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The Story Unfolds... Season One, Episode Five.. INTEGRITY GAME Link to the Main Emergency Characters Page Debut Launch: 16 March 2003 ************************************************* From: "Linda Taggatz" <doc51@att.net> Date: Fri Feb 14, 2003 4:41 pm Subject: A possible start for Ep 5. Kel was going on vacation. Not just any vacation. For the first time in years he was going on a family vacation with both parents. He and his dad were starting to resolve their differences. They both felt that going to Martha's Vineyard like they did when Kel was a kid would help. Joe had volunteered to take them to the airport. They had reserved a rental car to use during their stay. Of course Kel wanted to explore Boston, he hadn't been there in a long time. His mom & dad agreed to that. They knew that this vacation was important to all of them. Unfortunately a huge snowstorm hit that area hard. The airport in Boston had been closed, no flights in or out. |
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******************************* From : "patti keiper" <pattik1@hotmail.com> Subject : No Sure Bet.. PG-13. Date : Wed, 05 Mar 2003 12:44:23 +0000 Dr. Brackett sat in the hospital cafeteria patio across from his father, Brent, and his mother Anna Rose at a white whicker table fully under the bright noon day California sun. Both men were in a foul mood as they chewed without tasting, the tuna sandwiches on their lunch plates. They wore matching scowls on their faces. "Anna, you find something amusing about all this? Our vacation plans are ruined and here you are...making a spectacle of yourself." Brent told her firmly. Anne Rose broke out into spontaneous laughter covering her mouth with the hand not holding the plane tickets. "I'm sorry." she gasped. "It's just you two are reacting in exactly the same way right now. It's not the end of the world. Just the end of our current gameplan. We don't have to go to Martha's Vineyard to spend time as a family. No. We can do that right here at home where no snowstorm can possibly interfere." Kel looked up sitting straighter, as he shoved the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. "Easier said than done. Those tickets cost a fortune, mom. What do you expect us to do about it now?" "This.." her warm brown eyes beamed from the frame of auburn hair around her face. And she promptly tore their three unused flight vouchers in half firmly with a flourish. Brent and Kel both stood up from their chairs in dismay. "Anna Rose, why in G*d's name did you do that?!" "Mom! What the h*ll?!!" They both cried in outburst at the same moment. Both father and son eyed each other up when they both realized that had struck exactly the same pose of ire with hands spread indignant over the table top, leaning in to Anna in anger. That only made Mrs. Brackett laugh all the harder to the point of wheezing soundlessly and her light airy voice died away as she lost her ability to breathe. Kel and Brent frowned, and again, father and son took like actions of grabbing up their glasses of water to hand to Anna to drink to gain a quicker recovery from her mirth. Soon, Anna wiped away her amused streaming tears and accepted one of the waters being offered to her. "Oh, that felt good." she chuckled, dabbing her eyes on a napkin delicately while she sipped the ice water. "Getting rid of those tickets meant getting rid of unpleasant distractions. Now, think of it this way." she said patting their rough hands. "We now have a squeaky clean slate to work with now in regards to our family vacation. And do sit down. People are beginning to stare, doctors..." she grinned. Kel and Brent glanced around and did see a few subtle glances their way. They buttoned their dinner jackets over their ties self consciously. The older Brackett cleared his throat. "Don't make it a habit, pet." Brent said, regaining his chair and he honestly started to half smile. "If you want to throw money away to make a point next time, I'll have a pond built in the back yard and I'll hand you the sack of coins myself." "Amen to that.." Kel said empathetically and downed his water glass in a salute to the suggestion. He then began to gather up the two lunch trays that were empty. Anna Rose's eyes twinkled. "Your father's such a kidder, Kel. Don't listen to him." "Have I ever?" Dr. Brackett quipped. Brent nearly spit out the rest of his sandwich he had started eating again as he pegged an intense stare at his only son. "Yes. You have." he said, covering