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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. |
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************************************************************** 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. |
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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. |
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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.## |
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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. |
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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. |
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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." |
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"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." |
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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. |
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"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. |
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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...." |
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************************************************************************** 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. |
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***************************************************** 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. |
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"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." |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "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. |
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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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