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"Nothin.." Kelly said. "Uh huh.." Roy grunted and whipped away Chet's towel, revealing Kelly's bandaged hands. Chet, of course tried to hide them behind his back. Cap oggled. "Oh, now Kelly.. don't tell me you just broke your fourth glass. Last thing I wanna do is call up McConike again for another crew replacement.." Lopez piped up. "Actually, Cap, he--" "Just you hush up, Lopez.." Kelly squeaked. Marco glared at Chet and finished his sentence... "..took his frustrations out on the locker room punching bag. Bare fisted." Hank crooked a finger in irritation. "Kelly.. Go inside.. And you're letting Gage and DeSoto take a look at those hands. Now." Cap said grumpily. For once, Kelly didn't retort back. The gang reconvened in the kitchen to the real pot of full coffee. No one said anything when Roy came into the kitchen with the squad's bandage box. Cap said, "You take a real good look at him. I wanna know if he can work like that.." he said, pointing to Chet's bloody wraps around his knuckles. "Kelly, that was real stupid. Next time, wear the d*mned boxing gloves.. That's what they're there for.." "That's what I told him.." Marco complained. Chet's lips set into a firm line in a glare at Marco, but he kept his peace otherwise. Johnny said. "All right.. Chet. Let's get these off." and he pulled out his hip holster shears and began to cut away Lopez's wrap job. The damp, red dressings fell away. Roy whistled at the hamburgered skin he saw there. "Chet, it looks like you really did a number here.." "No I didn't.." he complained. "It's just surface stuff." Johnny experimented. "I know how hard your upper left cross is.." and he moved three fingers on Chet's right hand up a smidgen. "That hurt?" He immediately stopped when a loud grating from the hand almost made Chet and Johnny leap out of their kitchen chairs. All the gang winced. Then Cap sighed and left for his office to call for another man to replace Kelly for the still out of service engine. Kelly complained, loudly. "Aww, Cap.. You don't have to do that.. I'm fine.." Hank's voice echoed back from the Cap's room. "You aren't going to be able to tell me that when you can't hang onto a 450 psi water hose next fire run tomorrow morning. And Kelly, I'm sure glad I won't be you when you personally tell the chief in the morning that your wounds were self inflicted. Gage, get him seen." said the booming invisible voice. Johnny didn't say anything and he went out to the squad for the biophone. There was no trace of annoyance at all on his face when he set up the antennae and began to hail Rampart. "Oh, geesh, Cap. You've got to be kidding me. I've dislocated knuckles before. They only hurt a few days.. And they usually work themselves back into place on their own with a little use.." Kelly said. Roy had spread out a dressing sheet onto the table and he held out two hand fracture splints. "Not this time. That noise was crepitus Chet. Congratulations! We just found three BROKEN knuckles on that hand. And judging by the swelling and joint dislocations I see now, your left hand may even be worse off. Now don't move either one of them until I'm through." Marco sighed. "I told him they looked bad too." "You did not. You said they looked sore." "Same thing.." Lopez said. "No , it's not.." Kelly snapped. He paled when Roy made a small adjustment to one of his fingers in the splint to get a better pulse into it. "Oh, geesh. They're bad, aren't they..?" "Only without treatment." Roy sighed. Then he saw Kelly's pallor. "Do you need to lie down there Kelly?" "No.. no no.. I'm at least walking outta here on my own two feet if I'm going to the hospital tonight. No way am I going to be stretchered outta here." "Then prevent that by lying down before you faint. Marco, get his arm over you. We're moving him to the couch." "I'm...not...shocky!" Chet protested. "You will be if you don't get flat. Now move it!!" Cap's voice filtered from the garage bay into the kitchen like a wraith's. Kelly let Roy and Marco move him, complaining the whole way. Gage picked up the biophone and followed. "Kelly just.. " ##51, this is Rampart Base. Go ahead.## came Joe Early's voice. Gage's retort moused down into grumbles as he dragged a kitchen chair over to Chet's couch to hold the biophone, near where he was squatting. Roy got out a stethoscope and BP cuff. "Rampart, we've a hand case on a male, aged 28. 155 pounds. Probable knuckle fractures. We've applied immobilizing splints to both hands and all distal metacarpal pulses are intact.." he inferred from Roy's silent nod. "No other injuries. Stand by for vitals." |
