Fair Fight-
Alternate Ending
By
__________________
(this
picks up when
“Send down the
oxygen,” Johnny requested.
“Okay.”
DeSoto watched as Chet and Marco lifted the oxygen
equipment up, relieved to know that his partner and the other two victims were
okay. The relief was short-lived, as yet another rumble could be heard from
underneath the surface of the ground, this time much louder. Kelly and Lopez
quickly tried to get the oxygen equipment lowered into the ventilation pipe,
but it was to no avail. Before they could get it down to the newly cleared
opening, the hole was filled with dirt again.
No answer.
Hank and Mike’s
shoulders sagged as Marco and Chet pulled up the undelivered equipment.
“Cap, the opening’s
blocked,” Lopez explained. “Completely.”
“Rampart, this is
Squad 51.”
“Go ahead, 51,” came Brackett’s response.
“Rampart, we’ve had an
additional cave-in at this location and have lost contact with Gage again.”
“10-4, 51. Did you
get the oxygen down to them?”
“Negative, Rampart. It happened just as we
were about to.”
~*~*~
Johnny set down the HT
and waited at the opening of the ventilation pipe for the oxygen to arrive.
Suddenly another rumble could be heard in the ground above him.
Oh shit.
The paramedic reached
for the HT, but before he could key the mic, the rumbling
sound grew louder and he instinctively scrambled towards the defenseless
unconscious man to help provide some kind of protection from what was coming.
“Look out!” Was all
Johnny heard from the other victim as dirt from above came down into the already
small chamber. When all had settled, Andy was buried
up to his chest;
Johnny and Mort were partially covered by a fair amount of dirt
where they lay near eachother on the floor of the
confines, Johnny being closer to the main part of the cave-in. Gage could feel
the weight of the dirt pressing on his hips and belly as he lay on his stomach.
He was glad to see that his body had probably prevented more dirt from covering
Mort, as the man beside him was only buried up to the knees. The medical
supplies that had been sent down earlier were buried as well. The most amount
of dirt had fallen in the center and once again where the opening to the pipe
had been.
As he lifted his head, the paramedic glanced
over at his other patient. “Your leg holding out okay?”
The man nodded.
“Hang on and I’ll be
right over to dig you out,” Johnny assured.
“S’okay,”
Andy said. “Make sure *Mort’s* all right first.”
Gage strained to push himself up on his hands
and knees. It took a lot of determination, but finally he found himself free,
dirt falling off as he moved. The effort left the paramedic somewhat exerted.
Ignoring his own discomfort, he quickly went to work on uncovering Mort. Once
he had him cleared, Johnny began to check the man’s vitals. It was then that he
realized he’d once again lost track of the HT.
Oh man, I thought I
had it in my hand. It must be near the vent opening. The thought made him sick.
. .if it was buried there, it was going to take a lot of digging to find it.
However, losing the HT
was one of his lesser concerns. The fact that they were in an even smaller
space was more on his mind.
~*~*~
Captain Stanley and
the others listened as the foreman on the tunnel project received an update
from one of the men who had started on the efforts to dig the trapped men out.
The foreman shook his
head. “Doesn’t look good. They had to clear out in a
hurry. More of the tunnel collapsed.”
“What are we looking
at in the way of a set back?” Hank asked.
The man shrugged.
“About twelve feet of tunnel in addition to the hundred and twenty-five we had
before. The section they’re looking at is almost completely closed off. They
won’t know how long of a stretch it is for sure until they start digging and
making progress forward. . .”
“Damn!”
Captain Stanley
glanced over at his men.
The captain turned his
attention back to the foreman. “My other paramedic can’t raise his partner on
the Handie Talkie. Which means his
partner either lost it, or he’s unable to respond for another reason.”
The man nodded in
understanding. “The men’ll get right back on the
rescue efforts.”
“I know.” The captain
stared at the tube and shook his head. He only hoped he would still have five
men on his crew when they left this disaster.
~*~*~
After making sure
there was no change in the first victim, Johnny crawled over the mound of newly
fallen dirt, to Andy. As he neared, he could see the pain in the man’s eyes.
“Your
leg hurting more under the pressure from the dirt?”
“Yeah,” the man gasped
as he wiped a band of sweat off his forehead.
“I’m gonna get you
unburied. The change in pressure may cause more pain, but it’s not doing you or
your leg any good to be like this, either.”
“It’s okay. . .go for it.”
“Alright. Just take it easy and let me do all the work.”
The man nodded, then glanced around at the small space they were enclosed
in.
“We’re in trouble here
if they don’t get to us soon.”
“Yeah, well. . .let’s hold good thoughts that they will, huh?”
Johnny said, as he tried to force a smile.
“I just hope nothing caved
in where they were digging. They may have even more men to rescue.”
