Title: Without Reservation – Pt. 11
By: FanofRandy
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Emergency! is owned by Universal and Mark VII Productions. I write for pure enjoyment and to stretch my imagination…I do not make any profit from these characters or stories.
Summary: A new policy had Gage worried and Brackett concerned for this young Paramedic. What happens will change their relationship, and other friendships Johnny has forged, forever.
Roy sat waiting for news on Johnny. He remembered that it was just a couple days ago that he and Johnny had breakfast at his home. Just a few days ago they stopped in the gas station and those racial slurs were hurled at his friend. Roy was wondering if people would ever just accept each other for who they were when he heard loud voices and arguing. Roy glanced up to see Dr. Brackett in the midst of two men who were about to tear into each other. Roy charged toward the scene…
"Mr. Moore, Mr. Greer, calm down, calm down. Carol, call security." Dr. Brackett yelled over and over. He glanced to up to see Roy approach and nodded his thanks to the paramedic.
Roy stepped in to pull one man off to the side while Dr. Brackett controlled the other man. When they were a bit more calm, Brackett looked to Roy, "Roy, this is Mr. Moore, Beth's father. And, this is Mr. Greer, Kenny's father." Roy was immediately aware of the difficult situation Brackett had before him, and he felt sorry for the doctor.
"Mr. Moore, please come into my office. Roy, can you take Mr. Greer to the break room and get him a cup of coffee?" Brackett nodded to Roy again as he led Mr. Moore into his office. Roy understood his assignment and walked the grieving man to the break room.
As they sat in the plastic chairs, Roy recognized the dark features of the man across from him. He looked like Johnny in many ways. Roy heard what Mr. Moore had yelled as he was coming to help doctor Brackett, "None of this would have happened if you had kept that little half-breed son of yours away from my daughter!" Roy bent his head in shame for the entire human race as he sat in the coffee room with Mr. Green.
"My son is dead." The man said. "What am I supposed to do now?" he lamented. Roy did not have an answer. The men sat in awkward silence.
"You were with my son when he died? They said a paramedic was with him." The man was reaching for some hope, some morsel of information, something to make him feel better.
"No," Roy answered, "It wasn't me. It was my partner, John Gage. He was injured, too, and they are treating him now."
"I'm sorry he was hurt. Is it bad?"
"We don't know yet. He…he…he's still being check out." Roy stumbled over his words; his worry showing.
The men continued their silence.
In Dr. Brackett's office things were not going so well. Mr. Moore was inconsolable. He was demanding to see his daughter; demanding the police be called and charges filed against the Green boy for "murder." "How did he murder your daughter?" Kel thought, "It was just an accident." But, Kel understood the grief of parents. He had seen it much too often for his taste. It took about an hour to get the grieving father calmed down. Dixie had been with the mother and the woman joined the men in Kel's office.
"Ben," Mrs. Moore called to her husband, "Ben, our baby is dead." She collapsed into his arms. They held each other and sobbed as the two health professionals left the office. They made their way to the break room to talk with Mr. Green and Roy. When they walked in, Mr. Green was drinking his coffee and Roy was sitting across from him doing the same. No hysterics, no anger, no crying…only a quiet grieving for a lost child and an injured partner.
"Roy, why don't you go with Dix and check on Johnny." Brackett ordered. "I will stay here and talk with Mr. Green."
"Uh, sure, doc. Mr. Green, I am sorry about your son." Roy said as he reached out to shake the man's hand.
Mr. Green accepted the hand as if it were a life preserver being tossed to a drowning man. He held on tight for a few moments and as he let go, he offered, "And, I hope everything is okay with your partner, Roy."
Kenny's injuries and the need to save Beth were explained to Mr. Green over the next few minutes. His wife had died a few years before from cancer, and now he would be alone. Dr. Brackett heard Mr. Green begin to hum a vaguely familiar tune as he rocked back and forth mourning the loss of his son.
The next few hours were a whirlwind. The x-rays of Johnny's skull showed there was a depressed fracture and blood was building up at the base of his skull. His lack of response to pain and auditory stimuli could be explained by the bleeding in the brain. But, Dr. Early worried that Johnny could die during the procedure to alleviate the pressure. After meeting with two other neurosurgeons, Dr. Early decided that they would operate on Johnny to relieve the pressure on his brain.
