semi-trucks which stopped to turn left.

  They never saw it coming. The oncoming truck t-boned their SUV on Dan’s side. Metal slamming into metal rent through the headsets, followed by screeching and crashing sounds as the vehicle rolled over twice and came to rest on the passenger side after smashing into a light pole which promptly collapsed on to the SUV.

  Outside Home of Deon and Tessa Kaufman

  A deafening silence broken only by the sad wail of the siren followed as Nick, Jon, Lexa, Ray, and Loki stared at each other not believing the sounds which broadcasted through their headsets.

  Jon recovered from the initial shock first. “Bram? Dan? Are you okay?” They all waited, quiet and not breathing until a soft moan came to them.

  Releasing a collective breath, they held fast to the knowledge a moan meant life. Bram and Dan may be hurt, but at least one of them made a sound.

  Nick ripped off his ballcap and slapped it against his thigh in frustration. “Tia, locate them and dispatch EMS. ASAP!”

  “On it, Boss!” Tia set to work pulling up the vehicle’s GPS tracker and notifying emergency personnel they had two TRF officers involved in a collision.

  Nick turned to his team and put his cap back on. “We must concentrate on this situation. Help is on the way to our guys. I need you all to focus here.”

  Everyone began to nod and took several deep breaths. As much as they wanted to assist their teammates this domestic call needed to be their priority. So, they focused and regrouped.

  TRF SUV with Bram and Dan

  A soft groan emitted from Dan as he regained consciousness. It took him a moment to understand what occurred and orient himself. I’m in the vehicle, but it is on its side. The siren still wailed, and each loud burst of sound reverberated in his head.

  Unable to move his right arm, the right side of him hurt from his shoulder to his hip, Dan pushed the airbag from his face with his left hand. Groaning again, he clumsily unclipped his seatbelt. Dan blinked several times as his head swam and the dashboard in front of him moved in and out of focus.

  When his eyes refocused, he noticed a splat of something wet on his face. The splash repeated a few moments later. Wiping his cheek, Dan became confused as he viewed the liquid now on his hand. Blood? Blood is dripping on me. How can I be dripping blood on my own face?

  The realization came slowly to him in his dazed state. Dan turned his eyes to the left. “Bram,” came out as a whisper of air. He noted the gash on Bram’s head. He dangled, held in place by the seatbelt.

  Dan sluggishly reached out and touched Bram’s arm. He tapped Bram’s shoulder then gave it a little shake, but he didn’t jostle Bram much to avoid causing further injuries. He received no response, and he moved his hand toward Bram’s neck. Afraid of what he might find, Dan hesitated to place his index and middle fingers to Bram’s skin.

  Forcing himself to do it, Dan pressed lightly checking for a pulse. “Thank God,” escaped unnoticed by Dan in the same quiet voice as Bram’s steady pulse under his fingertips. Dan allowed his hand to fall gradually and lay across his chest.

  He hurt so much and moving increased the pain. Dan eyeballed the dash and contemplated stretching to turn off the siren. Too much effort he decided. He would have to strain to reach it and the movements to check Bram used most of his energy.

  Dan’s eyelids started to lower. No, I can’t lose consciousness. Not now. He pressed on his right side to cause enough pain to keep himself conscious. Regaining a slight measure of lucidity, he caught sounds of voices outside.

  A crowd from nearby shops gathered around the wrecked police vehicle and the truck which came to a stop on the opposite side of the intersection. Several men ventured close and peered in the shattered windshield.

  One man turned to another. “There’s movement.” Turning back to the windshield, he shouted, “Help is on the way. Someone called 911. Stay still until they arrive. Are you hurt?”

  Dan didn’t waste energy on responding. He would save it for the paramedics. He glanced at Bram. I hope he is alright.

  His mind recalled their team. Did they overhear the crash? Yeah, they probably did. How could they not? They will be worried. Dan wanted to ease their concern so they could focus on their call.

  Fumbling around for his dangling earpiece, he located the headset and attempted to reinsert the receiver in his right ear but winced at the pain and his hand came away wet and sticky. Oh, I’m bleeding too. He probed his throbbing head and found the source of the blood when he touched a tender spot. His whole body ached, but the entire right side hurt more.

  Pulling the cord to its full extension, and after manipulating the device one handed to flip the mic to the opposite side, Dan inserted the earpiece in his left ear. Gathering strength, he spoke, making an effort to be heard over the siren, “Boss, we’re alive. Bram’s unconscious. T-boned at Citrus and Bell.”

  Outside Home of Deon and Tessa Kaufman

  Everyone was in place, and Loki almost had eyes in when Dan’s weak voice came across their headsets barely above the noise of the wailing siren.

  None of them wanted to switch channels. And with years of practice were well versed in filtering out background noises when needed. It didn’t impact their ability to continue working this call, but they all kept a small part of their mind vigilant for any sounds indicating how Bram or Dan fared.

  Loki stopped a moment and bowed his head. Thank God, they both survived the crash. Although he didn’t like the faint sound of Dan’s voice, Loki took a cleansing breath and got back to work.

