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************************************************* From: ------------Tandem Post------------------- by Fan Writer Robert Gutheim <rguthei1@twcny.rr.com> and Patti ETL Host USA <theaterhost@voyagerliveaction.com> via a live Yahoo Instant Messenger Chat Window. Date: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:47 pm Subject: Four Against One Once inside, they began searching for the quality control area while a couple firefighters from Station 8 followed close in behind them with a hose, spraying water onto any looming flames they encountered. "Careful of that hot spot up there!" said 8's anchor as Roy and Johnny started beelining for the first set of heat warping doors they could see. Roy DeSoto jerked aside as a rafter from the roof, fully ablaze, fell and bounced onto the concrete next to him. "Thanks.." he said as a rich wash of fanning spray cooled him off. "We're gonna try for the main offices first." "Sounds like a plan." said the fireman. As they searched the office areas, they marked all doors with chalk marks to show others coming later which rooms had proven empty, and before long, they found themselves in the main plant area. The two air bottled paramedics continued, gasping with their efforts, as they carefully dodged falling machinery and bits of burning plastic. DeSoto startled when a glove touched him. "Roy, how long have we been looking for them?" Gage asked him. Roy studied his steamed up watch. His voice muffled, he replied. "About six minutes. Let's say we search for three more before we retreat to let Wheeler and Kirk have a go." "Ok,..Fine by me. I'm not getting that hot or tired yet." Johnny said, breathing heavily. He pulled out an axe. "I'm gonna go try that door over there. Something tells me that leads to the breakroom. I promise I'll stay within eyesight.." Roy turned back to see the direction Johnny had indicated, and nodded, saying."Hopefully, we'll find them and get out of here." he said, pulling up his turnout's collar a little higher to deflect more heat from the back of his neck. "Agreed." Gage said as he checked the room after a blow from his axe exposed it. It was empty. They continued on for half a minute more, before finding an area that looked like an assembly line. As they were pacing along the line, Gage started to hear the warning hooter that they were running low on air. "Hey, Roy?" Johnny said. "We gotta head back. I'm on the last minute of---" "Over here!" DeSoto shouted, sweeping his jacketted arm out towards Johnny. "I see em. Both are unconscious. Come on, we still have time to lug them out." "Where are they?!" Gage hollered, getting irritated as he shut off his regulator timer. Right about then, the HT in his pocket crackled. It was Cap. ##Time's up. Now trade off! And that's an order!## Stanley told them over the radio. "Squad 51 to HT 51. We just found them, Cap, so soon as we pick them up, we'll be on our way." Gage replied over the HT. ##Make it fast. The southern exposure's beginning to sag. The roof's going!## "On our way, Cap." said Roy into his radio. DeSoto gasped and pulled off a glove, feeling the first man's neck where he lay sprawled face down under a tabletop. He kicked it aside. "He's alive." he said. Pausing only a few seconds, he placed both hands on either side of the man's ribcage to feel for signs of breathing."He's okay for now. Yours?" |
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"The same." gasped Gage, stepping onto his man's shoe toes as he stood his victim up against a wall to throw him over his shoulder to nestle in between his air bottle cylinder and his back. "Although neither one of them will stay that way for long. Air's getting real bad in here..... Bad fire..*choke* Bad.." Johnny coughed, groaning under the weight of his not-so-small plant worker. "Let's backtrack the way we came. It's.....still the shortest way outta ..." He never completed his sentence when the path in front of them...disappeared.. The roar of noise ended in the deep murkiness as a smoke bank cleared. Roy looked over it to see better. A large section of the ceiling above had come down in a hail.. blocking their path. Roy re-grabbed his radio. "Squad 51 to HT 51. We're cut off from the route we followed coming in, should we try and find an alternate route or not?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ::Not good. ::Hank thought as he keyed the mic to reply. "No, stay right where you are. It'll be faster if we cut through, to you. Believe it or not, you're now in the safest place in the whole building. Just get your victims to fresher air and hang tight!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hang tight, he says." grumbled Gage. "Now just what the h*ll are the four of us gonna breathe?" "We're gonna have to get a little creative. Don't firefighters always think on their feet?" Roy said, leading the way back into the breakroom. "Yeah.." gasped Johnny. "When they're still standing on them." "This has got to be the worst,... when the paramedics need rescuing." Roy said as he beat a hasty retreat away from the fire with his heavy burden. "I'm not sure which is worse, a rescue like this, or the time I was bit by that rattlesnake." Gage groaned, running away just as fast, being careful not to smack his victim's head on catwalk railings and obstacles as he went. "At least for that rattlesnake, you were unconscious.." DeSoto said with a suffering tone. He was growing more and more winded. Johnny was equally beginning to smother and it showed. "If anything, I'm probably lucky I survived it. Did you think it was easy when I was half towards that condition, to get an I.V. started solo?" |
