A Camping We Will Go
It was barely daybreak when the Land Rover pulled up in front of the Desoto house. It's horn tooted twice.
"Come on, Roy. Let's move it," Marco yelled. Roy opened the door.
"Shhhhhh......keep it down guys. My neighbors will call the cops," Roy turned and grabbed a backpack and a duffel bag. He gave Joanne a quick kiss and headed out to the truck. The guys are all making kissing noises as Roy entered the vehicle.
"Oh, great. Am I in for four days of this kind of behavior?" Roy asks.
"Lighten up, Roy. We're just having a little fun," Marco said while throwing Roy's bags into the back of the truck. This was the first chance all six men of station 51 had ever had to go on a vacation together. They had left Johnny in charge of planning their four day camping excursion..
"Did we remember everything?" Hank asks.
"Well, I hope someone remembered to bring a first aid kit.. With Gage along you know we'll need it," Chet said as he slapped John on the back.
"Leave my accident-prone pal alone, Chet. Oh and yes. I packed an extra large first aid kit," Roy winked at Hank as he said this.
"O.K. men. Let's move out!" Hank made a 'let's go' motion with his arm and John pulled out of the driveway.
There are three men in the front and three men in the back. They are all fidgeting around trying to get comfortable. Roy, Chet and Marco are in the back seat.
"Chet, will you stop it and sit still," Roy said annoyed by Chet's constant movement.
"I can't help it. This seat is lumpy," Chet whined.
"That's because your sitting on the seatbelt," Marco informed him.
"Hey, put your seat belts on back there," John called from the drivers seat. The three start to rummage around to find their belts.
"I can only find half," said Marco.
"I've got two of the same kind," whined Chet.
"Then one of those goes with Marco's," Roy instructed.
"But it won't reach," Marco complained.
"So adjust it, stupid!" Chet chastised.
"Hey, don't call me stupid. Give me my belt," Marco grabbed the belt out of Chet's hand.
"Yo, take it easy," Chet looked at Roy. "Roy doesn't have a seatbelt on. John. Cap. Roy doesn't have a seatbelt on."
"Shut up, Chet. I can't find it.," Roy replied.
"Oh yea, right. It has to be there. Ours were there. You just didn't look good enough." Chet felt the seat under Roy's behind.
"Yo, Chet! Get your hand off my butt!!"
"I'm not grabbing your butt. You're not my type. I'm feeling for the seatbelt."
"I told you it's not there. Ouch!! You pinched me!!!"
"I did not!!" Captain Stanley turned toward the back seat.
"Do I have to come back there?!? I swear you guys are worse than my kids. If I have to, I will separate the three of you."
"Can we tie Chet to the roof?" Roy asked. "Maybe then he'll keep his hands OFF MY ASS!!!"
"I swear," Captain Stanley pointed his finger at the three men. "If I hear one more word out of you three I will separate you."
"O.K. Cap," Chet agreed. "If Roy here wants to be a crash test dummy that's just fine by me." Chet crossed his arms over his chest. Roy and Marco both look at Chet and then out their windows. Captain Stanley turned back around to face forward. Mike, who has been quietly sitting between John and Hank finally spoke.
"Well, this trips off to a good start." John and Hank looked at Mike, then at each other. They both just smile and shake their heads.
Captain Stanley was reading the map. He finished and folded it back up . He then placed it up on the dash.
"What do you think John, about another hour?"
"Yea, Cap, just about. Maybe not even that long." Hank glanced into the back seat. All three men are sound asleep.
"I can't believe those three have been asleep for over an hour."
"I'm just thankful for the peace and quiet," John laughed. He pointed to the sky. "Look at that hawk. I love to watch them fly."
"Yea. They sure are beautiful," Hank commented as he too watched the bird. They are both looking at the hawk and not the road when Mike suddenly called out.
"DEER!!!"
John quickly swerved to avoid hitting the doe that was standing in the middle of the road.. When the truck swayed the men in the back seat are jostled. Marco's head is thrown to the right hitting Chet's head. This impact sends Chet's head to the right hitting Roy's head throwing him right off the back seat.
"Ouch!" yelled Marco rubbing his head. "Geez you've got a hard head, Chet."
"Well yours isn't exactly soft either," Chet replied.
"Hey, somebody give me a hand here," Roy reached up with one arm trying to get himself back up on the seat.
"See, I told you you'd end up being a crash test dummy," Chet exclaimed as he reached for Roy's arm.
"I would have been fine if your fat head hadn't smashed into my head," Roy responded.
"Well, what was your head doing on my shoulder anyway? You had better not have drooled on it." Chet checked his shoulder for moisture.
