"Squad 51, available."
John Gage leaned back with a sigh after receiving LA's acknowledgment and placing the microphone back on the dash. His partner, Roy DeSoto was sitting behind the wheel, staring blankly ahead.
"What's wrong, Roy?" Gage asked, even though he knew perfectly well what had the veteran paramedic so upset. Just behind them, a young girl's life had tragically ended, and she was being placed in a plastic body bag in the Rampart General Hospital emergency department. The girl, age 19, had been walking along a residential street with her best friend when a drunk 16 year old hit her with his car.
"I just don't want to talk about it right now…" Roy's voice trailed off. He took a deep breath, and started the Squad. The pair rode back to the station in silence, a silence broken only by a series of beeps followed by a set of tones…tones neither paramedic was ready for yet.
***
"Station 51, Station 36. Multiple vehicle accident, with injuries, in the vicinity of Avalon Boulevard and East 223rd St. Time out, 0927."
Johnny grabbed the mic and put the Squad enroute as Roy flipped on the emergency lights and the siren.
"36 oughta beat us in, Roy,"
"Yeah, I know."
The rest of the way in, the medics were silent, focusing on what may be waiting for them, and trying to get past the carnage they had just witnessed. It was a bad call. The young girl, a nursing student, had been carried almost 500 feet by the speeding car before she fell off the hood. Her head, traumatized by nearly going through the windshield, was unable to resist the impact with the curb. She was virtually unrecognizable when Gage and DeSoto arrived on the scene. Despite Johnny's best efforts, he was unable to establish an airway. The paramedic was now trying to put the run out of his mind. Roy had had a difficult time establishing an IV on the girl. He had finally started an IV with a 14-gauge catheter in her right antecubital (her left arm had been nearly severed). As soon as he tried to run the Lactated Ringers solution, the IV blew. The crew from Engine 127 was doing CPR for Johnny and Roy. With her "Golden Hour" slipping away fast, the medics logrolled her onto a backboard, and opted for a "scoop and run."
***
"LA, Engine 36, we are at Avalon and East 223rd, and are seeing nothing. We will continue searching the area."
"10-4 Engine 36. All units with Station 36, be advised, Engine 36 has not located this incident. All units continue."
"Engine 36, Engine 51," Captain Stanley's voice came across the radio. "It has been all-clear so-far from our direction."
"10-4 51, we have you in sight. We are going to cancel on this call."
"Engine 51."
"LA, Engine 36. We have found nothing. Can you advise further?"
"Negative, 36, for your information, we only received one call on this, and Sheriff has also been unable to locate anything. We also have no answer at the call-back number."
"10-4 LA, we are going to go back in service, cancel all units."
"10-4 36." A series of beeps went out over the radio followed by the dispatcher's voice. "All units with Engine 36 cancel, apparent false alarm."
In the squad, Roy shut down the lights and sirens. He breathed a silent sigh of relief while Johnny acknowledged the dispatcher. They were just entering the area, and met Engine and Squad 36. The crew from 36 smiled and waved, but Johnny and Roy could only nod their acknowledgment.
***
Back at the station, the medics sat quietly in the Squad. Finally, they slowly got out and walked into the kitchen. Chet Kelly perked up upon seeing Gage, his favorite target for razzing and pranks.
"Well gee, its about time you guys got back here!" Chet sarcastically said.
"Not now, Chet," Gage said in a warning tone of voice.
"Come on ,Gage, I mean, you guys get a run, get out of the housekeeping, and then come traipsing in whenever? Gee, I wish I was a paramedic…"
"CHET!!! SHUT UP!" Gage roared at Kelly.
Captain Stanley quickly moved between the two firemen. Stanley knew what kind of a call the Squad had been on earlier. The Captain over at 127s had called him.
"Hold on, Gage, Chet, I strongly suggest you go find someplace else to be for awhile."
"But, Cap, I was just…"
"You were just causing trouble, now go check the air-packs."
"But, Cap…"
"But Cap nothing, when you are finished…check them again. NOW."
"Right ,Cap." Chet sulked as he sauntered out the door to the apparatus bay. The Cap turned back to Gage.
"You boys all right?" he asked in his fatherly tone.
"No, but I guess we'll have to be," came Gage's subdued reply. Roy was already sitting on the couch, with Henry, the dog, keeping him company. The rest of 51's crew went back to their cups of coffee. From the apparatus bay, the sound of an air-pack bell rang briefly, proof that Chet was indeed checking the packs as the Cap had instructed. Gage poured himself a cup of coffee, and sat at the table. Marco Lopez looked over at Gage, tried to think of something to say, and found nothing. Mike Stoker got up for another cup, and gave Johnny a pat on the shoulder that said 'I'm here for you, pal'. In the meantime, the Cap took a seat near Roy. Another air-pack bell rang.
