A Cop Can Chase The Bad Guys, Good

Unless he runs into another cop, chasing the bad guys, bad.

Every cop hates pursuits, or not. It’s a love/hate relationship. Either way, they are a wreck waiting to happen. The risk for injury to pedestrians is huge, as is the danger of running into someone, or causing the car you’re chasing to do either.

Sometimes, cops even run into EACH OTHER. Which is exactly what happened to mine. (cop that is.) I was a young new mother, and had settled into late evenings at home alone. I had learned to enjoy the hours spent rocking my baby, planning meals, decorating the house, reading and watching movies.

I was low maintenance. Give me a book, a baby, cookies in the oven, it was so 1960. (Actually, 1977, but you get the idea.)

One night, around 2:00a.m. (why is it always 2:00a.m.? Is there something deadly about that hour in the universe?), I got the dreaded knock on the door.

It’s never good when that happens. It was a cop, and I nearly slid to the floor, thinking the worst. Immediately, I needed to throw up. Gagging, I pressed my hand to the mouth, my eyes pleading what my voice could not.

The cop’s first words were “He’s alive.” Wise man, to say that first.

I swallowed, fighting the strong urge to vomit. Adrenalin hit my stomach like a ton of bricks. I nodded, tears flowing already. I’m so strong. “Stop it!” I yelled at myself silently.

“Come with me, I’ll take you to the hospital, his car collided with a deputy’s car. He’s conscious, it looks like a head wound, not sure what else.” He was moving me around the house, letting me calm down. I grabbed some clothes and ran to the bathroom. We gathered the baby up and I said “Take me to my mother-in-laws.”

I pounded on her door, knowing she was not going to understand and would also feel like vomiting. “Lynn’s been hurt but he’s ok. I’ll call you from the hospital, I promise. Here’s the baby.”

I was back in the police car and we took off, red lights blinking into the darkness. No siren, thank God. I hate those things.

I was silent, the cop, one of Lynn’s men, was talking softly. “He was in pursuit, going North. The deputy was in pursuit of another guy, going West. The deputy did not stop at the intersection. Lynn saw it coming, you know him, he’s never speeding that fast since he’s a dad now, and so he was able to slam on the brakes. He still hit at an impact of 30 miles an hour we think, and he must’ve hung on the steering wheel with everything he’s got because it’s bent in half. It started about 8pm, this yellow GTO was buzzin’ through town running lights and floorin’ turning corners on two wheels. We’ve chased him all night. We just knew he was going to take out another car. We don’t know who he is, but we’ve seen him before. He’s good. Bad, but a good driver. Fast, daredevil, probably 17 or 18, he’s had some experience behind the wheel. Other departments in nearby counties have had trouble with him, no one can catch the guy. He’s run lots of people off the road. Lynn said none of us were to press him, just try to head him off, keep our distance, this guy would go the distance, he’s no green horn. By midnight, we were all gettin’ pissed. He had disappeared and we were drivin’ the alleys. Couldn’t find the creep. All of a sudden, he screams around the Sonic and heads north outta town, Lynn’s right behind him but slows down and drops back, hoping to decrease the guy in the GTO’s speed.

We didn’t know the deputy was anywhere around, he wasn’t on the radio. Outta nowhere, the deputy is crossing the intersection right at the fkkkiiiin highway!! If Lynn had been going full speed like he was earlier in the evening, well.. I don’t have to tell you…

When we got there, Lynn was out of the car, and fightin’ us because he didn’t know anything. He’s got a head wound. Since he was standing, we assume his legs are ok, but he collapsed to the ground so we don’t know……Marisue. Are you about to throw up? Please don’t throw up in my fkkkkin’ car….oh maannn!”

The cop knew me, and he knew I’d want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It was a pact we had all made. Give it to me straight.

Then help me throw up.

Miraculously, I had pity on the cop and did not throw up in his car. I waited until he opened the side car door for me and then I threw up on his shoe. Sorry. I ran into the emergency room of the small town hospital, and saw Lynn lying on the narrow hard table, with his eyes closed and blood everywhere. The doctor looked up. He was sewing Lynn’s scalp back together.

