E! Madlib #1 Story Template
"Payback"
Captain Hank Stanley muttered a series of (1)______ oaths under his breath as he leaned against a/an (2)______ and surveyed the accident scene before him. He thought he had seen it all during his (3)______ career with the county, but that was usually from the perspective of a highly experienced firefighter and (4)______, not as a victim. Cap (5)______ ran his fingers through his hair as he fought off another wave of nausea. A traffic light malfunction at a busy intersection had resulted in the multi-vehicle collision that involved both the engine and the squad, not to mention several innocent (6)______. Considering the force of the impact, Cap knew it was highly likely that every one of his men had sustained some type of (7)______ injury. He (8)______ recalled picking up the (9)______ to contact dispatch before he passed out. Now he almost regretted regaining consciousness. Holding his (10)______ against his aching (11)______, the worried captain (12)______ paced back and forth beside the engine with the HT in hand while he waited for the cavalry to arrive, and wondered how he was going to explain this fiasco on the incident report. How had the day gone completely to hell in a/an (13)______ within the mere blink of a/an (14)______?
Cap thought he was going to (15)______ with relief when he heard the (16)______ sound of approaching sirens. Help was literally just around the corner, and one of his colleagues could assume the responsibility of managing the accident scene in case he passed out again. However, his consolation was short-lived as an all too familiar figure in turnouts (17)______ directly toward him. He wanted to pound his fist against the nearest (18)______ and scream a few choice (19)______, or promptly collapse onto the pavement so he would be spared from the (20)______ encounter. Preferably both. Alas, it appeared that his fervent wish was about to go unfulfilled, and Cap tried to conceal his faltering (21)______ by striking what he hoped was his most (22)______ stance. He nervously cleared his throat as he extended his hand in greeting. "Chief McConnike! I, um..."
The stocky battalion chief (23)______ shook Cap's (24)______ as several firefighters and paramedics began to assess the situation. "What happened, Hank? We just finished fighting a/an (25)______ over at the new industrial complex when we heard about your multiple MVA over the radio."
Captain Stanley (26)______ the back of his (27)______ as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Um...it's...well...ah...y-y-you see..."
Chief McConnike misinterpreted the other man's stammering as a symptom of (28)______, and gently steered him toward a/an (29)______ while he motioned for one of the paramedics to join them. "C'mon, Hank. You need to sit down before you fall down."
"I'm okay," he protested (30)______.
"Humor me," the chief insisted as he stepped aside to allow the paramedic access to his (31)______ patient. "Besides, you can bring me up to speed while Wheeler checks you out."
Cap warily regarded the blond paramedic. It had been a long time since Tom Wheeler had (32)______ in the media's limelight, but nonetheless, the injured fire captain couldn't shake a/an (33)______ sense of paranoia that his (34)______ could become fodder for the evening news. "Um, Tom? You didn't happen to bring a TV crew or a/an (35)______ along, did ya, pal?"
Tom grinned as he wrapped his fingers around Captain Stanley's (36)______ so he could check his pulse. "No, sir. It's too darned much trouble to autograph (37)______ and do my job at the same time."
Relieved that he could safely put his fears to rest, Cap slumped against a nearby (38)______ while Tom wrapped a BP cuff around his arm. He shuddered to think how high his blood pressure must be under the circumstances. Surely just being in his former captain's presence was more than sufficient to provoke a severe episode of (39)______. Cap wiped the perspiration from his brow as he confessed in a/an (40)______ voice, "Chief, about the accident...I'm not sure where to start."
Chief McConnike pushed his turnout coat open as he rested his hands on his (41)______ and shrugged. "Hank, I've always believed that the beginning was a good a place as any."
Cap exhaled louder than he intended, and he reflexively (42)______. In his humiliation, he avoided making eye contact with the (43)______ figure hovering over him and fixed his gaze on the (44)______ on the opposite side of the street as he reluctantly began his explanation. "Well, it all started with the lights."
The chief's face registered his (45)______ as he pushed his helmet back slightly on his head. "Oh?"
"Yeah. You see, from what Vince has been able to determine, the lights weren't properly synchronized, so everyone thought it was safe to (46)______. The squad had just pulled out into the intersection when a/an (47)______ pulling a fully loaded flatbed trailer came barreling down the side street like a bat out of (48)______ and slammed into the passenger door. I swear, (49)______ and (50)______ were flying everywhere! There was absolutely no way Roy could have seen where he was going with all of that debris (51)______ in the air. Mike tried to swerve to keep from hitting the squad when it began to spin out of control. But before he could finish turning the wheel, a/an (52)______ going about (53)______ miles an hour rear-ended us and knocked us into a huge puddle of (54)______. The engine fishtailed for a couple of seconds when we skidded on the wet pavement, causing us to hit a/an (55)______ with the rear bumper before we crashed into the squad. (56)______!" As if for emphasis, Cap slammed his fist into his other hand with considerably more force that the task required.
