Roy sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Whenever he tried to close his eyes for some much needed rest the visions kept returning. It seemed unreal that there could have been so many runs, horrible runs, involving children. These are the runs that stayed with him. He has seen some pretty horrific things during his years as a paramedic but that's part of the job. You treated the victims as best you could, got them to the hospital as fast as possible and went back to the station to wait for the next call. Remembering at all times the paramedic credo, "Do not get emotionally involved.".
Roy was able to do this most of the time but every once in a while a particular victim hit close to home. Every paramedic ran into it at some point in time. A person or a situation that stuck in your mind and no matter what you did you can not get it out of your mind.. With Roy it seemed to always be runs involving children. Maybe it's because his own two were so special to him. He couldn't bear to think that anything bad could happen to them.
The visions kept returning every time he closed his eyes. It seemed like the last two shifts most of the runs involved children. There were two children hit by cars but only one survived. There were three automobile accidents. One was particularly bad. There was a three year old in the front seat with no car seat or safety belt on. She was thrown through the windshield. Brackett was not sure yet if she would make it. If she did make it, she would have brain damage and would probably be paralyzed to some extent. Her mother, who was wearing a safety belt, only received minor cuts. She kept crying hysterically and saying , "We were only going three blocks." She just repeated this over and over again. Roy couldn't believe the stupidity of some people. Imagine that mom thinking that because they were only going three blocks her child did not need any safety restraints. He could understand on one level. More than once his own kids had given a grand performance when it came time to get strapped into the car seat. Roy had a soft spot in his heart when his kids cried but he never gave in when it came to their safety.
It looked like he wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight. Only two hours till he had to get up. He might as well just get up now. He pulled on a pair of sweat pants that laid on the chair by the bed and proceeded to go downstairs. As he passed Chris' room he glanced through the crack in the door. He slept silently. His boy was getting big. He will be ten years old soon. Time sure does fly. Roy was really enjoying this time in his son's life. He was old enough to hold a real conversation , to watch a ball game together and to play sports and not have to take it easy on him. In fact, in most sports Chris now gave Roy a run for his money. At the same time though, he was still young enough to think his dad was the greatest. Roy knew the closer he got to the teen years the less likely he would be to want to spend time with his 'dumb old dad'. Roy was enjoying these last few years of hero worship.
Roy proceeded down the hall to his daughters room. At six years old she was definitely still Daddies little girl. When she looked at him with those big blue eyes his heart just melted. He was much softer on her then he was on Chris but Joanne was easier on Chris so it evened out. Jennifer had one foot out from under the covers. Roy tiptoed in and covered the tiny foot. Her strawberry-blond hair hung down in ringlets over her petite face. He brushed it back to look at his sleeping daughter. He will have to keep a close eye on her as she grows up. She will definitely be a heart breaker.
He went downstairs to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. He really didn't know why he drank the stuff. Just habit. He guessed he would also need all the caffeine he could get after another sleepless night. He had only had one day off between shifts. He wished he had had more time to recover.
"Maybe I'm just getting old." he thought. His partner was really only a few years younger but he seemed like an old man in comparison. Roy had his doubts about Johnny ever growing up though. He could see him when he is eighty or ninety years old terrorizing the women in the nursing home with a wink and maybe a little pinch now and then. Still flashing that crooked grin, if he had his teeth in , that is. Just the thought of this made him laugh.
Roy poured himself a glass of orange juice and went into the den. He turned on the television with the sound turned down and sat in his favorite chair. He could smell the coffee brewing. It sure did smell good in the morning. The taste never did live up to the aroma , though. He started to flick through the channels. Joanne hated when he did this. She would say "Will you just pick something and watch it ,please." He always laughed. "Then I might miss something." She usually responded to this by hurling a pillow in his direction.
"God the house is quiet this early in the morning." thought Roy. Usually the kids were racing around, the television was on, the phone was ringing and Joanne was banging around in the kitchen. At times like that he wished for some silence. Now he wished for sound. Any sound. Almost like he knew what his master was wishing for Roy's dog, Sparks, began to whimper for some attention. Roy reached down and scratched his head and under his chin.
"I guess you need to go out." Roy said aloud to Sparks. The sound of his own voice was almost startling in the quiet. They both headed for the back door. He opened it for the excited canine. "I hope the kids didn't leave the gate opened." thought Roy. He stared out the door watching the dog sniffing for just the right spot. The tiniest bit of sunlight was becoming evident on the horizon. The blackness of the night sky was beginning to turn into the blue of the day. Roy loved this color blue. It was almost magical how at this time of the morning the sky's color seemed to change every second as the sun made its way around the Earth. The feeling of a hand on his shoulder startled him out of his reverie. He jumped and swung around to face Joanne who laughed slightly at his reaction.
"Where were you?" she asked with a little giggle.
"Oh geez, you scared me." He bent down and gave her a peck on the cheek. "What are you doing up?"
"I was dreaming of a hot cup of coffee and realized I was really smelling it. What are you doing up? Couldn't you sleep again?"