Gage didn’t know what
to say. His job was to keep the victims with him calm and upbeat, along with
stable and as comfortable as possible. Now wasn’t the time to demonstrate that
he was a bit nervous about the situation, himself. The paramedic wished he had
the HT so they could know the status outside their confines, and everyone above
would know how they were fairing as well.
~*~*~
~*~*~
Johnny finally cleared
most of the dirt off of Andy. Wiping sweat off his face, the paramedic began to
check the man’s vital signs.
“How
ya doin?”
“Okay,” the injured
man bit his lower lip. “I’ll. . .I’ll be. . .okay.”
“As soon as I can,
I’ll try to get you the IV Rampart ordered.” He glanced over at the still
buried supplies. “It may take a few minutes. After that I’ll work on digging
access to the pipe again. Mort really needs that oxygen.”
Gage wrote down Andy’s
current vitals. So far both injured men were fairing okay. But with the oxygen
level in the hole decreasing, things were going to get
worse before they got better.
“You got your radio
handy?”
Johnny shook his head.
“I thought I had it in my hand. I must’ve let go when I tried to shield Mort.”
“You.
. .you want me to dig. . .for it?”
“Nah, it could be
anywhere. And you’re gonna need your energy.” The paramedic looked at the
enormous amount of dirt blocking his previously cleared path to the ventilation
tube. “Let’s make getting the tube open for more oxygen in here our only
priority. Then we’ll worry about the HT.”
Andy laid back and
nodded. “Take it easy. You may need your energy, too, you know.”
“Yeah, that I do. . .”
Johnny said as he moved toward the mound of dirt, a frown on his face. “That I
do,” he repeated quietly to himself.
~*~*~
As if reading his
senior paramedic’s thoughts, Hank Stanley voiced his own feelings on the
situation below.
“I’ve gotta admit, the
lack of another response from John has me worried,”
“I know. If he had the
HT when it hit, I don’t think he’d let go.”
The captain quietly
surveyed his other men who were still sitting around the ventilation tube,
their eyes angled towards the ground as if in silent prayer, then turned his
attention back to DeSoto.
“No, he wouldn’t. You
know, I have to keep asking myself if I did the right thing in letting him go
down there.” The captain put his hands on his hips. “But then I remember what
John said. That one of ya had to go, and I know he
was right. There was no other way to handle this.”
~*~*~
Johnny wiped at the
sweat on his face, as he continued to dig away at the dirt with his right hand.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been at it, but however long it was,
he could tell he hadn’t gotten very far. The mound of dirt was unending and the
paramedic wasn’t even sure he was digging in the correct place. He sat back on
his heels and sighed, wiping away more sweat that gathered on his upper lip.
Gage glanced over at
Andy. The man was watching, but looked about ready to go out on him. Johnny
climbed over towards the medical supplies he’d uncovered a short time earlier.
After first checking on Mort, he gathered up the items he needed to start an
IV, then made his way over to the other injured man.
“I’m gonna get you
hooked up here,” Johnny began to explain as he tore open the protective plastic
coverings on the supplies. “Then I’ll get back to digging. It’s gonna take
longer than I thought.”
“You can’t find your
way to the vent tube, can you. . .” Andy stated, more
than asked.
Johnny once again
found himself having to force a smile of reassurance. “It’s just more dirt to
dig through. It’ll take time is all.”
The paramedic swabbed
a small portion of the man’s left forearm with an alcohol wipe. Andy watched as
the Gage got him set up on the IV that was previously ordered by Rampart.
“How’s Mort?”
“He’s hanging in
there. You worry about yourself, I’ll take care of
your partner.” Johnny figured his words fell on deaf ears . . . he knew he’d be
worried, too, if
it were he and Roy in Andy and Mort’s situation.
“Just take it easy, man.”
The paramedic handed
the IV bag to his patient. “Here, hang on to this. If it gets to be too much on
your arm to hold it, let me know and I’ll tuck it up under your shoulder on the
ground.”
“Okay. Just take care
of Mort.”
“I will.”
Johnny patted Andy’s
shoulder as he turned to the enormous mound of dirt that still blocked their
source of ventilation.
~*~*~
Chet took his gaze
from the ground to Roy, who was once again trying to contact Gage below. The
stocky fireman thought back to when they were still at the station just prior
to receiving this call. He had accused Gage of having no heart after Johnny
claimed that he and Roy couldn’t diagnose what could be wrong the new dog that
had started hanging around. Kelly hoped now that the dark-haired paramedic knew
he was only joking. Although he enjoyed
tormenting Gage, it was always in fun. Times when Johnny’s life had been on the
line, Chet realized just how close he and Johnny had
become as crewmates.
