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Expect the Unexpected By JackeE! |
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Gray clouds had hung low over
As John Gage walked toward the nurses’ station in Rampart’s emergency room, he
vowed to his partner that if he were called out to one more brush fire, it
would be the one that pushed him over the edge and permanently damaged his
sanity.
“As if your sanity wasn’t damaged long before I met you,”
Johnny’s eyes slid to the man. He’d heard what
“I said, if the clouds stick around they just might bring some rain.”
“Oh,” Johnny acknowledged, in a way that let
“Nope, I wouldn’t.”
“Lie to Johnny.”
Johnny smoothly took the mug out of
“Don’t be too certain about that, Dix. Ol’
“Glad you finally figured that out.”
“Am I going to need one?”
“Looks that way.” Johnny fished in his shirt pocket
and handed the nurse a supply list. “There’s even thunder rumbling out there.”
“No, I don’t have my umbrella with me. Do you think the rain will hold off
until after three?”
“Dix, if I could predict that,” Johnny said, “I’d be a weatherman, not a
paramedic.”
“Good point.”
“Very good point,”
Johnny cocked an eyebrow at his partner. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
“It sounded like it meant something.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’d be happy if I was a weatherman and not a paramedic, meaning we
wouldn’t be partners.”
“Or it could mean that I’d be unhappy if you were a weatherman and not a
paramedic, meaning we wouldn’t be partners.”
“Yeah…I guess. But you sounded too happy when you said it the first time.”
“Define, ‘too happy.’”
“Too happy. You know. Like happy…only happier than
normal happy.”
“Look, Johnny, I didn’t mean anything by it in the first place, so how about if
we quit trying to define my state of mind…or yours either, which I have little
doubt would take us the better part of the day, so given that, I think we
should just--”
Dixie’s laughter interrupted Roy.
“What?” Johnny questioned.
The woman shook her head as the men put their coffee cups down before following
her to the supply room.
“Nothing. It’s just that I can always count on you
guys to brighten my day.”
“Listening to me and Roy argue brightens your day?”
“It sure does.” The woman fit a key into the lock on the door. She opened it
and led the way inside the room that was lined with shelves filled with medical
supplies. “Especially because I know neither of you means a word you say to the
other.”
“We might,” Johnny argued.
The nurse exchanged a knowing smile with
“Okay, I will,” the paramedic said. “Which means this discussion isn’t over yet.”
“Oh, lucky me,”
The men waited while
A long rumble of thunder rattled the windows.
“Sounds like I’ll be dodging rain drops tonight.”
“Tonight?” Johnny questioned. “Do you have a date or
something?”
“Or something,” was all
“What’s ‘or something’…if you don’t mind me asking, that is.”
Johnny blushed. Normally he was open to any and all advances from a beautiful
nurse, but considering he thought of this beautiful nurse as an older sister,
it was impossible for him to imagine coming on to
“Uh…no. I mean…well, that would be nice, but…uh….no. I
mean…it’s not that I wouldn’t like to, Dix, but…”
“But what, Johnny?”
“Well, you see, Dix…it’s….well, uh…” Johnny looked at
“What’s your hurry?”
Johnny’s eyes grew wide with emphasis. “We just need to go.”
“I don’t see why. We can shoot the bull with Dix a little longer.”
“
Johnny grabbed his partner’s shirt and gave it a tug. “Come on.” The paramedic
glanced at
“Yes, Johnny, I know how slick the roads can get. Thank you for reminding me.”
“Uh…sure. Sure. You’re welcome.”
The woman exchanged bemused smiles with
“Bye,
“What was that all about?”
“What was what all about?”
“Why you were in such a hurry to get out of there?”
“
“The big deal is that some of the guys have a pool going, and I’ve got twenty
bucks riding on the answer.”
“You’re right. If
“Listen, I’m not the one who started the pool.”
“Who did then?”
“Dwyer, Stillman, and some of the guys from 45’s and
8’s. We were talking about it one night while we were bowling, and since
no one really knows if Brackett and
“I keep changing my bet.”
“What?”
“I keep changing my bet. I’m drivin’ Dwyer nuts…or so
he says.”
“I’m sure you are.”
“Well, it’s twenty bucks we’re talkin’
about here. That’s not exactly small change.”
“Not in John Gage’s world it’s not,”
“Not in anyone’s world,” Johnny countered. “So if I’m gonna
shell out twenty bucks, I wanna make sure I get it
back, and then some.”
“How much could you stand to win?”
“Don’t know. It depends on which side I take, the ‘yes
“Are you nuts? Do you know what Brackett will do if he finds out about this?
Not to mention what
“I know. That’s why I have to be careful going about this.”
“Going about it?”
“Yeah. See, if I can figure out if they’re dating or not, then I’ll know which
side to stick with, and then I’ll win for sure.”
“Whatta ya’ mean?”
“It sounds to me the only sure fire thing about this bet is that you’re going
to lose.”
