Chapter 11
Keeta's Mad Dash
While Johnny was having his wrist looked at, he tried to talk Dr. Brackett into letting him take the dog upstairs for a quick visit.
"No can do, Johnny. If that woman finds out, I could lose my job."
Johnny hung his head and sighed, "How is Kirra doing?" He inquired.
Brackett shook his head, Not good. She is going down hill again.
After they put a soft brace for his partner's wrist, Roy took Johnny upstairs to see Kirra. Johnny couldn't use his crutches, due to the injured arm. So Dixie made him use a wheel chair while at the hospital, much to Johnny's displeasure.
When they arrived at the ICU ward, things were quiet. Roy pushed Johnny into Kirra's room and left to give him some privacy. Johnny wasn't sure what to say to the young woman. He needed to give her a reason to fight so that she could get better and be with Keeta again.
"Keeta is really missing you Kirra. He almost ran off to look for you last night. I'm sorry your Mom won't let him stay with you anymore." Johnny gave a sigh, "I wish I could do something to change that, but I don't know of anything I can do." After a few moments of silence, Johnny felt he had to tell her, "I'm really getting attached to him." Then he teased, so you had better get well quickly before I decide you can't have him back."
Johnny knew that he would never come between Keeta and Kirra after she was well. He would always have to be the one with the broken heart, in this case.
Johnny finally decided that he didn't have any thing else to say and that it was time for him to go. Using his good foot, he pushed the wheelchair out into the hall way so he could signal to Roy that he was ready to leave. He was startled by the booming voice of Louise Bowers as she stepped off the elevator. "Good morning Kirra, Momma is here to take care of you!"
Johnny lowered his head and shook it. He was really beginning to hate this woman.
One of the nurses hurried over to her and asked her to keep her voice down. "There are other patients in this ward and you are disturbing all of them. Now if you can't keep your voice a lot quieter, you will not be allowed to remain in the ICU Ward."
"Oh, all right," Louise grumbled, as she hurried past Johnny with out even acknowledging him and over to Kirra's bed side, incessantly chattering away.
Roy had been following Mrs. Brower and saw Johnny in the hallway. He quickly came over and pushed him toward the elevator. As they rolled past the nurse's station, both men looked at the nurse with a face of pity for what she had to deal with every time that woman was around. They had just reached the elevator when an alarm sounded in Kirra's room.
"Do you want to go back?" Roy asked him.
"No, well just be in the way."
As they were exiting the elevator into the emergency room they heard, "CODE BLUE in ICU," announced over the PA system. Then Dr. Brackett was paged to the ICU as well. Both men knew that it was highly likely that Kirra was the Code Blue. Roy turned to Johnny and asked, "Do you want to stick around for a little bit." Johnny nodded and said, "Yes. But I want to wait outside. We need to let Keeta out of the Rover."
Roy parked Johnny's wheelchair near a bench and then hurried to retrieve Keeta. As he got close to the Rover, he could see the dog bouncing around and barking. When Roy opened the door, Keeta dove out the open door before Roy could grab his harness.
Without stopping, the dog ran towards the hospital entrance as fast as his feet could carry him.
Roy grabbed the leash and followed after him.
Johnny had been watching for Roy's return and saw Keeta running toward the building. Without any thought for his wrist he released the breaks on the wheelchair and pursued after the dog. Roy joined Johnny just before they entered the building. Roy, being able to move faster, rushed in ahead of him and quickly looked around for the dog.
There was a state of chaos over by the elevators. People where screaming about a wolf that was loose and were trying to get away from the animal. Roy ran over just in time to see the dog run around the corner and vanish down another hall way.
Johnny kept moving and was able to catch a glance of Roy just as he rounded the same corner. He was frantic and worried for the safety of the dog. He stopped and whistled at the dog and then called out, "KEETA NO! Come back here!"
Keeta had heard Johnny's voice and stopped. When he saw Roy and one of the security guards pursuing him he growled at them and dashed between the two and run to where he had heard Johnny calling him. Both Roy and the security officer followed in pursuit.
When Johnny spotted Keeta, he called to him again. The dog ran straight to him. Johnny reached out and grabbed the dogs harness with his left hand.
Keeta nuzzled Johnny, and then he turned to head back for the elevator doors.
Johnny's hold on him was the only thing that stopped him, but not until after the dog pulled him out of the chair and dragged him across the floor toward the elevator. Keeta whined and looked back at Johnny as if to say, "Come on, take me to her."
Roy and the security guard ran up to Johnny and the dog. Roy was breathing heavily and asked, "Are you okay?"
Security Guard asked, "Is that your dog?"
Johnny was pulling himself up to a sitting position and said, "I'm fine."
"No, he is not my dog. I'm just taking care of him for a friend."
Roy quickly secured the leash to Keeta's harness and signaled to Johnny that he could let go. As soon as Keeta felt Johnny release his harness, he bolted forward against the leash. Roy was yanked off balance and fell to the ground.
"Keeta NO! Stop, Stay!" Johnny called to the dog. Keeta stopped pulling against the rope, but he didn't come back to Johnny. He wouldn't even look at him. Instead he continued to watch the elevator door.
"Man he's strong." Roy said as he moved to a sitting position, still holding onto the leash.
"Are you hurt?" Johnny asked him.
Roy shook his head in response.
The Security Guard jumped in and said, "That dog is not allowed in the hospital. You must take it out right now. And if you can't keep him under control don't bring him around here again."
While still hanging on to the leash, Roy helped Johnny back into the wheelchair and the three exited the hospital. Roy parked Johnny's wheelchair next to the bench again and then secured the leash around a pole and said, "You two stay here and I'll go check on Kirra. Then he stood, took a deep breath to calm his nerves and moved toward the hospital doors again.
