Miserable Monday
It was obvious to Johnny that he was going to have a miserable day. Everything that could go wrong while he was getting ready for work…went wrong. The power had gone out some time in the wee hours of the morning, which rendered his clock radio useless, as the time was off. He overslept.
Johnny happened to roll over and noted the 12:00 flashing. Knowing full well, that it wasn't 12:00, he grabbed his watch that he had kept on his night table, and noted the time…6:50 AM. Normally getting up at six, Johnny knew it would be a mad rush to get to work on time.
Bolting out of bed, he went into his bathroom and started the shower. While waiting for the water to heat up, Johnny brushed his teeth and took care of other business. Stepping blindly over the tub and into the shower, he flinched and lost his balance when he felt the cold water spraying on his body. He fell over the side of the tub, hurting his left side.
Not wanting to freeze to death, he carefully picked himself up, and stepped out of the tub. He quickly realized that not only had the power gone out and then back on in the middle of the night, but the hot water was out now.
Reaching for a towel, Johnny dried himself off, and turned off the water. He was thankful that he had at least showered the morning before. Still wrapped in the towel, he made his way back to his bedroom. To save time, he decided that he would get dressed in his uniform at home. He pulled out clean socks and underwear from his dresser drawer, and got out the three sets of uniforms from his closet.
The first sock he put on had a hole in it. Taking it off, he tried another sock, same thing…another hole. After two more socks, he found a pair that had no holes. Putting on his boots yielded a similar problem…broken laces. After changing the laces, he put on his boots, and grabbed his two remaining uniforms, as well as the packed bag that was on the floor, and made his way to the kitchen. Coffee was out, as there was no time to brew a fresh pot.
Opening the refrigerator, he took out the carton of milk, and reached for a glass from the cabinet. As he was placing the glass on his counter, the glass slipped and shattered on the floor. Johnny groaned loudly. He looked at his watch…7:20AM. He shook his head, but bent down to pick up the pieces of glass. On one piece, he cut his hand…it didn't seem too bad, so all Johnny did was to take a sheet of paper towel and wrap his hand in it.
Forgetting about the rest of the glass on the floor, he went to the living room, grabbed his things, and keys, and after locking the door behind him, walked out to his Rover.
Putting his things in the front passenger seat, the only thought that came to his mind was…"please let this thing start".
Turning the key in the ignition, Johnny's bad mood was temporarily prevented from getting worse, when the vehicle started right up.
Driving to the station, he almost got into an accident when another car cut him off. When he finally arrived in the station's lot, Johnny was never more grateful. Before getting out of his car, he looked down at his hand…it had stopped bleeding, but was still quite sore. Walking around to the passenger side, he reached in and took out his bag and uniforms. When he straightened up, he realized how sore he was, but knew he didn't have any time to overanalyze his current situation.
Entering the locker room, he was promptly greeted by Chet, who was ready for a one on one with his usual sparring partner.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up this morning." Chet replied with a sarcastic tone.
"Shut up, Chet…I'm not in the mood."
"What's a matter, Gage…get up on the wrong side of the bed?"
Johnny sighed loudly. "I think…I'll just pretend that you're not here, Chet. Now, go away."
The paramedic proceeded to put his things away in his locker.
When he turned around, the stocky firefighter was still there.
"Chet…"
"What'd I do?" The Irishman asked in a mock hurt tone.
"You were born…that's what."
Johnny walked over to the sink and using a wet paper towel, wiped his face with it.
"Geez, Gage…what happened to you?" The firefighter asked his friend with mild concern.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your hand…not to mention that you look like you've seen better days."
Johnny again sighed loudly. "I cut my hand on some glass this morning…it's okay. I'll go bandage it up and will be as good as new."
Opening the door to the locker room, Mike Stoker called in.
"Roll call, guys."
Chet headed for the door, but turned around when Johnny continued to stand at the sink.
"You coming?"
"Uh…yeah…I'm right behind you."
When Johnny finally made it out to the bay area for roll call, everyone looked at him curiously, which made him feel self-conscious.
"What?"
Hank was the first one to note the junior paramedic's frazzled appearance.
"John, you okay, pal?"
"Yeah…I'm fine…had a rough morning, but I'm here."
"Okay."
