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          00:51
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Page Five

Then Gage took firm charge again. "Lathika, we're gonna
get you set up into a stokes. We're gonna carry you up to the
chopper hovering at the top of the coaster hill. Just relax and let
us do all the work, ok?"

The first frown appeared on her face. "I'm....so cold."

"We'll get you covered up in a second. " Marco said. "There's
a blanket right here."

"That'll pass." said Gage. "The epinephrine I gave you made all
your blood vessels constrict while making your lung passages dilate.
It's bound to make you lose some heat. Its what's making your heart
beat so fast right now."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that.." said Chet, sotto voce to Gage.
"Just look at those two love birds."

Ivan and Lathika were locked eye to eye, both grinning, with gently
clasped hands. Their eyes were full of the undeniable, heart felt look
of love at first sight.

Johnny smacked Kelly. "Go radio the pilot that we're ready for her
pickup along with four of these other coaster riders." he said warningly,
half in a smile. "We'll load her off with the new paramedic on board
before we go help Roy out."

"Roger that.." said Chet, still politely admiring the two oblivious
teenagers in between them.  Kelly rose and helped Marco and
Gage lift Lathika into the yellow plastic wrapped nested stokes.

Johnny hurriedly gave Dr. Brackett a second BP
and other vital signs along with his news of the nearly
complete turn around in the girl.

Then he was busy with Ivan, Marco and Chet, with carrying
Lathika's gear loaded stokes into Chopper 11.

Soon, the rest of the roller coaster rescue operation began
in earnest.

Image of jotherscarrystokesgear.jpg Image of helicopterload.jpg

**************************************************************
From:  Sam Iam <lafddispatcher@yahoo.com>
Date:  Wed Oct 27, 2004  11:28 am
Subject:  Evac

The bee stung girl's complete name was Lathika Senaveratani.

Gage made sure to turn down her I.V. to TKO before the co-pilot
took over her head. He helped Johnny load her up onto the rear deck
of the hot running H-60.  Marco and Kelly each set gloves on Johnny's
back as the three of them backed away from the aircraft, crouched
down low to avoid the rotor wash. Vocal communication was
impossible. So, as the chopper sped up its top blades for liftoff
for the parking lot, to let out the first batch of uninjured riders, Gage
gave the paramedic on board her, Lathika's treatment plan and care
history via HT. Then he took his medical gear back after a transfer to
110's.

"HT 51 to HT 110," said Johnny into the walkie talkie as Chet, he
and Marco were bent over while jogging back down the hill towards Roy
and his victims.  "Her rhythm's stable. I gave her only one more dose of .5mg epi I.V.
1/10,000 on the way up to you at 15:41. She's chilled somewhat and just a
little anxious. You've got a copy of my care notes under her shoulder, wrapped
around the I.V. bag.  The victim's father is out of the country but,...she may
have a new friend she'd like to contact once she's at Rampart . His name's
Ivan Svenson." he said. "Do me a favor and hook those two up if
you can." he said with a grin at Kelly, who gave Johnny a thumbs up.

"Johnny the match maker. Didn't know you had it in you, Gage." chuckled
Chet. "I'm sure Dixie'll learn about this pair of turtle doves on her next
shift and who to thank for it.."  he yelled over the helicopter's noisy
preparations.

Gage just rolled his eyes. "Who am I to argue with true love, Kelly? I
just wish that someday, it'll happen to me." he yelled back, smiling huge.

##Chopper 11 to HT 51, paramedic signals message has been received.
You're clear of my danger zone. Good luck with your other victims.##
said Chopper 11's pilot as Lathika's flight took to the air.

Image of helicopterpilot.jpg Image of helicopterfirehawkintheair.jpg

Hearing that they were in the clear, Marco, Johnny and Chet began to
run back down the hill in a controlled descent along the tracks to
the second, still occupied roller coaster near DeSoto.

Gage set down his tank of oxygen with a clang. "Ok, Roy, which one
first? Kelly, start putting C collars on all the ones Roy has opened
the shirts on." he said.  Then he looked up, "Stoker? Any not
breathing well?"

"This one." he said about a young teen aged man in yellow with
a bald head. "He's worsening. Breathing's Cheyne-Stokes. Carotid's
forty two. Roy's already got an intubation order and another for atropine."
Mike replied, giving the boy another carefully assisted breath with a
demand valve. "He hasn't vomited any more. Last time was two
minutes ago and that was only liquid. No food."

"Go to Stoker's teenager!" replied Roy, giving his victim albuterol.

Gage hurried over and eyed the young man's already hanging
Ringer's approvingly. "He's perfusing good enough, cardiac wise.
Ok, let's get him going. Endotrach, Roy?"

"Yeah. Size 7 French. It's on his lap along with the larygoscope."
DeSoto said. "I got an asthma case here turning around with
a poor airway with a palpable deformed alignment at C-5. She's
my top priority." and then he was on his HT once again to
Dr. Early at Rampart.

"I'll be right with ya.." Johnny said.

Marco had already recruited Ivan to help hustle the uninjured
passengers away and to a ladder where climbing teams of
firefighters from Truck 99 were ready to show them the
way down.

Stoker kept up the boy's ventilations manually as Johnny
impatiently waited for Kelly to immobilize the teen's neck.
"Man, how am I gonna do this? The impact bars around his
shoulders are keeping him fully head upright." Gage mumbled.

