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A wave of dizziness swept through Dixie and her fingers slipped on Roy's skin. His head slid off her shoulder into the water. With a cry of dismay, Dixie thrashed about with her arms, searching for him in a blind panic. "I got him!" said a new voice. Dixie gasped and startled when she suddenly felt strong arms supporting Roy's heavy weight. She knew immediately who it was. "Fred! Get him up! Get him up! He can't maintain his own airway. He's been drugged." The doctor grunted, lifting, until Roy's nose and mouth reappeared at the surface of the water. The paramedic gasped involuntarily then, through his unconsciousness, and they watched as he started to breathe again in the rich oxygenated air. "OhmyG*d, How'd you get down here?" Dixie said, returning DeSoto's head to her shoulder. "Are the others coming?" "Not the way I came through." said Fred, blinking in the torrents of water raining down on them. "It's all submerged now and there's been another ceiling collapse." he said, slipping behind Dixie to support her back to help her with Roy's weight. "How's that head of yours?" "Never mind that. You're very stupid to come down here after me. Johnny's gonna be p*ssed when he runs out of air down there after digging, comes up, and finds out about you." "Who?" Gage's head burst to the surface and he sucked in huge lungfuls as he shook the water out of his eyes. "I'm almost done! I think I can get him free this last try once I catch my br--" he broke off when he realized that Fred was there. "Dixie? Who's this? A survivor?! Mister, are you hurt?" "No, I'm not. Just concentrate on your friend here. Time's wasting. Time that we just don't have." Hathaway barked. "I'm estimating another minute for him before the water gets up over his head the rest of the way. Get going!" Gage didn't try to fathom out the odd look in Dixie's eyes, nor the one on the stranger's face. He just took another breath, and dove down again with the knife in his teeth. Roy began bubbling and choking as the water slapped over his chin and trickled down his short airway tube. Dixie cried out. "Oh, no." Fred was firm. "I got his shoulders, Dixie. Let him go. Concentrate on helping him by mouth to mouth. Seal him off in between breaths when you come up yourself for some. If you get dizzy, let me know and we'll switch places." the surgeon shouted."Whatever you do, keep that airway in place, it'll prevent tongue spasms." Dixie nodded in fright and ducked under the water, starting to give Roy quick, light breaths after pinching off his nose firmly. She kept going as the water began to climb higher and higher up her arms. Dixie found that she had to pull herself down deeper and deeper each time to reach his lips and the hard plastic of the tube she was blocking off with her fingers. Gage burst to the top again, seeing sparkles from the lack of air. He saw Roy's head had submerged completely and that he was being aided already by the two Rampart staffers. Hyperventilating by the hissing oxygen bottle's underwater bubble stream, Johnny forced himself to recharge his lungs for only a few seconds before he dove down one last time to cut free the cloth still twisted around Roy's legs. Above him, the truck settled, sliding down with a groan of tortured metal. Johnny inchwormed out from under it at the last second with a fist gripping Roy's pants leg cuffs, dragging both feet out of the way. But then a block of ceiling cement impacted him in the small of his back, pushing Gage face down, onto the submerged floor. He began to struggle. |
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Fred saw the change. "Dixie! Johnny's in trouble. Hold this guy. I'll be right back." And he porpoised underwater after Gage. Dixie began shouting. "Fred! .....*gasp* Fred! " But then she had to deliver Roy's next breath again and that effectively ended her screaming out Dr. Hathaway's name. Johnny grunted as the crushing weight pressed down excruciatingly. He lost precious air from his lungs as he tried to get his feet under himself to get out from under it. Then he felt a pair of hands lift it away and pull him to the water's surface. "Easy, fireman. You ok now?" asked Fred. "Now I am. Get back to my partner, Roy. He's free. I'm climbing up onto the truck. I hear a winch line and belt coming down to us!" Fred let Johnny go. "Ok, be careful. Try not to fall playing the hero." he teased. Gage flashed him a grin that was only half worry then, for Roy. Soon, his feet disappeared through the ceiling and above the shattered waterfalling pipe. The surgeon waded back over to McCall to cradle her as she worked