"I did not have my head on your shoulder."
"You did so!"
"I did not!"
"Yo! Larry , Mo and Curly. Will you cool it, please!" Hank called out from the front seat.
"I think I need a paramedic." Marco is still rubbing his head
"You need a paramedic? My head hit yours and the crash test dummy's. I'm injured on both sides!" Chet whined.
"Give it a rest, Chet. And stop calling me the crash test dummy." Roy is still brushing himself off from his fall.
"O.K. I'll just call you dummy." Roy opened his mouth to respond when Hank turned around to face them.
"I said COOL IT!! There's no blood so you are all fine. I don't believe you three. Get you out of uniform and your all nine years old." All three pout. Johnny and Mike grin. "And what are you two grinning about?" Hank Stanley questioned.
"Nothing," John and Mike both reply. Hank mumbled under his breath. "Twits."
*************************************************
The six men finally reach their camping spot. If there was one thing Johnny knew it was good spots to camp. It was on a beautiful lake. They didn't even have to leave the camp site to go fishing. On the other side of the lake there were large tree covered mountains. It was off season so there weren't many other campers. The men jumped out of the Land Rover and began to stretch.
"O.K. Let's get organized here," Hank said as he stretched his muscles. "Johnny, Mike, why don't you two get the tarp over the picnic table. Manny, Mo and Jack can get the tent set up."
"Hey," complained Chet. "Who put him in charge?"
"I put me in charge. You got a problem with that, Kelly?"
"Uhhh...no....no problem here."
The men all went about their business setting up camp. With all six of them working it did not take long for them to finish. They built a campfire and all sat down around it with a beer. No one said anything for a while.
"Ahhhh......this is the life." Chet stretched in his chair.
"Hey Mike. Don't you have some news for the guys?" Marco asked.
"Oh yea....I am officially single."
"Hey. Congratulations there Mike. The divorce is finally final?" Hank questioned.
"Yep. As of 2 p.m. yesterday." All the men raised their beers to toast Mike.
"Women of the world, look out!" Chet toasts. "So Mike. How does it feel?"
"Good."
"Here's to feeling good!" Marco raised his beer and again they all toast.
"So what grounds did she get you on?" asks John.
"Lack of meaningful communication," Mike reported straight faced. The men all pause then break out in hysterical laughter.
"Is that the best she could do?? Don't worry Mikey, You don't have to talk to us. We won't divorce you." Chet again raised his beer in a toast. "Here's to quiet engineers!"
"Hear, Hear!" All the guys respond and raise their beers.
"Who wants to do a little fishing before it gets dark?" Hank asked. All the men raised their hands.
"Great! Maybe we can catch our dinner," said Chet.
"Sounds like a winner to me.' John got up and smacked Roy on the back of the head. "Come on , partner. Let's get our gear."
"I'm with ya, Junior." Roy got up and went with John to get the equipment. They sorted out the fishing poles and gave them to their owners. Chet took his pole from Roy.
"Ow!!!" Roy exclaimed looking down to see Chet's hook embedded in his thumb. Chet pulled his pole not realizing it is attached to Desoto. The hook came out but took a piece of Roy's thumb with it. "Ow!!!! Chet, I said ow!!!!"
"Oops. Sorry Roy." Chet called out. "We need a paramedic here!" Captain Stanley came over to the accident scene.
"Now what?" Hank asked.
"I got Chet's hook stuck in my thumb and he was nice enough to rip it out for me!"
"Hey, I said I was sorry. I didn't know it was stuck in your thumb."
"I said OW!" Roy repeated.
"Gage!" Captain Stanley yelled for the paramedic. "Grab the first aid kit." John came over to Roy and began to examine the injury.
"Boy, you did a good number on this. There's a whole piece missing."
"Have you checked Chet's hook?? You know, Chet, we did bring bait. You didn't have to get it off my thumb."
"Have you had a tetanus shot lately, Roy?" Johnny asked.
"Yea. Remember about two months ago. You got one then too."
"Yea. That's right." John quickly tended to Roy's injury. "O.K. Your all set."
"Thanks."
"Now," Captain Stanley rubbed his hands together as he spoke. "We have our injury tended to so let's get some fishing done.' The guys all grab their fishing poles and head for the lakes edge.
*******************************************
It had cooled down quite a bit after the sun went down. The boys had all resorted to wearing jackets. After dinner, they all relaxed around the campfire.
"So, who's going to do the dishes?" Hank asked.
"Well I cooked, so not me," John stated.
"I'm wounded. I can't get my hand wet," Roy commented as he held up his bandaged thumb.