"You need him flat, sir, to help him?" asked Ivan, running up.

"Yeah, can you do that without jarring their C spines?" Roy
asked. "He and the man next to him have bad head injuries."

"Sure, I can. Like this..stand away for a moment." and Ivan set a firm
foot on the edge of the coaster car and released a hidden spring. The
whole car smoothly angled feet up along a rocking cradle and in seconds,
the teen's whole passenger row was "seated" horizontal. "That is how we
get the riders out at the loading terminal. Just let me know when you want
me to release the shoulder restraint bars. They all lift off at once for every
seat on the train."

"Thanks, Ivan." said Johnny and then he and Mike Stoker quickly got the
boy airway secured and fully support medicated.

Image of headblock.jpg Image of gangstartcodedrugbox.jpg Image of intubatemanclose.jpg

His color improved at once. Johnny left him under Mike's watchful eye and
moved to DeSoto's side to help him with the asthma case with the broken
neck.

Five minutes later, the three seriously wounded, in stokes, were on the
way to the hospital in the belly of Chopper 19 with Roy DeSoto, Johnny
Gage and 110's second paramedic aboard.

The rescue helicopter arched its trajectory into the setting sun,
heading for the Torrance city skyline. ##Chopper 19 to Rampart Base,
we've three serious landing at the pad in four minutes.## said the flight
commander. ##Three minor are arriving via ambulance in eight.##

All the rescue personnel heard Dr. Brackett and Joe Early's voices
in triplicate over radios, headsets and HTs as the doctors
acknowledged that they were ready to receive all incoming victims
to their emergency ward at Rampart General Hospital.

*************************************************************************
From:  "killashandrarey01" <killashandraRey@hotmail.com>
Date:  Wed Oct 27, 2004  5:05 pm
Subject:  After Hours..

Rampart remained busy with the Colossus County
Fair accident victims until long after sundown. Dr.
Brackett and Joe Early were so deep in their diagnoses,
and stabilization surgeries, that they had forgotten about
Dixie McCall, still lying sick at home.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dixie McCall awoke to a full darkness, broken
only by the pale moonlight streaming in through
the lacy curtains of her bedroom window. Her bleary
fever dry eyes, made out the time on her nightstand
clock.  00:38.  She tried to move, in a reach for a
half full, luke warm water glass, when the sharp belly pain
doubled her up making her grab around both knees,
in a surge of choking nausea.

"Owww..." she moaned. "Ok, enough's enough.." she
grunted, half sobbing. She hugged herself under the
blankets in suffering, burning agony. "I give up. I give in.
I'm going to see a doctor. I promise....Just...just
ease up and let me dress." she said to her stomach.

Her belly pain, had moved. It was now pinpointed, in a
spot between her right hip bone and her navel.

She frowned, unable to make the significant connection
with that new finding. Her mind was too muddled.

Dixie had pulled on pants over her pajama shorts and had
snatched up her car keys from the dresser,
when the pain toppled her onto the rug.

She lay there, curled in a ball, soundless, as wave after
wave of pure agony swept over her. Her bedroom
furniture and the moonlit ceiling blurred. "No, not gonna
black out. Oh, boy. Kel's never gonna forgive me for
trying to wait it out." she cried, leaking tears of misery.

Dixie crawled trembling fingers across the rug until they
reached the phone cord trailing from the Victorian receiver on
her nightstand. With a jerk, she pulled the phone down
from the table. It clattered in a tangle of cord around
her head. "...ohhh..hhh..." McCall moaned, dragging
the phone and its hand held receiver to her face.

She dialed seven numbers, leaving the phone tipped
over sideways, out to the only number she could remember
entirely.

A male voice came on the other end of the line, questioning,
and concerned, when Dixie didn't answer.

Dixie passed out close to the receiver, where her strained
breathing could be heard clearly, in fevered distress.

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****************************************************************
From:  "wone3" <jwilds@prodigy.net>
Date:  Wed Oct 27, 2004  1:40 pm
Subject:  The Call out

The number Dixie remembered and dialed was Station 51 and
she had been really lucky as the whole station was just returning
from a vacant house fire with no injuries to be transported that had
occupied all of them for the last hour or so.

Mike Stoker had just pulled the engine in place and raced to pick up
the phone beating Captain Stanley to it.

He heard the distressed breathing on the other end and when he tried
to get the person to talk, he received no answer from the other
end. "Can you please tell me who you are? " he said into the phone.

Suddenly, Johnny realized that they hadn't heard anything about Dixie
since being called out for the coaster incident. "Do you think it is
her?" he said aloud. "Ask the person if it is Dixie." he said.

Mike called into the phone, "Dixie, Miss McCall is that you?" He
heard a quiet groan on the other end.

Roy, who was right beside the receiver heard the groan, too, and grew
concerned that it might be Dixie.

Roy called over to the Captain, "Cap, can you call us in a silent
alarm for Dixie's place? We should go check it out to be sure. Could
you also call over to the hospital? Doctors Brackett and Early will
want to know what's going on, we promised to keep them in the loop as
they promised us."

Cap reassured them that the docs would be called as he hurried to
call the alarm into dispatch. "Dispatch this is Station 51, calling
in a silent alarm for squad 51 to 213 Elm Street, Apartment 6."