"No." Roy was now standing behind his wife. He reached his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. Together they rocked gently.
"Your going to be exhausted today. That's two nights in a row you didn't sleep. It's a good thing you were able to take those little cat naps while I was talking to you about my brother and my parents."
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Roy reached around and opened the door. "Come on in Sparks." Sparks looked up at Roy and went right back to sniffing the ground.
"He listens to me as good as the kids do."
"Your just not firm enough." Joanne opened the door and called out. "Sparks! In! Now!" The dog looked up and ran in instantly.
"Show off." Roy mumbled. "Ready for some coffee?" He went to the closet and took out two mugs.
"Yeah. You didn't make it too strong , did you?"
"How should I know. I just dump." Roy poured the coffee into the mugs. "Do you want Milk and sugar?"
"Roy Desoto, how long have we been married? How long have you known me? And you still don't know how I take my coffee?"
"You usually fix mine. I'm never sure what I take in my coffee. You expect me to know what you take in yours."
"Just milk, please," Joanne moved to a seat at the table. "That's how you drink it too, in case you need to know."
"Thanks," Roy moved to a seat at the table, too. He handed Joanne her coffee. She took a sip and made a face.
"Did you use the whole can of coffee?"
"Your just a regular comedian today, aren't you?"
Roy looked down into his coffee. Joanne saw him going into a glazed over trance-like state. She had seen this happen whenever the conversation stopped since his last shift. A look of concern came over her face.
"Roy." She said softly. He still stared into his coffee. "Roy, honey." She gently placed her hand over his. He looked up at her slowly.
"What's wrong? You've been drifting off like that a lot lately."
"I don't know. Nothing really. This job is just getting to me, I guess."
A look of shock and confusion came to Joanne's face. Roy was so in love with his work. She didn't think she would ever hear words like that from her husband.
"I never heard you say anything like that before. Did something happen?"
"It's just the last few shifts there's been a lot....."His voice trailed off as he saw his daughter come running at him, her arms stretched out as she leaped into his arms.
"Daddy!!" She sang out as she jumped into his arms.
"What are you doing up, Princess?" Roy asked.
"I heard talking. Do you have to go to work today, Daddy?" Jenn asked.
"Yeah, I do Hun." Roy answered tightly holding his daughter .
"That's not fair. I want you all to myself today." There was a twinkle in her big blue eyes as Roy looked down into them. He hugged his little girl again. As Joanne watched, she thought for a minute Roy was going to cry. Then Jenn announced, "Daddy, you made a mess on your T-shirt." Roy looked down and saw he had spilled coffee all down the front of his white undershirt.
"How did I do that?" Roy questioned.
"The same way you do it every morning, Daddy," Jenn giggled. With that, Roy stood up with his daughter in his arms, hugging and kissing her as he spun her around the room. She giggled so hard Joanne wondered if she would be able to catch her breath. She loved seeing Roy play with the kids but even though they were smiling and laughing there was something different about Roy. Something in the way he looked at his daughter, the way he held her. Joanne couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Wait.
A cold shiver went down her spine. Fear. That's what she saw. He held his daughter like he was afraid to let her go.
Roy had started to say something before Jennifer came into the room. Joanne made a mental note. She would have to try to get him to talk about it after his shift. She knew something was bothering him. She would try to help him get through it. Whatever it was.
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The men of station 51 busily prepared to start their day. The men of C shift were leaving and the men of A shift were coming on duty. As usual, there was a lot of chatter among the men. Everyone had changed into their uniforms and congregated in the kitchen waiting for the captain to begin. Roy came into the station and headed right for the locker room.
"Yo, Desoto. Better move it," said Chet, as he walked past. "Hey John, Roy's here. Finally."
Roy began to change his clothes. He wished he had worn a pull over shirt instead of a button shirt. It would have been much faster to change. It always amazed him how time could get away from you. He was awake all night and he's still almost late for work.
Chris had woke up and needed help with some last minute homework. Jennifer then came to him with her Malibu Barbie who had hurt her leg playing volleyball with Ken. She insisted he put a splint on her. So, with the help of some toothpicks and rubber bands Barbie was all better. Roy now had three minutes to make roll call.
"Where were you? Your usually early," Johnny questioned.
"I had an emergency. Chris forgot some homework and Barbie got a boo boo." Roy quickly tied his boots and hung up his shirt and jeans in his locker just as he heard the captains voice.
"O.K. men. Line up." Hank Stanley reviewed his troops. He really wasn't fond of these morning inspections. He had a pretty good relationship with his men. He didn't like being so formal but he knew it was necessary to maintain discipline. He glanced quickly at each man then stopped at Desoto.
"Are you making a fashion statement, Desoto?" Questioned Captain Stanley.
"Sorry Cap. I was running a little late." Roy began to tuck in the shirt tail that was still hanging out of his trousers.
"I think that shirt needs a little more work," Hank said pointing to the buttons that were mismatched.