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"That I.V., wasn't what cured you." Roy told him with a wry look. "Funny man. Give credit where credit's due. I wanna live long enough to exact a revenge against that old snake with the biggest CO2 extinguisher I can get, later on this summer. Just how am I gonna do that?" Johnny asked. Roy countered, shouldering the axe ripped and chalked break room door open again. He hefted his man onto a lunch table and lowered his victim's head down as he pushed him off, cushioning it until he was safely onto his side. "I haven't figured that part out yet..*cough* Gimme time." Gage did the same move, kicking the door shut behind them to block off the heat of the flames that were following them. He pulled off his useless mask. But then, his eyes spotted a nearby utility room. He left his unconscious man with his head tilted back over a stack of books."I know... I'll just bet there's a compressed air supply in this hose here they probably to clean all of these sorters. Tanked air, Roy. Stuff to breathe." Johnny said, snatching at one hanging from the smoking ceiling inside the alcove. He tested it with a firm squeeze on its hand triggered nozzle. Air gushed out. "Eoooww..." DeSoto said, making a face. "Better oil stinking air than nothing. We may have to breathe it into THEM fairly soon." Johnny said, returning to place a hand on his victim's gasping stomach. "You can try that first.." Roy pointed as he pulled off his now going dead mask with some relief. "That way, if you die, I'll only have three lives to save, instead of four." DeSoto said, listening by the mouth of his victim carefully. He straightened up when he was assured of effective breathing and he drew out his HT radio from his pocket to set on the table. "You know, Roy, you're all heart." Gage said as he snatched up the handy talkie. "Squad 51 to HT 51. We've taken shelter inside a breakroom and we think we've found a temporary air supply." He called over the radio to update Cap as to their location. ##10-4. Once we're in, we'll follow your lifelines.## |
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************************************************** From: "Patti" <pattik1@hotmail.com> Date: Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:23 pm Subject: Just like MacGyver- Johnny's victim started coughing, purposefully. Both firemen knelt down by the table and opened his soot stained business shirt to see his chest a little better. "Hey,,.." said Roy."Can you hear me?" he said as he pulled the books out from under the man's shoulders so he'd be more comfortable. The worker awoke, completely panic stricken. "F--*cough*..Fire! ..Mike,..we've...we've got to get out!" he choked, trying to sit up. Roy and Johnny held his shoulders.. "Easy now, we've got him. We've got both of you out of the fire. So relax!" said Gage. "We're somewhere safe for the moment." The worker gripped his chest as he became more and more alert and more aware of his shortness of breath from smoke inhalation. "..*Gasp.* W-What? *cough*..Oh, you're f-firemen.." he said, breathing fast and hard. "That's right, now how are you feeling?" DeSoto asked him, taking his pulse at his wrist for its count. It was rapid but growing stronger. "Do you have any prior medical conditions that we should be concerned about here, any previous heart problems working on ya?" he asked. "No...uh,..no...Nothing at ....all like.....that." he gasped. "But...I can't br----" "That's because you're hyperventilating a little. Try and slow your breathing rate down." Johnny encouraged. "You're doing it too fast." "I....I.....can't." panted the man, leaning heavily on Roy's front. Johnny sighed, thought for a few seconds, then he pulled up his scba head harness from where it was dangling around his waist. "Ok, ok... Here, use my air mask. It'll help protect your lungs from all this smoke." Gage said, helping the man put it on. Roy's eyes quirked into light humor when he realized that Johnny's gear actually had no more air flow going into it. ::Huh, that'll calm the guy down. He'll be breathing in his own carbon dioxide inside of that mask and it should work for us better than a paper bag.:: he smiled. He hid his expression quickly before the man noticed their exchanging amused glances. Johnny didn't even bat an eye. He just carried things to the next step. "There, let me know as soon as you're feeling better, and I'll take it off. Tell me especially when all that hand and mouth tingling goes away, ok?" "S-Sure..Thanks." The mask fitted man nodded..his hands twitching in stress where they gripped Johnny's scba straps tightly. |