Hearing Johnny's reply to their captain's question, Roy wondered to himself what exactly had happened to his partner that had made it a rough morning for him.
Hank got on with roll call, the morning announcements, and chore assignments.
"That's it gang…let's get going."
As the others made their way back inside to the squad room, Johnny walked over to the squad to pull out the trauma kit, and was followed closely behind by his partner.
"Trauma kit? What happened, Johnny?" Roy asked worriedly.
"Oh, it's nothing. I cut my hand on some glass this morning. I didn't have time to bandage it at home."
Roy stood watching his partner for a few moments.
"Johnny, what's going on?"
Johnny looked up, slightly irritated.
"Nothing's going on…I cut my hand. It's fine…it's not like I'm going to die from it or anything."
"Let me see it."
Johnny stood up and impatiently held out his left hand.
Removing the paper towel that Johnny still had on his hand, Roy took a look at his partner's hand.
"Hmm…doesn't look too bad."
"I already told you that. In case you forgot…I AM a paramedic, you know."
Johnny pulled his hand back, and proceeded to disinfect it and put a bandage on it, himself.
"Well, while you're at it…you might as well check those supplies. I'll check the drug box."
After a few minutes, the supply check was finished.
Roy watched with concern as Johnny stood up awkwardly.
"Johnny?" Again asked in a worried tone.
"What?" Johnny answered in an irritated tone.
"Why don't you level with me?"
"There's nothing to say, Roy. I'm just having a bad day…a miserable Monday. Me cutting my hand this morning…it's just par for the course. The power had gone out earlier, so I overslept…there was no hot water…all my socks had holes…my laces broke…and…I almost had an accident this morning when an idiot cut me off. Are you satisfied, now?"
"I'm sorry you're having such a rough morning. Anything I can do?"
Johnny exhaled softly and smiled tiredly. "No, but thanks. I'll try to keep my misery to myself. Well…I'm off to the dorms…the linens are calling me."
"Johnny…you'll be okay?"
"Yeah…I'll be fine, Roy. I've had bad days before."
Roy watched as Johnny walked away. The explanation that his partner gave him, made sense, but there still seemed to be something that Johnny was not telling him.
In the dorm area, Johnny was met by Marco.
"Buenas dias, amigo." Marco greeted the paramedic with a friendly smile.
"Hey Marco." Came Johnny's tired response.
Sensing his friend's weariness, Marco offered him a helping hand.
"Need help with that, Johnny?"
"No, I'm good…thanks anyway. Don't you have some chores to do, yourself?"
"I'm cooking lunch and dinner today. I got some time, yet."
"What are we having today?" Johnny asked, trying to change the subject.
"Well…for lunch, I'm making my special tacos, and for dinner…some stir fry vegetables and chicken over rice. Sound good?"
"Yeah. It's been awhile since you've made tacos. I'm looking forward to that."
As Johnny was about to start pulling off the old linens, the alarms sounded.
"Station 51, single car accident, San Diego Freeway, mile marker 42, time out 08:30"
Hank got on the radio. "Station 51 responding, KMG-365."
Roy was quickly in his place behind the wheel of the squad, but Johnny took a few moments longer than usual to arrive.
Putting his aches and frustrations aside, Johnny navigated them ably to the accident scene.
When they arrived on scene, they noted that the vehicle was a small red sports car that had become wedged under the guardrail.
Johnny knew after taking one look, that at least initially, he'd be the one who would be attempting to gain access into the squashed vehicle, due to his slighter frame.
Sure enough, once all the men were gathered around the vehicle, it was Johnny who would try to get into the car.
As he managed to squeeze into the small space, he felt the soreness of his left side, which caused him to grimace…no one noticed it.
Seeing the victim, a young woman, Johnny tried to talk to her. He received no answer, but was able to feel a pulse in her neck.
"Roy…victim's a female…20's…unconscious…and a weak and thready pulse." Johnny called out.
"Okay, Johnny. I'll get Rampart on the line."
By the time they had the woman extricated, on a backboard, and ready for transport Johnny was tired and even more sore than he had been.
"Johnny, you want to drive or ride in?" Roy asked his partner.
"Uh…I'll go in with her."
"Okay…see you in a few."
