The Assassin Awakens

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

PRESENT-DAY

Lieutenant Jerome Seymour had served on the Brownstown Fire Department for the last eight years. Ever since he was a child, all he’d wanted to do was fight fires. Now Jerome was getting to work as a firefighter/ paramedic; it was a dream come true. He worked out of Station Four and was responsible for Engine Six and the five other firefighters assigned to that truck.

The lieutenant stepped out of the shower at the fire station and headed to the kitchen, hoping that one of his crew had put something together for a late lunch. He smiled as he saw a plate of sandwiches waiting on the table and a few of his men already eating.

Twenty minutes ago, he and his crew had returned to the station after extinguishing a fire in a commercial-sized dumpster. Despite all their gear, they all ended up reeking of the foul smoke.

As he entered the room, the alarm tones sounded, followed by the dispatcher’s voice, “Station Four, Engine Six, medical response. 1642 Dickerson Court, bedridden male possibly not breathing.”

The message repeated, but no one heard it they were all moving quickly to the truck.

As the officer in charge, Lt. Seymour looked at the vehicle-mounted computer as they pulled out of the station. The onboard system already had the address and map up. The Lieutenant tapped a button on the screen, which signaled the dispatcher that they were en route.

The information on the screen had updated, stating that the ambulance was about four minutes behind them.

Upon arriving, they all grabbed their assigned equipment and headed into the home. This engine was outfitted for Advanced Life Support and had all the same equipment the ambulance did, except for a stretcher.

As they came through the door, a distraught woman in her late fifties greeted them. She identified herself as the patient’s wife.

“Ma’am, what happened today?” Lieutenant Seymour asked.

“I woke up from my nap and came down and found him like this. I don’t think he’s breathing,” she said as she led them to the living room. There they saw a hospital bed in front of a large window.

Checking his crew, he saw that they’d begun assessing the patient and were hooking up a cardiac monitor.

Taking the woman aside, the lieutenant asked, “What’s his medical situation? Why is he bedridden?”

The wife answered, “He was hit by a car while jogging four years ago. He’s been in a coma since then.”

Putting the pieces together, Lieutenant Jerome Seymore asked, “Did they say that he has a traumatic brain injury?”

“Yes. The doctors say he won’t wake up.”

Glancing over again, he saw one of his team placing a mask over the patient’s mouth and nose and squeezing the bag that forced air into the lungs. This medic noticed his mask aligned perfectly with the faint indentations in the skin from another mask that was on Connor’s face forty minutes prior and was confused about what this meant.

From his position by the wife, the Lieutenant could also see the flat line on the cardiac monitor. Calling out to his team, he said, “Guys, basics only while I get this sorted out.”

He received responses, understanding that they’d do CPR but no advanced resuscitation efforts.

“Mrs. Braxton, does your husband have a Do Not Resuscitate order?”

“Yes, my kids and I signed it after his accident.”

As they were talking, a woman in her mid-twenties came running into the room. Lieutenant Seymour noticed that she looked concerned but not surprised by what she saw.

“Mom, what’s going on?”

“Oh, Bethany! I went down for my nap when you left after lunch. I was exhausted, and when I woke up, your dad wasn’t breathing.”

Looking at the Lieutenant, Bethany asked, “That’s my dad. How’s he doing?”

“He isn’t breathing, and his heart’s not beating,” the fire medic explained. As they spoke, they could hear the sirens of the approaching ambulance.

“Please stop. He has a DNR,” Bethany said.

“Do you have a copy of it?”

“I know right where it is.” And the daughter left the room.

Looking at his team, Jerome Seymour ordered, “Stop CPR. He’s a DNR.”

He then activated the radio on his belt and said, “Dispatch from Engine 6, advise EMS this is a DNR.”

At that time, a very relieved Bethany returned to the room with a folder of paperwork.