Turning Tables--Part 1
With special thanks to Chris Umscheid
"I see you finally decided to come back to work, hey Gage?" Chet greeted his friend as he walked in the locker room.
"Someone has to keep you out of trouble." Johnny laughed. It had been two weeks since his latest injury put him on an unplanned vacation. It had been a relatively minor run in with a concrete wall and his bruised ribs were back to normal.
"Keeping you out of trouble may be Johnny's job, but I seem to be playing nurse maid more and more lately." Roy chimed in. In the past year Johnny had been injured three times. Two of them were just minor injuries. Roy still didn't know how Johnny had survived the one that occurred ten months ago. Johnny had been caught in a warehouse fire that went bad, horribly bad. Apparently the owner of the warehouse failed to inform them that he was illegally storing a few sticks of dynamite. Johnny was only a few feet away when the fire touched them off. The explosion threw him back fifteen feet into a piece of metal pipe that stuck out three inches from the wall. The rod impaled him to the left of his spinal column and caused internal bleeding from his left kidney. The force of the explosion knocked off John's helmet and he also suffered a pretty severe concussion. Johnny had spent three months in the hospital and in physical therapy. There had been some swelling around the spinal cord and at first the doctors were unsure that Johnny would ever walk again. Of course, Johnny being Johnny, he walked out of the hospital and was back at the station in only four months. "That boy has more lives than a cat," Roy thought to himself.
"Hey, Pal, did you hear me?" Johnny bumped his elbow against Roy's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, guess I was thinking. What did you want?" Roy flushed at being caught deep in thought.
Just as Johnny was about to repeat his question, the tones sounded and all three men rushed from the locker room.
"Garage fire, 117 Wright Avenue, 117 Wright Avenue, cross street Willow. Time out 0815.
"Station 51, 10-4 KMG 365." Captain Stanley handed the address to Roy and climbed into the engine.
The two-stall garage was completely involved when Station 51 arrived on the scene. An anxious owner, who waved them in to the scene, greeted the arriving firefighters.
"Is there anyone in there?" Roy questioned as he left the squad.
"No, I was just about to leave for work. When I went to open the door I saw the smoke and called you guys." The owner yelled over the sound of the arriving sirens.
"Chet, Marco, get an inch and a half on house and start wetting it down." Captain Stanley called. "Roy, anybody in there?"
"No, Cap. The garage is empty." Roy trotted over to Cap to let him know.
"Okay, you and Johnny get a line over on the garage. When the other units get here, I'll have them give you a hand."
An hour later the fire was out and all of the units were returning to quarters. The fire investigator was still trying to determine the cause of the fire. All in all, it had been a pretty routine start to the shift.
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"Lunch is ready." Marco called out from the kitchen. It didn't take long for the men of A shift to respond to the dinner bell. Marco's chili was famous, after all.
"Chet, I've got some good news for you." Hank Stanley smiled around a bite of cracker.
"What's that, Cap?" Chet didn't usually get "good" news. He wondered what was up.
"You took the engineer's exam again last month, right?" Cap asked.
"Okay, how far down on the list is he this time?" Johnny laughed. One of Johnny's favorite things was finding out just how bad Chet failed on the engineer's exam. It was an excellent source of information that never failed to get a reaction out of Chet. "Last time he did so bad that there were two blank spaces before his name."
"Wait just a minute, Cap. I don't think I want you telling everybody at the table just how miserably I blew it this time. I was up all night before the test studying and I had a very bad feeling when I was done." Chet couldn't believe that Cap was going to bust him out in front of everybody.
"That's just it, Kelly. You didn't fail. Somehow you managed to come in number five on the list. Believe it or not, you will probably make engineer before the end of the year. Congratulations, pal." Hank reached his hand across the table.
"What, are you kidding me? You wouldn't kid a guy about a thing like that, would you?" Chet wasn't sure if the Captain was playing some kind of cruel joke or not.
"They are actually going to let Chet drive!!!" Johnny sputtered incredulously, almost choking on a swallow of milk.
"It appears that way. If things stay quiet today, maybe Mike will give you a lesson or two. Is that okay with you, Mike?" Captain looked expectantly in Stoker's direction. He was glad for Chet and really did want to give him every chance.
