AC 25
After the disastrous ambulance shift Johnny had no motivation to see Friedman. He knew what happened had been reported back to her. Seems Mel was a vet who had gone to Friedman for help and then helped him. Friedman was some sort of miracle worker, or so Mel said. Right now Johnny felt he was quickly going down the rabbit hole and would never get out.
While taking a quick shower before his 2 PM appt he went over the disastrous shift and felt he hadn't made any progress at all.
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Johnny sullenly sat in the chair as Sydney looked at him. His legs crossed he played with the frayed cuff of his jeans.
"I take it the ride along didn't go so well?" Friedman asked pen poised to write her notes. Her smile contrasted to Johnny's deep frown.
"Ya think Doc? Okay, you were right, but dammit I was this close," Johnny held his index and thumb millimeters apart, "from going the whole shift."
Sydney nodded knowingly.
"But you knew this was going to happen didn't you?" Johnny accused her and could see the wheels turning in his therapist's eyes.
"Yes, so tell me about the hospital?" the therapist asked as she smiled with her little secret.
"Hospital?" Johnny then realized it wasn't the hospital that made him puke, but the ambulance ride.
"It was okay. I mean I ate in the cafeteria no problem," Johnny smiled, seemed he had conquered one obstacle and then pulled back.
"Hey, you're pretty damn sneaky," Johnny grinned. "Nope, no problem at the hospital."
Sydney gave him a knowing look.
Johnny held up his hands.
"All right, I'll know. I'll know." Johnny sighed. Things would get worse before they got better
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Sitting on the leather couch, with Henry's head in his lap, Roy chewed on his lower lip as he read the paper, he could hear Chet and Marco making dinner. Roy again forgot what story he had been reading as Chet and Marco got louder.
"I said small pieces Chet," Marco said with frustration, his voice edged with a bite.
"Hey I want to be able to taste my food Marco," Chet whined and continued cutting the carrots.
"Cabeza de mierda, su problema más que su valor," Marco muttered. "Don't you listen Chet, small pieces!"
"Hey they are small pieces," Chet explained and tapped the knife on the cutting board.
"Small, you call these small," Marco complained. "Go get out of my kitchen, now"
Chet headed towards the TV. He turned up the volume real loud, scraped a chair from the dining table and sat down hard.
"Estúpido good for nothing gringo. No podía seguir indicaciones si su vida dependiera de él," Marco muttered and continued working.
Unable to stand the noise, Roy threw the paper down on the couch and stormed out of the dayroom, slamming the door behind him. No one came after him.
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It only took Johnny three shifts before he was able to take riding in an ambulance again, even his therapist was surprised. But he almost lost his lunch a few times but didn't need to tell her. Mel had seen everything and reported it back.
"So, ready to work in a hospital?" Sydney said sensing John's nervousness.
"Hospital?" Johnny's voice squeaked.
"Yes, don't worry it will be a hospital way out of your district, but still in Los Angeles county since you're still a certified paramedic." The therapist assured.
"Sure Doc whatever you say," Johnny tried to convince himself.
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Johnny pulled up to the small hospital; it was still in Los Angeles County but was a private hospital, with an emergency room. Getting out of his car, he took a deep calming breath, steeled himself as he walked through the emergency room doors. His heart beat in rhythm to his footsteps as he made his way through to the quiet hall and to the nurse's station.
Finding the nurse's station, he waited patiently until she got off the phone. In the meantime, he surveyed the quiet, subdued interior. There were nice comfortable chairs in the waiting room and soft music played in the background. Sure, he could smell alcohol and all the normal scents of a hospital, but somehow they were muted, just like the soft brown carpeting on the floor.
"Hi," Johnny gave her his best Gage charm, "I'm here to see Dr. Bennington."
"Oh yes, she's in her office," Nurse Jones pointed, "turn right and go to the end of the corridor." She seemed like no nonsense nurse, so he made a mental note to not get her pissed.
"Um, thanks." Johnny cleared his throat and headed towards the office. Knocking on the door, he found the head of the ER hunched over paperwork, making him homesick for Rampart.
"Please sit," Bennington pointed to a chair in front of her desk. "Sydney briefed me on your case. Just so you know Sydney and I went to medical school together."
Johnny fidgeted in his chair and he looked into Bennington's blue eyes. She reminded him of his therapist and tried to concentrate as his stomach was now doing flip flops.
"John, can I call you John?" Bennington inquired.
"Yeah, John is fine."
"You'll be fine. Either me or one of the other doctors on staff will be with you. They have been briefed, believe me John if I thought you were a threat to the health of my patients you would never be here," Bennington stood up and walked around her desk. "C'mon let me introduce you to the other staff members."
His shift was going fine. He had help set a broken leg, started an IV for heat exhaustion and taken a red top. He had been at the nurse's station going through charts, then on the PA he heard it.
"CODE BLUE. CODE BLUE. ROOM 108."
Johnny followed the rest of the staff to the room. It was crowded with a doctor, two nurses, an orderly and now him.
"Defib," the doctor called.
Johnny heard the familiar hum of the defibrillator. He watched as the doctor placed the paddles and defib the patient.
As he watched doctors and nurse work frantically to save the patient, their voices and sounds became muddled, black and white stars danced in front of his eyes and he felt wobbly in the knees. He backed up, hit something and heard things crashing to the floor, taking his right hand he felt behind him and then suddenly he was back in the ambulance with their heart patient.
Brackett had just asked for another strip. Johnny heard the whine again of the defibrillator, someone calling out, and then the world went black.
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When Johnny opened his eyes, he found he was in a treatment room with an IV and a nurse.
"Mr. Gage, you're awake. I'll get the doctor," the nurse quietly left leaving him to his misery.
Johnny closed his eyes sighing and then heard the door open. Bennington walked in.
"Hey, Doc," Johnny lifted up his non IV'd arm.
"John, how are you?" Bennington asked as she took his pulse, respirations and blood pressure.
Johnny laid there in silence and defeat. Seems like he was going one step forward and three steps back.
Johnny sat up, much to the chagrin of the Bennington.
"Look Doc I know the drill, believe me I know the drill," Johnny lamented. "Can we try this again, say day after tomorrow?"
Bennington nodded. "The nurse is bringing you lunch, you eat all of it and then you can go home. Sydney is expecting you tomorrow."
Johnny nodded. Déjà vu all over again, he frowned.