After the Fall

By

Jane Royce

“Oh Johnny, are you alright man?”

“Gage, that was the best looking fall I’ve ever seen, you oughta be a stunt man!”

“You really are a cat Gage, only you could find yourself in that position and come out alive!”

“Gage, hey man, are you alright?”

“Gage?”

“Cap, I think something’s wrong, Something’s not right.”

“Engine 10 to Engine 51, Gage has landed safely but he needs a paramedic”

“10-4 Engine 10, help is on the way. And thanks for being there for us, that was one beautiful piece of teamwork.”

“No problem Hank, if I never see that happen again in my career, it will be too soon.”

“I know what you mean, we are all shaking up here.”

*****

“Johnny, hey Johnny, talk to me man, you scared me half to death, I thought I’d lost you forever” Roy had to stop, his emotions threatened to get the better of him.

Johnny was having a hard time reconciling what had just happened. Stunned, he was unable to move. His single movement was to merely breathe.

“Cap, I need some oxygen over here. I am going to need to contact Rampart.” Roy directed when Captain Stanley came into view.

“I’ll get it Roy.” Offered Chet.

The equipment arrived in record time and just as Roy finished a more detailed physical exam. Johnny was lucky this time, no broken bones.

Roy carefully placed the oxygen mask on his partner, studying his apparently catatonic form. Johnny was not responding to any verbal stimulus.

“Rampart, this is squad 51, come in please.”

“Go ahead 51, this is Rampart.” Instructed the disembodied voice of Dr. Kelly Brackett.

“Rampart, we have a male paramedic who fell from a height of approximately 30 storeys. He was safely caught in a fire net and has no apparent signs of physical trauma. He is conscious but unresponsive at this time to verbal stimuli. He is on 6 litres of oxygen.”

“Squad 51, continue to administer oxygen and start an IV with normal saline, TKO. Transport immediately.”

“10-4 Rampart, Transporting immediately.”

“OK Cap, you heard Rampart, I am going to take him in.”

“What do you think it wrong here Roy? Is he in some sort of shock?”

“I’d say so Cap, I can’t imagine where his mind is right now, he’s been traumatized with fear.”

“OK Roy, take good care of him.”

“You know it Cap, I’m not going to let anything happen after all of this!”

*****

The ride to Rampart was uneventful. Roy was overwhelmed with emotion knowing that his partner had escaped death, again. His own shaking hands finally calmed when he found something useful for him to do, and that was to take care of his partner, his friend.

*****

“Johnny, can you hear me Johnny?” Dr. Brackett asked as he rubbed with his fist, Johnny’s sternum.

Johnny emitted a low moan and closed his eyes briefly. He moved his head from side to side and gripped the sides of the stretcher with both hands.

“Johnny, it’s alright now, you are safe and on the ground again. I understand you had a bit of a fall, but you are going to be fine now. You are safe Johnny, you are safe.”

“Hey pal, you gave us all one helluva scare, but that must be nothing compared to how you felt. Chet is never going to be the same I don’t think”

“Uhn.” Johnny moaned as his breath quickened.

“Johnny, relax now, you are going to be fine, take some deep breaths now, you are just fine.”

Both Dr. Brackett and Roy could se Johnny’s body tense and become rigid.

“Roy, get Dix in here, I am going to give him some Valium, I think the shock of what happened is wearing off for him.”

“You got it Doc, be right back.”

Roy didn’t have to far, Dix made her way into the room before Roy could even reach for the door handle.

“Ah good Dix, lets give our friend here some IV Valium, 10 milligrams to start.”

“Sure Kel, right away.”

The drug took effect immediately and all could see his grip on the stretcher relax a bit.

“Roy, I am going to keep him here overnight for observation. I think this will all pass, but it’s going to be a process. I can’t imagine what he’s been through, and neither can he I bet. He needs time and we need to be patient.”

“Of course Dr. Brackett, I understand. I’ll go and let the guys know.”

“You won’t have to go far Roy, they are all outside in the hallway waiting for word.” Dix instructed.

“Oh wow, thanks Dix!”

With that, Roy made his way to the hallway to confront his station mates.

“Hi guys, it’s good that you are here. Johnny is going to be fine, but he just seemed to become aware of his surroundings a bit just a few minutes ago. Dr. Brackett gave him something to help calm him down a bit. He’s here for the night for observation.”

“That’s find Roy, I’ll call in a replacement if you feel well enough yourself to finish your shift?”

“That’s fine Cap, I can finish, it’s only six more hours anyway. Thanks Cap.”

“You got it pal, I am glad that the end was a happy one here. We are going back to the station now, why don’t you wait here for your new partner?”

“Thanks Cap, I appreciate that.”

*****

“Roy….ROY!” Johnny shouted from his hospital bed.

With a start, Roy bolted awake and allowed for the events of the past 24 hours to flood back into his mind. Johnny had been asleep since his shift ended and Roy could nto be convinced to leave the hospital and go home.

“I’m here Johnny, you are going to be alright.”

“Roy, oh my God, I was falling, falling Roy, I thought I was gonna die man!”

“I know Johnny, but you are going to be alright. You are fine, rattled a bit, but fine. No injuries, you are fine my friend.”

“Roy, oh God, I was scared, I can’t stop shaking!” Johnny was becoming more panicked by the moment as the events of the day flooded his mind too.

Roy gently reached over for the nurses call-button, and instructed the nurse when she responded over the intercom, to get Dr. Brackett quickly.

“Hey Roy, what have we here, has our friend decided to join us again?” Asked Dr. Brackett as he pushed his way into Johnny’s room.

“Dr. Brackett, Johnny woke a few minutes ago and is agitated/”

“Johnny, how are you doing now, you gave us quite a scare.”

“F-fine doc, jus f-fine.”

“Johnny, you had a terrible fall and fright. This is going to take time my friend. You have much to work out. In the meantime, I am going to give you a low dose sedative to help with the anxiety. We’ll talk in the morning, alright?”

“Th-thanks doc, I just can’t stop shaking.”

“I can understand why Johnny, I can understand why.”

A few moments after Dr. Brackett left Johnny’s room, a nurse arrived with a small Ativan tablet. Johnny placed the small pill under his tongue as instructed and just stared at his friend, the friend he never thought he’d see again, until sleep once again claimed him.

‘Johnny, you really gave me a scare today, I thought for certain that this was the end for you. I won’t soon forget to let a day go by without telling you how important you are to me, and to let everyone I love, know that I do love them. You taught me a valuable lesson my friend, more valuable then you’ll ever know.’

Johnny peacefully slept and his dreams were peaceful ones, ones that sent him a message that his has been given another chance to live, and to respect that. The spirit world did not fail him, and he must not fail them.