"Sorry Cap." Roy nervously began to correct his buttoning.
"All right. I've posted your assigned duties on the bulletin board. Marco, you've got KP this shift. I think the cupboards are a little bare so you will need to go shopping. The engine will be out of service for a maintenance check for about two hours this morning. That would be a good time to go.
"Oh goodie, Chili." Chet said, rolling his eyes.
"Just for that you get extra hot chilies in yours," Marco shot back.
"O.K. guys that's enough. Let's get to work. Stoker call the garage and see if you can bring the engine in now."
"O.K. Cap." Stoker went over to the phone. Captain Stanley retreated into his office. The rest of the crew went to the kitchen to check their duties on the bulletin board. Roy headed for the coffee pot. He poured himself a cup and took a sip of the black coffee. He remembered his conversation with Joanne that morning.
"Maybe I would like this stuff if I remembered to put milk in it." Roy thought. He turned and there stood John. They were nose to nose. Roy jumped. Spilling his coffee.
"Oh man, John. Why did you sneak up on me like that?"
"Your batting a thousand this morning, aren't you?" John giggled. "You want me to get you a bib?"
Roy quickly grabbed a towel to try to save his shirt from coffee stains.
"Your awfully jumpy today and you look like hell. Didn't you sleep last night?" John suddenly looked concerned.
"No. Not really." The coffee stain was down near his waist so he just tucked his shirt farther down into his pants.
"Are you and Joanne fighting?" John asked.
"No. Not that it's any of your business." Roy snapped back.
"Whoa! Down boy," Johnny said. "What's up with you?"
"I'm sorry, John. I haven't slept for two nights. I'm just beat." Roy pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.
"Well, you look it. Are you going to be O.K.?" John asked.
"Yea. I'll be fine," Roy said. "Unless you would like me to call Brice. I'm sure he could cover for me."
" No, no, no. I'll take you sleepy over Brice awake, anytime. How come your not sleeping? Is something bothering you?"
"I think it's all those runs we've had involving kids. Every time I close my eyes I see them."
"Yeah. It's rough when kids are hurt bad. It gets to me, too."
"Sometimes the runs are truly accidents. There was nothing that could be done to predict or prevent them. But sometimes when it's just the difference between having a seat belt on or being in a car seat...I mean.... how can people be so stupid?" Roy's voice was getting louder as he spoke.
"Don't ask me. I've wondered the same thing." John went over to Roy and patted him on the back. "Come on. Let's go check the squads supplies. C shift said they were low." Both men went out and headed for the squad. Just then the klaxon sounded.
"Squad 51, man trapped, 4352 Locus St. Time out 8:22."
""Squad 51, KMG365" John responded. He started to go over to the passengers seat but Roy was already there. Without a word, John got into the drivers seat and pulled out of the station.
############################################
They approached the address and saw a woman at the curb. John pulled up and they both got out and grabbed their equipment. The woman came over to them.
"I hated to bother you guys but I just can't seem to get him out." She lead them around to the back of the house. There they saw the lower half of a man sticking out of a doggie door. Roy and John looked at each other and then at the lady.
"Not again," John said softly to Roy.
"He was trying to get our dog to use the door. He worked all day yesterday installing it and the dog was afraid to use it. We tried pushing her through but she wouldn't go, so he came out here and was going to pull her through. She backed up and he leaned in farther to reach her and well...he got stuck. I couldn't get him through either way."
"Are you in any pain, sir?" John asked.
"No. Just embarrassed. Can you get me out?" the man pleaded.
"We're working on it." Roy said. " Ma'am, is the front door unlocked?"
"Yes," she answered.
"John, I'll go around front and go inside. Maybe we can get him out that way."
"O.K." John said as Roy headed around the house. John felt around the edges of the doggie door.
"O.K. John. I'm in here. Maybe if we angle him a little he'll come through."
"Sounds good," John grabbed his feet and legs and began to turn him and push him in.
"Stop John. I think his belt buckle is caught on something." John reached in along the edge of the doggie door.
"Yeah, it is. There's a little space in here." John worked at the buckle. "O.K. I think I've got it." Again Roy pulled and John pushed and the man came free knocking Roy backwards onto the floor.
"Thank you," said the man. "I can't believe that happened." John opened the door and came in.
"Well, believe it or not," Roy informed the embarrassed man, "your not the first doggie door rescue we've ever had."
"Are you O.K.?" John asked, looking at the man and then Roy, who was still on the floor.
"Yes, I'm fine," the man told John. " The only injury was to my ego."
John reached a hand out to help Roy up. Just then the dog came running in. He ran between the two men and right through the doggie door without hesitation.
"Damn dog," the man said. John and Roy smiled at one another and gathered their equipment. They went out to the squad and put everything away.
"How about if we swing by Rampart and pick up some supplies?" Johnny suggests.
"Sounds good to me," Roy agreed as he climbed into the passenger seat and John into the drivers seat and they headed out
################################################
John and Roy walked up to the nurses desk at Rampart Hospital. Dixie was working on a patient's chart behind the desk.
