The Healer

By The World Famous I.B. Corduroy

Lenny Stewart was a paramedic in the rural Southern California town of La Pradera. He loved his job, he loved living in La Pradera, and he loved helping people. Little did he know that one day, while he was at work, Lenny would come across a mysterious young nine-year-old boy who would change his life forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662460784

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The Healer

The World Famous I.B. Corduroy

Copyright © 2021 The World Famous I.B. Corduroy

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2021

ISBN 978-1-6624-6075-3 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-6078-4 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Lenny

The Call

The Hospital

Not Just Another Day

The Test

Spotted

The Lineup and Getting Bigger

Touchdown

Yin and Yang

The Price of Fame

The Stadium

The Exit

The Island

Idedicate this book to all the fine and hardworking EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, and support staff that have helped so many people throughout the years, as well as the one person who helped change my life forever…my shining Starr!

Chapter 1

Lenny

It was the usual day in La Pradera. It was seventy degrees outside with beautiful, crystal-clear blue skies as far as the eye could see and a slight breeze coming in from the west, just enough to make you feel as if you were in heaven. Lenny Stewart had moved to La Pradera twelve years ago with his wife, Dixie, when he initially became certified as a paramedic. Before that, Lenny was a combat medic serving in the US Army while serving two tours in Afghanistan. He didn’t like talking about his time in the army, but like most things Lenny did, he always took the bad along with the good. Lenny was one of those guys who always seemed to have a smile on his face. He had a calm demeanor about him, which was quite contagious. Now and again, he would lose his cool, but he always seemed to recover from that in a very short time. His thinking was that life is just too short to be angry, so just let it go. He also had the ability to remain calm during very stressful situations. This was, of course, a good trait to have when you’re a paramedic. Many paramedics enjoy the adrenaline rush that paramedics get when working at emergency scenes but not Lenny. He was just there to help out. Most of the time, Lenny would do things, nice things, and never take credit for it. He wasn’t interested in fame and fortune, he just wanted to earn a decent living for his family and to help others at the same time.

When he first tested for the job in La Pradera, the competition for a paramedic job was extremely fierce. There were over one hundred applicants for each and every position. You were lucky to get a job in any city in Southern California, let alone in the city of La Pradera! He did have a great deal of experience working in emergency medical situations prior to his paramedic training, which definitely helped him win over the job and eventually be hired. He was told that it was his experience as a medic in the army that helped him stand out from many of the other applicants, as the military taught soldiers a lot more than just medicine. They taught their soldiers about teamwork, the chain of command, taking personal responsibility for one’s actions, and most importantly, they taught about duty.

Lenny loved working in La Pradera, and this day started out just like any other. It was very early in the morning when he arose out of bed while also trying to be very careful not to wake his wife, Dixie, who had another hour until she had to get up and go to work as well.

Dixie was a lot like Lenny. They met through a mutual friend and clicked with each other right away. It was as if they had known each other for their entire lives. They were married within a year and then started a family soon after. While Lenny was overseas serving in the army, Dixie took care of everything at home. She was proud of her army husband, but she was happy to have him home now full time. As a full-time paralegal, Dixie had to both work full time and be a single parent to Jack while Lenny was away. Now Lenny could share in the duties and responsibilities which was a big load off of Dixie, who sometimes found single parenting extremely stressful.

Lenny tiptoed quietly to the kitchen and made himself a strong cup of coffee in the coffee maker, which could brew one cup at a time as Dixie didn’t drink the stuff. Coffee is the life blood of a paramedic because paramedics work twenty-four-hour shifts, and most of the time, they never get to go to sleep until they get home the very next day.

The bad news about working as a paramedic was the lack of sleep, but the good news was that the paramedic schedule had them working just ten days per month, allowing for lots of time off. As many as twenty-one days off per month! He loved this schedule as it allowed him to spend his time off with Dixie and with their son, Jackson. On many days, he and Jackson would go to the park and play basketball or just have a catch. They would even play a game of tennis once in a while. It’s hard to balance your life with family when you work twenty-four-hour shifts, but Lenny seemed to manage okay.

As Lenny poured his coffee, Reggie—the German shepherd that the Stewarts rescued from the pound—just peeked open an eye and then went back to sleep. Reggie knew that Lenny had a morning routine which didn’t include giving Reggie any treats. Lenny, now sipping his morning coffee, was also gathering all the supplies he needed for the day ahead. He gulped down a big portion of his go-go juice, as he would call it, and then packed away his lunch. He was even shaving at the same time as he was getting all his gear together. Many paramedics have an uncanny ability to be able to do multiple things all at the same time. This was just one example.

Unlike most people that he knew, Lenny was always appreciative of what he had in life. Once a day, every single day, he would thank God for all that he had. As he was