Chapter 14
In the dimmed ambiance of the now quiet room behind Dixie and Roy, the man reclining on the exam table slowly removed his forearm from its comforting and familiar place over his face and cracked his eyes open. He studied the IV feeding liquid into his other arm for a moment before shifting his gaze sideways and upwards to the glass bottle; it swayed a bit on the stand as he moved his arm to the edge of the white sheet and stretched the clear tubing. Lost in a jumble of thoughts that even he couldn't decipher, Johnny rolled his head back and stared unblinkingly at the ceiling tiles.
The unexpected appearance of Freddy Begay had surprised and rattled him, in both a pleasant and an unwelcome way. It had brought back memories and jumbled feelings that he had successfully kept bottled up for a long time. Memories that right now were weighing heavily on his mind and that had no business invading and plaguing his foggy thoughts. He had been so young and hopeful in those days; would he have made the same decisions and followed that same path today, knowing what had laid ahead?
Probably so, because there were times he really didn't learn from his mistakes, or thought he could plow forward and change things. He supposed he really did live up to one of those character traits that he had been called by friends, teachers, and even his parents. Stubborn, yeah, he would admit to that one easy enough. He supposed in some circumstances that it would come in handy; Freddy had often called him that as they tramped endlessly through the jungle terrain and his tone had been affectionate and not in the least bit sarcastic or annoyed. Then again, old Fred had an endless amount of patience and had effectively tamped down or redirected some of his impetuous actions.
Thinking back on it now, Johnny realized that the only slightly older man had tutored and guided him quite subtly. He had put up with his smart ass comments, held him back when needed, and turned him loose without a word when he thought the still wet behind the ears Gage needed to learn from his own mistakes. He had probably, without even realizing it, learned more from Begay in those two long years then he had in all the time he had spent at school.
Perhaps it had been the steady and guiding influence of Fred Begay that had drawn him, like a moth to a flame, to the seemingly, equally calm demeanor of his new partner. Roy and Freddy appeared on the surface to be cut from the same cloth. He could only wonder if the reality would be different.
He sighed and let his eyes close, tipping his head first one way and then the other, trying to clear his ears of the water. Probably an ear infection, swimmer's ear, or something equally annoying was approaching, and if he was lucky he would get it in both ears. Another reason to detest water rescues, but at least it had been in the canal and not the ocean. Something about that endless expanse of shifting liquid always seemed to bother him, both mentally and physically. The physical side was just plain stupid seasickness if he was on a small vessel in choppy water, but the emotional side was another thing altogether. It was strangely elusive, that thing that he felt when he was out there, an odd snaking that slithered down his spine and made him question the existence of life itself. Thankfully he never had much time to dwell on it, and when he had both feet planted back on firm ground it never really seemed to matter.
He turned his head back towards the door, wondering where his partner and Kelly had disappeared to. He had overheard most of the conversation between Dixie and the doctor; as a kid he had been quite adept at feigning sleep when he wanted to eavesdrop on the conversations between adults. Covering his eyes with his arm had at first been a move to block out unwanted light, but it had also led to the discovery that people thought he was zonked out when he did it. Maybe it was a sneaky habit, but it had carried quite nicely into adulthood. His reasoning was that if they were talking about him, he wanted in on the conversation. If people didn't want him to hear, they shouldn't be whispering about things he shouldn't know within earshot. Not that he had heard anything that interesting anyways; just an exchange of information about his treatment and his release.
The few words that Chet had uttered, however, HAD been informative. He had a feeling that under the clownish veneer and the often nonstop yakking, he had seen and heard Kelly sporting on more than one occasion, was a guy who could be sensitive and caring. He was pretty sure the stocky fireman had been trying to cover up or downplay the actions of that cute but inept nurse; he may have been a bit out of it but there was no way he hadn't noticed the sharp bite of the needle that had gotten worse after each failed attempt. And judging by the way Kelly had acted outside and even in here, it had also appeared that Chet was concerned about his health. Kinda strange behavior for a guy he had only worked with for a handful of shifts, but then again, hadn't DeSoto been doing the same thing? Hovering over him, trying to take his pulse for cripes sake, and basically treating him like a kid brother.