"Give it a rest already, Desoto," Chet pleaded. "I've heard enough about your boo-boo."
"O.K. O.K. Marco and Mike, will you two please do dishes tonight? Me and John will do them tomorrow night and Frick and Frack can do them the next night." Captain Stanley looked at his men. They all shook their heads in agreement. Marco and Mike began to gather the dirty dishes.
"It's a good thing we brought those hot dogs," Marco said.
"Yea. It sure was. Hey Gage. I thought you said this was a good fishing lake," Mike questioned.
"Hey. The last time I was here the fish were biting like crazy," John explained.
"They probably got a taste of Desoto's thumb off my hook and swam away in fear," Chet teased.
"Oh yea? How would you like it if I used you for bait," Roy responded.
"Don't get started again you two," Captain Stanley warned as he pointed his finger at the two firefighters. John reached into a bag and pulled out a bag of marshmallows.
"Here," John threw the bag at Chet. "Make yourself useful." Chet caught the bag.
"Cool! Marshmallows. I'll go find some sticks." Chet headed off with his flashlight into the woods.
"Good thinking, John," Captain Stanley remarked. "That ought to keep him busy for a while."
John added some wood to the fire while Roy brought the beer cooler over to the campfire. He passed out fresh cans of beer to all the guys.
"So, what are we doing tomorrow?" Mike called out from doing dishes.
"How about hiking? There are some great trails around here," Johnny answered as he finished tending to the fire.
"That sounds great John," Hank agreed. "This group could use a little physical activity." The men's mouths all dropped open in shock.
"Cap! What do you mean?? With our jobs we get physical activity everyday," Marco said surprised at his captain's remarks.
"Yea, but you guys only work every third day. By the looks of you all I'd say your not getting much activity during those two days off. Your looking a little soft." The guys start to respond when they here a call for help.
"Aaaahhhhhh!!!!"
"Did you hear that?" John asks.
"Yea," said Roy. "Where's Chet?"
"Chet!!" They all called out as they grabbed their flashlights and head in the direction that Chet went in. They called out his name as they searched for their missing companion. Finally, they heard him.
"Hey guys. Over here," Chet called out. The guys followed Chet's voice to the edge of a small bluff. They shine their flashlights down and see Chet lying on his back.
"Are you O.K.?" John inquired.
"I will be if you'd get that damn light out of my face. I'm stuck here. I can't seem to get any leverage to get up. Something's hurting my leg." John and Roy scan the area. The slope lessens a few feet to the left. They climbed down to find Chet stuck in some bushes.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Chet?" Roy asked.
"I'm not sure. I don't think so, but every time I try to get up I get a pain in my legs."
"Here Chet. Grab my arm on this side and Roy's over there. We'll try to lift you up." They both grabbed an arm and together they lifted Chet up and out of the bushes. The men shine the light down from above and they can now see why Chet had pain in his legs.
"Well now, Chester B," John said as he examined the back of Chet's legs. "I know why you've got some pain in your legs."
"Why?"
"You landed on a cactus!!" John laughed.
"What!?!?" Chet exclaimed. He turns to see the spot he landed on. Directly under where he had laid was a large cactus plant. Roy shined the light on the back of Chet's leg. They are full of cactus spines.
"Man, Chet. You look like a porcupine!" John exclaimed as he examined Chet's legs.
"Can the smart comments, Gage. Can you get them out?"
"Yea, but I think we better do it back at camp, not here. It's going to take a while."
"Can you walk O.K., Chet?" Roy asked.
"Yea, I think so." Chet took some cautious steps.
"O.K." Johnny instructed. "Just take it easy."
Once back at the camp the guys laid Chet face down on a blanket. They assembled with all their flashlights and the first aid kit.
"Hey, who's going to pull the spines out?" asked Chet.
"Oh please. Let me," begged Roy, an evil smile coming to his face.
"No way!! Cap, make sure Desoto doesn't come near me. Make Gage pull them out."
"Calm down , Chet," Hank Stanley reassured him. "Roy is a professional. He would never let his personal feelings affect his work. Would he?" Stanley glared at Roy.
"Of course I wouldn't," Roy smiled.
"Chet, I'll work on your right leg and Roy will work on your left. O.K.?" Johnny informed the injured man.
"I guess, but watch him Cap!!" They began to extract the cactus spines one by one. The other men held their flashlights to illuminate the scene. Chet was lucky he had on heavy jeans. Only the larger spines had penetrated the skin. It took a while but finally the had removed all the spines.
"Thanks guys, but did you have to cut my jeans? They were brand new."
