'. . .Like I Need A Hole In
The Head'
- By Stephanie
White
*Author's Note: This story is true...sort of. I saw it on an episode of "TRAUMA: Life in the ER" on The Learning Channel. This particular case had people from all over the hospital coming down to see the X-Rays. I've just transferred it to the E! universe. The outcome I write will be about the same (give or take some therapy issues) as it was on TLC - as unbelievable as it will sound. Thank you and have a nice day.*
"DAMMIT CHET! That was my last dry shirt!"
"Geez, Gage! You'd think you'd learn to look before you open a cupboard when the Phantom is around!"
"Chet!" sputtered a very wet and annoyed John Gage. Unfortunately, he was too irritated to think up anything more clever than that. So he said it again. "Chet!"
"That's my name! Don't wear it out!"
Captain Stanley looked up from where he was reading the sports section. "Gage, how many clean shirts do you keep here?"
"Usually 3 or 4"
"Okay. Kelly, the Phantom is hereby limited to not more than two tricks per shift that would require a change of clothing for Gage. Is that clear?"
"But Cap!"
"No buts! That's the final word. Is that clear? Or does the phrase 'latrine duty with a toothbrush for a year' mean anything to you?"
"No more than two. Clear Cap."
"Thanks Cap. But couldn't you have said no tricks that would require me to change clothes? I need these water bombs like I need a hole in the head."
Stanley looked at him and shrugged. Chet snickered.
"Any more holes in your head Gage, and you'll get the wind tunnel effect in there."
"Shut up, Chet!" That said, Johnny spun on his heels and headed out in search of a towel.
"Hey Chet, ease up, will ya?" asked Roy. "I have to ride with him when he's like this, you know."
"Okay Roy. I'll back off for you. . .this shift."
Roy rolled his eyes and sighed. Suddenly, the mood (such as it was) was broken by the sound of the klaxons.
'Station 51, unknown type rescue, 2101 Hamilton Road, 2-1-0-1 Hamilton, cross street Groves. Time out 16:35'
"Station 51, KMG 365" responded Captain Stanley before he made his way to the engine.
Johnny was still damp as he jumped into the passenger side of the squad.
**********************
2101 Hamilton Road proved to be a small, dingy house in a run-down neighborhood. Roy and Johnny grabbed their equipment and headed for the door while the engine crew waited to see if they were needed.
"FIRE DEPARTMENT!" yelled Johnny as he banged on the door. There was no response. Roy and Johnny looked at each other, double checked the address, and tried the doorknob. The door opened with a creak.
As Roy and Johnny stepped cautiously into the house, a familiar, sickly-sweet scent assailed them.
"That's pot, Roy! I think it's just the residue in the furniture, though. I don't think we'll be getting high on this run." said Johnny with a grin.
"Too bad," joked Roy. "I guess we won't need that bag of chips I bought for the station this morning."
"You don't need to get stoned to get the munchies, Roy."
Suddenly, they heard a man's cry. "Hey! Is someone there? I need help in here, man!"
Roy and Johnny followed the voice into the bedroom. There, lying under an overturned dresser, was a wiry, dishevelled, dark-haired man with deeply stoned eyes. The contents of some of the drawers were lying on the ground around him. There were items of clothing, several dirty syringes, and what looked like a knife handle under a crumpled newspaper.
"Hey man! Get this thing offa me!"
Roy and Johnny moved to either side of the dresser and tried to lift it off the man. It wouldn't budge.
Roy and Johnny looked at each other, then at the man at their feet.
"What on earth do you have in here?" asked an incredulous Johnny.
"Nothin' Man!" said the victim. "I ain't done nothin' wrong! Just get me outta here and leave me alone."
"I'll get his vitals. You go tell the guys we're gonna need help with this dresser. Okay, Roy?"