to maintain DeSoto. He was now a near drowning case and not breathing on his own even though his face was easily floating on top of the water. She told Hathaway why. "He landed on a filled needle, Fred. We don't know what was in it." Hathway was soothing to Dixie, to calm her. "Roy's still got a pulse here. Need a break yet?" "No.. just keep holding...........me up. I won't be able to do the same for you. I'm too weak yet." she gasped, keeping hold of Roy's chin and nose. "Fair enough. Blow harder. It'll push what water got in,.. out of his lungs." Fred directed. "He's not distending, so don't worry about that." Dixie was ever grateful for an anesthesiologist's wisdom. It felt strange being in Fred's arms again and it brought back memories and sensations that she had long since forgotten. Emotions rising to the foreground made her start to cry from stress and shock. Her breaths to Roy faltered. "Shhh, you're doing fine." Fred told her, kissing the top of her head gently, shielding her from the falling water with his body. "I'll help you count. One, two, three...four..five.. Breathe.." |
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Dixie breathed. She let Fred's voice guide her through her mental haze and fear. ::Roy's not going to die, Johnny. I won't let him.:: she promised. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gage got within arm's reach of Stoker. "Mike! We're here. Lower the rope farther! Roy's in trouble. He's apneic being assisted. He goes first!" Stoker bubbled his worry ...and relief.. and started snapping orders. Kelly, next to him, frowned as he looked at the IR imager's screen. "Johnny, we're reading four heat signatures down there. I thought it was just you two and Dixie.." "Some triage doctor came down after us.." Gage shouted back up. "That crazy mother---" Vince blew up. He had heard Johnny's comment. "I'll arrest him as soon as you fellas get his sorry butt back up here!" he roared. "Gimme more slack.." Gage said, "And get this stokes outta here. There isn't the room for it! We'll go with just the belt and pulley. He's hurt his leg and a foot only." Chet couldn't contain himself. "How's Dixie?" "Concussed but fully conscious. She's the one breathing for Roy." Hank was beside himself. "Oh, L*rd... Need an airway, pal?" "No, we got one in." said, Gage, guiding the winch lowering cable down past the truck. "That's right. That's probably one from Roy's pockets." Cap said. "I forget how much he plans ahead for things like that being an ex Viet Nam medic like he is. Stoker go grab a resuscitator. Then call a doc to get over here from triage to manage Roy as a critical. And find another paramedic team to handle our wounded. Gage isn't going to by himself. I won't allow it." "Right. Back in two minutes." Mike dashed off. "Cap!" said Johnny once again from the hole. "Yeah?" "Catch this!" Gage said. He tossed up the syringe that he had pulled out of Roy's back. "Roy got himself stuck on the stuff when the ceiling caved in. He got a good dose of it, enough to wipe out his breathing. A lab's gonna have to analyze it so we know how to counteract whatever drug's effecting him." Hank caught it deftly. "Lopez.. Run. Tell the chief and then make this your top priority." he told Marco. |
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Marco took it one step further and radioed ahead about the syringe coming to the ER. "I'll stay with Brackett until he has an answer for Johnny. I'll have him radio on it as soon as he knows. And I'll tell Stoker to bring the rest of gear from the squad with him." Cap nodded. "Ok, sounds like a plan. Move." Marco needed no encouragement. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Time was standing still. The only thing that seemed to move for Dixie, was Roy's chest as she made it rise and the gushing water from the pipe that tried to beat it down again. Even sounds seemed to still. Dimly, she heard voices. Johnny's as he slipped a lifebelt around DeSoto's waist, and Fred's as he helped the paramedic fireman ready the winch cable. She hardly felt Gage place a belt around her own waist and she actually protested with a short cry when he snugged it tight and accidently disturbed her rhythm of breaths. She allowed them to put a fire helmet onto her head after they had Roy rope attached. "Ok, Dixie. Let me at him. You're about to drop." Gage told McCall. With an effort, Dixie tried to let go. Her cramped hands didn't want to fall away from Roy's face...until Fred's warm ones peeled them gently off. Johnny leaned down and hyperventilated Roy a couple of times mouth to mouth,.. giving him enough oxygen into his system to last for the