 |
 |
|
 |
FULL MOON BLUES |
|
| PAGE FOURTEEN |
|
He brought the black phone receiver to his ear and plugged in the red comm box's aerial antennae. ##Rampart this is Squad 51, How do you read?## ******************************* From: "Cassidy Meyers" <killashandraRey@hotmail.com> Date: Fri Oct 25, 2002 7:58 pm Subject: Hard Run.. Special acknowledgements to Story Consult-- Justafan1701- on LACoFD Telecommunications and earthquake seismology. Mike looked down as Cindy Thorne started actively coughing under the resuscitator. He lifted it free to make sure she wasn't getting ill. "Easy.." he said as she began to struggle as some consciousness returned. He sighed in relief when he saw that she wasn't sick at all. "Miss Thorne. Keep this over your face. It's just an oxygen mask. You took in some gas in there from the stove but you're going to be fine." "Oh,hhh... Robbie? Rachael?....I can't see any of them.!" she said, gasping, knocking Mike's hands away. Cap near them turned from Marco. "Cindy! No.." he shouted and they both grabbed her head and shoulders when she suddenly sat up. Immediate dizziness almost made her pass out again. "Stoker, she's probably just worried about the kids. Hang on there a sec, pal." Cap took her face into his hands, cradling her cheeks, until he made full eye contact. "Cindy? It's all right. They're all out.. You are too. Now just lie back down and let us make sure that you're ok. Help's already here from another engine company and we'll be outta here just as soon as we can. But first, you gotta take in some more O2. It'll help clear your head. And it will make you feel a h*ll of a lot better. All right?" Cindy coughed, trying to focus on Mike and Cap blearily, but finally, she let them lower her back down to the ground when their calm reasoning finally registered in her brain. Then she noticed Marco, "Oh, is he ok? He's hurt!..." she gasped, blinking in distress. "He's fine. His story's the same as yours." Mike said to her. "He's just decided to nap a bit longer than you.." Cap shot eyes at Stoker and he nodded in agreement for her benefit. "Now, just keeping breathing this in. " Hank said, setting the O2 back over her face.."That's it.. Nice and easy. Stoker's gonna stay with you for a while here until you get your equilibrium back." "But.." she said weakily, muffled through the mask as she tried to get used to it being there. "Don't worry about your students. There's a police officer here who'll watch the children for you.." he looked up.. "Annddd...right now, it looks like most of them are playing tag with our station dog..They're just fine, really." Cap said matter of factly with a huge grin, brushing hair and debris out of her face. |
|
|
|
Cindy Thorne closed her eyes when her shock suddenly overtook her mental will. "Oh, ..I've got to..reach their..paren--.." "We'll do that soon. Just rest for a bit. I'm sure tha--" Mike broke off his comment when she blacked out. He moved a hand to her carotid as she went limp. Cap eyed him but he waggled his head. "She's all right. Still moving air on her own. There's resistance here." he said, checking with a test vent on the mask into her lungs. "Got a pulse rate about 100. I'll get an actual draw count for DeSoto when he's set.." Cap sat back down onto his rump, letting his weariness show in his face again. He gingerly felt the back of his head and it came away bloodied. "Good. Keep on her, Stoker.. I'll get back to Lopez." Roy was only half aware of the teacher's brief episode of awakening. He was concentrating on listening close to the biophone. "Rampart this is rescue 5-1. Do you copy?" ** Static ** Roy changed channels on the biophone, to the little used all call band, redirecting his comm transmission to HQ LA. "LA, this is squad 51, is our channel clear to Rampart? We can't seem to raise them." ** Static ** Johnny looked up from watching Chet immobilize the rod running through his hand, trying not to wince. "Think the repeaters are out?" he asked Roy. "Maybe.." DeSoto said. "LA must be scrambling to get an all stations check and haven't found out that our district's radio relay is down." "He got through before.. I heard him when the kids and I were still ducking down in the engine cab." Chet said. "That was landline, Chet." John said. "We were in the stationhouse." "I know. Things can change quickly following an earthquake.." Kelly said. "But, you know how good those guys are about reestablishing a comm net once a problem is detected." "Well, Miss Thorne and Marco can't wait." Roy said. He lifted his HT. "LA, this is Squad 51." ##Go ahead, 51..## "Our radio telemetry seems to be out on our biophone. Is there anyway you can relay to Rampart General Hospital for us? We've four victims that need a doctor's attention right away.." There was a longer than average pause. Even Cap looked up at the delay. ##Squad 51. All channels have been utilized for emergency broadcast communication only. Disaster protocol is in place. Suggest using a landline to Rampart. If the telephone line to the station house has been effected, payphones are showing as still in service in your area. ## "Payphones?" Gage said incredulously. Cap piped up.. "Yeah. Payphones. They've got underground cabling. The same dirt which knocked out the repeaters alignment must have cushioned the payphone network. Makes sense. DeSoto, free up off the biophone. Let the man work. We'll try his suggestion first.." Roy shrugged, uncertain and embarrassed he even bothered LA, who was now set in a higher priority moding. "10-4, LA. We copy. We'll 10-8 to a landline." #Squad 51..# the head dispatch acknowledged. "Cap, why didn't you tell me not to biocall?" "Quite frankly Roy, I'm not up on earthquake scenario past the basics. I was in the dark just as much as you were. First time I've ever been in one." Hank shrugged. "First time for me, too.." came the voice of Captain Stone, from very near by. He waved his men over with the requested stokes and they clustered around the group in Station 51's shattered backyard. "So, far, we've all been using HT's. But only between units. I found out from MacConike about the landline trick for our rescue squad." "Who's here?" Gage piped up. |
|
|
|
"Gil and Brice...They're getting the 02 and their gear. We figured you boys wouldn't have had much equipment left after that.." Stone replied throwing a thumb over his shoulder at the rubble between the bunkhouse and kitchen ends of station 51. "Cap. We've been inside. The gas is off and we're already opening holes to ventilate. All the fumes are gone. And believe it or not. Your kitchen phone is working. Gil's already got Rampart on the line for you. Switch to our station's frequency on your handheld to get him. He's set to relay." Roy spoke up, "Thanks, Captain Stone. But I think I should field that call personally. I've got all our patient info up here.." and he pointed to his head. "One to one, that way, with the doctor would be faster." "Fair enough. I'll send Gil out here to assist Brice on treatment." Stone shrugged. They all turned when some of Engine 8's crew dropped down the rest of the rear door from the mangled garage using a short K-12 application, offering easy access back into the shattered heart of Station 51. |
|
|
FULL MOON BLUES |
|
|
Click Rescue Squad to Goto Page Fifteen :) |