"Sorry Chet. It was the only way," John said as he cleaned up. "If we took them off, the spines would have broke off in your legs. You might have a few broken off but I think we got them all. We'll keep an eye on you to make sure none of the sites get infected. Have you had a tetanus shot lately?"
"That's two!" Exclaimed Mike.
"What??" questioned Gage.
"I'm counting how many times that question is asked this trip," Mike informed the guys.
"I had one about six weeks ago when I cut my hand," Chet said as he took off what was left of his jeans.
"Hey. The moons out," Marco pointed as Chet bent over to take off the remainder of his jeans, revealing a pair of bikini underpants.
"I didn't know the moon was in leopard print," Mike laughed.
"Geez Chet! What the hell are you wearing those for?" Hank inquired.
"All my others were in the wash."
"Were you planning on wearing that pair all four days?" Marco wondered.
"No. Of course not," Chet explained. "I have these, red striped, blue polka dots and camouflage. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to put some pants on."
"Please do," Hank commented as Chet went into the tent.
******************************************
Johnny was the first one up the next morning. He had always been an early riser ever since he was little. He scanned the tent at the five sleeping forms. They were all still sound asleep and softly snoring. John quietly got up and unzipped the tent. He stretched and took a deep breathe of the fresh mountain air. He loved the sweet smell of the mountains in the morning. A deer that was feeding near the tent scampered away as she became aware of Johnny's presents. John had begun to put the coffee on when he heard the sound of the tent unzipping. He looked up to see Roy climbing out from within the tent.
"Good morning, Pally,"
"Good morning, Junior."
"Did I wake you?"
"No. Not really. Chet rolled over and his arm smacked me in the face. You been up long?"
"No. Just a few minutes. How'd you sleep?"
"Good. Real good. I had my pillow all night. Joanne's been stealing my pillow here lately. Every morning I wake up with no pillow and she has two. She swears she doesn't do it even though she wakes up with the evidence right under her head."
"How's your thumb?"
"It's sore. Chet really did a number on it."
"Yea, but you know what they say, 'You reap what you sow'.
"I guess that's why Chet became the human pin cushion."
"I was thinking after breakfast we could pack up some lunch and hit the trails. There's a beautiful view on Bear Hollow Trail. It's kind of a steep climb, though."
"Well, according to the Cap we need the exercise."
"This trail will definitely get our heart rates up."
"What do we have for lunch that we can pack."
"I brought bread, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, trail mix, crackers and the ever popular cheese in a can."
"Oooooh. My favorite." They both looked toward the tent when they heard a stirring. The rest of the guys are climbing out of the tent. All, that is, but Chet.
"Do I smell coffee?" Hank asked.
"You sure do, Cap. It's almost ready," John answered getting out the coffee cups.
"What's on the schedule for today," inquired Marco.
"I thought we'd go hiking," John replied.
"Sounds good," Mike said. "I'll start breakfast."
"Is Chet still sleeping?" John wondered.
"Like a baby," Hank reported.
"If he isn't up by breakfast we'll have to wake him up," John said.
"Oh please. Let me wake him up," begged Roy. "I owe him. He woke me up three times last night. Every time he rolled over his arm smacked me in the head."
"I'll help you," Marco joined in. "He smacked me in the head every time he rolled back."
"Well, I'm up," Chet called from within the tent. "You can stop plotting your revenge." Roy and Marco both snapped their fingers in disappointment.
"Come on, Chester B." John called out. "Coffee's ready and we're wasting daylight."
******************************************
John had been right. The trail was a beautiful hike. He was also right about how steep it was in places. It was a real workout. Each man had a backpack containing things they might need. Marco had the food. Roy had the first aid kit. John and Hank had canteens of water. Mike and Chet had grabbed some assorted items they thought they might need. They stopped in a shady spot to have lunch. As they finished, John held up his hand.
"Did you guy's hear that?"
"Hear what?" asked Mike.
"Listen." John shushed everyone. In the distance they could hear what sounded like a call for help.
"Where's that coming from?" wondered Marco.
"Sounds like up ahead," John pointed toward the sound. "Let's get cleaned up and check." They quickly gathered up all their trash and headed in the direction of the cries.
The closer they got they could tell it's a women's voice. She was definitely calling out for help. When they cleared the next rise on the trail they saw the woman. She was lying on her stomach looking over a sharp drop. The men ran over to her.
"Are you hurt?" John questioned the woman.
"No. It's not me," Susan told them. "It's Chad. He fell over the side." The guys saw the still form on the rocks about 30 feet below.
"What happened?" Hank asked.