his mouth with his napkin. "When I called you last week about this family vacation plan of ours... You actually listened to what your mother and I had to say and then you actually said, ...yes..to it. " he grinned. "As if I could have refused. I'd have been disowned.." "There is that.." Brent said. Anna Rose slapped her husband on the arm to behave himself. "So, what do we do now that mom's made sure that any ticket refunding's impossible?" Kel asked. Brent shrugged. "Don't know. Ask your mother." he said, mopping up some mayonnaise with the last crust remaining of his food. Kel raised questioning eyebrows. It was Anna Rose's turn to lean over the table to catch their ears in confidence. "We find a third party to make the decision for us." "And who would that be?" Kel grumbled. Personal privacy was still a big thing with the younger Dr. Brackett. ---------------------------------------------- Dixie McCall backed up against the base station glass door, clutching an armful of patient charts against her chest defensively. "Ohh noo... Anna Rose. This isn't fair.." she hissed in a whisper at Mrs. Brackett. Subconsciously, Dix glanced inside the clear glass base station where Kel had dragged his father in to overhear an incoming rescue call he was handling. "I can't take on an important decision like that. It's taken years for me to get those two to even begin to listen to each other.." |
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"And it shows. " she said empathetically. "Now who better to make the next call than a close co-working friend. H*ll. You and Kel dated once. We all trust you." "That's dirty pool and you know it, Mrs. Brackett." Dix said straight faced but unoffended. "Who else can we turn to? Mike Morton's never even had lunch with us. And Joe, ..." she sighed. "Joe Early's too nice to even try to get involved in the Brackett father/son feud reclamation project." "Nice sentiment there. I think I'll follow Joe's angle, too." And Dixie tried to make her escape. Anna Rose got in her way innocently by taking the charts from the head ER nurse's grasp, "Here, let me file these for you, dear. I know where they go.." And Dixie was forced to stay while Mrs. Brackett slowly set the patient charts in their metal holder on Dix's desk, one by one, alphabetically. McCall plastered a forced polite smile on her face as Anna Rose rambled on. "So, what's a great part of town? Long Beach? Heard Crystal Pier's simply lovely this time of year." "I wouldn't know. I never get out." Dixie mumbled. She again tried to ooze away from the desk. But Anna Rose reached for another chart slyly and she had to freeze in place or drop the rest of her stack. Anna Rose said, "Neither do we. That's the problem." she said frankly. "Ok, this one goes under... S.. for Smith.."she said, myopically eyeing the chart's proper slot. "We're not asking you for stock investing advice, just one teeny tiny vacationing spot idea for us to go to. Just pick anywhere, Dixie. Top of your head. Whatever you say won't be locked in stone by any measure, I assure you. We're just...getting a fresh start here." she said, filing another metal chart into its housing. Dixie sighed and fought like mad not to tap her foot on the tiles in nervousness. ::Oh, boy. Fates, I demand you get me out of this one. If I choose anywhere that doesn't turn out for the Bracketts, I'll have to live with the consequences of my actions for the next ten years working with the two doctors locked into yet another feud.:: she bemoaned mentally. Right then, the red light on the call station over her head began to flash.. Miss McCall's face erupted in an eager glee of reprieve. "Hold that thought, Anna Rose. I have to answer that. It's a second run coming in.." And she shoved the charts right back at Mrs. Brackett who barely caught them as Dix fled into the base station's sound isolation room and slammed the door. Dixie's hand darted onto the talk button on the second intercom, just barely beating out Kel's subtly reaching one. "Unit calling in please repeat.." she stated quickly, taking over the run from him hastily. Kel said. "You didn't have to come in just to answer that." he said, looking up from the EKG strip he was looking at. "I sure did.." Dixie gasped. She felt Brent Brackett come stand by her to hear how a registered nurse answered a rescue call. Dixie's caller came into voice. "Rampart, this is Engine 51. We're on scene at the Santa Anita Racetrack. There's been a multiple race horse pileup on the final turn of a stakes race with