by Ladew, Lisa
She’d run all the way to her car and headed for the hospital.
Now, done reliving it again, she entered the city limits. A small voice told her to slow down, but she couldn’t get her foot to let up on the pedal. She was desperate for news of Craig. Surely he was in surgery already. Westwood General had an amazing trauma center, and if anyone could save him, the doctors and nurses at Westwood General could.
She took the back way, hoping to run into less traffic. She pushed the small car to its limits on an open side street. She didn’t look at the speedometer, but she heard the protesting whine of the engine and let up a little.
Behind her, a black and white fell into pace with her, flipping on its flashing lights. She didn’t notice. A short whoop came from that direction, to get her attention. She paid it no mind and focused on the road ahead of her. Then she heard the full police siren turn on and wail. She glanced in her rear-view mirror and her heart wept. Not now. I can’t handle this now.
Briefly, she considered just continuing to drive. But that would end with her being hauled off in handcuffs once she got to the hospital. Frustration made her eyes water, and she pulled over.
Stopped, she wiped her eyes and took some deep breaths. Should she claim official business? She was in her fire gear. No. That wouldn’t work. No one was allowed to speed in a civilian car. She better just tell the truth. When the officer got to her window she rolled it down quickly and started telling her side.
“Officer, I’m sorry I was speeding, please, you have to let me go. My boyfr - my fiance is in the hospital. He was just taken to Westwood General in a helicopter. I’m afraid he’s going to die.” She felt close to tears again and decided to go with it. It could only help her, she thought.
The officer just looked at her. She checked his name tag - Officer Jeffries. She looked pleadingly into his eyes, her prayers now changing from prayers for Craig to prayers that he would understand and let her go. Fantasies of a lights and siren police escort flashed through her head.
“Don’t move,” he admonished, and disappeared.
Emma gawked backwards at him. He was going to just leave her here? Was he writing her a ticket? What was going on?
She watched him in her rear-view mirror. He was on his cell phone.
He looked up and caught her watching him. He hung up the phone and started for her car. “Step out of the car please,” he said when he got to her window.
Fear shot through Emma’s body. He wasn’t even going to ask for her license and registration? Had someone reported this car stolen?
She weighed her options. She didn’t have any. Desperately her mind wondered if Norman could help her. Yeah right, came the reply.
The officer took a step back and put his hand down near his belt. Emma’s eyes followed the hand. It was on his taser. Oh God, this is bad.
“I said, step out of the car, right now.”
Emma opened the door and got out quickly. She didn’t want to be tased. Or arrested.
Officer Jeffries stepped back to allow her to get out. “Put your hands on your head and walk to the front of the car ma’am.”
She did, fear beating at her breastbone.
He walked directly in front of her and said “Stand up straight and face me.” He pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and told her to follow the pen’s movements with her eyes, but not move her head.
She realized he was testing her for impaired driving. Thank God. She could pass this.
He ran her through the motions and she was certain she passed each test with flying colors. In between tests she chanted “hurry, hurry, hurry,” inside her head. She felt frantic with desire to get to the hospital to see if Craig was alive.
“Turn around and put your hands on the hood of the car,” he admonished her.
“What? Why? Are you going to arrest me? I passed your tests.”
He smiled what seemed to Emma a rather slimy and sly smile. “Actually, you were a little shaky on the field sobriety test. I’ll need to have you blow in the Breathalyzer, but mine isn’t working so you have to come to the station.”
Emma couldn’t believe her ears. Had to go to the station? Was she arrested?
“Am-am I under arrest?” she forced out.
Officer Davies dropped his right hand across his body to his taser again. His slimy grin got a little wider. “I said, turn around and put your hands on the hood of the car.”
Emma’s mouth went dry. Something told her this man wanted to taze her. He was hoping she would give him a hard time. Thoughts of fear for Craig fled to the back of her brain and thoughts of fear for her own safety took over. She turned around and put her hands on the hood like instructed, her eyes searching the surrounding area for anyone who could help her, or at least be a witness to her “arrest”.
The were just barely inside the city limits. The street was two lane in both directions and traffic was light. There were a few buildings on both sides of the road, but no foot traffic. Emma felt very vulnerable.
Officer Jeffries stuck his boot in between Emma’s feet and kicked them 2 feet apart, hard. He put one foot behind her right leg and bent over, putting his hands around her right ankle, feeling her leg all the way from her ankle up to her thigh. She was being patted down for weapons. Emma felt sick. She’d seen officers do this many times, but never to her.
His hands were very aggressive. When he got to her groin he squeezed and rubbed her most intimate parts before heading back down the other leg. She jumped and gasped a little. Now she felt violated too. Emma’s swirling thoughts began to jangle sharply together, paralyzing her. This was wrong. This was all wrong. But what could she do? If she ran he’d catch her and taze her and arrest her for sure. And he’d actually have something to arrest her for. Oh a dirty cop was the worst kind of criminal in the world, because they had so much authority. If this cop was a dirty cop, or one of Norman’s friends, she could be in deep trouble.