He hadn't been sure, at the time, whether his new partner was just trying out his new paramedic skills or was actually worried. Then again, maybe that was just the kind of guy Roy was, conscientious and always thinking about others. He of course had ultimately responded to it by some teasing comments about old dogs and some other things, which, thinking back on it was a pretty lame way of trying to figure out what DeSoto had been up to. And now that left him lying here thinking about it again, only he had to add Kelly's equally odd reactions to the whole puzzling mess.
Johnny allowed himself a wry smile at his flawed reasoning concerning his eavesdropping, and his speculations concerning Chet and Roy. He sat up all the way so that he could lean over further, twist a bit, and see through the small window in the door. Nothing met his searching eyes but the ugly color of the wall in the hallway. He knew he was going to be released as soon as IV bottle drained dry and they checked all his vitals again. He did feel a bit better, now that he had lost most of the chill and was almost dry. The headache had subsided to a low throb, his stomach was on an even keel, and he had lost some of the tightness in his chest. They'd probably slapped some antibiotics into him at some point and he was sure they would throw a bottle at him as he left; that would hopefully prevent any kind of respiratory problem from growing worse and ward off the harmful effects from that foul water he had inadvertently guzzled.
He glanced back up at the IV bottle to see how much was left and considered turning up the flow to speed the process along a bit faster. If Dixie was his nurse, he thought he knew her well enough to be able to get away with it. But Nurse Jacobs and the young one that couldn't find a vein, well, they might just tie him down, hook him up to another bottle, and purposely delay his departure. Jacobs didn't put up with any nonsense, and the other one would probably jump at the chance to exact revenge on his dehydrated veins.
Johnny leaned back into the military tightness of the sheet and admitted defeat, but the tiny smile still on his lips grew even bigger as he thought about Dixie. Now there was a lady you didn't want to tangle with! He had been on the receiving end of her fierce temper at least once, and that had been for a minor infraction. He hated to think what she would do if he really ticked her off. He could really believe that she had been a nurse in the Korean War; he was sure that even the generals had tread very lightly around her. But on the flip side, he also knew that she was kind, wickedly funny, and was an excellent nurse. He enjoyed sharing a cup of coffee with her, and even a beer once in a while when their days off coincided. Which reminded him of what she had been planning to do last night…he really needed to find her and ask her how the evening had played out.
He sat fully upright and felt the blankets slide off his shoulders; he shivered instantly as the cool air of the room enveloped his uncovered skin. He tentatively lifted the edges of the blanket and realized they had neglected to give him a gown. He remembered the nurse flinging his uniform up over the privacy screen, but it was no longer in sight and he couldn't remember where it had disappeared to or why he was effectively trapped here in only his underwear. Well, at least they had left him with that little scrap of dignity. But if he wanted to leave the room he was going to have to wrap himself in a blanket and drag the IV pole behind him. He did wish they had given him one of those ridiculous gowns that left half of you flapping in the wind.
Giving up, at least for the moment, his quest to find the head nurse, Gage quickly slid back down into the suddenly frigid coldness of the sheets and clumsily tried to tuck the two blankets back around his now goose bumped skin. So much for feeling better, he thought grimly, as his stomach started a vicious dance that was sure to lead to a date with one of those kidney shaped emesis basins. A tryst he absolutely could give up without a second thought; he leaned his head back against the bunched up pillow and let his eyes drift shut. He savored the darkness behind the closed lids and grudgingly allowed his restless mind to surrender to much needed sleep.
~eeeEEEeee~
Johnny would probably have considered himself lucky that he was trapped in his treatment room if he had known the direction that Miss McCall was presently heading in. She had bid goodbye to the two firemen from Station 51 after hearing their plans to pick up the waterlogged Gage; as she strolled towards Dr. Brackett's office she wondered if Roy had noticed her reference to springing Johnny out of "this gin joint"? (1) It seemed her mind was still dwelling on where she had been last night, along with her thoughts about the movie Casablanca as she had carefully dressed for the evening. Funny how the mind ran in many different directions; which of course reminded her that she needed to talk to the beleaguered paramedic about her adventure….
