Treading Water–Part 2
By Nancy F. Thysell (the Nifty Lady)
* * * * * * * * E! * * * * * * * * *
In treatment room four of Rampart Emergency, Roy DeSoto looked up into the frowning face of Dr. Joe Early and coughed.
"Sorry doc," he apologized. Dr. Early placed the stethoscope on Roy’s bare chest again and listened carefully.
"That’s okay, Roy. I hear a little wheezing but it doesn’t sound too severe. I’m a little concerned about your fever. Take some aspirin to get that down. But basically, you check out okay. It’s probably just the smoke but if it gets any worse, I want to see you back in here. Pronto. Understood?"
"Yeah doc. Can I go?" the paramedic asked hopefully.
"Sure, go ahead and put your shirt back on," the doctor agreed. Roy sat up, swung his legs over the side of the exam table and buttoned his uniform shirt.
"Thanks doc," he said with a slight smile.
Dr. Early took in the paramedic’s overall appearance. "Just remember. You’re back in here if you feel any worse."
"I promise, Doc," Roy assured him. They walked out into the hall together and crossed to the nurse’s desk at the base station. Dixie McCall looked up from her paperwork as they approached and smiled.
"So how’s our patient, Doc?" she asked Early. Dr. Early looked gravely from Dixie to Roy and back again.
"Not good, I’m afraid," he said somberly. A flash of concern crossed Dixie’s face until she caught the twinkle in Early’s eye and realized he was teasing.
"Oh, I see. Do we need to reserve a room for him?" she asked in all seriousness.
"I think we can wait a while on it," the grey-haired doctor responded and gave the younger man a pat on the back. Roy smiled, rolled his eyes and stepped over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup.
"Where’s Johnny?" Dr. Early then asked.
"I believe he’s upstairs visiting Chris," Dixie commented. Just then, the elevator doors opened and a disappointed John Gage stepped off.
"What’s wrong Johnny?" Roy asked when his partner arrived at the desk.
"Oh, nothing. Chris wasn’t there. She was at one of her appointments." Roy nodded and held up the handi-talkie.
"We’d better make ourselves available. Doc says I’m okay to work," Roy informed his partner.
"That’s great. Maybe we’ll get back over here later," Johnny responded optimistically.
"Yeah. Chances are we will. See ya later Dix. Doc." Roy tossed the used coffee cup in the trash. He turned and headed down the hall. Johnny fell in step with him. The doctor and nurse watched them leave in silence. Then, they both turned their attention to their next patient.
* * * * * * * * E! * * * * * * * * *
The remainder of the shift was reasonably quiet with routine runs for the squad. Still the morning tones came too early and six men groaned as one as they met the day. As soon as the men on B-Shift arrived, A-Shift disbursed. Johnny hurried to his Land Rover. He frowned at the still broken passenger’s window. The police had only located his car a few days ago and he hadn’t gotten it into the repair shop. He was going to have to leave Chris’ pickup at the bungalow for her mother to use. He had arranged with Roy to drop it off at the dealer that afternoon to get the repairs made. Now he had to rush home and take care of the horses and then make sure he was at the airport to pick up Annie Martin when her flight came in. He pushed the gas pedal a little harder as he headed home. Maybe if he timed it right, he’d have time to take one of his horses out for a ride.
Roy waved to his partner as he watched him pull out of the small parking area behind the station. He gazed up at the blue sky and absently rubbed his hand against his chest. It hurt when he coughed but not all that bad, so he dismissed it as the residual effect of the smoke from the previous day. He headed home feeling a bit subdued.
JoAnne, met him at the door with a warm smile and hug.
"Hi babe," he greeted her quietly. JoAnne immediately took note of his low-key demeanor.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" she asked with concern as he entered the house.
"I’m okay. Tired that’s all. Kids okay?"
"Yeah. They’re fine. Jennifer didn’t want to go to school today. Somebody in her class got ‘cooties’ and she doesn’t want to catch them. I tried to explain to her that she wouldn’t but you know kids," JoAnne laughed. Roy gave her a weak smile.
"You want some breakfast? I’ve got a fresh pot of coffee on the stove," she offered. Roy looked wearily in the direction of the kitchen, sighed and looked back at his wife.
"I don’t think so. I think I’ll go take a nap. I didn’t realize how beat I was," Roy explained as he headed for the stairs. JoAnne just nodded and watched him as he climbed the stairs. Those little warning bells were going off but there wasn’t anything obviously wrong so she tried to dismiss them. Maybe he was "just tired." If so, he’d feel better once he woke up from his nap. She decided that maybe she’d fix something special for lunch. As she headed to the kitchen, she picked up stray misplaced items to put them away. She turned when she heard Roy coughing and frowned. She didn’t like the sound of his cough. She’d have to keep an eye on that. For being a paramedic, her husband could be so blasé about his own health. JoAnne tried not to worry but that would be like not breathing.
