EMERGENCY!
ANOTHER FRIDAY NIGHT
The late afternoon sun bathed the L.A. basin in hazy sunshine. Roy DeSoto steered Squad 51 through the traffic with lights flashing and siren screaming.
His partner Johnny Gage pressed the electric horn repeatedly as they maneuvered around a taxicab that refused to pull over for them.
" Idiot! ", he growled as they sped past.
Two minutes later, he cut the siren as they stopped on a dirt road above the L.A. basin.
A small group of people holding picket signs was gathered around the base of a large oak tree.
A sheriff's deputy walked over as they stepped from the squad. More sirens screamed in the distance.
" What've we got, Vince? ", asked Johnny, opening an equipment locker.
" Aw, they been wantin' to tear down that big oak over there to make room for a housing development." Vince replied." About an hour ago, a bunch of protesters showed up to stop the crew. One of 'em climbed up there, but now he started freakin' out and he wants to come down."
" So what do they need a squad for? ", Roy asked." They can just get him down with a truck company."
" One of his buddies said he dropped some acid and it's startin' to kick in."
Engine 51 roared to a stop behind the squad. Truck 118 pulled up even with them.
Johnny and Roy gazed up at the top of the tree to see a skinny young man rocking back and forth between two branches.
" Go ahead and raise the stick! ", Captain Stanley called to the truck captain." I'll have my medics go up and get 'im."
Vince folded his arms as he stared up at the young man.
" Ya wanna hear the kicker? The tree surgeon over there said the tree's got Dutch elm disease. It's gotta come down, anyway."
Chet Kelly walked up beside him.
" Crazy hippies."
" I can see my house from here! ", the young man shouted from the top of the large tree. The crowd below him cheered enthusiastically.
Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound.
" Hurry up with that ladder! ", Captain Stanley shouted.
The branch supporting the man snapped in half and he fell to the ground thirty feet below.
Johnny and Roy quickly pulled their gear from the squad.
" Man, I hate Friday nights! ", Johnny snapped.
The EMT's from the ambulance wheeled the patient through the automatic doors of the Rampart ER. Johnny stood on the side of the gurney, quickly performing chest compressions on the patient. Roy hurried alongside calling out the patient's vital signs.
" 19 year old male. Fall from height. Friend at the scene said he dropped 3 tabs of acid. Skull fracture, compound left tib/fib fracture..."
" He just arrested as we pulled up.", Johnny called.
" Get him into Trauma 1.", Dr. Brackett said, pulling on a smock.
They wheeled the stretcher into the trauma room as a team of doctors and nurses made their way inside.
Johnny stepped off of the gurney and unbuckled the straps. Brackett took the head of the backboard.
They lifted the patient onto the exam table. Roy grabbed their oxygen case and drug box and he and Johnny left the room.
Two more paramedics rushed past with a little girl on a gurney.
" Looks like it's gonna be a rough night.", Roy said." It's only ten to six and the place is already jumpin'."
" I don't care! ", Dixie growled into the phone as they approached the base station." We're getting backed up! You send my nurses back down to the ER or I'm gonna go up there and get 'em, and mister, you don't want that! "
She hung up the phone and brushed a strand of hair back from her forehead.
" Welcome to the Mad House. How can I help you? "
Johnny placed the drug box on the counter.
" We could use some lidocaine if it's alright."
" Yeah, sure. It's just been a mess around here.", she said, opening a cabinet." I don't know what it is about these Friday shifts."
Two LAPD officers, Reed and Malloy rounded the corner.
" Hey, Dix. Can ya take a look at my partner? ", Malloy asked.
She looked up at Reed who sheepishly rubbed his right cheek.
" Well, what happened to you? "
" I let a drunk get the drop on me.", Reed sighed.
She handed him a clipboard.
" Down the hall. Third door on your left."
" I thought you were supposed to look out for your partner, Pete.", said Roy.
" Me? ", Malloy replied." What about you and that daredevil you ride with? "
" Now hold on there, flatfoot.", said Johnny." Who says I'm a daredevil? Bein' a fireman's a dangerous job. When's the last time you ran into a burning building? "
" When's the last time one of you hose jockeys got shot at? ", asked Reed.
" When's the last time one of you performed brain surgery? ", Dr. Early mumbled as he wandered past reading a chart.