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Gage rolled his eyes and turned to Roy. "Come on, let's get their table pushed against that utility room's door frame so we're nearer to that hose's air supply." Grunting, Roy and Johnny did so, collectively shoving the long lunch table where their two victims were lying, across the breakroom to its far end where the light of the small access room lit up the carpetting. At best, the flourescent glow was muted from smoke that was slowly building around their heads. DeSoto coughed. "I'll go plug up the bottom of the breakroom's door with my jacket." he said pulling off his air bottle to set at Johnny's feet. "Too much smoke's coming in." he said. Roy emptied his pockets. He set out an oral airway kit that contained eight sizes of C-shaped oropharyngeals and shoved the clear plastic case of Hudsons towards Johnny. Johnny opened the small box and took one out to size against their unconscious man's jawline. He placed his first guess on his skin in a line from the corner of the man's mouth to the bottom of his earlobe. "He's a 9, Roy. I'm using it." he said to his partner as he slipped the oral in over their second victim's tongue after crossing fingering his mouth open with a thumb and index finger. "Ok.. Watch his pulse, it's fluctuating. Might be an early M.I. working. He's got that kind of grayish color." Johnny rechecked the still man's carotid and found Roy's irregular beat. He nodded at the finding and looked up at DeSoto again. "Wet your turnout while you're doing that, in the janitor's sink over there, Roy. Your jacket'll become a better filter if it's soaked a little more." suggested Johnny as he put Roy's abandoned mask onto the second man's limp face. He picked up the air hose lying on the floor after retrieving a snack bag's twist tie from a nearby garbage can and started working at once. Gage squeezed the hose's hand trigger until its compressed air was flowing lightly and then tied the bar against the nozzle head so that it wouldn't turn off when he let it go. Then he shoved his improvised air supply source between the man's chin and the fire mask so that its nozzle continued injecting its vigorous air stream inside the scba's strapped down faceplate. He left the rest of the ceiling attached air hose lying coiled on top on the man's bared chest so it wouldn't get bumped. "I've got this guy going on the air first. The rest of us, can wait." he said. |
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Gage got up and paced back out into the breakroom where Roy was patrolling the perimeter, sealing up smoke leaks. "Are you getting hungry? I know I am.." DeSoto shrugged. "A little. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" said the blond haired paramedic. "Yep." said Gage and he saundered over to a vending machine full of candy bars and chips. Taking out his jacket's halligan tool, he smashed the glass covering the food, and helped himself. "What do you want, Roy? A soda? "No. I'm not thirsty yet. How about a candy bar? Anything but coconut.." Johnny swept away the glass landing at his feet with a heel and then he reached into the machine with a gloved hand, gathering what he wanted. "Ok, I claim dibs on these.." he said holding up a bag of Cheetohs. "Gee, Roy. It's a shame all this heat popped that machine open like that. All this food's just gonna go to waste." he remarked. "Not wasted. It's being put to good use helping a couple of firemen and their fire victims." DeSoto quipped. Both the paramedics returned back to their patients. A few minutes later, and finally excess oxygen cured, the first man tore off Johnny's scba mask dramatically. "Oh,,, that's too stuffy..." he complained, swinging his legs over the side of the table as he sat up to pat down feel all of his aches and bruises. "You're done." Johnny said to him. "How are you feeling now?" he asked the man, still casually chewing on a handful of cheese powdered kernels. The man sucked in a chest crackling breath, held it, and then slowly let it out experimentally. "Wow, my pain's gone and so's the feeling like I was suffocating. That's amazing." "Good. Air bottles are handy." remarked Roy. The man looked at the snack Johnny was eating and made a face. "How can you be eating at at time like this?" he glared. "We're all trapped and dying in a fire here like...like mice in a burning barn.." he insisted. "We are?" said Johnny, taking in a deep breath. "Roy, do you feeling like you're on the brink of death's door?" Roy grinned, playing along with Johnny's nonchalant paramedic psychology game. "Not particularly. I'm very comfortable, thanks for asking." "Good. Cause so am I. And mister, you're feeling okay, too, right along with us, because we've effectively cured you of your sudden panicky breathing attack." Gage told him. "You did?" The man sputtered with indignation a few times, utterly speechless. "Yep." said Johnny, drumming musically on the table top with a couple of bored fingers, humming absently for effect. DeSoto offered a box of Dots to the man. "Here. Eat this sugar. It'll control all your shakes until we can get a D5W I.V. going on ya." The man gaped at the mention of future medical treatment coming from the two whom he considered as just a couple of county firemen. He blinked in confusion, trying to remember why that was really all right to be hearing that kind of thing, but the new terminology completely escaped him. "We're both paramedics, yes." Johnny clarified. "It's ok.. This won't bite ya. It's just some candy." Johnny insisted. "If you don't want any, that's fine, we'll eat it all." he said, effecting a fake air of nonchalance as he kicked back on the rear legs of the chair he was sitting in near the worker's friend. Their calming tricks worked, and the man wilted out of the last of his potentially dangerous overreaction. He gingerly took the box of sweets and without hesitation, he finally tore it open. "I lose my d*mned quarters inside that machine all the time. Guess stealing this now, won't hurt anything." |