Dispatch answered, ##10-4…. Squad 51, time out, 00:51.##

Image of capofficegang.jpg Image of stationatnight.jpg

Captain answered, "10-4, KMG 365." He went over to the squad with
the call slip as the guys were waiting in it. Marco ran over to open the
bay door for the squad to exit.

Cap told the guys, "Be careful, but get there quickly. We'll make the
call. If you need to take her in, you can stay available from the
hospital. Call us once you find out anything though, OK?"

Both Johnny and Roy echoed, "We will, Cap, and thanks." They
then sped out of the bay on a speed trip to Dixie's apartment.

********************************************************************
From: "Jeff Seltun" <finiterider@yahoo.com>
with "Patti Keiper" <pattik1@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 01:26:32 -0700 (PDT)
Subject:  Hindsight is NOT Better Than Foresight... :)
 

On the way, with lights and siren running, Roy DeSoto
had a thought. "Johnny, do you think we'll need PD for
this call? We might freak out a lot of Dixie's neighbors
if we force our way into her place without alerting em
ahead of time."

Johnny let out a big sigh, crumpling up the address slip.
"It is the middle of the night, and you know how we need
the police for most of our other calls like this. I'll raise em
on the horn." said Gage with a nod.  He lifted the mic,
"L.A., this is Squad 51."

##Go ahead, 51.##

"Send out a squad car to our silent alarm's location. We may
need official authorization for a break in." he said and then he
hung up the microphone head onto its spigot.

##10-4, 51. LAPD says their ETA is fifteen minutes.##

"What?!" Johnny said in exclamation. "That's sheer craziness!
What if Dixie's condition's serious? We can't wait that long just
hanging about outside her patio...." he empathized out loud
as he listened to L.A. notifiy a police patrol car about their
medical emergency private home entry request.

Roy said. "If we can't see her in the window, that's what
we're gonna haveta do, junior. A phone line with a history
of heavy breathing doesn't mean a life or death situation."

"But it doesn't negate it either." Gage said, very unhappy,
as he clunked a jacketted elbow down on the open edge
of his passenger window. "You told me you and Stoker
definitely heard a groan on that line."

"It IS near Halloween, Johnny."

"Yeah, but why would kids prank call a firehouse? Usually
kids think we're really cool and...leave us alone." Gage
said.

"I can think of half a dozen crank calls B shift's had over the
last two months that started up just like this one."
Roy just shrugged. "We'll have at least some answers
in...." he looked at his watch in the glow of the bar lights
reflecting off the squad's hood. "....four minutes....."

"I got a better idea....." Johnny said with a finger snap.

"What?" Roy asked, glancing away from the road.

Johnny picked up the radio mic again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Engine 51 roared off the freeway ramp and pulled up behind
the squad in front of Dixie's apartment complex. The noise
of her arriving Code Three woke up everyone within ear shot
to a distance of two hundred yards.

"Is this your idea of a brilliant idea?" DeSoto asked Gage
while they wound through the night clothed crowd of people,
now milling about the pool area, fully loaded with gear.

"Yeah..." Johnny grinned. "Now we have witnesses..."
"And Cap's just as concerned about that phone call
as we are. He's not gonna yell. Not in the slightest."

"You're right about that." Roy considered. "It's not like
it's a busy night for firehouse calls. Being available here
or at the station's pretty much the same thing I guess."

"Exactly.." Johnny said.

Image of enginesquadatnightrolling.jpg Image of royjohninsquadnightlights.jpg

As they neared apartment six, the gang piled out
and went immediately to the front entryway to ring
the doorbell while Roy and Johnny covered the back
patio facing the moonlit pool to see what they could see.

Johnny upped his ante. "Would someone turn on the lights
out here? We gotta see what we're doing!" he shouted to
the babbling, gossiping crowd of residents around them.

The off hours overhead suddenly kicked on over the
party hut at the far end of the pool, lighting their way
through the thick palms and bushes surrounding Dixie's
patio.

"Thank you!" shouted Roy. Then he mumbled. "Geesh,
talk about an abundance of bystander help."

Johnny's HT came to life in his jacket pocket. He
pulled it out. It was Cap. ##No answer at the front door
at the bell or with the knocker. And we've no windows
to look inside. How about on your end?##

"Still getting there. I wouldn't say Dixie's a premiere..."
he grunted as he forced O2 tank and com box through
the hedges.." gardening type. It's a sheer jungle over
here, but we're getting there." Johnny told Hank.

"She does like her privacy.." Roy grinned.

Gage sighed and finally his shoes reached the concrete
slab of her patio. "You know, there's another reason
why I used the engine to wake everybody up."

"Why's that?" Roy asked as he, too, fought through
the bushes to join his grinning partner on Dixie's
back yard landing.

A commotion on the sidewalk of fast stepping slippers got
their attention and a thick, hidden ivy covered gate
that neither Roy nor Johnny knew was there, suddenly swung
open onto the patio where they were, revealing a woman in a
robe of quilted pastels with a thick ring of keys in her hand.

"That's why.." Gage pointed at her. "I figured one of these
crowd folks just had to be the land lady.." Johnny said, tilting
his head. "Dragging out the Ward, too, just bettered our
chances in finding her.."