fast winch trip to come through the ceiling. Roy's feet and knife shredded pants disappeared up into the hole and into many firefighter hands. Fred unexpectedly, shouted. "Fireman, you go next. " the surgeon told Gage. "I'll get Dixie up. You gotta get up there for your partner's resuscitation care and to act as a go between sharing info with everybody about that syringe Roy poisoned himself on." "I can't leave until you two do. You're crazy!" Johnny told him no nonsense. "Yes you can. I'm a doctor and I'm giving you, as my paramedic, a direct order. Go. Leave here. I'll assume full responsibility." "You can't do that." "Sure I can. I'm not a victim of yours. I came down here of my own free will as a fellow rescuer, remember? So my doctor's authority is still acting over you most thoroughly." "You're leaving before me. And that's that." Johnny yelled, thrusting the winch cable at the surgeon. "Like you're gonna stop me, Gage?" Fred grinned. "I'm bigger than you by at least hundred pounds." Then he smiled as he cradled Dixie, who had started shivering violently in a sudden odd muteness. "Someone's gotta stay down here to make sure her line doesn't foul. Go, it'll only take a minute. I'll watch her feet as she moves through. She's getting shocky and I'll never forgive you if she blacks out from hypothermia due to your delaying." glared Hathaway. "I promise you I'll come down full guns on you discipline wise if you try anything to interfere with my decision here. Anything at all. So don't do it." "Fred..." |
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"Don't tempt me, paramedic!" Hathway interrupted. "I will file an official reprimand if you don't go in five seconds. One,..two... three.." A small whimper from Dixie and the sight of her glazing eyes decided Johnny. He reluctantly climbed the rope and uptook the one on Dixie belt. He shouted to the firemen above him. "Another victim's on the line. Take up my slack! .." He crouched briefly on top of the crushed truck's hood and met Fred's eyes with a long look of indecision and reluctance. But then he grew too busy with Dixie to remain frozen with doubt for long. He climbed up out of vision to aid in the rope guiding. "Fred, I'll be back for you in less than a minute. Be ready for my rope. Coil it twice around your belt's loop hook!" Dixie was halfway up out of the water when the fallen truck tipped sideways and started falling towards her with a slow creeping roar. Fred didn't hesitate as he leaped at the nurse to tuck Dixie's feet safely up into the ceiling and out of danger. He sighed with a smile when his hand fell away from her shoes as he came down again. ::I did it. I saved her. This is more than a fair enough trade. My life for hers. Thank you, G*d, for letting me be there for her one last time. Goodbye, Dixie. All my love. Kel, you take good care of her, you hear?:: he wished. Hathaway had a few seconds to turn then, to fully embrace the truck that was inexorably cascading its five ton weight down the debris pile, on its slow approaching way, to killing him. Fred was still smiling when the impact forced the air out of his lungs and bore him deep under the dark frothing water. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gage startled. He was by Stoker, who was crouched intently over Roy, giving him badly needed supported breaths with the demand valve. He had heard the deep throated grind of falling weight that had belched from the hole. "Did you get him?" he demanded of the fire crews. "We're still pulling up the slack..." admitted the fireman manning the winch. Just then, engineers managed to shut off the water main and the flood died away into soft drops which echoed off the truck below. Cheering, the firefighters picked up their retrieval's pace. Inch by inch, the surgeon's rope was coiled on the wheel. On the ground, nestled in a stokes and being blanket and oxygen tended by paramedics, Dixie saw ....the torn, frayed end of it come into view. The life belt that should have been around the surgeon's waist had been ripped clean away from the line and it was missing. The fibers there were red with blood. "I've just lost the heat signature! I've lost sight of the last victim!" cried the camera operator, still looking through the infrared imager's viewscreen. The full meaning of what that meant shadowed painfully on Johnny's face, driving the full impact of the reality of Fred's sudden death, home to McCall. "No!!!... Oh, G*d, no...." Dixie sobbed. "Fred...? Fred!!" The surgeon couldn't.. and would never,.. respond to her cries. Johnny, knelt by Dixie's stretcher, and took her hand, numbly. "Dixie, I'm ...so....so sorry. He left me no choice but to leave...." Dixie's turned a shivering, tear filled gaze onto her friend and rescuer. "I knew Fred would do that. I think I knew that the moment he started arguing with you. That's why I went so numb.. I...Oh, G*d, don't blame yourself. He was ...always pushy, Johnny. And that's why I loved him so much..." she choked up, crying in gasps as her waterchilled shock began to rule her once more. |
