JUST A BAD DAY
The old woman swerved in front of Tangee's midnight blue '65 Mustang. There wasn't anyway that Tangee could avoid hitting the '68 Buick. Tangee braced herself for impact.
#####
Jon Baker and Frank Poncherello pulled up to the accident. Jon went over to the Mustang, saw Tangee sitting behind the wheel, and he reached in to check her carotid artery. She had a strong pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look at Jon, and tried to smile. Ponch went to check on the woman slumped over the wheel in the Buick. She had no pulse. He turned back to Jon, and recognized the bloody face behind the wheel. Ponch walked over to Jon, who gave him a glance, warning him not to say anything. Jon was squatted down on the balls of his feet, so Tangee would be looking into his eyes.
"Tangee, you feeling okay?" he asked her. Jon just shook his head.
"Do I look okay to you, Poncherello?" she snapped at him. "I hurt like hell!" She paused a moment, thinking. Then looked over at Jon, "I still can't figure out why Getraer partnered you with him!" she told him.
"I'm going to call for the fire department," Ponch said, trying to get out of the line of fire.
"If they hurt my baby, I'll come after you, Poncherello!" she yelled at him as he went to his bike.
"Tangee, they're going to have to get you out," Jon said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're pinned in there really good."
"Do you know how hard it is to find parts for my baby?" Tangee said.
"Tangee, relax and don't worry about the car. Right now
we are just concerned for you, and getting you out in one piece."
"Don't let them tear up my car, Jon," she pleaded,
almost in tears. "I don't know what I would do without my
baby."
"Where do you hurt the worst, Tangee?" he asked her.
"All over Jon," she paused, " you think Roy will come?"
"I don't know, but if he finds out you're hurt, he'll be here," Jon said with a smile. Almost everyone knew about the ëcrush' Tangee had on DeSoto. No one let her know they knew, but they all knew.
"Jon it hurts so bad...," she said just before she went unconscious. He placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Tangee?" She didn't answer him. He stood up to get a better look at her and he saw that she was unconscious.
#####
"Station 51 two vehicle accident on the Eastbound 405 Freeway at the Taylor street exit. Time out 17:35," the dispatcher said after the tones sounded.
"Station 51, KMG 365," was Captain Stanley's response. The two vehicles rolled out to the call. They saw two CHP standing by one of the vehicles as they pulled up to the scene. Officer Grossmen was directing traffic around the accident. Jon Baker ran up to the squad door.
"Roy, it's Tangee, she was asking for you," he said. All he could do was nod his head. Even though he was married, he had a special spot in his heart for Tangee. He parked the squad, and the two of them got out.
"Is she hurt bad?" he asked as they got their equipment out of the compartments.
"She's trapped under the dash," Jon stated, "and she has a nasty cut, that runs the length of her forehead. I'm not sure about the rest of her, Roy. I didn't go probing around, a little worried I'd get in over my head, so to speak," he said, worry creasing his brow. He gave Roy a strained smile.
"Does she have a pulse?" Roy continued to ask questions.
"First thing I checked," Jon said, "she's unconscious now, though. I couldn't get her to answer me when I pulled up, but when I'd been there for a moment, she started talking." Johnny and Roy set their equipment down on the pavement.
"What about the other vehicle?" Johnny asked.
"Ponch didn't get a pulse. It's an older woman. She obviously didn't have control of her vehicle when the two collided. No skid marks." Roy tried the passenger door and it wouldn't open. He slid in the open window, feet first. She had a deep cut on her right arm. He took her vitals while Johnny contacted Rampart. After he had taken her vitals he applied direct pressure to the wound, slowing the bleeding considerably.
"Johnny, respiration is 15, pulse is 75, BP is 120/40. There is a large cut on her forehead; a deep cut on her right arm, and a broken left arm. I'm applying direct pressure to the wound on her right arm. Chet," he yelled out the window, "get me the c-collar out of the squad and a pressure bandage." Chet nodded, and went to get the c-collar as Johnny relayed the information to Rampart. Chet returned and handed the c-collar through the window. Roy put the c-collar on her. Johnny passed Chet a pressure bandage, which he then handed to Roy. Roy put the bandage on her arm.