"Will wonders never cease.." Roy sighed with a half smile,
pulling off his helmet. He quickly explained the situation to
the land lady about Dixie McCall.

"Oh, sure.. Here, let me let you in. The poor dear. We all
thought she was just tired from saving Gerald Miller. The
kids saw her go back inside right after you fellas left."

Johnny was still peeking through the windows, shining his
flashlight. He couldn't see anything. "Thanks, Ma'am, for
coming. You see, the cops are delayed a bit. And this can't
wait."

"No, of course it can't.." said the landlady. "Here you go boys.
Can I come in? I'll be your entry witness.." she volunteered.

"That's what we had in mind, Ma'am.." Johnny said as
the landlady opened the glass patio door with a flick of
a long skeleton key.

Image of gageintenthelmetnightsmallblue.jpg Image of womanwitnessniceatnight.jpg

Roy and Johnny immediately went inside, shouting Dixie's
name. The landlady trailed behind and turned on the lights
for them.

"She's not in here.." said Roy, leaving the bathroom.
"Looks like she's been vomiting." he said about an
unflushed toilet. "Some diarrhea, too." He flushed it
away after Johnny had a look at it.

Johnny let in Cap and the others through the front door
and quickly, the gang cased the living room, den,
the closest bedroom....

Finally, they found her on the carpetting, face down with a
phone receiver in her hand, in the farther one.

"Cap, we'll need an ambulance.." Roy said.

"You got it, pal. I'll be right back."

Johnny unwrapped the phone cord from around Dixie's
body and hung up the phone into its cradle, setting the whole
thing back on the nightstand while DeSoto knelt down, feeling
for a carotid. "Dixie? Can you hear me?"

Together, he and Johnny gently rolled her over onto her left
side from off of her stomach, supporting her head and neck in
a line, carefully, leaving her legs bent up to her stomach as they
checked to see if she was breathing. She was, shallowly.

Dixie just moaned at an arm pinch. "Altered level, Johnny.
Marco," he asked looking up. "..can you get her on some O2?"

"Yeah."

"Make it high flow."

Hank returned after his HT call outside and
crouched down, "Can we move her to the bed? It
might make it easier for you two to work."

Johnny got done sweeping Dixie's head, neck and back
for any blood or misalignment. "Yeah, I'm not finding anything
here. She didn't hurt herself falling at least. Her c-spine's clear."

The gang lifted her to the bed with a sheet, leaving
the others pulled down. She was placed onto her back and
Roy and Johnny piled the gear around her after the O2 was
set over her face.

Stoker thought ahead and placed pillows under
Dixie's knees to keep them bent, remembering her
unexpressed pain from earlier in the afternoon.

Cap began a hail out to Rampart while Johnny loosened
Dixie's clothes and pants for breathing's sake and got an initial
set of vital signs. "Chet, see if you can wake her past groaning.
I don't know why she's not conscious yet. The oxygen should've
helped her regain more awareness a full minute ago."

Image of roylleanonbedhouse.jpg Image of gangwithwomanonbed.jpg

"That's if this is just another syncopal episode." DeSoto said
as he got a blood pressure off of her. His expression changed
into a more serious frown. "78/52. She's real warm, too."

"Sepsis?" Johnny guessed.

"Maybe. Check her abdomen. You remember what happened
to her this afternoon better than I do." DeSoto admitted.

"Not really. She wasn't very revealing." But Johnny checked.
He found mild rigidity in the lower right quadrant and
he heard noisy bowel sounds through his stethoscope.

"Ok." Kelly began talking to McCall loudly. "Come on. Dixie,
can you open your eyes for me? It's Chet Kelly from Station
51. We got your call ok. Everyone's here. Hey, open those
gorgeous peepers of yours and say hello to your house guests.
Millie the land lady's here, too. Johnny, hand me your penlight.
I'll check out her pupils for you."

Gage tossed Chet his light. "What'dya got?"

Kelly reported a finding after a few seconds. "P.e.a.r.l."

"Figures." Johnny huffed in frustration. "Keep at it.
We'll need her talkin to learn anything more."

"And... she's starting to flinch." Chet continued.

"That's a little better. Just don't kiss her. She may get
mad at ya." Johnny said with volume, trying a bad
joke to get any kind of a cognitive reaction out of
the sick nurse.

"Why not? She's pretty enough.." Kelly quipped,
going along, equally loud.

Dixie blinked and then she coughed. And then the
pain returned, full blown. "Oh, guys. I ..thu  you'd nev ...here.."
she moaned, drawing her knees up even higher than
the pillows. "Oh ..gaa ..make it sto-- p p.." she sobbed,
with the emotions hardly reaching her features as much as
it did in her voice.

"Dix?" Johnny asked, "Open your eyes.." he said,
shaking her. "Tell us what's happening.." he
ordered firmly.

She just made a non-sensical noise and shuddered
in a fever chill.

Hank got a reply on the biophone. It was Dr. Morton.
"Stand by, Rampart. I'll pass you off to one of
the paramedics now. We've got a thirty two year old
female with an acute abdomen, non traumatic." he
informed. Then he mouthed the word "Morton" at
his men when they looked up from getting a Normal
Saline I.V. ready.

