Chapter 9

Summer worked a 24 hour shift and then took another few hours to complete paperwork. Johnny was already back on duty by the time she was leaving the hospital. She saw him briefly as he brought in a patient. They exchanged a few words before he had to go out on another call.

She went home and slept a few hours before getting up and going to the grocery store and cleaning her apartment. She went back to bed at 9:00 PM hoping to get a good night sleep before going in for her next shift. She woke from a nightmare at 2:15 AM. After an hour of trying to go back to sleep she gave up. She knew Johnny was sleeping at the station and she could call him, or even go see him and he wouldn't care; but he needed to be well rested in case he got a bad run. She paced her apartment for a while before remembering Dr. Brackett's words about leaning on co-workers and friends.

Sara answered the door on the second knock. She did not look all that surprised to see Summer standing there. "I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep. The bakery down the street opens in 15 minutes; how about a chocolate croissant, my treat?" Summer tipped her head to the side.

Sara rolled her eyes, "Come on in, I need to get dressed."

They were walking back to Sara's apartment still drinking cups of coffee when they rounded the corner to see an apartment building completely engulfed in flames. Summer quickly headed toward the building to see if anyone needed help. An older woman was screaming something that Summer could not understand. She went up to her taking hold of her arm, "What's wrong?"

"My daughter and grand-daughter are in there!" The older woman was almost beside herself with hysteria.

"Has anyone called 9-1-1?" Summer asked looking at the group, a bunch of people shook their heads no. Summer turned to Sara, "Get to a phone and call the fire department. Tell them there are people trapped in the building," Summer turned to the elderly woman. "What apartment? Where is it located in the building?"

"Apartment 204, second floor, to the left, second apartment on the right side of the hallway," the woman was gripping Summer's arm so hard it actually hurt.

Summer watched Sara's retreating back, if no one else had called the fire department it would still be several minutes before they got here. Summer pulled the woman's hand from her arm. "When my friend gets back you tell her I went in to get your daughter and grand-daughter. You make sure she tells the firemen when they get here, if I am not back out." Summer ran into the building.

She could see the flames climbing the back wall of the main floor reception area and starting to spread across the ceiling. The smoke was thick, but when she got down on her hands and knees she could breathe okay. She crawled up the stairs, turned left and crawled along the floor leaning against the right wall. She felt the first door and kept moving to find the right apartment. She came to Apartment 204 and tried the door knob. Of course it was locked. Summer stood up and smoke stung her eyes and made her cough. She tried holding her breath, feeling along the top of the door jam, her fingers felt a key. She pulled the key down and unlocked the door. A wave of heat hit her in the face; the apartment was hotter than the hallway. She dropped back down to her hands and knees trying to escape the thick smoke. The floor felt hot under her hands, the fire had to be right under her. She moved quickly toward the bedrooms. She entered what she was sure was the little girl's bedroom, but there was no child in the bed. She glanced around, but couldn't see anything. She moved back into the hallway toward the second bedroom. Maybe the little girl was sleeping with her mom.

She found a woman lying in bed in the second bedroom, but did not see a child anywhere. Maybe the grandmother was mistaken and the child had stayed the night at a friend's house. Summer looked at the woman and wondered how to get her out of here. She felt her wrist and got a pulse; she laid a hand on her abdomen and felt her breathing. She stood up and grabbed the woman's arms pulling her into a sitting position. The firemen's carry, Summer thought, it meant getting the woman over her shoulder.

Summer stumbled under the woman's weight. How do they do this with full grown men she wondered and she struggled to get to the apartment door. The smoke filled her lungs making her cough which made walking even harder. Her eyes stung from the smoke. Somehow she managed to get back down the stairs and out into the fresh air. The sudden blast of cool air sent her into a deep coughing fit. She felt someone grabbing the woman from her and saw two men carrying her toward the street and Sara standing next to her. Summer coughed harder trying to rid her lungs of the smoke and other debris that had been burning in the air. The old woman approached her grabbing her arm, "Where is Jenny?"