Roy hesitated. He could see the track on the man's arm. There were several fresh needle marks and the smell of pot lingered all around. Johnny was already taking the man's pulse. Roy decided there couldn't be too much danger leaving a man who was trapped under a heavy dresser. Johnny had the advantage if the guy tried anything. He headed outside to find his co-workers.
Johnny was so busy with the BP cuff that he didn't notice the paranoid look that crept into the victim's eyes. While Johnny leaned down and put the cuff on the man's right arm, his left arm was moving across the floor, looking for something to protect him from this monster attacking his arm. His hand found the knife handle. He grabbed it and swung.
******************
Roy was helping Marco and Chet with the equipment when he heard the normally silent Mike Stoker yell, "JESUS CHRIST! JOHNNY!"
"What the hell?" yelled the Captain. "DEAR GOD! ROY! GET OVER HERE!"
"Cap?" said Johnny. "Do I look that bad? He just gave me a knock on the head. I'll be okay in a minute. I just came to see how soon Roy would be back."
Roy came around the engine and stopped dead at the sight before him. His face paled and he grabbed the side of the engine for support. Chet and Marco came around to see what the fuss was about.
"My God! Johnny!" whispered Chet, eyes wide.
"Madre de Dios!" whispered Marco as he crossed himself.
Standing before five very shocked firefighters was John Gage. The knife handle was the only thing visible on the top of his head where the knife had entered his skull and been pushed in to the hilt.
Stanley stared for a minute before he shook himself and lifted the handi-talkie to his mouth.
"LA, this is engine 51. We have a code I at this location. Dispatch ambulance and police to our location."
"10-4, 51."
Roy was running forward as Johnny stepped towards him. "Roy? What's wrong? Am I bleeding? Am I...."
His voice trailed off and his face went blank as his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he began to fall. Roy caught him and lowered him gently to the ground, silently cursing when he realized he couldn't put Johnny's head back without ramming the knife in further. He couldn't get a clear airway if Johnny had trouble breathing. He settled for rolling Johnny onto his side using his lap to keep Johnny's head level.
Stanley was running towards them. Roy looked up at him, panicked.
"Cap! Our equipment is still in the house! I need the biophone and drug box. The guy in there is higher than a kite and apparently dangerous. I didn't think he could do anything! Why did I leave Johnny alone in there?"
"Marco! Chet! Go get Roy's equipment! Stick together. Consider that guy armed and dangerous. Don't try to move him until the cops get here. Get the stuff and get out. You have two minutes...GO!"
The two firefighters ran into the house. It was less than one minute later that they came out with the required items.
Roy had just finished taking Johnny's pulse and respirations and looked up as Chet tossed him a BP cuff. Roy nodded at him as he caught it. Marco brought the drug box over and put it down beside Johnny. He put his hand on Roy's shoulder and squeezed it encouragingly. Chet put the biophone down and set it up.
Roy looked at Chet and Chet picked up the handset to relay vitals to Rampart for Roy.
********************
Dixie McCall was sitting by the base station reflecting on what a slow day it was turning into when she heard 51 calling in. She stopped for a second. That wasn't Johnny or Roy's voice. Something was very wrong.
"Go ahead 51."
Chet's shaky voice came back, "Rampart we have a male firefighter, 28 years old with a deep penetrating wound to the head. Vital signs are blood pressure 90 over 50, pulse 120 and respirations 25. Patient is semi-conscious and somewhat coherent."
"Stand by 51." Dixie picked up the phone next to her. "Page Dr. Early to the base station stat."
When Joe Early came over to the base station, Dixie held out the paper on which she had written the vitals.
"Dix, I think I'm having trouble with your handwriting. Does that say penetrating wound to the head?"
Dixie just nodded. The white-haired doctor turned to the radio. "51, is there any excess bleeding?"
"uh...hey Roy? No...er...negative Rampart. The weapon is preventing it."
Dixie and Joe looked at each other. Weapon????
