The Story Unfolds...
Season Eight, Special Episode C §§ Fire In The Sky §§ Debut
Launch: January 20th, 2010. **************************************************
Fire In The Sky by Janet Katz kajakat@hotmail.com
and Patti Keiper pattik1@hotmail.com
An Emergency/Star Trek Voyager Crossover
John Gage was
in seventh heaven. He figured he had everything just about perfect in their campsite within the heart
of the Sierra National Monument Park. He and Roy were roughing it on the gang's collectively rented
camping spot, Peg 51.
The rows of pines framing the mountains were a picture postcard vision.
The lake a crystalline jewel, and the air, like crisp cold wine.
Now, even the wind was perfect,
blowing his cooking fire's smoke away from their two tents, and already five huge speckled trout
sizzled on the pan.
Gage chuckled.
It was a running joke between all of them on A shift
how their shared vacation spot had even been located. John laughed, remembering the kindly sheriff
he and Roy had met on a wild weekend of off duty rescues a few years ago.
Then, the sheriff
promised the two L.A. paramedics a good fishing spot in return for their duty to Santa Rosa County,
after they all spent the better part of those two vacation days saving a badly burned boat accident
victim and then a rock climbing teen.
He took them to his place, Peg 51. And Roy and John
fell in love with the Spot. Eventually, they dragged the rest of the gang and their families to camp
there over subsequent summers until all of them were caught up inside the Spot's special magic,
too. The Park officials got very used to writing down, 'Tag 51. Reserved, for Station 51' in their
reservation logs.
But one weekend was always reserved for Roy and John exclusively. The anniversary
of Roy and John's fateful Santa Rosa fishing weekend, the day they had met the kindly Sheriff and
shared bowls of cabin cafe chili with him in the Park's lodge. They had created a new mutual tradition
of fishing, hang gliding, hiking and relaxing for the occasion.
Gage took in a deep breath
of the heady scent of the Ponderosa pines and sighed. He remembered back about twenty hours ago,
as he flipped succulent fillets around on their sticks.
-------------------
Only
that very morning, Roy wasn't keen to go up to the Spot even when John reminded him of their camping
reservation. "Don't tell me you forgot about this weekend, Roy."
"No. I didn't forget. I just
changed my mind that's all. It's October. The nights are going to be cold. We've had a really hellish
week with fire calls and I'm too sore to hang glide decently. So,.. I..don't want to go this year...So
, give the tag to Chet. It's his turn to get the site this week anyway. Besides, I'm...I'm busy this
weekend." he lied.
"Come on, Roy.." John said as they changed out of their uniforms for street
clothes. "C shift's ended. And I know you aren't doing anything this weekend. Joanne and the
kids are with Grandma in Utah." he guessed.
Roy looked at his partner in surprise, "How'd you
find that out?"
John smiled, saying nothing, tapping his temple significantly.
DeSoto smiled,
"Clairvoyant, huh? Oh, I see. More likely you drove by the house and saw the usual strewn bikes and
basketballs out of the yard and the missing station wagon on your way to the coffee shop."
John's
triumphant smile fell, "How'd you know that?" he said, buttoning up his plaid shirt.
It was Roy's
turn to tap his forehead secretively. He waited a minute before letting Johnny off the hook, "I heard
your jeep backfire as you kicked it into third gear while you drove by this morning.... Unmistakable
sound, that. Woke the neighbor, too. Crazy old Mr. Fosche called me at five oh two, three seconds
after I was jolted out of bed. He was thoroughly convinced that a flying saucer from Area 51 was
crash landing down the block."
Johnny ignored the odd neighbor angle. "My jeep doesn't backfire..
I keep it perfectly tuned." Gage insisted.
"Tell that to the average Joe who hears you driving
by and you might get a different story.." Roy grinned. "Besides, you got that ticket from the officer
pulling you over for disturbing the peace..."
It was John's turn to be surprised, "How'd you
find out about that?"
"I looked outside my bedroom window and saw the red and blues go off behind
your tail lights. Had a hell of a time convincing Mr. Fosche that you two weren't the UFO he thought
he heard crash landing..."
Gage's face got redder and redder. "Yeah, well it was Reed and Malloy,
and I got only a warning, see?" and he waved the pink warning ticket in his partner's face from
his shirt pocket. "Nothing to worry about. We can still go up north. So why are you getting cold
feet and suddenly changing your mind about going?"
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"That's why. I didn't get any down time this week and yeah, I literally have cold feet. My shoes
are still wet from yesterday's warehouse fire. Again, it's October, like I told ya.. I don't want
to catch cold and...I want some solid sleep.." Roy said ticking off points on his fingers..
"I
can drag up the hammock...it's totally comfortable.." Gage interjected..
"....in a warm bed..."
"I got an old Indian trick using heated stones from a fire to keep that hammock nice and toasty."
"....with solid food...."
"Since when have you known the Spot to skunk us trout wise? We'll
eat like kings!!"
"... and nobody around to bug me." And he stared significantly at his talkative
paramedic partner.
Johnny was quiet at that.. "I'll ...I'll give you the first day to..play
the hermit. I can go off and do my shaman's thing early and you can sway in that hammock to your
heart's content... Later, we can do our hang gliding thing, ok?"
"We?.. Do our hang gliding thing?
I thought I was your official cliffside spotter. I haven't been in the air for ten years."
"Come
on.. come fly."
"Nope."
It was Johnny's turn to narrow his eyes. "I guess that ol wedding
band has made your left hand a little too heavy on the flight bar, eh?"
"Yep."
"Ok,
All right. You don't have to fly. I can fly for the both of us. What about the rest of it? What do
you say...?"