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"Dixie...." "Go take care of your partner, Gage. Don't let that man's sacrifice be for nothing, ok?" snapped the paramedic working on the nurse. "Or I'll start doing some butt kicking,.. real fast." Johnny went. ************************************************** From: "wone3" <jwilds@starpower.net> Date: Mon Nov 28, 2005 11:54 am Subject: Absolution and Grief Johnny kept Stoker aiding Roy's breathing even as the medic team started to move Roy to triage. Marco had made record time in getting to Dr. Brackett and getting the syringe analyzed. Fortunately for all involved, it was a benzodiazepine derivative that wouldn't pose any other side effects. Brackett had the medication's name, Versed, radioed over to the triage team in short order and ordered incremental intravenous bolus injections of flumazenil to counteract the symptoms via I.V. Based on the estimated dosage that Roy took into his system, Kel knew that Roy would only potentially have troubles for the next six hours or so. :: He will most likely sleep through that entire time and be fine when he wakes up.:: Dr. Brackett thought. It was during the syringe analysis that both Marco and Dr. Brackett heard of Dr. Fred Hathaway's demise through Marco's HT. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dixie was next moved back to the triage area. The entire triage staff felt as though the weight of the world was off their shoulders and there was a general sense of relief seeing that particular stretcher. Joe Early saw her stokes coming and he couldn't have been more thankful to see one of his best friends still alive. As he came up to her, he saw her red, tear filled eyes, noting her shivering body. And he could see the concussion signs that he had been radioed about before she arrived. Joe knew what had basically happened at the hole as well. "Hi, Dix. I should ask you how you are feeling emotionally but I think I have a clue at least a bit about how you feel. Fred was a special doctor and I know you cared about him quite a bit. How are you feeling physically though?" "Hi, Joe, I have a big headache that just won't quit, and my body's cold and numb. But as far as I can tell, no broken bones or internal injuries. I was knocked unconscious for a while though." The tears came to her eyes again as she started to speak about the now dead doctor. "He pushed me out of the way of the falling truck and took the hit himself. Why, Joe, why?" she said in a sorrowful voice that had been crying seemingly nonstop. Joe placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder as he continued his evaluation of her. "I'm not entirely sure of the why Dixie. I do know that he came here looking for you before he went over there. I also tend to think that, even though you two broke it off between yourselves, that you both were still harboring feelings for each other. Am I right?" Dixie did all that she could do between her sobbing gasps, and that was just to carefully nod her head. She didn't do it too much as the headache she had, still wouldn't quit. |
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Joe finished up with the exam and told her that she'd be spending the next day or two upstairs in the hospital. "Today will be just for the neurological checks. You'll stay tomorrow, too, so you can catch up on sleep from the checks and so we can make sure nothing else creeps up." he explained. Dixie didn't even put up a fight, which kind of surprised Joe. But he understood with the mood that she was in after all that happened. He motioned to the two orderlies to take her inside Rampart and he told them to let admitting know that he'd fill out her paperwork once he was done triaging. They took McCall upstairs to her room for the night, afterwards. