Disclaimer:  The characters from Emergency! do not belong to me in any way, shape, or form.  Just having a little fun.

One Little Mishap 

By:  Vanessa Sgroi

Lara Smith turned the burner on the stove to the “high” position and added oil to the pan.  As she reached for the garlic and onion, the telephone rang.  Spinning away from the stove, she hurried across the kitchen to answer it.

“Hello?  Oh, hi Peg,” greeted Lara, “oh, I’m just cooking some dinner . . . yes, the banquet last night was great.  You’ll never guess who was there . . .” The young woman was deep into the conversation when she heard a strange whoosh behind her.  Turning, she was shocked to see flames shooting from the pan on the stove.

“Peg, I gotta go.”  Lara hung up the receiver and rushed over to the stove.  Not thinking clearly, she filled a glass with water and threw it on the fire.  The resultant flare up caught the sleeve of her blouse on fire and it rapidly raced up the material.

With a scream, Lara beat at the flames with her bare hand.  When that failed, she grabbed a dish towel and managed to eventually smother the flames.  Seeing the fire still roaring away on the stove, she grabbed a larger pan and dropped it on top of the skillet.  Then the pain set in and tears tumbled down her cheeks.

Breathless, crying, and in pain, Lara somehow managed to dial the emergency number and request help.  That accomplished, she dropped the phone and slid down the wall to the floor.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she heard first the sirens, then banging on the front door.

“Fire Department!” a deep voice yelled.

Lara called out, “Back here,” though too low for them to hear.

“Fire Department!”

The young brunette cleared her throat and called out again; this time loud enough to alert the firemen.  Seconds later, she heard a bang followed by the sound of hurrying feet.  Lara watched as five firemen burst into the kitchen.

“Ma’am?  I’m Roy DeSoto, a paramedic with LA County.  This is my partner, Johnny Gage.  We’re gonna take care of you.”

“I—I’m Lara.  Lara Smith,” she said.

“Can you tell me what happened?”  As Roy asked the question, he began his examination.

Lara grimaced as a spasm of pain crawled up her arm.  “Oh.  Oh, I feel so stupid.”  The brunette went on to explain what had happened as she watched the other firemen make sure the fire was completely out.

“Well, don’t you worry about it.  These things happen.  It looks like you have some first and second degree burns here.”  DeSoto diligently gathered the woman’s vital signs.

Lara listened halfheartedly as the blond paramedic talked to his partner, who in turn spoke into a receiver to an unknown person.  The pain in her arm was making it hard to concentrate on anything specific.

“Lara, I’m going to get some oxygen going on you while Johnny here gets an IV going, okay?”

She nodded.

“A doctor at Rampart Hospital gave me permission to give you some pain medication going too.  You should be feeling better in a few minutes.”

As promised, she was feeling a little better by the time she saw the gurney being rolled in.  With the help of the two paramedics, she stood and walked to the gurney.  After lying down, she felt a warm blanket settle around her.  It felt good.  She hadn’t realized how cold she was.  She closed her eyes.

Just before they lifted the gurney into the ambulance, Lara pushed aside the oxygen mask.  With her bandaged hand, she waved for the two paramedics to bend down.

When they did so, she whispered, “Thank you both.”  A single tear squeezed from the corner of her eye and ran down her temple, disappearing in her dark hair.

* * *  The End  * * *

*Click on the picture to send Vanessa feedback

Stories by Vanessa     Guest Dispatchers