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"Gage, this isn't necessary.." Kelly said when Johnny finished his sentence to the doctor on the line. "Bet your BP's in the low 100's right now with all that excruciating pain. Bet you a month's dish detail." "You're on.." Chet took up the challenge. "And it's not excruciating. Only nauseating." Then he realized that Gage got him to admit that he was in pain at the same time as managing to wring out a current patient history account on top of the insult. He glared at Johnny all the harder. Gage winked a "got you" look at Chet and continued when Roy handed him the notepad of vitals. "Rampart, vitals are.. pulse 120. Respirations are normal. BP is.." he held off for effect for Kelly's benefit.. "...100/60." Chet groaned when he realized he lost the bet. Johnny was crafty and held out the phone so Joe could hear Kelly's groan for a moment. "And he's in a fair amount of pain, doc. I suspect that's why we've got the adverse BP. Hemorrhaging is negligible." He waved at Chet to keep moaning. But Kelly refused to aid him. But one overheard groan had been enough and Joe replied. "I concur, 51. Give him 5 mg, MS IM. Continue monitoring vitals and transport as soon as possible. I have an orthopedic M.D. standing by." "10-4, Rampart.. Our ETA is.. twenty minutes.." "10-4, 51." Johnny hung up the phone. "Marco, hand me the drug box.." "A pain shot?! Oh, Gage, you are in sooOOoo much trouble." Chet warned, wincing as Roy finished splinting his hands. "How so? I'm just doing my job, that's all. Preventative care...." he said in an exaggerated voice. "You feel that pain much longer and you'll lose Glasgow points enough to warrant an ambulance trip. How would that go over with the chief then, Chet?" he said sarcastically. Kelly's anger melted away and he regarded his thick bandage encased hands. "I was just mad about Stoker, that's all. Cut me some slack.." "We are man.. That's why were taking ya in using the squad." Gage said, "Now roll over and let me get this MS in. Just don't move the hands." Chet sighed and complied. Johnny pulled up Chet's tucked in shirt and got him in the haunch. "All right. Roll back." And Gage set a pillow on Kelly's chest to hold his now wrapped, and splinted lower arms up high. "Don't fall asleep. We'll get back with ya in a few minutes when the shot's working. We're not leaving until it is." Chet grunted, still pissed. "Listen, Kelly. Johnny could have told the doc that you did these injuries to yourself. He's probably already in hot water for not disclosing mechanism of injury. The doc's gonna know that the minute the dressings come off." Roy insisted. "I appreciate it. I appreciate it! Thanks for not telling them I went crazy." Kelly insisted adamantly. "Now why would we do that, Chet? Every one of us knows that about you already, so notifying the shrink in the ER isn't necessary.." Gage said, "If you'd like, we can call Vince and the Bellview monkeys to haul you off in their rubber cart to Rampart." he teased, ruffling Kelly's hair. Kelly went to swipe his hand away when he remembered he couldn't. His sour scowl faded into a giggle that got out. "Ah ha...." Roy said. "The shot's working." he smiled, taking a BP. "It's up. And guess what? It's normal now, Johnny. 132/94." "That's our ticket outta here. Come on, Chet. Let's go. The faster they set those knuckles the sooner you can cook us breakfast. I'm starving.." Gage burbled. Lopez and Johnny got him sitting and then onto his feet. "Hey, I'm walking wounded here.." Chet giggled. "I'm not gonna go cooking anything.." "Sure you are.. It's your turn to cook. Remember?" "Oh, yeah.. I think.. maybe I can... I can manage to boil water for soup when I get b-- Hey, this shot's dreamy Johnny.." "Now Chet, pay attention. One foot in front of the other. You gotta WALK..." Gage told him. |
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Roy grabbed the biophone, but traded the dressings box for the IV one from the hold to put onto the floor on Johnny's side of the squad cab. "Close your mouth, Kelly. You're drooling on my shoulder.." Marco complained as he and Roy got Chet into the squad and buckled tight and bundled into a third helmet for safety. "Huh??" Kelly mumbled. Roy put his helmet on and got into the driver's seat. "Hey Cap.. This is what we did..." he hollered out. "Johnny and I got orders to--" "I don't wanna know the details. Just go." Cap's voice grumbled from his open office door. "Have the docs fix him up and get him back here, pronto. Chief's got an eye on him for something he's not telling me about and I don't want Kelly's stupid stunt to wreck our chances of finding out just what that is.." "You got it Cap.." Gage said. And then he poked Kelly awake when he started snoring into his ear from where he nestled between Roy and Johnny in the squad. "Kelly, no napping! Remember?" And then he took a pulse check using the artery in Chet's arm, squeezing a little too hard on purpose. "Oww, hey, hey, hey..Your turn soon for the bathroom.. Just a few more minutes okay? Gotta shave my beard off.." Kelly slurred. Gage chuckled. "As if you had a beard. Hey, open those eyes." Kelly did crack his eyes open then, his clowning over.. "I do, too. And it's as red as my moustache.. Here. Feel.." and he caught Gage's hand into his own muffed ones and stroked it over the stubble shadow on his face. Gage whipped his hand away in disgust. "Cut it out.. and don't be moving those hands like that.. Just keep holding them up higher than your heart on the dashboard there." Then he mumbled to himself under his breath. "Huh, don't we all have beards.." "Not you, Gage. You're Native American.." Kelly said. "No hair anywhere except where you'd expect it." "Oh yeah?" Gage said narrowing his eyes, off on another Gage band wagon. "Think of it from my perspective. It's not easy working with hairy gorillas as crewmates. Tell me, Chet. Doesn't all that chest hair make you kinda hot in summer?" Roy, Chet and Cap said "No, it doesn't." simultaneously from where they were. "Oh..." Johnny peeped. "Thanks for telling me that. Always ....wondered.." and he cleared his throat self consciously. Cap came out of the office and saundered out to the alcove mike, thumbing it. "L.A. Station 51. Mark squad 51 out of service to Rampart until 0500. We're dealing with a minor in house medical call." ##10-4, 51. Time out. 03:12.