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was several hours later. Kel was out checking on some last minute details on a few patients before he left for the night after his absolutely nightmarish shift. He couldn't believe that Fred Hathaway was gone. But was he was thankful that Fred had come through for Dixie. Just like he'd told Kel that he WOULD do. And Kel wouldn't have had it any other way if it helped his other friends. Johnny had told Brackett most of the story of what had happened to Fred while being checked out by the doctor. Kel had known about the water and Johnny's near mishap with the truck, too. ::Johnny couldn't avoid trouble if he tried. :: he thought. Dr. Brackett had been saving two patients for last on the rounds; partially out of the guilt trip he was experiencing and partially because he wanted to spend more time with Dixie, Johnny and Roy, who happened to be, what he considered as close friends. Johnny and Roy he still had to thank for risking their lives saving Dixie. And as for McCall, he felt he had to apologize for getting her into that situation in the first place. Perhaps he would add some reassurances to all during the rest of the chain of events to come. He stopped by the nurse's desk on their floor and grabbed his patients' charts. They were only a couple of doors down from each other. Kel went to the paramedics' room first, mainly because it would be easier to deal with them and get the thank you out of the way. He was not relishing the idea of facing Dixie yet, as he wasn't sure of the words to use for both apology and reassurance. Kel came to the partially shut door and knocked. He entered even as Gage acknowledged him with a come in call. Roy Desoto occupied the bed still recuperating from his Versed intake and an ankle injury. Roy wasn't awake but he was sleeping peacefully, off the ventilator finally. Kel saw that Johnny Gage had taken residence in the chair next to his partner. ::Has he been there ever since I allowed him to leave the ER?:: he asked himself mentally. ::I did tell Johnny and Captain Stanley that Johnny would have to miss the next shift after all that had happened down in the hole.:: he surmised. Johnny had put up his usual fuss but Kel knew he wouldn't get his way. |
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"Hi, doc. What brings you through here this time of night?" Johnny said as he slowly took in Kel's appearance. Gage could see through Kel's tired guilt ridden eyes and facial features. He realized Kel still hadn't granted himself absolution over the entire situation with Dixie yet. The paramedic knew that he'd have to step carefully in part of the conversation to come. "What are you doing here, Johnny? I thought I told you to go home and get some rest. I came to check up on Roy mainly. But it looks like I also guessed correctly that you'd still be here. I hoped to talk to you both. But I can tell now that I'll have to wait until later to talk to Roy." Kel answered with both a sense of purpose and a bit of joking. "You look like you really have something else on your mind though, doc." Johnny answered. "Yes, I do have something on my mind, Johnny. I want to say what I have to say to you without being interrupted if possible, o.k.?" Johnny nodded as Kel continued. "I want to thank you for taking your life into your own hands, saving Dixie from the fire. I know she means a lot to both of you. She means a lot, to a whole lot of people and I am not sure what we'd do without her. Fortunately, this time we won't have to find out, thanks to you two and the rest of the firefighters who responded. And don't say you were just doing your job. Because, from what I heard is left of the lab space down there, you had to have been doing something special just to survive then. I also hope you aren't blaming yourself for Dr. Hathaway's death. He was the type of doctor that would stubbornly give up everything to save a patient and this time, ....he did." added Kel with a touch of melancholy. Johnny decided to be blunt in responding, "We WERE just doing our jobs, but I am glad you think we did something special down there. Dixie does mean a lot to me, ..to all of us; but I think she means even more to you, doc. I'm glad none of us had to find out what life would've been like without her around. I'm just sorry that we didn't get Dr. Hathaway out in time before the truck got him. And you're right, I do feel guilty about that, but I know that I'm not G*d. Every situation is not going to be a happily ever after scenario. Doc, the fire wasn't your fault and Dixie being down there getting hurt wasn't either. Dixie was doing her job, checking on those results. It was simply her being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and yes, I do know about these things...." |