“Lose? But I just told you that if I figure out if
“Which won’t do you any good after
Johnny grimaced. “You’ve been watching too many of those horror flicks Chet
likes.”
“No, I haven’t been. I’m just good at predicting what’s
gonna happen if you insist on sticking your nose
where it doesn’t belong.”
“I’m not sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“Okay, okay. Maybe I am. But I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for the bet.”
“Then forget the bet.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“ ‘Cause Charlie won’t give me my twenty dollars back.”
“So?”
“
“Partner, the only return I think you’re gonna get is
trouble where this bet is concerned.”
Johnny couldn’t think of anything to say in response, and more than that, he
hated it when there was the possibility
By the time
~*~*~
You’d think people had never driven in the rain before. Dixie saw Squad 51 following an ambulance toward the ER doors. Poor Johnny and Roy. This is their third trip here since they
picked up supplies. Last time I saw
Johnny he was soaking wet. I bet he’ll
be glad to have a hot supper tonight. I
hope for his sake it’s not his turn to cook. He probably wants something more than hotdogs
and potato chips right about now.
As she got into the vehicle and turned on the ignition, Kel Brackett came over with an open umbrella in his left
hand sheltering him from the wetness.
“I thought you could use this,” Brackett said, closing the umbrella and handing
it to her after shaking it off briefly.
“Kel, you’re going to get soaked yourself.”
“It’s not like I’m going to melt, Dix. Besides, it’s my idea you do this in the
first place, so I’ve got to do what I can to keep my head nurse dry.”
“You’re right. You do owe me,” the nurse said wryly as she set the umbrella on
the passenger seat. Returning her eyes to the doctor, she shook her head. “Go
back inside. You’re getting wetter by the minute, not to mention the rain is
dripping into my car.”
Brackett grinned and nodded. “Drive carefully.”
“I always do.”
With her window closed again,
I hope Ol’ Bill has coffee brewing when I get
there. I’m sure going to need a cup by then.
~*~*~
“
“Yes, she’s on her way now. I wish the rain had held off longer, but Mother
Nature does what she wants when she wants.”
“Sounds like a certain nurse we both know.”
“You don’t agree with this, do you?”
Early pushed his chair back from the table and stood up, taking his coffee cup
to the sink.
“I think it could have waited until tomorrow when the
weather might be better--”
“Or maybe not, Joe. Time is of the essence in this case.”
“Either way, Dix is a big girl,” Doctor Early conceded. “She’s going to do what
she wants to.”
Brackett chewed his lower lip, ignoring the other doctor’s departure from the
room. He hoped he hadn’t made
~*~*~
Johnny Gage stood near the rear of the apparatus bay
watching the drops of rain hit the ground and splash up again.
“Jennifer calls them ballerinas.”
“Huh?”
“The rain drops. When they hit like that, she says they look like ballerinas.
Joanne taught her that to help her get over being afraid of heavy rains.”
Gage watched closely as the drops splashed at a rapid pace. “Whatever works, I
guess.”
“So what’s on your mind?”
“Nothin’”
“You’re standing in the bay watching rain fall. You could be in watching TV, or
better yet, changing into a dry uniform. So, what’s on your
mind?”
“You think Dix knows something’s up? Like the bet? I mean not that she’d
know it was a bet, or even that it involved her.
. .but you think she knows something’s up somewhere? I mean, was I very
obvious?”
“Yeah, but I doubt she figured you were any different from norm.
. .from your usual self.”
Johnny glared at
“I hope if she and Brackett do have a date, they stay home. I
wouldn’t be out in this stuff if I didn’t have to be.”
Johnny returned his gaze to the rain. “No kiddin’. Me
either.” After a moment of silence, a smile crept across his face. “Joanne’s
right. They do kinda look like ballerinas.”
~*~*~
"Okay, Bill, you just need to sign this last form and
you'll be all set."
"I don't know,
The nurse smiled warmly and placed a tender hand on top of the old, weathered
one. "I know, Bill, but we've been over this before." She squeezed
his hand. "We worry about you, you know... all of us."
Bill chuckled. "Doctor Brackett sent you out here, didn't he?"
Bill laughed lightly. "Oh, don't I know it."
"I came because I wanted to,"
Bill shook his head. "But,
"It's not what you think," she explained patiently, even though she,
Kelly Brackett, and Joe Early had all had this discussion with Bill before. "It not a nursing home. It's called assisted living,
and it's just a place where there'll be staff nearby in case... I said 'in
case,' you might need them. But you'll have your own apartment, and there'll be
lots of people there. You'll make all kinds of friends."
Bill remained silent; his face pensive.
It hadn't been easy. Most places were conventional nursing homes, and no one
felt Bill was at that point. In-home aides were almost as expensive, and Bill
had balked at the thought of a stranger sharing his home with him.
