The Waiting Game
(a 'He looked at the clock and sighed..' challenge)
By
He looked at the clock and sighed...his partner had been in surgery for the past three hours...three hours for Roy to sit, wait and worry...again.
He left in the ambulance with his critically injured partner while the rest of the crew, although worried about their shiftmate, stayed to help get the fire contained then help with the clean up. Captain Stanley told Roy that they would see him at Rampart when they finished.
While waiting for news about his friend and for the rest of the crew to show up, Roy sat there, his mind going back to burning building and what had taken place that landed Johnny in the OR having emergency surgery and him in the lounge, wondering if his best friend and partner would make it.
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It was 1:30 in the afternoon and the crew had finished eating lunch and was cleaning up the kitchen when the alarm came in.
"Station 51, Station 36, Station 127, Truck 3, Battalion 14…structure fire, abandoned warehouse at the end of Maple and Pine, 6 th and 23 rd Street, abandoned warehouse at the end of Maple and Pine, 6 th and 23 rd Street, timeout, 1331."
"Station 51 10-4 KMG365."
Arriving on scene, the crew saw that the building was engulfed in flames. Roy remembered how he and Johnny had put on their turnouts and grabbed a couple of lines to help Chet, Marco and the other firefighters fight the blaze. He and Johnny had been thankful that the place was empty.
Then over the roar of the blaze came the words from their Captain that they dreaded...
"John, Roy , there may be someone inside…second floor, East Side of the building!"
"You gotta be kiddin' me...nobody could be alive in there!"
"Well Junior, you're probably right but we gotta go check anyway!"
"Yeah...let's hurry…grab the Handi Talki outta the Squad Pally!"
Handing over the hoses to two firefighters from Station 36, Johnny and Roy ran to the Squad, put on the air tanks, got the HT and then quickly but carefully made their way inside the building.
After entering the structure, they quickly made their way to the second floor and where they thought their victim was. With the smoke being so thick and black it was difficult for the paramedics to see and feeling their way around the room, Johnny tripped and hit the floor, not seeing their "victim" lying there.
Quickly getting up and looking, Johnny couldn't believe his eyes.
Speaking loud so Roy could hear him through his mask and over the fire, Johnny asked, "What is this?"
Roy looked down and as he helped Johnny up, he saw that they had been sent in, risking their own lives, to "rescue" a dummy.
Picking it up and throwing it across the room in anger, Roy shouted, "Come on Junior, let's get outta here!"
"Get outta here Pally, I'm right behind'cha!"
------ ------ ------
Coming back to the present, Roy could still hear the explosion happening again and again in his ears and he could still feel the hands of his best friend pushing him out of harms way …he knew his partner, somehow, had heard something before he did.
------ ------ ------
"Get outta the way!"
Roy suddenly felt himself being pushed out of the way as the wall came down on top of them. When Roy was finally able to get to his feet, he saw a pile of debris where he knew his partner had been standing.
Grabbing the HT, Roy radioed his Captain.
"Engine 51, HT 51!"
"Go ahead HT 51!"
"Cap, there wasn't anybody in here…just a dummy…the wall came down after that last explosion…Johnny's trapped and I'm gonna need help diggin' him out!"
"10-4 Roy , hang on, I'm gonna get'cha some help in there!"
"Make it fast Cap, we gotta get Johnny out from in under this mess!"
"Okay Roy, helps on the way!"
Roy knew that he couldn't wait for help…more importantly, his friend couldn't wait for help, he didn't even know if Johnny would still be alive when they did get him out, but he hoped and prayed that he would be.
------ ------ ------
** I've never prayed so hard for anything in my life…Junior, you have to be okay *
*
Getting up to get another cup of coffee, he looked at the clock and sighed.
"Time's movin' so slow. Why is it takin' so long?"
Getting his coffee and sitting down at the table, Roy's mind went back to the frantic race against time…and the fire…to get to his partner…he knew that if his best friend was still alive, the fire would do them both in if he couldn't reach Johnny in time.
------ ------ ------
"Johnny, hold on partner, I'm here, I'm gonna get'cha out…just hang on!"
As Roy was digging through the debris, he heard Chet and Marco's worried voice's as they come closer to him. Without being told the two firefighters brought in a backboard and a cervical collar.
" Roy !"
"Marco, over here guys, hurry…the fire's gettin' too close again!"
With four more hands helping him, Roy and the others were finally able to get their friend freed from the ruble that had him trapped.
"I need the board and collar…easy, in case there's any damage, we don't wanna make it any worse!"
Chet and Marco handed Roy the items as the paramedic quickly but carefully placed the collar around Johnny's neck then the three of them placed the young paramedic and the backboard and strapped him to it.
"Come on guys, let's get outta here!"
------ ------ ------
Tired of sitting, as he got up he looked at the clock and sighed.
"I hate all of this waitin'."
** The waiting game…how many times have I played that before **
Continuing to pace in the waiting room, Roy mentally catalogued the number of times that he * had * played that game.
** The snakebite, the monkey virus, and the hit and run...and others that weren't as major in seriousness **
Roy was brought out of his thoughts as he heard the door to the lounge open…turning, hoping it would be Doctor Brackett with news on his best friend, he instead saw four very tired, dirty and worried firefighters enter the room.
"Any news yet Roy ?"
"No Cap, nothin' yet."
"Well, I guess all we can do it wait fellas…guess we can all get us some coffee."
As the tired men each got themselves a cup of coffee, they all settled in to await news on their friend. After another thirty minutes, Doctor Brackett entered the lounge as the five firemen quickly gathered around, wanting and hoping to hear some good news.
"Doc, how's Johnny…is he gonna be okay?"
" Roy , he's out of surgery and in recovery. He had several broken bones, one was a vertebrae in his neck…but don't worry, he isn't paralyzed and he's breathing fine on his own, I don't think he'll have any trouble out of it. He also had internal injuries, but he came through the operation fine."
"How long before he can come back to work Doc?"
"Well, it's gonna be a while Marco, his recovery is gonna take some time. But he'll eventually be back."
All the men looked at Roy , as Mike said, "Well Roy, looks like you'll be stuck with Brice again for a while."
As Roy sadly shook his head, he looked at the clock and sighed.
The End