"He was going to take a picture of the view. He was near the edge and I guess he lost his footing."
"How long has he been down there?" Roy inquired.
"About 20 minutes. I tried to get down to him but it's too steep, so I just started to call out for help." Susan began to cry. Mike put his arm around her to try to calm her down.
"What's your name," John asked.
"Susan. Susan Myers."
"O.K. Susan. We're firemen from LA county. We're going to try to help you and Chad. Cap. If I remember right there's about another mile to this trail going north before there would be a phone. I think that's the quickest way. Do we have any rope with us?"
"We do." Susan informed them.
"We'll need that. Can you get in for me, Susan?" John flashed his winning smile and Susan went to get their backpacks.
"I have some too," said Chet, who began to rummage in his backpack.
"Marco and Mike, you two hike up the trail and try to get some help. Leave your backpacks so you can move faster but grab a canteen of water," Hank instructed his men.
"Right Cap." Both men replied then set off on their mission. Roy and John are surveying the area. There is only one tree near the edge and it's not very big. John nodded toward it.
":Do you think it will hold?" John asked Roy.
"It will have to," Roy replied.
Roy and John began to attach the rope to the tree. The rope doesn't quite reach the bottom. They will have to drop a few feet to reach the bottom. John went down first. Roy followed with the first aid kit in his backpack. The man was still unconscious. John began to examine him as Roy unloaded the backpack.
"Chad....Chad. Can you hear me?" Chad moaned slightly reacting to John's voice. "You've had a fall. We're going to try to help you." John turned to Roy and lowered his voice. "He's definitely got a tib-fib fracture. Right wrist, too." John exposed his chest. "Look at these bruises."
"Probably broken ribs," Roy stated as he examined the mans chest. "Chad , you just try to relax," Roy reassured the man. "We've got people going for help so we can get you out of here."
"Cap!" John called out. "Do we have a towel or something we can make a c-collar out of?"
"We'll check, John," Hank called back down. Roy checked Chad's BP and felt his head for injuries.
"BP is 90/60. There's a pretty good lump on the back of his head."
"John," Chet yelled down. "Here's a towel." Chet threw down a beach towel. John began to cut and roll the towel. They placed it around Chad's neck and taped it together. Roy listened to his chest.
"His chest sounds clear. We need something to splint that leg and arm with."
"Hey, Cap," John called up to the top. "Do we have anything we can make a couple of splints out of?"
"We'll see what we can find," Hank answered.
"I wish we could start an IV," Roy said.
"Yea. I hope they get some help here soon." Chad began to moan and was trying to move his head from side to side.
"Chad." Roy puts his hands on Chad's shoulders and looks him right in the eyes. "You have to stay still. Do you understand? You could have a neck or a back injury so we need for you to hold still, O.K.?" Chad blinked his eyes then calmed down and closed his eyes. "How long do you think it will be?" Roy asked Johnny.
"I don't know. They've got about a mile to hike. Then get some help. Then get back here. I think it will take a while."
"Johnny," Captain Stanley called down from above. "Here are some things we found. See if any of these will work." Hank lowered down a backpack containing some sturdy sticks, empty 2 liter plastic bottles, some cardboard, a couple of pieces of hard plastic and a license plate.
"This is the first time I'm glad to find litter on the trail." John remarked as he unloaded the items from the backpack. They work quickly and fashioned make-shift splints out of the items that they had.
"Well," Roy sighed. "They're not much for pretty, but I think they'll do the job." Just then they heard Marco's voice. John and Roy looked at each other, surprised.
"That was fast," John remarked. Marco was explaining what was going on to Captain Stanley.
"We ran into two rangers who had an HT. They radioed for help. They said there is an access road about a 1/4 mile from here. Mike went with them to meet the ambulance and to help with the equipment." Captain Stanley called down to the boys.
"Shouldn't be long now. Help is on the way."
*********************************************
It took about another twenty minutes for help to arrive. The got Chad loaded into the stokes and pulled him up the side of the cliff. The rescue team had brought more rope so Roy and John were able to get up without a problem. They had to carry Chad to the access road where an ambulance was waiting for them. After Chad had been loaded into the ambulance Susan hugged both John and Roy.
"Thank you both so much. I don't know what we would have done if it wasn't for you two."
"Well, we're just happy we could be of some help," John said with his trademark grin. As they walked back, Roy rubbed his stomach.
"I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."
"Yea, me too. How long were we down there anyway?" Roy looked at his watch.
"Well, it's 4:30 now. I think it was 1 or 1:30 when we heard the scream."