"Roy…" The Captain's words were cut short by the familiar tones, and the klaxon going off.
"Engine 51, fire in a dumpster, behind the liquor store at 12560 Del Vista Avenue. 12560 Del Vista Avenue, cross-street East 6th, time-out 1015." The engine crew hustled out to the Ward LaFrance pumper while Johnny and Roy remained behind. The rumble of the diesel echoed throughout the kitchen as Mike Stoker started the rig. Captain Stanley gave a short blast on the airhorn as the rig left the station.
***
As the engine's siren faded away, the station was once again silent. Henry seemed to sense Roy's dispair as he laid his head in Roy's lap and looked up at him. Henry let out a little, sympathetic whimper.
"What's wrong, boy?" Roy finally spoke, looking down at the basset.
"I think he knows that call is tearing us up," Johnny said as he got up for yet another cup of coffee. Roy slowly looked up at his partner and nodded slightly. Veteran paramedic though he was, Roy knew that this had to be one of the worst calls he had ever been on. With his background in the military, and as one of the first six firemen trained as a paramedic at Rampart, Roy was usually well in control of the calls he responded to. This time however, it had been pure chaos, and he felt very much out of control.
It seemed that everything that could have gone wrong on the call did. First, the caller accidentally gave LA the wrong address, causing a delayed response. Then there were so many upset bystanders, including the best friend of the girl, it was very difficult for the paramedics to get to the patient. Johnny had pulled the girl's friend aside. Her face was covered in blood, and she was hysterical, leading Johnny to think that she had been injured too. As it turned out, she had seen her friend get swept away by the car and chased after it screaming. Once her friend hit the ground, she was right there, and had started CPR. Roy took one look at his patient, and nearly was sick. Her face was essentially gone, and gray matter from her brain was visible in the pool of blood she was lying in. One arm had all but been torn away, and her legs were at grotesque angles.
"Johnny!" Roy called out. Gage turned to his partner, and was horrified by what he saw. Even though he had been a paramedic for several years, nothing compared to the sight before him. He told the girl's friend to calm down, and that they would do everything they could for her friend, all the while knowing the odds were somewhere between slim and none. He rushed to his partner's aid, and attempted to open her airway with a jaw-thrust maneuver. The problem was, there was no jaw left, it had been torn away, leaving a gaping hole where her mouth would have been.
"How in the hell am I gonna ventilate her?" Johnny wondered. Roy had his own troubles. She had just lost her pulse, so he was attempting chest compressions. The crunching in her chest told him she had a "flail-chest", and that his efforts probably weren't doing much to circulate what little blood was left in her body.
About that time, Engine 127 arrived on the scene with a Mayfair ambulance right behind. The crew from the engine took over CPR while Johnny and Roy attempted their paramedic skills. Roy grabbed the Biophone with a blood-covered hand.
"Rampart Base, this is Rescue 51, do you read?" His voice was noticeably shaken.
"Go ahead, 51, this is Rampart." Head Nurse Dixie McCall's soothing voice came over the radio.
"Rampart, we have a 19 year old female hit by a car…she has, there is, she's got numerous deep lacerations, multiple fractures, ah, brain matter is showing from her head." His voice was nearly breaking. At Rampart, Dixie quickly motioned Dr. Brackett over, her face wearing a look of deep concern. She had NEVER heard Roy so upset during a call-in. Roy continued, "we have no pulse, no respiration, CPR is in progress, ah we can't get an airway established, have attempted several IVs, all have blown…. Ah, do you have any further orders?"
Dr. Kelly Brackett looked over at Dixie; he too was shocked by Roy's report. The normally cool medic was obviously deeply upset. "It isn't like those two to mess up like this," he thought to himself.
"51, this is Rampart, do you have an ambulance at your location?" Brackett asked.
"That's affirmative, Rampart."
"What is your ETA?"
"Rampart, we, ah, we're, ah, we're about seven minutes away…." Roy's voice trailed off.
"51, transport immediately, continue CPR, and send me an EKG as soon as possible." Brackett issued his orders quickly, and calmly, hoping that maybe it would jar the paramedics. "10-4," came Roy's reply.
The ambulance ride was all but a blur to Roy. He worked feverishly to apply the monitor pads and defibrillate. Johnny also rode in, with a man off of Engine127 bringing in the squad. He tried desperately to force air into her lungs, but with little success. He was forced to spend most of his time suctioning blood out of what was left of her oral cavity.