Humming a little under her breath and suddenly feeling energized, Dixie unlocked the office door that led into the private sanctuary of the head man of the Emergency department. She allowed herself a huff of laughter that the stubborn doctor was still soundly sleeping; he really shouldn't argue with her about matters concerning his health. She knew him well enough to be able to gauge his moods, most of the time anyway, and could usually accurately pinpoint whether it was a fatigue related complaint or just a plain bad day.
"Kel," she said quietly, touching his shoulder and then running her hand down his arm. He stirred, mumbled something that sounded like "just a few more minutes Mom", and began to roll onto his side and away from her. Shaking her head in amusement, Dix stopped his progress and spoke his name louder.
"Whaattt..." he mumbled, slapping in irritation at the hand that she was now gently stroking his cheek with. He blinked up at her, and then smiled as he came fully awake.
"Dix," he acknowledged, in a voice husky with sleep. He covered her hand with his and held it still against the scratchy stubble on his cheek. "Is it that time already?"
"Sorry, yes," she conceded reluctantly, wishing that they were not at work and could take this moment further. She gently disengaged her hand and stepped back from temptation, feeling her pulse racing.
Kelly Brackett huffed out a breath of annoyance but sat up, running a hand through his hair and then scrubbing it across his face. "Guess I was a bit more tired than I thought."
"How's the headache?" Dixie asked and maintained her distance with her hands shoved safely into her pockets.
He slowly got to his feet, trying to brush out the wrinkles in his shirt. Dixie left her comfort zone and stepped forward to straighten and tighten his tie, her hands quick and sure as she tweaked his collar down over it. He captured her hands once again as she started to withdraw, and brought them to his lips.
"Thanks to you, it's gone," he whispered. There was an easy moment of stillness and silence before he released her; he watched as she picked up his coat and held it ready for him to slip on. He obediently turned and stepped backwards into it, curbing his usual impatience as she settled the white material onto his shoulders. He could feel her very feminine form pressing into his back as she slid both arms down his chest and tugged the coat down; he closed his eyes to savor the brief moment of intimacy. Within seconds the closeness was gone as she briskly strolled over to the door and opened it, shooting him a look he couldn't quite decipher. She tapped the gold watch on her wrist and gave him a slow smile that made his blood boil even more.
"It's awfully close to ten, Kel, where's your meeting?"
"Upstairs with that bunch of vultures whom are probably already clustered together waiting for their prey to appear…" he answered sarcastically, wondering if she was trying to ruin his good mood on purpose.
"The prey being you I suppose?" She queried in all innocence, blinking her long lashed eyes at him.
"Of course it's me; I'm always the first one sacrificed on the altar of funding," Bracket huffed, crossing his arms defensively.
"I suppose….." she purred, her sultry smile growing even wider as she observed his growing ire. "People would say that's what you get paid for."
"Dix!" He snarled, as she darted out the door, a delicious laugh trailing out behind her. He couldn't explain it, but her sudden departure left him feeling suddenly bereft. He shook his head and uttered a heartfelt but mild obscenity under his breath, marveling at the way she could play him and how easily he fell for it.
He followed her out the door and into the waiting area. He was pleasantly surprised at the much smaller group of people left in the bland room; Dix and her band of white hatted nurses had either processed the mass of humanity through the emergency rooms at a record pace, or the steady stream of patients had slowed to a trickle. Probably both, he mused, as he briskly made his way across the dirty floor that needed some attention. An orderly towards the end of the hall was addressing that issue with sure strokes of his string mop.
"Right on top of that too," he mumbled in admiration, swinging around an empty gurney and pulling up sharply to miss the exiting white coated man from an exam room. The other doctor paused, recognized him, and stretched out a welcoming hand.