"It's been about three hours then," John figured. "No wonder I'm hungry. Three hours without a snack."
'That must be a record for you." As they approach the cliff they saw the other guys all packed up.
"Hey, Marco," John called out. "Toss me one of those extra sandwiches."
"Sorry, John," Marco apologized. "They're all gone."
"How about some sunflower seeds?"
Marco shakes his head.
"Crackers?"
Again, Marco shakes his head.
"Cheese in a can???"
"Sorry , all the foods gone," Marco informed John.
"Geez guys. Your like a flock of vultures."
"Here John," Chet reached his hand out. "Have a tic tac."
"Gee, thanks Chet. Your so generous."
********************************************
That night after dinner the six men sat around the campfire.
"That sure was a great dinner, Cap," Johnny said. "You sure do work wonders with a steak."
"Thanks Gage. My wife says I'm the fire expert so I should do all the barbecuing."
"What's on for tomorrow?" Mike asked.
"Well, it's up to you guys," Johnny began. "We can just stay here and fish or go up to the main beach and rent a boat or go hiking some more or go for a drive around the area or go horseback riding or..."
"O.K. Gage," Chet exclaimed. "Enough already!"
"How about we go for a little ride to see what's around here," Captain Stanley suggested. "If we don't find anything to do we can always come back here and do some fishing.'
"That sounds like a plan," Mike agreed. Everyone else voiced their agreement also.
"O.K. then. That's what we'll do."
"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to use the little boy's tree," Marco got up and tried to step over Chet. Unfortunately, he didn't quite clear him and he tripped. Marco landed with his left hand inside the fire ring, scraping his elbow on the metal ring surrounding the campfire.
"Aaaahhhh!!!!!!" Marco exclaimed as he pulled his hand out of the fire.
"Johnny, Roy, first aid kit!" Stanley ordered as he helped Marco up.
"No more beer for you," Chet scolded.
"I only had one beer," Marco responded. The guys are getting used to the routine. They all gather around Marco with their flashlights so John and Roy could tend to the injuries. Marco's hand has some minor burns and his elbow is scraped. Roy bandaged the elbow while John worked on his hand.
"Marco," Roy began. "Have you had a...." The rest of the guys join in "...tetanus shot lately." Roy looked at the others and shook his head.
"That's three!!" Mike counted enthusiastically.
"Yes Roy, about four months ago."
"O.K. Marco," John said as he finished with Marco's hand. "It's not too bad. You should be fine in no time." Roy finished up with Marco's elbow and looked at Chet.
"While we've got the supplies out do you want us to check out your behind? Make sure everything's healing O.K."
"No, but thank you for asking," Chet responded sarcastically. "The last thing I want to do is have you two look at my behind again."
"Why not? It's no worse than looking at your face," John laughed. Chet threw an empty beer can and hit John in the shoulder.
"O.K. O.K. That's enough," Hank intervened. "I think it's about time to turn in. Chet, why don't you and Mike put the fire out."
"Sure Cap. Mike grab an inch and a half!" Chet joked.
"Just get the buckets you twit!" Stanley yelled as he cleared the trash from around the campsite.
"You know something, Johnny," Roy laughed. "It's a good thing I brought the first aid kit. We've used that more than our fishing poles."
"Yea. Were going to have to go on a supply run soon. We're almost out of bandages and neosporin."
"And beer," Mike added. "Don't forget the beer!" John nodded towards Mike.
"It's always the quiet ones."
*******************************************
The next morning Johnny, Captain Stanley and Mike were sitting around the table looking at the map. Captain Stanley discussed his plans for the day.
"If we take this route, we'll circle around the lake. Maybe we'll find something to do along the way."
"Sounds good to me," John studied the map. "Looks like as good a route as any."
"Mike, do you want to go wake Winkin, Blinkin and Nod. Tell them we're going to leave them if they don't get up soon."
"Sure Cap," Mike acknowledged. Hank turned his attention to John.
"Maybe we can find a store to get some supplies. We're almost out of the food we brought."
"And beer," mike called out on his way to the tent.
"I think I remember seeing a stable somewhere on that road, Cap," Johnny informed Hank. "Maybe we can do some horseback riding."
John and Hank's attention is drawn to the tent where they heard shouts coming from within. They looked up to see poor Mike being pelted with pillows. Mike came back to the table.
"Geez, they sure do wake up grumpy."
*******************************************
The boys had been out driving for a couple of hours. They had found a grocery store and picked up the groceries, first aid supplies,(and beer) that they needed. Marco, Chet and Roy were again in the back seat. They were finishing ice cream cones they had bought at the grocery store. Mike was finished with his already. He always finished eating first since he never had much to say. John and Hank had gotten milkshakes and were still drinking them. Chet was fidgeting, as usual, in the back seat.