It was actually Craig Brice who had come up with the answer. All the paramedics
knew Bill and worried about him. When Brice found out what was going on, he
showed up at Rampart his next shift with a colorful brochure about a new kind
of home for seniors. He said his great aunt had moved into one and was
extremely happy with it. It seemed perfect, but convincing Bill was another
matter. It had taken weeks to get him to agree, and even then, he had moments
of indecision. Like tonight.
The arrangements were made, and all that was left was to get Bill to sign the
contracts. The administrator had called earlier in the day and told Kel there was a waiting list to get in,
therefore they needed Bill's paperwork as soon as possible. It had seemed like
an easy matter for
She glanced out the living room window. It was dark now,
and still raining hard. She didn't relish the thought of driving in this
weather. She turned back to Bill.
"It's really a great place, Bill. I'm sure you'll love it there."
The old man chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully, then
a smile broke out on his ruddy face.
"You know what we need with this rain,
~*~*~
“Those ballerinas look like they’re really dancing now.”
Johnny watched the raindrops splashing in wild abandon on the driveway, as
“Hey,
So busy with his theorizing, Johnny didn’t notice
“You know, Johnny, I don’t have anything against
With that,
“Wonder what his problem is . . .”
~*~*~
Spending the evening with Bill had not been
After the meal,
The hour was late when
“
“I’ll be fine. I promised Doctor
Brackett that I’d drop these papers off at the Center tonight, so I need to
stop there first.”
“But it’s too late for that now. Oh, my, I’ve kept you here much too late,
making you listen to an old man’s rambling. You’re probably tired after your
long day at the hospital.”
“Now that’ll be enough of that! I enjoyed my visit, and besides, you make a
mean pot of chili.”
Bill’s laugh lightened their mood, if only a little.
“Really, Bill, I do need to drop these papers off so we can get you on the
waiting list, and from there it’s not too much farther to my apartment.”
“There’s a shortcut you could take back into the city. It’s something of a
rural road, but it will bring you to the main highway close to the Center
you’re talking about. It’ll save you several miles, if you’re interested.”
“Sure, I’m interested.”
It took only a few moments for Bill to describe the route, and after repeating
it back,
Several miles down the road,
Still, she reasoned that the route was a safe one; after all, Bill had assured
her there were homes scattered along it. As long as she followed his
instructions,
Mesmerized by the sound of the radio, the darkness, and her own fatigue,
“Darn it. Now I’ve got to backtrack. I knew I should’ve stayed on the main
route. At this rate, I’ll never get these papers delivered for Kel. Oh, well, at least it’s not raining anymore.”
With a sigh,
Intent on her driving,
~*~*~
The lightning
bolted across the evening sky, illuminating the clouds that hid within the
darkness. The clouds swirled angrily, threatening another onslaught of rain.
The wind howled with enough force to rattle the big bay door, adding the
perfect touch to the all-too predictable B movie that was playing on the TV.
The paramedics had
been busy since getting supplies from
John Gage looked around the room, noting the
concentration Chet bestowed on the television set. Captain Stanley looked as if
he could fall asleep at any moment as he slumped further down into his chair,
and Mike was glancing between the TV and the sports page he held in his hands.
A game of cards began at the kitchen table after the movie. Hank had just said
he’d skip the game in favor of going to bed, when the tones sounded. Chairs were pushed back and left askew as the
crew rushed to their vehicles.
"Station 51, respond with police to the 1700 block of
"Station 51, KMG-365."
Here’s six, Johnny
thought in reference to the number of MVA’s he’d been
called to since early afternoon.
The engine followed the squad from the bay and nearly out of the city. When
they reached their destination, the headlights from each emergency vehicle
shone clearly on the reason they'd been summoned.
Two autos in the middle of a lonely road, both crashed
together head on. A red pickup truck sat crumpled into a white Ford sedan with
steam rising from its hood.
As the men exited their vehicles, the wind picked up and a low rumble of
distant thunder sounded. The air smelled
of rain, night crawlers, and damp earth.
"He's dead. Strong smell of alcohol, too."
Hank shook his head in a cross of anger and disgust. "Well, let's go see
if John needs any help," he replied while grabbing his HT from his coat
pocket. "
"10-4, 51."
As the captain and Roy hurried to the other car, Johnny was circling it,
looking through the shattered glass with the aid of a flashlight. Chet and
Marco were searching the immediate area outside of the vehicle.
"What've you got, John?" Hank asked.
"I think it's empty," the paramedic replied as he began yanking on
the driver's side door. Using all his might, it finally groaned in protest and
opened. “I wanna
check behind and under the seats.”
Hank nodded. They’d been at the scene of more than one
accident where a vehicle appeared to be empty, but upon further searching the
men would find a petite woman, a slightly-built teenager, or a young child,
nearly hidden within the wreckage beneath damaged seats or a crumpled
dashboard.
Johnny grabbed hold
of the steering wheel as he straightened, then pulled back, looking at his
hand.
"I've got
blood here,
"He must've gotten out through this side of the car,"
"Hey! There's blood over here on the ground," Mike called, using a
flashlight to look at the drips on the pavement below him.