Johnny nodded his head, and hopped into the back of the ambulance. On the way in to the hospital, their victim went into cardiac arrest. The ambulance pulled over, and seeing this, Roy pulled over as well, and came in to help Johnny with their victim.
Johnny performed the chest compressions, while the attendant made sure that air was getting into the lungs.
Roy got the defibrillator charged.
After two tries, they got her back.
At the hospital, she once again went into cardiac arrest. Johnny did the chest compressions until they got her into the treatment room.
After helping out for an hour, the two paramedics left the treatment room…she was gone.
After the lousy morning that Johnny had already been having, he was even more miserable after this…losing a patient was always a rough thing to have to come to terms with.
"Coffee, Johnny? You like you could really use a cup."
"Nah, I'm good Roy. Let's head back…I want to finish with the linens."
"You're sure?" Roy asked, surprised that Johnny would decline the cup.
"Yeah…I'm sure."
On their way back to the squad, their radio went off, calling them to a structure fire.
"10-4, LA…Squad 51 responding." Roy answered on the radio.
When they arrived on scene, they noted the building in question…a big office building. There was a flurry of activity as more and more crews arrived.
The battalion chief had arrived quickly, and was the one in charge from the beginning. The two paramedics reported to him, turnouts and gear on, waiting to receive their assignments.
"Chief McConnike…"
"DeSoto…Gage. There are reports of two people trapped on the fourth floor. Why don't you two head up there."
Nodding their heads, the two paramedics were off and running.
Taking the stairs, they arrived at the fourth floor quickly. Getting out of the stairwell, Johnny was surprised at how winded he had become. He was having trouble catching his breath.
"Johnny, I'll go left…you go right."
Hearing his partner's instructions, Johnny nodded his head in understanding, and turned right to go down the hallway.
Checking each room as he made his way down the corridor, Johnny didn't find anyone. It was one of the last few doors that he tried to open, but was stuck, that he began to realize that he had in all probability found the trapped workers.
Knocking on the door, he received no answer. Knowing that he'd have to try to open the door by leaning into it, Johnny grimaced…he knew that his already sore body, was not going to like what he was about to do.
Counting to three, Johnny put his body into the door, and it burst opened.
Making his way into the room, he looked around for people, but didn't find anyone. As he was making his way back to the door, Johnny tripped over a box and crashed hard into the side of a desk. While he was trying to catch his breath and pick himself up, his radio came to life, with Roy's voice on it.
"Johnny, I found our victims. Come to room 426."
Reaching for his radio, Johnny pushed the button, and responded.
"10-4, I'm on my way."
Getting up carefully, he slowly got out of the room, and made his way down the hallway to where his partner was waiting for his arrival.
"Roy?" Johnny shouted.
"In here. I have two unconscious males, Johnny."
After making quick work of checking for any broken bones or other serious injuries, Johnny and Roy each hoisted a victim over their shoulders, and left the room.
While Roy was able to make it down the stairs with no problems, Johnny struggled to do so his left side was really hurting, and his energy was waning.
Once outside, the two paramedics set about examining their victims.
Getting Rampart on the line, they reported their findings, and received their treatment orders.
"10-4, Rampart. Ambulance is on scene, and we are ready to transport. ETA is ten minutes."
After getting off the phone, Roy looked at Johnny. Although Johnny seemed to look tired, there was nothing else about his partner that suggested to Roy that there was something wrong.
"Johnny, why don't you take the squad in…I'll handle this one."
"Okay. I'll be right behind you."
Once they got their patients into the ambulance, Johnny handed Roy the bio-phone and drug box.
"See you soon, Pally."
Closing the doors, Johnny gave the customary two taps, and the ambulance was off.
Unbeknownst to the paramedic, as he was cleaning up and returning the rest of the equipment to the squad, Mike Stoker, who was nearby on the engine's pumps, was observing the way Johnny was gingerly moving around. He wanted to say something to his friend, but his radio came to life, and he had to answer it.
Johnny finally got everything loaded back into the squad, and pulled away, making his way to Rampart.
When Johnny finally arrived at the ER, Roy was at the base station talking to Dixie.
"Here he is."
Johnny looked up and smiled tiredly at Dixie's comment.
"Hey Dix."
"Boy, your partner wasn't kidding…you do look like you've had a rotten day so far."
"Gee thanks, Dix. Roy, I'm going to go wash up."
