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| PAGE THIRTY FOUR |
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Craig Brice spelled Roy three hours later. "How is he?" "About the same. I've only had to suction out his airway once. The EOA went in an hour ago. But he's still breathing. Watch that. He's in no need of atropine anytime soon. His pressure's holding so far.. Eighty systolic. But he's nearly unresponsive to the O2 now." "But he's still fighting this fever.." Craig said, trying to be encouraging. Then he noticed the mast trousers Roy had inflated only around Marco's legs. His jaw dropped open in surprise. "You know that the suit's contraindicated with pulmonary edema.." "I know that. But his internal bleeding's begun already from the virus. Only way I could get his BP to even register.. Had no choice." Brice bit his lip thinking, then he finally agreed with Roy's choice. "Shouldn't harm him much then as long as that abdomen compartment is left uninflated." "Glad you agree with me.." Roy said with some anxiety and a slight hint of anger. His protestation was mild at best. Brice actually smiled ....kindly.. "Get some sleep DeSoto. I've got him now.. And I won't tell Brackett what you did. I'll take the blame if he finds out.." Roy's face registered amazement. "You don't have to do that.." "Yes I do. This is saving Lopez's life so the least I can do is save you from an inquiry. Brackett knows I'm already a stickler for protocol. Breaking that image he has of me on that for the first time will undoubtedly keep him from having it out with me officially until all this is over. Who knows, even then, he may not even remember the mast suit thing." "Thanks Brice..." "Anytime,..........Roy.." Roy blinked. It was the first time Brice had used his first name ever. And it actually felt genuine. "See you after Gil's watch.." "See you then.." Roy took his time lying down and for a long time, the rising sun and stress kept him from fully relaxing.. But then, it was Bonnie and Johnny's snores that finally gave him surrease into an exhausted slumber. Hours past. Then....... |
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******************************** From : "patti keiper" <pattik1@hotmail.com> Subject : [EmergencyTheaterLive] Ripples.... Date : Sun, 10 Nov 2002 06:41:44 +0000 There was a creaking. A calculated sound of cotton socked feet hitting tiled floor. Brice heard a hasty shush and a subdued whining from Bonnie behind his back. But he didn't turn around until Johnny Gage had tiptoed almost to the desk to where Marco's chart lay. He imagined the precise moment when Gage's hand connected with the metal of its surface.. Then he snaked out his own hand without looking and let loose. Smack! "Oww... " Johnny hastily whispered, angry. "Whatdidya do that for?" He said rubbing his reddening guilty hand. Craig turned around on his stool and placed his stethoscope around his neck from where he sat next to a feverishly sleeping Marco. "It seems to me that you don't listen very well to your attending physician orders, Gage.." "Whatdiya mean I don't listen?.. I'm one of the best paramedics Brackett's got. And unlike some people I know around here, I've never been written up.." and he pointed two sets of index fingers at the deeply snoring Roy, still lying under the brightening afternoon sun peeking through the holes in the roof. "I was just trying to..you know.. get a better feeling about Marco,.. you know..really put a finger on the pulse so to speak.." He tried to do exactly that and was rewarded with another stinging slap on his good hand for even trying to get near Lopez tactilely. "Hey!!" Johnny sat on the second stool and tucked his hand in between his knees to ease its smarting. "Now cut that out ! Geez.. I'd wonder if your kids aren't deathly afraid of you by now in any discipline situations of yours and your old lady's at your house. You could break some bones doing what you just did to me." He said sucking on his now twice throbbing hand. |
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"We never have discipline problems with our children, Gage.." Brice said, still smiling cooly and very self assured from where he was checking out Marco's breath sounds around the EOA tube. "Unlike you, they respect authority..Everything is precisely orchestrated and everyone knows what is expected of them to do at any one given time." "You know, Brice.. Of that I have NO doubts.." Johnny threaded his own IV bag tubing from around his legs and hooked it onto his badge to keep it higher than his cath's entry site. He also loosen his uniform shirt a tad. It still had dirt and blood all over it. He made his way into the darkened locker room and rummaged around until he found a clean one from his own quake opened locker and replaced it, unbuttoning and buttoning it one handed. He was stubborn enough to not ask for help from Craig. Finally, he said. "You know what your problem is Brice?" "No..but I can count on you enlightening me on the subject.." Brice grinned closed mouth. "You're just too d*mned.......right all the time. I DID have no business sneaking up and reading Marco's status chart. But man, it's been eating me up only knowing part of the story.." he said indignantly throwing a hand at Marco's fluctuating EKG strip. The PVC's were back. "He could be throwing those because of a fluid loss intravascularly. And look, even his IV site and blood draw sites are beginning to hemorrhage on their own. He's got to be losing clotting factors by the pound.. " "I noticed that, too, Gage. But Roy's taken steps here with these Military Anti- Shock Trousers." That took Gage back, "He whaa?" "Went around authority again and used them without the attending MD's order.." Brice said, this time without a grin. "And I am going to take responsibility for it when the time comes.." Johnny was thoroughly taken aback. "Wait a minute. Wait a minute.. Roy uses questionable protocol and you're BACKing him UP?" "Of course. The patient was going to perfuse less than optimally without them so I saw no reason to deny him the choice.." Johnny had a hard time believing his ears. "You mean you're going to stick out your neck...for my partner?" "That's what firemen do, Gage.." "But we're not in a fire.." he said, a puzzled look on his face. It was rankling him that Brice was looking more and more altruistic and less and less like a rule tyrant. "That's correct." Brice said. Johnny squinted his eyes in suspicion at Brice and didn't say anything more while he tried to wrap his brain around the concept of Brice actually taking a fall for another. ::It just doesn't compute..:: he thought as he walked over to the food cooler for a sandwich. His appetite had returned, almost as voracious as the pain in his stitched up hand. He grimaced slightly when lowering it below his waist made it throb. Craig didn't miss the symptom. "Dr. Brackett told me to awaken him if there were any problems so I'll.." and he shook Brackett's shoulder before Johnny could stop him. "get him to look at you.." "Brice.. Wait a minute we have to orchestrate the whole mast suit thing fir--- Hi doc, uh,.. Marco's ok. At least I think he is.. You see, Craig here saw me bump my hand and.. uh, It's ...it's nothing really, about me, I mean.." Dr. Brackett was already upright on the cot and he grabbed Johnny's arm and did a capillary refill check on his effected fingers. At the same time, he was studying Johnny's face. "Uh huh..." he said skeptically. "So that's why your pallor's matching the color of your T-shirt eh? You know better than to let shock promoting conditions go untreated. And that hand of yours has got to be putting out some serious pain.." Dr. Brackett said. "Time we medicated you.." "No, doc.." Johnny started up. "That's not necessary.. I'm fine.. I .. I ..I just got up to...." and he hastily stopped himself from saying he got up to visit Marco's medical records. "Because I saw Brice had put him into ma--" Again Gage cut himself off.. "never mind.." he added quickly. |
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