Emergency!

Trust Bond

Chapter 1:

The dispatch alarm sounded and a voice crackled over the speaker. "Squad 51, man fallen from ladder. Location 2208 East Renton Street. 2-2-0-8 East Renton Street. Time out 10:40."

Paramedics John Gage and Roy DeSoto hurried into the squad. Captain Henry Stanley, known to the firemen as "Cap," took note of the location, passed it to Roy, and picked up the radio microphone.

"Squad 51, 10/4, KMG-365."

The squad pulled out of the station, sirens blaring. Not two minutes later it stopped in front of a small residence.

Roy looked around for a moment. "Johnny, find out where the victim is."

"Right." Johnny grabbed the drug box and the biophone and headed for the house. As he approached a middle-aged woman ran towards him.

"Thank goodness you're here," she said. "He's around back."

Roy caught up to Johnny and the woman led them around the house. A young man lay on his back near a fallen ladder. He was conscious. When he saw the paramedics he tried to sit up but then grasped his head with one hand and lay down again.

"Now you just relax, alright?" Johnny said as he set up the biophone. "Rampart, this is Squad 51. Do you read?"

There was a momentary pause, and then Doctor Kelly Brackett replied. "Squad 51, we read you loud and clear. Go ahead."

"Rampart, we have a male patient, uh…" Johnny turned to the woman. "How old is he?"

"Twenty nine."

"Rampart, victim is twenty nine years old. He has fallen from a ladder and appears to have pain in his head. Stand by for vitals."

Roy finished checking the young man's pulse. "BP's one-thirty over ninety, pulse is one-forty, and respiration's twenty."

Johnny repeated the vitals and waited. Doctor Brackett didn't hesitate a moment. "Squad 51, can you check the pupils?"

"10/4, Rampart, stand by." Johnny took his pen light from his pocket and checked the young man's eyes as Roy checked for other injuries. "Rampart, pupils are dilated, and the left eye is sluggish."

"51, you may be dealing with a possible concussion. Keep the victim immobile."

During the exchange the man's wrist had caught Roy's attention. "I'm going to touch your wrist," he warned. He carefully lifted the wrist slightly and checked the bones. The young man winced. Roy set the hand back down. "John, he's got a broken wrist"

Johnny picked the phone back up and anchored it with his shoulder as he removed a neck brace and a splint from the bandage case. "Rampart, the victim has a possible broken wrist. We are splinting it now."

"10/4, 51. Start an IV with D5W TKO and transport as soon as possible."

…

Back at the station, it was Chet Kelly's turn to cook. He had decided to attempt a salmon quiche. He was opening the first can when Johnny and Roy returned from their run. Johnny, in his usual, obstinate way, sidled up to Chet and began watching over his shoulder.

"What's for lunch, Chet?"

"Salmon quiche," Chet replied, not even deigning to turn his head.

Johnny glanced at the various ingredients scattered about. "Sounds okay. Do you, uh, know what you're doing?"

"Better than you."

Johnny stepped back, offended. "Now, wait a minute. What about that time I cooked that fancy dish from that cookbook I got from that chef? That was good!"

Chet shook his head. "You said yourself that that was a complete accident."

Johnny began rubbing his chin. "Oh, yeah… But it was still good!"

Roy glanced at Johnny. "Yeah, just don't ever try it again."

"Why not?!"

"You might not be so lucky next time."

Johnny turned tail and headed from the dayroom, mumbling. "We'll see about that." He was almost out the door when Cap appeared. Johnny followed him back in, his curiosity incited. Cap glanced at him then sat down. It wasn't long before Marco Lopez and Mike Stoker also appeared. Cap had apparently ordered a meeting.

"Now, I have a little announcement to make," Cap began. "We may be getting a new paramedic on A Shift."

Everybody's attention was instantaneously grasped. Johnny, in particular, seemed worried.

"Who are they moving? Or is one of us losing our job?!"

Cap shook his head. "I don't know, Gage. They may just simply be adding another paramedic."

"But why would they do that?" Roy interjected, stepping out of his usual calmness. "We've already got two."

"I don't know, maybe someone thinks you two need an extra hand."

Chet glanced at his quiche ingredients. "Any idea when this new paramedic might be arriving?"

Cap shook his head again. "I don't even know if we actually are getting another paramedic. Look, I just thought I ought to let you guys know, just in case. Now everybody go back to whatever it was you were doing, and don't worry." He waited for the group to begin to disperse, and then eyed Chet. "When will lunch be ready? It's getting close to noon."

