Chapter Nine
Boxes of supplies and a grocery run later, Roy backed the squad into the bay. They looked appreciatively at the gleaming shiny engine. Roy took the food into the kitchen and John put all the supplies and medicine in the drugbox and appropriate compartments. Closing all the compartment doors, he walked to the bunk rooms and began stripping the sheets and putting them in the washer. He could hear Marco in the bathroom, whistling while he mopped, Johnny smiled appreciatively at the distracting noise. In the locker rooms, he sat down on the bench again and pulled the letter out of his locker. He stared at the handwriting, recognizing Captain Dennis' scrawl. He opened the letter carefully, not wanting to rip the paper. The minute he opened the envelope, the klaxons went off.
"Squad 51, respond to the female having chest pain. 1478 Alemeda Ave, 1-4-7-8 Alameda Ave, ambulance is responding, time out, 0938."
Johnny cursed out loud, "Damn it." he threw the letter back into his locker and ran out the door. Squinting, he looked over the hood of the squad at the map on the wall. In the background he heard Captain Stanley copying the call. Referencing the map enough, he slid into his usual seat, strapping his helmet on. He held out his hand automatically from the slip of paper Roy gave him. When it was in his hand, he slipped it into the glove box, saving it for later. "Left out of the station Roy." he said pointing.
The squad arrived on scene to a house, family members were standing on the curb becoming them in quickly. Johnny stepped out of the squad, turning his back only to grab the equipment. Roy walked ahead of John, stopping to grab only the drug box. "Thanks partner." John said sarcastically under his breath. He carried in the defib, oxygen, and the monitor. Roy turned and smiled as he walked up the front path.
"My name's Roy, what's going on today?" he asked them in his 'medic voice'.
"My mom, she came outside for a breath of fresh air, said she was feeling dizzy you see. When she sat down, she just all out fainted and fell." The daughter stood away from her mother lying face down on the ground.
"Let's see here," Roy said, crouching on the ground. "Ma'am, can you hear me, does anything hurt?" he asked her while feeling her neck and back for injuries, not finding any.
"My chest hurts."
John arrived, putting down the rest of the equipment. Roy said to the patient, "Let's get you sitting up here. John, want to take her other side?" Together, he and Johnny pulled her to a sitting position leaning up against a chair. They finally got their first look at the patient. She was cool, diaphoretic, and pale. They shared a look, communicating wordlessly this might be bad. Roy opened up the monitor.
"What's your name ma'am?" Johnny asked as Roy got a blood pressure.
"Alice Geneva."
"Well Mrs. Geneva, what happened?" Johnny asked her while Roy deflated the BP cuff, it hissed in the background.
"I was inside, and my chest hurt, so I came out for a breath of fresh air. I sat down, then boom. I woke up to my daughter leaning over me."
This time Johnny asked the daughter, "How long was she unconscious?" The daughter answered, saying she was out for a couple of minutes. "Has this ever happened before?" Johnny asked, turning back to the patient. Mrs. Geneva shook her head, her breaths turning into pants as time progressed. Roy hooked the leads up to her chest.
"Mrs. Geneva, we're going to put some stickers on your chest to take a picture of your heart okay?" He waited for her to nod. "Do you have any allergies or any medical history?" he asked while he worked.
"No allergies and high blood pressure." the daughter piped up in the background. Johnny had pulled out the biophone, hooking it up as he listened and wrote down everything they were saying. He also popped open the drug box again, getting out IV supplies, assuming Rampart would want one.
"Rampart base this is Squad 51." he said into the biophone. As he waited for the reply, he asked the daughter, "How old is your mom?"
"She's 62, I think, is that right mom?" The patient nodded her head.
"Thanks," Johnny said to them both. He tried Rampart again, "Rampart base this is Squad 51."
Dixie's lovely voice responded this time, "This is Rampart base, go ahead 51."
Johnny began listing information they had to Rampart in clear concise terms, "We have a 62 year old female, chief complaint of chest pain with a syncopal episode. Syncope caused her to fall face first, there is bruising and a hematoma to her forehead. Patient is pale, diaphoretic, and cool. Current set of vital signs are as follows. BP of 108/80, heart rate of 59, and respirations of 21, eyes are equal. We're patching her up now."
Roy gave Johnny the thumbs up, indicating the 12 lead was ready to go. The biophone was silent for a moment. Roy then turned to Mrs. Geneva, "How long ago did the chest pain start Mrs. Geneva?"
Roy faintly heard Brackett on the biophone, asking for a 12 lead. Johnny answered Brackett's request with a "This'll be lead 2 Rampart. We're showing sinus bradycardia with obvious ST elevation in the 4 lead alone."
Brackett immediately replied, "I see major elevation in every inferior lead, give 325 mg of aspirin, hold the nitro, and start an IV if you haven't already. Is the ambulance there yet?" Johnny dutifully repeated all of the orders out loud so Roy could hear them and told Brackett the ambulance hadn't arrived yet.
Roy had grabbed the aspirin first, so Johnny started the IV. "Mrs. Geneva, we have to start an IV on you, it'll be a quick pinch." Johnny deftly found a vein and got a flash, expertly advancing the catheter and hooking it up to an extension set.
While Johnny got her IV, Mrs. Geneva asked, "What's happening to me?"
Johnny answered her question, using layman's terms. "Mrs. Geneva, from what we see, and the Doctor agrees with us, we think you're having a heart attack." Mrs. Geneva and her family gasped in shock. "But we are doing everything we can and we're going to take you to the best hospital, so just relax and let us do all the worrying." he flashed them his best 'Gage smile'.
"Aspirin's in Johnny." Roy said to his partner and Johnny wrote it down on a piece of paper. Roy had grabbed an IV bag while Johnny got the line, hooking it up to the IV and setting the flow. While they were working, another siren could be heard in the background.
"Ambo's here Roy, I'll go in with her" he said. Roy nodded and adjusted the IV drip. They switched places and Roy updated Rampart while Johnny talked to the patient, explaining what was going to happen.
The ambulance crew, Roy, and Johnny quickly and seamlessly got Mrs. Geneva loaded and ready to go. As they were driving Mrs. Geneva said to Johnny, "It's getting hard to breath and I feel really dizzy." He glanced at his monitor displaying her rhythm frowning slightly.
"You are breathing pretty fast, let me give you some oxygen." He pulled an oxygen mask from a compartment in the ambulance and put it on her face, securing it into place. "Rampart, patient is now complaining of dizziness and shortness of breath. Oxygen has been given via non-rebreather. She's gone into a bradycardic rate of 40, requesting .5mg of atropine." While he waited, he pulled out the drug prepping it, assured he was going to get permission to give it. He also took another blood pressure and wrote it down.
Brackett finally responded, "Go ahead with the atropine 51 and start a second line. What's your ETA?" the impatient Doctor asked.
"Approximately five minutes Rampart." Johnny replied, while setting up a flush for the atropine.