"Hey, Dixie," John cheerfully greeted the nurse.
"Hi guys. What can I do for you?"
"We need some supplies," Roy informed her as he handed her their request form.
"Wow. You guy's need everything. This will take a few minutes."
Just then Nurse Williams, a new nurse in the ER, walked by. John smiled broadly.
"No problem, Dix. Take your time." Johnny headed in the same direction as Nurse Williams. Roy just shook his head.
"I'll be in the lounge if you need me, Dixie."
"O.K. Roy." Dixie began to gather their supplies. Johnny came back to the desk almost immediately "That was quick." Dixie said, surprised.
"She's married," John looked disappointed. He started to look at the supplies Dixie had pulled for them. "Did Roy put ringers on the list?"
"Ummmm, yea," Dixie verified. "I thought you made out the requests."
"I usually do, but I was driving today so Roy filled it out."
"Oh. Is he O.K.? He seemed awfully quiet. He usually stays to chat while I pull your supplies." Dixie double checked the list with the items she had pulled.
"He said he hasn't been sleeping. I guess that's why he has me driving today."
"He must be really tired," Dixie kidded as she handed John the form to sign. John made a face at Dixie. He checked over the list and signed at the bottom. He handed it back to Dixie. She tore off the top copy and stuck the bottom copy into the box of supplies.
"Where's Roy?" John questioned Dixie.
"He went into the lounge. Come on. I'll buy you a cup of coffee." Dixie lead John into the Doctor's lounge. Roy was seated at the table with his head down resting on his arm. He still had his coffee cup in his hand but he was sleeping soundly.
"Should we wake him?" Dixie wondered.
"No. Let him sleep a few minutes. I want some coffee." John gently took the cup of coffee out of Roy's grasp and began to drink it. They both sat on the opposite side of the table from where Roy was sleeping.
"Did Roy say why he couldn't sleep?" Dixie inquired.
"He thinks it's because of some of the runs we've had lately. The last few shifts we've had some pretty nasty ones. It upsets him when the victims are children."
"Yea. I can understand that. By the time they get to us you guys have already done so much for them. You've been in contact with us so we kind of know what to expect. You guys never know what your going to find." Dixie took the coffee cup from Johns hand and took a sip. The door opened and Kel Brackett entered the room.
"Hey, John," Kel said in a loud voice. "What's with sleeping beauty?" He motioned toward Roy as he poured himself some coffee.
"He hasn't been sleeping," John told the doctor.
"Has he tried warm milk?" Brackett asked.
"I don't know. He said......." As John spoke Roy began to wake up. John quickly slid the empty coffee cup toward him.
"I'm awake now," Roy informed them. "You can stop talking about me." He sleepily rubbed his hands across his face and then stretched.
"What's up, Roy?" Kel asked. Just as Roy began to answer the HT sounded.
"Squad 51, are you available?"
"That's affirmative, central," John responded.
"Stand by for a response." The klaxon sounded over the HT. "Squad 51, station 124. Respond to Northridge Mall. East entrance. 139 South Central Ave. Alarm pulled. Time out 9:16."
"Squad 51, 10-4." John responded. The boys gave a quick wave to Dixie and Brackett and they headed for the squad.
##################################################
The squad pulled up to the Northridge Mall entrance from one direction as the engine company pulled in from the other. The guys jumped out of the squad and got their turn out coats and tanks. They went to the engine for their assignments. There was no visible smoke from the building. The captain from station 124 got out of the engine and approached the boys.
"We had an alarm pulled," the captain said as he looked at the building. "Let's go see what's up." An explosion blew out a window in the side of the building just as the three men were approaching the door. The captain began to give orders to his men for fighting the fire. John and Roy ran in through the doors to the first store, which was a hair salon. The women from the salon were coming out of the store. Quite a bit of smoke was now coming from within. An older woman came up to Roy.
"We had a new girl working today. She lit a cigarette in the back room where the chemicals are stored. I thought I had the fire put out with the extinguisher but then all of a sudden, Boom!"
"Is everyone out?" Roy asked.
"No," the women went on. "Carol is still in there, I think. She's the new girl. I didn't see her come out." The Captain came in the door.
"Cap, we still have someone in there," Roy informed him.
"O.K. Go ahead," he motioned to the paramedics. "Now everyone. Let's go outside please. Stay calm and exit through the doors. Please go to your left away from the fire area."
Roy and John headed into the salon. The farther into the store they went , the heavier the smoke became. They went into the back room. There was water being sprayed in through the windows. They found the girl on the floor of the far right side of the room. There were still heavy flames burning on the left side. Both men went over to the girl. She was unconscious. John picked her up and headed for the door. Just as John and the girl cleared the door there was another explosion. John staggered but he managed to stay on his feet. Roy was still about five feet from the door when the explosion hit. The force of the explosion threw him into the wall face first. He fell to the floor in a heap. The fire was now burning more intensely as it approached the chemical storage area.