"Okay, start an IV with Ringer's Lactate and another of saline wide open. Try to stabilize the...er...weapon. We don't need it moving around doing any more damage. Is the ambulance on the scene?"
"That's affirmative, Rampart. ETA is 10 minutes."
"We'll be waiting 51," said Early. "Dixie, prepare treatment 2. I want X-ray down here for a full skull series and several units of plasma waiting. Also, page Dr. Brackett to assist me. This sounds like it's going to be extremely tricky."
********************
It was tricky in the ambulance getting the semi-conscious Johnny
to sit still. He kept trying to lean his head back and Roy
wouldn't allow it. Johnny still didn't understand all the fuss.
He seemed to believe that he only had a bump on the head. Why
would Roy have to bandage his head so tightly for just a bump on
the head?
"Hey Roy? Why can't I put my head back? I'm getting a crick in my neck the way you've got me lying."
Roy looked down at his best friend and suppressed a shudder. He tried to smile - and failed miserably. He was afraid to tell Johnny that there was a large knife stuck in his brain. Johnny would probably panic and there'd be no way he would be able to sit still. He couldn't afford to let Johnny move too much.
"Take it easy, Junior. We're almost there. I can put your head back if you move up on the gurney so your head is just slightly off the end. Trust me, okay?"
"Whatever," he murmured sleepily. "Think they'll get me a drink of water when we get to the hospital? I'm parched."
Roy gently turned his friend onto his back and pulled him up on the gurney until Johnny's head was back with the knife handle hanging off the edge. He rolled his eyes heavenward - partially to say a prayer for this man who was closer than a brother to him, and partially to stop the tears.
*******************
When the ambulance pulled up to the doors to the ER, both Dixie and Joe were waiting for the gurney. They were, momentarily stunned when they saw who the patient was and what the 'weapon' was.
"My God!" whispered Dixie softly. She quickly pulled herself together. "Treatment 2...GO!"
Joe ran after the gurney. He spotted Kel coming towards him.
"What've you got Joe?"
"John Gage. Kel, you've got to see this one to believe it."
********************
Half an hour later, Kelly Brackett entered the doctor's lounge to find the crew of station 51 waiting anxiously. All of A-shift was there...except Roy.
"Where's Roy?" asked Brackett.
"Losing his lunch," said Chet quietly.
Just then, the door to the room swung open and a very pale, dazed and shaky Roy DeSoto entered. His demeanor changed drastically when he realized the doctor was in the room. He was immediately alert and anxious.
"How's Johnny, Doc? Is he going to be okay?"
Brackett's mouth twitched. "I wish I could tell you one way or another, Roy. They've just taken him up to surgery. I just thought you guys would be interested in seeing his X-ray.
Brackett walked over to the light board and turned it on. He pulled the X-ray from its envelope and put it on the board. Everyone in the room gasped. The image was a man's skull taken in profile. The knife handle appeared to rest on the top of the skull and from it, was the blade. It went through Johnny's brain and sinus cavity. It had to be at least 8 inches long. The serrated edge seemed to taunt them from the picture.
Brackett pointed to the serrated edge. "That's why we couldn't just pull it out. That edge would do a lot more damage coming out. It's going to be an extremely delicate operation to remove the knife. It'll probably take several hours at least. Why don't you guys go back to the station and I'll call you when we know something."
Stanley looked at his men. They were all still extremely shaken up by the sight of Johnny with a knife in his head. He knew they weren't going to be any use as firefighters until they knew how their comrade was doing. He also knew they wouldn't go home until the doctor's phone call.
"Can I use your phone, Doc?"
"Of course, Hank. It's on the wall over there."
Stanley called Chief McConnikee and explained the situation. McConnikee immediately took 51 out of service until B-shift. The men, sans Roy, who wouldn't leave Johnny alone in the hospital, went back to the station to await the phone call.
************************
Another half hour later, when Joanne DeSoto got to the doctor's lounge, she saw her husband sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.