"Give me about an hour, Cap."

Cap nodded and returned to his office. Johnny took a cup of coffee and sat down. He now saw no reason to escape his friends' prodding. He looked at Roy, who was reading the newspaper.

"Did you hear about the paramedic at Station 19?" Roy asked.

"No."

Roy scooted his chair closer to Johnny. "Apparently there was some trouble down there and one of them has been placed temporarily off-duty. A mental breakdown, I think."

"I wonder who it is… Roy, do you know who the paramedics are at Station 19?"

"I know one of them, but he's not on A Shift. I heard the paramedic was on A Shift."

Johnny set the paper down. "Huh. I wonder if Cap knows who it is."

"Don't know. But whoever it is probably doesn't want to have it announced to the entire world."

Chet wiped his hands and sat at the table. "I think you should just be glad it's not you being talked about."

Johnny sat back, frowning slightly. "Yeah…"

The dispatch alarm caused them to jump. "Squad 51, gunshot victim."

As they were given the location Johnny and Roy climbed into the squad. Cap confirmed the run and passed Johnny a slip with the address on it. Roy started the engine and turned on the sirens, and the squad pulled out. It was a four minute drive to the scene.

They arrived at a large parking lot. Towards the center a small crowd had gathered. One police officer was holding back the mob as a police car pulled away. The squad pulled over and Johnny and Roy dashed out. Johnny grabbed the drug box and the biophone and Roy got the other equipment. The paramedics pushed their way through the throng. The victim, a young woman, lay on the ground. Johnny knelt beside her and set up the biophone as Roy turned to the police officer.

"Can you give us some space?" he asked loudly enough for the crowd to hear. The onlookers complied, stepping back several paces. "Does anybody know who she is?"

The answer was a unanimous no, so Roy joined his partner, who had picked up the phone and was contacting Rampart Emergency.

"Rampart, this is Squad 51. How do you read?"

"This is Rampart, we read you loud and clear," replied Doctor Joe Early. "Go ahead, Squad 51."

"Rampart, we have a female, approximately twenty four years old. She has a bullet wound in her abdomen. Stand by for vitals." Johnny glanced at the victim as Roy passed him a notebook. The front of the woman's shirt was drenched in blood, and a few drops were beginning to trickle to the ground. Roy had already placed her on oxygen. Johnny bit his lip and turned his attention to the notebook. "Rampart, vital signs are seventy five over fifty, rate one twenty, and respiration shallow and weak. We already have the victim on O2 and there is heavy external bleeding."

"51, is the victim conscious?"

"Negative, Rampart."

"Start an IV with Ringer's lactate; wide open. Bandage the wound, and transport as soon as possible. Keep me updated on the patient's progress."

"10/4, Rampart." Johnny set the phone down and began preparing an IV. Roy had already begun applying the bandage.

It wasn't long until the ambulance arrived and the patient was transferred to a gurney. Johnny held the IV bag as he climbed into the ambulance and Roy passed him the biophone. The doors shut as Johnny set the biophone back up. He checked the woman over again and contacted Rampart. She had gotten worse.

Johnny suddenly felt curiosity begin to tug at him. He continued to monitor the victim's vital signs, but he allowed his attention to slip slightly. He began to study her. Her waist length golden brown hair had almost slipped completely from its ponytail. She was thin, but strongly built. Her hazel eyes flicked open, and her face contorted in pain. Johnny snapped back to complete attention, checking her vitals and making sure the bandage hadn't slipped.

"Name?"

Johnny's eyes snapped back to the woman's face.

"Name?" she asked again, barely loud enough to be heard.

"My name is John Gage. You're being transported to Rampart General Hospital. They'll take good care of you, okay?"

The victim passed out again. Moments later the ambulance stopped and the doors opened. A couple of orderlies pulled the gurney out. Johnny helped, but he was more concerned with making sure the IV didn't slip out. They rushed into the hospital. As they passed Dixie McCall, the head nurse, she directed them to emergency room three. Inside, Dr. Early joined them as Johnny hung the IV bag and vacated the room.

Roy waited outside. He had already returned the biophone to its compartment in the squad. Johnny stood beside him, his features unexpressive.

"So?" Roy asked.

"So what?" Johnny replied, a little irritated.

Roy studied his partner for a moment and then shook his head, mumbling. "Never mind."

They waited a few minutes until Dixie stepped out of the emergency room. "I thought you two would be gone already," she said.

Johnny leaned against the counter. "How is she?"

