Through Rose Colored Glasses
by KillJoyHK
DISCLAIMER: Emergency!, and all of the characters involved are property of Mark VII Productions... except for the crew of Squad 5. They're mine! :)
No profit is realized from this work of fiction, nor is any expected. Any similarity to any persons, living or dead, is strictly coincidental.
Chapter 4
Roy saw the children and knew that the best way to begin treatment was to get them out of this toxic environment.
Johnny looked over to Roy and saw that he was fumbling in his pockets for something.
"Roy? Whatcha need?"
"HT! Gotta let 5's know we have multiple victims here!"
Johnny tossed Roy the HT, knowing that Roy had left his HT in the charger on the trailer.
"HT 51, LA"
"Go ahead, HT 51."
"LA, notify Squad 5 that we have 5 victims here. Tell them to come in with SCBA to assist moving victims out of danger."
"HT 51. Squad 5, LA. Did you copy HT 51?"
"Squad 5, 10-4, LA. ETA about 2 minutes. Respond three ambulances and an engine company for decontamination assistance to the location."
"Squad 5."
Tones sounding, alerting LA County Rescue Ambulance 99 to respond, as well as Pasadena Engine 31, as the LA County units were already staged for the parade.
As Johnny began to gather up the children, Roy was outside in the pool area looking for the person who had called in the incident. There was a man slumped over a desk in the corner of a small office, phone in hand.
"Sir, can you hear me? SIR! Fire department! SIR?"
Roy gave the man a sternal rub. The man made a feeble effort to push Roy's hand away as he groaned in response to the pain stimulus. Not wasting any time, Roy bent over and picked the man up, carrying him outside to a now arriving Squad 5.
As he twisted off the regulator from his mask, Roy shouted orders to the arriving medics.
"My partner is in there with 5 kids. Someone open up a trauma blanket and let me get this man on the ground. I'll come right back in."
"Okay!" "You got it."
The sound of an approaching siren indicated the near arrival of the local police... or was it? An LA County Sheriff's car arrived, and Officer Vince Harmel exited the car, helmeted as usual.
"Hi Roy. What have we got?"
"Vince? What are you doing here? Never mind. 6 victims of chlorine exposure. Don't know how long or why. He's the oldest, and first one out. Johnny's inside with the other 5. Can you stay here with him so we can get the others?"
"Sure, Roy. Should I start O2?"
"Vince, I'm not entirely sure. That gas looked really concentrated. Let's wait for instructions."
"Sure, Roy, sure."
Roy headed back in to the arena, watching his partner and one of 5's medics handle 3 patients on their own. One was able to walk, but was having a hard time breathing. Roy ducked in and grabbed the other victim as the other half of Squad 5 grabbed their own and made a bee-line for the exit.
Roy placed his charge on the blanketed sidewalk and kicked the door closed.
All of the paramedics took off their SCBA.
"Johnny?"
"Leah?"
"You must be Roy DeSoto."
"And you are?"
"Ian MacHugh."
Roy reached for the nearest bio-phone. As he opened the cover and attached the antenna, he poked his partner in the arm and gestured to the BP cuff and stethoscope on the ground next to him.
"Uhh, Ramp- Huntington, this is Squad 51, how do you read me?"
"Uhh, Ramp- Huntington, this is Squad 51, how do you read me?"
Nurse Lucinda "Lucy" Evans, head nurse at Huntington Emergency crossed over to the base station.
"Unit calling, please repeat."
"Huntington, this is Rescue 5-1. We have 6 victims of chlorine exposure of an undetermined duration. Vitals to follow."
"51, standby for Doctor Stern."
"51, standby for Doctor Stern."
Johnny looked over at Leah who looked as though she had cringed at hearing the name.
"Ah 51, this is Doctor Stern. What do you have?"
"Huntington, we have 6 victims of chlorine exposure. All are experiencing tachypnea, are tearing, and rales are evident on all patients. Request instructions."
"51, decontaminate, and administer a solution of albuterol and 1% lidocaine by nebulizer to improve breathing and lessen pain from coughing. Package patients carefully, Auntie."
"Umm, Huntington, did you just call me Auntie?"
"Is my daughter, the half-a-nurse there? Ask her. Huntington out."
Half-a-nurse? thought Johnny and Roy together.
Leah grunted and frowned. "AAN-TI. Advise as needed and transport immediately. Something he made up to try to speed up radio communications."
Engine 31 arrived and set up a fog station to decontaminate the victims and firefighters.
"Cap, we need to ventilate. The chlorine in there is pretty thick," said MacHugh.
"No problem. Bonilla, hit the fans on the south side of the building in the pump hut."
Moments later, the sound of powerful fans began to ramp up in intensity and the faint odor of chlorine could be smelled.