"Roy? What happened? What was so horrible that you couldn't tell me on the phone? How is Johnny? What happened to him?"
Roy looked up at his frightened wife. His eyes were red and his cheeks were streaked with tears. "I knew the guy was high. I shouldn't have left them alone! This is my fault. I could have stopped the guy or at least gotten Johnny out of the way!"
"Roy, honey? Please tell me? What's wrong?"
"We went on an unknown rescue. Some junkie got himself trapped under a dresser. Johnny and I couldn't move it. I went out to get some help from the guys. I thought the guy couldn't do anything from where he was! Next thing I know, Johnny's walking out of the house with an 8 inch blade shoved into his skull."
"Oh God, Roy!" said Joanne.
"Brackett showed us the X-ray. That knife went all the way through his brain and nearly came out his throat. Johnny was conscious! He didn't even know what happened! Brackett said he kept asking for a drink of water the whole time they were treating him. He...oh God!" Roy stood up and ran for the door.
Joanne sat on the couch in stunned silence, watching her husband leave the room to throw up.
**********************
Ten hours later, the men of A-shift were still waiting. All of them had given up trying to sleep. Dinner had been a joke. It had been Johnny's turn to cook, so they ordered a pizza that no one seemed hungry enough to eat.
When B-shift finally began to filter in, they saw A-shift sitting in the day room in civilian clothes. It looked like they had been there for a while.
"What's up guys? You look like you lost your best friend." asked Charlie Dwyer.
"We might have." said Chet, his voice cracking.
"What are you talking about? Hey, where's Gage and DeSoto? They in the locker room?"
"They're at Rampart." Marco said. "Johnny is..."
"Johnny is what? He break a leg or another rib?" he looked at the sad faces of A-shift. "Hey, he's not...."
Captain Stanley looked up, "Maybe. You should have seen it. That bastard shoved an 8-inch blade into Johnny's skull. Shoved the damn knife in to the HILT!"
"You're kidding, right?" asked Dwyer. "This is a joke, right? Johnny's really hiding somewhere isn't he?"
One look at the solemn faces convinced him otherwise. "No joke, huh? Damn! Any word on how he's doing yet?"
Stanley shook his head, "Nope. It's been over 15 hours and we haven't heard a word."
Suddenly, as if on cue, the phone rang. Stanley was at the phone so fast, no one could swear he hadn't been standing there the whole time.
"Station 51, Captain Stanley speaking. Yeah, Roy. We've been waiting all night. What's the story?"
Every man in the room turned to face the man on the phone, watching his reactions carefully.
"uh huh....uh huh...uh huh...what about lasting effects? uh huh...uh huh...yeah, keep us posted buddy. Okay. Get some rest, huh? Take the next shift off, too. Yeah. We're here if you need anything. Yeah, okay. 'Bye."
As Hank hung up the phone, he was besieged from all sides with questions.
"How is he?"
"Did he live?"
"Is he a vegetable?"
"Is he awake? Alive?"
"How's Roy doing?"
Stanley held up his hands to try to quiet the anxious men. "If you guys would stop asking so many questions, I can tell you what Roy said."
As soon as he was certain he had everyone's undivided attention, he addressed the group.
"They got the knife out. He survived the operation. He's still unconscious and they won't know the extent of the damage until he wakes up...if he wakes up. Roy is hanging out at the hospital until they're sure one way or the other. I'm going up a little later after I get some sleep. You guys should probably do the same thing. I think Roy could really use the support right now."
"Try and keep us away," said Chet.
***************************
The days passed slowly. Johnny remained in his coma with wires and tubes coming out of every conceivable part of his body. The EEG constantly monitored brain waves while the heart monitor beeped steadily. Roy sat by Johnny's bedside in ICU. The only way he would leave the room was if a nurse kicked him out while she gave Johnny some sort of treatment, or if one of their friends agreed to stay with Johnny and bodily ejected Roy from the room.
