To Know Someone Cares2
EMERGENCY FAN FICTION
I do NOT own any rights to the show EMERGENCY.
Authoress' note: I apologize for having to yank this story before, but it
wasn't going right at all and when even the person writing the story
wants to puke, you know you have to rewrite.
I did not list this in the crossover section, or list this as sci- fi - even
though the Barkley ranch is mentioned. It is NOT set in the time of Big
Valley, nor do any of their characters suddenly appear. Their ranch was
just convenient to use since my friend told me that ranch was supposed to
have been in California. If that is wrong -blame her, not me.
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Ch.1
Dark ugly storm clouds were gathering as Sandra looked out the window
as she stood in the front room of the old two-level ranch house owned by
the Davenports. She didn't like the looks of things. That blasted color in the
sky meant roads would be washed out, footbridges unusable, and - most
likely the phones would go down.
As her eyes watched the sky a loud pounding came on the door and
Brody's shout of 'Dr. Davenport! Dr. Davenport! ARE YOU HOME!"
made her nerves jump. No, those storm clouds did not mix well with the
shouts coming from the other side of the door.
"What's up, Brody?" She asked the old grizzled ranch hand just as a bright
bolt of lightening flashed across the sky, followed by a disturbing clap of
thunder. Rain was coming, and it wouldn't be any little storm either.
"There's a woman been injured on the borders of the ranch. Your brother,
Skyler, had her taken to the clinic at the Old Barkley ranch. I was ordered to
come get you."
"If it's that bad, why not call an ambulance?"
"Can't, the phones are down."
"Oh." That explained the silence in the house for the past hour. Guess
not knowing is what she got for getting into one of 'thank-heavens people
are leaving me alone' type modes.
Brody's voice went on. "Besides, the storm is moving really fast. It's
already hit you're relative' place. We have to hurry or the road we have to
take there will be washed out." Urgency was definitely in his voice, and a
pleading for her not to drag her feet.
"Okay. Let's go. But you know the roads around here are pathetic and out
of date. Skyler needs to open up his pocketbook and fix them." She
answered as she grabbed her coat, and old - way out of date - doctor's bag.
"I know, but his main concentration has been the lower roads, not the
upper ones leading to the Barkley place. Besides, I doubt that wet stuff
coming out of the sky cares what roads it slams on to." Brody jumped into
the driver's seat and waited for her to join him.
The rain he was referring to seemed to be at their heels. As soon as they
backed raced away from the house the disgusting stuff began to downpour
as if a bucket had suddenly lost its bottom. The wipers on the truck were
going as fast as they could to keep water off the windshield. Brody's voice
spoke as fast as the rain as he gave her a run down on what Kim Allen - a
friend of hers - had said about the victim.
"Says she's a female in her mid to late forties. Said she's not responding
to light, is extremely lethargic, and seems to be sucking for air."
"Sounds like she has a major concussion and a collapsed lung. What
happened?"
"Cody spotted her as she was being thrown with extreme force from
Blackie. He, your brother, and a few others are the ones getting her to the
clinic.
"Blackie! What was she doing on that son-of-.."Sandra caught her tongue
and switched the question. "Who's the imbecile that let her ride that blasted
horse anyway?" She asked the question as she grabbed the CB hoping in
this storm it would still get through to the clinic on the Barkley ranch.
"Morris is my guess."
"That fool ought to be shot." Then she grinned. "But you didn't hear me
just say that." Brody just smiled back and let his stubbly face shine. He
didn't care for the idiot either. "What she was she doing up here up?
The Buckley's don't run a Dude ranch anymore."
"No idea. Guess you'll have to ask her yourself when she comes to."
Fortunately, Sandra was able to get through on the CB long enough to ask
enough questions to confirm the collapsed lung with Kim. She shouted into
the mouthpiece, "Do you still remember how to put in a chest tube?" Sandra
hollered through the mouth piece.
"Yes, but you know I quit medicine when I gave birth to Nathaniel. I don't
think I like the idea of messing with that type of thing."
"You're going to have to, she's got to be able to breathe. I promise I'll
take over when I get there." Sandra shouted back and heard a 10-4 from
Kim before the wave line was cut off.
The roads behind them were being washed out right left. It seemed the
rain doing the washing was trying to reach out and grab their tail end, but,
thank the man upstairs, Brody's worn out truck seemed to sense the urgency
and was able to keep up an amazingly fast speed. Thank heavens the small
dip in the road he had to race his truck through, and the bank he darted up,
didn't fill with the sky's water until the wheels were safely on fan road.
Fan road was not its official name, but that's what Sandra called it. The
dirt may have resembled a spread out accordion, or Japanese fan -take
your pick - but it was not nearly as pleasant. Every jolt, bump, and thud was
felt . "Sure there isn't another road we can take?" The ranch's doctor asked
as she thought for sure she was going to get her own concussion from the
top of the truck.
"No, this is the only one that seems to hold out with the storms that hit
us." Brody was not slowing his pace any.
Probably because it has so many holes it can't hold an ounce she grumbled
in her mind as she received yet another jolt to her system.
The old Barkley ranch was deserted most of the time as its owners only
came twice a year, but Sandra had been given permission to use the clinic
next to the house whenever an emergency called for it. The place was not
the best, and had been built fifty years ago, but it was the closest thing the
ranchers had to use if they didn't have time to get to town. Good thing all
her grandfather's equipment was still there -not to mention a few updated
things she'd managed to buy - or she'd have had a bigger mental fit over the
idea of taking care of someone in that place then she already was.
The clinic was easily spotted as it was the only building to have lights on.
The rest of the place was pitch black. Even the light over the barn was off
which could only mean one thing -the clinic was getting it's lights from the
back-up generator.
Hello war zone once again Sandra was muttering to herself as she
hurried up the steps. Something told her if the stranger did have a major
concussion then this reluctant doctor would end up having to operate under
less than desirable conditions.
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"Definite concussion." Sandra stood back up and looked at her pure
blonde friend. "Glad you aren't the stereotyped air-head, this tube was put in
as if you'd never left the field of medicine."
"Thanks." Kim smiled, but then pointed her finger at the woman.
"I need your help with the operation, or.." Sandra grinned at Brody who
had opened the door up. "He can."
"No way in he.."
"Brody." It was just his name she cut in with , but it was enough from Kim
to get him to curtail his language.
Sandra laughed as she hurried to get cleaned up. Neither one of their
responses surprised her. Brody was a great guy, but he had no stomach when
someone was being cut into, and if Kim hadn't sternly spoke his name, she
would have - it had taken too much to get her own tongue in check to have
it influenced into slipping.
"So, what did you want?" Sandra didn't quit moving as she got things
ready to take care of the woman laying on the table.
"Just figured you to let you know that you were right. The generator is
what you have to keep the lights on, and the phone lines are still down."
Neither bit of news surprised Sandra -though she was far from pleased. "Oh,
and that lady's name is Dixie McCall."
"How did you find that out?" Kim asked as she washed up.
"Lovely, little fascinating thing called.." he winked, "A driver's license."
Turning to face Sandra he jerked when he saw what she was holding, "You
going to use that knife?"
"That's what it is for." She wasn't going to waste her time on getting
technical on the proper name for the tool at least he wasn't brain dead on
what it was capable of. "Get out, Brody, unless you want to see blood."
Sandra's tone, not to mention her beginning to lean over Dixie got the old
man out the door faster than the lightening striking outside.