Johnny carried the unconscious girl out into the parking lot and over to where the squad was parked. There was a grassy island next to the squad. He gently placed her down on the grass. Vince Howard was working crowd control. John called out to him.
"Hey, Vince. Can you grab the O2 for me out of the squad?"
"Sure thing, John." Vince brought the oxygen over as John quickly checked the girl for injuries.
"Hey, Roy." John did not get a response. He turned and looked around. "Roy!" John yelled. "Hey, Vince. Have you seen Roy?"
"No, I haven't." John looked around nervously. The girl had begun to regain consciousness. John looked at Vince.
"Vince, Roy must still be in there. She seems O.K. Just ate some smoke. Could you keep an eye on her. Just keep her on O2."
"Sure thing, John." Vince took over on the oxygen for John. John put his tank, air mask and helmet back on. He went over to the captain.
"Hey, Cap. Did you see Roy come out?"
"No. Is he still in there?"
"I think so. I'm going back in to check." The captain waved John on. He went to the door. Two fire fighters were shooting water into the back room. There were two consecutive explosions as John approached.
"Roy's still in there," John yelled to the men through his air mask. They nodded their understanding and allowed his to pass. John looked over at where they had been. A portion of the ceiling had given way and there was a lot of debris. John saw Roy's arm protruding out from under one of the piles. He put his head through the door and called to the men on the hoses.
"Hey, I need some help in here." John yelled to them. The two men signaled to the captain that help was needed. Two additional men came to aid John. Together they began to move the rubble that was covering Roy.
When they reached him they saw his helmet strap had broken and the helmet was on the floor next to him. His air mask had been pushed down and was no longer properly covering his face. There were many cuts and abrasions to the exposed skin of his face and head. Blood came from his nose. John went to the top portion of his body and steadied his head. One of the other fire fighters got his torso and the other his legs. Together the three men lifted Roy and carried him from the burning building. As they cleared the doorway the remaining portion of the ceiling fell in. They carried Roy outside to the grassy island by the squad. The girl was now fully conscious.
"She seems to be doing O.K. John," Vince reported.
"Thanks. Just keep her on O2," John said as he quickly removed Roy's mask, air tank and turn out coat. He opened Roy's shirt and placed a hand on his chest to get a respiration. "He's not breathing." John said trying to remain calm. The fire fighters who had been helping him had gotten the equipment from the squad. John quickly began working to restore Roy's breathing. Bill, one of the assisting fire fighters, set up the biophone and contacted Rampart.
"Rampart, this is Squad 51," Bill spoke into the biophone as Frank, the other man, assisted John.
"Squad 51, go ahead," Dixie's voice responded.
"Rampart. We have an injured fireman, approximate age 35. He was trapped under debris at the fire scene. The fire is at a hair salon and involved chemicals. His air mask was knocked off in an explosion. He was not breathing when he was brought out. The paramedic is working to restore breathing now."
As Dixie listened to Bill's report, Dr. Brackett joined her at the bay station.
"Do we have any vitals yet?" Brackett asked.
"Negative Rampart. Not at this time. John is still working on him," Bill reported.
"Can't the other paramedic get the vitals?" Brackett questioned.
"Negative, Rampart. The other paramedic is the patient." Brackett and Dixie looked at each other with concern.
"10-4, 51. Will stand by for vitals."
Johnny was maneuvering quickly and efficiently around Roy. Frank was doing whatever Johnny asked him to do. Finally, Johnny let out a sigh of relief.
"O.K. He's breathing again. Let's get some vitals. He quickly got the information needed and reached for the biophone. "Rampart, we now have vitals." John proceeded to give all vital information to Rampart. The vitals are not good. Brackett frowns as he listened intently. "Rampart, the patient is now breathing on his own , but with difficulty. There are many cuts and abrasions on the head and face with possible head injuries. There is a large bruise on the right side of the chest. Possible broken ribs and internal injuries. Patient is still unconscious.."
"10-4 51. Can you send me a strip?"
"That's affirmative Rampart." John proceeded to patch Roy in. "This will be lead 2." Dr. Brackett studied the EKG strip.
"Look's O.K. 51," Brackett informed John. "Let's get an IV started." Brackett instructed John on the medications to use. "Is the ambulance there yet?"
"That's affirmative, Rampart."
"10-4, 51. Get him in here STAT."
"Rampart, we have a second victim of smoke inhalation. She is on O2 and is awake and alert. We will be transporting her also."
"10-4, 51" John got the IV started and prepared him for transport. He placed the O2 tank and EKG monitor on the gurney with him and entered the ambulance. John kept a close eye on Roy's vitals as they rode to the hospital.
"Hang in there, Roy," Johnny said as he adjusted all the equipment. Roy started to come to a little but was agitated. He reached up to remove his oxygen mask and tried to sit up but he was strapped down. Johnny grabbed his arms and held them down.
"Come on, Roy. Settle down. Your going to pull out your IV." Roy's eyes opened but were not really focusing on anything. "Roy, you have to hold still. Your going to hurt yourself." John was holding him down, looking him right in his eyes. Roy began to calm down and closed his eyes again.