Roy was dozing in the chair with his head on Johnny's bed when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked up and realized Johnny's eyes were open. Roy jumped up and took Johnny's hand.
"Johnny? Can you hear me? You're at Rampart. Just relax and I'll go get Dr. Early." There was a spring in Roy's step as he left the room.
When he came back with Dr. Early, Johnny was still awake.
"Johnny? Can you understand me?"
Johnny looked between Roy and Joe.
"What happened?" he asked weakly.
"What do you remember, John?" asked Dr. Early.
"I remember a house...unknown rescue...smelling pot...then nothing. I'm at Rampart, right?"
Early nodded, "That's right. John, this is going to seem like a stupid question, but what's your birthday?"
"August....um....24th...I think. Why can't I remember my own birthday?"
"It's okay, Johnny. You're right," said Roy. "Your birthday is August 24th."
Johnny nodded with a half smile.
"John, can you count to 20 for me?"
Johnny snorted, "Of course I can. 1..2..3..4....er....4....er....8...5....6...7...9...11...10...12...13....14....15....er....um....16? Oh, this is stupid!"
Joe looked at Roy who was staring wide-eyed at him, then back to Johnny. "No, it's not stupid. You've had a severe head trauma. You've been unconscious for 5 days. There's been some damage. I want to do a battery of tests to see what the extent of the damage is. Okay, Johnny?"
"Sure, Doc. You know best. I think. You are a doctor, right?"
"Yes, John, I am. Do you remember my name?"
"Joe Early."
"Good. We'll begin the tests first thing in the morning."
"Sure thing, Doc."
********************
"Station 51, Captain Stanley speaking. Oh yeah, hi Roy. How's....he's what? He's awake?"
Five pairs of eyes immediately focused on their Captain (including Dwyer & Brice who were filling in for the absent paramedics).
"Okay....yeah....what kind of tests?....I see....how's he seem?....he had trouble what? What kind of damage does that mean?....okay....yeah pal....let us know the results, okay?....yeah. Take care....bye."
Stanley hung up the phone and immediately held up a hand to forestall the barrage of questions he knew was coming.
"He's awake. He's fairly coherent. His memory is a bit affected. He had trouble counting to 20 and remembering his own birthday. They're going to do a bunch of tests tomorrow to find out how bad the damage is."
"Man, I don't believe that!" said Chet. "To think, they only charged that junkie with assault with a deadly weapon because he was flying high. Should have been attempted murder! He'll be out in a couple of years. Johnny could have trouble the rest of his life! That's not fair!"
"Nobody ever said life was fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all."* said Stoker quietly.
"Yeah, I guess so. You guys wanna go up and see Johnny after this shift? We'll caravan up to Rampart from here."
After unanimous agreement, the men went back to their chores.
* The Princess Bride (the book, not the movie) by William Goldman
*******************************
The next morning, Johnny was put through a battery of tests, both physical and mental. Physically, he was unaffected except for a slight twitch in one finger. Mentally was another story.
"Okay, Johnny," said Dr. Early. "Just a few more tests. Can you recite the alphabet for me?"
"Sure, Doc. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. Not bad, huh?"
"That's very good. Can you read this paragraph for me?"
"The nursing staff here at Rampart is second to none. Each nurse has had at least....um.....something years of training and experience. Rampart is also a prime training hospital for nurses and has turned out over ....er.... something nurses over the years."
"Okay, Johnny." said Early. "That's enough for now. It looks like you'll have to re-learn your numbers, but otherwise I'd say you were in good shape."
"Thanks Doc! Man! When Dr. Brackett came in this morning with my X-ray, I thought you guys had doctored it. There was no way I should have lived through that!"
"Nine lives, Johnny, nine lives." said Early as an attractive nurse walked in with his supper.
Johnny gave the doctor a crooked grin and then turned his attention to the nurse.