Roy took the phone. "Rampart. Our victim's semi-conscious.
Non responsive to verbal commands. B/P's 78/52, Pulse's 90.
Her respirations are 20 and shallow and both pupils are equal
and reactive. There's no signs of falling injury but there is evidence
of gastric and intestinal upset with a fever. We found mild guarding
in her lower right quadrant. She's on fifteen liters of O2."

Image of johnnyhelmetphoneinside.jpg Image of mortonpressspeaker.jpg

Morton nodded his head and then he pressed the talk button
in the base station. ##Maintain her O2. Start an I.V., 51. Normal
Saline. Administer a 250 to 500 cc's bolus and titrate until her
pressure's at least 90 or better systolic. Then turn it TKO.
Conduct a head to toe survey and get a better neurological
assessment. Look for any abdominal distension or signs
of pulsatile masses. Palpate her flank on the effected side for
any CVA tenderness. Also, draw a red top for analysis. She's
been vomiting and losing digestive material intestinally, so I'm
gonna assume it's been a while since she's eaten anything. Give
her some Dextrose at 50%. 25 gms in an I.V. push. Let's hope her
stuporous state's due to hypoglycemia and that it isn't septic
involvement. 100 mgs Thiamine won't hurt either. In fact, give her
some. And get an oral temperature for me if you can, 51. Monitor
her on EKG for any altered rhythm. Report back to me in two
minutes with any new details. If not, transport her as soon as
possible. ##

"10-4, I.V. Normal Saline titrated to the hemodynamic status
margin minimum. A red top followed by 25 gms Dex50 I.V.,
and 100 mgs Thiamine. EKG check followed by a condition
update and immediate transport."

Millie wanted to know. "What's all that stuff?"

Cap answered, "Salt water and sugar, with one of the B vitamins,
a heartbeat reading, and then a fast ticket outta here."

"Huh...Whatever happened to the good ol smelling salts and
patting the wrists routine? That worked fine in reviving folks
awake in my day.." Millie interjected.

Johnny and Roy just smiled.

They got down to business re-examining Dixie for problems
visually and by feel and found only a few bruises on her palms
from the CPR she had given Ger and a few minor scrapes
on her hips from when she dragged the boy out of the pool.

No masses or pulsations were found anywhere in her abdomen
beyond the rigidity that was just starting to become apparent.

After they had given her a good once over and had connected
Dixie to the heart monitor, they covered her up with a sheet
for warmth.

A minute later, following the energizing Thiamine,
all the sugar and the actively pushed fluid bolus, Dixie finally showed
some mental life. Her eyes  fluttered open. For good measure,
she jerked her hand out of Kelly's concerned one." I heard that
joke, you two nutcases. I just couldn't answer.." she growled.
"Not yet, anyway.  Just how much is all this attention gonna cost
me? I've never needed an ambulance before.."

"Hardly anything and ...we're glad you liked it.." Johnny said.
"And everybody ELSE'S glad that you're conscious. Now you
know the routine. Quit griping and answer my questions already."

Dixie sighed under her O2 mask and lifted her knees a little
higher at a particularly viscious pain stab. "Go.."

"What are your symptoms? We already know about
the fever, diarrhea and the vomiting."

"Abdominal pain. Surprise!"

Roy and Johnny made a face. Chet just laughed.

Image of chetsmirk.jpg Image of ivbag.jpg Image of dixieono2.jpg Image of jmadsteth.jpg

"Do you have any allergies?"

"No."

"Are you on any medications or have you taken anything
for this?"

"None and no."

"What kind of abdominal history do you have? Anything like a
past incarcerated hernia, intussuception, cholecystitis, cystitis,
duodenal ulcers, diverticulitis, abdominal aortic aneurysm,
kidney infections, kidney stones, pancreatitis,
pelvic inflammatory disease...."

Dixie just rolled her eyes at the last one.

"Sorry.. And I know you haven't had any kids recently.."

She glared at Gage indignantly.

"..ever.." he amended self consciously, clearing his throat.

Dixie let him off the look-that-could-kill hook.
"None on all counts, Johnny. All I know is that I hurt.
Horribly. And I'm so hot I feel like I'm gonna die." she
whimpered instead.

"No you're not. Your pressure's sitting at an even 100
now. Up twenty millibars." Roy grinned.

"Speak for yourself. You aren't hurting." she snivelled.

"He could be if you punch him one.." Chet suggested.

"Don't tempt me.." she spat.

Right then, Johnny tested for rebound tenderness over
her stomach and found a definite positive finding
when she shoved his hand away with a sharp intake of
breath and suddenly grew five shades paler. " Uh huh..
And right over McBurney's point, Roy.."

Dixie met both the paramedics' eyes with a blank stare.
"You've got to be kidding. Appendicitis?" she pegged.

"We don't know that and none of us will. Not until after a
battery of testing.." Roy admitted.

"Cap, how long on that ambulance? She's.. VERY..
stabilized now." Gage asked, putting a bored chin into a
hand on an elbow lean.

"Let ME find out for ya, Cap." and Kelly neatly exited the
apartment to avoid the storm to come. "I'll....just.. show them
the way through darkest Africa out here..." he said.

"My garden's not THAT bad! Oww.." Dixie fired back,
doubling over when her shouting irritated her side again.

Gage returned to his questioning. "Last oral intake?"

"Uhh,, I don't remember.." she sighed weakily from the pillows.