"I couldn't find a little girl anywhere, are you sure she didn't stay the night at a friend's house?" Summer tried to take deep breaths knowing she was already going to have to be treated for smoke inhalation.

"No, she is only 5 years old, she doesn't stay with anyone other than her mom or me," the elder woman gasped and tightened her grip on Summer's arm. "She hides when she gets scared. If she woke up and saw smoke, she may have hid somewhere."

Summer turned to head back into the building, but Sara jumped in front of her. "You can't go back in there."

"I have to," Summer tried to move past her, but Sara blocked her again.

"Listen, I can hear the sirens, the fire department is almost here. Let them get her." Now she was holding Summer's arm.

Summer pried Sara's hand off her arm. "I can't lose another child; I can't," Summer pushed past Sara and entered the burning building again.

She was crawling up the stairs, but this time she could not see the next step in front of her. There was so much more smoke in just a couple of minutes. Her lungs felt like they were burning, the air itself was so hot. She couldn't believe how loud the fire was. She had never thought about fire making so much noise.

She leaned against the wall again as she had the first time and started making her way toward the apartment. She was so tired she was having trouble moving her arms and legs. She knew she should understand why, but she was having trouble thinking. She paused in her movements and lay flat against the floor, she just needed a rest.

Move, her mind screamed at her. The face of the little girl that had died a few days ago flashed in her memory. Summer started moving along the wall again. She came to a door, is this the first door or second door, she couldn't remember. The door was closed, it had to be the first, she was sure she had left the door open in her struggle to carry the woman.

Flames were shooting up from the floor of the second apartment now and starting to run up the curtains. Summer stared at them amazed by the colors and flow of the waves. She felt herself losing consciousness and knew she had to keep moving.

Sara watched as the rescue squad and engine pull up to the curb. The 51 on the side of the squad drawing her to the men that had just gotten out, "John, Summer's inside." Sara grabbed his arm, feeling the panic starting to kick in.

"What?" Johnny turned around and looked at the building completely engulfed in flames, black acrid smoke filling the air.

Roy came around the back of the squad, "We were walking by when this woman told us her daughter and grand-daughter were still inside. While I ran to call the fire department Summer went in. She managed to get the daughter out, but couldn't find the grand-daughter. I tried to get her to wait, but she wouldn't listen."

John and Roy already had their turnouts on and practiced hands quickly were doing up the buttons. They were dropping oxygen tanks over their head and onto their backs as Captain Stanley walked up to the group.

"Cap, get the oxygen on that woman," Roy pointed to the daughter who was not sitting up and leaning against a tree.

"Summer is inside looking for a child." Johnny started toward the building with Roy only a step behind.

"Chet, Marco, we have victims in the building, get Roy and John inside." Chet and Marco moved in front of Roy and John and started battling the flames.

Sara turned toward the Captain, "Show me the oxygen and I can help the daughter. Summer taught me how to check pulse rates."

She had finally made it back to the child's bedroom. Her eyes stung so bad from the smoke she had quit trying to open them. It wouldn't matter anyway; the smoke was so thick you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face. She felt along the wall in the bedroom. Maybe the little girl had hid in the closet. She hit something in front of her. She ran her hands along what felt like a wood box. A toy box maybe? Summer felt the top and was able to lift a lid. She reached inside her fingers touching hair. She ran her hands around feeling the outline of a child. She tried to open her eyes, between the smoke and tears she was able to see well enough to know she had found the little girl.

John could feel the heat even through his protective clothing. What was she thinking? He felt rage and fear course through his body. He took the stairs as quickly as he could, turning left into the hallway and moving toward the second door. It was open, but flames were quickly spreading across the floor. They had to find them and get them out of here.

John stopped to look around the living room and kitchen, opening the closet doors. Roy moved into the hallway toward the bedrooms. He entered the first bedroom and called out, "Johnny, I found them, hurry!"

