Like Taking a Photo

Chapter 7: Calm Before the Storm

Reid: Thanks, you have a great day.

CJ: You too, Reid.

Reid put his phone away and finished drinking his coffee. He rinsed out the mug, and left it in the sink. Reid began looking for his lucky apron, since he needed all the luck he could get for his trial run today. Looking through the cabinets, he felt his phone buzz. Reaching down and looking at the screen, he saw the screen said, "Amy" she was calling him. He answered.

"Oh hi, Amy, is there a problem?" he asked.

"Hey Reid." she began. "We have a change of plans, I got a call earlier. Someone needs to meet with you at the fire station for a followup interview after your accident. So I will come and get you, and we can go up there. The studio will be ok without me for a couple hours."

LATER: Reid had some apprehension about heading into the fire station but Amy did her best to comfort the deer about the whole thing.

"Captain Talerum was the one who called. You should be talking to him." She said.

The pair walked into the station through the large doors and turned towards the living area. After a short walk, they are met by a tall and blue deer. It has the build of your typical buck, however this one was lacking antlers, even though it wasn't shedding season.

"Ah, Mr. Reid?" His voice soft yet firm, "I'm Captain Talerum, I was at the scene of your car accident the other day, how are you feeling? Healing well?"

"Just some bruised ribs now, but the pain has subsided almost completely. Captain, I believe we were called in to have a meeting about the details of what happened?" Reid answered.

The Captain smiled and nodded, "Do you mind if we go to my office? It will be easier to discuss details in private."

The Captain opens the door to the office. He ducks through the doorway instinctually, clears some space on the desk and pulls up two chairs, "Thank you for coming in, we have some follow up questions for you. It's the responsibility of the Fire/Rescue District out here to investigate potential causes and report them, are you willing to answer these questions, Mr. Reid?"

Reid nods, "I'd be willing to answer any questions."

The Captain pulls a notepad and a report form out of a drawer, "Thank you. We first want to figure out what may have caused the accident. Do you remember what caused you to fly off the road like you did?"

Reid answered, "There was a van stopped on the side of the road, but it was too wide, so it was halfway in my lane. I swerved and lost control."

"I understand, you made the right decision swerving to the right, however the side of the road was a sand dropoff followed by a drainage ditch. So the uneven terrain is what caused your vehicle to flip." the Captain explained, "What can you remember when you went off the road?"

Reid thought for a while. "All I remember is glancing away for a second, and when I looked back, I noticed the van there and didn't have time to stop."

"Do you remember anything after that? Do you know how many times you flipped?" Captain Talerum doodles on the notepad creating a crude reconstruction of the scene.

"Umm, I remember nothing between swerving, and waking up in the hospital." Reid said.

The Captain nods, "Understandable." He fills out some checkboxes and vehicle details from the dispatch notes. He whispers under his breath as he works. "The lucky ones don't have to remember their accidents." He glanced up. "And you didn't even crack your antlers." He reaches up and rubs one of his nubs absentmindedly.

"Alright next question, we weren't able to find many personal effects at the site of the crash, is there anything that was missing when you woke up at the hospital? Wallet? Phone? Bags full of pesos?" He noticed Reid's confusion. "Joke." He chuckled.

Reid answered. "I left the house in a hurry, so I left my wallet and phone at home without thinking. I didn't have anything else."

The Captain nods, "That's good to know, we try our best to prevent the loss of recoverable personal items. Alright, next up on the form is relating to drug use and criminal background. For statistical purposes." He reaches up and unclips his badge from his uniform and sets it on his desk.

"Separate from my duty to report, one cervine to another, any answers given during this section can, and will, be used against you as a confession, or admission of guilt. I'm sorry to say I've seen it happen." He takes a soft sigh and grabs his badge and clips it back into place.

The Captain asked, "Were you under the influence of any drug or narcotic that is considered illegal to use while operating motor vehicles?"

Reid's eyes widened, as he shook his head. "Oh, absolutely not, I never take anything like that. I may have alcohol on occasion while cooking, but it's used in recipes. But that's really the only time I drink anything. Even then, it's just a sip."

Captain Talerum nods understandingly. "That's very good Mr. Reid, as a public health officer, the responsible use of alcohol is a goal we all strive to have, I've seen it ruin too many lives. Next on the list, are you currently accused of any crime relating to arson, or in flight from any criminal proceedings in the city?" Captain stopped reading the prompt and studied Reid's face.

His face showed confusion. "Um, no? I have not been accused of any crimes."

The Captain strikes out the rest of the boxes on the form and seems to be content with Reid's answers. "Alright Mr. Reid, that's all finished, I thank you for your time. I'll be honest, it had been a few hoops for me to find you, seeing as you are no longer residing in your previous apartment. Luckily, I have a few friendly eyes in town. Is CJ treating you well? I knew his dad when I was a young buck. So we still talk sometimes."

Reid nodded, "Yes he is. Although, I haven't heard from him this afternoon, which is quite uncharacteristic of him."

Captain Talerum grabs his radio. "Excuse while I check something." He walks out of the office and rounds the corner. A minute later, poking his head back in. "Do you know where he lives? We know there's been some inclement weather out here recently, so that could be a concern from a public safety standpoint."

Reid gives him the address, writing it out on a small piece of paper.

He nods and forwards it to his dispatch. "Does he have any family you know?" Before Reid can answer, right on cue, the station bells tone out with the exact address that Reid had just given the Captain, and the message from dispatch said "man down, fallen tree."

The Captain's face turns sour, "Reid, you ride with me in my truck." He spoke seriously and firmly.

Reid's ears perk up. "Why, what's going on?" he asked while jumping up to follow the Captain. He almost ran passed Amy, before stopping in front of her. He didn't have to say anything.

"It's ok, go with them." she said. Reid continued forward, following behind the Captain.

"I'm sure you know CJ better than any of us right now, you may know of any medications or other drugs, things that would be important for my medics to know, so that we can save him." He says while jumping into his turnout pants and slinging his suspenders over his shoulder. All while the lead Engine loads and starts up its sirens and lights as it leaves the building with the ambulance following it out.

Reid speaks softly to himself. "Save? Oh shit, CJ please be ok."

The Captain opens the passenger door on his truck and motions for Reid to get in. While he does, he tosses his jacket and helmet onto the console of the truck and drives it out of the building, following the convoy of emergency vehicles. "Now you get to learn why I shave my antlers." He says, activating the siren and hitting the highway. En route to CJ's farm.