injuries. Squad 51's en route on the track right now with the grounds crew leading the way. Please stand by." came Captain Stanley's voice over the murmuring roar of a crowd of other people on the frequency. Their horrified dismay was very apparent in the background. To Dix, it sounded like a bad accident. "Standing by, 51." Dixie said. "Kel, do you need Joe on yours?" she asked. Dr. Brackett looked up from his chart. "Hmm? No, this is just a simple case of syncope. It's a scorcher out there today. We're bound to get a few heat related injuries into the ER this afternoon." Dr. Brackett said. "This cardiac strip's precautionary only." Then he leaned down and finished his call. "Squad Ten. Start an IV Normal Saline and run it in at the rate of 30-40 drops a minute. Continue to monitor her vital signs and transport as soon as possible.. Now that she's awake, you can D/C the O2 at your discretion." ##10-4, Rampart. Squad Ten out. Our ETA is ten minutes.## "10-4, Squad 10." Kel ended the transmission. Brent Brackett motioned Kel over while Dixie began filling out the run sheet for 51. She moved the yellow medical status magnet for their station from base bound to on rescue call. "Looks like this might be a bad one, son.." Brent told Kel. "It's at the race track." Kel sighed and his face twitched in sympathy. "Another jockey tangle up?" Dixie looked up from her writing. "Yes, sounds like it. 51's still getting out to that part of the track." "Stick around Dix, we may have more than we can handle here very quickly. And call Joe in here." "Right." Dix said handing off the run chart to Dr. Brackett. "Excuse me, Brent." and she reached over and grabbed the paging phone over the recording monitor above the intercom. " Operator. Please page Dr. Early to the base station, stat...... Yes, thank you." and she hung up. Silence stretched in the tiny room and Brent felt his palms beginning to sweat in anticipation even as Dix and Kel calmly marked notes on their respective charts. Finally, Brent licked his lips. "Is it always this hard waiting around to hear back on a rescue in progress ?" "Yes.." Dix and Kel said simultaneously. "I'm glad I'm a psychiatrist. No rescue calls to speak of.." he mumbled to himself. Overhearing, Dix and Kel smiled at him. ================================ |
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Squinting into the bright sun to the south, Cap could just make out the dust trail of the squad as it followed the grounds crew truck along the track's outer rail to where the chaos was happening. He could see several horses sprawled awkwardly on the ground, some still moving. But the one smaller human body hanging on the rail and the several more in the dirt, were alarmingly still. He could see at least four racehorses careening wildly around the track without their riders with parade outrider ponies and their unhurt, tossed jockeys, hard up on recapturing them from their mindless dash away from the accident side of the track. Hank hung the biophone receiver over his shoulder and he slapped Chet Kelly on the arm of his overcoat. "Chet, get a couple of hoses strung onto the apron here. Straight through the hydrant. Maybe we can do something for those poor horses out there. Only one seems to have broken a leg. The others that are down could still be alive and only lightly heat stroked. But don't go out there until those loose racers are caught, all right? It's too risky for us to have our hoses running where the others, in their panic, might trip over them." "Right, Cap." And Kelly jogged down through the tunnel to the utility driveway where Stoker was still idling the big engine to tell him Cap's orders. Hank turned to Marco at his side. "Marco. Roy and John may need help communicating with their victims out there. If any of those jockeys are even half out, their english speaking abilities will go out the window if you know what I mean." "Understood, Cap. I'm on it." And Marco went with another crew pickup truck, riding on the back. They maneuvered slowly down track to avoid upsetting the free runners, moving along the outer rail to the scene of mayhem. By the time Chet and Stoker had returned with the strung hoses and had charged them, the uneffected racers and their jockeys had all heeded the red lit hooter on the tote board and had vacated completely off the track to the backside stables or the test barn. Cap could see the remaining loose thoroughbreds were firmly back in reining hands. ##Ladies and Gentlemen. Please hold all tickets.## said the track announcer. ##Officials are dealing with the situation on the track's far turn. Race Five is delayed until further notice. All pool, trifecta, and daily double betting is now frozen at all teller windows. Please stand by for the results of the steward's inquiry.## Hank frowned. ::How cold is that? There are possibly dead horses and people out there and all the track officials are worried about is keeping the gamblers happy?.. No wonder I hate the track..:: he thought. ::Don't get what Roy sees in playing the horses at all.:: |
