Member-only story
The Golden Hour
Lose It and Die
Her fellow EMTs loved Kali from the minute she came onto the team. She could swear a blue streak, set broken bones or deliver babies without batting an eye and then go out and drink most of them under the table. She was also some kind of savant when it came to dealing with the drunks and crazies.
Then Harlan came onto the team. Harlan was older and had some kind of complicated history. From his first time out with Kali, it was clear that he really knew his stuff and that he fully expected Kali and everyone else on the team to do as he instructed (although interestingly, he always had her drive the ambulance). Some of the team — some of the guys on the team it should be noted — took exception to this attitude. Harlan didn’t care. In a remarkably short period of time he was team leader and Curtis, the former leader, had quit in a profanity-laden rage.
Kali rolled with stuff and soon she and Harlan were solid. She learned a lot from him but there always seemed to be a wall you’d come up against with Harlan, someplace he wasn’t going to go. Like about Kali driving. She was sure an old guy like Harlan would insist on driving. Go figure.
One night after their shift the conversation in the bar turned to The Golden Hour and whether it was complete BS or not. It was a dumb argument because everyone knew you just got the…
