Safety In Numbers




John quickly took in the scene, and without even thinking, dove across the hood of the jeep. The young assailant was too stunned to react at first, and all John had wanted to do was get him off of Helen. He jerked the young man by the shirt, pulling him up and off of Helen. John reared his arm back and solidly punched him in the face, still holding onto his shirt collar, he reared back and punched again, making a solid impact with the young man's jaw. John could hear a bone cracking, and knew this guy wouldn't be going very far. The kid finally came out of his stupor, now pissed off that this guy had probably broken his jaw. He brought his knee up to John's groin, and John doubled over in pain. The kid went to run off, and John caught his leg with his hand, successfully toppling him to the ground.

"Don't fucking move dirtbag!" John yelled at the kid, who was trying to crawl away.

John finally recovered enough to stand, and stood over the young man, breathing heavily, "What the hell do you think you're doing? You stay put!" John brought his foot solidly down on the young man's hand. He cried out in pain.

John turned his attention to Helen, who was now trying to sit up, and cover herself. John took off his jacket, and placed it over Helen, untied the dirty bandana from around her mouth, and surveyed the damage. She had blood coming from her nose and mouth, and a wound on her neck, that was some kind of a scratch John guessed, but didn't much look like one, he worried at that point, if the kid bled on her. Helen thanked John, turning her head, the motion made her dizzy again, and she felt nauseated. John helped her further cover herself, when suddenly the nausea overtook her, and she vomited on the garage floor.

John was trying to keep an eye on the kid, and an eye on Helen, he was more worried about Helen at the moment, and didn't notice that the kid was inching away.

*******************************

Jose Gonzales had been in difficult situations before, this wasn't the first, he felt sure he'd get out of this one, broken jaw or not. He knew doctors that would fix things, if given the proper motivation, his switchblade was all the motivation he had ever needed. He inched his fingers toward the blade, as John's attention was turned away from him and toward the old lady. He seized his opportunity, and grasped the switchblade by the mother of pearl handle. It had always brought him good luck, he didn't expect today would be any different.

"Where do you think you're going?" John asked as he used his foot to stomp on Jose's knee, "I didn't think you had anyplace to go!"

This guy was pissing him off now, and Jose grasped the handle of his blade firmly in his hand, "Back off you shithead!"

Jose was up and on his feet, wielding the knife in front of him.

Perfect clarity in those two seconds, found John realizing what the mark on Helen's neck was from, this kid obviously wasn't afraid to use his weapon. John froze on sight at the blade flashing in front of him.

"Not so brave now, eh big man?" Jose laughed as he watched the color drain from John's face. "I do know how to use this, I can carve you up like a Thanksgiving turkey? You want that? I know it'd be fun for me!"

He flashed the knife towards John, waving it quickly in front of him, jabbing at his gut, and laughing.

"I'm the big man now eh? You want to play big man? Come on! Come on and play with me Big Man!!!" Jose lunged toward John as he stood transfixed by the long, sharp, deadly blade of the knife.

John knew he had to move and now, but stood rooted to the spot. His feet refused to move. "MOVE CARTER!" He was yelling at himself, 'MOVE YOU IDIOT!" He told himself again, however, his legs didn't move. Beads of sweat had popped out on his forehead and above his lip, watching intently as the blade was slicing at the air in front of his face. The young man was laughing at him, laughing at his fear.

"Jose likes to play! You like to play big man? Come on…" Jose continued to slice the air and gestured with his fee hand to John, to bring him out into the open of the garage. "Come on out to play big man!" Jose called teasing, wanting nothing more then to add another notch in the handle of his blade.

John moved slightly forward, "Jose, you don't want to do this." He had found hi voice and hoped it didn't come out sounding as terrified as he felt inside.