"Sure Cap, anytime." Mike was still reeling from the news. He also wasn't too sure that he wanted Chet in the driver's seat.
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The afternoon had passed extremely slowly for Chet. He really wanted to get up in that driver's seat. Chet was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to get the chance to drive the engine. Just for fun, he crawled up into the cab and rubbed his hands across the steering wheel. Unaware that anyone was watching, Chet began imitating the siren.
"I can't believe that they are actually going to let you drive that thing. They must really be getting desperate." Johnny was thrilled to be catching Chet in such an embarrasing moment. "What did you do, bribe the testing committee? I know, they put you on the list as a practical joke."
"I passed the test fair and square. I can drive this engine just as well as anyone. Besides, once I am promoted, I'll out rank you. Seeing as how you are still nothing more than a firefighter." Chet hurled back.
"First of all Chet I'm more than a firefighter, I'm a firefighter-PARAMEDIC, besides, they are never going to let you drive. Even if you do get the chance, you'll probably kill somebody in your first five minutes behind the wheel." Johnny was getting to Chet; "You are probably going to be the only firefighter in the history of the department to never get promoted. Still, I wouldn't worry too much about it. The county has plenty of latrines that need to be cleaned, so you will never be out of a job."
"Look, Gage, Cap already said that he would let me drive the engine. In fact, I was just about to pull her out the door and then put her back in straight. If you didn't notice, Stoker has her a little crooked. Besides, I wouldn't get too high and mighty Gage, how often does Roy let you drive the squad?" Chet knew that a comment about his lack of driving would bother Johnny.
"I drive the squad more than you'll ever drive an engine. Go ahead, lets see you straighten her out. I don't think you can do it." Johnny challenged him.
Chet flipped the master switch, waited for the glow plugs to warm, and then turned the key. The engine roared to life. "Just watch me!" he yelled to Gage.
Johnny realized he was serious. "Hey Chet, come on man. I was just kidding. The Captain is going to kill you if he sees this."
"He already said that I could get some practice. Now don't get in my way." Chet stepped lightly on the gas and pulled the rig out of the big open door."
"Fine, but if you hit the squad, don't blame me." Johnny stepped back. Maybe he had pushed Kelly just a little too far, he thought.
Chet pulled the rig forward to the end of the drive. He checked his mirrors. "Why do I let Gage talk me into these things?" he wondered. He strained to see out the passenger side mirror. Chet cursed himself for not taking the time to get out and readjust the mirrors to fit him. He slipped her into reverse and set his eyes on his driver's side mirror. Hell, he was only realigning her in the bay. What could possibly go wrong?
Johnny watched in disbelief and glanced over his shoulder. "Man, If Chet gets caught, he will be cleaning latrines for the rest of his life," he said to himself. "That is, if the Captain doesn't kill him." Johnny stepped back and started to guide Chet back in the bay. He figured the least he could do was make sure that he didn't hit anything.
"Dammit Gage, back off! I don't need your help. You are just going to confuse me." Chet hollered over his shoulder.
Johnny backed over against the squad and watched Chet edge her into the bay. "Looks like he's doing okay," Johnny thought to himself. "Maybe Chet will make a good engineer after all." Of course he was still bringing her in crooked, the back end of the engine was a little close to the locker room wall.
"Chet, you better watch it man. If you get any closer to the wall you are going to make it hard for Marco to get in there." Johnny called.
"Why don't you just SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Chet looked away from his mirror to jump on Johnny's case. When he did the wheel turned sharply to the left and he felt a slight bump as the engine tapped the locker room doorframe. Chet hit the brakes. "DAMMIT! Now ya see what you made me do!"
"WHAT I MADE YOU DO? You're the twit that decided to get in and drive her." Johnny headed around the back to check the damage. The corner of the engine was indeed against the wall next to the locker room, the corner of the tailboard against the locker room doorframe. Johnny stopped in his tracks when he saw a leg and an arm sticking out beside the edge of the truck. It wasn't until Johnny saw the patch that read, PARAMEDIC, on the sleeve that he realized what had happened.