  Nick recognized he should’ve ordered them to change channels, but he couldn’t do it. He was so glad he had not when the rookie’s soft words provided them a slight relief. About to dial the house phone, he paused and said, “Good to hear your voice, Dan. Help is on the way. They’ll be there soon.” Nick desired to be with his injured teammates, but he had his priority. “You two hang on. We’ll be with you when we can.”

  “Copy,” Dan murmured.

  Loki reported, “Eyes in.”

  Relieved both survived what sounded like a horrible crash, Jon focused on the situation at hand. “Are the kids inside with them?”

  “No. Patching video through to your phone. The only ones in the room are the adults. This is odd.” Loki scrutinized the camera images.

  Nick paused in dialing. “What’s odd?”

  Something appeared off to Loki. “Boss, their body language is all wrong for the words. The wife is sitting in a chair calm as can be and the husband is reclining on the couch. Both are entirely relaxed. Doesn’t fit with the angry yelling they’re doing.”

  Lexa positioned herself at the back door and peeked into the family room endeavoring to obtain another view of the arguing couple. She supplied her observations as Nick dialed the number. “Boss, Tessa appears to have something in her hand. D
oesn’t appear to be a weapon from this angle. Hard to tell what it is, though.”

  At the front door with Ray, Jon studied the video feed. “No visual on her hand from our angle either.”

  The house phone started ringing, and they all observed intently, prepared to go in hard tactical if necessary. Each one was stunned when Tessa stopped yelling, Deon rose from the sofa, and nonchalantly strolled to the phone. “Kaufman residence. This is Deon.”

  “Deon Kaufman, my name is Sergeant Nick Pastore with the Tactical Response Force. Is everything alright in there?”

  “Why are you calling?” Deon glanced at Tessa and said, “Babe, someone with TRF is calling.”

  Astonished by the causal and inquisitive tone Deon used, Nick repeated his query, “Is everyone okay?”

  “Yeah, why?” Deon said at a loss for why the police contacted them.

  In the background, Tessa asked in a normal tone, “What do they want, Sweetums?” She stood and tossed a sheaf of papers to the coffee table and ambled towards Deon.

  Jon, Ray, Loki, and Lexa witnessed nothing threatening in her movements. She appeared unarmed, a direct conflict with the 911 report they received. Exceedingly strange.

  Nick instructed, “I need you both to kneel and lace your fingers behind your heads. Once you have done that, my officers will enter your home. We need to speak with you.”

  Deon relayed what Nick told him to Tessa. As the Kaufman’s began to comply, Jon, Lexa, and Ray moved inside.

  High as a Kite

  23

  January 29

  TRF SUV – Bram and Dan

  Gradually the world came back into focus, but the view appeared off-kilter and strange to Bram, everything seemed sideways. He felt like an abandoned puppet hanging in midair with his arms and head dangling. Where am I? What the heck happened?

  The siren made itself known next. A sad version of the usual wail indicated the system sustained damage. Bram wanted the sound to stop. Instinct and repetition, born of years in this vehicle more than anything else, had him reaching for the switch.

  Catching the deliberate motion of Bram’s hand brought relief to Dan’s thoughts. First, it indicated Bram’s level of consciousness increased. Second, the annoying siren was off and no longer reverberating in his head. “Bram, you alright?” Dan tried but failed to keep his pain from his tone.

  Bram shifted his gaze downward to the voice. Dan? Confused by the sights he took in, he scrutinized their situation. Everything came rushing back in as he realized they were in the SUV and the vehicle lay on its side. Urgency and concern colored his words, “Dan, are you okay?”

  “Been better. You?” Dan croaked out.

  Taking a moment to self-assess, Bram replied, “Don’t think it’s too bad. Banged up, but nothing much hurts except my head.” A split-second memory flashed in his mind as he recalled the impact. “God, Dan, the truck! It hit on your side. I didn’t see the damned truck.” Guilt flooded Bram’s eyes as he stared at his teammate.

  “Me neither. Boss says help is on the way.” Dan used conversation to turn his focus away from his aching body.

  “How long was I out?” Bram reached for his throbbing head.

  A sharp pain shot through Dan’s shoulder as he tried to check his watch. Biting down hard, he squeezed his eyelids shut so as not to cry out in pain. Won’t try that again. As the agony subsided, he opened his eyes to find Bram staring at him with concern etched on his face. “Not sure. Can’t be too long. EMS and firefighters should be here soon.”

  As if Dan’s words magically summoned them, someone said, “Loren, grab the pry bar. With the light pole on top of the doors, we’ll go in through the window.” They listened to the activity outside the SUV as the firefighters began the process to extract them from the twisted metal.

  After removing the windshield, a paramedic came forward and crouched to perform an initial assessment of both men. He obtained their names, checked their vitals, and triaged their injuries. Once he completed the cursory exam without moving them, he crawled out.

  He turned to the Fire Captain in charge. “Constable Broderick’s injuries are more severe, and he needs to come out first. We would have more room to maneuver with Constable De Haven out, but there’s too much risk he might fall on Broderick and cause additional injuries.”

  After informing the captain, the medic returned to put a cervical collar on each of them. Captain Davis barked orders, and the men worked with speed and precision cutting away the dash to free Dan from the wreckage.