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"That's what fire insurance is for. What's your name?" said Roy, throwing away his candy wrapper into a waste basket near the door of the utility room. "It's Sean. That's Mike Odegard, my supervisor." "Tell me something. Has Mike been sick recently?" Roy asked. "Does he ever talk to you about anything health related? Especially anything that might have been bugging him lately." "Yeah,, he talked about a few things." admitted Sean, the plant worker, as he popped a handful of Dots into his mouth. He picked out a soot cinder from in between his teeth with a fingernail as he chewed and wiped it off against his torn pants. "For starters, Mike's a diabetic. And he's got high blood pressure. He spoke to me once, that on somedays, he can't feel his feet and lower legs while he's walking the line." "Sounds like those might be TIA symptoms, Roy." said Johnny, glancing at DeSoto. He leaned over, drawing out his penlight to look at Mike's eyes. "Huh. Pupils are equal and reactive. No signs of stroke today despite being exposed to the fire." Roy turned back to Sean while Johnny leaned down to get a closer listen at Mike's chest for lung sounds by ear. "Can you tell us anything else about his medical history? I didn't find a wallet on him anywhere." Sean sighed. "We keep those in our lockers when we're on the floor. Yeah, Mike told me a lot of things. He's scared for himself about dying, you know what I mean? Everyday, he asks the plant EMT if all the medical gear's ready or not and he always tells him that his nitro's still inside his right front pocket." "He does? Sweet..." he celebrated. Moving, Gage reached into Mike's pants and pulled out the brown bottle. "Thanks. This'll help out a whole ton.." he said, unscrewing the cap after making sure it was the man's name on the label with a current date. He doubled checked to see where the man's pressure was sitting at, by feeling around until he got a positive palpation of a wrist pulse. "Roy, I'm using one sublingual. He's over 90 systolic. Mark down the time." he said. Roy pulled out his pen from his uniform pocket and wrote 'NTG 16:33 x1' on the man's shoulder on his skin like a triage notation. "Got it." Then he regripped the man's carotid to monitor any changes. "What does he sound like, Johnny?" "Mild rhonci. Nothing big. And no burns anywhere." reported Gage as he slid the pill into the man's mouth to watch it dissolve. |
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Roy began to smile. "All right. Pulse's settling now, but he's still got arrythmias.*cough*cough*" Gage raised his eyebrows. "It's time to swap the air. Roy, you're next, since you've already started coughing." he said, freeing the air hose up. "Here. Suck on this a while." Roy took the flowing nozzle and used it to clean out his chest after he put the end of it into his mouth. It took a few tries to keep his cheeks from puffing out, but it worked. Then he looked up. "So I'm the guinea pig in this little ventilation experiment here, eh?" "Yep. Your chest's smokier." Gage said no nonsense. "Keep at it. I'll take my turn next, then let's give it to Sean here. Then it's back to Mike's use for a minute or so. We'll do it in that order over and over again until we get all of our everloving butts finally rescued and out of this ignited tinder box." Sean chuckled hoarsely. "So the fire isn't that bad yet?" "Oh, it is. Just not where we're holed up. Part of the roof came down out there and cleared away the worst of the flames just outside this room." DeSoto told him. "So we're lucky then, huh?" Sean asked with worry, holding onto his friend's head protectively. "Extremely. The best case scenario for entrapment inside a two story warehouse." Gage said, standing up. "Say, who wants some soda pop? I still got my axe with me." he said, hefting it up meaningfully. |
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************************************************** From: "Patti" <pattik1@hotmail.com> Date: Thu Mar 1, 2007 11:10 am Subject: The Thousandth Man... Twenty minutes later, the handy talkies in both Roy and Johnny's pockets sounded off. ##Engine 51 to HT 51. Pick up your victims and start heading for the southeast corner. The fire in that end of the building has been knocked down. One of 110's paramedics are still standing by..## reported Cap firmly. Johnny startled. ::One of 110's paramedics? What happened to the other one?:: he thought in alarm. But then there was no time for wondering. Gage turned to his patient. "Ok, Sean,..there's our cue. How's your chest feeling?" Gage asked. "Is it still getting tight?" The young man nodded. Most of his humorous mood had been scorched away. He was beginning to look sicker. For real. "L-Like I've been chain smoking rubber bands.*choke*" the man said, picking his head up off the lunch table. "Yeah, well, we'll get you'll both on plenty of oxygen once we're outta here and that'll start getting rid of that feeling in you real fast." Gage said. "Do you think you can manage on your own or do you want me to help you?" Johnny said, putting his helmet back on. He paused by the breakroom door, feeling around its edges for flaring heat before he even attempted to crack it open to peer out. "I..I'll ..I can walk, mister. You guys got your hands full... with Mike over there." the worker said empathetically. "Which way.... are we..... going?" he gasped miserably. "That way." pointed Roy, putting on his turnout. He picked up Mike and perched him onto his back while Johnny hefted up both the squad's drained scba air bottles. "Let one of us go on ahead of you, Sean. We know what to watch out for in terms of risks. There could be downed power lines, weaknesses