"Roy! Roy!" Johnny ran over to the engine and saw that somehow, Chet had caught Roy coming out of the locker room and pinned him between the engine and the wall. "Come on Pal, speak to me!"
"What are you yelling about, do you want to bring the Captain out here?" Chet hadn't seen the trapped paramedic.
"Shit Chet! Get the Captain and sound an alarm. You caught Roy behind the engine!" Johnny yelled to him while trying to assess the damage.
"What? No way. Man, you are just trying to bullsh..." Chet stepped behind the engine "Oh my God! Roy, are you okay?" Roy didn't move. "CAP! Marco! Mike! Hey! We've got an emergency!" Chet started running to the kitchen.
"What in the hell is going on out here?" Hank heard the yelling and came to investigate.
"I was backing the engine in. I'm sorry. I didn't see him. Gage was hassling me. I couldn't have hit him that hard" Chet was losing it.
"Cap, get Stoker out here to move the engine off Roy, and call dispatch. I need an ambulance." Gage was scared and it showed in his voice.
"Marco grab the gear from the squad. Mike, get that engine out of the bay, Roy is trapped behind it. LA, Station 51, we have a still alarm in quarters, code I, I repeat, a code I in the station. Dispatch an ambulance." Hank wasn't exactly sure what he had, but the fear in Johnny's voice frightened him.
"Okay Mike, take her forward slow and easy. Marco, help me ease him down." Johnny was shaking visibly, "What in the hell happened?" he asked nobody in particular.
"John, what do you want me to do?" Chet stood by, he wanted to help.
"I think you have done enough already. Get lost, Kelly!" Johnny growled.
Once on the ground, John began assessing his partner.
"Roy. Roy! ROY!!" Johnny frowned, "Dammit! No response!" John grabbed Roy's wrist, feeling for the pulse. He knew Roy was breathing, he could hear the heaviness as he struggled for air.
"Rampart, this is Squad 51. How do you read?" Johnny tried to sound calm, but inside his mind was a whirl.
"We read you loud and clear. Go ahead 51." Dixie had heard the still alarm code I over the radio and had been waiting.
"The patient is Roy DeSoto. He was pinned between the engine and a brick wall. His pulse is 90, strong and regular. BP is 120/78. Respiration is 12 and shallow. His pupils are equal and reactive, but sluggish. He's got an open fracture of the left femur and is bleeding profusely. We are controlling the bleeding with pressure. He's got a flail chest on the left side with paradoxical respiration. The lower left quadrant of the abdomen is becoming rigid. He also has abrasions to the back and the left arm has marked deformities. There seems to be some bruising to the occipital region of the head. I've started the O2 at 15 liters by non-re-breather." Johnny was shaking so hard he could barely finish the transmission. "What in the hell had happened to cause this much damage?" he wondered.
"51, continue O2, start IV-LR, wide open. Monitor his vitals closely and transport as soon as possible." Dr. Brackett's reassuring voice came over the radio.
"10-4 Rampart." Johnny took the IV that Marco had set up for him. "Shit, I'm shaking so hard, what if I miss?" Johnny thought as he searched for a vein. He breathed a sigh of relief when the flash chamber on the needle turned red with Roy's blood. "I need the splint set from the squad. Where in the hell is that ambulance?"
"I'll check." Cap Stanley moved to the radio, then he heard the sirens. "John, the ambulance is here."
"Let me get another set of vitals." Johnny inflated the BP cuff again and prepared to call in with his findings. "Rampart this is Squad 51."
"Go ahead 51." Dr. Brackett had been standing by the base waiting for more information.
"Rampart, patient is going into shock. Pulse is now 110, weak and thready. BP is 100/60. Respiration's are 10 and shallow with rales."
"51, do you have any more detail about how the accident happened." Dr. Brackett was troubled about his patient 's quick descent into shock. "He must have some severe internal damage," he said to Dixie with a worried look on his face.
"Negative Rampart."
"Start a second IV of LR and get him in here, fast." Dr. Brackett was getting extremely worried.
"10-4 Rampart. Our ETA is 15 minutes." Marco had set up the second IV and was handing a needle to Johnny.