Captain Stanley walked briskly toward the man who'd found the accident. He'd been leaning against his station wagon,
unable to leave the scene since the wreck was blocking his way home.
"Sir? Are you the one who called this in?"
"Yes...yes, I am," the man answered, extending a hand towards Hank,
who shook it. "My name’s Joe Rakes. I was coming home from a double shift
and damned near ran into this mess myself. I turned around, went to the
convenience store back a ways, and used the pay phone to call you guys."
"We appreciate that," Hank said. "Could anyone have stopped here
while you were gone calling this in? Maybe picked up one of
the accident victims?"
"I doubt it. There isn’t but three or four more houses now until
you turn off onto Highway 12. The road’s
usually desolate this time of night.
That’s why I like to travel it. After I’ve worked a double shift all I wanna do is get home. Don’t wanna
deal with stop signs at every corner, or get caught in traffic. I can shave about twenty minutes off my drive
if I use this as a short-cut to the highway.”
Hank nodded,
thinking about how much he hated getting caught in rush hour traffic when he
went off-shift at
"Nope. Not when I first came upon the accident, nor when I got back after reporting it. Sorry."
"Thanks, Mr. Rakes. I hate to delay
you further, but you’ll need to stick around in order to give your statement to
the police. A squad should be here in a few minutes."
“Okay.” The lean
man with the weary eyes pointed to the cars. “Can’t go
anywhere as it is until those are outta my way.”
“I’ve called for
tow trucks. They should be here soon as
well.”
Joe pulled his
jacket collar up around his neck to ward off the damp chill. “I’ll be in my
car, if that’s okay. I called my wife after I called you guys. She knows I’m gonna be late. Maybe
I can get some sleep while I wait.”
“Might as well,”
Hank agreed, knowing the police would wake the man up when they were ready to
speak with him.
The captain turned
away as Joe climbed into his car. He jogged to where his men were gathered
around the white sedan.
"Gentlemen, listen up," Captain Stanley began, "we've got a
victim wandering around somewhere who's obviously been injured. Get a
flashlight if you don’t already have one and let's find him!"
"Her, Cap," Chet announced, picking something up
from the side of the road. He showed everyone the purse he'd found. He
unzipped the purse and pulled out a wallet, announcing the name on the driver’s
license he retrieved. "
"What?" Johnny and Roy asked simultaneously.
“It’s
Johnny shifted the
beam of his light to the car’s interior again. He hadn’t paid any attention to personal
affects in the vehicle earlier, other than to vaguely note an umbrella and a
legal-sized white envelope that appeared to be stuffed with papers. Johnny grabbed the envelope and umbrella,
backed out of the car, and reached a hand toward Chet.
“Give me
Hank didn’t object
to Johnny’s actions. It was the type of
thing one friend would do for another, and better that Dixie’s purse was with
someone she trusted, as opposed to being put in the vehicle and towed with the
car to the impound lot until a member of her family could claim the items.
"Okay, let's
get those flashlights and start looking around.” The captain pointed. “That
trail of blood is heading down this hillside."
Another gust of
wind blew as Hank finished his sentence. He hoped this new storm that was
moving in would hold off until after they’d found the injured nurse. He called dispatch once more, letting them
know of this latest situation. He heard a siren in the distance, and watched as
a squad car rounded a bend in the road.
“Go ahead,” Hank
instructed his crew. “Start your search. I’ll stay here long enough to talk to
the officer, then join you.”
Roy and Johnny moved out quickly, worried about
The men of Station 51 spread out, so that when they started sidestepping down
the slick hill they were yards apart from one another in an effort to search
the biggest amount of territory they could cover. Two fat raindrops smacked against the lip of
Johnny’s helmet, then bounced off. Two
more thick drops plunked against the sleeves of his turnout coat. Like his captain, the paramedic hoped the
rain didn’t start in earnest again, since that would only hamper their hunt.
"
“
“
“
Soon the search was
spread out for over a quarter of a mile, and Hank Stanley requested that dispatch
call another unit in to help.
Johnny stopped suddenly at a thick of shrubs, his eyes focusing on where he
held the flashlight beam. "
“We'd better find
her soon. With all this blood she's losing …"
“Yeah,” Johnny
acknowledged of his partner’s uncompleted sentence.
The men broke of their conservation when they heard it. Someone was moaning.
Johnny walked forward a few steps, intent on finding the source of the noise,
but his mind lost that train of thought as his feet flew out from underneath
him.
"Johnny! Johnny!"
~*~*~
Johnny tumbled in
full rotations down the steep, wet slope.
He bounced over rocks and shrubbery like a child’s discarded toy, and
when he finally came to a halt it was because a boulder four feet tall by five
feet wide was in his path. The
paramedic’s breath was knocked out of him in a powerful, “Ug!”
as his right side impacted the immovable object.