in the floor catwalks..." "Oh, I get the picture. Serious expertise in navigating *cough* death traps." Sean replied. "Ok, lead the way. But hurry,..I-I'm feeling kinda..... dizzy again.." Roy looked at him sharply, eyeing up his color. It was pale but his breathing wasn't fast like it had been before. "That's ok. Maybe a little smoke inhalation. You can sleep all you want once we're out of here and safe. Firefighters are waiting to treat you outside those windows. Can you hold on a few minutes more?" "I.....think so. I..." Sean's eyes started to close. Roy lifted his helmeted head. "Johnny, get behind him. He's close to blacking out." DeSoto said. Gage grabbed Sean's elbow. "Just a little farther. Here, wear my helmet. There are sparks still falling from the ceiling." he said. Along the way, Johnny and Roy were forced to use an emergency fire hose recessed into a stairwell landing to get to the air open side of the warehouse. Kicking aside the discharged hose, they quickly moved on. DeSoto got on his radio. "Cap, one unconscious, probable cardiac. One downward S.I. We're *gasp* almost to that exterior wall of yours. Smash the glass so we can triangulate.." ##10-4, pal. Stand by. I'll have them pop open a window near you.## said Stanley. ##Battalion says there's no explosion risk.## Gage sighed in relief, wiping his sooty face. ::Thank heavens for small mercys. We're still bacon in the frying pan right now.:: A few seconds later, fire crews on the outside of the building used tools to cave in the tall window they had set the working end of a ladder against. It was Truck 127's aerial. The musical tinkling of showering glass under axe blows, annihilating itself, pointed the way out of the smoke. Sean felt the taller paramedic tapping him on the shoulder. "Have a seat over there. We're going to get your friend out first, all right?" Roy asked. "What about the...the...fire?" Sean asked, weaving dangerously until Johnny helped him sit down on a cindered crated. "Do you see any around here?" Gage smiled at him. "Put your head down between your knees. This'll only take a second.." he said, turning back to help Roy push Mike into the arms of the firefighters waiting outside the windows. He only saw Kirk the paramedic eagerly grabbing for a carotid on his man. "Where's Wheeler?" Johnny asked him as a team of firemen dragged Odegard out onto the bucket ladder and onto a backboard. "He got winged by a beam. He's fine. Maybe a dislocated shoulder." reported Kirk. "He says he can wait for us on a pain med." One of the fire lieutenants barked when he noticed something. "Hey, this guy's quit breathing on us." he said, feeling Mike's chest. Kirk turned. "Johnny, go help Roy with your other victim, I already got permission for an endotracheal tube. I'll bag him on the way down.." promised the paramedic from 110 as he knelt inside the aerial bucket to insert the one he had pulled out of his trauma box. "Ok." said Johnny. "We'll meet you down there to assist. History of hypertension, TIA, and angina! We nitro'd him twenty five minutes ago with some effectiveness!" he shouted as the basket descended to the ground level. "Got it. I saw the note Roy left.." Kirk said, patting Mike's shoulder. "See you in a few.." "I'll meet you down there.." Johnny promised, not happy that he was being separated from an arresting victim. He was only partially contented that the basket firemen never started up on chest compressions on the lift down. |
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:Ok, so he's gonna keep that pulse..:: Johnny thought finally. Gage turned and went back inside the warehouse. "Sean, he's out. It's your turn. We're going down these stairs. Firefighters have already checked them out for solid integrity and they've already cooled them down for us. Let's go." "But aren't we going that way?" Sean frowned weakily, pointing at the open sunset lit shattered window frame. "No, we're on a second story. And the basket team's busy with Mike. Come on, put your arms around our shoulders." Johnny ordered. Sean did so, and soon, the two paramedics were moving down the catwalk to the fire exit stairwell at the end. The fresh air of the outside was too rich for Sean, and he sagged a few feet outside the door when his adrenalin terrors finally ran out. Roy caught him and slung him over his back. Johnny knelt by Sean's dangling head only long enough to see that he was still breathing."He's ok,..still moving it. Keep going." he said. "I'll go help Kirk out with the other guy." "I'll handle him and Wheeler." DeSoto confirmed as another firefighter rushed up to help him shoulder carry Sean over to the treatment tarps laid out on between the two gear doors open, waiting squads. Roy dropped their two air bottles like a sack of potatoes as Cap rushed up to get a report. "I saved them, Cap." "I can see that.." said Hank appreciably as he took off DeSoto's helmet. DeSoto felt happy enough to joke around a little. "I meant the scba gear, Cap. Not the victims, they're already a given--- HaccCCK..*cough*" "Easy, Roy.. Marco's got the O2 set out. Let me take him." Hank said. "I want you to grab a few pulls off a resuscitator before you start treating anybody." he told him. Roy and Cap traded places in their shoulder carry of Sean. "You seem to be worse off than Gage is. I got another rescue squad on the way to take over for all four of ya. But they won't get here for another six minutes. Same goes for a couple of ambulances. Once they're here, you and Gage go in, too, and get yourselves seen." |