Summer had managed to lift the girl out of what appeared to be a toy chest, but had since collapsed. Roy picked up the little girl and moved out of Johnny's way. Johnny leaned down and lifted Summer over his shoulder. She didn't move at all as he carried her down the stairs and outside into the cool air.

The sun was just starting to rise. He put his hand on the back of Summer's head and leaning forward he laid her gently on the ground. The lighting sky revealed her face covered in soot, her eyes were closed and she didn't make any movements as Johnny called her name.

Squad 39 pulled up to the scene and two additional paramedics, Dwyer and Bryce got out. Captain Stanley directed Bryce to the daughter sitting against the tree and Dwyer over to help John and Roy.

Roy was taking the little girls vitals as Dwyer set up the biophone. The Captain carried over the oxygen and drug box. Dwyer picked up the phone, "Rampart, this is Squad 39 assisting Squad 51, how do you read?"

"Go ahead 39"

"Rampart, we have 3 victims," Dwyer looked to Roy.

"The first is a female child, age 5. She was hiding in a toy box during a fire. Respirations are 15, pulse is 55; BP is 90/60. Second victim is a woman, 24 years of age," Dwyer looked at Johnny was just finishing taking a BP. "BP is 85/40, respirations are 8 and very shallow, pulse is 40." Johnny was already moving to insert a tube to help Summer breathe.

Dwyer looked over to Bryce, "Third victim is 27 years old, BP is 120/80, respirations are 30 and pulse is 90. She has been out of the fire for approximately 5 minutes and has regained consciousness. We have her on oxygen, and she is alert." Dwyer relayed the information.

The first ambulanced pulled up and you could hear the sirens of the second approaching ambulance.

"Establish airways for both victims 1 and 2 with 6 liters O2. Start IVs with D5W TKO and transport immediately. Continue with oxygen on the third victim and transport when possible."

The ambulance attendants started moving the little girl getting her ready to go into the ambulance. Roy started closing up equipment. He stopped when he looked at his partner.

Johnny had just finished placing the IV in Summer's arm. He was kneeling beside her, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I love you, Summer. I love you. Please don't leave me." Johnny dropped his head down to Summer's chest.

Roy looked at the Captain who had come to help him move equipment. The second ambulance pulled up and they were helping the mother and grandmother toward the ambulance. "You should take Dwyer with you in the ambulance with Summer and that little girl. John can't be in charge of their care," Captain Stanley said.

Roy shook his head, "Johnny's a professional, he will do whatever needs to be medically done, but I will never be able to get him to leave her." Roy looked over at the Captain, "He will do his job. I will ride with him, Bryce can go in the second ambulance and Marco can drive the squad."

Roy put one hand on John's shoulder and took Summer's IV in the other. He gently moved his friend back so the ambulance attendants could get her loaded into the ambulance.

Dr. Brackett and Dr. Early were waiting at the ambulance entrance with Dixie. Johnny jumped out holding Summer's IV bag. Dr. Brackett took in the tear stained face and look of panic in Johnny's eyes and looked down at the patient knowing it was going to be Summer.

Johnny rushed down the hallway beside Summer and Roy followed closely behind with the little girl. Dixie and Dr. Early maneuvered into room 2 with the little girl.

The ambulance attendants moved Summer down to room 4. Dr. Brackett started to enter the room and stopped, he turned back and put his hand on Johnny's chest. "You will just be in the way," he looked Johnny in the eye.

"What, no," Johnny started to protest.

"You did your job John, now let me do mine." Dr. Brackett looked at Roy, "Roy, take your partner into the staff lounge." Dr. Brackett walked into the treatment room and let the door close behind him.

Roy took Johnny into the Staff Lounge, he wasn't sure what to say. His partner paced back and forth.

Roy went over and grabbed some paper towels, wetting them in the sink. He handed some to John and used the rest to wipe his own face.

"She'll be okay," Roy said.

Johnny looked over at the worry etched on his partner's face and sank down into a nearby chair, fear gripping his heart.