While he was prepped for surgery, Johnny continued to drift back in time:
When Johnny graduated high school, he was the fifth in his class of over one hundred kids. He wasn't the only one of American Indian decent as he had met another boy named Drew Burke. Drew was a great guy and he was set on going to the police academy. They teased each other over their career choices, but both knew they would be lifelong friends. It was as if each of them had found a brother he didn't know he had. When he was with Drew, Johnny felt almost whole again.
Johnny was 17 ½ he applied for the South Bay Fire Academy, but was warned against any past criminal charges when he received his application. Johnny appealed to Mr. Garner to help him. Johnny did not want his dream to be shattered by some stupid thing he did years ago. Mr. Garner and Johnny petitioned the court and his assault record was expunged. Johnny was accepted into the academy and began classes just after graduation. Johnny again graduated at the top of his class from the academy.
His time at Station 10 as a "boot" was glorious. Johnny excelled in his skills but never thought he was better than anyone else. Many of the guys treated Johnny as a younger brother, because he was after-all, only 18 years old. He was the youngest recruit the department had ever accepted at 17 years old. He turned 18 just before he graduated the academy and was assigned his station. He did experience some bigotry and there were a few "hazing" incidents that got a bit out of hand…but most of the time Johnny felt he was right where he should be.
Finally Johnny fit…he did not feel like an outsider with these men. He felt a kinship, a brotherhood; but, he kept everyone at arms length…just sharing bits and pieces of his life before the academy. Drew knew some of his life story, his Aunt knew even more…but, only Johnny knew the dark, intimate details of his past that were better left buried.
Johnny faired pretty well through the procedure to reduce the swelling in his brain. Only a bit of his hair at the base of his skull had to be shaved away. Roy looked at his partner on the SICU bed in front of him. He looked so small and innocent…almost like one of his own children. Roy thought aloud, "You may not be my kid, Junior, but you are a part of my family. Hold on!" Roy continued to talk with Johnny in subdued tones while holding onto his hand.
Johnny heard a familiar voice in the distance, but for some reason he could not make out the words. He wanted badly to open his eyes but they were just too heavy. Johnny felt like he should squeeze the hand holding his, but was unable to make his hand respond. He fell into a very deep and comforting darkness…
Dr. Brackett had checked on Johnny when he first reported that morning. Seeing that he was stable, but still not responding to verbal or pain stimuli, he shook his head with wonder. "Why aren't you waking up, hose jockey?" Brackett pondered as he made his way to his office. He found a package on his desk that had been overnighted to him from Oklahoma. He realized immediately what it was—it was Johnny's medical records he had requested. So much had happened in that short time since his last meeting with Johnny. And, now the young man's life was hanging in the balance.
Dr. Brackett thought about the two families who had lost their children. He knew how hard Johnny had worked to save BOTH of them. Dr. Brackett thought back to a lesson he learned from his father, who was also a doctor; "No matter how hard you try, Kelly, there will still be those you cannot save. You need to remember, we are only doctors. We are not God." That brought the young, cocky resident down a few pegs, but he knew that his father was right. His dad had retired a few years ago and was now living in Seattle. They talked often and visited each other on holidays. Kel Brackett was his father's son…
Opening the package, Dr. Brackett found THREE files…all rather thick. One was from a clinic in Florida which included medical records from his hospitalization after he was born; another was from a clinic in Oklahoma; and, the last one was from the hospital in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He determined that the best place to start was the beginning…so he started with the Florida file and Johnny's first hospital visit when he was just hours old.
Roy continued to talk to Johnny and tell him about who was covering their shifts, who was cooking at the station that day, how the kids were doing, how JoAnne was doing…anything he could think to talk about, Roy talked about. In fact, Roy talked so much that he began to get hoarse. The nurses began bringing Roy hot coffee and tea when they would come do their checks on Johnny. They began to think they were going to have TWO patients to care for when Dr. Early came in the room. "Roy, you need to get home and get some rest!" Dr. Early ordered.
"But, doc, someone needs to be with him when he wakes up. I don't want him to be alone." Roy pleaded.
Dr. Early was touched by the friendship the two had developed in the year they had known each other. "Roy, the nurses and I will be here…he will be taken care of."
Roy didn't budge. Dr. Early was about to forcefully remove Roy from the room when Dr. Brackett entered. "Joe, I need to see you right away." The younger doctor ordered.
Both Roy and Dr. Early were surprised at the demanding tone, and Dr. Early acquiesced, forgetting he was about to remove Roy from the room.
"What's up, Kel?" Joe asked as he followed Kel from the room.
"I want to discuss Johnny's records with you. And, there is a call we need to make, too. Let's go to my office." Kel walked on as Joe followed.
TBC