At Rampart, Brackett, Dixie, and Dr. Early were a bit stunned when the doors to the Suburban-chassis ambulance swung open, revealing both paramedics, and their patient.
"Let's get her into Treatment Room 1," Brackett said. He took one look at the patient and understood immediately why Gage and DeSoto had had so much trouble.
Once on the table, Dixie was able to apply the EKG machine. Asystole was found in two leads, and Dr. Brackett concluded that her injuries were incompatible with life.
"I'm sorry, fellas," Brackett said sadly. "Dix, time of death, 0830. Call the morgue, and have them send someone up for the body."
As she went to the phone, Brackett turned back to Johnny and Roy.
"I know you guys had a rough time, but you did everything you could," he said. "She was just too broken up, her aorta was dissected, between that and her head trauma, she never had a chance." The words just seemed to bounce off of the paramedics. They were too much in shock for his words to fully register, and they both looked back at him blankly. Brackett ushered the medics out of the room. "Let's go to the lounge, and talk about it," he said. Neither paramedic said a word.
***
"LA, Engine 51, fire is out, Engine 51 is back in service, returning to quarters."
"10-4 Engine 51."
The radio traffic brought Johnny and Roy back to the present.
"Roy, we gotta get past this one…," Johnny said, almost in a whisper.
"You're right, but…."
"But what, Roy? You heard Brackett; she didn't have a chance. Nothing we did, or didn't do, or even could've done would've made any kind of a difference." The paramedic was on his feet now, standing in front of his partner. "You told me yourself, 'rule number one, never get emotionally involved with the patient.'"
"But Johnny, this one was different.'
"Why? Because it was Dawn?"
"Yeah, because it was Dawn, a 19 year old nursing student trying to get through her clinical rotation at Rampart. Dawn, a pretty girl who lost her face and her brains to a 16-year-old who was drunk at eight o'clock in the morning. Dawn, a girl that we couldn't do a damn thing for!" Roy's voice steadily got louder and louder until he was shouting. Henry was so spooked; he jumped off the couch and hid behind the TV set.
"So that's it, you're gonna quit the paramedic program?" asked Gage.
"Right now, Johnny, I don't really know what I'm gonna do…" Roy said. He had calmed down again, and had his face in his hands. "I just don't know if I can do this anymore," he said quietly. Johnny sat down next to his partner and best friend.
***
In the break room at Rampart, the paramedics had sat stone-faced and silent. Dr. Brackett pondered how to try and get through to them.
"Roy, John, I know this was a difficult case. Johnny, you did an excellent job with her airway, you did the best with what was left of her. Roy, you followed your ACLS protocols to the letter, you had a good IV site, there was just too much vascular compromise from blood loss." Both medics were staring at the floor as Brackett continued. "You had a critical situation, possibly the most critical patient you've ever brought in here. It was difficult; but you did the best you could with what you had. Just remember this, you can't save them all."
Roy finally looked up.
"Doc, I appreciate what you're trying to tell us. I think I've heard and even given that same speech a time or two myself. What I'm wondering is if I can go back out there, go back onto the streets and do this again. Maybe it's time to go do something else. Maybe it's time to quit being a paramedic."
At that, Johnny's head popped up; he looked like he'd just seen a ghost.
"Roy?" he started to ask, but stopped.
"Roy, I hope you aren't serious," Bracket said, looking even more concerned.
"I, ah, I'm not too sure of anything right now, Doc," said Roy, "but one thing is for sure, I didn't do a damn bit of good out there today. I got emotional, I lost my focus. Hell, I damn near puked when I saw what was left of her face! What kind of a paramedic is that?"
"A paramedic who cares, and is a human being," said Brackett.
"Bullshit!" said Roy.
***
The sound of the tones and klaxon going off made Roy look up, Gage was already heading for the bay.
"Squad 51, child hit by a car. 5345 West Hill Street. 5345 West Hill, cross-street Sycamore, time-out 10:57."
"Squad 51 10-4, KMG 365," Gage said as he wrote down the address, and handed it to Roy. As he rushed to his side of the squad, he paused to look at Roy, who was sitting behind the wheel with a troubled expression on his face. Gage got in, and noticed that Roy hadn't started the engine yet.
"Roy?" Roy made no response. "Roy? We gotta get moving," Johnny said gently.
"Yeah, let's go," Roy finally said as he started the Squad. The response was quiet, with the only words spoken coming from Johnny at the intersections.