The crew slid Roy onto a backboard and hurried him into the ambulance. He still had not moved since the accident.
"I'll call JoAnne." Cap Stanley said as he handed John the Biophone.
"Okay. I'll call you as soon as I know something." John sat down and Hank slammed the door.
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Johnny saw Dixie, Dr. Brackett and Dr. Early coming out of the doors as the ambulance was pulling in.
"I had to start bagging him. His respirations went down as far as six and he started becoming cyanotic." John reported to the waiting doctors.
"Let's get him into treatment two." Dr. Brackett led the way followed by the ambulance attendant and Johnny.
"Dix, call for the portable x-ray and have them prepare an OR. I want Dr. Burgwyn on standby; it sounds like he may have punctured a lung. Get me six units of blood and I need lab stat. We need a CBC and a 'crit reading right away." Dr. Early's order sent Dix to the phone and the room began filling up with people.
"Johnny, can you tell us anything more about what happened?" Dr. Brackett was still confused about what exactly had occurred to cause such massive injuries.
"I don't know. Chet was backing up the engine; he hit the wall. I walked around to check the damage and I found Roy pinned." Johnny was as confused as Dr. Brackett was.
"Okay, we can handle it from here." Johnny handed over the ambu bag to a waiting nurse and backed into the corner. Dixie found him there and led him gently from the room.
"Come on. I'll buy you a cup of coffee." She took his limp hand and led him to the break room.
"JoAnne, is she here yet?" Johnny stared at the bitter liquid in the cup.
"No, I'll bring her in when she arrives." Dixie stared hard at Johnny. He was pale and shaking all over. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what? I don't even know what happened. One second Kelly is backing up the engine and the next..." Johnny pushed away his coffee cup. "He's not going to make it, is he?"
"Hey, don't be negative. You did everything you possibly could. You know that Roy is getting the best of care. JoAnne is going to need you to be strong for her. So does Roy." Dix walked around the table and put her hands on his shoulders.
That was all it took. The tension had reached the point where Johnny could no longer contain it and he began to sob uncontrollably.
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"Let's get this mess cleaned up and move the engine back in here." Cap Stanley said to the stunned remainder of A shift. "Anybody seen Kelly?" In the hustle to get Roy to the hospital, nobody noticed that Kelly had slipped away.
"Haven't seen him." Mike said as he went to get the mop bucket.
"Me either, Cap. Hey, look at this." Marco had moved over to the wall where Roy had been pinned. There was blood and blue material all across the wall and down the floor. "Looks like he was dragged from the wall to the locker room door. Almost like he had walked toward the front of the engine and was caught by the tailboard."
"Oh my God. No wonder he's beat up so bad. One of you two find Kelly and send him to the office. I'm going to call Rampart and let them know what we found. Maybe it will help." Hank headed toward his office. He needed to call JoAnne first. He always dreaded making these kinds of calls.
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Marco was on an all out search for Chet. He wasn't in the kitchen or out back. He checked his bed, no sign of him. He crossed the sleeping bay floor into the bathroom. That is when he heard the soft sounds of retching.
"Chet, is that you?" Marco called from outside the locked door.
"GO AWAY Marco, please just leave me alone." Chet was crying. "Roy is going to die, isn't he? He is going to die, and it is my fault. I let Gage egg me into driving the engine. Now Roy is going to die." Marco heard Chet begin to vomit again.
"Chet, the Captain wants to see you." Marco said softly trying to calm him. "Roy is at the hospital, he's hurt bad, but he is NOT going to die."
"Just leave me alone." Chet begged.
Marco slipped out of the door and headed for the Captain's office. He had just finished talking to JoAnne DeSoto and he was holding his head in his hands.
"Cap, it's Chet. I found him in the bathroom. He is throwing up and crying. He thinks that Roy is going to die. He won't get up, he won't even unlock the door." Marco had never seen Chet so distraught.
"Okay pal, thanks." Captain Stanley headed for the bathroom.
Hank opened up the bathroom door and stood in front of the locked door of the stall. He wasn't sure exactly what to say. Chet made a mistake, a really big one. Still, he didn't have the heart to make Chet feel any worse than he already did.