And Gage shot Roy his best, crooked smile.
----------------------------------------------
And so it was, six hours later, they found themselves deep within the Spot.
Roy was still
doing the "hammock'ville rock". And there was only five hours of daylight left to them. Barely enough
time to do a little exploring overland, and hike back to camp.
So John shoved the frying pan
off the fire, where sweet smelling trout and hickory popped and sizzled in their juices.. and sauntered
over to where Roy snoozed under the pines within the canvas hammock.
"Sleeping beauty...."
he teased.
And he waved the pan of mouth-watering trout under his buddy's nose.
But Roy
only sawed wood from underneath his wool shirted arm.
::Nothing.:: he thought. ::Should have brought
some smelling salts.:: Grinning, Gage decided to give him twenty minutes more of naptime. ::Just
enough time for me to get these pinion nuts roasted to go with the cornbread.::
He retreated back
to the fire, weaving around the brightly assembled hang glider of Johnny's in between their cold
weather tents.
Johnny Gage sat down on the Spot's rock by the beach and sighed studying the
perfect blue sky above him while he cooked.
Another twenty minutes went by and Johnny still didn't
have the heart to wake his friend. Not everyone had his endless amount of energy and Johnny couldn't
fault him. He knew how tired the whole crew was. Roy had Joanne, Chris and his daughter. ::Bound
to tucker out a guy. Perfectly understandable.:: John mused.
John took the cooked fish and
wrapped them in aluminum foil and placed them in the cooler. Hot fish, cold fish, it didn't matter;
he and Roy were away for some well-earned time off.
Johnny took a deep breath filling his
lungs with the crisp air. ::This is nice. But I need coffee.:: Johnny thought and went to the cooking
gear and took out the coffee and the stovetop percolator. It took several minutes for Johnny to
get it going so he sat down near the fire and watched.
::I guess I won't be doing my contemplation
today. Maybe tomorrow I'll get a chance to do it. And that spot on the glen is just perfect.::
The coffee was done so Johnny took his mug and reached for pot. However, his aim was off and
he knocked the hot kettle off the grate onto the ground. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to move his
feet out of the way in time and the steaming beverage poured out onto his ankles and feet.
"SH*T!"
Johnny dropped his mug and instinctively reached for his legs. "D*mn it. OUCH!" Johnny began to
unlace his work boots. After taking his socks off, Johnny saw the redness on his left ankle going
down to his instep. His right foot wasn't burned. When Johnny tried to right the kettle, he burned
his right hand. "Not again!! What is wrong with me?!"
Roy heard the commotion coming from
the campfire. Rubbing his eyes and slowly awakening from his slumber Roy moved to get out of the
hammock. Ungraceful as it was, Roy got up and went over to Johnny who continued to swear.
Roy looked down at his friend. "What did you do now?"
Looking up with pure disgust on his face,
Johnny pointed with his left hand and his left foot. "This is what I did. I burned my foot with
hot coffee." Roy bent down and looked at the wound.
|
Trying to hide a partially amused grin, Roy harrumphed. "Looks like first degree burns. We should
have some cream in the first aid kit and some aspirin." Roy stretched his arms behind his back,
trying to wake himself.
Roy slowly plodded over to their backpacks and took out the supplies.
He dropped it next to Johnny.
"Any saline in there?" Johnny asked.
"Nope."
"It
hurts."
"I know it hurts and it's gonna hurt more. You can put water on it and then the burn
cream." Roy took the salve out and handed it to Johnny.
"I KNOW THAT." Johnny grabbed the lotion
from Roy's hand. "Sorry, Roy. It's just uncomfortable."
DeSoto sighed. "Lemme get some
cold water from the stream and make you a wetpack. The burned area isn't too big."
"Yeah,
but it's on the heel too."
Roy stood up and stretched again. He picked up his canteen and emptied
the contents while he walked down to the stream. The water was cold and the afternoon's chill
was coming in. After several minutes, Roy returned with the water.
"I can boil the water
Johnny, let it cool and we can use it as a compress. Put the cream on and take two aspirin. Say,
maybe you want the hammock now." Roy poured the water into a pan and placed it on the grate protecting
the open campfire. "With this weather, Johnny, the water will cool in about an hour. Lemme help
you up. Johnny stood up on one leg and with Roy's help, he hobbled over to the hammock and with
Roy's help got in. Roy put a clean cloth under Johnny's foot and noticed the red blotches on Johnny's
right hand.
"What happened here?"
"I wanted the coffee and didn't realize the pot was
still hot. That's how I burned myself. Roy, it's not my day. Not at all. How am I gonna do that
hiking tomorrow? I gotta get down to the valley."
"Why, Johnny? Why is it so important for tomorrow?"
"Roy," Johnny shifted in the hammock as his foot was really hurting him, "it's something I do
once a year. It's my way of communicating with my people. Let's just say it's an old Indian thing
and leave it like that."
Roy shook his head in understanding, but he really didn't. As plain
as Johnny appeared to be, Roy realized that Johnny wasn't that simple but was a very complex individual.
And he realized that his side of Johnny was only displayed to people he allowed to get close to
him.
"Are ya comfortable, Junior? Can I get you anything?" Roy smiled.
Johnny relaxed
a bit. "Nah, I'll be okay. Just not sure how long I'll be stuck off that foot. We won't be able
to go hang gliding tomorrow." Johnny saw a smile appear on Roy's face. "I guess you're not too
disappointed."
"Try to sleep Johnny and when you wake up, I'll apply the dressing to your
foot." Roy tapped Johnny's shoulder and walked away.