"Clear right, Roy," he'd say after ensuring that cross traffic had stopped for the Squad.
As they entered the 5300 block of West Hill, they saw Officer Vince Howard's squad car already on the scene. On the curb, Vince was sitting with a boy who looked to be 8 or 9. Vince was holding a 4"x4" gauze pad to the child's knee.
"Squad 51, at scene," Johnny radioed LA County and got acknowledgment as he stepped out. He took a quick glance at Vince and the boy, and opened the side compartment, removing only the drug box. Roy was still sitting in the Squad, but Johnny was already heading for the patient, and hadn't noticed his partner wasn't behind him.
"Hi, Vince, who's your friend here?"
"This is Bobby Miller, he and his friends here were chasing after a squirrel when they darted out in front of me. I hit the brakes, but I think the corner of the bumper might have caught him," Vince said.
"Hi, Bobby, my name is Johnny, and I'm a paramedic with the Fire Department. Do you hurt anywhere?"
"My knee," Bobby said, choking back tears.
"Okay, Bobby, I'm gonna take a look here real quick…do you hurt anyplace else?"
"No."
"Vince, I'm gonna have to pull that back a sec, Roy…." Johnny looked around, surprised not to see Roy standing ready with dressings and the BP cuff. He looked back at the Squad, and was even more surprised to find Roy still sitting in the Squad.
"Vince, can you hold onto this for a little while longer?"
"Sure, John, hey, uh, why is Roy still in the truck?"
"I don't know, but I'd better go find out," Johnny said with a disappointed tone.
"Hey, Roy?" he said as he approached Roy's door. "Roy? Hey, uh, I need a little help over here." Roy turned towards him slowly, with a glassy look in his eyes. He was pale. For a moment, Johnny thought that Roy was sick. Finally, he spoke.
"Johnny, I'm not sure I can do this…"
"Look, Roy, it's an easy deal, the kid's okay ..just a scraped knee, but I still need your help with him. Can you do that?"
"Yeah, yeah I think so."
"All right, good deal." Johnny walked back over to Bobby and Vince. "Okay, Bobby, I'm gonna check you over real quick, you be sure to let me know if anything else is hurting you, okay?"
"Okay."
Johnny did a quick head-to-toe assessment of Bobby, and found no other injuries. Roy had come over by this time, and was getting the BP cuff out of the drug box. Johnny looked at him quickly, checking to see if he could still function. For the moment, Roy was looking a lot better. While Roy got the vital signs, Johnny examined Bobby's knee closer. He also checked for a pedal pulse as well as movement and sensation in Bobby's foot. Finding no obvious deformities, and no tenderness, he replaced Vince's 4"x4", and wrapped it with gauze. Johnny again checked for a pedal pulse, movement and sensation in the foot, all were still present. Vince stood up, and walked over towards a woman running down the street.
"Bobby!" she cried out. Vince caught hold of her.
"Calm down, ma'am, are you Bobby's mother?" Vince asked.
"Yes! Is he okay? Tell me! Is he going to be all right?"
"Ma'am, your son ran out in front of my patrol car, he scrapped up his knee pretty well, but the Paramedics are with him, and he is going to be just fine."
"Let me see him, let me see my baby!" Vince walked her over, as Roy was preparing to do his call-in to Rampart. Johnny stood up and met the mother.
"Are you Bobby's mother?" he asked.
"Yes, how is he?"
"Bobby is just fine," Johnny said in a reassuring voice. "All he has is a scrape on the knee, and we've put a dressing on it."
"Can I take him home?"
"Well, we'd really like for him to be seen by a doctor, my partner there is about to contact Rampart Emergency. We can take him in by ambulance, or you could take him to see your family physician." The mother was much calmer by now, and was looking over at her son, who was now surrounded by his friends. Roy was squatting by the Biophone, watching Johnny talk to the mother.
"Is it really necessary?" she asked.
"Well, we really recommend it, he may find a few more things hurting in a few hours, besides, it never hurts to be on the safe side."
"Okay, I'll take him right in…. You're sure he's okay?"
"Yes ma'am, he's a tough kid, he'll probably be sore for awhile, and the doc may want to change the dressing, but other than that he oughta be fine."
While the mother retrieved her child, Johnny went over to Roy.
"Refusal of care, per patient's mother, you wanna hand me the form?"
"Huh?"
"Roy, are you feeling all right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, other than the fact that you seem to be about a thousand miles away from here…"
"It's nothing, what did you want? The Refusal Form?"