Kelly’s thoughts
traveled to the oxygen he and Lopez tried to get down to Gage. If they just had
a couple of more seconds, they would have been successful. There was no
guarantee it would have made a difference, given the fact the three men below
could be completely buried at the moment. But what if it had?
Chet glanced at Marco
beside him. He wondered if his friend was thinking about the same thing. A
minute later, when Lopez returned the stocky fireman’s stare, Chet could see by
the grim expression on his face that he probably was.
~*~*~
As time passed, Hank
Stanley couldn’t help but to keep checking his watch. It had been longer than
he hoped and still there was no word of the rescuers getting through to the men
below.
The end.
Memory of a rescue
they had all been on earlier in the day came rushing back to mind. When it was
possible a victim was trapped in a burning building in a secret room, one of
the men there had discouraged them from going right in. Hank had firmly told him
that a man without oxygen could be brain dead in four minutes. He hoped that
wasn’t the case now.
Hank leaned with his
hands on the lip of the ventilation tube and peered inside. He remained that
way, almost trying to will the dirt below to make some sort of movement, as a
sign that John was possibly alive and okay.
~*~*~
Johnny had succeeded
in digging aside some of the dirt, but there was still no sign of the opening
to the ventilation tube, or the HT. He’d taken a couple of breaks to check on
the victims trapped with him, and although Mort was still having a difficult time breathing on the right side, he was holding
his own. The injured man was beginning to show signs of consciousness, though
he wasn’t coherent enough to know what was going on around him.
Andy had given up on
holding his IV bag, and Gage got it set to where it was placed under the man’s
left shoulder while Andy lay on the ground. The victim was complaining of
fatigue, a possible result of the oxygen level within the chamber dropping, or
just the fact he’d been through so much. Johnny hadn’t been certain which it
was just yet.
The dark-haired
paramedic once again took a break from digging and sat back on his heels,
wiping sweat off of his face. His blue shirt was soaked with perspiration. The
decrease in the level of oxygen and dehydration beginning to set in, Gage was
beginning to feel weak. The man sighed. If he kept up the digging, he was going
to continue to use up oxygen quicker with his exertion. But if he stopped,
there would be no chance of getting more air until the other rescuers broke
through. It was a no-win situation, but he opted for the one that would benefit
the other two victims more. Johnny decided he would sit it out, just keeping
tabs on Andy and Mort, and wait for help to arrive.
~*~*~
Mike Stoker wandered
over to Hank, joining him in his stare into the blackness below.
“Any sound of
movement?” Stoker asked.
The captain shook his
head, frowning. “No.”
“If anyone can get
through something like this, it’s Johnny.”
Captain Stanley looked
back into the tube. “I hope so, Mike. I hope so.”
~*~*~
Gage sat against the
dirt wall near Mort. It was getting more difficult to concentrate as he grew
light headed, so the paramedic thought it was best to be near the most severely
injured victim in the event the man took a turn for the worst.
Mort was having more
difficulty with his breathing, but there was nothing Johnny could do. He hoped
their rescuers were close to getting through.
"You think . . .
they'll find us . . . in time?"
The weak voice broke
into Gage's thoughts. He looked over at Andy and nodded. "Yeah. . .they will."
I hope.
The dark-haired
paramedic blinked hard to clear his vision, as the interior of the dimly lit
chamber began to fade to a pinpoint. The dehydration was starting to have an
effect on him. As he brought his surroundings back into focus, he could tell
the light provided by the large flashlight was wavering. It wouldn’t be much
longer and they’d be left in total darkness.
~*~*~
After finishing
another update with Rampart,
~*~*~
Johnny was feeling
dizzy and his fatigue was increasing. Hindsight being 20/20, he wasn’t berating
himself for trying to dig an opening to the ventilation tube. He knew he’d done
what he thought was best for the three of them at the time. But now it was evident,
the better choice would have been to sit it out and wait, reserving as much
oxygen in the small confines as possible.
The exhaustion taking
over, Johnny’s eyelids drooped slightly as he fought to stay awake. The
paramedic knew determination was everything now. He would have to try to keep
himself from giving in to the lethargic feeling that was enveloping him.
~*~*~
The foreman of the
tunnel project came rushing up to where the crew from 51 were
waiting.
“Captain!”
Hank trotted over to
meet the man. “What’s up?”
“They broke through,
but we’re gonna need you guys. All three men need medical attention ASAP.”
Captain Stanley didn’t
waste a second. He got his men set with the equipment required and the
remaining crew of A-Shift quickly hurried down to where the rescue efforts had
been underway for hours.
~*~*~
Mike and Marco helped
“Hang in there,
Junior. We’ll have you out of here soon.”
Johnny pulled the oxygen mask down off his
face. “Man, next time . . .you go . . .down,” he spoke
quietly.