"I haven't seen you around before. You new here?"
"Yes I am, Mr. Gage." she said. "and I've heard all about you from the nurses here. So don't even bother."
"Oh, come on. At least call me Johnny." Johnny grinned and then gave her a quick smack on the behind as she turned to leave.
"MR. GAGE! I'll thank you to keep your hands to yourself!" she huffed as she stormed out of the room.
"Johnny! That isn't like you." said Early with a shocked expression on his face.
"Sorry, Doc. I don't know what got into me. It just seemed like something fun to do, so I did it."
Early rolled his eyes and left the room.
************************
The next day, Joe and Dixie met with Captain Stanley and Roy.
"So, Doc. How's my man doing? Will this end his career?"
The doctor and nurse exchanged glances. After a pause, Joe spoke up.
"I don't think it will end his career. He'll need some therapy before he can go back to work. The knife seems to have erased his knowledge of numbers. He has trouble counting and can't seem to read them at all. His left hand has a slight twitch. It shouldn't affect his job performance. He sticks IVs with his right hand anyway. After an injury like this, he'll have to re-certify. Once he gets his numbers straight again, he should have no trouble."
"So he'll be okay?" asked Roy, scarcely daring to believe what he was hearing.
"Well, there is one other thing that may pose a problem."
Hank and Roy exchanged worried glances. They turned their attention back to Early.
"The knife seems to have dulled his inhibitions a bit."
"How do you mean?" asked Roy.
Dixie spoke up, "He's been hitting on my nurses. I know that doesn't sound very strange, but I've been getting complaints. He's taken to swatting them on the behind or goosing them. I've had to find male nurses to deal with him. Old Johnny would never go that far. He can also be very rude and obstinate - he's not afraid to say exactly what's on his mind. He's also taken to tantrums when he doesn't get his way."
Roy and Stanley sat there with their mouths open. Johnny would never take advantage of a girl like that! Rude? Tantrums?
"That's going to be a problem, Dix" admitted Roy. "I can't have him hitting on female victims like that! What is he gonna do if we have a combative patient or lose a victim? Will he be able to control himself? How am I supposed to control him?"
Early held up a hand. "Like I said. He's going to need therapy. We've got neurologists, psychiatrists and behaviorists standing by to help him re-learn the things he needs to know...including proper social behavior."
"How long will he be out?" asked Stanley.
"That's hard to say. It depends on how well his therapy progresses. I'd guess several weeks at least."
Roy shrugged resignedly. "That's better than never, I guess. Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Be there to support him. Be strong for him. Be prepared to tell him when he's out of line. You can't cover for him or he'll never learn what he has to. Basically, treat him like a child for a while, but never forget that he's an adult."
********************
Over the next few weeks, Johnny worked like he had never worked in his life. Numbers weren't coming easy. It was as if the part of the brain that stored numbers was gone. It was slow going, but gradually the numbers came back. They just found a new place to stay.
The inhibitions were another story. His first day out of the hospital, Johnny went to the station to say hello. Chet made the unfortunate mistake of commenting about Johnny's lack of inhibitions. He was already on medical leave so Captain Stanley suspended his sick pay for two weeks as punishment for punching Chet. He almost hit his Captain before Roy stopped him and made him look at what he was doing.
"Man, Cap! I'm sorry. I guess I've got to learn to control myself again. It's gonna be hard, I didn't even think before I hit Chet or tried to hit you. I felt like hitting someone and I acted on it. How am I supposed to live like this?"
"Don't worry, Pal. I have faith that you can do it. If anyone can overcome this, you can. Just know that we aren't going to coddle you while you work it out."
"I wouldn't ask you to, Cap. It's just so hard sometimes!" He drew back his fist to hit the wall. Roy caught his fist as it came back. Their eyes locked. Gradually, Johnny lowered his fist and ran from the room.
Roy caught up with him as he was sitting on the bumper of his Rover with his elbows on his knees and his head hung low.