"Right, thanks, be back in a sec." Johnny went to the mother, explained the RMA (Refused Medical Assistance) form, repeated his concern that Bobby see a doctor, got the signature, and walked back to the Squad. Roy had already packed up the equipment, and was closing the compartment.
"Hey, Roy, what say we head over to Rampart anyway?"
"Why?"
"I forgot to get more 4x4s earlier…" Gage lied.
"All right," Roy said in a voice marked with uncertainty.
"LA, Squad 51, 10-8 with a refusal, enroute to Rampart Hospital for supplies."
"10-4, Squad 51."
***
The partners were silent on the way in to Rampart. Roy parked in his usual spot and turned off the engine. He sighed heavily, and looked over at Johnny.
"You know… I think …I really…oughta talk to somebody, while we're here," he said. Johnny breathed a silent sigh of relief, gave Roy a slight nod, and quickly stepped out of the Squad. He paused just outside the swinging doors, and looked back at Roy who was walking as if the Squad was parked on his shoulders. Johnny went to his partner, and put his arm around him. Together, they walked into the Emergency Department. Dix greeted them at the nurses' station.
"Hi guys, what can I do for you?" she asked cheerfully as usual.
"Ah, Dix, is Brackett around?" Johnny asked. The serious tone of his voice, and the distant gaze on Roy's face changed her expression to one of concern.
"Yeah, Johnny, I think he's in the lounge, why? Everything okay?"
"Well, we ah, we kinda wanted to talk with him about that run this morning."
"Oh, well I think he wants to talk with you two about it as well."
"Why?" Roy asked, seemingly having snapped awake.
"Roy, when you two left here this morning, you were vowing to quit the paramedics, the Fire Department, and everything else. He's worried that you will (she quickly glanced at Johnny), that you BOTH will." Johnny could only look at the floor; Roy seemed stunned, but said nothing. Tears were starting to form in Dixie's eyes.
"Well, I wouldn't go looking for replacements just yet, Dix," Johnny said, looking Dix in the eye. "Right partner?"
"Let's go see Brackett," Roy said, noticeably shaken. Dix reached across the desk and gave each medic a big hug, then quickly headed down the hall towards the restrooms. Johnny and Roy looked at each other, then turned for the staff lounge.
Johnny took a quick glance through the window before opening the door to the lounge. He saw Dr. Brackett sitting alone, with his face in his hands. Johnny opened the door slowly, gently knocking as he went.
"Ah Doc, can we talk with you for a sec?" Johnny asked. Brackett looked up at the paramedic, his eyes red and puffy. He rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat.
"Sure fellows, come on in, I'll buy ya a cup of coffee." He got up and started to pour two cups as the medics walked in and sat down. When Brackett turned back towards them, they were shocked. Their mentor, the man that always seemed in absolute control was now standing before them, with tears running down his cheek.
"What's wrong, Doc?" Johnny asked, then wished he hadn't.
"I just met with Dawn's parents. I had to take them to the morgue to see their daughter." He was choking back another tear. "You know, she worked a few rotations here in the ER, she was…she had a very promising future in emergency medicine." With that, the doctor broke down again. Roy had given up on holding back his tears, and even Gage was wiping his eyes.
After a few moments, Brackett looked back up at the pair, wiped his eyes, blew his nose, and spoke.
"Something you wanted to discuss?" he asked, trying to be stoic again.
"Well, actually, we kinda wanted to talk about Dawn's call," Johnny said. "I know Roy here is having a tough time with it (he quickly glanced at Roy, wondering if he should have said that, Roy just stared at his coffee), and I'm not too sure about it myself." By this time, Brackett had composed himself again.
"What aren't you sure of?" he asked.
"How?"
"How do you do it?"
"How do you go on after a deal like that? I mean, we did everything we could, and yet we couldn't do anything." Roy looked up from his coffee, and at his partner. "Doc, I keep seeing her face, I keep seeing her face, covered in blood. Roy is doing CPR, I'm trying to ventilate her, but there just is no way…. Just no way…" his voice trailed off. "Then the guys from 127 came up, and took over CPR for us. I tried to get the airway, but I couldn't, it's not like I froze or anything, I just couldn't make it work, there wasn't anything to work with…"
"You're right," Brackett said. "There wasn't anything to work with. Look Johnny, even if it had happened right outside the emergency room, there is absolutely nothing you or I could have done for her. Her injuries were just too extensive." Johnny was staring at his coffee now, trying to soak in what the physician was telling him. "You're upset, that's to be expected." Brackett looked at both Johnny and Roy, who was now looking at him. "We are trained to intervene, to stop the bleeding, to protect the airway, to stabilize the patient, to save lives…" He paused. "Sometimes though, despite all of the training…equipment…experience… and our best intentions, it just isn't enough. You can't win them all…no matter how hard you try, no matter how well you perform." Brackett seemed to be trying to convince himself as well as his paramedics.