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Roy didn't resist. He just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other one the rest of the way to the street. "Ok, Cap. Thanks." Soon, Roy was on the phone with Rampart and wearing dry turnout that Chet had traded out with him. "Rampart, this is Rescue 51. How do you read?" Dixie McCall answered. ##51, I read you loud and clear, go ahead.## Roy sighed in relief at the sound of her voice and he started giving out his data. "Rampart, I've two patients, One: A twenty nine year old male, approximately 155 pounds, victim of smoke inhalation, the second, is a Code I, injured shoulder. Stand by for vital signs..*cough*" ##Standing by..## said the head nurse. ##Dr. Brackett's on his way.## DeSoto glanced across the street and he noticed Johnny on the line to the hospital, too, using 110's biophone. He smiled when he noticed Johnny sucking breaths off a spare demand valve in between transmissions. A glance told him that Mike Odegard wasn't getting any worse. He was still being bagged but no one was watching his EKG monitor like a hawk like they could have been doing. ::Still no dangerous rhythm showing up?... Well, that's a point in our favor. We've been so lucky with him....:: he thought. Feeling his good mood returning, Roy spoke to Wheeler who was still lying on the ground where he had been left, wincing and holding his shoulder. "So, did you lose that bet with Johnny about getting hurt or not this month working a scene?" Wheeler chuckled, his face twisting in both pain and amusement. "It's a.. .Come on now, don't make me laugh....it's a tie. He's going in for mild smoke inhalation later on, along with you, isn't he?" "Maybe not. *Cough* I'm worse than he is." |
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"Then I guess I lost that bet. Fair and ....*wince* square." said the mildly sweating but still smiling paramedic. "I wouldn't give up on it." said Roy, taking Sean's BP with a stethoscope. "Johnny's klutz gene is still a working sure thing. You can still make a lot of money off of him. And so can I." Wheeler started outright laughing at that, and smothering screams, until Roy took sympathy on him. "Ok, settle down some of that mirth. I'm coming over there to give you your MS." he said. "Want some versed to forget about that bad shoulder for a while?" he asked as he watched Marco begin to ventilate Sean some on oxygen. "No.. G*d, no.. I wanna study Gage some more. Maybe he'll still pass out from smoke exposure and invalidate our running bet. Just the numbing will do." Wheeler said, shifting his position where he lay on his crewmates' spare turnouts. "Here, put it in my left arm. It hurts less." "Sure thing." Roy grinned. "And don't worry about your shoulder. It's not broken from the angle I'm seeing on it. That knob's too pronounced to be anything else but that simple dislocation Kirk's already told us about." DeSoto shared as he swabbed down and injected morphine. "I diagnosed that, too. I'll let you know if that hand starts to fall....a...sleep." said the paramedic slowly as Roy's pain med began to work on him. "You do that." Roy said to him. Then under his breath, he muttered. "If you can.. although I don't think it'll be just your hand that might fall asleep here." he smiled as Paramedic Wheeler's eyes finally drifted shut. He nodded to the firefighter sitting at Wheeler's head to keep some tabs on his vital signs. Only when his two patients were taken care of, did Roy bother to clear out some of the smoke that was still sitting in his own chest with some oxygen delivered through a self administered nasal cannula. It was about then that Cap's promised paramedic relief arrived to take over for Squads 51 and 110 for patient transporting. Roy and Johnny, thoroughly worn out and tired, let Marco drive them into Rampart for their checkup and evaluation, using their station's squad. |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everybody was there at the ER desk when the three of them finally arrived. Dr. Brackett looked up from the notes he had been clarifying with Dixie. "How are you boys feeling? Is it bad this time?" he asked about their smoke exposure. DeSoto answered for the two of them. "No, just annoying. The O2 has helped us out some." he said, holding up one of two tanks they're were carrying. "But you both still feel like death warmed over, huh?" Dixie asked. Gage and DeSoto both sighed at her in agreement and started coughing wetly. Kel Brackett frowned. "Hmmm, that does sound problematic. Dix, can we get them into Treatment Two? I want to get a set of chest films, that's if you two wouldn't mind, after I listen to the both of you to hear what your lungs are doing. I'll decide what else's needed after I've grabbed a better picture." "Is that a pun?" Dixie quipped at Kel. Brackett smiled mildly. "Sure, that room'll open up in about ten minutes." McCall told them all. "Mike,.." said Dr. Brackett, turning to Dr. Morton, who was still sitting by the base station. monitoring the earthquake traffic. "Would you help me out with Roy and Johnny?" |
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"Sure, Kel. I'm free. The two patients Roy and Johnny had are already on their way upstairs to CCU and ICU." Morton replied. "ICU?" Gage asked, surprised. "So Sean's going aspirant?" "Yeah. Both he and his supervisor were in that smoke a long time even before the two of you found and rescued them. Odegard's fine. He's suffered only a small heart attack. That apnea of his was just due to the smoke." "That's great news, doc." said Roy. "And I've got even better news for you, too." said Morton. "You do?" asked Gage, rubbing the soot off his face. "Somebody you know's wide awake in Treatment Three and he's fully expecting some visitors." |