“You’ve got a deal. You can be on the waiting
and wondering end.”
The younger man smiled underneath the mask. He
could only imagine what
~*~*~
The
men who had been in on digging out the three victims, helped with bringing the
injured men up out of the tunnel and to emergency transportation. Mort’s condition was
the only one classified as urgent, thus he was whisked into a waiting
helicopter.
Chet held Gage’s IV
bag as the dark-haired paramedic was carried on a stretcher to an ambulance.
After a quick briefing on the two men’s conditions, the ambulance was on its
way with FF/PM Mike Donovan monitoring Johnny and Andy’s condition.
As they watched the
vehicle leave the scene, Hank patted Chet on the back. It was times like this
that the captain could tell Kelly respected Gage more than he normally let on.
“He’ll be okay. Take
the squad in, and pick up
Chet nodded. “Sure, Cap.”
As he walked towards the squad, he heard Hank
call out, “And when you see John, tell him I said to take it easy!”
Chet cracked a smile.
The captain knew his men too well. The stocky fireman and Roy would both make
sure they saw Gage before they left Rampart.
~*~*~
Chet met up with
“Any word on Johnny
yet?” Kelly wondered.
“No, but he’s in room three. Brackett came
back on shift after a break, and is in there with him now.”
“You know, I thought Johnny had finally lost
the odds this time.”
“Yeah, I kept telling
myself he was okay. But that’s just it. . .I had to
keep reminding myself over and over that he could be alright.”
“With his kind of luck, remind me never to
play poker with ‘im, huh?”
“How is he, Doc?”
“He’s fine,
“Can we see ‘im?” Chet asked.
“Sure. Just keep it brief. We’ll need to get
him settled in a room soon.”
“Thanks, Doc,”
~*~*~
Johnny watched as the
door opened. When he saw that it was Chet and Roy, he grinned and pulled down
the oxygen mask that had been over his nose and mouth..
“Don’t you guys have
work to do?” His voice was unusually quiet and the younger paramedic sounded
tired.
“Hey, don’t be so
quick to get rid of us,” Kelly said, jokingly. “We might be the only visitors you
get.”
“Like I just spent the day
in a gopher hole.”
“Good.”
Chet shook his head. “You have to be nuts,
Gage. You’re all set for a night with nurses . . .you’re
not hurt bad, but just enough to get a lot of attention from them. Man, you’ve
got it made!”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s still a hospital. No
one likes to stay in a hospital if they don’t have to.”
“Look at the bright side,”
Johnny rubbed at his throbbing forehead. “Oh
thanks,” he said, his voice still sounding weak. “Like I
needed a reminder of them. No wonder this day turned out like it did.”
He shook his head slightly, being careful not to cause his already aching head
to hurt more. “No way, man. If they even *try* to room
me with him, I’m outta here. Even
if I have to get Dix to plead my case.”
The senior paramedic glanced at his watch.
“Well, I guess we’d better get back to the station.”
“’Kay. Oh, hey. . .how’re Mort and Andy?”
“They’re gonna be okay. We got Mort here in
record time, once he was out, and Doctor Early took care of him. He won’t be
working anytime soon . . .but at least he’s gonna be
on the road to recovery.”
“Yeah, thanks. That’s good to hear.”
“See ya next shift,
Johnny,” Chet said as he left the room.
“You, too.”
The younger paramedic watched as the door shut
behind his friends, then put the oxygen mask back in
place, closing his eyes to rest.
~*~*~
The following shift,
Johnny came wandering into the dayroom minutes before roll call. After giving a
good morning greeting to the other A-Shift members gathered around the table
and near the counter, he noticed the new Bassett Hound was still hanging around
on the couch.
“Well, hey there!” Gage said, walking over to
the dog. As he petted the animal, he glanced over his shoulder at the others.
“So, anyone think of a name for this guy yet?”
Chet got up from his seat at the table and
started towards Gage. “Yeah, we named him Henry.”
“Henry? Hmmm.” Johnny
looked at the dog. “Well, I guess you could be a *Henry*.”
Hank
“Never want to hear him called Hank.” Came the answer from the other four men in unison.
Johnny smiled and nodded. He could just imagine
the captain’s reaction when someone had come up with the name for the dog.
“Sure, Cap.”
“So,”
As the men followed the captain out of the
dayroom, Johnny looked over his shoulder at Henry and paused.
“Despite what Cap says, you do kinda look like a Hank,” the paramedic said softly.
“Better not let Cap hear you say that,”
“Good point,” Johnny agreed, as he and
My thanks to Kenda for
the beta read and help in coming up with the last few lines of this story!
I got stuck. lol Thanks to Jane for
the encouragement! :o)
