Chapter 2

Laura flipped the first aid kit opened and pulled the largest bandages held with in it and applied it to the bleeding head wound on the pilot at her side with out paying notice to the person holding it. "What is the threat of fire in here?"

"I don't see any threat at all, Can you tell me what happened?" Captain Stanley continued to asses the situation at hand.

"No idea at this point, I was supposed to be the passenger. I was in the back seat with my mind in another plane of existence when I heard the windshield shatter and noticed the pilot was unconscious. It was all I could do to climb over the seat and try and set her down. Did anyone loose their heads back there?" Laura asked as she held pressure on the bleeding head wound.

"No, but we have a few tire marks on our helmets," Captain Stanley joked.

"Sorry about that, I'm going to need a back board, C collar, can anyone see the oxygen canister in here?" Laura rattled off. "Told you all I'd be sure to drop in if I was ever in the area."

"The squad should be here any minute, Marco get the oxygen off the engine," Hank ordered. "Mike was just telling me you were planning to surprise us but I didn't expect anything quit so dramatic."

"Me either, Ambulance?" Laura questioned as she applied the oxygen mask Marco handed her then started wrapping a bandage around the pilot's head.

"There's one on the way," Captain Stanley informed as the sound of sirens was heard moving in.

Before the squad could get through the traffic Johnny and Chet hopped out and grabbed the most used supplies from the compartments and ran between the cars to get to the downed plane. When he reached the pilot Johnny noticed that his patient was already bandaged and starting to come around.

"We're going to need a back board." Cap called out.

"I'll get it," Chet acknowledged and set what he had in his hands down and started jogging back to the squad. When he returned carrying the back board Roy was jogging along side of him and Captain Stanley carefully motioned him toward the other side of the plane and to Laura's aid.

"Excuse me Ma'am," Roy tried to pull Laura away from her patient, "are you hurt anywhere other than this bump on your head here?"

"I've got a bump on my head? That's news to me I can't see anything." Laura joked as she shot her eyes upward, "I told your captain to ask me that question in fifteen minutes so far it's only been eight." Laura turned back to her patient and Roy just shook his head and took hold of her wrist to count a pulse. After she helped Johnny and Marco to strap the pilot down to the back board Roy was able to reclaim her attention and help her slip of her dress jacket so that he could check a blood pressure.

"My partner is taking care of your friend, now let's get you checked out." Roy tried to take command.

"What do I look like a library book?" Laura chided teasingly and Mike's snicker just fueled her, "I feel fine just a little shaken up and still waiting for my stomach to catch up with me here on the ground. Oh and by the way, he's not my friend, I just met him an hour ago and I don't even know his full name."

"Look here," Captain Stanley stepped in with as much authority as he could muster. "The last time you told me you were fine we wound up hauling the entire station over to Mike's apartment to pull you out of an anaphylactic coma."

Laura closed one eye and glared at the fire captain then gave a slight chuckle as she heard sirens in the back ground and looked to see two police cars coming in. "Alright, I'm all yours, just as soon as I hand over these donor organs." With that Laura turned around in her seat again and grabbed for two insulated ice chests marked as carrying donor organs and pulled them into her lap. As she was handing them over to the police officers who ran up requesting them and making sure they knew where to take them Cap pulled Roy slightly to the side.

"You know who that is, don't you?"

"I do now," Roy answered, "I think she told us once that anyone who thought Dr.'s made lousy patients never met her."

"I'd advise you not to forget that," Mike chuckled quietly.

Once the donor organs were handed off and on their way Laura turned in her seat and looked at the senior paramedic letting out a deep breath. Roy quickly flicked his pen light in her eyes to check her pupils. "We're at fourteen and a half minutes now can you tell me if you're hurt anywhere else yet?"

Laura just laughed and Mike joined in.

When the ambulance arrived Johnny and the attendants made short work of lifting the pilot onto the gurney as Roy took hold of one of Laura's arms and Mike the other and helped her from the plane cockpit. The plan was to walk her over to the ambulance but she wouldn't take the first step before she pulled her hat from the belt on her skirt and placed it on her head. Roy had already draped her jacket over his arm. Together the three of them walked toward the back of the ambulance where Roy helped her into the back as Johnny assisted her in sitting on the bench across from the patient.

Roy closed the back doors and gave the signal that all was secured before standing back with his hands on his hips shaking his head as the ambulance pulled away.

"That was close Cap," Marco sighed as he stepped up next to the rest of the crew. "I didn't think she was going to get that plane down with out killing everyone on board and half the people on the road."