* * * * * * * * E! * * * * * * * * *
Johnny hurried through the passageway at LAX to Gate A45. He looked at his watch again. It was almost one. His future mother-in-law’s plane should be arriving at any moment. Traffic around the airport had been heavier than he had expected and finding a parking space, what a joke. He had driven around the parking deck for more than twenty minutes. He reached the waiting area as people were coming off the flight. There was a fair size group of people waiting at the gate. Johnny tried to peer over the heads of the people in front of him. Finally he spotted Annie Martin and he waved his arm to get her attention.
"Annie, over here," he called. Annie looked up and saw the slender young man and smiled at him. Annie was a trim woman of fifty years. Her short hair was a soft brown thanks to Miss Clairol. She looked years younger than she was. She wore a polyester two piece suit of a muted green color. She straightened the jacket as she crossed over to her future son-in-law.
"Hello John," she as drew close to him. Johnny wasn’t sure if he should hug her, kiss her cheek or just shake her hand. Annie solved it by placing her hands on his shoulders and giving him a peck on the check. "It’s good to see you."
"It’s good to see you too. Did you have a good flight?"
Annie rolled her eyes. "Don’t ask! I am so glad to have my feet back on the ground."
"Chris comes home tomorrow," Johnny told her as they made their way through the crush of other passengers headed for the baggage claim area of the airport.
"Oh, good. That’ll give me a chance to get settled in then. I mean, I don’t want to get in Chris’ way when she comes home."
"Well, it’s a small place but I think the two of you will manage. I think you’ll like her new place," Johnny told her.
"I hope so. Are we going to the hospital or her place first?" Annie asked as she tried to keep step with Johnny’s long strides. She was beginning to wish she hadn’t worn heels for the trip. As if she had spoken out loud, Johnny suddenly realized he was walking too fast for her and slowed down.
"Sorry," he apologized. "You should have told me I was going too fast."
"I guess I’m just used to walking with Doug," she responded, mentioning her husband. "I guess we’re accustomed to each other’s pace."
Johnny chuckled. "I guess that’s true. Uh, I think we need to go to the right here."
They turned and headed toward the baggage claim carousels and found the one designated for Annie’s flight. Now they had to wait for the luggage to arrive. Annie gave Johnny her claim tickets and told him which bags to watch for.
"Well, what would you like to do first? Go see Chris or stop by her place? Whatever you would like to do is fine with me," Johnny told her.
"I’m not interfering with any of your plans, am I?" she asked. The first bag from the flight fell onto the carousel. Soon bag after bag dropped down the chute.
"No, the only thing I need to do today is take my car over to the repair shop. If you want, we can go by Chris’ and then you can follow me in her pickup truck back to the hospital. That way you can come and go as you please. Oh yeah," that reminded Johnny as he dug into his pocket for the spare keys. "Here’s a set of keys for you."
Annie took the offered keys and put them in her purse. "That sounds like a good idea," she concurred.
Annie wasn’t looking forward to driving in this city but until Chris was back on her feet, she was going to have to do it. Just then she noticed the first of her two bags slide onto the carousel.
"There’s one, John," she pointed it out. Johnny turned and reached for the moving bag, lifting it off the conveyor. Soon the other bag was secured and they made their way out to the parking deck. A half hour later found them pulling into Chris’ yard in Venice. Annie Martin was duly impressed with the quaint bungalow that her daughter was renting. John took her bags inside for her. She really liked the cozy little place. She noted the roll-away bed sitting in the living room and figured that it would be her bed for the duration. They didn’t stay long as Johnny needed to meet Roy shortly. Johnny explained that the route they’d be taking to the hospital wasn’t the shortest but it had the fewest turns and he figured it would be easier for Annie to find her way home. As she followed his Land Rover in Chris’ red pickup, she was grateful for the direct route. She did decide that she’d be sure to get Johnny to draw her a map though, just in case she made a wrong turn.
She was looking forward to seeing her "baby" and spending time with her. She figured that aside from Chris’ physical therapy and other doctor’s appointments that they would spend most of their time planning Chris’ wedding. That she was really looking forward to doing. Chris being the youngest of four children and the last to marry, made her special to her mother. Of course, she hated admitting that it also made her feel old that her baby was getting married. Still, she wasn’t totally convinced that John Gage was the right man for her little girl but then, what man would be?
