The Right Choices

Chapter 10

By GCS

Emergency is not mine and neither are the characters. I don't make any money from them, but I do borrow them for entertainment.

"Johnny, can you count backwards from one hundred by threes?" Dr. Brackett wanted to try to measure Johnny's rate of confusion and level of cognizance.

"Count by three? Can I count by five? I can count by five." Johnny looked at Dr. Brackett through watery eyes with his forehead wrinkled.

"Threes John."

Johnny looked like he was really concentrating. "Um one hundred…ninety seven…um ninety f…four? Yeah…ninety two? Eighty nine…"

"Okay Johnny that's good." Dr. Brackett's mouth twitched in the corner. "Now can you tell me who the president is?"

Johnny stared at Dr. Brackett. He opened his mouth…then closed it. His head tilted. He closed his eyes. "Um I…" he yawned deeply and nodded, "where's Roy?"

"He'll be here in a little bit. Just relax." Kel reached for Johnny's wrist to check his pulse.

"Doc, I'm really thirsty. Tell Roy for me? He'll ge'me something to drink. I wanna go home now." He tried to get up.

"Whoa Johnny, lay back down for me. Dixie will be here in a minute with your ride." He pushed him down gently.

"M…ride? I can go home?" He looked at Dr. Brackett with wide glassy eyes. "You're lettin' me go home?" he blinked and yawned again.

"We'll see about that. Now just relax."

"Okay Doc, 'm tired. Wake me when Roy's ready to go." Johnny curled up on the pallet and pulled his blanket back up to his neck. "Hey Doc?"

"Yes Johnny?"

"Ask Dixie if I can have 'nother blanket. 'm cold."

Dr. Brackett got up from his kneeling position and reached over to the shelf pulling off another blanket. He spread the blanket over Johnny and went to the door to see if Dixie had made it back with that gurney he needed. When he stepped into the hall, he was pleased to not only see Dixie with a gurney, but two orderlies, an IV of D5W, a blood pressure cuff, and Dr. Early in tow.

A loud banging door slammed behind him and a breathless Roy Desoto stepped from the stairwell. "Where is he?" He asked as he walked quickly over. Dr. Brackett stepped aside and let Roy into the closet. Roy immediately knelt next to Johnny. "Junior?"

Johnny stirred but didn't respond.

"Johnny, it's time to wake up now. Come on talk to me." Roy smoothed the dark bangs from Johnny's face and he turned and slowly opened his eyes. "Hey sleepy head, what are you doing hiding in the closet?"

"Roy?"

"Come on let's get you up." He put his arm beneath Johnny's and helped him to his feet. Johnny swayed, his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell against Roy's chest. Roy scooped him up and carried him into the hall and with Dr. Brackett's help lowered him onto the waiting gurney.

"Dix, let's get that IV going." Dr. Early suggested as he wrapped the BP cuff around Johnny's arm.

Within minutes, the ER team had Johnny's vitals taken; the IV started and was on the move down the hall toward the elevator. "I'll need blood work as soon as we get downstairs. Roy when was the last time he ate?" Dr. Brackett asked.

"Uh…you know Doc I think it was a late lunch yesterday. I got him some orange juice last night when we got here. That must have been around ten or eleven." Roy closed his eyes and lowered his head to his chest. "I should have made sure he was all right. I thought he went home with Mike. I should have called to be sure."

The elevator doors opened, and they were on the move again.

"I left you." Johnny whispered hoarsely. His eyes barely open.

"It's okay Junior. We found you now." Roy patted Johnny's shoulder. "We'll get you all fixed up."

The treatment room door opened and the group moved inside.

"Roy?"

"What Johnny?"

"I'm thirsty. Can I have some more juice?" Johnny's eye rolled back, and he passed out again.

"Dixie, let's start a second IV in the other arm. He's really dehydrated. We need to get more fluids into his system." Dr. Brackett began taking a blood sample while Dixie readied the second bag of D5W. Dr. Early checked Johnny's pupil response.

"Kel, I can't get a vein." Dixie held Johnny's arm up.

"Piggyback it on the other IV." Dr. Brackett held up the blood sample. "Then we need to get this to the lab. I want it back STAT. let me know when you get the results. Roy, can you sit with him for a while? Keep an eye on him; make sure he doesn't sneak out of here?"

"Sure Doc. I won't let him go anywhere." Roy pulled the stool over next to the gurney, sat down and put his hand on Johnny's head. 'What am I gonna do with you Junior?'

After watching Johnny sleep through the IV's, Roy needed to stretch his legs. He decided to get some coffee. "Hey Dix, got any coffee?"

"Is he still sleeping?" Dixie pointed to the treatment room.

"Yeah, he's almost done with the IV's. I just need to walk around a bit." Roy stretched his neck and shook out his arms. "He should be okay for a few minutes."

"Well in that case. How about buying your favorite nurse a cup of coffee and maybe a piece of pie?" Dixie smiled and patted Roy on the arm. The two friends headed toward the hospital cafeteria.

Back in the treatment room Johnny woke up feeling much better than he had earlier. He noticed the IV bags were empty. He removed them from his arm and put a band aide over the needle site. Then he slipped from the room, down the hall and into the elevator.

Once he reached the floor he walked slowly down the hall to his Captain's room. "Well you're looking much better," the pretty nurse said from the desk.

"Thanks, I feel better too. Um, how is Hank Stanley doing?" He asked nervously.

"He's stable. He still hasn't woken up yet, but he's doing well otherwise. His wife just went down to the cafeteria for coffee."

"Thanks." Johnny turned and walked over to the door to Hank's room. He looked through the window.

"You can go in if you like."

Johnny glanced back at Kathy and nodded. He pushed open the door and moved just inside. The door slowly closed, and he leaned against the wall.

Hank looked much smaller lying in the hospital bed.

The dimly lit room made it easy for Johnny to see the monitors from his vantage point. The numbers looked good.

He pushed off the wall and walked over to the chair Emily had been sitting vigil in and sat down. He laid his hand on the side of the bed and sighed. "Come on Cap. You need to wake up now."