Officer Jeffries stood up and started at her waist, patting up her sides. He put his hand on her breast and she couldn’t help herself any longer. She grabbed his hand and screamed “Don’t touch me!”
Jeffries chuckled behind her and said, “Wrong move sweetheart.” He wrenched both her arms behind her back, handcuffing them in one swift move. Then he slammed her head down on the hood of the car. “You have the right to remain silent …”
Emma squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t believe what was going. She didn’t hear her rights. She could only hear the blood pounding in her ears and her own voice chanting why, why, why? inside her mind.
***
Jeffries didn’t say a word on the way to the station. Emma was half afraid he was going to drive her back out of the city limits and shoot her or something, but when she saw them draw close to the station she breathed a sigh of relief.
He hauled her roughly out of the car and steered her into the cell block area. Her mind raced frantically. She didn’t even know what she was arrested for, but she didn’t think asking Jeffries was going to get her anywhere.
He took her to a small room and took her fingerprints and her picture, all without a word except, “turn to your left, turn to your right.” He seemed to delight in shoving her around. After processing he took her straight to the cell block and shoved her in the small door.
“Wait! What about my phone call!” she yelled, turning around and grabbing the bars. He grinned at her and walked out of the room.
She looked around hesitantly. The cell block was just a large, open cage inside a large, open room. There were at least 10 other women in with her, most sitting on the benches pushed towards the walls of the cage. All of them looking her up and down, many with judgmental or angry sneers on their faces - she couldn’t tell which. On the other side of the room was a desk with an officer sitting at it doing paperwork. He didn’t look up.
Emma looked desperately about for a phone. There were no phones in the room or the cage.
“Uh, anyone have a phone I could borrow?” she ask
ed quietly.
A slim black woman wearing a pink boa and a purple body suit told her, “Nah sister, they don’t let us have phones in here.”
Emma backed against the bars, and slid to the ground, dropping her head in her hands. This couldn’t possibly get any worse.
She looked back up at the woman and almost whispered, “But they have to let me make a phone call right?”
The woman laughed, a short barking laugh. “You never been arrested before?”
Emma shook her head no.
“Course not. You firewomen don’t get arrested much, or did you steal that suit?”
“It’s mine.”
The woman laughed again. “They don’t have to give you a phone call ‘less they charge you with something. If you just arrested, there ain’t nobody you can call that can do nothin for you anyway.”
“I don’t think I’m charged with anything. How long until they charge me?”
“They can keep you here for 2 days before they have to let you go or charge you with somethin.”
Emma dropped her head into her hands again. She couldn’t believe this. She had no idea if Craig was dead or alive, and the police could keep her here for 2 days? And then just let her go like nothing ever happened if they wanted to? Think Emma, think! Maybe she could ask to talk to one of the cops she knew from paramedic work. Maybe somebody would be willing to help her or make some calls for her.
Emma looked down the room at the officer at the desk. She didn’t think she knew him. She was trying to think of the highest ranking officer she knew when a door opened in the room. Officer Jeffries came back in, holding the elbow of another woman. She had messy, long brown hair and a pretty face with a lot of make up. She was wearing a tight black miniskirt and a tight pink halter top. Emma thought she recognized the woman from somewhere, but couldn’t place her.
Jeffries opened the door and motioned the woman into the cell. She looked at him and nodded and walked in a few steps, then turned around and watched the officer. He walked to the man at the desk and said, “Hey Curt, I need your help with something.”
“What?” Curt answered.
“I need your help with some records in the records room.”
“Ok, get someone to watch the cell and I’ll be right there.”
“I’ve got the guard watching on the cameras already.”
Curt grunted and got up and followed Jeffries out of the room. The new woman watched them go.
As soon as they were gone she prodded Emma with her foot. “Hey you bitch, get up, that’s my seat.”
Emma looked up at her incredulously. “What? This is the floor.”
“Yeah, that’s my spot on the floor. Move your ass somewhere else.”
Emma didn’t want to get into any fights. She got to her feet and tried to edge around the woman. The woman watched her and then put her hand into her bra, pulling out a small, pink boxcutter. The blade glinted wickedly.
Emma’s eyes widened and her heart felt like it was going to pound straight out of her chest. She put her hands out in front of her. She’d picked up people in the ambulance before who had been sliced with boxcutters. They were a gang weapon mostly.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” she said, taking a step back.
She must have backed right into someone because she felt hands shoving her back forwards. Her eyes flicked to the woman who she had spoken with earlier for help. No help there - she had backed up to the far corner of the cellblock, her eyes wide and focused on the boxcutter too.
The new woman held the boxcutter in her right hand and held her left hand up too, and she bent over a bit, looking like she was about to pounce on Emma.
“Well then if you don’t want any trouble, maybe you shouldn’t start no trouble,” the woman said, stepping closer to Emma. Emma couldn’t go backwards, so she went sideways one step.
“Ok, Ok, I won’t start no trouble,” she said.
