The DeBRIEFing

With the arrival of the third squad each victim had his own paramedic working on him with an extra trainee running around making sure everyone had the supplies they needed. Each man had two IV's running wide open and was on oxygen.

Roy managed to look around he hadn't been in direct fire so his eyesight wasn't as effected as the rest. Still the oxygen mask on his face was welcomed even if it didn't stop the burn in his lungs. All of the paramedics had their hands full, some more than others. It had become necessary to intubate Marco because he was having so much trouble breathing, Mike and Chet weren't far behind.

Glancing over at Cap, Roy could see that he was lying on his side with an oxygen mask on, the firemen working on him had just finished washing him down and he was now shivering as he lay in his underwear on the lawn. Chief McConkie was kneeling at his side with a hand on his arm. Roy could tell that he was asking questions and getting a report of what had happened but he couldn't hear anything and as of yet he really didn't know what had happened just something about a skunk on the engine.

Roy watched as the paramedic taking care of Cap took a blood pressure and then as soon as he was finished Roy saw the troubled sigh and the shake of his head as he quickly turned to the nearest bio-phone. He couldn't hear what was being said but he knew it wasn't good as he watched the paramedic dig into his drug box for and quickly inject some meds into the Captain's IV before giving a panicked look that Roy knew was searching for the ambulance gurneys.

Two ambulances arrived together and Marco and Hank were quickly loaded in the first one, while Mike and Chet were just as quickly loaded in the second one: two paramedics in each, Roy heard the tires squeal as the ambulances pulled away, things were definitely not looking so good.

The Animal control truck pulled up on the apron and Roy recognized the same Animal control officer they had worked with earlier that day. All Officer Joe Strong needed was half a whiff before he pulled a gas mask and some kind of a tank out of his truck before following the now Hazmat suit and SCBA clad Chief into the equipment bay.

Roy searched the area for his partner; it was on the second scan of the area that he saw Johnny laying on his side with his back to him. Roy took in the water droplets still beaded up on his back and the soap suds lying on the grass around him. From behind Roy could see Johnny's chest heave and he fought to get enough air in and out and his shivering shoulders.

Roy watched as a paramedic out of 35, Mark Hansen lay sterile dressings on the side of Johnny's face and down his neck before replacing the elastic that held the oxygen mask tight to his face.

Roy watched his partner nod his head as Mark tucked one of their yellow blankets around his shoulders and then everyone's attention turned to the Chief and Animal control Officer Joe carrying one of the two draft hoses out of the station followed by the two SCBA clad Captains carrying the second one.

Once a double layer of plastic was spread out on the ground the contents of the two hoses was dumped out. While Joe strong was moving the euthanized bodies around with a stick Roy and Johnny were loaded onto the next ambulance and Roy was relieved to see that they trusted one paramedic to take care of them enroute.

Just before the doors were closed Chief McConkie stuck his arm in handing a piece of paper to Mark. "Give this to Dr. Bracket it's the information he needs to take care of these guys." The Doors were then shut and the customary two slaps were given.

Roy took a good look at his partner who was on the gurney with his head raised; Johnny had definitely felt better.

"Holy Cow guys, Eight skunks!" Mark exclaimed pulling all sets of eyes in the back of the ambulance on him. "They're going to have to tear the station down and start again to get the smell out. They say it's a good thing they were young skunks."

Johnny just huffed and shook his head; He was more than happy to let someone else deal with clean up at the moment. He had seen two prized hunting dogs die after being sprayed by one Skunk they were trying to dig out of its den when he was younger; right now he felt for sure that was going to be his fate too. His only comfort was that he could tell that Roy was going to be alright. It was a good thing he had hurried off to the shower before the rest of the crew spooked the skunks.

"No one's,,,,, go- going,,,,, to want,,,, us,,, around," Johnny panted behind his mask, "Until this scent,,,,, wears off. We're go,,, going to,,,, have to,,,, live in the woods."

"I'm afraid you're right about that Junior," Roy smiled then lie back to endure the ride.

00000

Dixie had everything organized in assembly line at the Emergency Department. The Ambulances from station 51 were all directed to a secondary entrance Once the gurneys were on the ground Dr. Brackett was quick to check their pupils, the color of the mucus membranes in their mouths, which was an early warning sign of anemia due to ruptured blood cells, and the color of their fingernails, which indicated how well they were oxygenating themselves.

From there they were rolled forward just enough to leave room for the next patient, there an IV with Acetycistein was piggy backed into an existing IV and a steady drip was started while a nurse on the other side would draw blood for a set number of tests, plus an extra tube incase the lab results required additional testing. From there they were taken into the first door available where Chest x-rays were taken then the X-ray tech would organize the films to hand them off to a runner that would get them developed and returned to the ER with the fastest possible efficiency with out spreading the undesirable scent through out the hospital.

