All good things come to an end. My Christmas vacation is over. Earlier tonight my dad asked me if I still knew how to get to work. I told him I had it covered, it is programmed into my GPS. I knew that I was getting a new rookie tonight, Z. I did not know that he would be 9 feet tall and from La Porte. Ok, 9 feet in an exaggeration, but he is 6'6" and from La Porte. He graduated from LPHS and went on to play college basketball. He then played professionally overseas for awhile. He is in his third phase of training and is stuck with me for three weeks.
At rollcall we were given a special assignment by the desk sergeant to meet an evening shift unit at Ben Taub Hospital. The evening shift unit, B, was dispatched to a disturbance. When B arrived he found a resident that had a house guest, Ron, that was refusing to leave. They were lovers and things were not working out. B got Ron's Texas ID and using the computer in the vehicle found out that Ron was wanted for a parole violation. B placed Ron under arrest and put him in the backseat of the patrol vehicle. Once Ron found out that he was going to jail for the parole violation, he started talking about suicide. "I'm crazy. I want to kill myself." Ron had quickly developed the "I do not want to go to jail" mental illness.
So, B took Ron to the Neuropsychiatric Center, NPC, for an evaluation. He was evaluated and released. They concluded that he just did not want to go to jail. B then transported Ron to the county jail. Ron had been quiet on the drive. Once they arrived, Ron asked if they were at the jail. B said yes and Ron started banging his head against the cage in the backseat of the patrol vehicle. B got Ron out of the backseat and restrained him. Ron was carried into the jail. The jail refused to accept him because they thought he was too intoxicated. B loaded Ron back in the patrol vehicle and transported him to the Emergency room at Ben Taub to be evaluated medically.
We arrived at Ben Taub, found B and Ron, and took over. B made sure that Ron was handcuffed to the bed. Ron did not need immediate medical attention so he was wheeled into the dreaded holding area of the ER at Ben Taub, the Tub. The holding area is a horribly depressing place. If you are without insurance and sick, bleeding, leaking, oozing, in pain, or crazy, but not about to die and you come to the Tub, the holding area is your initial destination. When I leave I always feel like I need a shower and to burn my clothing.
Ron was lying camly in his bed, and then he lost it. He started screaming and cussing. That earned him a ride into the hall. In the hall, My back was to Ron. I was facing Z and we were talking. Z was facing Ron. All of the sudden, Z said, "What is he trying to do?" I turned around and Ron had taken a sheet from the bed, wrapped it around his neck, and was trying to strangle himself. Ron's face was turning purple. I went back into the holding area and summoned the medical professionals. They took the sheet from his neck and then cut off his clothing. Then they strapped him to the bed. Ron was returned to the holding area. Ron wanted more attention so he resumed screaming. He asked for a scapel and when that wish was not granted said every curse word combination that you can imagine. He kept screaming until the medical professionals gave him a shot that put him to sleep. Ah, sweet silence. Ron was still asleep when we were relieved by a late side unit. When Ron wakes up, he will be taken back to jail. He gets an "A" for effort, but the end result will be the same.
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