The ambulance pulled into Rampart. Two orderlies came out to assist. They pushed the gurney into room two. John went in holding the IV bag. He put it on the pole as they transferred Roy to the table. John moved back against the wall out of the way. Dr. Brackett, Dr. Early, Dr. Morton and Dixie were all working on Roy.
"Has he been unconscious the whole time, John?" Dr. Early asked.
"No. He came to in the ambulance for a minute or two. He was very agitated and out of it." The doctors finished their exam.
"Dixie. I want a skull series and chest and rib films. Call the lab. I need a full work up," Doctor Brackett ordered.
"Right, Kel." Dixie went out to order the requested tests.
"So. What do you think? Is he going to be O.K.?" John asked no one in particular.
"I would say his chances are excellent," Dr. Brackett reassured John. "He's going to be laid up for quite a while, though. He's had a lot of trama to the chest and head. He has a concussion and some of those ribs are broken. We'll x-ray to see how many. My main concern right now is how much smoke he inhaled and the possibility of internal bleeding. He is stable right now so any that he had has stopped on it's own. If it begins again we may have to do surgery but I don't think that will happen. I'm going to put him up in ICU for the rest of today. I want to keep a close eye on him. If he remains stable I will transfer him into a regular room tomorrow."
The x-ray technician came into the room with her equipment. Dr. Brackett motioned for John to go into the hall with him. They went over to the nurses station with Dixie.
"Has anyone contacted Joanne?" Dixie asked.
"No," John said. "Not that I know of."
"Do you want me to call her?"
"No. I'll call her. I have to check in with the station, too." John headed for the phones.
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Joanne Desoto was fixing herself lunch in the kitchen. She cut her sandwich and grabbed a can of soda out of the fridge. She went into the family room and turned on the TV. She was so happy that they moved her soap opera to noon time. That way she could relax and have lunch while she watched it without wasting too much time. She turned on the television and got settled. Just as she took the first bite out of her sandwich the phone rang.
"I don't believe it. Who would dare to call me in the middle of my soap!" Joanne mumbled with her mouth full as she headed for the phone. She quickly chewed and swallowed before she answered the phone.
"Hello," she said.
"Hi, Joanne. It's Johnny."
"Hey, Johnny," she said happily at first then the reason for the call hit her. "Oh my god. What happened? Is it Roy?"
"Yea. He was hurt in a fire today. Don't panic, now. The doctors think he'll be O.K.. He's at Rampart."
"Is he burned?"
"No. He was trapped under some debris and he breathed in a lot of smoke. Do you need a ride in?"
"Ummm.....no. I'm O.K.. I better bring the car. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"OK, but be careful. I don't need you to have an accident, too."
"I will John. I'll see you later." Joanne hung up the phone. She just stared at it for a minute. She had to keep herself together. John said he'd be O.K.. Roy's strong. He'd been hurt before and he always bounced back. She had to get to the hospital to be with him. She could cry later. There was no time for that now.
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The guy's at the station were seated around the table eating lunch. The phone rang.
"Get that, will you Kelly?" Captain Stanley asked.
"Why do I have to get it?" Kelly whined.
"Because I'm the captain and I said so, you twit!"
"Oh, yea," Kelly went to the phone. "Station 51. Kelly speaking........Hey, John. What's up?........Oh, yea?.......Is he O.K.?........yea.......yea.......O.K., I'll let him know.....O.K.. Bye." The men had all fell silent, trying to listen to the conversation. When Chet turned around they were all staring at him. He just stared back.
"Well?????" Captain Stanley asked anxiously.
"It was Johnny. Roy got hurt on that call they were on with 124's. He said Brackett thinks he'll be O.K. but he'll be laid up for a while. John said to tell you he was going to stay at the hospital and wait for Joanne to get there. He also said if it was O.K. and you could get a replacement he'd like to stay at the hospital for a while."
"Thanks, Chet." Captain Stanley got up from the table. "I'll be in my office calling for replacements. Lopez, let central know the squad will be out of service for a while."
"Sure thing, cap," Marco replied and went to the radio as the captain retreated to his office.
###############################################
John was pacing in the waiting room. The automatic doors opened and Joanne walked in. She saw John and ran over to him. She gave him a big hug.
"Have you heard anything?" She asked.
"No, nothing new. They're still running tests. After they're done Brackett said he will put him in ICU for the rest of the day to keep an eye on him."
"How bad is he, John?" Joanne asked with concern.
"Brackett said he thinks he'll be O.K.. They have to finish the tests to know for sure." As John finished he saw Brackett coming toward them.
"Hi Joanne, John," Brackett greeted them. "Roy is a lucky man. Things could have been much worse. His ribs are bruised and there are hairline fractures in two of them, but none are serious fractures. He does have a concussion but no skull fracture. He came to briefly. His throat is irritated from the chemical smoke but I don't think he inhaled enough to cause any permanent damage. The internal bleeding seems to have stopped on it's own. He's stable but I'm still going to put him in ICU overnight."