"Okay…I'll wait for you here."
The nurse and the paramedic both watched as Johnny walked away.
"Is he okay?" Dixie asked slightly worried.
"Yeah, I think so. I think he's just tired, and the bad morning he's had is taking a toll on him. He'll be fine. You know, Johnny…he bounces back quickly."
Dixie smiled, but wasn't convinced that this would be one of those times where the younger paramedic would bounce back quite so easily.
In the bathroom, Johnny washed up. Trying to take a few deep breaths, he discovered how painful it was to do so. He knew that he was tired and sore, and still irritated from the morning's events, but he didn't think anything of it, and after drying off, left the bathroom to rejoin his partner.
"Ready to go, Johnny?"
"Yep. See you later, Dix."
"Yeah, I'll be here. You take it easy, Johnny."
The paramedic waved to the nurse and followed his partner to the squad.
"I didn't want to tell you in front of Dixie, because I know how you'd take the news, but…those two guys that we just pulled from that fire…they had been smoking pot shortly before the fire broke out. Apparently they had become disoriented and passed out."
The reaction that Roy had gotten from Johnny was not the one that he had thought he'd get. Johnny sat there and said nothing. Roy figured that he'd at least get a nasty comment or something, if not a rant about how stupid the whole thing was.
"Johnny?" Called out Roy.
"I heard you. What do you want me to say about it? I'm too tired to talk about people's stupidity. Let's just get back to the station…I still have work to do."
Roy was a little taken aback by his partner's reaction and the irritated tone in his voice, but said nothing about it. He merely nodded his head.
"Okay."
Over the next few hours, both the squad and engine were kept busy.
It was shortly after 3 PM when the crew was finally able to sit down to lunch.
"So, Gage…are you going to let us in on what happened this morning to put you in such a bad mood?" Chet asked tactlessly.
"Kelly…" Hank gruffly called out.
It was obvious to everyone that Johnny was not in the mood for chatter, especially for Chet's variety.
"What, Cap? Don't we all have a right to know what's going on with him? If he's not…" Recognizing the stern look from his captain, Chet immediately stopped talking.
Trying to lighten the conversation, Marco asked about lunch.
"How are the tacos?"
"They're fabulous, pal."
Mike nodded his head. "You should open a restaurant, Marco. You'd make a killing."
Marco smiled appreciatively. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying them. When I retire from the fire department, I just might do that, Mike. I do like to cook, and my brother Martin is great with business stuff."
Amazingly, the men were able to get through lunch uninterrupted. When Johnny got up to bring his plate to the sink, Roy noticed that his partner hadn't eaten as much as he normally did.
"Uh, Gage…I believe it's your turn to do the dishes. After you lost that game of cards on Thursday night, we decided that the loser would have dish duty on Monday…and here we are."
Mike turned around to face Chet after noting Johnny's facial expression and how incredibly tired he appeared to be.
"Come on, Chet…give the guy a break."
Johnny shook his head. "No, he's right Stoke…a deal is a deal." Johnny replied with a tired sigh.
Chet stood there with his chest puffed out in victory.
"I'll help you, Johnny. You wash, I'll dry."
"No, that's okay, Roy…I can handle it. You go relax."
"You're sure? I don't mind."
"I know. It'll give me a chance for some peace and quiet."
"Okay."
Roy walked away and joined the others outside.
Before starting on the dishes, Johnny stood at the sink, leaning wearily over it.
Out in the back of the station, the rest of the crew, minus Captain Stanley who was doing some paperwork in his office, gathered around Roy as he came outside.
"What is going on with your partner, Roy?"
"Come on, Chet…give the guy a break…he's had a bad day."
Roy went on to tell the three men about what had happened to Johnny that morning, or as many of the details as he had actually known about.
"We also lost that young woman from that car accident this morning. And…the two guys from the office building fire…they had been smoking pot…otherwise they wouldn't have been in the situation that they had been in. It's just been a really bad day for Johnny…and he's miserable."
Marco smiled sympathetically. "Well…at least to his credit, Roy…he's not making the rest of us miserable, right along with him."
Johnny finished the dishes, and had been about to sit down on the couch, when the alarm sounded.
"Squad 51, man down, Caffrey's Bar, 668 East Windsor Boulevard."
