Chapter 17 - Emergency & First Aid

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Chapter 17 - Emergency & First Aid

John's voice came through the phone: "I might have seen him."

While Jack rushed across the street with his Glock, two gunshots almost simultaneously came from the house. Jack shouted John's name loudly and dialed 911 again.

John's voice came from inside the house: "I'm okay, shot in the shoulder. There's only one person on the poolside, and he's down."

Jack spoke loudly into the phone: "I am Officer Jack Tyler. This is Shotoqua District, No. 5439. Officer John Nolan has been attacked and injured at his home. The suspect is down and needs an ambulance."

After hanging up, Jack continued shouting: "John, I'm coming into the house now. Are you okay?"

John groaned in pain from inside the house. Jack approached the poolside, keeping his Glock pointed at the intruder on the ground. He saw a gunshot wound on the intruder's chest, blood oozing out with every breath, likely a shot to the lung, probably beyond saving.

As a precaution, Jack handcuffed the intruder and left him there to bleed out. He turned and checked on John's condition inside the house.

John's condition wasn't good either. He was shot in the right shoulder, in pain, and moaning continuously. The bullet seemed to be lodged in his scapula; it didn't exit. Jack supported him, placed a towel on the wound, and attempted some basic first aid to slow down the bleeding, but he didn't want to do too much, fearing complications when the paramedics arrived.

With John lying on the sofa, Jack asked, "Do you know who he is?"

John replied, panting heavily, "He identified himself as Kyle Montgomery, the brother of Alex, the one I killed a couple of days ago. I met him when he came to the station to complain. Don't worry about me, he's probably in worse condition. Check on him quickly."

Mockingly, Jack said, "You're such a good person. I'll recommend you for sainthood in the Vatican." He grabbed another towel and went to the poolside, where the intruder was now losing more breath than gaining.

Using the towel to cover the wound again, Jack skipped using any more first aid this time. Instead, he performed basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Why?

Jack didn't mind blood-related revenge, but when loyalties clashed, he had to support eradicating the root cause. After all, actions spoke louder than words, and John was his friend.

Less than five minutes later, a night patrol police car arrived first. Jack quickly identified himself, knowing that the quality of police officers varied widely, especially on the night shift. He couldn't be sure if they might mistake him for the suspect and open fire. Soon after, two ambulances arrived and took John and the intruder's body away.

Twenty minutes later, police cars from the Wilshire Police Department also arrived, including Chief Gray and Zoe. Jack finished giving his statement to the night patrol officer and greeted the two, explaining the situation briefly.

Chief Gray had a stern expression but nodded after listening, which was considered praise. Zoe patted Jack's shoulder, signaling him not to mind, and said, "Tim's wife, Isabella, exposed her identity during the meeting with the drug dealer tonight. She's currently missing, and Tim, along with the DEA, is searching for her. Chief Gray and I were waiting at the police station for updates."

Jack nodded to show understanding and asked, "Do you need me to work overtime? I haven't fired my gun today, so I can carry out any tasks if needed."

Zoe shook her head and said, "We have enough police resources mobilized. You go home and get some rest. If the DEA finds new leads tomorrow, they might arrange a raid."

Jack understood and was about to go wash off the blood on his hands and drive home to sleep when a male Internal Affairs detective, appeared out of nowhere and stopped him.

"Are you Officer Jack Tyler? Can you explain your relationship with John Nolan? Why were you at his house today? Do you know the suspect?"

This detective's ridiculous barrage of questions left Jack flabbergasted. Is this how LAPD's Internal Affairs operates? It seemed quite different from what he had seen in American TV shows. Were they directly treating their own officers as criminals?

"I'm a colleague and a friend of John. I dropped him home today and noticed a suspicious vehicle across the street. I notified 911 in advance and alerted John. The dispatch center should have recordings of my two calls. I don't understand if you're implying something, but I'm tired now and plan to go home and rest."

Jack's temper flared up. He believed his actions today were flawless. If this Internal Affairs detective intended to bother him, he wouldn't mind seeking trouble for him through the union's lawyer. Of course, that was his current extent. As a low-ranking patrol officer, a clean record was essential if he wanted to climb the ranks without resorting to shady methods.

Fortunately, Jack had been performing well recently, and talented individuals were naturally protected by their superiors. Without Zoe's intervention, Chief Gray, who had been frowning all along, stepped forward.

"Stay away from my officer. Although Jack is still a rookie in the probationary period, I can say that he knows how to be a good LAPD officer better than you. He did nothing wrong today. If I see you harassing him again, I won't hesitate to file a complaint with your superior, Chief Weston."

Jack's impression of his gruff African-American boss improved significantly. Considering his recent improved attitude towards John, it seemed this person's character was indeed consistent with the original storyline. He was a stern and upright good person. Jack remembered that Chief Gray would suffer a serious gunshot wound later on, so he would find a way to save him again when the time came.

Jack cleaned the blood on his hands and body in John's bathroom. He also checked the system, and the shootout in the parking lot previously had earned him a considerable amount of experience. Though he didn't shoot today, he played a crucial role in the entire incident. Added to the small experiences from patrol duty before, he gained 1 gold coin, and his experience bar dropped to 15.

Seeing Jack come out, Zoe exchanged greetings with Chief Gray and made an excuse to return to the police station. They walked out of John's house together, and when no one was paying attention to them, she asked in a hushed voice, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Jack was momentarily puzzled but understood her implication and shook his head, saying, "I'm fine. John acted on his own today, and I didn't get into an excited state."

Since there were police all around the house now, it wasn't suitable to flirt with his female superior. So, they didn't have much communication and each got into their own cars.

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