Again, shifting in the hammock, Johnny
got comfortable and put his arm over his face. Within several minutes, Johnny fell asleep, trying
to keep the pain from his mind.
Now that Roy was awake, he was hungry. Opening the cooler,
Roy discovered the trout. He took one out and debated waiting for Johnny. He did have trail
mix that he could munch on, but there was something about the mountain air that made him hungry.
Roy decided to eat one trout and save the rest for when Johnny woke up.
Ten minutes after
eating, Roy decided to take a walk around Peg 51. He knew his way around and had his favorite places,
too. About fifteen minutes away was a spot where Roy liked to sit. Johnny liked the valleys but
Roy liked the ledges that overlooked the magnificent vista. From his vantage, Roy could see for
miles at the crevices carved into the mountains. The eagles and hawks soared above, using the thermals
for lift. And it was so quiet. Absolute at times. This was Roy's private place for contemplation
and talking with his greater powers. Although he gave Johnny a difficult time about taking this
trip, he was glad he was here, with a wounded friend and all. Peg 51 was his fountain of youth.
The sun started to set in the western sky so Roy decided to head back to the camp. The water
would be cool so he'd be able to apply cold compresses to Johnny's foot and hand. He knew that when
Johnny woke up, the pain would return. Too bad they only had aspirin with them. With Roy's
help, he'd take Johnny down to the lake and they'd spend time fishing. Maybe with the help of a
walking stick and some thick socks, they'd do some light walking, but Roy knew, Johnny would have
to stay off his foot for some time to allowing the swelling to go down and avoid infecting blisters
that might be forthcoming.
|
Upon arriving at their campsite, Roy found Johnny still sleeping, which was a good sign. Roy looked
at their supplies and decided to cook some more food. He poured the cold coffee out of the pot and
removed the grounds, placing them in their trash bag. No more coffee tonight, Roy thought.
They could both use the sleep.
It was around 7 PM and the sun was setting. Roy decided to wake
Johnny up so he could eat. And it would give him the opportunity to check his burns and see
if they really were just first degree.
"Johnny?" Roy said softly, not wanting to startle him.
"It's okay Roy, I heard ya walking over."
"How's the foot?"
"Hurts, burns, aches.
Need more aspirin."
"After or with dinner. Don't take them on an empty stomach."
"Yes,
Dad."
Roy smiled. "Lemme take a look at it." Johnny sat up in the hammock and Roy took out
his flashlight. The two men looked at Johnny's foot. The redness and swelling was there along with
blisters. Johnny's hand just was red.
"So second degree burns on the foot. The water's cooled
down, so I can wrap it. We got some plastic wrap I can use around the cloth."
"I feel
so stupid, Roy." then his face twisted into a parody of humor. "Maybe you're not the only one who's
tired from overworking.."
"Now I know that's true. What else could explain yourself being so clumsy
like this?" he quipped. "I don't think scalding ankles with coffee is any part of a Native American
ritual that I know about." Roy applied the cream and the cool liquid soaked cloths to Johnny's foot.
A smile appeared on Johnny's face as the cloth was soothing. Next Roy wrapped the foot and
heel to keep the cloth on to offer a bit of sterility.
"Oh, ha ha. What's for dinner, Dad?"
"Your trout and my potatoes. No coffee tonight. I think we can do without it."
Johnny smiled
and shook his head in agreement. "We're gonna have to. I decided to wear most of it."
After
finishing their meal, Roy took the dirty dishes and pots down to the stream so he could clean them
off. Johnny was in charge of keeping the fire going. Fifteen minutes later, Roy returned and placed
the utensils back in their packs.
"Ready to turn in, Junior?"
"I guess so, after I
put another cool wrap on. This one's gotten warm." So Johnny hobbled over to the cool sterile water
and poured it on the cloth, after removing its plastic covering. As soon as the liquid hit his skin,
Johnny sighed from the comfort it brought. He replaced the plastic over his foot. Using a stick
to support his balance, Johnny hobbled a bit to the clearing. He wanted to look at the sky before
turning in. He needed to see the stars.
Finding a rock to sit on, Johnny looked up at the
constellations. Occasionally, a shooting star would fall into the sky. There was something about
the heavens that brought a serenity to the multidimensional man.
One shooting star came in quite
low and bright, and to Johnny's mind touched down not too far away from them. But Johnny thought
it was just his imagination, the dehydration, the aspirin, the mountain air and a whole host
of excuses to explain what he saw.
Roy walked up to Johnny. "Need my help?" Roy's hand was extended.
"Yeah, sure." Johnny stood up and the two men slowly walked back to their campsite.
A
minute later, they were inside their tent and the fire dampened. "All this fussing's for the birds."
Gage said, lowering himself onto his bedroll. He snatched a Gatorade to offset his thirst and drained
the whole thing. He opened his mouth and let loose a liquidy burp that lasted a long time.
Roy
didn't even chortle. He was too used to his partner's quirks. He sighed, already half asleep with
his back to Johnny on his own bedroll. "Well, at least nothing's wrong with your digestive tract.
Too bad we can't heal your foot as easily as you filled your stomach."
Johnny folded his hands
over his cardigan sweater and tried to cross his ankles without thinking. A jolt through the wrap
bit him. "Ow.." he frowned irritably at his burned foot. Then his face continued where his mind
wanted to go and he smiled in pleasure. "Yeah... I am a good cook. I mean, those trout were.. they
were perfect, Roy. I get dibs on the big one still left in the cooler. I need it for tomorrow so I
can honor my anc--"
SSSsnnnnnnnnoorrrrreeeee.
"Hey, Roy.." he whispered, still in his sleepy
contentment.
"Hmmm?"