The woman took one more step forward. “Seems you already did or you wouldn’t be gettin this lesson, now would you. Your lesson is to keep your mouth shut and do what you are told.”
Emma tried to follow the conversation. Keep her mouth shut? Do what she was told? Did someone send this crazy woman in here to tell her that?
The woman lunged forward, the box cutter slicing through the air towards Emma’s face. Emma leaned backwards out of the way quickly.
The woman rushed her, silently. Emma wasn’t expecting it and down they went. Emma didn’t feel cut. Her eyes desperately searched out the boxcutter. It was buried in her thick turnout jacket sleeve. Thank God she still had it on.
The woman straddled her and sliced again, aiming for Emma’s chest. Emma grabbed both her hands and twisted as hard as she could. Dimly, she was aware of screaming in the room.
The woman didn’t let go, but clawed at Emma’s hands with her other hand and twisted the box cutter, slicing into the back of Emma’s left hand and down her wrist.
Hot fire burned across her skin. The pain was bad, but Emma barely noticed it. She twisted as hard as she could, trying to get the other woman to let go of the weapon.
Emma heard a loud pop sound and the woman suddenly pitched forward towards her, her hand going limp. Emma wrenched the boxcutter out of her hand and slid it across the floor quickly. Only then did she realize the room was silent and her attacker was motionless on the ground. She looked up. Two cops were standing at the entrance to the cellblock, one of them holding a shotgun. Neither of them was Jeffries.
Emma’s heart was pounding with exertion and fear and her breaths were tearing in and out of her throat. Had they shot that woman? Emma didn’t see any blood on her. Then she saw what she thought was a beanbag. Oh, they had shot her with a beanbag gun.
The cop with the shotgun pointed at her. “You, come here.”
She got shakily to her feet and walked to him. Adrenaline made her feel light headed.
He took her by the elbow and walked her out of the cellblock and out of the room to another small room just outside the door. Blood dripped from her wrist and left a grisly trail from the cellblock into the small room. The officer gave her some tissues from the desk and told her to sit down.
“I’m going to call the medics to come treat you. When I come back you can tell me what happened.”
Emma nodded and sat down, holding compression on the slice on her hand and wrist. A subtle click told her she was locked in.
A phone! The desk had a phone on it. Emma grabbed the receiver and punched in Jerry’s cell number quickly, ignoring the pain in her arm.
He answered. “Jerry, I’m at the police station. I got arrested. Somebody cut me. Craig is at the hospital. Jerry you gotta come get me!”
Emma collapsed into tears for the hundredth time that day.
Chapter 6
“Jerry , I can’t believe you did that! You could lose your job!” Emma whispered urgently as soon as the rear ambulance doors shut, cutting their low voices off from any police officers in the parking lot.
“Some things are more important than my job Em, like what’s right, and good friends. Besides, I’m not going to lose my job. That is a pretty nasty cut, even if it didn’t graze any arteries.”
Jerry had jumped the ambulance call to the cellblock for Emma, telling central dispatch he was right around the corner. He was working with Beth this time since Emma had taken wildfire duty. Jerry and Emma both liked and trusted Beth, one of the oldest and spiciest Paramedics in the department at 59. Beth could have had the supervisor position or even a Lieutenant’s or Captain’s position at any time, but she stayed in the trenches where she liked it best. She even preferred to float instead of work with a regular partner. She loved people, and she was a pure adrenaline junkie.
When Beth and Jerry got to the police station, Emma was telling Officer Cade what had happened. Officer Cade was calm and sympathetic, writing everything she said down into his little notebook. His manner and his kind brown eyes had relaxed Emma. Why couldn’t all cops be l
ike this?
Jerry didn’t act like he knew Emma when he came in, he just got down to business. He had looked at her hand and immediately wrapped it up tight. He had turned to Officer Cade and said, “She needs to be transported quickly. That cut nicked an artery. Is she released or are you coming with us?”
Cade had looked flustered. “She’s not my prisoner. Can you wait 2 minutes?”
“If it’s any more than 2 minutes we’re just going to take her.”
Cade had rushed out of the room.
Emma and Jerry had had a quick, whispered conversation in which she learned Craig had been in surgery an hour before but the hospital wouldn’t say anything else. She gave Jerry the short version of how she had ended up in the cellblock. Jerry was livid for her. Beth didn’t say anything, but her face gave away her anger at what seemed to be Emma’s wrongful arrest.
Officer Jeffries had then entered the room, causing Emma to shrink back on herself. She didn’t want to be scared of him but she was.
He had made it pretty clear he didn’t believe that Emma was badly hurt but his Sergeant had made him release her pending investigation. He had made her sign a form and given her a large manila envelope and left the room.
Emma, Jerry, and Beth had practically run out of there.
***
When they got to Westwood General Emma barreled out of the ambulance, wanting to run straight up to the surgical center or the ICU and start looking for Craig.
“Wait, Emma, wait. If we don’t get that hand cleaned up you are going to get a nasty infection or worse. Look, it will only take 5 minutes.”