" RAMPART BASE, THIS IS SQUAD 36. HOW DO YOU READ? ", the base station radio squawked.
" All of you get out of here.", said Dixie." I've got work to do."
Johnny and Roy climbed into the squad.
" Squad 51 available.", Johnny notified the dispatcher." Am I really a daredevil? "
Roy started the engine.
" You tell me."
" Come on now, Roy. I don't think that I...'
The tones sounded from the radio.
" ENGINE 51, SQUAD 51 OUT OF RAMPART. UNKNOWN TYPE RESCUE.", the dispatcher called." 951 OAKWOOD COURT. APARTMENT A. CROSS STREET MERIDIAN. TIME OUT: 1801."
" Squad 51 responding.", Johnny called as they slipped on their helmets.
" ENGINE 51, KMG 365.", called Captain Stanley's voice.
Three minutes later, Roy stopped the squad in front of a small duplex.
They retrieved their equipment and headed up the walkway. Roy knocked on the door. " Fire Department! ", he called." Hello! "
Johnny peered through the window to see a woman laying face down on the floor, waving her arm frantically.
" There's a woman down in there, Roy. Looks like she can't get up."
Roy tried the door, but it was locked.
" Watch out, Gage."
He stepped back and kicked in the door.
They hurried inside. A young woman was sprawled on the floor, crying with a phone in her hand.
" What's wrong, ma'am? ", Johnny asked as he kneeled beside her.
" My brathes are thuck to the carthet.", she cried.
" Your braces are stuck to the carpet? "
" Yeth! Thath what I thaid."
Roy bit his lip and keyed the Handy-Talkie.
" L.A., Squad 51. Cancel Engine 51."
Johnny pulled the shears from the holster on his belt. He carefully snipped the carpet. The girl sat up and picked the small shag fibers from her teeth.
" My mom's gonna kill Me.", she sniffed.
After responding to three more calls that night, Johnny and Roy wandered into the kitchen. Marco and Chet were staring intently at a small wooden tower. The captain put down his newspaper and watched them with sudden interest.
" What's goin' on? ", asked Roy.
" Aw, they're playing some kids' game.", Mike Stoker said quietly, drying a plate.
Henry, the station's basset hound was laying on his side, staring at his food dish.
" Hey, did anybody feed the dog yet? ", Johnny asked.
" Gage, will ya shut up? ", Chet whined.
" Come on, Kelley.", Marco said." Make your move."
Chet blew on his fingers and licked his lips. He exhaled and slowly made a move towards a thin piece that jutted out from the left side of the tower. The air was thick with tension.
He gingerly began to pull the block out. Suddenly, the stack began to tremble.
" Aw no! ", Chet growled.
The tower collapsed, scattering blocks across the table.
Captain Stanley returned to his newspaper.
" Nicely done, Lopez."
Chet leaned back in his chair and stared at his hands.
" Stubby Irish fingers.", he mumbled.
Johnny poured a bag of dog food into Henry's dish.
" You all don't have anything better to do than play that stupid game? "
Chet gathered up the wooden blocks.
" Give me a break. It's been a slow night."
" For you, maybe.", said Roy.
" That's right.", agreed Johnny." We just came back from our third medical run in a row. We had to shock that last patient four times before we could get a rhythm. We've been out savin' lives. What've you been doing? "
" We had a checkers tournament.", said Marco." Cap won four in a row."
Johnny sat down at the table.
" Well, that's real cute, Lopez. Meantime, me and Roy haven't even had dinner yet."
" Burgers' in the oven.", Stanley said, not looking up from his paper.
As Roy pulled the two plates from the oven, the tones echoed through the station.
" ENGINE 51, RUBBISH FIRE. 112 EAST OLIVE. 1-1-2 EAST OLIVE. CROSS STREET IS CONCORD. TIME OUT: 2045."
Roy handed Johnny his plate and sat down across from him as the engine's crew hurried out of the kitchen.
Johnny frowned as he picked at his plate.
" Great. Stale french fries."
" I don't care.", Roy replied as he began to take a bite." I'm hungry and after Joanne's cooking, I can pretty much eat anything."
The engine's siren wailed loudly then faded as they rolled out of the station.
Johnny pointed at his partner with a cold french fry.
" I've still got a bone to pick with you."
" Me? About what? "
" You think I'm some kind of daredevil. You think Malloy was right."