"Can I see him?" Joanne asked anxiously.
"Sure. He's still in treatment room two. John, why don't you take Joanne in while I make the arrangement to have him moved. "
"Sure, Doc. How long will he be laid up?"
"He's going to be pretty sore for a while. I'd say maybe four to six weeks. Can you put up with him that long, Joanne?" Kel grinned at Joanne.
"I think I can. As long as he behaves." Joanne returned Brackett's smile. Johnny put his arm around her.
"Come on, Joanne. Let's go see Roy." John escorted Joanne over to the treatment room. John opened the door and slowly they entered the room. Dixie was adjusting the equipment attached to Roy. When she heard the door open she turned and smiled at John and Joanne.
"Hi guy's. Come on over." Dixie waved them closer. Joanne approached slowly. John kept his arm around her for support. Roy's face had been cleaned up but it was very red and bruised. There was a gash on his forehead that had several stitches in it. The cut was swollen and purple. His lip was split and swollen also and there were many other small scrapes and bruises. He was covered to the waist revealing the large bruising down the right side of his chest. He had several IV's and was on oxygen. He was asleep. Joanne let out a small gasp as she reached his bedside. He had often been injured on the job but it was still difficult to see him in this condition. John could feel her knees give out slightly.
"It's O.K., Joanne," Dixie said. She put her hand on Joanne's arm. "He's going to be just fine." Joanne put her hand on Roy's head and brushed his hair back off his forehead. Tears began to roll down her cheek. Slowly, Roy opened his eyes.
"Hey there," Roy said in a rough, raspy voice.
"Hey yourself," Joanne said, quickly brushing the tears off her cheek. "This is one heck of a way to sneak in a nap."
"Hey partner," John said putting a hand on top of Roy's. "How ya feeling?"
"Like I was hit by a Mack truck. Is the girl O.K.?"
"Yea. She's fine," Dixie answered. "Just a sore throat from the smoke."
"Good....Good..." Roy drifted back to sleep. The door opened and transportation came in.
"Hi fella's," Dixie acknowledged the orderlies. "He's all set." Dixie lead Joanne and John into the hall. "Give them time to get him settled then you can see him again. He'll probably sleep most of the day." The transporters pushed Roy onto the elevator.
"Thank you, Dixie," Joanne took Dixie's hand. Dix smiled at her.
"Why don't you go and get some lunch," Dixie suggested.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Johnny agreed. "Come on, Joanne. My treat."
"Well, I can't turn down an offer like that. We'll be back soon, Dixie."
"OK. Enjoy." Dixie watched as they entered the elevator then went back to the nurses desk.
#################################################
Roy was hot. He couldn't get away from the heat, the flames. He tried to run but he couldn't. His body wouldn't move. There were people everywhere screaming for help. How could he save them all when he couldn't even move? They were getting closer and louder. "I'd help you if I could," Roy yelled at them, "but I can't move!" they just got closer and continued to call out to him. He could make out their faces now. These were not strangers. They were friends and family, Joanne, Chris, Jenn and Johnny. All the guy's from the station and the hospital were there, too. They were in agony, screaming out in pain, but there was nothing he could do.
Joanne sat by Roy's bed side. Dixie had let her stay with Roy even though visiting hours were over. That was one advantage to having friends on the "inside". Roy had been sleeping soundly most of the afternoon. Joanne looked up when she heard him stirring. He was mumbling something and appeared to be dreaming. He was getting more and more agitated. Joanne got up and went over to his bed side. She reached up and carefully brushed the hair back on his forehead, careful to avoid the area around his stitches. She leaned over and whispered softly in his ear.
"It's O.K., honey. I'm here. It's going to be all right." Roy opened his eyes. He was startled at first to see Joanne. Slowly, his surroundings came into focus. It had been a dream! Thank God! He tried to reach up to Joanne with his free arm. It felt so heavy and even that small movement made his whole body ache. Joanne took his hand and held it tight.
"You were dreaming," she informed her husband.
"More like a nightmare," Roy's voice was still raspy and rough. "Is Johnny still here?"
"No. He went to get the kids after school. He said he would take them out for dinner then help with their homework. That way I could stay here longer."
"That was nice of him, but I'm not sure about the homework part." Roy smiled at Joanne.
"Well, that's nice to see, a smile on your face." Joanne smiled back. "Dr. Brackett said you were very lucky."
"One of these day's my luck is going to run out," Roy said in a serious tone. Joanne got a stern look on her face.
"We'll have none of that, Roy Desoto. We have too much ahead of us."
"Hey, welcome back," Dixie said as she approached Roy's bed with a smile on her face. "So you decided to wake up."
"Yea. What time is it anyway?" Roy asked.
"It's 6:35." Dixie answered. "I was just getting ready to go home and I wanted to check on my favorite patient and his wife before I left. So, how are you feeling?"