"But, Doc," Roy finally spoke. "You're right, we have all of this training, we have all that equipment, and we couldn't do anything. Yeah, I'm upset. I'm upset because a young girl dies, and I can't stop it from happening. I'm upset because I couldn't intervene, I'm upset…because I got upset." Johnny looked at his partner, speechless. "Hell, Doc, we just had another run…a kid hit by a car. I mean, it was a minor deal, Johnny even got a refusal from the boy's mother. But I COULDN'T FUNCTION. I was paralyzed on that run…" His voice got softer. "Doc, I'm not sure I could've handled it if it had been anything serious." He looked back down again.
A heavy silence fell over the room, but was shattered as the portable radio came to life with four beeps.
"Squad 51, are you available?"
"Squad 51, available," Johnny replied in a subdued tone.
"10-4 Squad 51, stand by for a response." A series of tones echoed off the walls of the lounge, including the tones for Station 51. "Engine 51, Squad 51, Station 127, Engine 10, Battalion 14. Report of a trench collapse with workers trapped. 40009 South Main Avenue. 40009 South Main Avenue, cross street Burnett Station, time-out 1220." A look of shock mixed with fear washed over Roy's face. Johnny too seemed momentarily stunned by the dispatch, but managed to pick up the portable. He waited as the other companies acknowledged the call, then spoke.
"Squad 51,10-4." With that, the medics stood up and started towards the door. Dr. Brackett locked eyes with Roy.
"Roy, are you sure you want to go on this call? I mean, are you sure you're up to it?"
"Doc, it's my job, it's what I know, and it's what I'm trained for. I, I ah, I think I NEED to go on this call." He seemed a little shaky, and uncertain. Johnny paused at the door.
"Roy, we can still cancel, and they can tone-out 36, or even 10s if they had to. We've got back up. If you're not up to it, just say so and we'll deal with it."
"No Johnny, I, I'm fine. Let's go. Thanks, Doc."
"You two be damn-careful out there," Brackett sternly advised. The medics nodded, and were out the door in a flash.
***
Enroute, Johnny kept looking over at his partner. Roy seemed a bit more preoccupied than usual, but nowhere near as distracted as he was on the last call.
"Roy, are you sure you want to do this?"
"No, but if I start backing out on calls, when will it stop? I can't go on running from this forever Johnny. I can't…" his voice trailed off. In his own mind, Johnny was fighting to put the accident out of his mind, trying to focus on what he would need to do at the scene of this emergency.
***
As the Squad crossed Burnett Station Road, Johnny saw a growing crowd up ahead. He looked in the mirrors hoping to see one of the Engines, but saw none.
"Oh man, we're the first in," he said. Roy brought the Squad to a stop just ahead of a backhoe parked at the end of a trench. Construction workers and bystanders were frantically digging into the collapsed trench. A very distraught man ran up to Roy.
"Please hurry, my boy and two others are in there!"
"What happened? Where are they at in the trench?" Roy had snapped back into his usual mode as he tried to get information from the man.
"We were digging a trench for a new sewer line for the apartments over there, I guess I don't know what happened…all of a sudden, the side of the trench gave way! We've all been digging for about five minutes now…my boy should be right over here (he pointed towards the end by the backhoe bucket). The other guys were right by him…. Hurry, please, you've GOT to get them out of there!" The man was sobbing uncontrollably. Roy looked at him, started to feel nauseous, then swallowed hard. He said a fast, silent prayer, and turned toward the compartments. Johnny had already pulled the shovels out, and handed one to Roy as he ran by on his way to the trench.
"Roy, check on the ETA of the Engines!" Johnny hollered from the trench. He started digging in the vicinity of where the man had said his son was. He was working with about a half-dozen other men. About a half dozen more were quickly cutting up sheets of plywood from the construction site to use to shore up the sides of the trench. Others were scrambling around looking for buckets and shovels.
"LA, Squad 51, we have at least three men buried in the trench, with several workers trying to dig them out at this time. What is the ETA of the nearest Engine?"
"Squad 51, Engine 127, we are about two minutes out!"
"10-4 Engine 127, LA, can you respond an Air Squad to this location?"
"10-4 Squad 51, Copter 14 is being dispatched."