Johnny answered him, "I think the aspirin's kicking in."
"Ummhmmm...zzzzzz...."
Night came softly over them with crickets' song. They serenaded even the restless Johnny into
slumber until dawn.
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------------------------------------
"Heyyyahh!!!!!!"
Splash!!!
Johnny cannon
balled into the autumn pool of Hemlock Creek with his hands wrapped tightly around his knees.
Roy, in an off-white cardigan and jeans, leaped backwards on the rocks to avoid the plume of icy water
that arrowed up into the sky. Involuntarily, he shivered as he watched Johnny resurface and fountain
some of the creek out of his mouth into the air. "I don't know how you can do that, Johnny. Makes
my teeth ache just watching you."
Gage clambered out onto a flat rock next to Roy in a short wetsuit,
slicking his wet hair back on his head and rubbing his hands together for warmth. "Do what? Oh. You
mean taking a cold swim like this? Heh. Used to it. We didn't have running hot water on the reservation
and a stream bath was the only way to go. Granted, these speedos sure make it easier nowadays." he
chuckled, snapping the neoprene material over one shoulder from the suit. He plopped down on his
rear and dangled his left ankle into the rushing water. "Ooo, that's better."
|
"That burn still bothering you?" Roy asked pointing.
"Not half as bad as it did last night. The
blisters reabsorbed back in the second I dove in like I knew they would. Neat trick my grandmother
showed me growing up. We didn't have trauma kits and burn dressings back then and had to make
due with what we had around us."
"Whatever works." Roy smiled. He noted Johnny's teeth starting
to rattle. He rose and stretched, wandering back to the campfire. He threw three logs onto it until
it started roaring. "Let me guess. A roaring bonfire's part of the cure, too."
Johnny shot
him an amused, irritated look, "Now that is a follow-up treatment I created after grandma's. She wasn't
modern enough to understand what hypothermia is.." he chuckled. "A few minutes more and I think
I'll be able to get a sock on over this today." He shivered again, this time in relief as the heat
from the fire steamed creek water off the wetsuit in fine rising columns. "Ooo, that feels good."
He said of back and ankle.
Roy tossed Johnny his clothes and a warm sweater with a down vest
on top of his pile. "Just be sure you put on all of those, too. If you're going to go on a shaman's
hike, you're going to be the very picture of a modern camper. I'm sure your grandmother would agree
with me."
"Says who?" Gage grumbled. But he took the pile of clothes, dragging them nearer
anyway.
"And you're going to take another piece of modern technology with you, too. Our short
range radio. They've a range of ten miles so I can keep tabs on you the whole time."
"Why?
Don't think you can handle smoke signals?"
"Nope." Roy grinned, flipping cornbread on his grill
off to a side in a stone oven Johnny had built earlier. "Breakfast's ready. And I have your king
sized trout wrapped for your hike over there...." he said, pointing to a birch barked bundled package
resting near Johnny's backpack. "I added a radio, rudimentary med kit, and rain gear to those
knick knacks I found inside of it."
"Those aren't knick knacks, Roy! They're..sacred artifacts
and talismans."
"An eagle feather?"
Johnny nodded vigorously.
"A sheep's skull?"
Again, came the eager nod. "Yes. And I have beargrease candles, too, inside that buckskin pouch."
"Oh, so that's what I've been smelling."
"Very funny. That's the white sage I picked from
grandma's field for my hike today. I'm gonna offer it along with the trout to my ancestors."
Roy was thoughtful. "Is it true you know your whole family line completely by memory?"
"Yep.
Down to the first Ancestor. Easy to remember them all. It's built into the First Chant Song. A name
for every note. Anyone can sing, Roy. This is no different than a ..than a...rock tune. The song's
just a long one, that's all." and he smiled. "without the electric guitars.. heh." he laughed.
Gage rose, departed into the tent to change, then came out taking the coffee and bread Roy handed
him. He regarded his long time working partner thoughtfully. "In five years, that's the most you've
ever been curious about my Ancestor Walk, Roy. I'm flattered."
"Yeah, well. I have to sort
the truth from Chet's fiction when he plays those Indian jokes on you."
Johnny frowned, "Yeah,
well Chester B wouldn't know a Native American if one jumped up and bit him on the nose, Roy. Peace
pipes and axes...huh.." he grunted sarcastically. "I'd love to drag him into the creek for one
or two streambaths to educate him on a few things.. that's for sure."
"Don't hold your breath."
Roy laughed. "It took us two years to convince him to come here even in July. And he still said the
nights were too cold."
"Thin skinned Irishman."
"Hey.." Roy protested, "I'm Irish.."
"Yeah? But you're more tolerant of "roughing it" in general, Roy. I taught you well."
Roy watched as John's teeth still chattered a bit as he bit down into the steaming cornloaf in his
hands. He threw another log onto the fire. :: Who taught who, junior.:: he thought privately. ::If
our yearly weekend camping trips went the way you planned, we'd be sleeping on bearskins and
fishing with our bare hands.:: But he said out loud, "Living in the city has softened us both. But
I'm gonna give you credit. Your Ancestor Walk's inspiring. My family traditions don't have anything
even remotely similar to it. Just a few prayers said in church and a special dinner on the Irish
Thanksgiving Day."
"It's a start." Gage laughed. He finished his cornbread, rising, after loosening
his pants leg around his ankle burn. "I'm off. See you at three." and he shucked off his watch, tossing
it to Roy.
Roy was surprised, "How are you going to tell the time, Johnny? To know when to
head back here?"
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Johnny grinned, tapping his temple. "Now that's a little Indian trick that I'm very good at." He
raised his hands to his eyes and turned his face into the morning sunlight, closing his eyelids.
