Being an EMT out here isn't all that bad; it's not like I'm in Chicago or Rockford, where I'm almost always on the move. Usually, the calls I get are minor stuff, broken bones, or transfers to home from the hospital, with the worst usually being an overdose or car crash. But nothing stuck with me, and knock on wood. I'm hoping it stays that way. Plus, staying close to Faraway is great. Looking forward to the new year! Gonna catch the game at Ginos on Sunday and then be on standby for any dumbasses who blow their fingers off celebrating 2006.

Happy New Year. The Bears got pummeled by those ringless bastards up in Minnesota, but we had backups in. After that, I visited my friend at his house and gave some basic pointers to his son, Henry, about medicine. It's clear as day that Mr. Rodriguez is pushing him to be a doctor. I tried to explain to him what an EMT does, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to give him some pointers on how to stabilize someone and whatnot. But I did not spend much time on that. It's his birthday after all, and turning 20 is a big deal! He should go out and enjoy it. He can learn how to place IVs later. As I left their house, I noticed the house to the left, the Suzuki residence. It looks almost abandoned, with no effort made to shovel the snow or provide home care. It's been like this for the last 4 years, and I know exactly why. We still have the EMT reports on file from 10/13/02, and every time I read through them, it leaves a pit in my stomach. It was a tough day for the whole staff. To make things worse, the mother of the poor girl was completely out of it. I understand being in shock, but she was not helpful at all during the process, acting strangely as if she was hiding something. She even declined an autopsy and rushed to the funeral. The day after the incident, the hospital gave a trauma-informed medical eval for the poor girl's brother and his friend, and since then, it's like they vanished inside that house. Nobody should ever have to lose a loved one like that. I don't understand pain like that, but that can't be a healthy way to cope. Her death impacted poor Henry and Kel so severely, so I can't imagine how much worse it affected that poor sunny kid and his mother. I can only hope for the best, but I can't help but feel it will get worse before it gets better. Do you think I have enough evidence to send over a wellness check or something?

Transported Barbara Thompson to the hospital for a routine procedure. Her grandson Basil joined him. Quiet kid with a giant green thumb for as long as I can remember! He was very close to the Suzuki boy, if I recall correctly. It was also his birthday, which wasn't how I would have wanted to spend mine, but to each their own.

Received a call from an elderly man at church who had a nasty fall in the cemetery. Helped the poor guy up and got him evaluated; he had minor injuries, routine stuff, to be frank. saw a poor girl with pink hair at the grave of Mari Suzuki, who looked visibly distraught. I left her be to grieve. It is Maris's birthday today. She would have been 20. So I assume this other girl knew her very well. It's been four years, but in a small town like this, a tragedy like that doesn't just get forgotten about. You are confronted with it every day when you interact with the people who were impacted by it. They all lost a part of themselves. We all deal with it differently, but we all hurt from it. Every time I visit Mitchell and his boys, I'm reminded of that day. It's clear his two sons are still hurting, and I don't blame them one bit. Nobody deserves to lose someone like that, and I pray nobody ever has to again. at least in this town

Some dumbass kid in a fake blonde wig got stung by a bee and thought it was worthy of a fucking 911 call. Wasn't even allergic or anything! It was a bumblebee, too, so this kid was 100% at fault.

Why is this town's hospital so damn tall? Yeah, I know it's built to serve a wide area, but it's absurd! The whole view from up top is corn fields. But on a very good day, you can barely make out the Sears and Hancock tower, so that's neat. never thought you could see chicago from this far out.

Some old guy who got shot by his hunting buddy needed help, and after transporting him to the top floor, I noticed the roof access, and there is a massive gap in the railing! Like it's big enough for someone to fall from. That's a lawsuit and or a tragedy waiting to happen. Anyway, the guy who got cheneyed is okay, I guess. It must have been only birdshot or something. Other than that, nothing else to report. But seriously, guys, fix that damn railing?

I saw the Suzuki kid, Sunny. Something is wrong with him, but He was with Kelsey and seemed to be having a good time. Mental recovery takes time. Good to see him out. It's always a welcome sign to see someone improve. Hope this is the start of something.

I got a call for a laceration wound; it was that pink-haired girl. She told me her name was Aubrey. But for whatever reason, she refused to tell me what psycho slashed her with a knife. Police couldn't get her to tell either. Nothing major as long as the wound gets proper care over the next few weeks. She got released the same day.

While on break, I saw Henry carry that basil kid back to his house. Why he didn't call 911, I have no clue. I hope it's not a bad sign. I offered to help really quickly, but they said they had it handled. The mood in there was tense, so I saw my way out

I finally got my nightmare call, and I should have seen the damn signs that something was up with them.

I just wanted this to be a regular, easy night for me and Claire, But That was all shattered by a blaring call from dispatch in the middle of the damn night.

"We need an EMS Response Code 3 to 102 Copper lane. We got 2 teenage Trauma patients. The Caller reports one with mostly self-inflicted wounds and acting in a delirious mental state, while the 2nd patient is already unconscious with severe head trauma—secure scene and prep for immediate transport to Faraway General. PD will respond alongside to support you. Priority is delta

I knew that address as the Thompson residence, and I rightfully assumed the worst.

I arrived around 1:30am, and I didn't expect to see Henry Kelsey and that Aubrey girl there. But I didn't have time to deal with them; I had to do my job, and with Basil's mental state being at crisis levels, I pushed them aside and entered the room. It was bad, way worse than I thought. The 2nd victim, whom I identified at that moment as Sunny, had a chunk of his eye gone, and blood was already starting to pool near his head. I knew he would never see out of that eye again, and if the surgeons could salvage anything, that would be a miracle, frankly. Basil had some cuts on his forearm and a massive laceration in his lower abdomen paired with wounds from what appeared to be a violent struggle, likely with Sunny. Basil was still in rough shape, so I gave him an IM of haloperidol before he could do more harm to himself or others. Once I got him down, I got to work, and the vitals were terrifying. Both had signs of intense tachycardia and abnormal vitals in almost every category. They were in a very bad mental state during this fight and a likely suicide attempt. Claire and I loaded basil into our ambulance and put Sunny into the extra ambulance. We then gave a summary to the police, who had just arrived (thanks for nothing). I asked Henry and Kelsey if they were okay and called their father to come over and help them, and then I got on the road to Faraway General.

I knew what these two boys had been through over the last 4 years. I never thought it would end up like this, and I'm sitting here wondering why. These young boys will be fighting for their lives tonight, physically and mentally…