An Act of Friendship
Chapter 14
Roy walked over to Joanne and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You feel pretty warm, sweetheart. I'm going to go get a nurse," he said and walked out. He returned momentarily with a nurse in tow and sat down while the nurse checked Joanne's vitals. "What is it?" he questioned as the nurse read the thermometer.
"100.3. I'm going to go get your meds and I'll be right back."
Joanne sighed heavily and gazed forlornly at Roy.
Roy straightened in his chair at the look on his wife's face. "What's wrong honey?" he questioned worriedly.
Her eyes filled with tears. "I know this sounds stupid, but I just really wanted to see Johnny." Ever since she'd woken up she'd felt a compelling need to see him. She supposed it was her way of fighting off the nightmare and assuring herself that he was okay. She realized she was being childish and felt foolish for her behavior, but she couldn't seem to control it. A single tear traced down her cheek.
Roy could see how upset she was becoming. He sat on the bed, facing her. Gently, he rubbed the tear track from her cheek with his thumb. "Hey. You'll get to see him, it might be a couple of days though," he softly assured her.
"I know. Oh, I don't know what's wrong with me," she complained as she burst into tears. She felt his strong arms surround her and heard his whispered "Shhhh." The safety and security she felt soothed her raw nerves. When she felt as if she had better control, she pulled back and said, "I'm sorry."
"There's no reason to be sorry. You're tired, in pain, and don't feel well. I think you just need some rest…"
"NO! I don't want to sleep." Her eyes widened as her breathing increased. She laid her head back against the pillow.
Roy was puzzled by Joanne's behavior. He could hear her almost panting for breath and saw the wide, fearful look in her eyes. Alarmed, he questioned her until reluctantly, she told him of the terrible nightmare she'd had. He soothed and allayed her fears as they talked about Johnny and his condition. Roy assured her that as soon as Brackett gave his approval, he would take her to see Johnny. Shortly thereafter, the nurse walked in with her meds. Joanne took them and soon felt the pounding in her head recede. She yawned sleepily as her eyelids grew heavy. Roy gave her a kiss and told her to take a nap. He promised he would be there when she woke. Unable to fight the feeling any longer, Joanne closed her eyes and fell asleep.
XXXXXXX
Emily walked into the crowded waiting room and spotted her husband. As she walked toward him she noted that he looked exhausted. Dark rings circled his eyes and his shoulders slumped as if the weight of the world were resting on them. As she approached, he stood and gave her a gentle kiss. "How's our boy?" she worriedly questioned. She might tease her husband about the depths of his feelings for his men, but truth be told, she felt the same way. They were all like sons to her also.
"Marco and Chet are in with him now, but last I checked, his temperature was still rising." Lines of fatigue were etched across his face.
"How high is it?" she questioned apprehensively.
"102.7"
Emily frowned at this bit of information. She'd talked to Hank earlier in the day and knew that his fever had risen significantly. "Do you think I could see him?" she asked hopefully.
Hank looked his wife in the eye. "Are you sure?" He'd already told her how bad Johnny looked. But he knew that hearing about it and actually seeing it were two different things. At her nod, he went to the nurse and asked her to check with Dr. Brackett. A short while later, the nurse came back and said it would be okay. He accompanied Emily into the ICU ward and helped her with the protective gear, before putting on his own. Hank followed his wife into the room, but was brought up short when she suddenly stopped and gasped. Her hand rose to her mouth. He put a comforting arm around her shoulder as he looked down into her face, or at least what he could see of her face. Her sky blue eyes filled with tears.
"Oh Dear Lord," she uttered stunned. Like Hank and the guys, she'd seen Johnny numerous times as he recuperated from injury or illness, but nothing anyone could have said would have prepared her for this. She took a deep breath, calming herself and willing away the tears. As she stood frozen, collecting herself, Marco came over and gave her a big hug and kiss on the cheek, followed closely by Chet. She gave Chet's hands a quick squeeze and then turned to Johnny. She walked over and gently kissed his forehead. "Well now, you sure know how to keep us hopping young man," she scolded fondly as she brushed the dark bangs back, stroking his forehead. "You have a lot of people who are anxious for you to get better. So you'd better get to it right now, young man." She looked up at Hank. "Would you get me a wet washcloth, honey?" As Hank went to do her bidding, Marco and Chet said they would be in the waiting room. They each gave Johnny a quick pat on his good leg before leaving.
"Here dear," Hank said as he strode into the room and handed her the washcloth. He walked around to the other side of the bed and rested his hand on Johnny's shoulder.
Emily gently wiped the sweat off Johnny's face and neck. "There now, I bet that feels better," she said. All done, she set the washcloth aside. She went back to stroking his forehead as she looked over at her husband. "How's everyone holding up?"
Hank shrugged his shoulders. "Tired. Worried. Judging by the amount of tossing and turning I heard last night, I don't think any of us slept very well." He looked down at Johnny. "He really has me worried this time, Em," he admitted as he looked up in dismay.
Emily saw the fear and uncertainty in his eyes and gave him a sympathetic look. She reached out her hand and when Hank grabbed it, she squeezed hard. "Hank – remember Johnny is young and strong. I don't think we've ever met a man who was more determined in our lives. He just needs a little time." She shook his hand firmly as her eyes glinted with a steely determination. "Now, don't you give up on him! He needs you – he needs all of us." At his hesitant nod, she gave a soft smile. Her eyes narrowed in thought. "When was the last time you ate?"
Hank looked deeply into her beautiful blue eyes and felt the love and encouragement that was shining through. Some of the tension he'd been feeling drained away. He gave a sheepish grin, "The guys and I grabbed some coffee and donuts when we first got here." It was well past lunchtime and he knew what was coming next.