"10-4." Roy dropped the mic, grabbed the shovel, and ran around to the other side of the Squad. He grabbed the resuscitator, drug box, and Biophone; then hurried over to the trench as Battalion 14 and Engine 127 rolled on-scene. The Battalion Chief took a quick survey of the scene, then picked up his microphone.
"LA, Battalion 14. Send me a second alarm assignment for manpower, as well as a Camp Crew with shovels."
"10-4 Battalion 14." LA then sent out tones for Engines 210, 36, 105, and 95, with Trucks 10 and 105. Camp Crew 8-1 from Malibu was also dispatched along with Squads 10 and 36. LA City was also responding Engine Companies to the scene.
Roy had just reached the trench when Johnny yelled out "Roy, we've got one here!" the top of a man's head had just been uncovered. Within seconds, his face was cleared away, and Johnny quickly tried to scoop dirt out of the man's mouth and nose. Roy tossed the demand valve down to Johnny. After a few hits of Oxygen, the man seemed to come around. Johnny kept the mask to the man's face while the other workers scrambled to remove the rest of the dirt from around him. Their job was complicated by the fact that the man was hunched over and partially covered by a concrete slab that apparently had formed a void space for the man. Once he was freed, the men and Johnny handed him up to Roy and the other workers. Roy went to work on the man immediately, finding him semi-conscious.
***
"Rampart Base this is Rescue 51."
"Go ahead Rescue 51." Dixie McCall was manning the base with Kel Brackett at her side. They exchanged nervous glances upon hearing Roy's voice over the radio.
"Rampart, we have an approximately 25 year old male patient here, he was buried in a trench collapse. Ah, victim was buried for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, but apparently was in a void space made by a slab. Ah, he is semi-conscious at the moment, vital signs are BP 110 over 90, pulse 100 and thready, respiration is ah, 18 and shallow… we have him on O2 at 15 liters with a non-rebreather."
"51, are there any apparent injuries?" Dr. Brackett asked.
"Negative Rampart, no apparent injuries."
"10-4, start an IV of Lactated Ringers TKO, continue monitoring vitals, and transport as soon as possible."
"10-4 Rampart, also be advised, we still have two more victims in the trench… ah we're trying to dig them out yet."
"10-4, keep us advised," Brackett said grimly. Roy looked up as the balance of the first and second alarm companies arrived on the scene. He also heard the sound of helicopters overhead. One belonged to Copter 14, while the rest came from a small air force of annoying TV news choppers.
"Hiya Roy, whatcha got?" asked paramedic Greg Barlow from Squad 36.
"Approximately 25, no apparent injuries, was buried under a slab for about 20 minutes. Rampart wants LR at TKO and transport."
"Okay, Roy, tell ya what, we'll get him into the chopper if you want to go help Gage."
"Thanks, Greg, oh, and he's been semi-conscious since we got him out."
"Right, okay, Roy, we got him." Barlow and his partner logrolled the man onto a backboard, strapped him down, and then carried him to the waiting helicopter. Meanwhile, Roy was back at the edge of the trench looking for Johnny amidst the sea of would-be rescuers in the trench. He spotted him just as Gage yelled out again.
"Roy! Get the demand valve! I got another one!" Roy hustled back to the medical staging area. The crew from Squad 10 was setting up their equipment alongside 51's and 36's gear. Roy grabbed a resuscitator out of the hand of Johnny's old partner, Tony Freeman from 10s.
"Johnny's got another one!" he yelled back to the surprised medic. Freeman then took off at a dead run for the trench. Roy tossed the demand valve down to Johnny. Gage quickly put the mask over the man's face and hit the button sending 100% oxygen into the victim. There was a problem though. When Johnny hit the button, the top of the man's head flapped up. Johnny didn't see this the first time, so he attempted to ventilate the man a second time, catching the flapping out of the corner of his eye. He then examined the man's pupils and checked for a carotid pulse. Johnny found that the man's pupils were fixed and dilated, and his pulse was absent. He then looked at the top of the man's head, and found an open wound down to the brain…, which was torn. Sadly, he looked up at Roy and the assembled others and shook his head once.
The dead man was uncovered, and placed into a Stokes basket. A white sheet was draped over him before he was lifted out of the trench. Johnny climbed out of the trench behind the basket and walked slowly over to the medical staging area. Roy met him halfway and put an arm around his partner.
"How ya holding up, Junior?" Gage stopped, looked at Roy, and with a puzzled look said: "I was just gonna ask YOU that."
"Well, I'm holding up pretty well…considering."
"Yeah, hey, how'd that first guy come out?" Gage asked.