"Kelly Brackett!" He exclaimed in delight, pumping Kel's hand with exuberance.
Brackett smiled and lightly punched his shoulder. "Dr. Estrada! You decide to descend from your lofty perch to harass the peasants?"
José snorted and gripped his colleague's hand tighter. "The way I hear it, old man, you're the big cheese down here ruling the roost, and now I'm just one of the peasants. How does it feel to run the emergency department?"
"Most days, it feels just fine," Kelly responded, withdrawing his hand and shaking it ruefully. "Careful now, I need these hands for surgery. What brings you, or maybe I should say who called you, to help out?"
"That would be your excellent Miss McCall," Estrada replied, turning as Brackett motioned towards the elevator with his still numb hand. They headed down the hallway, shoulder to shoulder. "She asked for some reinforcements; I just happened to have early rounds this morning and was available. Perfect timing, as I've wanted to check out your little kingdom for quite some time."
Brackett snorted in disbelief, but his twitching lips were giving away his true thoughts. "I think I would use the word snooping, José, but I'll let it slide this time. What are your thoughts on it?"
"I'm suitably impressed, Kel, even with how busy it was. It's quite the well-organized department with an almost competent staff, especially considering who's in charge of it," he teased, pulling back in mock alarm as Kelly aimed a fist at him.
Brackett dropped his fist and lifted his eyebrows quizzically as the rest of the words sank in. "Wait, you said ALMOST competent staff, what does that mean exactly?"
Estrada stepped to the side of the hallway and pushed up his thick glasses with his index finger. "Ah, well, I think that problem has been addressed. I think for the young lady it was a combination of her nursing inexperience, my reputation, and the equally youthful paramedic that had a hard time staying upright on the exam table."
"Oh?" Dr. Brackett crossed his arms for the second time in a brief span of time and scowled, his mind running through the short list of paramedics assigned to his hospital and settling rapidly on the youngest one. His lips thinned in irritation as his guess was confirmed; his good mood completely evaporated as Estrada filled him in on the nurse's misadventures with the needle. His hands clenched under the shelter of his arms and then relaxed as he realized that the two women who basically managed the department had already dealt with the new nurse and had obviously allayed any fears that Estrada might have had with the rest of the staff's aptitude. He shook himself out of his thoughts as his attention focused back on what his friend was saying; he sincerely hoped he hadn't missed too much.
"…and that you had a key role in getting the program off the ground." The other doctor finished, looking at him expectantly.
"Yes, the paramedic program, perhaps I did, but it was bound to happen with or without me….it appears to be moving along fairly well. There's problems of course, always will be, but I'm certain that time and experience will erase most of the wrinkles. We could certainly use your talents with the next class of trainees," Kelly hinted slyly, trying to divert the focus away from his participation.
He listened and responded to several more comments and questions that José had about the Emergency department and the medic program with careful concentration. He was glad he could speak his mind to his friend, and not worry about him misinterpreting his often straightforward answers. Unfortunately, it also meant that Estrada knew him so well that he would pick up on any negativity in his voice. He was careful to keep his voice pleasant, bland almost, when he spoke of the wannabe doctors playing around with the unwary citizens of Los Angeles County.
Because oh yes, he still had some serious misgivings about the fledgling paramedic operation. There was no way he was going to admit that to anyone, not to Estrada and especially not to the woman who was often his confidant. If he even tried to vent to the staunch and fiercely loyal Dixie, he had no doubt that she wouldn't let him get more than two sentences out of his mouth before dumping her martini on him and booting him out the door. She was and would always remain a strong supporter of the whole thing. So this was something he needed to work on alone; ultimately, he would have to reconcile himself to the fact that the paramedic program wouldn't be going anywhere. Unless of course those young fools pulled another stunt similar to the one with Dix before the bill had even passed….