"The only thing that doesn't hurt is my hair and my right pinkie." Dixie checked Roy's IV's as he talked.
"Hey, I thought you were off duty?" Roy joked.
"A good nurse is never off duty. Just like a good paramedic." Roy's night nurse came in and injected his medication into his IV.
"Is that going to put me to sleep?" Roy asked.
"Probably," his nurse said. "But that's what you need."
"You do too, Joanne." Dixie said. You should go home and get some rest. Do you need a ride?"
"No. I've got the car. Thanks anyway, Dixie. Well, Hon. I better go and relieve Johnny." Joanne looked at Roy. He was already fast asleep. "Well, that sure did work fast." She gave him a soft kiss on the uninjured side of his forehead. "See you tomorrow." Joanne whispered. Dixie turned off the bedside light and they left the room.
##################################################
Roy gazed out the car window at the familiar sights on his street. It felt good to feel the sun on his face. He had spent six days in the hospital and it felt good to be going home. 'It felt good to be anywhere', thought Roy. He knew how close he had come to being killed and this wasn't the first time. Joanne pulled the car smoothly into their driveway. Roy had felt every little bump in the road. He couldn't believe how much he still hurt, even after six days. What a beautiful sight. His house. Joanne got out of the car and quickly came to Roy's side to help him out. She opened the door and reached out to him.
"I'm not an invalid," Roy said with mock disgust.
"Shut up and give me your hand," Joanne ordered. Roy did what he was told. Slowly he swung his legs out of the car and stood up. As he did, he gave Joanne a light kiss on the cheek.
"What was that for?"
"What? Now I can't kiss my wife when I want to?"
"Oh no. That you can do any time you want to!" Joanne put her arm around Roy's waist and together they walked into the house. Johnny was sitting on the sofa with Jennifer on his lap and Chris sitting on the other end. They were watching Sesame Street. When Jennifer saw Roy she jumped out of Johnny's lap and ran over to Roy with her arms outstretched.
"Daddy!!!!!" Joanne headed her off before she plowed into Roy.
"Whoa there, little lady," Joanne said as she scooped her up. "We've got to take it easy on Daddy for a while." She let Jenn bend over and give Roy a kiss.
"Daddy, you've got a big boo-boo on your head."
"Yes, I do princess. Will you take care of me till I'm all better?"
"I sure will. I'll be just like Nurse Dixie."
"That sounds good to me." Roy turned to Chris. "How ya doing, Sport?"
"Hi Dad. Cool cut. You look just like Frankenstein."
"He does not," Jennifer yelled at Chris. "He's handsome."
"OK, kids. Come on and help me get lunch." Joanne took the kids into the kitchen. Roy went over to his chair and sat down very slow and carefully.
"Still sore?" John asked.
"Oh, yea." Roy looked at the television. Cookie Monster was counting his cookies. "Learning anything, Junior?"
"Yea. And next we learn to count to twenty." John smiled at Roy.
"I want to thank you for all the time you've spent with Joanne and the kids while I've been in the hospital. I really appreciate it."
"Hey, it was my pleasure. You'd do the same for me." Roy looked at John, confused. "Well, I mean if I had a wife......or kids. Well, you'd water my plants... if I had any plants."
"Yea. And I'd feed your cat if you had a cat."
"Man. I've got to get something for you to look after for me."
"You know something, John? I had a lot of time to think while I was laid up. Things have been really starting to get to me. After I got hurt all I could think of was what would happen to Joanne and the kids if I were killed. I was seriously considering getting out of this business or at least going for a desk job. But you know what? I would never be happy doing anything else. I just hope Joanne can understand that." John smiled and laughed. "And what's so funny about that?" Roy asked, a little bit confused.
"Joanne told me she thought you were thinking of quitting and asked me to talk you out of it. She knew you'd never be happy doing anything else. She knows its dangerous but your happiness means more to her." Roy smiled and shook his head.
"She's something else."
"She sure is. If you ever get tired of her, just send her my way."
"Not on your life, Junior. She's mine. For keeps!" Joanne poked her head around the corner.
"Honey, do you want your lunch at the table or should I bring it out to you?"
"Could you bring it in here? Bring everyone's lunch in here. We're going to learn how to count to twenty."
"Yeah !" Jennifer exclaimed. "We all get to eat with Daddy!" Jenn came running up to Roy but stopped right in front of him. Roy carefully helped her into his lap. Chris came in with John and Roy's soda's. He set them down on the end table and reached out and shook Roy's hand.
"Welcome home, Dad." Chris said ,very cool. He bent over and gave Roy a quick hug and kiss, then went back into the kitchen. John and Roy looked at each other and smiled.
Roy thought to himself, 'My job might be dangerous but I have good friends and a loving family to support me in what I want to do. That makes me a very happy man.' Roy leaned back in his chair with his daughter in his lap. Together, they all join in with the TV.
"One cookie." crunch, crunch, crunch. "Two cookies." crunch, crunch, crunch.................
The End
"Haunted" ©1999 Cindy Gifford. "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.
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