"It's... eight twenty two and....seventeen seconds.."
Roy checked his own wristwatch and his
mouth flopped open. "No way.. You looked at yours before you threw it over to me."
"Nope.
I didn't. I forgot to wind it up when I got up earlier. Mine's saying it's five oh six am.."
Roy glanced down. It was true. Johnny's watch wasn't ticking yet. He started to whistle the twilight
zone theme eerily..
"I'm good. I'm good, yes, I am..." John laughed at Roy's flopped open
expression."What? Can't I be good at actually doing something?"
Roy added. "My lips are sealed."
Johnny hefted up his hiking pack after poking around in it to see what equipment Roy added to
it besides the handheld radio and medkit. "Sandals?"
"Yep. That ankle's gonna get sore before
you get two miles into the valley. You can always get back into socks when you hit level ground
again."
Johnny grunted grudgingly approving. "Fair enough. I'll buzz ya when I get there...."
he said, hefting the radio and speaking into it.
Roy's own tandem radio echoed Johnny's voice
on the rock next to him. He grinned. "See ya this afternoon. I think I'm gonna sleep only half
the morning and then read for the rest of the day." DeSoto said into it.
"You do that.." Gage
grinned, holding up a hand and radio in farewell as he got farther away from the main campsite.
Johnny's back soon disappeared out of sight underneath the Ponderosa pines.
-----------------------------------------------
Walking through the forest, Johnny found a piece of wood he could use as a walking stick.
He bent down to pick it up. "This'll do fine."
The path Johnny took to the clearing was steep
in places, but he knew it by rote. As soon as he approached the glen, Johnny's pulse quickened
knowing what he was going to be doing.
Looking up into the sun, Johnny figured it was about 11:00am.
He'd have to have a snack before proceeding. Johnny got his bearings and searched for his favorite
spot in the valley. It was a patch of trees on the rim of the clearing, and definitely out of place.
But that was the charm of it.
Johnny got to his spot and sat down. He took a long deep swig
of water from his canteen and wiped his sweaty brow with his arm. A deep breath of mountain
air filled his lungs. A sense of peace and self satisfaction came over him. He was ready to begin
his journey to talk with his people.
He took his sheep skull and eagle feather out of his
leather pouch and placed them on the ground he cleared. Johnny was reaching for the beargrease
candle when he heard some rustling in the trees behind him. It sounded too big to be a small animal.
Maybe it was a bear or a buck. Johnny knew well enough that any animal would leave him be.
The candle was lit and his tokens were in the correct spot. Johnny closed his eyes so he could
clear his mind of thoughts. He had to rid himself of intruding thoughts that would cloud his mission.
Others used drugs to communicate with their forefathers. Johnny never considered doing that
and never had the need to. This place was so quiet, he usually would only have to settle down just
a tad to do his 'thing'.
But today was different. The rustling sound was getting louder and
was distracting him.
Johnny stood up, squinted and looked around where he thought the noise
was coming from. Expecting to see a bear, he was truly surprised when he saw two men coming out
into the clearing.
Well, it was two men, but one was clearly in trouble.
Johnny bent down
and blew out the candle and ran over to the them.
"Hey, you guys need some help?" Johnny asked.
He saw the taller dark haired man leaning on the blonde man for help. The dark haired man was
having a difficult time standing up.
The blonde man looked up and his expression changed from
concern for his friend to relief that help was there.
"Am I glad to see you." The blonde
man stooped and allowed Johnny to take the bigger man from his grip. "I didn't think I'd ever get
out of there. D@mn, he's going out on me again. Catch him."
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|
The bigger man's weight fell onto Johnny and he gently placed him on the ground. "What happened
here? He looks real beat up." He watched consciousness flee from the man's eyes.
Johnny went
to take the injured man's pulse and respiration. He noticed a bruise on the man's head and a splint
on the man's arm. The edge of a slight cut had sliced into what Johnny first thought was dirt
over the bruising, ::Hey.That's a tattoo on his forehead. This man's a Native People.:: thought a
small part of him as he bent to work.
The carotid he found was sluggish but regular despite the
rapid and tense breathing. "Hey,.." he tested. "Can you hear me?" he said, making sure the man
could breathe well enough by carefully tilting his head back. But he didn't respond to Gage and seemed
mostly unconscious. A sternal rub failed to make him react. ::He's shocky, that's for sure..::
Johnny thought.
He squeezed a fingernail on the splinted arm, seeing swelling underneath the
improvised splinting that showed a humerus break that had been secured in just the right way. The
nail bed pinked up immediately. ::So, this friend here's had some first aid training. This is
a perfect splint job.:: But it bothered Johnny that the younger man hadn't answered his first question
yet. He looked up at him once again, chalking his slow reply to fatigue and worry for his friend.
"What happened?" Johnny asked his question again.
The tired young man looked like he was thinking
very hard and he spoke, unconvincingly truthful. "My friend fell."
Gage didn't believe that
answer for a second. ::Ok.:: he thought to himself. ::You're entitled to a little leeway. Just so
long as you two aren't escaping ex-cons or something. I can live with not knowing how it happened.::
"What were you doing before?" The blond man asked, pointing to Johnny's ministrations.
"I
was taking your friend's pulse and respiration. Then I checked to see how he's rating on the Glasgow
consciousness scale. And seeing how well that splint was doing its job. I'm a paramedic with Los
Angeles County."
"A paramedic?" The fair haired man asked.
Johnny wasn't surprised to
hear that term questioned. People still didn't know what a paramedic was even though the program
was going on six years old.
"I'm a trained medic who works under the supervision of a doctor.