"Yeah," Cap responded, "but then that girl has never ceased to surprise me."

"She is going to be alright isn't she?" Marco asked, "She's a whole lot more giggly than she was the last time she was here."

"She just may have hit her head a little harder that she thinks she did," Roy diagnosed.

"Nah, her letters have been just like that lately." Chet dismissed the paramedic's thoughts.

"How do you know what her letters are like lately?" Mike turned a glaring stare and the trouble making Irishman.

"You're not the only one she's been writing to." Chet teased, "Even Cap has gotten a few letters from her."

"Why hasn't she written to me?" Marco questioned being left out.

"You got 'a write 'em to get 'em," Chet answered with a cheesy grin and turned to help gather up supplies.

00000

At the hospital Johnny quickly helped to unload the pilot and turned him over to the nurse who greeted them at the entrance before turning to help Laura down from the back of the ambulance and waited the second for her to replace her hat before offering her his elbow and guiding her into the hospital as if he were escorting a date.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked as they walked through the double doors, he was trying to decide weather or not to grab one of the wheelchairs stored in the hall.

Once inside the building Laura again removed her hat and tucked it under her belt as she walked at Johnny's side. "I'm fine, just fine. Haven't you heard any landing you can walk away from his a good landing?"

"Oh!" Laura touched her forehead.

"What's wrong?" Johnny stopped and took hold of his patient's shoulders to steady her.

"I'm fine, I just should have told Captain Stanley to call the Civil Air Patrol to find out what they wanted to do with the airplane."

"It had CAP allover the side of the plane," Johnny tried to ease her mind; "The police will know who to contact."

Dixie walked up to the pair noticing how paramedic Gage was holding his patient, "Room Five." Dixie then stepped up to the other side of Laura as Johnny took hold of her elbow and started moving her toward the treatment room.

"I'm fine," Laura continued to declare, "It's just all starting to settle in, that was a close one today."

"So I heard," Johnny small talked as he encouraged his patient forward.

As Dixie held the door open for them then pulled a stool forward for Laura to sit on she remembered the day just a week ago when she was paged for a phone call.

"Rampart General, Nurse McCall speaking."

"Dixie, this is Laura, Laura Elmer, do you remember me?" Her voice was nervous and instantly gained Dixie's full attention.

"Of course I remember you, where are you at?" She hadn't said the words but Dixie recognized a call for help when she heard one.

"Seattle Washington, They want me on a plane for Nicaragua in ten minutes. I can't do it any more Dix, I can't handle trying to save the world all by myself. Do you still have a position there at Rampart, I've been released by the Psychiatrist and I've passed all my psyche evaluations. I know how to work an emergency this organization is just setting dangerous policies. If I get on that plane I'll just be right back where I was in less than two weeks. They'll just run me into the ground and then leave me there in the dust. Please tell me I have a chance there." Laura had spilled her whole plea in rapid fire speech with out taking a breath now as she was waiting for Dixie's answer she was panting as if she had ran a mile.

Dixie quickly picked up a pen and pulled a paper pad in front of her, "Tell me where to send an application."

"I a, I still have the one you gave me when I was in the hospital there. I've put a resume together too and I have copies of my psyche release. I can have it all in the mail in less than an hour."

"Send it directly to me, I'll see to it that it gets into the right hands." Dixie then proceeded to give the pleading girl an address and made sure she knew where to contact her before duty called her into a treatment room for a full arrest. She had been careful not to make any promises that she couldn't keep. When the large and heavily stuffed manila envelope arrived the next day Dixie was quick to notice that her resume was six pages long and it took Dr. Brackett most of a day but he was able to verify every last detail on it. If Laura Elmer was indeed psychologically sound she would be a great addition to their staff.

When Dr. Brackett entered the treatment room Johnny was just finishing up a new set of vitals. "120 over 88, it's coming down from where it was."

"I hope so," Laura smiled then turned to Dr. Brackett. "Oh No!"

"What is it?" Dixie was quick to ask.

"I left my resumes on the plane and I have a run in my nylons!" Laura looked genuinely panicked.

"We still have the two copies of your resume that you sent in with your application." Dr. Brackett smiled as he started to examine the bump on Laura's forehead.

"And it just so happens that the hospital gift shop carries a supply of nylons," Dixie added.

Laura let out a deep breath, "Okay then, let's get this exam over with so I'm not late for my interview."

"We've got plenty of time for that." Brackett smiled then proceeded to check her pupil reactions.