"Oh that is where you are so wrong amigo, I do want to do this! This is fun! Look at how you squirm! You think you scare me? You don't fucking scare me! He waved the blade in front of Johns' face stopping at his throat and laughed. "No, I don't cut the throat, I cut and cut, and you'll wish I I had just slit your fucking throat, Jose likes to cut! You like to play?" Jose jabbed lightly at John's throat, even the small jab, had brought blood, John realized that he was dealing with someone who was extremely dangerous. He brought his hand to his throat, and gazed intently at the blood on his hand, staring at it, as if amazed by it's very presence.

Helen was laying on the floor of the parking garage, covered with John's jacket, and not moving. She had been motionless for the past few minutes, and as John ventured a glance in her direction, Jose seized the opportunity of his attention being momentarily diverted, Jose lunged at him.

John never even felt it, as the blade grazed his abdomen, cut his shirt, and blood starting oozing from the wound. He was still standing there, stunned, as Helen moaned and rolled further onto her side. John chanced another look at Helen, and stepped toward the back of the jeep, the last thing he wanted was to be cornered with no way out, and in his present position that is exactly what was going to happen.

"Oh, you come out to play now eh? Was that your mama I was going to have it on with? That why you so pissed? Huh?" Jose continued teasing, baiting John into a fight, he was obviously destined to lose.

John stepped around the back of the jeep, in the middle of the thoroughfare of the parking garage, and tried to reason with this punk.

"Look, you haven't hurt anyone seriously yet, just go, get out of here, I won't say anything to the cops okay? Just go!"

"I ain't afraid of no cops man! They afraid of me! See? I got this!" He flashed the blade in front of John, slicing the air in front of him.

John felt a chill go down his back just looking at the blade, he ventured a few steps toward Jose, thinking he could overtake him. If he just stood here, he'd surely be killed as would Helen, he had to do something. John continued talking to the kid, in a slow, steady voice, trying to calm him. John realized the kid had to be on something. His eyes were glassy and he was twitching wildly as John neared.

"Look, just put your blade back, and move on okay?" John was slowly moving toward him as Jose stood his ground, "Just put it away, I know you really don't want to hurt anyone."

"Oh there you are so wrong, I want to hurt! You back off man!" Jose was getting agitated with John's steady forward movement, he sensed this and stopped, placating from a few feet away, "Just put it away, and walk all right?"

Everything happened so fast after this point, John didn't remember how exactly events had transpired. He remembered kicking out at the knife, and everything after that was a blur. They had rolled over each other on the floor of the parking garage, and John remembered Jose reaching for his blade and not quite being able to put his hands on it. John's adrenaline was pumping, his heart was pounding out of his chest. He felt a pinch, and realized that this kid had pulled something out of his pants, it looked to John like a miniature ice pick. Jose's face transformed into the evil grinning face of someone who is truly mad. John felt no physical pain, only anger at this person, and fear for Helen's safety. He would not allow anything to happen to her.

At some point, during their scuffle, he heard Jose scream and grab at his eyes with one hand, the pick swinging wildly in front of him. John felt a jab here and a poke there, as the Jose blindly swung the weapon. He jumped off the young man, and quickly glanced up. Helen was standing above him, a can of mace in her hand.

"Take that you asshole! Next time you pick on an old lady, you better remember this!" Helen said with a tone that John had never heard from her, she was pissed.

John quickly got up and went toward the jeep, and his cell phone, and as he was placing a 911 call, he looked back, noticing Jose trying to get to his feet. Helen kicked him squarely in the balls, causing another cry of shocked indignation from their assailant.

Helen stood over Jose with the can of mace poised at his eyes, his switchblade held firmly in her grasp and the pick kicked away to the front of the jeep. Every time he so much as jerked, Helen would spray the mace in his eyes, and give him a swift kick in the groin.

"Lady quit! QUIT! You're gonna blind me! You hear? You gonna blind me!!"

"Tough shit asshole! I hope you do get blinded then you'll know what it's like to feel helpless!" Helen hissed at him.

