Knock
Knock
Dr. Kelly Brackett looked up from the file on his desk at the knock on his office door. Who could that be at this hour?
"Come in."
Joe Early pushed open the door and poked his head in. "Are you busy?"
"Not particularly." Brackett flipped the file cover closed. He'd been studying the same sheet of paper for the last hour. No matter how long he'd stared at it, he wasn't any closer to a solution for the young man upstairs. Noisily, he picked it up and slapped it down in place on the corner of his usually well kept desk. "I could use some company."
His college shut the door behind him and took a seat on the sofa. He'd spent enough time in Kel's office to know just how uncomfortable the two chairs seated at the man's desk were. Kel's lips twitched slightly as he watched his college's antics.
"I assume you just came from visiting Johnny. Any changes?"
A white head shook side to side. "He's still unconscious even though the anesthesia should have worn off over an hour ago. His vital signs are low, but stable. I don't understand it, Kel. Johnny's came out of anesthesia several times before without any trouble. If I didn't know any better, I'd think we missed something."
Dr. Brackett sighed. Concern was eating him from the inside out. Joe was one of the best, if not the best, neurosurgeons he'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. He'd fought tooth and nail to convince Joe to join the staff at Rampart and the Doctor was nothing if not thorough. It was days like these when he wondered if he really knew what he was thinking when he pursued a medical license. Why hadn't he choosen something simple, like gardening?
"Johnny's surgery was complex, yes, but everything was done by the book." Impulsively, the normally composed Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "I'd even go as far as to say we invented more than a couple procedures to keep that young man alive. Quite frankly, I'm as clueless as you are, Joe. There's no reason why John Gage hasn't woken up yet."
Silence filled the office, both doctor's lost in thought.
Another rap on the door startled them. Without waiting for invitation the door swung open emitting Dixie McCall.
"-just found out from the nurse on duty, Johnny's showing signs of waking up."
The phone at Station 51 was ringing. All the firefighters looked up, studying the object as it continued to ring. No one made a move to answer it. Instead they sat frozen. They all dreaded picking up the receiver and having to face the truths it carried. Hank Stanley poked his head out the door of his office. The phone had been ringing for a good thirty seconds.
"Somebody gonna answer that?!" However, when he saw the looks on his men's faces he softened.
After moving to Station 51 as a new captain, Hank had spent many sleepless nights wondering what kind of a crew his new men would become. He had read all their basic information as their police chief, of course, but there was a large gap between how they appeared on paper and who they were on the job. It hadn't taken long, however, for Hank to come to respect and know every man under his command.
As a crew, they'd come to know and trust one another with their lives. As an unofficial family, they were protective and fiercely loyal to each other. Granted, every day on the job-and often off-were hard, but they had one another to fall back on. Like a broken tape, the image of Johnny bleeding out in the driver's seat of his rover flashed in his mind.
Skillfully, he batted it away. Years as a firefighter had taught him how to detach himself from the situation. There would always be time later to decompress, right now his mind was needed here, at work, with his men. At this very moment his men were gathered around the table, watching the phone ring unchecked in trepidation.
Sighing, Hank crossed over the phone on the wall dodging Henry who had made an unexpected appearance, away from his favorite couch for once. Pressing his ear to the receiver Hank could feel his men inching closer.
Seconds passed before Hank set the receiver back on the hook. Expectant faces peered at him.
"Cap?" Mike questioned.
"That was Rampart. Johnny's waking up."
"Johnny? Can you hear me?"
Johnny wanted to groan. Of all the unlucky, inconvenient… he broke off his rant before it really got started. All he wanted to do was ignore the persistent voices that penetrated the pleasant fog surrounding his head. If he gave into the fog, he wouldn't have to face the depressingly black world around him. Instead of slipping into the darkness shrouding the corners of his mind, Johnny felt his mind clear.
"Johnny?" The annoying voice called to him again. Maybe if he answered they'd let him sleep.
"Mmmm." Johnny's tongue was large and thick in his mouth making it hard to find the desire to speak.
"Dix can you ask Joe to come in here, I think he stepped out for a second?"
"Of course." The nurses' footsteps receded and Johnny could feel he was finally alone in the room with the annoying voice that wouldn't let him sleep.
"Johnny? I need you to wake up for me, then you can sleep." The young firefighter struggled to recognize the painfully familiar voice above him.
Who was he? Johnny knew the voice, he was sure of it, but who? He wanted to open his eyes, but stopped himself. It all came rushing back. Self-pity stabbed him like a knife in the gut. He was blind! Johnny suddenly felt like he was choking on the black world around him. What was he going to do now? How was he going to live? Why did this happen to him? Growing up on the reservation all he wanted to become was a firefighter. It'd been his ticket off the reservation, to a better life. Less than half a second, a blink, a crash… That was all it took to take it all away.
"Hey, Tiger." A gentle hand ran through his hair. "What's going in that brain of yours, humm? We've all been worried sick about you. How about you open those big brown eyes of yours?" He must have been so far out of it, he hadn't heard her return.
Recognition ran through him. Johnny almost cried in relief. "Dix!"
He didn't have to blind to not feel the radiant smile Dixie was giving him. "Yah. You know, Tiger, if you're so desperate for attention you could just come over for dinner. It sure would save you a good meal to boot."
Despite his condition, Johnny felt a smile work its way across his features. "Come on Dix. I was hoping you could help me out with the disgusting gruel you people call food here."
"As your doctor, I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Now that he was calm, Johnny had no problems identifying the sarcastic voice. Dr. Brackett.
"Brackett."
"Nice to see you again Johnny. I did dare to hope, however, that perhaps these little mishaps would be over-or delayed for an indefinite amount of time." Brackett mumbled the latter under his breath. Struggling to glean more information on the world around him without the use of his eyes, Johnny managed to catch it.
"Sorry Doc. But I'll have you know, the other guy hit me, not the other way around."
"Don't worry about it Johnny. Kel's just a little grumpy when he gets stuck with the early morning shift." Joe Early's soft cadence came from his left side; opposite Dixie and Brackett. "Now, I know you don't want to, but I do need you to open your eyes for us."
Dun, Dun, Dun! I'm sorry I couldn't help myself from stopping right there. Again, I must apologize. I haven't posted since...well...you know. After posting the last chapter, my muse left this story hanging out to dry. I tried several times to come back and write more, but it just didn't work. Oh, well.
Thank you to all my readers who have waited so patiently for this story to continue. It melts my heart.
Until next time,
Chao!