The paramedic winced. "Careful there, Cap. You don't need to be racking up any new injuries."
Chief McConnike nodded in agreement. "He's right, Hank. You have enough (57)______ as it is."
Cap let out an exasperated sigh as he watched both of his paramedics being loaded into a/an (58)______. "I suppose you have a point," he answered distractedly as his attention turned toward the members of the engine crew being packaged for transport. "How are my men doing?"
The chief squeezed his former engineer's (59)______ in a gesture of support and reassurance. "I'll go check on them for you. Okay?"
It seemed that Cap had barely closed his eyes after (60)______ his acknowledgement when he felt a sharp pain to his (61)______. His eyelids snapped open as he hissed his displeasure. "(62)______!"
Tom smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that Captain Stanley, but you can't take a nap until the docs at Rampart (63)______ you. Chet said you were out cold for a few minutes before we got here, so we have to err on the side of caution and assume you have a concussion, (64)______ or even a/an (65)______."
Cap anxiously searched McConnike's features for any clue as to the condition of his men as the older man (66)______ his way back over to him. To his (67)______ relief, the chief broke into an ear-to-ear grin.
"If there's a silver lining in any of this, no civilians were injured," the chief reported as he removed his helmet. "Of course, I know that doesn't make you feel a whole lot better when your men are on the their way to the hospital. Fortunately, none of them appear to have any (68)______-threatening injuries though. Gage seems to have fared the worst since he sustained a direct hit from the impact. He has a fractured (69)______ and (70)______, as well as a probable tear or puncture to his (71)______. He's a little shocky from the blood loss, but his vital signs have improved significantly since they started an IV of (72)______. DeSoto struck his (73)______ on the side window. He has a few lacerations, some glass embedded in his (74)______ and possibly a mild case of whiplash. The paramedics applied a c-collar and secured him to a/an (75)______ purely as a precautionary measure."
"What about the rest of my men?" Cap demanded as he fought to keep the contents of his stomach firmly in place. Between the heat, humidity and stress of the accident, it was all he could do to keep from tossing his (76)______ all over the chief's (77)______.
Chief McConnike glanced at the organized chaos in front of the engine. "Stoker probably has a severely sprained (78)______, maybe even some minor damage to the supporting structures. It must have been at a really unusual angle when he was wrestling for control of the wheel just before you guys ran into the squad. They've immobilized the injured anatomy with a/an (79)______ to keep it properly aligned. Lopez has a fractured (80)______. He must have hit it pretty hard when he was thrown from the engine after you guys hit that slick spot in the road. But other than a few bumps and bruises, he's in otherwise good shape. Your man Kelly managed to escape completely unscathed. The luck of the (81)______ was with him today, that's for sure!"
"It figures," Cap muttered as he shook his head.
The battalion chief motioned toward Captain Stanley. "Wheeler, how is he doing?"
Tom cradled the biophone's receiver between his ear and (82)______ as he prepared to contact Rampart. "He has a nice goose egg right here," the paramedic replied as he pointed to a corresponding area on his own head. It's a good thing he was wearing his (83)______, or it could have been a lot worse. His pupils are a bit (84)______ and sluggish, so he probably has a concussion. But I have to admit, I'm a little (85)______ about the elevated BP, especially since he doesn't have any other obvious injuries that could account for such a high reading."
"Oh, I suppose the stress from the accident could be a contributing factor…among other things," Chief McConnike replied with a/an (86)______ wink. He gave his former charge a friendly pat on the back as he prepared to leave. "Looks like these guys have everything under control. I'll stop by Rampart later this evening to see how you're doing."
Cap's jaw dropped opened and his (87)______ widened in horror. "Uh, that's not necessary, Chief. They'll probably send me home after they've run a few tests and given me some aspirin or something."
"Are you kidding? You know Brackett's going to admit you for overnight observation and (88)______ every two hours at the very least!"
"You're probably right," Cap conceded as Tom started the IV in his arm.
Inexplicably, the battalion chief began to laugh.
Captain Stanley stared at him with suspicion. "What's so damned funny?"
"I can't wait to see how you describe all of this in your incident report. That ought to be a real hoot to read. Maybe this creative writing challenge is some form of karmic justice for setting my hat on fire all those years ago," the chief answered with a/an (89)______ smile. "Payback's a real (90)______, isn't it?"
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