While the films were being handed off a nurse on each side of the patient would lift the blanket at waist level and with bandage scissors would make a quick cut up each side of their underwear and they were then removed with a quick unceremonious tug and dropped in a bag marked as hazardous material. The patient was then moved out the second door to make room for the one behind him.

From there a triage Doctor was quick to perform a more complete exam, taking time to listen to their lungs and request a fresh set of vitals, he would then order any additional treatment he thought was needed before sending the patient on to a treatment room. Each room had at least one nurse that stayed with the patient at all times, they had been briefed on what to watch for and that each patient could make a sudden downward turn in only seconds.

While Roy and Johnny were in the hall, getting their exam, one of the treatment room doors opened and they could see that Chet had been placed on a respirator, a nurse exited another room with a urine sample that was clearly bloody. Who ever was in that room was suffering from their blood cells rupturing as a result of the toxin, er Skunk spray, a condition called hemolisis. (I'm not sure on the spelling here and my spell check doesn't speak medical, so feel free to correct me.)

After additional medications were injected into his IV port Johnny was wheeled into a treatment room where the first order of business was to insert a catheter, much to his displeasure but he still felt rotten enough and the meds were making him groggy so he didn't object.

To conserve on staff demands Roy was wheeled into the same room with Johnny and he too received a catheter. Johnny could tell by the look on his partner's face and the way he repeatedly took in a deep breath, held it in his cheeks then blew it out, that Roy was as thrilled about this part of the treatment as he was.

While a nurse was tending to the blisters on the side of Johnny's face two hazmat suit clad orderlies came in and assisted Roy to the Shower. Once he was seated on the shower chair a large bottle of fizzy liquid was poured over his head as he was warned to keep his eyes closed. After a thorough scrubbing he was rinsed off with a hand held spray wand and then the whole process was repeated.

When he was returned to the treatment room covered with a hospital gown Roy notice that Johnny had been placed on what looked like a kids blow up swimming pool the size and shape of the gurney, he had a simple wash cloth placed over his family jewels and the nurse in charge of him was massaging his hair full of suds. There was something refreshing about the odor of the room but Roy could still pick up on the scent of skunk and he was sure others could smell it better than he could.

As the orderlies were helping Roy back into bed he took notice of the collection bag to Johnny's catheter and how red the contents were. Not as bad as the sample they had seen in the hallway but too close for comfort. Before he laid down Roy took a look at his own collection bag and felt some relief that it's contents looked quite normal, even paler than normal but what would he expect the way they were flushing IV fluids through him.

Roy lay back on his gurney and took in his body's working. He was starting to feel better and like he no longer needed the oxygen he was on.

"There, Now you smell significantly better", the nurse replied once Johnny's bath was completed and the curtain between the two of them was pulled back. Roy noticed that Johnny was now wearing a lovely green hospital gown with snaps on the shoulders to accommodate his many IVs the blistered side of his face was smeared with some kind of salve and he was now patched up for ECG telemetry but at least looked comfortable under his oxygen mask.

The next thing Roy noticed was the auburn highlights in his still wet dark brown hair. He had to snicker about that one and then spent the time he waited for the doctor to come back and talk to him about his test results, thinking about the rest of the crew and trying to picture what they were going to look like with their new hair tints.

Roy listened carefully as Dr. Brackett talked to his partner about his test results and the bottom line was he wasn't in perfect shape but there was a good chance that the treatment he was receiving would take care of things given time so they would soon move him to an observation ward where they would watch him through out the night and make further decisions in the morning.

Roy was then given a clean bill of health but given the condition of the rest of the crew and the history of people having delayed reactions Dr Bracket wanted to keep him over night for observation. Roy was relieved of his oxygen mask and told the catheter would be removed as soon as he finished his current IV's.

When the orderlies came to move them to their room it was necessary to park them in the hall for a moment. While there they got their first good look of Cap who was also waiting to be taken to the observation room. Cap looked week and mildly sedated, and they both noticed among his IV's was hanging a pint of blood.

"Have either of you two heard anything about the rest of the guys?" Hank asked from his bed across the hall.

"No not yet," Johnny was the first to answer, neither one of them wanted to tell their captain what they had seen.

Cap and Johnny were moved out first and while Roy was waiting for them to come back for him he watched a nurse wheel a cart loaded with bottles to his part of the Emergency department. Just as he was thinking that those bottles looked like the ones that special soap he was bathed in, his attention was drawn to a fresh smell of skunk. Coming around the corner in single file were the men who had responded to station 51's call for help and Chief McConkie. As they passed by the nurse with the cart each man was handed a bottle and given directions.

"The showers are in the last room to the left. Be sure to put your personal items and your firefighter insignia in an envelope and write your name on it. There are already towels and clean scrubs waiting for you and your uniforms need to be placed in the red plastic bags."

Roy was then rolled into a room that was packed with six beds. Johnny and Cap occupied two of them and Roy was aided into a third. They could only hope that the rest of their crew mates would soon be joining them.