WHAT'S OUT THERE

by ardavenport

)()()()(- - PART 7 - -)()()()(


Siren blaring, the ambulance went over of a rough stretch of pavement.

"Unnnnnnnnnnhhhhh."

"Bob? Bob?"

Bob Bellingham blinked up at Roy. Lifted his hand to his head. Roy took his wrist, but he let him pull the oxygen mask down to speak.

"How're you feeling, Bob?"

"Ooooh, terrible. My head is exploding."

"Do you feel sick at all?" Roy took out his pen light. Bob obliged, looking up while he shined the light in his eyes.

He thought over his answer. "No. Just feel like there's a rock band pounding in my skull. How long have I been out?

"About twenty-five minutes." His pupil responses were fine now. Roy took out the BP cuff. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah, a big rock rolled down the hill, came right at me. Hey! What happened to that lady? And Brice!"

"Hey, hey, don't try to get up! She's okay. See?"

Maria, still clutching her hankie and sitting on the ambulance bench, nodded "I'm so glad you not hurt. I'm so glad." She crossed herself with a happy sniff and dabbed at her eyes.

Bob grinned back to her. "Hey, I'll be up before you know it. It's all part of the job, Ma'am."

Roy and Maria braced themselves as the ambulance took a turn. Roy recognized the buildings passing by the side window. They were close.

"But what about Brice? That rock hit the car, crushed it. It was a boulder." His eyes almost pleaded up to Roy.

"They were still getting him out of the car when we left. Captain Arnold said that he had a broken arm and they were patching him up. He wouldn't let us near that car. He said he didn't want any more injured paramedics."

Bob 'huh'ed an abbreviated laugh then immediately groaned; it looked like it hurt him. "Yeah, Arnold can be a tough old smoke eater. But he's fair." He lowered his eyes, smiling. "Damn. It took me weeks to convince Brice to stop quoting regulations to him. He just couldn't understand why it would put Arnold in a bad mood, but he finally stopped."

Roy laughed in sympathy. That sounded exactly like the same heartless, by-the-book-and-only-the-book man he had shared Squad Fifty-One with for two weeks after Johnny got hurt last year.

Bob sighed. "Dammit Roy, I really love the little jerk. He'd better be alright."

"Yeah, well, let's put this back on." He replaced the oxygen mask. Roy supposed that it was a good thing that someone liked Craig Brice as a partner. Just as long as it didn't have to be him.

The ambulance made the last turn to Rampart, around and under the building and finally backing up to the Emergency entrance. When they got inside a nurse led Maria to Treatment Room Three and Doctor Early was ready for Bob in Room Four.

Early nodded as he listened to Roy tell him about the accident and examined Bob. Carol took vital signs while Bob answered the Doctor's question. Massive headache, he remembered everything that happened to him up until he was hit by the rock and he had a few minor bruises on his arms, knee and shoulder. Early ordered a full skull series.

"Can't be too careful with head injuries, eh, Doc?"

Early glanced up from looking in one of Bob's ears. "It's just a precaution. You're going to be fine."

"Yeah." Bob lowered his gaze. "It's just . . . I heard you lost one the other day. From that refinery fire."

Early sighed, resting his hand on the raised head of the examination table, his gentle voice serious. "I won't lie to you; with any head injury there can be complications. You know that better than most people what can happen. But more often than not, there aren't. Johnny got hit in that fire, too, in almost the same place you did. And he's fine."

"Really?" Bellingham rubbed his head behind his left ear. "Did you bring him in, too, Roy?"

"Yeah. Except it was a guy who hit him. Not a rock. Johnny didn't even get to the fire."

"Well, I'll tell you, a rock can hit a whole lot harder than any guy can." They all laughed over that one; it was true. But Roy saw Bob wince and rub his head again.

The door opened and the huge portable x-ray machine came in. They left Bob with the technician; Early promised Bob to let him know about Brice as soon as he could.

"We'll know more when we get the x-rays, but I think he'll be fine." Early patted Roy on the arm before being called away by another nurse, Gena, in the busy hallway. Roy hefted the oxygen tank, biophone and Squad Sixteen's drug box and headed toward the base station. But as soon as he got there and put everything down he turned to see Johnny coming in with a stretcher with Brice on it. There was an I.V. and Brice's right shoulder was bandaged, but he couldn't see any more.

Brackett appeared and joined them, exchanging a few words with Johnny. Brice wasn't critical or they never would have taken the time to talk before going into the treatment room.

In their wake was a skinny fireman with a Station Sixteen helmet on. He looked lost. Since the x-ray tech hadn't come out of Bob's room yet, Roy went to him and introduced himself. His name was John Smith, but the rest of his station called him Smitty. He drove Squad Fifty-One in behind the ambulance.

"How's Bob?"

"Oh, he's going to be fine. They're just doing the x-rays now."

"Ooooh, that's good. The rest of the guys will be really happy to hear that. Will he miss his next shift?"

"Mmmmm, maybe. Doc wants to keep him here overnight for observation."

"Oh. That's not good." Smitty looked worried. "I mean, it's always tough to get anyone else to fill in a shift with Brice. Captain Arnold would probably strangle Brice if Bob weren't there."

Roy sympathized. "Well, doesn't Brice have a broken arm? Bob'll probably be back to work before Brice will."

"Oh!" Smitty's mouth opened in a slightly goofy, youthful grin. "Yeah, I forgot."

There was an awkward moment where Smitty didn't seem to know what else to say before he held up his hands, fingers spread. They were dirty. He had dark grime under his fingernails.

"Do you know where I can wash my hands?"


)()()()(- - End PART 7 - -)()()()(