My name's John Gage." He extended his hand.
The blond looked at the hand and realized it
was an old earth custom. He extended his and the two shook. "My name is Tom Paris."
"We
gotta get your friend to the hospital, although there isn't any nearby. The best we got here is
the Ranger's station." Johnny realized that he had the walkie talkie that Roy gave him. "Lemme
contact my partner so he can meet us near here. Then we can at least get back to our spot."
"Partner?"
Now Tom was confused.
Johnny smiled, "Yeah, Roy is my paramedic partner. We're both stationed
out in Carson, but are campin' up here for a few days."
"I'm not from this area," Tom said.
"Neither am I. Carson is back down in L.A. County."
"Oh." Tom didn't want to give anything away.
He knew they were on Earth in California, but after that, the computers on the Delta flyer were
being very stubborn. He had no idea what year let alone which century they were in. However,
his knowledge of Earth's history would certainly be put to the test here.
Johnny picked up
the radio and talked into it.
Tom was taken by the communicator Johnny was using. ::A hand
held short wave? wow..:: he thought. ::I've never seen one of those.:: He watched the man whose
skin was almost as dark as Chakotay's. ::At least he and I won't have trouble blending in until I
figure out how to get us out of this mess. I just wish the crash hadn't destroyed most of the
shuttle's medical equip--::
"Hey, Roy, it's John, come in."
Static.
"I hope he's
not down by the stream. It's a bit rugged there and reception may be poor." Johnny smiled at Tom,
trying to reassure him. "Roy, it's John, over? I've encountered some hikers and I've got an
injured man here."
Static.
::Either I'm in a dead zone or Roy's radio isn't on.:: John
stood up to think. Tom stood up next to him. Johnny scratched his chin. "It's about a ten
mile hike back up to our camp and the terrain is gonna be sheer hell. Between the two of us, we
can carry him. What's his name?"
"His name is Chakotay."
Johnny looked at Tom. "Hmm,
that sounds Cheyenne or Lakohtan." he wondered. Johnny then looked down at Chakotay and studied his
features. "Or maybe even from a tribe from farther south."
Tom just let him speculate without
telling him more. ::Temporal Prime Directive, my @ss. How the hell am I going to keep it from being
violated now? Chakotay needs immediate treatment.:: he worried to himself.
He looked up
as the paramedic met his gaze. Paris's hand was still on Chakotay's stomach, monitoring his breathing
rate.
"Your friend is still really out of it but at least Roy and I can do something for
him back at our camp. Lemme get my stuff and we'll start hiking there."
Johnny ran to gather
his stuff, leaving Tom with Chakotay.
Tom bent down to his wounded first officer. "Hang in there,
Commander. I have a feeling we'll be okay, for now."
Johnny ran back to the two and offered
his canteen to Tom who took it. After several long swallows, he capped the canteen and handed
it back to Johnny. "Thanks. That tasted really good." In Tom's mind it really tasted good. ::Real
Earth water.::
Gage stowed the water back into his light pack and knelt by Chakotay's side.
He didn't like the way he seemed even deeper into unconsciousness. ::I'll stop along the way and
reassess him better in a warmer location. There must be more wrong with him than what I'm seeing
right now.::
Johnny drew out his rain gear and covered the big man snugly into it, around
head and torso to ward off chill.
Then he turned to Tom, who seemed oddly out of place somehow
with his current situation. ::I know how he feels. I know how I would react if Roy ever got hurt
in the middle of nowhere.:: he thought to himself.
Johnny asked, "How's his neck and back?
Did he hurt himself in that way at all?"
Tom didn't even hesitate with his reply. "His C-Spine's
fine. Didn't scan.. uh, -- find any involvement there."
Gage nodded appreciably. ::This guy
knows his first aid for sure. I should ask him where he got his training from.:: "All right.
I'll take him first."
Johnny bent down and picked up Chakotay and eased him over his shoulder
into a fireman's carry. "I can probably carry him like this for a bit to start, but once we get
to the forest, I'll need your help to steady me." Johnny started walking with Chakotay's full
230+ pounds on his back.
Tom was amazed at what he saw. ::He's in shape for such a scrawny
guy. Wonder who his trainer is.:: He picked up Johnny's leather sack and followed behind.
More than an hour after they first started walking, Johnny needed to rest. He gently placed Chakotay
down and took his pulse and respiration again. Although the wounded man was still unconscious,
his vital signs were stronger. ::Hmm, must be the rain gear conserving his body heat. It's helping
with his shock. But he's not out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot.::
Tom knelt by Chakotay's
head, seeing the blood started up again from the contusion on his forehead. He saw more of it had
run down Johnny's clothes, staining his right leg down to the ankle, soaking it. He took the dressing
the paramedic handed him and starting using it on Chakotay's cut. "I'd give anything for a proto--
ah, stitch kit right now." he covered.
"So you've medical training, too. Medic's level from
what I've seen." Johnny smiled.
"Uh, yeah, sort of. But that's not my primary job."
"What
is it then?"
Tom pretended to fuss with Chakotay's splint job and didn't answer.
Johnny
was getting annoyed at Tom's standoffishness. "Listen, do I have your word that I'm not aiding and
abetting a pair of criminals here? You don't have to tell me a thing besides that. It's none
of my business."
Tom's head shot up. "No. We're not criminals. I mean-- do we look like criminals
to you?"
Johnny's eyes fell on the tattoo over Chakotay's eye. "To tell you the truth. Only
Hell's Angels mark up their face like that."
It was Tom's turn to grin a bit. "I assure you. Neither
Chakotay nor I own a pair of Harleys. And we're not fleeing the law. Quite the opposite in fact.