Roy rubbed his nose. "Morton called her diminished
LOC right on the nose. Hypoglycemia.."

"Not him, too...?! Ughh!" Dixie denied. "It's bad enough having Kel
and Joe snooping around and finding out about this.." she winced.
"But to have that bedside mannerless automaton knowing
about it.."

"Shall I relay that message?" Johnny quirked, holding out
the biophone receiver. "He's listening.."

Dixie paled even further.

"No, he's not. I covered the phone when you started up
about him. Aren't I nice?" Gage sniffed. "Events leading
to your illness?" he continued, scribbling into his note pad.

Dixie sputtered, recovering on all tracks but the physical.
"Let's see, over work, under pay.." she ticked off on her
fingers.. " a tiny head cold and now I've got a big problem
with a certain bunch of real pesky firemen.." she blathered.

Johnny ignored her. "When was the onset of your pain?"

Dixie finally got intimated by the proceedings and started
answering without bristling. "Started mid line bilaterally
around 11 am, right after work, yesterday."

"What provoked it?"

"Moving." she snapped.

"What does it feel like?"

"Awful."

Now it was Roy's turn to roll his eyes.

Image of roychewnail.jpg Image of stokercouchbackgroundclose.jpg Image of dixoffduty.jpg

Now Gage poured on the purest kind of paramedic mule headed
cussedness. "Does it radiate anywhere?" he asked through gritted
teeth, staying outwardly professional beyond that one anomaly.

"Not anymore. You found the X that marks the spot."

Johnny bit his lip. "How severe is it?"

"Bad."

Cap started chuckling and had to amble away.

"Does anything make it better?" Roy tried when
Johnny began boiling.

"Unconsciousness did, Roy, and I got you two to
thank for dragging me kicking and screaming out of it."
Dixie said quite honestly, ripping off her oxygen mask.
"Excuse me, I'm going to go puke.." and she started
to get up.

Both Johnny and Roy.... and Cap... stopped her by
grabbing and laying across her chest, knees and
legs. "You're not going anywhere, Dixie! You've lost
your right to make a judgement call." Hank thundered.

"Who says?!"

"We all do!" Gage shouted. Then he narrowed his eyes
in a challenge. "Let her go, Cap. Roy, you too."
Reaching over, he shut down Dixie's running I.V. to TKO.
"Ok. Prove it."

Dixie eyed Johnny suspiciously. "Prove what?"

"Prove that you're fully medically competent to handle
this health matter..." he said firmly stabbing a finger
down on the bed sheets in between them. "If you can
stand up on your own two feet, without blacking out,"
he said waggling a finger in her face."...all of us will just
pack up.....and we'll leave..."

The silence in the room was palpable.

Dixie's hand snaked over and dialed up the I.V. to a fast
gush in the drip chamber.

"Ah, ah ah.." Johnny said, jerking the tubing out of her hand
and he redialed it back down to TKO. "Without any outside help
or adjunct." he clarified.

Then he pulled her sheets down and invited her to swing her legs
over the side of the bed.

Dixie froze like a deer in the headlights.

Then her jaw clamped shut and the insult she was about to
hurl died aborning. She yanked the covers back up to her chin
and her teeth started to chatter. "You boys make sure neither Kel
nor Joe does my surgery.."

Johnny relaxed his finger pointing stare and he planted the
abandoned O2 mask that was hissing around her neck to back
over her face.

She didn't protest. "Promise me..." she asked of her two hands on
hips posturing paramedics.

"Ok.." Roy shrugged and he turned up her I.V. to a shock fighting
level again.

Feeling a bit like the devil, Johnny added, "We'll let Morton do it."

Dixie nearly levitated off the bed.

Right then the elegant Victorian phone on Dixie's nightstand
rang.

"Uh oh." trickled Cap.

Johnny picked it up, reluctantly, after it rang six times. "Oh, hiya doc.
Uh, what do you mean what am I still doing over here? Uh,  that's kind
of a long story. You see...."

Image of marcochetwow.jpg Image of capjonprivatephone.jpg

**************************************************************************
From :  wone3 <jwilds@prodigy.net>
Sent :  Saturday, October 30, 2004 1:55 PM
Subject :  [EmergencyTheaterLive] Kel's Call
 

Kel Brackett had just finished with his last patient from the
fairgrounds, stretching and yawning after the long session of
patients he had dealt with during this crisis. He checked with the
staff to make sure the patient was going to be moved to a room
shortly and started to leave the room for the elevators. Joe Early
had just finished with his last patient shortly before Kel and was
waiting by the elevators for one to arrive when Kel walked up. They
engaged in small talk about their patients until the elevator door
opened and the bell rang. They both stepped into the elevator with
Kel pushing the button for the first floor ER and Joe abruptly
changing the subject.

"I wonder how Dixie is doing? Have you heard anything? I haven't and
asked Carol if Dixie called to just let me know." Joe asked.

Kel answered him, " I haven't received a call either. I'm hoping that
Carol did and we were all too busy to deliver the message. We can
check once we return to the floor or call her from my office if she
hasn't called in. Dixie has too many symptoms for it to be minor and
I'm concerned that she doesn't realize it."