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Kel thought about what Johnny just said. He cracked a smile and started to chuckle. "You are right, Johnny. Especially about that part of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Don't stay too long. Go home and get some sleep. Your partner will be fine here." Johnny couldn't help but get caught up in Kel's laughter, "Go talk to her, doc. She'll tell you the same thing about the fire. And she really needs you to deal with Dr. Hathaway's death I think." Kel walked to the door and turned around, "That's where I'm headed now, Johnny. Thanks for the talk." He walked through the open door and shut it behind him. He left it as he had found it when he first entered. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kel walked down the hallway past a couple of doors to Dixie's room. Again the door was cracked open but Kel went ahead and knocked as he entered. He could hear Dixie's quiet crying as he entered. :: I know Fred meant a bunch to you, Dix, but something must have happened down there that I don't know about. I need to tread carefully with you through this:: he thought to himself. Dixie took in Kel's appearance through red eyes. She could see guilt hidden in his eyes and his melancholic facial features. :: I know you so well Kel. You are feeling very guilty about me having been downstairs when the fire started. :: she thought. She saw that he had what she assumed to be her chart in his hands. And she knew that he'd start with small talk first using that before he would try to apologize. ::I'll let him start. :: she decided. "You're doing good, Dixie. Your concussion symptoms seem to be lessening and nothing else is showing up. After another day in here and a few days at home, you should be just fine physically." he told her. ::Thank God:: he mentally added. "Dix, we need to talk. I want to start by saying.." he voiced. Dixie interrupted in a firm tone, though not in her typical no nonsense tone, but one that still had some authority behind it. "Kel Brackett. Don't you think about starting to apologize to me. There is nothing to apologize for. And yes, I have been talking to Joe, Mike, a few other concerned doctors, and my nursing staff about how you have been acting since this whole thing started. You aren't G*d, Kel. You can't stop time just when things go wrong. You're human and you have feelings like the rest of us. There is no reason for this guilt trip you're harboring. So it's time to drop it. Right here in this room and right now. I was doing my job, just like everybody else in this hospital was doing when the fire broke out. It was just a case of my being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.... I.." She paused for a second as that last bit sunk in, realizing what she had said. She started to break down again, crying. "Gee, I sound so much like Johnny saying that. How are the guys doing by the way?" |
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Kel cracked a very small smile as he listened to her talk. :: I knew this would come from you, Dix. You know what to say to me to get my mind straight again. We do know each other way too well. :: "They are both doing fine. They're just a couple of doors down from you. Right now, Johnny is watching out for Roy for a bit, even though I told him to go home a few hours ago. Gage's going to miss one shift, though, just as a precaution. And Roy shouldn't suffer any side effects from the Versed dose that he suffered. He should be able to go home in a couple of days and he'll be back on shift most likely, within a week." He paused then to carefully change the subject. "Johnny told me the story of what happened down there as far as he knew it. I think there is something else going on here though. Something that maybe only you know about. Fred was a great guy. He told me that he'd get you out of there and help you and he did." With that Dixie broke down and started sobbing even more heavily if it were possible. Kel just held her and tried to reassure her. |
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She kept on crying for several minutes. Once Dixie regained her composure, she went on. "Fred and Johnny were arguing about who should go out last. Fred ordered Johnny to go up so he could help on top with Roy and play the go between as the only information source on what had happened down below. Fred even told Johnny that he'd watch my rope for me and that he alone should be the one to do it. I went quiet at that point to make it easier for Johnny to decide. I was so scared for both of them then, Kel. I know Johnny wasn't happy, but he went. Then I was next and as I was halfway up..." The tears started to threaten to return and a lump hit her throat but she continued. "...as I was halfway up, the truck which had pinned Roy and Johnny in, started to sway and it headed right towards me. Fred pushed me up as far away from it as he could reach. Then ...I- I think he took the hit of the truck full force, Kel. He pushed me out of the way... Why, Kel?" The tears started, but not as heavily as she had cried before. Kel tried to reassure her, "Fred and I talked about you as things were happening. We both admitted to each other that we still had feelings for you. Fred knew that I couldn't go look for you. He knew that he could, Dix, so he promised to do me that favor. He told me before he started out that he'd make sure you'd come back and I think that we both know that he would've done whatever he had to do to live up to that promise. I'm not sure what in his mind made him think that your life was more valuable than his during those last moments, but I am sure glad that he did what he did do to get you out of there. Dix, Fred needs some sort of recognition and I think a memorial service of some sort would help all of us deal with what he did for us that caused his death. What do you think of that idea?" "I like the idea of memorial service for Fred. And I am glad to hear that the guys are going to be just fine. That certainly helps making Fred's death feel not quite as bad you know? " Dix stated softly with a yawn as she really took in his appearance. "You look so tired, Kel." she sighed. He DID look exhausted to her. And she knew he must have had a busy shift past the incident which had occurred at the hospital to look so haggard. ::His guilt .. or his relief over what happened to me is just sinking in. Perhaps he's feeling a combination of both.:: she thought. "Well, this is the end of shift for me and I'm going home to bed for some sleep, which something that you need to do, too. Your yawn has just told as much. So I'm going to bid you a good night, Dix. Try and get some sleep. Even if you're still feeling bad about all this. Hold on to the thought of how much a whole lot of people, including Fred, cared about you then." he told her with a special twinkle in his eyes as he crossed the room to the door. He opened it just enough to exit. He heard her call out good night to him and then the small sobbing continued as he walked down the hall. He knew that she would probably cry herself to sleep but as he stopped at the desk to replace the charts, he saw that Joe had a very mild sedative prescribed for Dixie once the neurological checks were done for when she really needed help falling asleep. :: Good thinking, Joe. I guess she told you about everything, too, huh? :: He thought to himself. Kel continued to walk down the hall after his stop at the nurse's desk and he started to make plans for the service. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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*************************************************************** From: "Champagne Scott" <chameleonkate@hotmail.com> Date: Wed Nov 30, 2005 11:00 am Subject: Food for Thought..:) It was a week later. Johnny and Roy had just dropped off a sprained elbow into treatment room five into the hands of Dr. Morton when a shocking sight stopped Gage right in his tracks. He slapped his partner's chest to get his attention. "Look over there, Roy. Wow, I wonder who's chart that is?" he asked. Both of them eyeballed Dr. Brackett as he staggered a bit with it until a passing orderly craftily kicked a wheelchair his way in a strong hint for him to use it to cart the thick bundle. Dixie and Joe Early rushed from the ER's front desk to help him with it. The two paramedics ambled into that direction. "Hi docs. Dixie.." said Roy. "Oh, hi fellas.." McCall greeted warmly. "So it's back to business as usual today. No more restricted duty?" "None." Roy said. "I feel like a million bucks today." |
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Johnny leaned into Brackett as he centered the foldered pile in the middle of the seat so that it wouldn't slide around. "Private citizen's? Or firefighter's, doc?" he whispered about the massively thick chart. Kel looked up and smiled at the question. "Neither. This is the usual adminstrative claptrap that any department head goes through whenever anyone tries to petition management to up the annual spending budget." "You have to go through THAT much paperwork just to get a new lab building built?" "Yep. And that's not all I have to do. There will be a formal investigation into the final actions that Dr. Hathaway took that were against hospital protocol to safeguard such an occurrance from ever happening again in the future." said Kel. "I have to submit a personal deposition on that outlining my supervisory role that day and how I could have prevented the incident." A pause silenced them all when Dixie sharply looked away at the unexpected mention of Fred's name. She fought back a stab of bubbling grief that made the firemen uncomfortable simply because they had witnessed her still vulnerable emotional weakness. Johnny gave her a hug around the shoulders with an arm offered in pure companionship. He didn't have to say anything aloud to comfort her. The way she relaxed against him as she wiped away the saltiness from her eyes was all he needed to feel. The others pretended not to see Dixie's emotional slip that had gotten out in public. |