But I can't tell you more than this. It's a matter of security. You're gonna have to trust me on
this one, Gage." Tom suggested.
Johnny looked hard at Tom and didn't feel threatened no
matter how odd an emotion his own mind pretended to feel. He shrugged. "Ok. I will." Johnny took
his boots off and his socks and saw how red his own foot was. Some new blisters were forming on
his heel but he didn't think anything dangerous was risked from the fluid Chakotay's cut had been
dampening them. It could have been his own sweat that had done that.
Tom noticed Johnny's
wound. "What happened to your foot? It looks painful."
Johnny smirked. "I kinda burned
it making the coffee."
"Oh, you have no idea how long it's been since I've tasted real coffee,
John."
"Do I dare ask?" Gage questioned.
"Just as long as you think it's been." Tom grinned
back. "That still looks fresh for a burn."
"It'll be okay. Unfortunately, these aren't the
first burns I've ever had and they won't be the last." Gage snickered.
"Huh?" Tom grunted
as he became really confused.
"I'm a fireman, remember?"
"Oh yeah, you did say that."
Tom was searching his memory about firemen. That profession didn't exist any longer past being
a group of cursory background skills taught to ship's crewmen because autotechnology took care of
any fires that ever occurred on Voyager or other starships.
Together, the two caregivers set
Chakotay down under the full sunlight of a solar heated rock to warm him. Johnny used the bright
daylight to check the man's pupillary responses. "They're still even." he smiled at Tom. "Looks like
we might not have to worry about any serious head injury complications for the future. Let me
check him over again. I want to take a look at his belly. There's rigidity now that wasn't there
when we started out of the valley."
"I'll help you." Tom said.
They re-examined Chakotay
and found that he was guarding his upper left quadrant. The muscles there were tight even though
he was still profoundly unconscious.
Johnny sighed uncomfortably. "He's bleeding into his abdomen.
His spleen might even be effected. Feel that? It's almost like it's getting soft on one side. Can't
tell for sure. It's too early on for a deep but vague internal thing to really show up." He felt
for both femoral pulses in Chakotay's upper legs. "They're even here, and that shows us that whatever
it is, it's still a smallish injury. And his gum color's still fine. He's holding well so far
with his vital signs. But I think that improvement's temporary."
Tom was completely out of his
element at guessing an outcome. He was so used to having instant transportation of any injured personnel
to the EMH's more than competent care within the first few seconds of accident or attack. "Why do
you think that?" he asked, scared. "Whatever's wrong in his belly's gonna gain ground very soon.
That continued guarding's proof of that." Johnny reached for his radio. "Roy, it's John. Can
you hear me?"
Two seconds later, a response was heard. ##Was beginning to wonder about you,
Junior. Everything okay?##
"I'm about half way back to camp. Gonna need your help though.
I met two men at the glen and one of them is injured badly from a possible belly bleed. We're carrying
him back. Can you meet us at the Bear Claw?"
##Sure. I'll be there.## Johnny could hear
Roy's expression change from relaxed to professional and he knew his partner would be there for
him, and for them. ##Aren't you glad I packed a trauma and IV kit in the main tent. I'll be bringing
them.##
"You're such a packrat when it comes to camping trips, Roy. But I think your overage
is actually gonna make a huge difference this time. See you on the west rim in fifteen or sooner.
Gage out." And he set his radio down onto the pine needles. Johnny noticed Chakotay was starting
to shiver. He put his hand on his head. "Seems like he's got a fever working. Was he sick
with a bug before he fell at all?"
Tom remembered back.
The away mission he and Chakotay
were on brought them to a prewarp class planet. But Voyager's urgent need for poly nucleic aminoacids
for Neelix's food stores had won out. Captain Janeway sent them down in simple clothing to blend
into the crowd. They soon discovered there was nothing they could trade with the simple people
on that planet, so dejectedly, they decided to head back.
While returning to Voyager, the
two had encountered a lost Borg cube.
The two Voyager officers did their best to lead them
away from Voyager's coordinates. Their broken wing act worked. But soon, the shuttle had been
spotted and tow tagged. Paris swore. Drones were heartless. Tom wouldn't have held it past them
to have put a toxic bioagent into the tractor that had held them pinned. It was only blind luck that
caused the Delta Flyer to break free long enough for Tom to duck into the meager moon ring cover
they had stumbled upon. He vaguely remembered a sudden hull breach Chakotay had sealed around the
green glow of the Borg tractor field just before he jolted the shuttle free into the field of dust
and rocks. That energy had touched Chakotay's naked hand but hadn't injured him. ::Just made
him mad.:: Paris recalled mentally. ::Too bad the doc isn't with us. And too bad I can't have my
tricorder with me out in plain sight to check Chakotay for any Borg bugs openly. And I sure hope
I hid the Delta Flyer well enough. These men seem like they're right out of the Stone Age for communication
and medical technology.::
Tom thought about it even more closely. They had been so rushed
as they were being chased by the Borg. Their final escape proved to be serendipitous through an
appearance of a small uncharted wormhole.
They had taken their chances and went through
it. It was a rough ride and the Delta Flyer had sustained heavy damage. Then they had lost control
of their guidance systems and had entered a nearby planet's atmosphere. It was only after they
crashed, that Chakotay and Paris realize with a shock that they were on Earth. Tom instantly knew
that they weren't in the correct timeline. He could tell that from his sensors. The pollution
levels were way too high with hydrocarbons and there were no transmissions active at all on the channels
that Star Fleet normally used. And now, he knew about how far into the past they had fallen from
what he was learning from this paramedic man directly.