After the police arrived, and took their statements, Jose was hauled into the back of the police car, still screaming that "he didn't do nothin'. This lady just tried to blind me!" The cops took one look at Helen's condition, and knew that was NOT what had happened.

John sat on the rear bumper of his jeep, Helen came and sat down beside him. "I have one hell of a headache."

John felt the back of Helen's head, there was a laceration and a huge bump on her head.

"You need to go to the ER to get this checked out." John said matter of factly as he took Helen's hand, and led her to the elevators.

They made their way through the ambulance bay doors, looking worse for wear.

"Carter what the hell happened?" Mark asked.

"Helen was assaulted in the parking garage. She needs an x-ray of her skull, see?" John showed Mark the laceration and the bump on the back of Helen's head.

"Okay, come on into Exam 3, we'll get you checked out." Mark led them down the short hallway and Helen laid down on the gurney with a sigh.

"John, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along when you did." Helen's voice was choked with emotion. She sighed heavily, "thank you."

"Hey, no problem, I'm just glad I got there before…" John let the sentence hang, it was better left unsaid.

"That was one hell of a Bruce Lee imitation you did by the way!" Helen commented.

"That wasn't Bruce Lee, it was supposed to be Chuck Norris." John deadpanned back.

"Oh, well whoever it was, it was a pretty convincing move."

"Their ready for you in x-ray." Chuni got Helen situated in a wheelchair, and John got up to walk to x-ray with her. He swayed a little on his feet.

"You okay Carter?" Chuni asked.

"Yeah, just got up to fast."

He looked down at his ragged shirt. There was blood all over the front of him, he looked a mess. He was pretty sure the blood was Helen's, and maybe a little from the jab he took in the neck. Still, he needed to get out of this shirt.

"I'm gonna grab some scrubs and I'll meet you in x-ray okay?" John said.

"Okay, you do look a sight." Helen commented.

Chuni talked with Helen for a while after John had left, she had to ask some tough questions that she didn't think Helen would want to answer with John in the room. Luckily, her attacker did not get as far as he had intended, so a rape exam was not necessary. But they did need to photograph her bruises, and her bloodied face before they cleaned her up, that was difficult enough. Helen was a real trooper. The tears didn't come until Chuni had put the camera up. Chuni put her arm around Helen's shoulder, "it's okay, you're safe now."

Helen was shaking uncontrollably, suddenly all the fear she had felt came back.

"It was just so humiliating." Helen said quietly.

"I can only imagine." Chuni replied.

When Helen got herself back under control, Chuni wheeled her to x-ray.

****************************************

John grabbed a set of scrubs, and went to the men's room to clean up. The adrenaline rush he was on was wearing off, and he could feel every bruise, and every punch he took from the jerk, it was his hope that Jose was feeling every one of the punches John threw too! He took great comfort in knowing the little punk's eyes would be burning for hours after all, Helen sprayed most of the can of mace in them. Helen made damn sure she took good aim. He took off his ragged shirt, and threw it in the trash, it was worthless now, and surveyed the damage. He had been cut several times, once on his neck, which was pretty superficial, twice in his belly, both superficial, he would get a few Steri-Strips to take care of that. He looked at his arms, both of which had been swiped at by the pick, he had missed luckily both times. John wondered for a moment, just how many more weapons this kid had on him. It was a good thing Helen had mace. He thought that maybe, he should start carrying some kind of self-defense device. He splashed cold water over his face, when he was hit by another wave of dizziness, and suddenly felt nauseated. He assumed it was from all the physical activity. He never really felt any kind of major physical injury. "The adrenaline rush is wearing off, and now I'm paying the price." He thought. John looked at his reflection in the mirror, "you look like shit buddy." He told himself. He leaned over again, to splash more cold water on his face, he felt hot, and the cold water felt good on his skin. As he leaned forward, he felt the dizzy feeling again. He held onto the sink, and knew it was a losing battle, he was going to pass out. As he sunk slowly to the floor, he realized, he hadn't checked his back...



Part 3
Fanfiction Home