The elevator arrived at their floor, the bell rang as the doors
opened and they walked out. They headed straight for the nurse's
station. They both saw Mike Morton in base station apparently talking
to a paramedic team.

Carol saw both of the doctors arrive and before they could ask the
question said, " No, Dixie hasn't called in and Dr. Morton is on with
51's at their silent alarm. I don't remember the address but I think
it was an apartment."

Joe asked, "Are we that predictable?"

Carol just rolled her eyes and laughed as she returned to the
paperwork before her. Dixie had taught her well about the doctors.
Both doctors just laughed as Kel said, "I guess so." They walked back
to his office to make the phone call.

Joe followed Kel into his office and shut the door behind him. Kel
sat down at the desk and dialed the numbers from memory to Dixie's
place. The phone rang and rang. Kel was growing concerned as the
number of rings climbed up to 6 and then someone picked up the phone.
It was Johnny Gage and that confused and concerned Kel even further.

Kel asked, "What are you doing there?"

>>Johnny answered with hesitation, "Hi ya doc, what am I doing here?
>>Well it is a long story. You see…"

Kel interrupted Johnny, "You mean she finally came to her senses and
called for help?"

Johnny answered, "Well sort of, she must have blacked out after she
dialed our station number. We couldn't get a response from her over
the phone and came over. The landlady let us in and we found her
collapsed beside her bed. She got lucky to get us; we had just come
back from a house fire that had taken us away from the station for at
least an hour. We have been talking to Morton to treat her since
then."

Kel could hear Dixie yell from the background "Kel, you and Joe, and
I know Joe is with you, aren't going to perform surgery on me when I
get there."

Kel acknowledged Johnny by stating he knew because he had checked by
the nurse's station before calling. He then asked Johnny to give
Dixie the phone and Johnny did. Dixie stated, "Did you hear me Kel?"

Kel interrupted her, "We tried to do things your way, and you haven't
gotten better but instead worse. Now it's our turn, and you are going
to have to deal with things the way we want to do it. You are the
patient and nothing more from here on out until this is finished." He
growled at her. Joe tried to get him to calm down in the background.
She quietly acquiesced, she knew she had caused too many problems by
his time, her fight nearly gone, and her fever-reduced haze was
playing tricks on her mind, and handed the phone back to Johnny.

He told Johnny that he'd check with Mike about everything that had
been done thus far and asked why they weren't on the way yet. Johnny
told the doc that the ambulance wasn't there yet and was delayed a
while, once it was there they were more than ready to go. Kel
acknowledged it and told the paramedic that he'd see him once they
got here and hung up. He went to find Mike Morton.

Just as Johnny hung up the phone, Dixie's eyes rolled back and she
blacked out dissolving into unconsciousness once again.


Image of brackettonredphone.jpg Image of mortonphonekelbackground.jpg Image of dixieout.jpg

*****************************************************
From:  "patti keiper" <pattik1@hotmail.com>
Date:  Sun Oct 31, 2004  7:17 pm
Subject:  Here's to Jack O Lanterns and Internal Organs..


Johnny Gage noticed, "Dixie?  Hey--" and he reached
out to touch her chin when Roy DeSoto stopped him.

"Why don't we let her be, Johnny?" he smiled. "Looks
like she's finally given in to that long rest her body's been
demanding that she'd better have. She's comfortable
enough and breathing fine on her side just as she is without
us messing around with an oral airway. We'd be disturbing
her if we did any further monkeying."

"But--" he bit his lip, considering, and checking a sudden retort.
"Ok, convince me. What's her pressure now?" checking McCall's
pupils again in a search for how far down she'd gone.

"116/72.." he said pointedly amused. "The I.V.'s HAS done its work.
And see? On the monitor...." Roy invited with an eye glance.

Johnny studied Dixie's tracing EKG reading on the scope and his
critical analyzing frown slowly turned into a light smile. "Sinus rhythm...
finally." he sighed.

"Yeah, her rate's about 58." Roy agreed. "Not stressed any longer
at all.."

"Now that's what I call sleeping.." Kelly remarked.

"Chet, what would you know?" Gage commented. "You're not a paramedic
like us." The irritation on giving into his partner's low impact patient care
plan was still festering a bit under the skin. He liked his victims awake
and talking when they didn't have vitals that disfavored maintaining that status.  

"No, but I know good vital signs notes when I hear them." he said, unoffended.
"I got the smarts when I need em, Don't you worry yourself about that, pally." he
said, winking at Roy to let him know he was in a needle Johnny Gage
mode again now that all the excitement was over.

Gage rapidly starting cleaning up and tidying while Roy readied
Dixie's apparatus for gurney loading. "No, you're definitely pumpkin positive,
Chet..." he mumbled.

Image of johnnyangryface.jpg Image of chetblindswhatsthemattergage.jpg

"What? I didn't quite hear ya, Johnny? What the heck's pumpkin positive
mean?" he grinned, giving motions of a gimme more gesture behind Gage's
back where the dark haired paramedic couldn't see it.

The gang just folded arms together to watch the verbal tennis match with
the same grins on their faces.

And Johnny walked right into the baiting, hook, line and sinker. "If a doctor
writes 'Pumpkin Positive' on your notes, Chet, they mean if they shine a penlight
into your mouth, they would encounter a brain so small that your whole head
would light up."

