"I'll need your keys and your lanyard, Terry."
His heart was heavy. Terry dug the keys to the station and the ambulance he drove out of his pocket. He set them on the desk then pulled his lanyard with his official paramedic ID out of his other pocket and set it down next to the keys.
He felt as if he was handing over his life, his identity.
"I'm sorry about this, Terry."
"Yeah, me too." Terry just didn't understand how someone could accuse him of sexual misconduct. He had trouble asking guys out on dates let alone doing anything inappropriate.
And offering compensation for sexual favors? Seriously? What sort of compensation? He was an EMT, not a rocket scientist. He had about three hundred dollars in his bank account. He couldn't offer anyone anything.
This just didn't make any sense.
"How will I know what's going on?" he asked in a quiet, subdued voice.
"Someone will be in contact later today to take your statement."
"Okay." Was there anything else he could say? "I didn't do this, sir. I swear I didn't."
"I know, Terry." Chief Helmond still sounded grim. "But I still have to investigate it."
"I understand."
Sort of.
No, he didn't. Terry didn't understand any of this. How could someone say something so horrible and have it take his job away from him? He hadn't done anything wrong, and he was being penalized. How was he supposed to make up those lost wages? What if he lost his house because he couldn't make the mortgage payment?
He'd have to rent out his bedroom, and maybe even his parents' bedroom.
"Go home, Terry. Someone will call you soon about giving your statement."
"Yes, sir." Terry stood and walked out of the chief's office in a bit of a daze. When he got outside and climbed into his truck, he just sat there. It was hard to even process what was happening.
Terry jumped when someone knocked on his window. He turned then rolled his window down. "Hey, Deputy."
"Terry." Deputy Marc Walker frowned as he looked at Terry, glanced inside the cab of the truck, then back to Terry. "Is everything okay?"
Terry swallowed tightly as tears welled up in his eyes. "No."
Everything was not okay. Terry wasn't sure it would ever be okay again.
"Are you hurt?"
Terry could hear the concern in Marc's voice and wondered if it would be there when the man found out what he was being accused of. "No, I just have a few things to work out."
"Is there something I can do to help?"
Terry shook his head as he started the truck. "I think this is something I have to figure out on my own."
"Okay." Marc patted the window frame. "If you change your mind, give me a call. I'm pretty good at listening."
"Thanks, Marc."
Terry drove home in a daze. He was actually surprised he made it there at all. His head was too full of confused thoughts to pay attention to driving. He probably shouldn't even be behind the wheel of a vehicle, not if he couldn't keep his mind on driving.
Terry climbed out of his truck and trudged toward his house. The lights were still off when he let himself inside. For a moment, he considered going upstairs and spilling his woes to Dan, but he didn't have a clue what he'd say.
How did he tell someone he just started sleeping with that he'd been accused of sexual misconduct with someone else? There just were no words for that.