* * * * * * * * E! * * * * * * * * *
A short time later, Johnny escorted Annie down the corridor of the third floor to Chris’ room. He rapped on the door before opening it.
"Hey sweetie!" he called as they entered. Chris looked up from the magazine she was reading and smiled at her visitors.
"Johnny! Mom! Come on in!" she responded happily. Johnny let Annie go first.
"Chris! Baby!" Annie cried as she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her daughter. She sat back a little and looked at Chris. "You’ve lost a lot of weight!"
"Mom!" Chris protested lightly. Johnny joined them on the opposite side of the bed. He thought she had lost quite a bit of weight too.
"Hi love," Johnny said as he leaned in to kiss Chris. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay. How was your flight mom?" Chris responded by changing the topic. That worried Johnny a bit.
"It was a terrible flight! The coffee was cold, the food–if you can call it food–was tasteless and that pilot kept flying us into pockets of turbulence!" Annie groused.
"Well, the important thing is that you’re here! That means I get to go home tomorrow!" Chris said happily.
"Chris, sweetie? I have to go. I’m meeting Roy at the repair shop to drop off the Rover. Your mom has your pickup so she can stay as long as she wants," Johnny explained as he prepared to leave. Chris cast a panicked look in his direction.
"You’re coming back aren’t you?" Her eyes pleaded with him.
"You want me to?" Johnny had actually thought Chris would want to spend time with her mother. She nodded her head.
"Maybe you ought to John, that way I won’t get lost going back to Chris’ place," Annie added.
"Well, okay. Then I will see you ladies later. Bye sweetie," Johnny agreed. He gave Chris a quick kiss goodbye and left the mother and daughter to visit.
He hurried down the hall, checking his watch. He needed to get to the repair shop before it closed. He hoped he wouldn’t keep Roy waiting. Just as he reached the elevator a familiar figure approached.
"Johnny! How are you?" He turned to the voice and smiled up at the strong handsome face of off-duty policeman Byron Young.
"Byron! What are you doing here?" He asked, surprised.
"Follow-up visit," he responded, patting his chest where Chandler had stabbed him. "I just got my clearance to return to active duty. No more desk!" He grinned broadly.
They both stepped into the elevator when it arrived.
"That’s great," Johnny commented.
"How’s Miss Martin doing?" Byron inquired.
"Well, she’s going home tomorrow. She still has a lot of physical therapy ahead of her. But she’s getting stronger every day."
"That’s good news. I’m glad for her. I know I could hardly wait to get out here myself," Byron chuckled. "I thought if I had to eat the hospital food here one more day, I was going to starve to death!"
Johnny joined in agreement with a chuckle of his own. It made him realize that maybe that’s why Chris had looked so thin to him. Hospital food never added any weight to his bones when he’d been hospitalized. It also made him aware of just how much weight Chris had lost since they had met. He tried to estimate it. Had she lost thirty pounds or forty? He made a mental note to ask her about that when he returned.
Byron accompanied Johnny out into the parking lot. He hopped into his Land Rover and headed for the repair shop. He’d make it on time provided the afternoon rush hour didn’t get bogged down.
* * * * * * * * E! * * * * * * * * *
Johnny pulled into the service parking area of the repair shop with just a few minutes to spare. He didn’t even take a moment to look for Roy’s car as he ran to the service desk.
"May I help you," a tired young girl of about nineteen asked without even looking up.
"Yeah. I’m John Gage. I made an appointment to drop my Land Rover off for some repairs," he explained hastily. She looked up and popped the gum in her mouth.
"Oh. Here. Fill this out," she instructed him. Johnny took the form and the clipboard it was attached to and filled it out. He rubbed his hands nervously as she looked it over. She gazed up at him again with a bored expression. "Keys?" The gum snapped again.
"Oh, yeah," he responded as he pulled out his key chain. He removed the ignition key from the ring and handed it to the girl. She took it and fastened a string with a tag to the key. She wrote the make and model of the vehicle on the tag and then attached it to the form. In turn she placed it in a slot for new work orders.
"Is that it?" Johnny asked when she turned back to him. She popped her gum and nodded. "Okay. Thanks. You’ll call me when it’s ready?"
The girl nodded and Johnny turned toward the parking lot. Now he was surprised that Roy wasn’t there. He looked for a payphone but didn’t see one. He turned back to the girl.
"Can I use your phone?" he asked as he pointed to it. The girl followed his finger to the phone. The gum popped.
"Is it a local call? My boss don’t allow no toll calls," she informed him.