Johnny lay there
momentarily stunned. He’d lost his
flashlight in the fall, but still had his helmet on, which was bound to make
Cap happy.
Good thing I
tightened the chin-strap. Cap would have my ass if I’d lost my helmet and than
smacked my head against this rock.
It was then that
Johnny looked at the ‘rock.’
Make that ‘this
boulder.’ No wonder I feel like a mule’s kicked me.
Johnny winced as he
pushed himself to his knees. He grabbed
his side with his left hand and held it there.
He took deep, shaky breaths, not so much because of the pain, but
because of the adrenaline rush that was borne from the surprise of tumbling
down the hill more times than he could count, and then stopping so quickly and
forcefully.
Gage,
you idiot. The first thing you learn at the academy is
the rescuer should never become the guy needing rescued. A lot of good you’re
doing
Johnny didn’t cut
himself any slack. He continued to silently berate himself as he stood on
wobbly legs. There was a part of Johnny
that was willing to acknowledge it wasn’t his fault he’d tumbled down a
drop-off that had been hidden by darkness and long grass, yet there was the
part of him that was all too aware his misstep meant people were now looking
for him, rather than concentrating on finding
“Over…” Johnny
stopped and took a deep breath. He winced once more, but this time when he
attempted to respond to his captain his voice came out louder than a weak
croak.
“Over here, Cap!”
A flashlight beam
swept the area, then landed on the paramedic.
“You okay?”
“Yeah...yeah, I’m
fine!”
“You
sure?”
“Yeah!”
Johnny moved toward
the beam. It was a struggle to climb the
steep hill, especially as the rain began to intensify. The soles of Johnny’s boots kept slipping out
from under him. When he tried to take
his left hand off his side in order to gain better balance, a dull throb urged
him to replace the pressure.
The paramedic
followed the flashlight beam as he ascended the hill. When he got close enough to his captain, Hank
reached out a hand. Johnny grasped the
hand and let Hank pull him up onto more solid, level ground.
Johnny gasped for
breath, the exertion from both his fall and climb making him feel like he’d
just run three miles at an all-out sprint.
“Dix…
“
“Sorry about this,
Cap. I…one minute I was on solid ground, and the next minute I wasn’t.”
“Don’t worry about
it. It’s dark, it’s raining, and this hillside is slick as ice.” Hank traveled
the flashlight beam over Johnny’s body. “You’re sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. My
right side’s a little sore, but I’m okay.”
“Ribs?”
“No…below
my ribcage. Feels like it’s
bruised. Like I said, I’m fine.”
“I’m sure you are,
but when you get to Rampart have someone check you out, okay?”
“Okay,” Johnny
agreed as he started walking. “Where’s
“Follow me.”
Johnny trudged
along beside his captain, silently cursing the way the grass tangled around
their boots and pant legs. Without it to hamper them, they could have walked
twice as fast.
“And
John?” Hank smiled into the
darkness.
“Yeah?”
“Glad to see you
kept your helmet on this time, pal.”
Johnny chuckled
briefly, “Yeah, me too, Cap,” then sobered as they
approached the hubbub surrounding
“I’m fine,” Johnny
assured. He couldn’t hide the wince that involuntarily crossed his features as
he got on his knees to aid
“You
sure?”
“Just
a little sore. How’s
Johnny looked down
to see that
“She’s got a deep
gash just under her hairline, and a gash in her right
arm, along with multiple cuts and bruises.
Brackett just ordered an IV of Ringers.”
Johnny reached for
the IV setup while
Johnny shifted his
attention to his partner once again. “Does Brackett know?”
“That it’s
“Yeah.”
“I told him.”
Johnny nodded. He could imagine the feeling in the ER right
now, as
When
“Dix?”
The woman didn’t
answer, but instead, her eyes lethargically traveled the limited area she could
view, since the C-collar prevented the nurse from moving her neck.
“
“Uh…what?”
“
The nurse’s eyes
flicked over the man’s face, but she didn’t seem to be able to focus on his
features. “Wha…what?”
“
“I…who…where...where
am I?”
“You were in an
accident, Dix, but you’re gonna be fine. Roy and I
are giving you our VIP treatment.”
“Ro…Roy?”
Johnny could tell
that the question in
Johnny asked
another series of questions.
“
“Day?” the nurse’s
voice parroted weakly.
“Dix, where were
you coming from?”
“Fro…from?”
Johnny exchanged
concerned glances with
“Na…name? My…my name?”
“Yeah. What’s your name?”
“I…I don’t….what
did you…did you call me?”
The woman’s brow
furrowed. Johnny could tell she was on
the verge of getting upset over her inability to answer his questions.
“Never mind, Dix,”
he soothed. “It’s not important right
now.”
The woman searched
Johnny’s face a moment, but when she still wasn’t able to determine whom this young man was, she closed her eyes in an effort to
escape her headache, and her confusion.
“Let’s get her in
that ambulance,”
“10-4,
51. Get...get
her in here as soon as you can.”