Emily gave him a pointed look. "I want you to go get Chet and Marco and take them to the cafeteria. I'll stay here with Johnny," she insisted.
Hank sighed gustily. "Yes dear," he replied. He patted Johnny's shoulder gently. "You behave with my wife, pal." He looked at his wife. "I'll be back shortly," he said then turned and left.
Emily bent down and gazed intently at Johnny, her heart going out to him. She continued the soft, rhythmic stroking of his hair as she started softly humming an Irish lullaby her grandmother used to sing to her.
…voices
…pain
…crashing into him
Emily continued humming as the nurse came in and quickly inserted a syringe into Johnny's IV port. Giving a brief smile, the nurse walked out.
…music…he thought he heard music
…it flowed over him…drowning out the pain
…filling him with warmth
…and comfort…
She wasn't sure how long she stood there, sharing the songs of her youth before an x-ray technician came trundling in, pushing his cumbersome equipment ahead of him.
XXXXXXX
Mike Stoker dragged himself hesitantly into Johnny's cubicle. It was going to be a long night. He'd gone home for a couple of hours hoping to get some rest. But sadly, he'd found sleep to be not only elusive, but fleeting. After about 3 or 4 hours, he got up and grabbed a quick shower. He then went to Johnny's ranch to make sure everything was okay and brought Tom up to speed on Johnny's condition. Tom took care of the horses, but because of an old injury, was unable to ride. So, while he was there, Mike decided to take Johnny's favorite horse, Blaze, out to stretch his legs. By the time they returned, Mike had just enough time to put Blaze up for the night before heading back to Rampart.
Mike chuckled when he saw Marco, asleep on a chair, his head resting on Johnny's bed. Afraid of startling him, Mike gently shook his shoulder as he softly called his name. Bloodshot eyes blinked owlishly at him as they struggled to focus. "Sorry, Marco. It's time you go home," Mike said apologetically.
Marco rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up. He couldn't believe he'd fallen asleep like that. He stretched the kinks out of his neck as he started his report. "Things have been pretty quiet. Dr. Brackett stopped in earlier and said if Johnny's fever continues to rise, he's going to have to order a cooling blanket. The last time it was checked, it was 103.2." He covered his mouth with his hand as he yawned loudly. "Roy was up around 4. I guess if everything goes okay, Joanne should be released some time tomorrow morning. He said he'd be back up later and Chet said he'd be back around 1 and he'd take the rest of the night. Cap said he'll be in first thing in the morning." Marco stood and stretched. "You need anything before I head out?" he questioned. Seeing Mike's head shake, he bent closer to Johnny. "Hasta mañana, mi amigo."
"See you tomorrow," Mike called as Marco headed out the door. He looked down at his friend. "Hey buddy, I'm here. I took Blaze out for a nice run today. I can tell he really misses you, so you'd better do all you can to get well." Mike squeezed Johnny's hand before sitting in the hard plastic chair. He stretched his legs out as he made himself as comfortable as possible. Peering at his friend, he noticed that Johnny looked paler than before and his cheeks were flushed and angry looking. Sweat beaded his brow and the chest tube seemed to be draining a lot of fluid, it bubbled incessantly. Sitting there, Mike thought about his and Johnny's friendship.
It was funny, of all the men of 51s, Johnny was the complete antithesis of Mike. Where Johnny was loud and boisterous, Mike was quiet and contemplative. Johnny was hyper and constantly in motion while Mike was calm and serene. Johnny was quick to anger and quick to forgive while Mike was slow to anger and slow to forgive. In some ways, they were complete opposites. However, over the years, they had found they had many things in common and though most people didn't realize it, next to Roy, Mike was Johnny's closest friend.
Each had a common love of nature and being outdoors. They'd gone on numerous camping and fishing trips and during these trips, a deep understanding and respect had developed. Mike fondly recalled one of the last times they'd gone camping. Actually, it was a trip that all the guys of 51s had attended. It was in the middle of a scorching hot summer and Johnny forgot to bring his swimsuit. Everyone went down to the swimming hole to try to cool off and, at first, Johnny said he would just sit on the bank while they all swam. But as the temperature rose, the guys started egging him on, particularly Chet. Johnny got so worked up at Chet's heckling that he turned around and quickly peeled off his jeans, determined to swim in his boxers. When he turned back around, they all were staring at him their mouths hanging open. Johnny stood there in black boxers that had big, red lips all over them. They were a gag gift from his current girlfriend and he'd forgot that he'd put them on. Everyone burst out laughing as Johnny's face turned as red as the lips. Chet called Johnny "Hot Lips Houlihan" and they all laughed harder. Needless to say, the phantom had a field day for the rest of the summer with his pigeon. Mike shook his head as he remembered how fake lips showed up all over the station.
Mike's reverie was broken by the sound of an alarm. He jumped to his feet as a nurse rushed in.
She switched off the alarm on the ventilator. Pulling the suction wand from the wall, she disconnected the tubing to Johnny's vent and stuck the wand down his airway. She looked up into Mike's wide eyes. "It's okay. I just need to suction out some of the mucous."
"Is that normal?" Mike asked concerned.
"Yes, we have to do this periodically. But now that pneumonia has set in, we'll have to do it more often." She put the wand back in its holder on the wall and reconnected the tubing to the vent. She did a vitals check. Looking at Mike sympathetically, she said, "I'm going to page Dr. Brackett, his fever is still rising."
Mike nodded as she left the room. He picked up Johnny's hand. "C'mon Johnny, you've got to fight," he said firmly, wishing he could give his friend some of his strength.