"They use charcoal filters to protect the neighborhood," said Captain 31.
One of the kids began to stir and started to clutch at the oxygen mask on his face.
"Easy there, tiger. You've been exposed to chlorine. That oxygen will help your lungs. Don't take the mask off. Can you try to talk?" inquired Ian.
"M-m-my friends, are they ok?"
"They're all the same as you. Tell me, why were you even at the pool this early?" Ian asked.
"We're the JV swim team. We never get any pool time. Mr. Davies let us in early, and we were swimming, but the varsity guys set us up. They put some nasty green stuff in the filters, and when they started up, it went all over the pool. There were bugs in it too. We managed to skim it out, and we were going to add some chlorine to help clean out the pool, but Bobby dropped one of the cans. Next thing I know, we're out here. Oh my GOD! Mr. Davies! How is he?
"He's ok. We've got him ready to go. Why don't you rest while we wait for the ambulance," Johnny answered.
Mr. Davies chose that exact moment to begin to gag. Leah rolled him over on his side to prevent him from aspirating as he began to vomit.
"Not good, Johnny," said Roy
The sound of ambulances approaching was heard as the paramedics took one last look at their charges. Carefully, the patients were loaded in to the ambulances. Leah and Ian each went in with an ambulance, and Johnny went with the third. Roy drove Squad 51 in and Bonilla took Squad 5 to Huntington.
As the ambulances rolled into Huntington, they were met by Lucy and her triage team.
"Bring the older man into treatment F to see Dr. Stern, and the others as the team checks them out," Lucy ordered, fully expecting compliance by both her team and the ambulance attendants.
Turning the corner, Leah and Johnny realized that they were both working on the same patient as they entered Treatment F.
"Doc, he's vomited twice already. BP is 90/50, respirations are 13 and labored, pulse is 85. He hasn't tried to speak, but we've kept him on the cocktail that you ordered and it seems to be helping," reported Johnny.
"Nurse, draw bloods for arterial blood gas, CBC and 'lytes. Get him on house oxygen. Let's keep him on the albuterol and lidocaine solution, and keep an eye out for edema," said Dr. Stern.
"Da-err.. Doctor Stern? There didn't seem to be any chemical burns or otherwise at the scene," offered Leah.
"Real-ly? Nurse, check for chemical burns or any sort of skin exposure symptoms. If you find any, irrigate and cover loosely," suggested Dr. Stern as he made a notation on the patient's chart and exited the room without any further words.
Leah sighed. "Let's go, Gage. We're dismissed."
"Is that your dad?" asked Johnny.
"No, here he's Dr. Stern. And I'm just another should-have-been nurse playing firefighter, playing paramedic. Dad has no confidence in the program, and he really has no desire to have me as a part of it," explained Leah.
"But he's so… cold to you!"
"Yeah, you deal with it, just like you do any doctor."
"But he's your DAD! Isn't he proud of what you've accomplished? A firefighter, a trained paramedic, one of the original 60 in the program! Isn't it enough that you're happy?" John declaimed.
"Nope. I'm not a nurse. I'm not a doctor. Those professions he has respect for. A paramedic is akin to a Boy Scout giving first aid as far as he's concerned, we just have better toys," Leah said as she left a confused Johnny in Treatment Room F.
Lucy walked in to Treatment F to begin documenting the post-emergency treatment plan and she stopped to look at the bewildered Johnny standing there.
"You look lost. Did your friends leave you here alone? Oh, I'm Lucinda Evans, but everyone calls me Lucy."
"Hi Lucy. I'm Johnny Gage from 51's. And no, I'm not lost. I'll see you later, maybe."
"Have fun at the game!" Lucy smiled.
"I will!" replied John, smiling in kind.
Roy and Ian were out in the ambulance bay when Leah came storming out. She replaced the oxygen tank in the squad and slammed the compartment door shut. She pulled open the door, climbed in, and slammed the door shut.
"Let's go, Ian."
"I guess we're leaving. See you at the command post," said Ian.
"Yeah, see ya," said Roy.
With a roar, Ian started up Squad 5 and pulled out of the hospital parking area. A moment later, a still befuddled Johnny came out, carrying a fresh oxygen tank of his own.
"Hey, Johnny? What happened in there?" asked Roy.
"Well, it's a long story. I'll tell ya on the way to the CP. Let's get going, ok?"
"Ok Junior. We're rolling." Roy started up the squad and headed out of the hospital.
"LA, Squad 51 is 10-8 to the command post at this time."
"Squad 51."
Johnny began to explain the situation to Roy as they headed north to the command post.
Thanks to those of you who have revewed! Please keep on reviewing and reading! I'm working on more, and I'll keep uploading them as they finish.