“10-4, Rampart.”
The paramedics
log-rolled
Had a lot more
bruises the time I wiped out on my bike racing Tom Chandler down Lindberg hill
when I was twelve.
“Let me take your
spot, Gage.” Chet slipped in beside Johnny. “You can help
At first, Johnny
wondered if he’d made some facial expression that indicated lifting the
backboard had caused him pain, but when Chet didn’t say anything else, or even
spare Johnny a glance, the paramedic was assured that wasn’t the case. Everyone
knew how touchy Doctor Brackett was concerning the medical equipment the
paramedics used. All of it was expensive, and Brackett never replaced anything
without putting a hapless paramedic through a Spanish inquisition before
signing the necessary supply forms.
Obviously, Chet didn’t want to risk facing Brackett if some piece of
equipment was accidentally dropped and took the kind of tumble Johnny had.
Six men carried the
backboard up the hill, followed by Roy and Johnny with the equipment.
“See you at Rampart,”
Johnny said. His eyes fell to
“I know,”
Johnny put the
trauma box in its compartment, then climbed in the
squad. He took off his helmet and laid
it next to
By Johnny’s watch,
it took them twenty-five minutes to reach Rampart. Had the roads been dry, they could have made
better time, but between the rain and the slick pavement, it was dangerous to
push their speed too high.
Johnny didn’t have
to ask anyone where
Johnny entered the
room to see Brackett, Early,
Twenty minutes
passed in which the doctors assessed
“Order a unit of
blood, Carol,” the doctor instructed as well.
“She’s lost a lot as a result of this head wound. It didn’t help any that she was wandering
around for God knows how long.”
Johnny bristled a
little at that remark. He wasn’t sure if
Brackett was trying to place blame at the feet of the firefighters who were
searching for the nurse, or if it was just a comment made in general regarding
the circumstances of the accident, and wasn’t meant to be taken as more than
that.
Each time Brackett
or Early tried to get a response from
When the X-ray
technician arrived with the portable unit, everyone exited the room. Brackett caught Johnny’s deep wince when the
paramedic bent to pick up the items he’d placed on the chair.
“Johnny? Are you
okay?”
Johnny had
unconsciously placed his left hand against his right side again.
“I’m okay. Just kinda sore.”
“Kind of sore in
what way?” the doctor asked as the group exited into the hallway. Doctor Early was paged to pick up a phone
call before anything else could be said.
“I’ll be back in a
few minutes, Kel. I want to look at those X-rays with
you.”
“Okay, Joe.”
Carol headed toward
the nurses’ station after saying, “Call me as soon as you need me again, Doctor
Brackett.” Carol was in charge of the
evening shift. Since she wasn’t able to do anything for
“Thanks, Carol,”
Brackett said, appreciating how concerned his staff was for their injured
colleague – not that he expected anything less.
He was concerned, too…very concerned, and he had a difficult time hiding
that when he faced Johnny and Roy again.
“Like
I was saying, Johnny, kind of sore in what way?”
“It’s nothing. I
took a tumble down the hill when we were looking for Dix.”
The doctor reached
out a hand and palpated Johnny’s right side. The paramedic took a sharp breath.
“Tenderness
there?”
“A
little. But it’s just bruised.”
“Come on, let’s go
across the hall.”
Because Johnny
promised Captain Stanley he’d have his side looked at, he didn’t protest as
Brackett led him and Roy to Trauma Room 4.
He knew this examination wasn’t necessary though, and felt the
physician’s time could be better spent attending to
“Take your shirt
off and climb on the table.”
Before doing as Brackett
requested, Johnny handed the doctor the items he was carrying.
“Here. These are
The doctor took the
things Johnny held out to him. He put
“I should have
never suggested she go,” Brackett muttered.
When the physician
didn’t say anything else, Johnny ventured, “Doc?”
Brackett looked up
at the men. “Old
Bill.”
“What about him?”
“We’ve been trying
for a while now to talk him into moving to that assisted living center Craig
Brice told us about. Bill finally agreed to it.
There’s a waiting list to get in, so the director called me this morning
and said we should get Bill on it as soon as possible.
Brackett slipped
the forms back in the envelope and turned to place it on top of
Johnny glared at
the physician. “How could you?”
“Pardon?”
“How could you send
“Look, Johnny,
“That’s not what
you just said. You just said, ‘I should have never suggested she
go.’”
“That’s what I
said, yes. But--”
“But
what?”
Because Brackett
had no defense, and because he felt guilty enough as it was, he resorted to
pulling rank as his temper got the best of him.
“What gives you the
right to question me, Gage?”
“What gave you the
right to send her to Bill’s, Doctor?” Johnny countered.
“Johnny,”
John Gage and Kelly
Brackett stood staring at one another through narrowed eyes. Both of them silently acknowledged that what
Brackett finally
broke eye contact with Johnny. He and
John Gage were tenacious, and both of them had a temper, so Brackett knew one
of them had to be willing to give in first.