## Roy and Gage were about to leave the garage with silent reds when DeSoto suddenly screeched to a halt. "Would you look at that?" "What?" asked Gage and Kelly at the same time. "That..." Roy said, pointing to the cement floor before their bumper. Boot, the long-time-ago-runaway-mutt, their old station mascot, was sitting there. "Well, I'll be d*mned.." Cap said, setting his hands on his hips. "Come on, boy. Out of the way. The squad's on a rescue call for Kelly here." Boot obediently slid over three feet and let the squad by. |
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Cap saw Roy pick up speed on the boulevard with top red lights on, but no siren, with satisfaction, and then he closed the big bay doors. He and Marco were left face to face with Boot. "Hey, boy. Welcome back.." Lopez said, crouching low to address the mangy medium sized dog. Boot immediately whined and ran to the engine to scratch meaningfully on the door latch until he nosed it open. He leaped up. Curling up on Mike's engine driver's seat, Boot began to whine and glance up at the two mystified firemen staring at him with their mouths flopped open. When he saw the men didn't do anything to explain the situation, he started nosing Stoker's helmet hanging there, crying in worry and distress. "I don't believe what I'm seeing.. How did he find out about Stoker? And where did he come from?" Cap mumbled. "I have no idea, Cap." Marco admitted. ************************************ From : "Cory Anda" <andacory@hotmail.com> Subject : Motion to Promotion Date :Tue, 04 Feb 2003 14:50:07 +0000 Dixie McCall was on a night shift. She was filling in for Carol Evans, who was on vacation. The automatic doors at the end of the hall around the corner activated and the soft rolling sound made her look up from her patient chart. The last three people she expected through her emergency department's portal was Johnny Gage, Roy DeSoto and Chet Kelly. Her eyebrows rose in a questioning glance but Joe Early stepped out of Kel's office just then and relieved her bubbling curiosity. "Joe? What's up? I must have been on break when their rescue call came in." Joe said, "A code I. Probable broken hands. Enough to warrant a pain med. I got it from here Dix." he said, walking down the hall to meet Gage and Roy who were keeping a very tripped Chet steady on his feet. "Could you tell Rivers that his hand case is here, Dixie? I've already told radiology that he was coming." "Right..." Dix said. "Hi Roy, Johnny." "Hi Dix... Where to?" Gage asked. "Get him into Treatment Two. And this is...." "Chet Kelly." Roy replied. "Chet, this is Dixie. You might remember her from last year when you were blown into those crates from that paint factory explosion." Gage and he shifted Chet's weight between them as they guided him into the exam room. Kelly grinned, feeling the heady effects of the MS. "Nah, don't recall.. How could I forget a beautiful face like that, man? Hi babe." he giggled, lifting his head from the gurney where Gage and Roy had placed him. "Where have you been all my life? I got the distinct feeling that you and I could make really beautiful music together.." "Charmed." Dix replied, recognizing a high when she saw one. She looked up. "Morphine?" Johnny firmly pushed Chet's shoulders back down onto the table, grinning. "How can you tell?" Right then, Dr. Early came into the room and immediately went to examine Chet's eyes. "Did he behave himself on the trip in?" Roy said, "He was fine, doc. We managed to keep him from using those hands too much." "Yeah.." Johnny smiled. "I told him he had to keeping holding the dashboard to keep the squad steering straight." he joked. "Hmmm..." Joe said, leaning in close to get a good check on Kelly's pupils. Chet was now happily groggy and didn't mind at all when Joe and Dix unwrapped his hands onto sterile sheets on his chest for his x-rays through the splints. Kelly started humming absently through the whole exam.Dr. Rivers entered the room. Joe acknowledged him. "Johnny, Roy, Chet, this is Dr. Craig Rivers, head ortho from upstairs. He's going to be handling Kelly's case." "Hi, doc.." Roy, Johnny and Chet echoed. "Hello, everyone. Let's see what we've got.." And Rivers checked out Chet's hands visually, noting the same signs that he had read from the run sheet. "Did he take out some frustrations on a wall or two?" he asked the two paramedics. "These knuckles look like they took that kind of blunt trauma." Roy and Johnny shifted uncomfortably. DeSoto replied. "Close, but no walls per se, it was a punching bag, actually. Chet was a little upset about a coworker of ours getting caught in a roof collapse last night." Johnny dove right in with the opportunity for an update. "Dix, how's Stoker doing?" |
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