Johnny answered on the mic.
"Squad 51 responding…KMG-365."
Johnny walked around to the passenger side and slid in, albeit a bit gingerly. Roy joined him a moment later.
"Man down at a bar…I bet I know what that's about."
Roy looked over at his partner and inwardly smiled. That was one of the first unsolicited comments that Johnny had made all shift, and it made Roy relax slightly, to know that maybe Johnny was doing okay, after all.
When they arrived at Caffrey's Bar they were led to the back of the bar where an older man had apparently passed out.
When they started to examine him, he regained consciousness, and promptly threw up…on Johnny.
Johnny stood up, not very amused.
The man started to get agitated.
"Hey…what do you think you're doing to me, sonny?"
"Sir, you passed out…and you just threw up. Something's obviously not right." Answered Johnny.
Another patron shouted over. "Yeah…he's drunk. Let him go home and sleep it off."
Roy sighed. "Johnny, go clean up…I got it from here."
After examining him further, it was determined that there was nothing wrong with him, except that he had a bit too much to drink. He had refused a trip to Rampart, so while waiting for Johnny, Roy started to gather up their equipment.
A few minutes later, Johnny returned.
"All set?"
"Yeah. What about him?" Johnny asked, nodding to their victim.
"He's fine…drunk…and he refused to get checked out. Let's get back so you can change."
"Okay…I'm right behind you." Came the tired response.
When they returned to the station, the engine was gone. While Roy poured himself a cup of coffee, Johnny went to change into a clean uniform. While he was changing, he investigated the parts of his body that really hurt, and was surprised at all the bruises that decorated his torso.
After changing, he joined Roy out in the squad room…not saying a thing about all of his bruises, or the fact that he was really feeling lousy.
"Coffee?"
"Uh…yeah, I guess." Johnny answered uncertainly.
Before Johnny could take the offered cup of coffee that his partner had been about to hand him, they were once again called out.
They were one again kept going constantly through the next few hours, only taking a break to eat at Rampart.
It was just after 8 PM when Johnny and Roy had returned from their last run. After backing the squad into the vehicle bay, Roy got out, but noted that his partner was still sitting inside the cab.
"Johnny…you okay?"
"Huh?" Johnny responded, looking up.
"Are you alright? You don't seem yourself."
"I'm just tired, I guess."
"Why don't you join me for some pie and coffee? I remember hearing Marco mention something about an apple pie he made."
"No thanks…I think I'll just get ready to hit the sack."
"Johnny…you're sure you're okay?"
"Yeah…fine." Johnny didn't want to admit that he wasn't feeling well at all. He was achy all over, but it was his chest and left side that really hurt.
"Okay…see you later, Partner. Holler if you need anything."
Johnny wearily nodded his head. "Yeah."
Roy stood watching as Johnny slowly got out of the squad, and lethargically started to walk away.
Once Johnny was gone from view, Roy made his way into the squad room, where he was greeted by his captain.
"Hey fellas…" When Hank realized that it was only Roy who had entered the room, he became curious. "Roy…where's John?"
"He said he was tired and was going to hit the sack."
Chet looked at Roy in disbelief. "Gage is going to bed at eight o'clock? He really did get up on the wrong side of the bed today."
"That's not very nice, Chet."
"Hey Marco…I only speak the truth. You all have to admit that Gage hasn't been himself today."
Hearing Chet's comments, Hank wanted to put his own mind at ease.
"Roy, there's nothing wrong with your partner, is there?"
"Not that I know of. The only thing he said was that he was tired."
"That's it?" Hank asked incredulously.
"That's all he said, Cap. I asked him a few times if he was okay...and he said yes, just that he was tired. I'll keep an eye on him. I'm sure the bad day he's had today just caught up to him, that's all."
Once in the dorms, Johnny made sure his turnouts were set up beside his bed. Stripping down to his undershirt and boxers, Johnny stood for a few moments feeling all the aches and pains in his body.
Climbing into bed, he laid his head on the pillow, pulled the blanket over himself, and was asleep in minutes.
After finishing his pie and coffee, Roy went to the sink and washed off his plate and cup.
"Anything good on TV tonight?" Roy asked, as he joined the others in front of the television.
Marco read from the TV section of the newspaper.