Marco and Mike were in the process of removing the steering wheel from Tangee's lap. She moaned in pain and Roy placed a hand on her shoulder. Marco started the jaws, while Mike held it in place. Chet was wetting the area down, washing the gasoline away.
"Tangee, relax. Mike and Marco will have you out of here in no time," he told her.
"Stoker, you'd better not do any more damage to my car," she yelled.
"Not to worry, Ms. Taylor. I won't be hurting your car at all." He yelled over the noise of the machine. As the steering column came off of her lap she yelled in pain.
"Johnny do you have the backboard ready?" Roy yelled over the machine noise.
"Right here, Roy." Johnny said. "Brackett wants us to start an IV, D5W, TKO as soon as she's extricated."
"That should do it Mike," Roy said, "Let's get her out of here." Johnny and Marco slipped the backboard under her, and the three of them, gently, lay her down on it. She began crying from the pain. They strapped her down to the backboard and lay her on the stretcher. Roy started the IV, because Johnny was afraid of her.
"Roy, let me look at her one last time." Roy didn't think that was such a good idea, and shook his head no. "Roy," she said menacingly. He knew when she used that tone a voice, she was serious, and could do some major damage to anyone standing close, even if she was on a stretcher.
"You're sure you want to see it?"
"Yes," she said. The attendants slowly turned her to look at her car and she began crying. "Okay, I'm ready to go to Rampart now." They placed her in the ambulance.
####
Eight weeks later she was back on the job. Her broken arm mended, and stitches removed; she was back to her crotchety old self, minus a '65 Mustang. Roy had heard, through the grapevine, that she would be back today, so after one of their runs, he pulled into the garage.
"What are you doing?" Johnny asked.
"I heard Tangee is back today, and I wanted to see how she was doing."
"Are you nuts?" Johnny said. "Where is your brain at Roy?"
"Why? She's a nice girl, once you get past the rough exterior."
"Well, I don't think I want to get that close, sorry," Johnny replied.
"Your loss," Roy said, exiting the squad. Johnny watched from the squad, as Roy stepped over to where Tangee was putting together, what looked like a carburetor. She turned around and gave Roy a big hug. From what Johnny saw they were discussing her injuries. Then, both of them looked directly at the squad car. Johnny wanted to crawl into the glove box. He just knew she was going to chew him up, and spit him out, like she always did whenever he came in here. Maybe she won't come over here, he thought. Maybe they'll just stay over there and not bother me at all. Just as he thought that, the two of them proceeded to walk over to the squad. Tangee placed her hand on the hood of 51, and stroked it gently. She walked up to the open window and leaned in.
"Hey, Gage, how's things?" He regarded her carefully.
"Fine," he said.
"Roy says that you've been very good with Baby, since I've been off." She patted the steering wheel. "You've not hit anything, or broken anything. I must say I'm impressed, and proud of you, Gage."
"Thank you, Tangee. I take it you're healed up enough to come back to work,"
"Thanks to your partner's TLC." She turned and patted him on the shoulder. "He brought me over several Motor head magazines to keep me occupied while I recuperated. He has been a godsend. Boy, that Joanne can sure cook!"
"Yes she can," Johnny was shocked at Tangee's behavior.
"I'd better let you two get back to the station. You're sure that the squad doesn't need anything, a lube, or maybe an oil change?"
"No, Tangee, the squad is fine. I just wanted to check on you and see how your first day back at work was going."
"Couldn't be better, Roy. Couldn't be better."
"Just a Bad Day" ©1999 Katy Sundberg. "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.
NOTICE: The layout and graphics on this page are the property of Two Chickies Fan Fiction. They may NOT be used on any other fan fiction site and any such use consitutes HTML theft. We urge you not to support any site that engages in such tactics, and to report any such usage to Marcia or Tangee.