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Chet and Stoker stepped out onto the track when the tote board light stopped flashing its loose horse warning. Together they began dragging out the hoses to where they could see Roy and John and Marco moving from fallen rider to fallen rider. "Coming through..." Chet said angrily, as blue grounds crew backs just concentrating on tractoring the starting gate into position for the next race, got in their way. The track horse ambulance team was already leading away a limping foreleg shattered filly to the attending vet awaiting there with a syringe. Kelly felt sick to his stomach. "They're gonna put her down?" he shouted at Stoker over the noise of the tractors. "Yeah, there's nothing they can do after a horse's leg has been broken." Mike replied. "I've seen this before." he said lugging the heavy hose to the nearest downed horse. Gage looked up from the nearly unconscious jockey he was assessing. "Stoker. Not that one. He's the one who caused this pileup. He burst a lung vessel and was dead even before he hit the ground. See the bright blood flowing out of his nostrils there? Go cool down that colt still twitching over by the rail. Hose down just his head. Be sure to loosen that saddle strap and take his bridle out from between his teeth if you can while you're doing it. He may come around from the heat in time.. All the trainers will be out here in a sec to take over the horse care for ya.. Do whatever they ask of you." Then Johnny bent to work over his patient. "But what about these other jockeys?" Chet asked. Johnny met Chet's eyes heavily. "Roy and Marco and I have everything taken care of on our end. There's only these two victims. The other jockeys were killed along with their horses. We found that most have hangman's fractures from their falls and that guy's been trampled to death." he gestured with his head behind him. Kelly saw a lone tiny male jockey lying face down in the dirt not too far away. The back of his chest bore the unmistakable crushed flat look of a fatality. He almost looked like a shattered marionette to Chet. |
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Stoker looked up, too, in shock when he saw Roy only dealing with the american woman jockey still draped over the inner rail. DeSoto was getting the grounds crew men to carefully hold her neck still while he placed her into a cervical collar while he continued talking quietly with her. "UGghhhHHH." she moaned. "How's Little Bit? H-- How's my filly? She got away from me after Charismatic went down. *cough*." "Shh, try not to move, miss. You may have a serious back injury." Roy told her. "Now we're going to immobilize you and slide you onto this long board here. Then we'll get you on some oxygen so you can breathe a little better, all right?" Behind Roy, the sealed horse ambulance shifted with a thud on its tires as a heavy weight inside of it fell to the floor. The woman didn't say anything more and she started weeping uncontrollably, ignoring the men who were easing her off the railing inch by inch. "They euthanized her didn't they..? They killed my Little Bit..Oh, nooooOOOoo." "I'm sorry, ma'am. From what I could see her leg was fractured too badly to splint." Roy said quietly. "At least she's been released from her agony." "nnnooo." The jockey sobbed once more and let go her hold on consciousness as she was strapped onto the long board and immobilized. The woman rider was placed on the ground and Roy hastily placed an O2 mask over her face and started to take a BP on her good arm after making sure she could breathe well enough on her back without the help of an oral airway. He looked up at the grounds crew men who had helped him. "Stick around. There's no way the Mayfair's gonna be able to come out here like we did. This dirt's too deep.We're gonna have to hand carry these people outta here once we get them treated." he told them. The Santa Anita workers nodded. |
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