In this case, the Hippocratic oath meant he had
to be the one to say “uncle” – figuratively speaking.
The doctor kept his
voice even and devoid of anger when he said, “Johnny, take your shirt off,
please, and get on the tab--”
Before Brackett
could finish his sentence, Carol pushed the door open.
“
The physician ran
from the room without thinking to instruct Johnny to stay put until someone was
free to look at him. When Johnny and Roy
got into the hallway, they saw Doctor Early running into Trauma Room 2. They waited a few minutes in order to get
word on
“Squad
51, possible heart attack at 665
Johnny put the
speaker to his mouth and pressed the ‘talk’ button. “Squad 51, 10-4.”
The men hurried
from the ER. They never returned to Rampart that night. The call of a possible heart attack turned
out to be an elderly widow who lived alone, and was frightened when a loud
ruckus came from under her bedroom window.
Johnny discovered two metal garbage cans on their sides, with trash
strewn across the driveway. He used a
broom he found hanging in the woman’s carport to sweep up as much of the mess
as he could and push it all back into the cans. In the meantime, Roy assured
their patient that the clatter she’d heard was likely caused by a couple of
rowdy dogs, took her vital signs, and gave her a clean bill of health.
“Your vital signs
are strong, ma’am, but if you want to be transported to
“Oh, I don’t need
to go to the hospital,” the petite, white haired lady assured from her perch on
her living room sofa. “I never thought I
was having a heart attack, young man, I was just scared. It was that fellow on
the other end of the phone who kept asking me if I was having a heart attack. I finally told him yes, so someone would come
and look around the outside of my house.”
“I see,”
“I already told
you, I’m not ill.”
“Yes,
ma’am.”
And you’re sure
there’s no one out there?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m sure. My partner used a flashlight and looked all around the
house. He’s certain it was just dogs.”
“Well…that McHenry family on the next block does let their dogs run free
sometimes.”
“See there,”
“I guess not. Thank you for coming.”
“No problem.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. I will.”
“Where you goin’?”
an exhausted Johnny questioned.
“Back
to Rampart. You never had your
side looked at.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
Johnny
straightened, pulled his shirt from the waistband of his pants, lifted it, and
studied his right side. He twisted his
torso so
“I thought you said
there was.”
“That’s because it
felt like there was, but evidently not.
Come on, back the squad in and call Rampart before we turn in. I wanna know how
“Why don’t you call
Rampart?”
“
‘Cause I don’t wanna
talk to Brackett.”
“Why? Because
you’re afraid he’ll chew your butt for what you said to him.”
“No, ‘cause I’m
still pissed at him for sending
“Johnny, I think
Doctor Brackett was telling you the truth when he said
Johnny climbed out
of the squad, being careful not to slam the door in consideration of the
sleeping engine crew. “I don’t care what
you think. I know what I think, and
until we know if
The paramedics
walked into the dayroom.
“Has she regained
consciousness…become any more aware than she was when Johnny and I brought her
in?”
“Not
yet,
“Okay…well,
thanks. I’ll call again before we go
off-shift.”
“You do that. It’ll mean a lot to
“Yeah, I’m sure it
will,”
When the man hung
up the phone, he filled Johnny in on what Carol had said. Johnny didn’t like the fact that
The paramedics
headed for the dorm. If
~*~*~
The engine crew was
toned out at
He sighed, then instantly regretted it at the twinge in his side. He held his
breath for a moment, then let it out slowly when the
pain subsided. A quick palpation didn't produce any tenderness, so Johnny
dismissed it. He's already convinced himself that his difficulties sleeping
didn't stem from his aches and pains.
The rain had continued off and on through the night, with occasional rumbles of
distant thunder, and it only reminded him of
Brackett! What the hell was he thinking? Aren't doctors supposed to be super
smart? Well, I may be only a hose jockey, but I damn sure know better than to
send a woman out on a night like last night. Those papers could easily have
waited for dryer roads and better light.
Johnny almost sighed again, but caught himself before he did.
Johnny ran a hand through his hair and sat up slowly. There was no sense lying
here nursing a grudge for something that had already happened. He wasn't going
to get anymore sleep, so he decided to get up and start some coffee in case the
rest of the guys got back before the shift ended. He stepped into his boots,
stood and pulled up his pants, feeling only a slight tug at his side.
Satisfied that he was indeed, only bruised, the paramedic shuffled off toward
the dayroom. With any luck, there'd be a donut there he could scrounge.
~*~*~
Kelly Brackett sat
in his office, one hand supporting his head, the other tapping a pen nervously
on the desktop. He'd spent the night in ICU checking on
Brackett had been in his office for the last hour and a half. He'd drunk more
coffee than he should have, and was trying to ignore the beginnings of a
headache. None of that mattered. Nothing mattered now except
Damn! Why did I let her go? Why didn't I tell her to wait? Gage was right. I
knew how bad the roads were. Why didn't I make her wait?