"Roy," Chet whined. "Your dripping ice cream on my leg."
"I am not."
"Then where did that come from?" Chet pointed to droplets of chocolate ice cream on his leg.
"It came from your cone, stupid."
"How do you know it's from mine?"
"Because I have vanilla!"
"Do you guys need some napkins back there?" Hank asked from the front seat.
"Yea," Marco responded. "Chet's making a mess."
"You better not get anything on my upholstery," Johnny instructed.
"Don't worry," Roy reassured John. "He's just getting it on himself." Chet suddenly became aware of a song that's playing on the radio.
"Yo, turn the radio up. I love that song!" Chet began to sing into his ice cream cone. "Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Bra-anne." As he sings along to the radio he swayed back and forth bumping into Marco and Roy.
"Chet, will you please give it a rest?" Roy pleaded.
"Yea, Chet," As Marco began to speak Chet bumped into his arm knocking Marco's ice cream cone into his nose. "Oh, good. Thank you , Chet. Hey Cap. You got more napkins up there?"
"Sure, Marco." Hank turned to the back seat to hand Marco the napkins. "Geez, Marco. You look like you have rabies."
"Yea, thanks to Chet."
"Hey, it's not my fault if you can't handle your own cone." With that comment Marco reached over and pushed Chet's elbow sending his cone into his face.
"YO!" Chet exclaimed as Roy and Marco laugh hysterically.
"THAT'S IT!!!" Hank Stanley yelled. "John, pull over!"
The Land rover continued down the road circling the lake. However, the seating arrangements had changed. Chet now sat in the front seat between Johnny and Hank. Mike had been moved to the middle seat in the back. Something up ahead on the road caught Johnny's eye.
"Hey Cap. Do you see that?" John pointed to the road up ahead.
"Yea. Let's pull over." John pulled the truck to the side of the road. There is a broken guard rail and some smoke coming up from below. They all got out of the truck and ran to the edge. There is a pick-up truck lying on it's side at the bottom of a fifteen foot drop. The men climbed down the embankment to survey the situation.
The truck had landed on the drivers side. The windshield shattered in a spider web pattern making it difficult to see inside the cab. John went to the back of the cab to look into that window.
"Looks like only one passenger, Cap," John reported. "He seems to be unconscious."
"John, give Mike the keys to your vehicle," Hank ordered. "Mike go up the road and see if you can find a phone to call for help. Chet, grab the first aid kit and bring it down to us." Hank quickly has the situation under control. Roy had climbed up to the passenger side door to try to pry it open.
"Cap, this door won't budge." Chet came down the incline carrying the first aid kit, a crow bar and some blankets.
"Here, Cap. I thought we might need these."
"See if you can help Gage pry open the windshield." After several minutes working at it they are finally able to pry the windshield loose. Hank and Marco pull back on it while John and Roy try to assess the injuries on the man. As they give it one final tug a section of the windshield pulled free and sent Hank tumbling to the ground.
"Cap! Are you all right?" Marco asked when he saw Hank grab his arm. Blood began to ooze through his fingers.
"Yea. I'm fine. Just cut my arm on the glass."
"Do you need us, Cap?" Roy asked.
"No. It'll wait. Tend to him first."
"O.K. But keep pressure on it till we can take a look at it. Hey , Chet. Go see if you can help the Cap."
"Sure thing, Roy."
Johnny and Roy managed to cut through the mans seatbelt to free him from the truck. Fortunately, his legs were free and they are able to carefully maneuver him to the blankets. He began to regain consciousness but was disoriented and agitated.
"Sir," Johnny pleaded. "Try not to move. You may have some neck or back injuries. Try to remain as still as possible." There was a large gash on his left temple from the impact with the window but other than that he had no apparent injuries.
"Doesn't seem to be any breaks," Roy stated.
"Brian.......Brian....." the man repeated.
"Who's Brian?" John asked the man.
"My son....Brian.....is he O.K.?"
"Sir. Was Brian with you in the truck?" Roy questioned.
"He was in the back," the man informed Roy. Roy quickly jumped up and called out.
"Chet. Marco. There's another victim. He was in the back of the truck." The three men began to feverishly search for the boy.
"Sir. How old is your son?" John asked.
"He's ten. He was all muddy. I made him ride in the back so the seat wouldn't get dirty." The man was getting agitated again. John put his hands on the mans shoulders in an attempt to hold him down.