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"Vince!" exclaimed Marco. "Can I come too? The rest of the guys'll wanna know how he's doing and I'm the perfect guy to make that phone call." Brackett chuckled. "Why not? Johnny and Roy'll show you the way." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roy and Johnny opened the door and they were incredibly happy to find the familiar policeman extubated and resting comfortably in his hospital gown on the gurney. "Hey, Vince.. How are you doing?" asked Johnny. "Are you feeling better yet?" Roy wondered. They both said at the same time. "I'm feeling fine, boys, all thanks to you." said Howard. "Hiya, Marco." he waved. Then he turned back to the paramedics. "You'll never guess what did it, boys." "We have an inkling. Don't tell me, it was some kind of chemical." DeSoto grinned, folding his elbows together. "It was, but you'll never guess the culprit. Not in a million years." "Oh, yeah, well don't keep us in suspense.." said Johnny, a little over eager and impatient. The problem Vince had, had been bothering him all day, even through the quiet moments during the warehouse fire. Vince looked up, and scratched a rash that the two medics hadn't noticed earlier on his arm. "Ever heard of the topical psoriasis medication, Dovonex?" Gage's face fell into one of discovery.. "No way.. Well, I'll be..." Roy equally started to grin with revealment. |
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Marco was clueless. "So what was it? Ok, so I take it that stuff's a skin ointment of some kind. Sounds harmless enough. So what the h*ll really happened to Vince. Uh," he glanced apologetically to the officer. "Begging your pardon, Howard, but I and the rest of the gang've really wanted to find out." Lopez insisted. DeSoto demurred. "Vitamin D toxicosis, Marco. That skin medication contains calcipotriol, a synthetic analog of calcitriol..." Gage continued where he left off. "Which artificially raises the amount of Vitamin D present in the bloodstream if used too heavily.." Vince nodded in agreement, a little sheepishly. "I was really started to itch. I couldn't help myself this morning. Next time, I'll know to use just Calamine Lotion for my condition when it flares up." he said empathetically, scratching a scab or two. The three firefighters burst out laughing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An hour later, Roy and Johnny had been seen and taken care of and with their clean bills of health in hand, they made their way to Rampart's cafeteria for some solid snacking food. Along the way, they met Kirk and Wheeler. Marco was still tagging along as their station chauffeur. "Hey, Wheeler..That was fast." remarked Johnny. "How's the shoulder?" "This? Oh, fine. fine. Dr.Early popped it back into place and it feels almost as good as new." he said. "This sling's only to remind me that I hurt it today so I don't overdo it. I'm still on duty, same as you." he replied. "So, what's new at the station?" "Oh, not much.. not much.." said Gage thinking hard about the injury bet that neither one of them were going to collect on this month. "Got an invention in the works for the chiefs..It's going good." "Really?" asked Kirk. "That's ironic, cause Tommy here's had one cooking, too. And it's come to fruitation." "Oh, yeah?" Gage asked suddenly getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Well, what's it about? Mine's about a new kind of...information gathering system.." |
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"No kidding, well mine was, too. And the chiefs just got done approving it." said Wheeler, holding his used to be hurt arm absently. "Got a letter of commendation for it." "Huh..Imagine that." said DeSoto, suddenly interested when he realized that Gage was suddenly dismayed. "What's it called?" Wheeler grinned proudly and Kirk smacked him on the shoulder proudly, sharing the good feeling with his partner. "Oww,," Charles winced. "Easy, pal. Pat me on the other side if you're going to do that. I'm still sore." "No, you're not. That's all psychosomatic." Kirk whispered into his ear. Wheeler ignored his hovering partner and spilled the beans. "I'm calling it the Vial Of Life. You see, the two of us are always sick and tired of taking care of little old blue hairs who can't ever tell us what's going on with them on a rescue call. Now this system is actually a container, that holds...." Gage's expression fell into one of long suffering and he held up his hand to stop overenthusiastic Wheeler's spiel. "Don't tell me,.. I think I already know. Let me take a little guess here..." he sighed miserably. "The Vial-of-Life is a plastic container like the one medicine comes in, right?" "That's right. H- How'd you know, Johnny. I haven't told anyone else about it yet. Except for the chief and good ol Kirky here.".. he bounced on his toes. Gage pushed his lips into a thin line of disappointment. "I'm a very intelligent man if you haven't figured that one out already." "Oh, ok." said Wheeler, still completely unoffended and excited. "So can you tell me how I've worked out the rest of it?" Johnny hung his head, avoiding eyes as his frustrated anger began to build privately. "I think I can. So,..inside these containers