Chapter 11
Em swore under her breath for about the tenth time the last hour. She was doing a tricky part of the weld and could have used a third hand. As it was, the piece was bolted into C-clamp and propped between two blocks of wood. But just as she got it hot it would begin to loosen and slip. Soon there would be nothing more than a puddle of molten metal. Gordon had dissappeared and not come back. Alan had also vanished. In exasperation she took off her heavy work gloves so to work quicker. The seam began to take shape smoothly and looked good when the whole thing just slipped. Her hand holding the torch followed the movement and the other reached out instinctively to grab the article.
She stopped breathing. She sucked in air with a moan and let it out in an awful scream.
Jeff had come home early, for once, only to find the house empty and the boy's cars gone. He was rooting through the fridge and wondering if there was anything to eat when he heard the blood curdling scream coming from the garage workshop.
He was there in seconds. He noticed the welding torch sputtering near the work bench and someone hunched over nearby. The screams were punctuated by sobs of pain. He turned off the torch preventing anymore burning as the bench leg was already smoldering.
It was Martha Jones. She was hugging her arm to her body and rocking with pain. It had to be a burn. He was afraid it was a bad burn.
"Martha. Let me see." He tried to get her to stand up, but she was hysterical with pain. He managed to get her over to the sink and forced both her arms into running cold water. He could soon see that the burn was serious. Luckily, over a relatively small area running over the side of the wrist to the back of her right hand. But the pain from burns could be ferocious and the girl was in as much danger from shock as from the burn itself. Jeff could already feel the tremors that were beginning to shake her body.
"Gordon!" he yelled. The boy must be here somewhere.. "He's not here, is he?"
She was shaking her head.
"Okay. I'm taking you to the hospital."
By the time they drove to the hospital Em was reduced to sniffles and surpressed whimpers. They immediately hit a snag. Martha Jones was underaged and Jeff Tracy wasn't her father.
"Can't you give her something for the pain?"Jeff tried to sound reasonable.
"I'm sorry." The duty nurse looked hassled but sympathetic. "We are not allowed any treatment of minors without the signed waiver of their parents."
"Where is your father?" Jeff knelt in front of the seated young woman.
"He's at the Le Grande Hotel at a meeting. He said it was important..." Her voice faded as Jeff Tracy marched to the nearest vidcom began the difficult task of getting her father to the hospital.
At first, the hotel declined to put a call through to the meeting which was attended by some rather high-ups in the city's political scheme. But, Jeff Tracy didn't get to be an astronaut or a high-powered businessman by giving up easily.
By the time Judge Jones was on the line Jeff Tracy was pretty angry. Before the end of this long evening he'd be coldly furious.
"What is the meaning of this?" The judge's image on the vidcom radiated stern authority. Jeff radiated back.
"Your daughter Martha is here at the hospital. You have to come here."
"Is it serious?"
"It is a bad burn, but not too serious." Jeff began to explain.
"I'll send her to my GP in the morning. Put her in a taxi home. I'll reimburse you." Judge Jones looked markedly at his watch.
"Your daughter is in considerable pain and in shock. If she is not treated now she could become worse."
"And this is your considered opinion as a businessman?" Judge Jones said tersely.
"Judge Jones..." Jeff Tracy began "If you don't get down here in 10 minutes I'll personally see that you are brought up on charges of endangerment of a minor. Do I make myself clear?"
"Perfectly. I'll be there shortly."
It was almost a tie on which man was able to hang up the fastest on the other. Jeff Tracy won by a fraction of a second.
Em was moaning softly as Jeff sat back down next to her. He patted her awkwardly on the back. "It'll be alright. Your father will be here soon."
"You shouldn't b-bother. I'll be alright. Daddy is right. I can see the doctor tomorrow." she said softly. "It isn't so bad." She gave him a watery smile to prove the point.
"I think you can trust my judgement on this." Jeff began, "Lord knows I've been in the emergency room with Gordon and his brothers enough times. Actually, now that I think of it, more or less with Gordon. He just seems to attract trouble." He gave the girl what he hoped was an encouraging smile. It just didn't seem right to tell her to 'Buck up and take it like a man!'.
"Gordon needs someone to look after him. I tried my best Mr. Tracy, but..." She paused and gulped ... "I don' feel so good."
Jeff Tracy found himself holding a fainting teenager. "NURSE!" he bellowed in a voice used to being heard over the sound of jet planes.