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Roy changed the subject, and shammed looking relieved. "So,..all that's red tape? Whew. For a minute there, I thought you were carrying Johnny's chart to add closing notes to, Dr. Brackett." Gage let go of Dixie, indignant at his amused, larger partner. "Very funny, Roy. You know, after this week, I think the size of yours is fast catching up to the size of MY patient record." "Not quite, Johnny." said Dixie. "Roy's is still a few pounds shy of yours on tipping the scales." McCall teased. "I win that argument. I got you beat with this one, guys." said Kel, hefting up the finance requisition forms folder that he needed to peruse in order to get construction repairs going on the new subterranean wing. "And it'll take about three hours just to skim read it all." Gage's mouth flopped open. "Can't you get someone else to do that? What about your physician's assistant? Can't she do that for you enough to show you where to put all your signatures?" "Nope." Brackett replied evenly. "What a load of--" Gage sympathized. "Well, it's the money that counts in the end, Johnny, not the thought." Kel nodded. "And in Fred's case, it was the thought that counted, not the recklessness, Kel. And I'm gonna tell the board exactly how I feel so his immediate family will still get all of his life insurance benefit." said Joe. |
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Brackett grinned. "I'll help you on that one. The other good news is that no one is going to get sued for anything even remotely related to the fire. The whole thing was ruled as an accident concerning that leaking oxygen tank and responsibility for that electrical wire shorting out was found to be nobody's. It was ruled that its deterioration was just the simple effect of normal metallic aging." Joe Early cut in. "I'm starving. Who wants to go to the cafeteria with me for a little lunch? It's time for my half." Everyone raised their hands while the two paramedics raised their HT antennaes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The five of them clustered around the biggest table under the eucalyptus tree and as soon as they sat down, they dove into their trays with abandon. Nothing was said for long minutes as fries, soda and chips disappeared in rapid order. Then McCall opened up conversation. "Did you know that Kel actually got down on his knees and proposed to me twice this week?" she tossed out to them, laughing. "Really?" said Johnny, perking up at that particularly unexpected gossipy news. "Yeah, he was helping me with my socks then when I couldn't bend over without feeling like my head was gonna pop off." "That passed." Kel told her. "So it did. But I can't say that I don't miss the special attention." |
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Roy and Johnny cleared their throats and just bit into both their burgers as they watched a full rise of red color Brackett's face. But then, Kel surprised them all by saying. "Ok, I can fix that Dixie. You and me. Tonight. At my place for a steak dinner. And don't bring the wine. You aren't ready medically to handle metabolizing such a stuporific yet." "Of course, Dr. Brackett. I wouldn't deviate from one of your patient care plans for all the world." Dixie giggled. Then she leaned into Roy and Johnny. "I promise to tell you how the date goes. Watch for the high sign when Kel's not looking tommorrow." she whispered. "Well, I'll tell you one thing, doc." Roy said, suddenly becoming mischievous. "You aren't gonna be disappointed at the end of the evening when it's time for the big goodbye. Dixie's an absolutely fabulous kisser. And I'm speaking from experience." "You remember me helping you?!" Dixie asked, stunned, growing pale with mortification. Brackett purpled. "Not with all that Versed on board, he couldn't!" Then Kel swallowed, "Could you?" he asked the blonde paramedic. Roy just winked at them and said nothing at all. FIN Episode Twenty Seven, Heavy Duty Emergency Theater Live ------------------------------------------------------------ |
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