Bidding his counterpart a fond farewell, Kelly watched him head towards the nurses' station to finish up paperwork. He twisted his arm to glance at his watch and frowned in indecision, something that was not familiar to him. His choices were always made decisively and without regret afterwards, so why was he second guessing now? Thanks to Dixie's ten minute early wake up call, he still had a few minutes left before he would have to ascend to the upper echelons of the building. More than enough time to pop into a treatment room and check on one of those "young fools" he had just been mentally berating.
He huffed in irritation, abruptly spun on his heel, and turned sharply down the hallway to his right. He paused, palm on the door, to take a deep, calming breath and then entered the darkened room. He could hear Gage's slow, steady breathing punctuated with an occasional wheeze; his hand automatically dove into his pocket to grab his stethoscope.
The arm dangling over the side caught his attention as he moved to the side of the bed. He carefully took hold of Gage's wrist and checked his pulse, wondering why the two thermal blankets were covering the man all the way up to his nose. He got his answer when he rolled down the blankets and saw that the young nurse's incompetency also extended to the wardrobe department. Apparently it was too much to ask that a man on the edge of hypothermia couldn't get at least one of those blasted gowns to wear. And what the hell had Estrada been thinking? Surely his patients upstairs got that simple cotton luxury.
Tucking John's arm back up on the mattress, Brackett shook his head as his mood slid back into his earlier annoyance with the hospital staff. He wrapped his hand around the diaphragm end of his stethoscope to warm it, paused a moment, then put the tips in his ears and slid the slightly warmer end on Gage's chest. He grunted in satisfaction at what he heard, or what he didn't hear, and tucked his stethoscope back into his lab coat pocket.
"So what's the verdict, Doc?"
Kelly jumped slightly as the whisper floated up from the blankets he had just pulled back up. He stepped back a fraction as the paramedic shifted uncomfortably and both hands appeared, yanking up the covers even higher.
"The lungs sound good, but you feel warm. Were you running a fever before that last run?" Brackett asked, laying the back of his hand against Gage's forehead for a moment to confirm his suspicion.
Johnny pressed his head back into the pillow at the unexpected temperature check and quizzically regarded the doctor hovering over him, who had crossed his arms and had his lips twitching in a weird way. "Yeah, a bit, it's just a bug I picked up." He coughed, cleared his throat. "The hospital doing budget cuts again?"
Kelly stared down at the younger man, his irritation ratcheting up another notch. He'd been in the room for only two minutes and already Gage was crawling under his skin and elevating his blood pressure. Gage's vague answer to a completely valid question had been the expected response but it had at least been a complete sentence; that was a definite improvement from their last meeting. The question that had followed, however, was what had his blood boiling. What the hell was that supposed to mean, budget cuts in HIS hospital?
The sharp retort that was about to fly was choked off before it left his lips as the doctor noticed one of John's sheet clutching hands release its grip and move up to tentatively rub the side of his bruised face. The hand then continued on to slowly brush at his forehead; it was such a weary and resigned gesture that Kel was suddenly rethinking his attitude. Something DeSoto had said to him earlier tugged impatiently at his memory and he frowned, unable to remember what it had been. Gage's wary reaction with doctors, was that what it was? And how Kel himself had responded to the perceived insult; yet here was the supposedly arrogant and argumentative hose jockey lying quietly and without obvious rancor. In fact, the guy was staring up at him with a puzzled look and a tiny smile.
The side of the sheet that John had released dropped slightly exposing part of a bare shoulder and the doctor suddenly understood Johnny's question. So maybe the kid was making an effort to be friendly or at least civil this time around. No gown, using his hand as a thermometer…budget cuts indeed! He was about to reply to the understated joke with a quip of his own concerning the lucky placement of his hand as opposed to where he could have put it, when the door swung open.
Dixie glided in, her arms full of clothing. She glanced in surprise at Kelly hovering next to the paramedic and closed in, pulling out something white.
"Johnny," she said, shaking out what Brackett now recognized as a white V-necked t-shirt. "Here's your uniform, nice and warm, right out of the dryer. Kel?"
