YELLOWJACKET - CH.22: GOT YOUR SIX

 

The next day I was back at work, and after the rest of the crew had gone to bed, I was still wide awake. By now, I had resigned myself to sleeplessness, and made use of the spare time it gave me to go over the case file.

As I finished my last note, the station’s alarm system broke apart the silence I’d been sitting in. Jumping up from my seat, I ducked out of my room to join the rest of the crew, who shambled with a sluggishness that proved I really was the only one still awake at this hour. We didn’t bother speaking amongst ourselves - there’d be plenty of time to talk when we were on our way to the scene.

Suited up and headed out, once we were in the apparatus, everyone was still yawning and rubbing the sleep from their eyes as Chief Cormorant got the low-down on the details of the call. From the sounds of it, it was almost certainly a drunk driving accident, given that it was a Saturday night.

“Ugh, what do you bet it’s some dumb kids?” Liam tilted his head back against his seat. “I swear, half the time if it’s a car crash past midnight, kids are involved. Doesn’t anybody try to actually raise their kids right anymore?”

“When I was younger, my mom would read me the riot act if I got home five minutes late! Past midnight, though?” Heather let out a disapproving hum. “Trust me, they’d have never found my body.”

The crew began to debate child-raising techniques, which was precisely the moment I checked out. I had nothing worthwhile to add, since I didn’t have any kids, and the last time I’d mentioned Cleo, they made it clear that she didn’t count. It was better just to keep to myself.

 

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