"Well, Barlow put him on the Copter, and the last I heard from the Chief was that he's in stable condition." Johnny sat down on a trauma box and shook his head.
"Man, what a deal. If it hadn't been for that slab, we'd have two dead men out here."
"Remember, we still got one in the trench," Roy reminded him in a very somber tone. Gage just nodded. Both men knew all too well that it had been too long. All hopes of finding a viable patient had faded, and the operation had shifted into a body recovery.
It was shortly afterwards that the third man was found. A large rock was removed from his face, revealing a crushed face. The Deputy County Coroner on scene reasoned that the man had died instantly. Like the second man, he was placed into a Stokes, draped, and removed. The rescue crews paused for a moment, each man in his own silent reflection. Then the tedious task of collecting all of the tools and equipment used began. In the medical staging area, Johnny and Roy packed up their equipment in silence, alongside the medics from 10s and 36. Before Freeman left, he turned to Johnny, shook his hand and said quietly, "Well, Johnny, it was good to work with you again, I just wish it had been under better circumstances."
"Yeah, Tony, same here, take care, man."
"Right, you too." With that, the other medics departed. Gage and DeSoto gathered up the last of their gear, and returned to the Squad. While putting the shovels back into their compartment, Gage watched as Squads 10 and 36 left. A Rescue Ambulance (RA) from LA City Fire was getting ready to leave. Suddenly, somebody yelled out: "Hey, somebody, a man is having a heart attack over here!" Johnny rushed over to the man while Roy grabbed the drug box and Biophone. As Roy approached the man, he recognized him as the frantic man he had encountered earlier. Roy had since learned that it was the man's son and two friends in the trench. His son was one of the dead men.
"Roy, we're gonna need the O2 and monitor, I'll go get 'em if you wanna get the vitals," Johnny said as he got up to return to the Squad. The crew from the RA was also running over with their equipment. Gage met them halfway to the Squad.
"Hey, ah, can you guys transport?" Gage asked not realizing that LA City paramedics responded in ambulances with full transport capability. A tired City fire-medic locked eyes with him, narrowed his eyes, and responded in a growling kind of voice: "of course we can."
"Oh, yeah, that's right, sorry, I forgot." By that time, the City crew was back on their way to Roy and the patient. Johnny went to the Squad, but turned and looked back. He could see that Roy was talking to the City medics. Shortly after, he packed up his gear, and came back to the Squad while the City guys worked on the patient. Johnny waited until Roy was just within earshot.
"Hey man, ah, what gives?"
"Well, they said that since they were gonna transport the patient, they may as well treat him. I was too tired to argue, and since they are paramedics too…"
"I see, yeah, not exactly the friendliest bunch, then again, those yellow coats they wear look kinda funny… I'd probably be pissy if I had to wear yellow too!" Roy put away the gear, looked at Johnny, shook his head and motioned towards the Squad.
"Get in, Junior…let's go home."
***
Enroute back to the station, the pair was once again silent with each man thinking about the day and the lives lost. Johnny looked over at Roy and spoke. "Roy, how ya feeling?"
"Oh, allright, I guess... you know, this has to be one of the worst days we've ever had."
"Yeah, it has been kinda bloody, but you know Roy, we lost three patients today, BUT we got one out of that trench alive. ALIVE Roy, what were the odds on that? A million to one? I don't know about you partner, but even if I never get another save, at least we got one out of there today." Roy looked over at his partner, and for the first time this tragic day, let a small grin cross his lips. "Look, Roy, I know you are still busted up over Dawn's death, but man, if you let this one bother you too..."
"Actually, Johnny, I think I finally came to accept Dawn's death about an hour ago. I got to thinking about it all, and I guess that if you do everything you can, and you do it all the way you are supposed to and the best that you can; if you still can't save them, then it just wasn't meant to be. You can't win them all." Johnny looked at Roy, somewhat surprised at Roy's recovery, but also sobered by the words of his senior partner. It was all far too true.
As the Squad continued back towards the Station, both men knew in their heart of hearts that it would take a long time to truly get over the losses of the day. Their time for mourning though was suddenly interrupted by four beeps followed by "Squad 51, stand by for a response."
"Squad 51, 10-4."
"You Can't Win Them All" ©1998 Chris Umscheid. "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.
NOTICE: The layout and graphics on this page are the property of Two Chickies Fan Fiction. They may NOT be used on any other fan fiction site and any such use consitutes HTML theft. We urge you not to support any site that engages in such tactics, and to report any such usage to Marcia or Tangee.