Dixie sighed. "It's a little early to tell, but I think she'll be alright. She'll probably be in the hospital for at least a week."

Johnny nodded. "Alright. You'll let us know if there's any change?"

"Us?!" Roy muttered, and Johnny shot him an annoyed glance, but Dixie agreed anyway. Roy studied Johnny, a slight smile beginning to tug at the sides of his mouth. "On the other hand, you'd better not."

Dixie looked at Johnny and smiled too. "Given up on nurses, has he?"

Johnny, who had been staring absently at the wall, started. "What?"

Roy put his hand on his partner's shoulder. "Come on, Romeo, wait until she's at least coherent."

Johnny gave Roy that astonished gaze, a retort already pouring from his lips, as he followed the older paramedic down the hall.

...

Roy waved to his partner as he climbed into his car. It had been a relatively quiet shift, and now he was getting to go home to Joanne and the kids. He pulled out just behind Johnny and took a left turn. Johnny took a right. Roy had figured he would have been heading to the hospital otherwise.

Johnny forced himself to keep his full attention to the road as he drove home. His mind wanted to wander, but he wouldn't let it. Not yet. As he pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex he lived in he spotted Mrs. Ainsward, his neighbor down the hall. He waved, and she smiled at the young paramedic who had saved her life once.

Once inside Johnny checked his mail and then went up to his apartment. He wanted some rest, having been called out in the middle of the night. He fished in his pocket for his key, unlocked the door, and walked inside, not bothering to turn on the lights. He let himself fall on the couch and fell asleep.

…

Johnny rubbed his eyes and yawned. Dixie watched him, not too surprised.

"Late night, huh?"

Johnny yawned again and rested his arms on the counter. "Yeah. The guy next door had a party. I didn't sleep a wink."

Roy looked at Johnny. "Why didn't you report him?"

"I'd been invited."

Dixie raised an eyebrow then changed the subject. "By the way, Vallery Richards should be out in a week." Roy and Johnny glanced at each other, ignorant to whom Dixie was referring. "The woman you brought in three days ago?"

"Oh, her," Roy said.

Johnny's light bulb hadn't switched on yet. "Who?"

"The girl who was shot," Roy aided.

"Oh, her…" Johnny's expression shifted from exhausted distraction to a wistful smile. He suddenly straightened up and stared at Roy. "Wait a minute. How come you remembered her and I didn't?!"

Roy shrugged. "Maybe you're not that interested."

Johnny scoffed. "Not that interested. Do you think we could see her, Dix?"

"You could see her," Roy corrected.

Dixie warily agreed. "Just don't wind her up. She needs to rest."

Johnny grinned. "Of course not." He strolled away, unusually pleased with himself. Roy and Dixie exchanged glances.

"He's a little more intent than usual," Dixie remarked.

"Yeah, and he's only gotten one word out of her."

Johnny returned to his partner and friend, a little embarrassed. "Uh… Ha ha… Which room is it?"

Dixie smiled. "Two eighteen."

"Right." Johnny hurried down the hall. Roy shook his head.

"I guess I'd better go after him."

"I guess you'd better," Dixie echoed.

…

Johnny stepped gingerly into room two eighteen. Roy followed him, keeping a careful eye on his partner. The room's only occupant, Vallery Richards, turned her head slightly.

"Hi," Johnny said, a wide, crooked grin on his face. "My name's…"

"John Gage," Vallery said, "and Roy DeSoto. Thank you."

Johnny glanced at Roy. "It was no problem. So, how are you doing?"

"Better than I was a few moments ago. It's quite lonely here."

Johnny stood there, mute, so Roy spoke up for him. "We'll be sure to come visit you again, then."

Vallery half smiled. "Don't trouble yourselves. You've got a job to do, and you've probably got families who want you while you're off-duty."

Johnny's mouth apparently chose that moment to reconnect to his brain−or at least to the part that made it run, not necessarily the part that monitored what came out. "He's got family," he said, gesturing to Roy. "I don't. I'll come back as soon as I'm off-duty."

Vallery shook her head. "No, I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"It's no trouble. I mean, for a girl like you…"

Roy stepped in again, having noticed Vallery's expression. "We've got to be going now." Vallery looked at him gratefully. "Come on, Johnny, I've got to call us in as available."

Johnny glared at Roy, but complied. "Bye," he called as Roy pulled him out.

Special thanks:

-to Piscean6724 for aid in the medical aspects.

-to Kelmin and everybody else who has given constructive feedback in the writing aspect.