Good Deeds Disrupt

Charlie started his 2012 Nissan. He buckled his seatbelt and scanned his dash to ensure no warning lights were popping up. Nodding to nobody in particular, Charlie then looked in his review mirror and adjusted his black plastic glasses. He looked both ways and behind his vehicle three times before slowly backing out of his driveway.

Although the speed limit was twenty-five Charlie keep his car at fifteen miles-per-hour as he cruised out of his quiet suburb neighborhood and on to the two-lane country road that led into the city. The drive into uptown was smooth, just the way Charlie liked it. He cruised into the parking deck a block from his building and parked the car in his usual spot he knew would be there at 7 am. He looked around to be sure it was safe and then got out of his car.

Charlie opened the back door and reached in to get his briefcase when something shoved him hard from behind. Before he could react, he found himself splayed across the backseat of his car. Charlie flipped on his back and came face to face with a large handgun. An even larger man with an unkempt beard faced him behind the weapon.

"Give me your keys!" the stranger demanded.

Charlie handed them to the stranger without a word. The man pushed in Charlie's legs and slammed the door on him. He watched the man's gun remained trained on him as he got into the driver's seat. The passenger door opened and Charlie looked over. A young woman with long greasy, dirty blond hair eased her way into the passenger seat. The stranger handed the woman the gun, he roared the car to life and squealed the tires as they headed for the parking deck exit.

"You sit up now." said the woman in a pleasant southern accent. "What's your name?"

"I, I'm Charlie."

"You sit behind Bo where I can keep this gun on you. I don't want to have to shoot nobody while I'm in labor, but I will."

Charlie was taken aback, and said, "You're in labor? In my car? And you're carjacking me?"

The girl nodded her head. "We're sorry as can be, what with disruptin' your day and all, but I'm desperate to get to the hospital."

"What's your name?" asked Charlie.

"You can call me Ruby." Ruby grimaced and then straightened her expression. "Now don't get any ideas about runnin' off if I get a contraction. I'm keepin' my finger off the trigger, but one wrong move and I'll take this pain out on you."

Charlie had forgotten about the gun until she raised it back in his direction. The weapon reminded him that he was still a prisoner in his vehicle. Charlie wondered if the man behind the wheel was treating Ruby okay. After all, what sort of man makes his pregnant wife hold a gun on someone while she is in labor. His concern pushed Charlie to ask a bold question. "Why doesn't Bo simply call an ambulance?"

"Mind your own business," growled Bo.

Ruby chimed in, "Never mind Bo. He's a proud man, and he should be. Seven tours in the middle east. The government got done with him and dropped him off like a dog in the night. Now he can't stand to be around crowds, and that makes it hard to hold a job. He doesn't think much of the authorities neither, so he didn't want no ambulances."

Bo grumbled, "You talk too much Ruby."

Charlie sat in the back of his car and looked at the pair. He could not turn them in. They needed help. Charlie decided to press his luck and keep talking. "I have a question, if I could get you both some help, would you take it?"

"I don't need charity!" yelled Bo as he glared at Charlie with dead black eyes through the rearview mirror.

Charlie shook his head. "It's not Charity Bo. It's a group I help with that works with vets. They pick up the dogs in the night and get you on your feet. You won't be getting a handout. They'll help you get housing and start you on the road to being self-sufficient again."

"I said I don't need it! Ruby, if he says anything, shoot him."

Ruby turned to Bo, "Bo, I will not! He's tryin' to help. Besides, I don't want our baby on the streets."

Bo got silent and focused on his driving. Charlie was amazed at how quickly his four-door sedan could move between lanes. Bo's expert handling of the vehicle caused little disruption inside the car. It was apparent Bo was careful in his lane changes for Ruby and the baby.

Charlie screwed up his bravery and spoke to Ruby. "Do you mind handing me a pen and paper out of the glove box?"

"What for?" asked Bo.

"I'm going to give you a phone number."

"We ain't got no phone," said Ruby.

Charlie smiled and said, "That's okay. I'm going to let you have mine. Just get it back to me when you are done. My office number is in the directory. Call me one day, and we'll meet up."

"Why should I believe you'll help us. Maybe you'll track the phone." Bo's eyes glared in the mirror at Charlie.

"Because," said Charlie, "if I had wanted to get you both in trouble I would have already activated the emergency button on the phone while it was still in my pocket."

Bo and Ruby got quiet. Charlie could tell the revelation had an impact on both of them. They had no idea how close they had come to getting caught. Ruby reached into the glove box and handed Charlie the pen and paper. Charlie wrote down the number to the Veteran Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255.

He handed the paper, pen, and cell phone back to Ruby. "Now promise me you will call, and let me know when the baby is born."

"We will," answered Bo.

The car came to a quick, but smooth, stop in front of the emergency room of the hospital. Without a word, Bo got out of the car and left the engine running. Ruby dropped the gun in the passenger seat, and the two of them rushed inside. Charlie got out of the backseat, slid into the driver's side. He looked over at the gun and deftly slipped it into his lap. He quickly found the button to the magazine. Charlie pressed it and the magazine dropped out of the handle. To his surprise, it was empty. Charlie slid back the chamber to discover it equally vacant and even a little dusty.

He slid the gun under his driver's seat and eased the car out of the hospital parking lot. He merged back into traffic and straightened his glasses at the first red light. Charlie was not worried about being a few minutes late for work today. He was too busy thinking about the baby and wondering when Bo and Ruby would call and tell him if it was a boy or a girl.