Unable to sit any longer, the doctor got up and walked to the window that
overlooked the parking lot. The sun was just coming up, shining pink and purple
through the clouds. It wasn't raining at the moment, but it looked like the
storm wasn't quite through drenching the
The sound of rain made the doctor lean closer to the window. He realized it was
coming down again, promising another wet day. He sighed and jammed his hands
into the pockets of his lab coat, wondering when he might be able to show his
face up in ICU again without Joe getting on his case.
The phone rang on Kel’s desk and he hurried to answer
it. The voice on the other end gave him the news he'd been waiting all night to
hear. A smile broke out on the man’s face as he thanked the nurse and hung
up. Doctor Brackett’s smile was still
there when he breezed out of his office and headed toward the elevator.
~*~*~
Johnny took the
last drink of his third cup of coffee and glanced at the clock. It was still a
few minutes before shift change, and the engine hadn't come back yet.
Johnny’s fingers drummed anxiously on the table as
"Well?" he asked, when
Johnny let his grin spread across his face as he sat back in his chair. "All right. That's great news. That's really
great."
"Carol says Brackett's with her now."
Johnny gave a derisive snort, which earned him a ‘look’ from his partner.
"Okay, okay,
I'll back off. But I still say it was really stupid of him to send her out to
Bill's."
"Maybe,"
Johnny just shrugged, then glanced up as he heard
voices in the bay that told him B shift was arriving.
"You gonna go see her this morning?" Johnny
asked
"Joanne'll want to see her too, so I think I'll
go home and eat first. That way we can go together after the kids are off to
school."
"That's probably a good idea," Johnny agreed. "That way it'll
space out her visitors."
The paramedics greeted Dwyer and Anderson at their lockers. The B shift
paramedics hadn't heard about
~*~*~
Kel Brackett loosened the BP cuff from
Brackett frowned, furrowing his brow. He didn’t want his friend and colleague
to have to deal with the aftermath of the accident yet. Although it clearly
wasn’t her fault, Kelly was sure
“Kel?”
“Look. . .Dix. . .” There was no avoiding the answer. He could tell by
her expression that she wasn’t going to let him off the hook. At least not before the medication took hold enough to knock her
out. “It wasn’t your fault. You were hit by a drunk driver.”
“Is he all right?”
The doctor
hesitated a moment before shaking his head.
“He was dead before the fire department arrived.”
He watched as tears
welled up in the eyes of the normally strong-willed nurse, and then trickled
down her cheeks.
“It wasn’t your
fault,” Brackett reiterated while plucking a Kleenex from the box on the
nightstand and handing it to
“He’s right, you know.”
Brackett turned quickly to see John Gage standing in the room, the door closing
behind him. The doctor wasn’t certain if Johnny’s comment of, “He’s right, you
know,” meant that the paramedic was saying Brackett was at fault, or if
Johnny was simply reassuring
“Johnny,” the nurse whispered as she tried to force a smile. The news she’d
just been given made smiling difficult, and she used the Kleenex to dab at her
tears. Given her injury and current frame of mind,
Johnny stepped past Brackett without so much as a nod
in greeting. He still wasn’t happy with the idea that
“How’re you feelin’, Dix? You’re looking better.”
“Hey, it got us out of the station for awhile. You know how we are . .we love the outdoors,”
Johnny smiled. “Besides, there were a lot of guys other than just me and Roy
looking for you. You’re a popular lady, you know.”
“It’s good to see she’s doing so well already.”
“Yes, it is,” Brackett agreed, folding his arms across his chest. He tucked her
chart up under one arm. “Listen, about last night. . .”
“Never mind,” Johnny said, despite a
tone of voice that told Brackett the paramedic had yet to ‘forgive and
forget’. Johnny appeared to be putting
his concerns for
Brackett nodded.
“Yes, we were.” The doctor decided it
was best to change the subject for both of their sakes…as well as for the
slumbering
“How’s the side?”
“Not even a bruise.”
“Hmmm.”
Brackett nodded. “Good.” The physician’s mind was half on his question,
and half on the patient in the bed. It
had been a long night, and the doctor was as exhausted as Johnny appeared to
be. “Well, I guess you got lucky. But if it gives you any problems, be sure and get in here.”
“I will.” Johnny glanced over at the sleeping nurse, then
spoke to Brackett, keeping the conversation strictly business. “I’m gonna head out.
Brackett unfolded his arms and opened the chart again. “Okay, Johnny. Get some
rest. You look tired.”
The only answer Johnny gave the man was a clipped, “Yeah,” leaving Brackett
once again certain that ‘forgiving and forgetting’ on Johnny’s part was going
to take a while.
As he turned to
leave, Johnny felt a twinge in his right side again that he discounted as
quickly as the twinge came and went.
It can’t be anything serious, or I wouldn’t
still be standing by now.
Stepping into the hallway, the exhausted paramedic slowly made his way to the
elevator. He couldn’t wait to get home.