CHAPTER SEVEN
The next several minutes were spent trying to help the doctors and nurses deal with the patients in the examination rooms and along the hallways. Chris stayed with Roy. It absolutely burned the older paramedic being left behind, sitting on a bed, waiting to be examined. He had trouble sitting still. Roy kept shifting around, trying to find a more comfortable position to sit in but he couldn't find one.
Looking down the hallway, Roy saw Johnny, Oz and Tobey making their way down the hall, taking vital signs and making notations in each patient's chart. Hissing a breath through clenched teeth, Roy's head dropped, he tried to brace his side with his arms and he tried to not think too hard.
"This must be hard for you," Chris stated from her position at the top end of Roy's bed. The senior paramedic was sitting on the bed despite the nurse suggesting that he should lie down. "Not helping out with Johnny to check people over."
Before Roy had a chance to respond, a young man, too young by Chris's standards, walked up to them. He had the clipboard with the paper the nurse had filled out, a white coat over his green fatigues and a name take that said 'Captain Robert Johnson, MD' pinned to the pocket.
"Hello there, I'm Doctor Johnson," Robert said, smiling at Roy and Chris. "Heck of a day, huh? Well, let's get some x-rays of your side before we get too far. Do you mind if I take a quick look, first?"
"Sure," Roy responded. He hated being examined. It had happened far too often in his career as a fire fighter/paramedic. He glanced at Chris as the doctor pulled his shirt up to get a better look at his side.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Dr. Johnson asked. He tapped a few places on Roy's side, eliciting flinches from the paramedic.
It took a moment for Roy to catch his breath before he could answer. "My shoulder and arm on that side too."
Chris hovered nearby. She didn't want to intrude but she also wasn't going to let the paramedic out of her sight. Desperately she wanted to jump in, to keep the doctor from causing Roy more pain. That would be intruding though.
The doctor took the time to examine Roy as thoroughly as he could in the hallway. Stepping back, he crossed his arms over the clip board and looked at Roy and then Chris.
"Well, you're a very lucky man. Despite the pain, you don't appear to have broken anything. I'll get the x-rays anyway, just to double check. I'm going to put tensor bandages around your torso and shoulder, they'll help somewhat with the discomfort," Johnson stated. "Just give me a few minutes and we'll get you down there."
"Thanks, doc," Roy responded. He was relieved to find out that he hadn't broken anything. He was hoping though, that they could do more to stabilize the injured areas. Roy really hated having to sit on the sidelines.
"Thank you. Thanks to your friends here we're finally starting to get a leg up on treating all these patients. I'll be back for you in just a few minutes," Johnson said before he turned and headed back down the hall, scribbling on the clipboard as he went.
Johnny had finished with his last patient and came trotting up to them. He was happy to be doing something, especially under the guidance of a doctor. As much as Johnny trusted his skills as a paramedic, he knew well enough that he didn't know everything to do with medicine.
"So, what'd he say?" Johnny asked as he moved in front of Roy. His partner was still sitting on the bed, his feet dangling down.
"He's sending Roy for x-rays but doesn't think anything is broken," Chris chimed in when Roy didn't immediately respond.
"Thank God," Johnny breathed, relief filling him for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Smiling, he rested a hand on Roy's shoulder and gently squeezed. "Thank God."
OOOOO
The x-rays were done quickly. The results took a little longer and then Dr. Johnson took Roy into one of the few exam rooms open to wrap him up. It wasn't necessarily the way that Dr. Brackett would have done it, but Roy had to admit that in an emergency situation it got him back onto his feet.
"Now, I've written up a prescription for pain meds. They aren't morphine or anything that could be addictive but they should help keep you more comfortable. Since the pharmacies in town aren't going to be open anytime soon, I've found enough for you for four days. Hopefully by then you'll be able to get the script filled," Dr. Johnson stated, handing Roy a small pill bottle once he'd finished.
The doctor gave Roy an injection in his good shoulder. "That will hold you for a while. Don't take any pills for at least four hours. Take it easy as much as you can. While there're no breaks, you've bruised your body pretty badly. There's no use pushing things."
"Whatever you say, doc," Roy responded. He was just happy that the doctor hadn't told him he had to stay in the hospital. The pain medication was a bonus.
A commotion at the end of the hall drew everyone's attention. A young serviceman, dressed all in black, was arguing with three other men. The serviceman seemed to be desperate. The intensity of his argument immediately drew Roy's attention.
"What's going on down there?" Johnny asked, indicating with his chin the heated discussion.
"That's Captain Sheppard. He's one of the helicopter pilots. I'm not sure what's got him so excited. Hold on," Dr. Johnson said. Holding up a hand toward the two paramedics and woman, as if he were afraid they were going to follow him, the doctor headed down the hallway. The argument was becoming even more heated. Apparently Captain Sheppard was getting frustrated by the complete lack of cooperation he was receiving.
"What do you think is going on?" Chris asked, more for something to say than really expecting an answer.
Both paramedics shrugged in response. Their eyes were glued to the commotion down the hall. Tobey and Oz were finishing up with their patients and moved down the hallway toward their companions. Just as they joined them at Roy's bed, Dr. Johnson finished talking with the military men and was shaking his head.
"This looks big," Oz stated, never taking his eyes off the group. Captain Sheppard had turned, attempting to leave by the door at the end of the hall. The other military personnel caught hold of him.
Unable to keep their curiosity in check any longer, the four paramedics and the woman made their way in that direction. Roy was feeling considerably better thanks to the wrappings and the pills. Even getting down off the bed was much easier.
"What's the problem?" Johnny asked when he got close enough to be heard over the general noise of the hallway. Captain Sheppard was struggling against the men holding him. There was a desperation there that set Roy's nerves on edge.
"There's been a cave in on Main Street. Some of my friends were down there trying to dig a construction crew out but the ground is too unstable. The military and civilian rescue teams are spread too thin, we don't have anyone else to send," Captain Sheppard practically shouted into the paramedics' faces.
"You know that yours is the last helicopter we have to air lift critical patients, Captain. We need you to pilot it or many more people will die. I understand your need to help your friends and the construction crew but it's out of our hands right now," the officer in charge stated.
"If you can get us down there, we can try to get them out," Johnny suggested without taking time to consider what he was volunteering everyone for.
Captain Sheppard paused in his struggling to stare at the man. Hope bloomed for the first time since hearing of his friends' plight.
"Who are you?" the CO demanded. He looked at the four men and woman as if they were from another planet.
"I'm John Gage, this is Roy DeSoto. We're rescue paramedics from Los Angeles. This is what we do. These two are Tobey and Oz. They're paramedics from Toronto, Ontario. If anyone can get them out of there, we can," Johnny stated.
A/N: I'm so very sorry for a couple of things. First of all I can't believe this took as long as it did to write. I'm so sorry. The second thing I'm sorry about is that this chapter is so short. It seems like the right place to stop it. It won't take me two months to update again. I promise!
Well, I hope someone, anyone still cares about this story. I do. Honest!
Thank you so much for sticking with me if you have.
Susanne