Em swore under her breath for about the tenth time the last hour. She was doing a tricky part of the weld and could have used a third hand. As it was, the piece was bolted into C-clamp and propped between two blocks of wood. But just as she got it hot it would begin to loosen and slip. Soon there would be nothing more than a puddle of molten metal. Gordon had dissappeared and not come back. Alan had also vanished. In exasperation she took off her heavy work gloves so to work quicker. The seam began to take shape smoothly and looked good when the whole thing just slipped. Her hand holding the torch followed the movement and the other reached out instinctively to grab the article.
She stopped breathing. She sucked in air with a moan and let it out in an awful scream.
Jeff had come home early, for once, only to find the house empty and the boy's cars gone. He was rooting through the fridge and wondering if there was anything to eat when he heard the blood curdling scream coming from the garage workshop.
He was there in seconds. He noticed the welding torch sputtering near the work bench and someone hunched over nearby. The screams were punctuated by sobs of pain. He turned off the torch preventing anymore burning as the bench leg was already smoldering.
It was Martha Jones. She was hugging her arm to her body and rocking with pain. It had to be a burn. He was afraid it was a bad burn.
"Martha. Let me see." He tried to get her to stand up, but she was hysterical with pain. He managed to get her over to the sink and forced both her arms into running cold water. He could soon see that the burn was serious. Luckily, over a relatively small area running over the side of the wrist to the back of her right hand. But the pain from burns could be ferocious and the girl was in as much danger from shock as from the burn itself. Jeff could already feel the tremors that were beginning to shake her body.
"Gordon!" he yelled. The boy must be here somewhere.. "He's not here, is he?"
She was shaking her head.
"Okay. I'm taking you to the hospital."
By the time they drove to the hospital Em was reduced to sniffles and surpressed whimpers. They immediately hit a snag. Martha Jones was underaged and Jeff Tracy wasn't her father.
"Can't you give her something for the pain?"Jeff tried to sound reasonable.
"I'm sorry." The duty nurse looked hassled but sympathetic. "We are not allowed any treatment of minors without the signed waiver of their parents."
"Where is your father?" Jeff knelt in front of the seated young woman.
"He's at the Le Grande Hotel at a meeting. He said it was important..." Her voice faded as Jeff Tracy marched to the nearest vidcom began the difficult task of getting her father to the hospital.
At first, the hotel declined to put a call through to the meeting which was attended by some rather high-ups in the city's political scheme. But, Jeff Tracy didn't get to be an astronaut or a high-powered businessman by giving up easily.
By the time Judge Jones was on the line Jeff Tracy was pretty angry. Before the end of this long evening he'd be coldly furious.
"What is the meaning of this?" The judge's image on the vidcom radiated stern authority. Jeff radiated back.
"Your daughter Martha is here at the hospital. You have to come here."
"Is it serious?"
"It is a bad burn, but not too serious." Jeff began to explain.
"I'll send her to my GP in the morning. Put her in a taxi home. I'll reimburse you." Judge Jones looked markedly at his watch.
"Your daughter is in considerable pain and in shock. If she is not treated now she could become worse."
"And this is your considered opinion as a businessman?" Judge Jones said tersely.
"Judge Jones..." Jeff Tracy began "If you don't get down here in 10 minutes I'll personally see that you are brought up on charges of endangerment of a minor. Do I make myself clear?"
"Perfectly. I'll be there shortly."
It was almost a tie on which man was able to hang up the fastest on the other. Jeff Tracy won by a fraction of a second.
Em was moaning softly as Jeff sat back down next to her. He patted her awkwardly on the back. "It'll be alright. Your father will be here soon."
"You shouldn't b-bother. I'll be alright. Daddy is right. I can see the doctor tomorrow." she said softly. "It isn't so bad." She gave him a watery smile to prove the point.
"I think you can trust my judgement on this." Jeff began, "Lord knows I've been in the emergency room with Gordon and his brothers enough times. Actually, now that I think of it, more or less with Gordon. He just seems to attract trouble." He gave the girl what he hoped was an encouraging smile. It just didn't seem right to tell her to 'Buck up and take it like a man!'.
"Gordon needs someone to look after him. I tried my best Mr. Tracy, but..." She paused and gulped ... "I don' feel so good."
Jeff Tracy found himself holding a fainting teenager. "NURSE!" he bellowed in a voice used to being heard over the sound of jet planes.