"No. It’s local. I need to see if my ride forgot me," Johnny explained. She handed him the receiver and asked for the number which she dialed for him.
"Hi JoAnne! It’s Johnny. Did Roy leave yet?" he asked.
"Oh hi Johnny. Uh, was he supposed to go somewhere?" Johnny thought her voice sounded worried.
"Yeah, he said he’d pick me up here at the repair shop. Did he go some place?"
"No. No, he didn’t go anywhere. Johnny he’s been asleep since he came in this morning. He didn’t even get up for lunch. I’m worried about him. Was he okay last night?"
"Well, he swallowed some smoke at a fire yesterday but Dr. Early checked him out. Maybe he’s just coming down with something. Hamm. Now how do I get back to the hospital?"
"Oh, are you going to see Chris? How’s she doing?"
"She’s doing good. Her mother arrived today and she gets to go home tomorrow."
"That’s good news. Listen, give me the address where you are. If you need to go over to Rampart, maybe we should just take Roy with us and have Dr. Early look at him again. Besides, I haven’t been by to see Chris in weeks. I really need to stop by. Okay?"
"That’d be great Jo. I’ll be waiting," Johnny said and then proceeded to give her the address and directions to get there. After they hung up, Johnny sighed and sat down in one of the less than comfortable chairs in the waiting room. Hopefully they wouldn’t run him out before JoAnne and Roy got there but if JoAnne had to wake Roy up, it might take a while. He picked up a year old periodical and began to flip through its pages.
* * * * * * * * E! * * * * * * * * *
It was an hour later before JoAnne pulled into the parking lot of the repair facility. Johnny was leaning against the outside wall, waiting. He stood up as he recognized JoAnne’s station wagon. He noted that JoAnne was driving and that Roy seemed slumped down in the passenger’s seat. The younger DeSotos, Jennifer and Chris, were belted in the read seat. They had left the seat next to the door for Johnny. Now, he climbed into the car.
"Thanks JoAnne. Hey Chris. Squirt!" he greeted everybody.
"Hi Uncle Johnny!" Jennifer bubbled. Chris just said, "Hey."
Johnny settled into the seat and JoAnne drove through the lot and back onto the street. Johnny noticed Roy appeared to be asleep. Johnny reached over the seat and felt Roy’s forehead with the back of his hand. It was quite warm and his skin was dry.
"How is he?" he asked JoAnne. She shook her head.
"I had a hard time getting him up," she admitted. "I just hope we can get someone to look at him when we get to the hospital."
"No problem, Jo. I have connections. We’ll take care of him," he told her and then turned to look at Jennifer. "Isn’t that right, squirt?"
Jennifer giggled. "Yeah!"
Christopher just rolled his eyes. He turned and stared at the passing scenery. He would have much rather stayed home and watched t.v. but his mother had said he wasn’t old enough. Not old enough! He was almost eleven. He’d be a teenager before they knew it! He didn’t want his dad to be sick but he sure hated going to Rampart. Seemed they spent a lot of their time there.
* * * * * * * * E! * * * * * * * * *
It was a little past seven when they arrived at the hospital. Johnny helped Roy to his feet and guided him through the ER's automatic doors while JoAnne followed closely behind with the kids. Dixie McCall was still on duty when she saw the group enter the corridor. She took one look at Roy's complexion and demeanor and knew something was wrong.
"Hi Johnny. Roy. How can I help you?" Johnny gave her a lopsided grin.
"I think my partner here needs to see one of the docs. Dr. Early said if he felt worse to come back so here we are," he said in way of an explanation. Dixie checked her patient log for a moment.
"I think we can put him into treatment five. It may be a wait for a doctor, JoAnne but I think Roy would be more comfortable lying down," Dixie explained as she rounded the desk to help guide Roy down the hall. She looked over at the younger man and suggested, "Johnny, why don't you take the kids with you to go visit Chris? They'll just get bored waiting down here and that way JoAnne can stay with Roy in the treatment room."
"Good idea, Dix. Okay with you JoAnne?"
"Sounds good. Thank you Dixie," JoAnne responded. She turned to Christopher, "You watch your sister, you hear me. And Jennifer, I want to mind whatever Chris or Uncle Johnny tells you. Okay?"
"Yes ma'am," they both responded. Dixie opened the door to the treatment room for Roy and JoAnne and let them enter. She closed it behind her as Johnny and the children headed down the hall to the elevator.