"Rhoda, Barbary Coast, The Invisible Man…there's also a basketball game on…Lakers are playing the Boston Celtics."
The others all wanted to see the basketball game, so that's what was turned on.
Around 10 PM, with things still quiet, the rest of the men joined Johnny in the dorms.
Roy looked over at his partner, who appeared to be sleeping soundly.
It wasn't until around midnight, that Roy realized there was a problem.
When he went to turn over, he noticed that Johnny's bunk was empty. Hearing the shower going, he got up to investigate, putting his bunker pants on first, and then made his way to the locker room.
He called Johnny's name. "Johnny?"
Not receiving an answer, he became really worried. Approaching the shower, he opened the shower door slightly, his heart falling to the floor at what he saw…Johnny naked, and huddled on the floor of the shower stall.
He knew right away that there was something seriously wrong with his partner.
Roy reached in and turned off the water. "Johnny, talk to me…what's going on?"
Johnny couldn't talk…but only tried to gasp for air.
Roy hollered for help. "Help…I need help in here."
In no time flat, the rest of the crew came into the locker room to assist Roy, especially after hearing the near panic in the senior paramedic's voice.
"Roy?" Hank asked worriedly.
"I don't know, Cap…he can't breathe."
Action was quickly taken. Hank called in a still alarm and for an ambulance, and the equipment magically materialized in front of Roy.
"I'll get Rampart on the line for you, Roy."
The paramedic nodded his head at Mike.
A blanket was laid on the ground, as Johnny was lifted and carried to it. A towel and then another blanket was placed over Johnny, for dignity and warmth. It was then that everyone saw all of Johnny's bruises that were all over his torso.
"What in god's name happened to him?" gasped Hank.
"I don't know, Cap." Roy replied, shocked at seeing all the bruises himself.
Johnny was quickly placed on oxygen.
When Roy called in Johnny's vitals, it became obvious to both him, and to Dr. Early who was on the other end of the bio-phone, what was going on with Johnny…he had a collapsed lung.
"51, start IV…D5W…and 5 mg of MS. Any other injuries noted?"
"Negative, Rampart. IV D5W, 5 mg of MS."
"10-4. Transport as soon as possible."
"10-4."
"The ambulance is here, Roy."
"Thanks, Marco."
"Is he going to be okay, Roy?" Chet asked with his usual concern that he reserved for whenever his friend was injured or sick.
"He'll be fine, Chet…he's got a probable collapsed lung…he should be fine, just as soon as they re-inflate it."
"Marco, you take the squad in." Hank ordered.
Marco nodded his head.
Hank then added, "Chet…you can go, too. Keep in touch, Roy."
They all followed the stretcher to the ambulance, which had pulled into their driveway.
In the ambulance, Roy shook his head in frustration at how his partner had kept this injury from him. He looked down at Johnny, wincing at the sight of his best friend struggling to breathe, and at the amount of obvious pain that he was in.
"Hang in there, partner…you're going to be alright. We're almost at the hospital."
In no time they had arrived at Rampart, and Johnny was quickly whisked away to one of the treatment rooms. Once he was transferred to the exam bed, he was given more MS.
"Johnny, we're going to insert a chest tube now…it's going to hurt, but then you'll start to feel better real quick."
Johnny nodded at the calm voice of Joe Early.
A few moments of pain, and then almost instant relief. Johnny started to feel better a few minutes later.
"Better?" Dr. Early asked with a smile.
The downed paramedic nodded his head.
"Good. We're going to take some x-rays now. Sounds like you have some broken ribs. You just rest, Johnny."
Feeling the need to be completely honest with his partner, Johnny told him about how he had fallen at home that morning, and about all of his other mishaps that had apparently contributed to his collapsed lung and broken ribs.
Roy knew his friend was in no shape for lectures, so he didn't say anything else about it.
"I'll be back, in a little while, Johnny. Hang in there."
The senior paramedic patted his partner lightly on the shoulder then started to walk away.
"Roy… thanks for helping me." Johnny called out softly.
Turning around, Roy smiled warmly.
"You're welcome. Hey…you know what the best thing about all of this is, Junior?"
The paramedic shook his head.
"Your miserable Monday is over…it's Tuesday now…things can only look up from here."
Johnny let out a relieved smile.
THE END