there just wouldn't happen to be lists of important medical information for one or all persons in the household, would there?" "Yep. There is." said Kirky. Gage winced and inwardly, he fumed. ::They stole my idea! They up and stole it!:: But on the outside, he made his lips form one last question. "So, after your window stickers are noticed by the arriving paramedics, where are your containers of information stashed? In the bathroom somewhere?" Wheeler made a face of negation. "Heck, no. I mean, where's a place that everybody goes to no matter what, that's not a trip going to the sh*tt*r?" Gage thought about it and came up a complete blank. "I don't know.. Somewhere in the bedroom?" Kirk grinned. "No man,..in the refrigerator. A bottle looking like a bunch of pills will stand out like a sore thumb for any searching firemen, paramedics or cops because it looks so opposite from a food item." Johnny was crestfallen. "Yeah, that..that would be the perfect spot." Then under his breath, he muttered. ::Now why didn't I think of that? And why didn't I hurry up about it, too?:: he quailed privately, still feeling the sting of being inadvertantly out-competed. "Congratulations on getting in an official action plan with the chiefs, Thomas. I'm really proud of ya." he said, taking up Wheeler's good hand into his own and given it a shake of congratulations. "Gee, thanks, Johnny. I'm still rather surprised at myself for having even thought up the idea." Tom said. ::So was I.:: Johnny thought privately. Roy decided to rescue his stunned partner. "Well, I'm glad your arm's fixed. My, the three of us are absolutely starving. Geez, is it really six o'clock? Uh, if you'll excuse us, we're gonna go eat something right now." Roy said, pointing to the food line in an animated gesture. "Oh, sure. Fine by me. Sorry, I was still basking in the moment.." Wheeler said, shaking himself out of a reverie funk. "I still can't believe I'm getting that contract as that program's designer." he said, as he and his squad partner started walking away. Johnny whirled back around from the tray line he had been escaped to. "You mean you're getting money for submitting this thing?!" he asked incredulously. Roy grabbed his partner's arm and firmly steered him away before Wheeler noticed the outburst. "Settle down, partner, and quit being such a sore loser. This time, no one cheated on anything. Now let's go eat like truly honorable firemen.." he hissed. "...and try to forget about the whole thing." "Me? I don't think I'm ever going to be able to forget about it." Johnny hissed. Marco helped to pin Gage's other arm until he got a hold of himself. They didn't let go until the happy paramedic team from 110's had left the room entirely a few seconds later, when they got another rescue call. |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few days later, back at the station, Lopez finally launched a way to cheer up Johnny. "Say Johnny, why don't you go let Henry out before dinner?" Marco began. "Why should I?" Johnny moped. "Because it's your turn.." Hank glared in an order. "And it's only fair to do an assigned chore handed out without grousing about it." "Ok...." Gage grumped. He got up and left through the kitchen's side door whistling only briefly to get Henry to hurry up a little on following him outside. Lopez motioned silently and excitedly to the others after he had disappeared outside and the rest of the gang trailed Gage on tiptoeing shoes down the whole length of the side driveway, waiting for the final moment until..... "Hey you guys, when did THIS get installed?!" came Johnny's excited surprised voice. The others laughed outright and jogged over to join him in the backyard near the old engine. Hank leaned on a telephone pole. "Oh, you mean this little ol thing?" he said, tapping his foot on a brand new, sparkling seismography base station scribbling away underneath a newly erected open shed. "Well, I have it on good authority that a curly haired fireman we all know, submitted the idea on behalf of a certain dashing young paramedic standing to my immediate right, that all the firehouses probably needed one each, for a faster, earlier warning and detection system. " "Chet, is this true?" Johnny asked, his mouth flopping open, moving from his days long moderate festering depression to sudden heart warming tears of surprise. Chet, dug a toe into the dirt, "Yeah. So...?" he began defensively. "Yeah.. I did. Uh,.. I did it just for you, Johnny." he said, on a gentler shy note. "Why did you go and do a thing like that for me? That's..that's..." he broke off, moved beyond words. Chet scuffed his hair self consciously. "Marco told me about what Wheeler did ahead of you and I couldn't just let that station make our station look bad. So I...sort of killed two birds with one stone. Nothing wrong with that." he said, finally meeting Johnny's eyes. "No, there's nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all." said Stanley proudly. Kelly swallowed uncomfortably. "Uh, your first check comes in the mail next Saturday for offering up the project, Johnny." "You know I'm splitting it with ya. Every dime." Gage sidled over and gave Chet an affectionate mock knock on the chin with a closed fist of knuckles. "Thanks, Chet. That was real nice of ya." "No problem." said Chet instantly. "That's what firefighters do. They stick up for each other whenever ANYbody goes down." FIN Pilot Light Episode 42, Season Six Emergency Theater Live |
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