"Oh, uh huh." Kelly said, mildly, completely unruffled. "Gee, that's really interesting,
Gage. But what IQ scale fits your place at the shallow end of the gene pool...?
You didn't even see that Dixie's just snoozing right now until Roy here, pointed
it out to you."

"Chet---"

"Ok, enough's enough." Cap intervened, chuckling. "If you two carry on in here
much longer, you just might DO what Roy says not to do and you'll wake her up.
You guys can go play debate team after the call's over. Come on, Kelly. Back
to the engine. Stoker and Marco are already waiting for ya. "

"But--"

"But nothin, I'm only lagging behind because I wanna make sure that Dixie's
place get's locked up again once the PD gets here. You know my signature's
needed on the house entry form. "

"That's all right, sir. I can take care of that.." said Millie the land lady..

Cap blinked and her comment didn't register under the hard thinking and
disciplining he was still embarking upon. " I'll take the squad in so Roy and
John can fuss over her at much as they'd like on the way in. Now, shoo.."
Hank said, jerking up his chin in a firm, I'm the captain look.

"Cappp..." Chet whined. "Are you gonna let Johnny keep
picking on me?" he said in jest.

"No, I'm gonna let YOU take a time out on HIM. That wasn't
a request, Kelly.."

"No, it was an order, I know.. I know." and he trudged out the door,
putting on his helmet again over his smoky curls. "Why spoil my fun? I was
just trying to lighten the tense mood radiating out from a certain someone
still leaning over the bed. And Dixie hasn't been disturbed. She
hasn't moved since Roy tipped her head back."

"Go.." Cap pointed, his stenorous baritone cracking out.

"Yes, sir.." Kelly said automatically at the undeniable
tone of command. He snapped his fingers in self chiding
annoyance when he realized that he was still so well
conditioned, that he actually jumped to attention at it.

"Weellll, maybe there's a few seeds in the jack o lantern
after all." Gage shot back after him. "You understood
that ok.."

All the firemen raised their heads when the sound of
the Mayfair responding to their rescue call appeared
and finally pulled up just outside.

"Gage, zip it." Cap coughed, trying to hide a smile.
"You're falling behind. DeSoto's got the I.V. box
already put back together and the attendants are
only seconds away."

Millie rubbed her chin. "I guess all the acid banter means
that Dixie's really ok?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"It sure does.." Roy said, standing up from one last
check on Dixie's respirations. "I'll leave a note with
her about your involvement in resecuring the apartment.
The policeman coming is just a formality. Cap's only
got a few lines to fill out on the officer's report."

"All right. Thank you, gentlemen, for helping Dixie like
you have. It really was sitting in the back of my mind, that
something wasn't right. I was just too timid to inquire and
intrude, you know?"

"Yeah, we know." Johnny said. "It's a trait of being
American, that respect for any individual's home privacy.
No harm's done, ma'am."

"Thank goodness."


Image of royjohninbluejacketchathospitalroom.jpg Image of capchetfrank.jpg

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Dixie..

Dixie.. Can you hear me? Look what I brought..." said a firm
but quiet male voice.

Dixie opened her eyes and peered around a flowing oxygen
mask.

And saw a grotesque swollen pink and purple worm, floating
in a jar of preserving fluid..

"GahHH!" she jerked, throwing her hands up. "Get that thing
away from me." and she immediately winced when stitches,
external and internal, snagged on her innards. "Ooo.."

"What? It's not a prop from the little shop of horrors, Dixie."
said Joe Early with a chuckle. "This was part of you fifteen
minutes ago."

"I know what it is, Joe. It's just so... yyuck.." she shuddered, coughing
up a plume of anesthetic gas from her chest as she got a radar
on how truly awake she was becoming.  Her nursing side finally
got the better of her. "Ok, so what did ya find?" she gave in.

Image of appendixspecimen.jpg Image of joekelsuitscrubs.jpg

Kel Brackett, to Joe's left, also seated on the bed, answered her.
"Well, your appendicitis was uncomplicated. We found no fecaliths, lymph
node involvements, or any signs of appendiceal perforation. You just had
some moderate suprefaction of the mesentery that didn't effect the
peritoneum. We did a WBC and got only moderate numbers and we did a flat plate, which came back negative. A UA for blood was completely clear of red cells. Your kidneys,..are fine."

Dixie blinked, still very groggy. "Would you explain that in plain
english? I think I'm still a little hollow in the head right now."

"Rest, Dix." Kel said, getting up. "We'll just leave your souvenir
on the bedstand for you to analyze later."

"Don't forget to use a pillow on your abdomen when
you have to cough up some of that phlegm. And yes, we
made sure the incision was made below the bikini line." Joe added.

"You're all heart." she grumbled, rolling over to sleep some
more. "And if I hear one crack about the mickey mouse shaped
beauty mark I know you saw down there coming from the nursing staff,
I'll personally feed you each, half of my appendix that's floating around in that specimen jar."

"She's awake, Kel. I think we can leave now. No one who's too
sleepy to breathe ever musters up a threat."

"You're right, Joe. Sweet dreams, Dix, and get better fast.."

The only reply was a blissful mumble followed by a rub of
a few fingers on her nose.

The two Rampart doctors left the recovery room on scrub paper
covered shoes, gingerly.

   FIN    

   00:51       Episode Fifteen    Season Two

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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