"Uhmm?" He asked, his eyes following her pointing finger to the IV bottle, which appeared to be now empty. Nodding his head, he checked Johnny's level of dehydration via a new reading on his pulse and one on his blood pressure, laying down and then again standing up. He noted that by the time he had the cuff off of the medic's arm Dix had expertly pulled on clothing so that Gage was now dressed from the waist down, except for his shoes.
Kelly picked up the chart from the counter and quickly scanned the notations before nodding another affirmation to the nurse. She deftly removed the IV and bandaged the site, and within another minute had the t-shirt over Johnny's head. He emerged from the opening looking surprised and mutely slid his arms into the sleeves.
Now thoroughly perusing the first page of the chart, Brackett looked up in time to catch the look on Gage's face and smirked. "She kinda does that to a fella…"
"Very funny, Dr. Brackett," Dixie responded, shooting him a withering glare and slowing her own movements as she noticed Johnny's wince of discomfort as he twisted to pull the shirt down. The blue uniform shirt went on next, the right sleeve first; she leaned behind him and pulled it across his back before skirting the partly reclined table and finishing the process on the other side.
"Did Dr. Estrada take x-rays...?" Kel paused mid-sentence, flipping up the page to check the one beneath, checking for what tests his friend had ordered. He hadn't missed that flash of pain either.
"Yeah, ribs on down, he checked everything," Johnny replied softly, wondering what new bruises were going to be coloring his skin tomorrow. That belt had really dug in.
"Do you have bruises anywhere else to match the ones on your face?" The nurse asked curiously, pausing in her self-appointed buttoning of his shirt to lightly touch the map of color on the side of his face. When he tried to pull back from her hand she firmly grasped his chin and used her other hand to feel his forehead. She made a noise and turned to one of the drawers behind her.
"All kinds of 'em, and just as pretty as the ones up here," he responded with a half-smile, flicking his fingers upwards. "Say Dixie, how did it go last night?"
"Now John, you know better than to try and distract me from my interrogation, as my student nurses call it," she answered, mumbling under her breath when she couldn't locate the thermometer where it was supposed to be.
"More like an inquisition is what I hear," Johnny added mischievously, his body shaking slightly with something more than the chills.
Dixie spun around, the now found mercury rod clutched tightly. "Roll over Mr. Gage, and let me show you exactly how my "inquisition" starts!"
"I'm not scared of you," he boasted bravely and foolishly; his voice was abruptly cut off as his inquisitor shoved the thermometer into his opened mouth and sternly told him "under your tongue right now!"
Kelly Brackett stood silently by, his own mouth agape, as the words and actions swirled by him. He kept returning to Gage's question about Dix's activities last night. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the comfortable interaction between the two professionals in front of him. What had that young pup been up to? From all accounts, he had been sliding down hills, taking in smoke that didn't involve fires, and finishing up his shift by swimming in a flood canal. He hadn't been involved personally then; he had just known her plans.
So what had SHE been doing? As far as he knew, she had been home alone last night, not out gallivanting around. He felt an unexpected lance of jealousy shoot through him; he quelled it quickly, bent his head, and finished reading the notes. No matter what his feelings were for Dixie, or his hang-ups, his professionalism would only allow him a second to dwell on anything not work related. Her voice caught his notice again and he half listened as he added his own scrawl to the chart.
"Mm... it's just what I thought, 102. Do you have anything stronger at home then aspirin?"
Hearing no answer, Kel finished his scribble and moved to stand next to McCall. She was directing a steely stare at the paramedic, who finally used a halfhearted shrug as an answer. So Gage was back to working on his nonverbal communication and earning Dix's wrath in the process. The fire boy was really going to have to work on his conversation skills if he was going to survive within the often bumpy atmosphere of this hospital.
He apparently was a fast learner, though, as he correctly interpreted Dixie's glare and answered her in a sheepish voice. "Um, no, don't think I do."
"Alright, I'll give you some Tylenol now, and stop by your place after you get some rest to drop off a bottle and your prescription for the antibiotics. You need to get that fever down, Johnny, and get those fluids in." She stopped and smiled at his scowl, and added a few more words in a teasing tone. "But of course you know the drill…..and maybe if you're a good boy and do what you're told I'll tell you how it went last night."