"Roy! What am I supposed to do! I can't even think before I do some of this shit! I never realized how much your inhibitions control - how much thinking you have to do before you act on an impulse."
"Come on Junior! You can do this! It'll take some effort. Your inhibitions will just have to become habits. Most people don't realize they think about acting on impulse before they act. You aren't thinking anymore. You just have to become consciously aware of your thoughts. It's not going to be easy. But I know you can do it. I'm here for you, you know that."
Johnny stood up and hugged Roy for all he was worth. Roy stood surprised for a moment before he returned the hug.
"This is something else you probably would have thought about before doing, you know." Roy whispered in his partner's ear.
Johnny broke the hug with an embarrassed look on his face. "Sorry, Roy. I guess I do have to learn how to think again. Still, that was to say 'thanks'. I don't think I could've gotten this far without you."
"No need to apologize. And you're welcome. We're partners, right? Best friends, right?" then, as Johnny nodded, Roy said, "We'll get through this together."
************************
Over the next few weeks as Johnny recuperated at home, he tried
to work at becoming conscious of his way of thinking. Doctors
started him on Welbutrin, an anti-depressant medication that was
also used to help people with Attention Deficit Disorder. This
helped Johnny become more focused on what he was doing and more
aware of bursts of impulsive behavior. Roy was there every step
of the way. He and Johnny worked out a signal that Roy would give
Johnny when his impulses seemed to be getting the better of him.
It was also established that Roy would treat the attractive
female patients or combative patients while Johnny would handle
the biophone.
Finally, the doctors decided that Johnny was ready to take his re-certification exam. He was declared fit for duty. Johnny passed his exam and returned to duty the next shift.
*************************
Johnny bounded into the locker room on his first day back to work. He was never so glad to be anywhere in his life. He was so happy, he nearly didn't catch himself before he tried to kiss Chet. If Chet had known what Johnny was thinking at that moment, he wouldn't have vowed to let Gage have that week without the Phantom.
When he went into the day room for coffee, the men of A-shift and C-shift (who stayed just for this) were standing around the table. On the table was a giant sheet cake that had a toy fire truck on it and the words "Welcome Back Johnny!" written in blue icing. Sitting beside the cake was a knife - a long, serrated, very familiar knife.
Johnny stopped cold. "Uh...guys? That's not what I think it is, is it?"
Cap smiled, "Better believe it, Pal. Thought you'd like the chance to use it the way it was meant to be used."
"Don't the police need it for evidence, or something?"
"Trial's over. Thought you knew. The guy got 15 to 25 years. The knife is all yours now."
"Yeah, but...."
"It scares you a little, doesn't it?" asked Roy quietly.
"It's not everyday you get something like that driven into your head. Maybe I'll frame it with my X-ray. I just don't think I could ever actually use it, though."
"Your X-ray?" asked Chet.
"Yeah. Dr. Brackett said it caused quite a stir in the hospital. Doctors and nurses from every department were coming down to see it. He's letting me have it. Says it's one for the records. I was thinking of having it framed."
"One for the records," said Marco. "It certainly was that. I've never seen anything like it."
"And I, for one, hope to never see anything like it again." said Mike.
"Amen to that," said Roy, putting a hand on Johnny's shoulder. "Although, it might be therapeutic if you did use it at least once as a knife."
Johnny took a deep breath and with a shaking hand he lifted the knife. For a minute, he stared at the blade in his hand. He looked around the room at all of his friends, then back to the knife.
"Hey Gage," said Chet. "Are we gonna get some cake before the end of the year?"
"Chet! Why don't you just ... " began Johnny as Roy tugged at his sleeve. Throwing Roy a grateful look, he decided how to best rephrase what he was thinking. "Be patient, Chester B. You'll get your cake."
With that, Johnny took the knife a little more firmly in his hand and began to cut the cake.
end.
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