  Within fifteen minutes, the paramedic team transferred Dan to a gurney. The pain overwhelmed Dan as they pulled him from the wreck and he lost consciousness. The medics stopped only long enough to strap him in and start an IV line.

  Next, the rescuers began removing the steering column to extract Bram. Twenty minutes passed before the rescue crew and the second set of medics positioned Bram on a backboard, safely removed him from the smashed SUV, and rushed him to the hospital.

  Mercy Hospital – Waiting Room

  The team paced as they anxiously waited for information on Dan and Bram. As they wrapped up the call, they listened to most of the extraction play-by-play over the headsets. When they arrived at the intersection of the collision, the paramedics were loading Bram into the ambulance.

  Nick took a moment to speak with the uniform officer in charge of the scene getting details. Jon and Ray assumed custody of Bram’s and Dan’s sidearms from another officer, then transferred and secured all weapons and equipment from the back of the wrecked SUV to the command truck. At Nick’s direction, Loki and Lexa followed the EMS rig while the others handled things at the accident scene.

  The emergency room door opened and a female doctor hurried toward the group. Halting a few paces away from the four men and one woman wearing full tactical gear, she said, “I’m Doctor Gillian Juniper. I presume you’re waiting for word on Constables De Haven and Broderick.”

  The five stopped pacing and formed a semi-circle around the doctor as Nick responded, “Yes, we are.”

  Gillian smiled. “I have fairly good news given the circumstances. Both constables will be held overnight for concussion observation. If they have someone at home to care for them, and no issues arise overnight, we should be able to release them tomorrow.”

  Checking the files in her hand, Gillian began to share the status of their teammates. “Constable De Haven first. We closed a laceration on the right side of his head with six stitches. There is bruising where the seat belt held him in place. He sustained no other significant injuries besides the concussion, though he will surely be aching from being tossed around in the rolling vehicle.

  “Constable Broderick didn’t fare quite as well, I’m afraid. In addition to his concussion, he suffered two smaller lacerations, above his right ear which required sutures. We cleaned several superficial and minor cuts on his arms. His entire right thoracic region, from shoulder to hip, is covered in contusions due to the impact. Fortunately, we found no internal bleeding and his collarbone is not fractured as we initially suspected.

  “Both men will be sore for a week or so, but overall they’re fortunate. We’re moving them to a shared room in about thirty minutes. You can check with the information desk, and they should assign their room number shortly. Any questions?”

  With no questions forthcoming, the doctor left them, and the concerned group released a collective sigh. All surprised yet thrilled that Bram and Dan had not been gravely injured after witnessing the condition of the completely destroyed SUV.

  Spike’s grin grew at he turned to Ray. “They must have guardian angels protecting them.”

  Ray nodded, sending up a short, silent prayer of gratitude.

  Jon pulled out his phone needing to call Kellie. She was waiting for her parents to show up to care for the girls before she could come to the hospital. Once she answered, Jon said, “Kellie, he’s going to be fine. Concussion, some bruising, and a cut they stitched.”

  Sinking down on th
e sofa in the family room, with the phone plastered to her ear, relief surged through her, and Kellie sent up a silent thank you for the answer to her prayers. “You’re certain Bram is alright?”

  “Yes, he’s okay. They’re moving him to a room with Dan soon. When I find out the number, I’ll call you again.”

  “Oh my gosh, Dan. How’s Dan?” Kellie’s concern ratcheted back to high gear as she stiffened her posture again.

  “He’s alright, too. About the same, but more bruising since the truck impacted the passenger side.”

  Settling down again, she inquired, “How long does the doctor want to keep them?”

  “Just overnight, unless something arises and they need to stay longer. If all goes well, they can go home tomorrow provided someone stays with them to monitor their condition.”

  “Dan can come here. I’ll make up the spare room again,” Kellie began worrying about Dan suffering another concussion so soon after his last one.

  “No, you’ll be busy enough as it is with Bram. Broderick can stay at my home. I’m positive Jennifer won’t mind.”

  Kellie scoffed. “Two is no more trouble than one. For the most part, they’ll sleep, and when they’re not, they can keep each other company. I assume they will be off for a few days at least.”

  “Yeah, with concussions, most likely a week. You sure you can handle Dan too? You’ve got the four girls, and you took care of Dan over Christmas.” Jon didn’t want to overburden Kellie. If Dan stayed at his home, this might be a way to learn more about the rookie, and perhaps make amends.

  Her voice confident, Kellie said, “I’m sure. The girls will be excited to play nursemaids again with not only their dad but also to their Uncle Dan. Allie has taken a shine to Dan.” Christmas had been bittersweet. Dan was lonely and sad but didn’t want to reveal his despair to the team. Kellie liked to believe a miracle occurred on Christmas Eve when Dan chose to call Bram. Perhaps a Guardian Angel brought Dan to them so they could help him.

  Chuckling, Jon said, “She certainly has. I’m envious. Allie barely says a word to me, but according to Bram every time Dan is around she lights up, and you can’t get her to stop talking. I’ll speak to Jennifer about the plans. We can finalize details after you arrive.”