* * * * * * * * E! * * * * * * * * *
"Aunt Chris!" Jennifer squealed as the group entered Chris’ hospital room. Annie Martin was taken aback at the greeting, unaware that Roy’s children referred to Johnny as "Uncle" so by default that made her daughter "Aunt" Chris. She stood up as the threesome entered and waited awkwardly.
"Hi Pumpkin! Hey Chris," Chris greeted the kids. Her eyes gave Johnny a silent hello. She turned to her mother. "Mom, these are Roy’s kids. This young man is Christopher but like me, they call him Chris. And this young lady is Jennifer. Chris. Jen. This is my mother, Mrs. Martin."
Jennifer became suddenly shy with the new adult. She cast her eyes down and mumbled a soft "Hello." Christopher, being older, was more direct and looked at Mrs. Martin in the eyes as he said, "It’s nice to meet your Mrs. Martin."
"It’s nice to meet you, young man. And you too, Jennifer," Annie responded formally. She resumed her seat. Jennifer moved closer to the bed and looked up at Chris.
"Can I sit on your bed?" she asked in a timid voice. Chris smiled at her.
"Sure! Johnny?" she looked up at him with a silent request to help Jennifer up on the bed. He quickly lifted Jennifer up and set her on the middle of the bed. Jennifer kneeled down and leaned forward to give Chris a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then she whispered in Chris’ ear. Chris smiled broadly at the question.
"I don’t know, Jen. I’ll find out and let you know," Chris responded in a conspiratorial whisper. Jennifer giggled as she sat back on the bed.
"So, what brings you to the hospital with Roy’s children?" Annie finally asked. Johnny looked across the bed at her.
"Oh, Roy and JoAnne are down in the ER. Roy’s not been feeling well, so, he’s getting checked out. I’m watching the kids until they get done. Oh, JoAnne sends her love. Besides, I thought Chris would enjoy seeing them. Right, sweetie?"
"Yes! Oh, I have missed you guys!" Chris told the DeSoto children. They spent the next twenty minutes giving Chris news of their latest activities. Annie excused herself to go get something to drink during the recitation. Before they knew it, visiting hours were over. Jennifer pouted as Johnny lifted her off Chris’ bed.
"No! I don’t want to go!" she whined as she wrapped her arms around Johnny’s neck and held on. She laid her head on his shoulder.
"Now, Jen. Chris needs to get her rest. Besides, she’s going home tomorrow," Johnny tried to console the little girl. He had to set her down on her feet. She was getting too heavy to carry. Jennifer turned to look at her "Aunt."
"Really? That’s neat, Aunt Chris!" Jennifer told her. Chris DeSoto was getting bored. He was ready to go.
"Come on, Uncle Johnny. Let’s go find my folks," he urged.
"In a minute. Let me say goodnight to Chris. Okay?" He leaned over the bed and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Night , Sweetie. I’ll see you in the morning."
"Night, Honey. You and mom will be here around nine?" she asked as she gave him a hug. Johnny looked over at Annie who nodded in affirmation.
"Nine it is!" Johnny promised. Annie gave Chris a hug goodnight and she followed Johnny and the children out the door. Chris sighed as the door closed. Only one more night to stay in this place. She was so ready to go home!
Johnny led the group to the elevator. On the way, he explained to Annie that since Roy was sick he wouldn’t have transportation until the Rover was out of the shop. They decided that Johnny would drive Annie to Chris’ bungalow and that he would drive the pickup to his house for the night. Then he’d return in the morning to take her back to the hospital to bring Chris home.
They met up with JoAnne in the ER waiting room.
"So what’s word on Roy?" Johnny asked his partner’s wife. Both kids wrapped their arms about their mother. She placed a gentle hand on both of them.
"Dr. Early said it’s pneumonia," she informed them. At Johnny’s look of alarm she was quick to allay his fears. "It’s just a small area of his right lung. The smoke aggravated it yesterday. He’s having a breathing therapy right now. Then it’s antibiotics and bed rest for the next five days, at least."
"So I guess the fire yesterday was a blessing," Johnny commented.
"How so?" Annie wanted to know. JoAnne and Johnny passed a knowing glance.
"Because, chances are, if Roy’s condition hadn’t been aggravated by the smoke, he might still be a home pretending that there wasn’t anything wrong with him," JoAnne explained. She smiled at Johnny, "These guys can be so stubborn sometimes!"
Johnny chuckled at her observation. It was true. They said their goodbyes and left JoAnne and the kids to wait for Roy. Johnny was anxious to get home because it meant they were all that closer to Chris being home. And he was really looking forward to that.
* * * * * * * * E! * * * * * * * * *
END PART 2–CONTINUED IN PART 3
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