"Kelly, come on. Open the door." Cap Stanley spoke as gently as possible.
"Go away Cap." Kelly refused to say another word.
"I'm not going to yell at you. I just want you to come sit in my office, have some coffee and we'll talk about this." Cap Stanley had never seen Chet react so badly to anything.
When Chet refused to answer, Stanley figured he had better go and let dispatch know that they were unavailable until he could find some replacements. Not only had he lost his paramedics, it was obvious that Chet wasn't going to be useful to anyone.
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"JoAnne, come on in to the lounge, you look like you could use a cup of coffee." Dix greeted her and gave a reassuring squeeze to her wringing hands.
"Dix, what happened? How bad is he?" Hank Stanley had given her very little information on the phone. She needed to know. "Dix, please, the truth."
"He was pinned between the engine and the wall of the station. Captain Stanley called in and said that it appears that he was dragged about five feet before they knew he had been hit. Right now all I know is that they are preparing him for surgery. He has a punctured lung and some internal bleeding. He also has a broken femur and a broken arm." Dixie understood and admired the fact that JoAnne didn't want it sugar coated.
"Johnny, is he here?" JoAnne knew that his partner wouldn't be far away.
"He is in the lounge. He wants to see you." Dix led her toward the ER lounge.
"Johnny." JoAnne leaned over him and touched his shoulder. The man who had been so much a part of their family was crying softly into his hands.
"JoAnne." He stood up to meet her. "I was there, this is my fault. I shouldn't have picked on Chet so much. I am so sorry."
"Roy and I both know you better than that." JoAnne attempted a smile and pushed a piece of hair away that had clung to his forehead.
Johnny could understand why Roy loved her so much. There were times that John even felt a little jealousy toward his partner. She was so strong and she loved him so much.
"Come on, let me get you some coffee." Johnny pulled out a chair for her and poured her a cup of coffee. He had seen Roy get her coffee so many times he automatically put the cream in for her.
"How did you know that I take cream in my coffee?" JoAnne asked.
"Spending too much time watching Roy, I guess." Johnny smiled remembering the time that Roy accidentally put cream into the coffee he was bringing him. Roy said something about it being a force of habit.
Just then the door opened and a grim looking Dr. Brackett came in, he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down.
"Roy is in surgery. Captain Stanley called in and said that it looked like Roy was actually dragged along the wall about five feet before the engine came to a stop. He has a punctured left lung and is bleeding into his abdomen. He still has not regained consciousness. They're going to operate on his chest and abdomen at the same time they repair his femur. Once they are done there, they will set his arm. Right now, he is holding his own, but we won't know anything for sure until he wakes up. The abrasions on his back are another problem. Some of them are very deep and may require skin grafts. I won't know more until they are cleaned. The contusions on his head are only minor, which is a good sign."
"What are his chances?" JoAnne looked into Dr. Brackett's eyes, and didn't need to ask again. "That bad, huh?"
"We won't know for sure until he regains consciousness. If he survives the surgery, they go up. The next danger is pneumonia. We have already started him on IV antibiotics. Beyond that, we just have to wait and see." Dr. Brackett took her small hands in his large ones. He gave them a squeeze, drank his coffee and left, promising to return with more information.
"You know, I have sat here so many times with Roy. When you got hurt in the warehouse fire, we were here for two days. I am beginning to think about setting up housekeeping..." She couldn't finish her sentence, she laid her head in her arms and began to cry. "I can't make it without him."
Johnny took her by the hand and led her to the couch. She put her head against his shoulder and continued to cry. He held her and stroked her hair until she cried herself out.
"Roy is strong, he's not going to leave you." Johnny said, half as a statement and half as a prayer.
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JoAnne and Johnny spent a restless evening in the lounge. Dr. Brackett came in with regular updates from the operating room. Roy's chances continued to rise as he survived each phase of the challenging surgery. The moon was beginning to come through the half-open window blinds when Dr. Brackett returned. Johnny rose to meet him.
"Doc, it's been an awful long time, how is Roy doing?" Johnny tried to read the look in Dr. Brackett's eyes.
