Chapter 40

My foot made nearly perfect contact, right at the junction with my ankle. The impact sent a jolt of pain lancing all the way up my leg. It was nothing however compared to the impact upon Jerry. He folded up like a cheap lawn chair, clutching himself and making a high, whistling scream and trying to puke up his toenails.

I nearly fell, staggered and caught myself. I vaulted over Jerry to check on Sherry.

She was lying on her side, semi conscious and moaning lightly. Her face was already starting to bruise, but she was breathing well. I looked up just in time to see Chuck come running up.

"Cops are on the way John. I also called for an ambulance and the fire department."

"Good. Check that sorry bastard, and make sure he doesn't choke on his own puke, would you?"

Chuck bent over Jerry and did a quick assessment. I remembered that he was an EMT at one of the local power plants. I began assessing Sherry. Good airway. Pulse: rapid and thready but strong at 110. Breathing: rapid and somewhat shallow at 18-20. No CSF from ears or nose. Nose intact, no displacement on facial bones. Good peripheral pulses and perfusion in nail beds. Some bruises and abrasions on her face. Semiconscious, not responsive to verbal stimulus. I began to hear the keening of sirens...

"He's OK John. Pretty well totally out of it from the pain, but breathing well and good pulse. Airway clear."

"She's kind of shocky Chuck. We need to cover her up so she won't get any colder."

"My sleeping bag's in the truck. I'll get it."

He ran off just as the first police car pulled up. I knew the officer slightly from fire calls.

"What happened here?"

"Chuck (pointing to Chuck, who was jogging up with his sleeping bag) and I were talking back down there at his truck, when she came out of the house and tried to get in the car. He (pointing at Jerry) came running out of the house screaming at her, caught her as she tried to run, slammed her against the car and clobbered her in the face. I ran up to try to keep him off her while Chuck called the cops. He bent over to grab her as she tried to crawl away and I took the opportunity to punt him in the nads." Chuck handed me one side of the bag, and we covered Sherry and tucked it around her.

"Ok- we'll need statements from you and Chuck, was it? I know you from the FD but I can't remember your name."

I took a look at his name tag to refresh my memory. Office Greene. "I'm John Darkscar, I livr down there by the red truck. That's Chuck Farmer- he lives just up the street. The lady is Sherry Lewis, who lives right here, and that asshole there is her husband Jerry."

I did a quick recheck of Sherry, just as the fire department and ambulance pulled up. I knew the fire guys, but the medics were strangers.

I gave my assessment to the medics as they began working on Sherry. After checking her pulses and limbs for deformities, they rolled her gently onto her back, and placed her on 100% oxygen by mask. They started an IV and put her in a C-collar. Then one got the backboard. And we log-rolled her up and got the board under her. As we were securing the backboard, Sherry came around.

She looked around, rolling her eyes and struggling against the straps. "What ... where ... why can't I move?", she said weakly.

I Leaned over her. "Sherry, it's John. It's OK. You got hurt, but the medics have you on a backboard. That's why you can't move. They're going to take you to the hospital." I smiled at her. You're going to be fine."

Sherry focused in on my face. "John ... what happened to Jerry? The last thing I can remember is him hitting me.

I glanced at the cop. He nodded. "I knocked him down to keep him off of you. He's going to the hospital, too, then jail."