Matter of factly, the doctor began to talk “Hi Marisue, nothing like a midnight stroll to get us all going, eh? He’s going to be ok, if you don’t mind a few more lines in his face. I thought cops knew to stop at intersections. You might have an argument with the deputy who didn’t. I’m cutting his uniform off, and he’s going to xray, make sure he doesn’t have any broken bones. He’s going to have a major headache. but since he complains all the time anyway, you probably won’t notice the difference.”

I did giggle, but almost too much. Hysteria was pouring through my system, mixing with the adrenalin and coming up in my mouth. Everyone was a comedian.

Lynn, disturbed by the voices, tried to open his eyes and turn towards me. Those baby blues were gray and glassy. He did not recognize me. I looked up at the doctor, who shrugged and said “Well, for the next hour or two, you could play the other woman.” I was not amused.

The doctor cleared his throat and said “Most head wounds like this leave you foggy. He’s got a concussion. He’ll be confused for a few hours or maybe a day. ” The doctor told Lynn to be still, and he seemed to go back to sleep, as he muttered, “What happened?”

The doctor grinned and said “I wish I had a nickel for every time someone says that.”

I must have looked pale and weak, the nurse pushed me into a chair in the hall and gave me some water. My face began to feel warm again, and my stomach settled down. I jumped up, startling everyone and ran to the pay phone to call Lynn’s mother. “He’s ok, a nasty cut to the head, you wont be able to see it when his hair grows back. They don’t think anything else is broken, we’ll know soon, he was talking but he’s sleeping a little, they can’t sedate him due to the concussion…”

I stopped talking and willed myself to slow down and breathe.

His mother asked if I was sure he was ok. I said “not completely but probably.” Neither of us felt much better. It was too soon and we didn’t have enough information.

More cops arrived, checking on Lynn. I overheard pieces of their conversations. It seemed they were more angry at the hecklers that had driven by honking and being obnoxious about the two wrecked police cars, than they were at the deputy. That would come later.

One of Lynn’s childhood friends, who was also on the force, was in hot pursuit of a heckler. The friend, Jim, was in his own car, and the police were trying to find him to calm him down before the whole situation exploded. Cops do not like it when “drive by’s” heckle.

Neither do cop’s wives. Speaking of which, they began to arrive by twos – to see if I needed something. I did, company. I didn’t want to talk, I just didn’t want to be alone. In fact, tho’ I know it’s hard to believe, I had little to say. I murmured, nodded and listened, saying “huh?” to everyone who spoke to me.

I was ravenous, and couldn’t eat when food appeared. I was thirsty, and threw up the liquid. I was calm, as tears slid continually down my cheeks.

Finally, Lynn was in a room and did recognize me when I entered. He asked “Is the scar bad?” I said, “What scar?” We both laughed as I cried.

Within seconds, the room was full of cops, cop’s wives, and noise. The nurses were having none of that and rushed in to scoot us out. Lynn slept, I returned to his mother’s house and we all waited for the sun to come up.

The kid that Lynn was attempting to pull over, was later found at home, in a nearby town. As word spread that a cop had been hit, regardless of how or why, all departments were on hot alert to get the speeder, who was causing all this trouble. The 17 year old received his ticket and was no worse for the wear, nor did he express regret. Grrrr. Thankfully, Lynn had not been speeding, just following behind with his lights flashing. Lynn had a dread of causing a teen to panic and get seriously hurt, because a cop was chasing him. It was ironic, that Lynn got hurt instead.

They never found the hecklers, which was a good thing. The cops talked for years about the “dukes of hazard” colliding; it made for great exaggerated tales.

Lynn’s scar is one of distinction, but has faded with time. The deputy who ran into him was not injured and personally apologized, but was taken off duty for a period of time, just for precaution. City cops and deputy cops compete, no one knows why, but it’s tradition.

It was just an accident, and part of a cop’s life.

-I’m Marisue, telling the tales, of a cop and his wife.