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Tom's thoughts were jolted back into the present. "John, he didn't complain about feeling ill."
"Could be due to his fracture then. Where were you guys coming from?" Johnny took the canteen
and poured some on his handkerchief. He moved it close to Chakotay's face and dripped some of
the precious liquid onto his forehead to cool him a bit for comfort without undoing the warmth the
rain gear had provided. Done with his task, Johnny looked up at Tom for a replying answer.
"Um, we were um," Tom paused trying to figure out what to say. He wished he had his earth history
datapadd with him to confirm what he could say, but he saw Johnny's eyes staring at him and he
knew he had to say something now, or Johnny would really become suspicious. "We were in a commune
in the hills and things got a bit rough, so we decided to leave." Tom said it with all sincerity
that even he believed it.
"Oh, that explains it." Johnny shook his head and stood up, peeling
out of his boots.
"Explains what? I just got started." Tom was really curious.
"Those
funny clothes you're wearing." Johnny took the sandals out of his bag and tied his boots together
to store them. He laughed, "You two look like a buddy of mine. Chet Kelly. He dresses nearly
the same way. Wouldn't be surprised in the least if Kelly lived in a commune himself once." he said,
slipping his feet into the rugged sandals he tossed onto the ground.
The comments about the
clothes made Tom self-conscious. He fingered his replicator woven tan sackcloth shirt and looked
down. It didn't look too bad to him, but what did he know.
"Look, man. It's nothing personal.
You don't have any other clothes with you?" Johnny questioned. "It's gonna get cold up here
tonight."
"Had to leave all that behind." Paris evaded, trying to look irritated at an imagined
concocted crime.
Gage sighed. "I guess my stuff will fit you, Tom. You're about my size. But
we don't have anything for your friend Chakotay to wear. We'll just have to wrap him up in our sleeping
bags once we get to camp til we get help."
"We won't be able to get help for him today?" Tom
asked.
Johnny frowned. "Are you kidding? I'm exhausted, you're exhausted. It's still a
good long hike yet to get to the Ranger station. And it's late now. The sun's going down. I'd say
tomorrow we can head to that park base after we get Chakotay stabilized a little better tonight.
All of this moving around isn't helping him at all. He needs to be kept still as soon as possible.
As for moving him tomorrow, we're going to have to do it in segments." Having finished buckling
on his sandals, Johnny stood up, bent down, and lifted Chakotay once more for the remaining carry
distance to the summit of the valley.
The burdened men continued their climb.
Roy saw the
three men as he walked fast up through the Bear Claw gorge pass. ##I see you.## he shouted into his
radio to them. Roy rushed down the slope and once more, they reassessed Chakotay's physical condition
thoroughly.
Johnny gratefully snatched the first aid kit pack from Roy and set it near him
while his partner rechecked the man's vitals with gear.
It was heaven itself to have a BP cuff
at last. Roy used it and frowned. "82 over 44. Shocky. Johnny,..." he said, feeling Chakotay's abdomen
once more. "....where did you find guarding before?"
Gage looked up from the pen light he was
shining into Chakotay's eyes. "Upper left quadrant. Why?"
Roy sighed, "He's tight in all quadrants
now. Going to need a mast suit. And before morning."
"We don't have one.." Johnny said.
Tom looked at the two men, "What's a mast suit?"
His innocent question cut through the paramedics'
discussion and they jolted, realizing Paris didn't know how serious things were going to get.
They told him. "Its a short term for medical anti shock trousers, made up of chambers which, when
inflated around a patient, slows internal bleeding and redirects blood flow to criticals areas such
as the heart, lungs and head." Roy explained. DeSoto reluctantly told him more. "Your friend's
going to sour on us due to something more wrong happening inside his abdomen that we won't be able
to treat further because we simply don't have all of our equipment."
::Sounds familiar.::Tom thought
unhappily. "Well, what can you do for him now?"
Roy spoke up, "For starters, I have an I.V.
kit here. We can give him fluids. And then when we get to our camp, we'll have some O2 to keep
him going until we can get him to that Ranger Tower."
"Don't you have a ground vehicle handy?"
Tom asked, frustrated. Then he quickly covered. "Er, I mean an all terrain truck or pickup parked
somewhere?" Tom asked.
"No, we were dropped by our crewmates off the freeway and we hiked
in." Roy replied.
"How far was that?"
"About nine miles, through pretty rugged territory.
It would be too much for him." Gage replied, tossing a head at their limp patient. "Here." he
said, passing off an oral airway at Tom to use.
Paris only angled it a few times in his hand as
he figured out what it was and how to use it. "Yes, that'll help him breathe better." he agreed.
Tom winced when the two firemen actually put a primitive needle in Chakotay's hand attached to
"plastic" tubing and ran the start of a very crude looking bag of water and minerals into his circulatory
system. But he smiled when Chakotay's pulse and breathing rate rallied back up again to low normal.
Johnny dug around the I.V. kit bag. "There's only one epinephrine syringe in here, Roy."
"Can't
use it anyway without a doctor's approval. We're in enough hot water as it is starting that I.V. on
him without calling first."
Tom said, "Don't worry about it. You're saving his life. I'll
vouch for ya.." ::Epinephrine, huh.:: he thought. ::I wonder if that stuff's anything like cordrazine.::
he thought worriedly. ::Oh, man, they think Chakotay's going to cardiovascularly crash?:: Tom didn't
want to think about what could happen.
It was too frightening.
Soon Johnny helped transfer
Chakotay's weight onto Roy's shoulders. The four men continued their journey back to the main campsite.
They completed the rest of the trip in silence with Tom following , holding up the flowing I.V.
bag.
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