"He's stable, but critical. He's been moved to recovery and should be up in ICU before too long. We ran into a problem in the OR, but he is holding his own again now." Dr. Brackett ran a shaky hand through his hair while he spoke.
"What kind of problem?" JoAnne leaned forward, fearing the worst.
"Roy went into cardiac arrest. We got him back, that's the most important thing. Unfortunately his heart has not completely stabilized. Still, it has only been an hour and the medication is helping to control the problem."
"Doc, can I see you out in the hall?" Johnny knew that Dr. Brackett wasn't telling everything he knew.
"I may not understand everything, but I need to know exactly what is going on. Please." JoAnne placed her hand on Dr. Brackett's arm.
"Roy has had some crushing injury to the chest. The sac around his heart, the pericardium, had some fluid in it that had to be drained. After the cardiac arrest, Roy began having frequent PVC's. PVC's are premature ventricular contractions that can send the heart back into ventricular fibrillation. We are controlling them with Lidocaine, and so far, he is doing well." Dr. Brackett hoped that he was making sense to JoAnne.
"When can I see him?" JoAnne lifted her shoulders, she was trying so hard to be strong.
"Not for a couple of hours. By then he will be out of recovery and in intensive care. Once he is stabilized, Dr. Cunningham will be examining Roy's back. Some of the abrasions that he suffered from the brick wall are deep. They will need to be treated very much like burns." Dr. Brackett tried to smile, despite his fears. Roy would be in for a long recovery time, if he survived. "Why don't you two try to get some rest. I'll call you when he's ready for visitors."
"Thanks, Doc." Johnny knew the precarious position that his partner was in. Sleep would be impossible for him right now. He went to the front desk to get a pillow and blanket for JoAnne. She was sitting on the couch when he came back in.
"Thanks, Johnny. I just don't think I can sleep, I'm too afraid." JoAnne wiped away another tear.
"You have to try. You won't do Roy any good if you totally exhaust yourself." Johnny laid the pillow down for her and spread the blanket.
"You're right, I know. I don't know what Roy or I would do without you. Thank you." JoAnne stretched as she snuggled beneath the blanket. It was no time at all before sleep claimed her.
Johnny went over to the coffeepot. He really wanted something stronger. JoAnne didn't know what Roy would do without him, but Johnny did. "If it hadn't been for me, Roy would be going home to her and their children that's what Roy would do without me," he thought. Johnny kept running the accident over and over in his mind. What exactly had happened? He was so tired; he pushed his coffee cup away and laid his head on the table. It all seemed so innocent, just Chet backing the engine. How had Roy gotten pinned?
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"Johnny." Dr. Brackett was shaking his shoulder.
"Yeah, Doc." John pushed a piece of hair from his face and rubbed his eyes. "How's Roy."
"Better. He's in ICU, but his heart has stabilized. He isn't conscious yet, but you guys can go up and see him." Dr. Brackett smiled. It looked like things were turning for the better.
JoAnne was already up and trying to smooth her hair back into place. If Roy did wake up, she didn't want him to see her like this.
Johnny pushed his chair back and stretched. He wasn't sure that he was ready for this. He fell in line behind JoAnne and Dr. Brackett and followed them up the elevator to ICU. They passed through the double doors and stood in front of the door to Roy's room. Dr. Brackett was telling JoAnne something about the tubes and IV's, trying to prepare her for the shock. When she was ready she pushed open the doors. Johnny heard her gasp sharply. Through the half open door Johnny saw his partner. Roy's left arm and left leg were in casts. He had monitor wires and tubes everywhere. In addition to the IV's that Johnny had put in at the station, Roy also had an endotracheal tube, chest tube and a catheter. He was connected to a heart monitor and a respirator. It was more than Johnny could stand.
"I need to go and call the station. Let them know that Roy is doing okay." Johnny turned on his heel and hurried down the hallway.
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chris "Lucky" Umscheid for all of the inspiration and perspiration he put into this story. I couldn't have done it without you. I would also like to thank Tangee for all of her valuable input. I hope that you all enjoy this and stick around for the conclusion.
"Turning Tables" ©1999 Barbara Black. "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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