She turned and opened the cabinet door above the counter, ignoring the disbelieving snort from the fireman. Johnny wisely held back a retort; Brackett was pretty sure, however, that an eye roll happened before Dixie spun back around. He was unable to hold back his own huff of amusement, which of course earned him one of the annoyed looks she was so good at. She really did have that look perfected, he mused.
"You stay right there until your ride gets here…." she ordered, handing Gage two of the pills and a paper cup of water.
"Yes ma'am!" John's hand went up in a half salute as he downed the pills and fell back against the sheet in mock fright. But when he handed the cup back, his hand was shaking slightly and the light hearted banter ended as quickly as it had started. Dixie, her demeanor instantly professional but solicitous, pulled the blankets up and Gage unfolded his legs from their crisscross position and slid them under the covers.
The doctor reached out a hand to assist but pulled back when Dix nudged him gently back but left her hand on his arm. She fussed with the coverings a moment with her free hand before stepping back herself and drawing Kelly with her.
"Thanks Dix," Johnny said quietly. He glanced at Brackett and gave him a short nod before closing his eyes.
It was Brackett who propelled his head nurse out of the room. He encouraged her towards the solitude of the dead end hallway and stopped her before they reached the large window at the end.
"Would you mind telling me what that was all about?" He asked, keeping his voice calm.
"And just which part would you like to know about?" She answered, clearly puzzled.
"Well, for starters, why was our patient in there lacking in clothing? And who is the nurse who apparently doesn't know how to raise a vein?"
"That exam room, as you well know, is not used very often. During our little rush earlier, someone decided to "borrow" a few supplies from there; obviously that included those immodest gowns. By the time Miss Levor located the missing apparel, Johnny was already well wrapped and warm in the blankets. I didn't want to disturb him further. As for Nurse Levor, this was her first time with dehydration," Dix paused, anticipating the next question ready to tumble from Brackett. "Yes, of course her actions have been addressed, written up, etc. etc.; you know better than to think otherwise, Kel."
Kelly nodded, relaxing his stiff stance somewhat. "I do, and I also know they most likely will not be repeated because of the further training you'll assign her to complete."
"So why the twenty questions…..ahhh! I understand now!" A mischievous gleam lit up the nurse's eyes and she regarded the man standing before her with a fond smile. "Why Dr. Brackett, I do believe you're jealous!"
"Me, jealous, I absolutely am not!" He denied vehemently, his eyebrows shooting upwards incredulously. "I'm just curious as to what you were up to last night."
She tapped a long, manicured nail against his arm and shook her head. Even though there was no one in the hallway, she immediately stepped back to maintain what she referred to as her "none of their business space", ever mindful of the roles they both had in the Emergency department. "Like I told John in different words, this is not the place or time for it. That information is best shared over a very dry martini."
He started to make a remark about why Gage already had knowledge of her plans, but decided it wasn't in his best interests to pursue that avenue of questioning. She could be as tight lipped about things as the firefighter snoozing down the hall from them; although, he definitely was going to somehow find out how and why those two knew each other so well.
"Kel?" Dixie asked, moving a step closer to get his attention.
"Yes," he answered, blinking rapidly for a second to collect his thoughts.
"You're going to be late, or you are late, for your meeting upstairs."
"Oh, s**t!" He exclaimed, whipping around and breaking into a fast trot. Dixie watched in amusement as he moved rapidly down the hallway with his opened coat flapping about his legs. She followed at a more sedate pace, heading towards the noisy chaos of the main corridor.
As she passed by the exam room, Johnny startled awake from the few minutes of sleep he had snatched. He lay still for a moment before sitting up straight and looking towards the corner of the room.
"I wonder where they put my shoes?" he asked out loud to the empty room, wiping a hand across his sweaty forehead.
~TBC~
A/N - (1) The full quote "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine" is from the movie Casablanca. Humphrey Bogart is referring to Ingrid Bergman.