"Sir. Please. Don't move around so much. You need to calm down. We'll find your son." Suddenly, Chet cried out from near the road.
"I've got him!" Roy ran over to examine the boy. He had been hidden in the tall grass. He appeared to have been thrown clear of the truck as it flipped down the embankment. He was unconscious and had a lump on his left forehead. There were many minor cuts and bruises over the boys body.
"Chet. Get me a blanket." Roy felt the boys head and extremities. Chet returned with the blanket and covered the boy.
"Are you going to move him?" Chet asked.
"No. He needs to be immobilized before we can attempt to move him. We'll need a backboard and a cervical collar. Can you stay with him, Chet? I want to go check on John and the Cap."
"Sure, Roy. Go ahead." Roy headed over to John.
"How's the boy?" John asked quietly.
"Alive," Roy reported softly. "He has a head injury. Possible spinal injuries." Roy looked down at the man who was unconscious again. "If you've got things under control here, I'll go check on the Cap."
"Go ahead. I'm fine here." Roy headed over to where Hank Stanley sat. He was propped up against a tree with Marco sitting next to him. There was a blood soaked cloth wrapped around his arm. Hank held onto it tightly.
"O.K. Cap. Let's take a look at that arm." Roy knelt down next to Hank and took the make-shift bandage off. "Well. That's not too bad."
"How are they doing?" Hank asked Roy.
"I think they'll be O.K. It's hard to say though without equipment and not knowing how long before the ambulance will arrive. Right now time is the most important factor." The words had no sooner left his mouth when the sound of approaching sirens were heard. Marco went up the embankment to flag them down. Soon, Mike and Marco came down with the two EMT's. John and Roy began to work with the EMT's to get the patient's ready for transport. Mike went up to the Captain.
"What happened to you?" Mike asked as he noticed the bandage on Hank's arm.
"Just a little cut from the windshield. Nothing a couple of butterflies can't handle." Hank told his engineer.
"More like a four inch gash," Roy added as he walked past.
"Geez. I can't leave you for even a few minutes without somebody getting hurt. Did I miss it?" Mike inquired.
""Miss what?" Hank Stanley asked.
"The question."
"What question??" Roy, John, Chet and Marco all joined in together.
"Have you had a tetanus shot lately?"
"Yes!" Mike exclaimed. "That makes four!" Hank just shook his head as he walked away.
"Your all a bunch of twits,." Hank mumbled.
********************************************
The night had snuck up on the boys. They had spent so much time at the accident scene there really wasn't time left for them to do anything else. They had a little time to do some fishing before the sunset. John and Mike were cooking up the days catch as the rest of the guys sat around the campfire.
"O.K." John called out. "Soups on." John brought the plates of food to the men. "Here you go Marco. Chet." He handed each man a plate. Mike came over with two more plates of food. "And here's Roy's and here are your hamburgers Cap."
"Hey Cap." Marco asked. "If you don't like fish, why did you come on a fishing trip?"
"Just because I don't like to eat fish doesn't mean I don't like to catch fish." Hank informed his friends.
"So, is it just me." Chet asked, "or did we work more on this vacation then if we were actually at work?"
"It sure seemed that way," Marco agreed.
"Yea, but just think," Roy added. "If it wasn't for us, what would those people have done? We were in the right place at the right time."
"For them maybe," Chet complained. "But if it was the right place for us we would have been at work."
"Oh stop complaining, Chet." John lectured. "If you didn't want to help people, you wouldn't be in the fire service."
"I never said I didn't want to help people. It's just you wouldn't expect a mechanic to go around fixing cars on his vacation. Would you?"
"Don't you think if a mechanic saw someone broke down and he knew he could help them he would? Even if he was on vacation?" Roy questioned Chet.
"Not my mechanic," Chet answered. "I'm lucky if he fixes my car while he's at work."
"Has anyone noticed," Marco asked, "that the only ones who didn't get hurt this trip are Mike and Johnny?"
"Hey! That's right," John smiled. "I didn't get hurt!"
"What are the odd on that?" Chet wondered.
Suddenly, there was a cry of pain.
"Ow!!!" Mike exclaimed. They all run over to see Mike holding his hand.
"What's wrong?" John asked.
"I was cutting my roll and the knife slipped." Mike held his hand out to reveal a gash in the palm of his hand.
"O.K. People. You know the routine." Captain Stanley advised. "Roy, get the first aid kit. The rest of you guys, get your flashlights."
"O.K. Everybody. On the count of three." John lead the group in the fifth recitation of..............."Have you had a tetanus shot lately!"
The End
"A Camping We Will Go" ©1998 Cindy Gifford. "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.
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