Roy shrugged, not looking up from his plate.
" I don't know. I could kinda see his point. Why do you think I always drive? "
" Well it's nice to know who my friends are."
" Look, I'm not saying you take stupid chances or anything. It's just that you seem to have that kind of personality."
" I'm not a daredevil. I just do what it takes to get the job done."
" If you say so."
" I'm not a daredevil."
Roy took another bite.
" I know."
" I'm not! Look-"
The alarm rang out again.
" SQUAD 51, ENGINE 110.", the dispatcher called." WOMAN DOWN. 345 WEST BRADLEY. 3-4-5 WEST BRADLEY. IVY IS YOUR CROSS. TIME OUT: 2047."
Johnny shoved two more bites of hamburger into his mouth and pushed back from the table. They both hurried out onto the apparatus floor.
Roy picked up the mike of the station's radio and scribbled down the information.
" Squad 51, 10-4. KMG 365.", he pressed the button to open the apparatus door and stared at his partner over the roof of the squad." You wanna drive? "
Johnny shook his head as he pulled on his turnout coat.
" Naw. I'd probably crash the dang thing."
Roy cut the squad's siren as they pulled into the driveway of 345 west Bradley. They grabbed their gear and stepped onto the porch.
Johnny knocked on the door.
" Fire Department! "
" Go away! ", called a voice from inside as Roy opened the door.
" ENGINE 110, SQUAD 51.", the Handy-Talkie called." BE ADVISED, SHERIFF IS RESPONDING TO THE SAME BLOCK FOR A SHOTS FIRED CALL."
They stepped inside to see a man standing over a bleeding woman. He pointed a gun at them.
" I didn't shoot her so you could save 'er. Just get out of here."
They set down their gear and raised their hands.
" Alright, now.", said Johnny." Alright. Just be cool. Let's just talk for a minute."
" Stop! Stay right there! ", the man shouted." I don't wanna shoot you too."
" Come on.", Roy said calmly." Look. All we care about is her. You wanna take off? Go right ahead. We won't stop you."
" No. No! Don't try to trick me! She was gonna leave me! I had to! "
" They're gonna go a lot easier on you if she doesn't die.", said Johnny.
The woman moaned. The man was distracted and turned to stare at her. Roy quickly reached out and grabbed his arm.
" No! NO! ", the man shouted as they struggled.
Roy pulled back the slide of the chrome .45, leaving the man unable to fire it. He twisted his arm back as hard as he could and the man dropped the gun.
Almost on cue, two sheriff's deputies rushed inside and tackled the man. Roy handed the gun off to a third deputy. He crouched beside Johnny and went to work on their patient.
" Just a little something I learned in the service."
" Sure.", Johnny sighed as he placed the stethoscope in his ears." I'm the daredevil."
At two minutes after one, they backed into the station. The apparatus door rolled shut in front of them.
Johnny snored with his face pressed against the side window. Roy elbowed him.
" We're home."
Johnny yawned and rubbed his eyes.
" How many runs was that? "
Roy looked at his watch.
" You mean since midnight or all shift? "
" Either."
" Twelve. Three since midnight."
They stepped from the squad and hung their turnout coats on the two side mirrors.
" Ya got any plans tomorrow? ", Johnny asked as they headed to the dorm.
" We're takin' the kids to the zoo tomorrow.", Roy yawned." How about you? " " I think I'm gonna sleep 'til noon. Then I've got a date with that nurse from the ER."They shuffled into the darkened dormitory. The room was filled with the sound of Chet snoring.
The lights switched on and the alarm sounded.
" STATION 127, ENGINE 51, ENGINE 16, TRUCK AND SQUAD 118, BATTALION 14. STRUCTURE FIRE..."
The engine's crew stepped into their turnouts and hurried past them.
" Hit the lights! ", Johnny called.
Stoker switched off the lights as he left the room. Engine 51 soon roared to life and screamed off into the night.
Johnny and Roy stepped out of their turnout pants and boots and climbed into their bunks.
" Man, it feels good to lay down.", Johnny sighed.
" Uh huh.", Roy rolled over in his bunk and buried his head under the covers.
After a long silence, Johnny spoke up.
" Hey, Roy? "
" Yeah? "
" Seriously. Do you think I'm a daredevil? "
Roy threw his pillow at him.
END