Checks and Balances
Chapter 2
The multiple vehicle accident from earlier that morning was still clogging up the emergency department at Rampart. Adding to the mayhem, several patients were being seen due to an outbreak of gang hostilities from one of the nearby neighborhoods, injuries from three separate fire calls, as well as a waiting room full of walk-in patients that all made for controlled bedlam in the ER.
Johnny had removed his torn uniform shirt and put on his jacket, zipping it most of the way up. At the scene, Roy applied some gauze bandages to the scrapes on his back which helped to cushion the discomfort, but he found himself walking rather stiffly through the ER up to the nurses' station where Dixie sat.
"Hey, Dix, I see it hasn't slowed down much around here." Johnny commented, as he looked around at the plethora of hospital employees and police officers walking through the hallway. "Maybe I should ask for a rain check."
"Let me guess: you are the hero who saved a little girl, but in the process knocked yourself out falling off a roof," Dixie said, with a smile as she stood up and took the younger paramedic by the arm to guide him into one of the treatment rooms. "Sorry, Johnny. No rain checks on this. I'm putting you in Exam Room Nine."
There was already a patient in the room lying on one of two stretchers. Dixie noticed the dubious look on both paramedics' faces. "Have a seat, Johnny," she instructed, pointing to the stretcher closest to the door, as she stepped over and pulled a curtain between the stretchers turning the room into two cubicles rather than one good sized examination room.
"We've been doubling and tripling up all day. Now, let's take a look at your back. Can you get that jacket off?" she asked.
Roy took one sleeve while Dixie took the other to help get the garment off. Dixie's eyes widened at the injury. "How far did you fall?"
Johnny shrugged then made a sour face as that particular motion was not well received by his sore back. "Not sure, maybe ten feet."
"More like fifteen," Roy put in.
"How much pain are you in?" Dixie asked, pointedly.
"Well, let's just say I won't be doing any dancing tonight. I'm pretty sore, but it isn't unmanageable."
The head nurse was re-checking Johnny's vitals when the door opened up and Dr. Brackett stepped into the room.
"Roy, John," he said, by way of greeting. "If you'll give me a few minutes, I'll be right with you."
"Sure, no problem Doc," Johnny said, as Dr. Brackett stepped to the other side of the room and disappeared behind the drawn curtain. While the doctor spoke quietly with the patient in the other bed, Dixie continued questioning Johnny.
"So what happened? How did you come to a non code R where there was a baby on the roof of a house?"
Johnny's trademark crooked smile appeared as he raised his hands to begin telling the story, but the quick movement caused the pain in his shoulders to flare briefly, and his smile turned to a grimace of pain. "I'll let Roy tell the story. He had a better view of it anyway."
Roy proceeded to tell Dixie all about how they had come across this run unexpectedly and gave the details explaining Johnny's actions while the nurse removed the gauze and thoroughly cleaned the abrasions on Johnny's back, much to the younger man's rather vocal discomfort. Once Roy was finished, Dixie had also completed her ministrations.
"Wow, that really is quite a story," she said, with admiration for the young paramedic who was now blushing beat red.
"He made me sound like some sort of hero. Man, I should let you tell these stories all the time, partner." John was smiling and feeling slightly bemused at hearing Roy's point of view of the events. In actuality, Johnny thought the incident made him seem awkward and clumsy. He felt foolish for having fallen off the roof of a building that wasn't even burning.
"Honestly, Dix, it wasn't that big a deal. I was just doing my job, and if I had done it a little better..." he paused and ducked his head down. "I wouldn't have fallen off the roof like a damned boot in his first week."
Roy frowned at that. "Hey, when did you get so modest? You saved that little girl today from some pretty nasty injuries. That fall could have easily killed her. You keep acting out of character and I'll ask Dr. Brackett to do a skull series on you."
Johnny knew that Roy was only joking, but he felt a little funny about the entire incident. He could just picture the ribbing he would take from Chet about falling off a roof. He didn't have a chance to ponder it further as Dr. Brackett came back around from the other side of the treatment room.
"What's this about a skull series? I thought you didn't hit your head."
"I didn't." Johnny said at the same time Roy commented, "Johnny is just being uncharacteristically modest about this rescue."
Dr. Brackett raised his eyebrows as his mouth twitched into a smirk. "I don't know; a modest John Gage could be a reasonable indication of a head injury."
"Aw, come on. You guys are just ganging up on me now." Johnny complained.
"Maybe so. Let's take a look at you, though." Dr. Brackett said, as he winked at Roy and Dixie.
Dr. Brackett began his examination of Johnny's reflexes and injuries, while the elderly patient from the other side of the room came around the curtain, buttoning up his shirt. Dixie went over to guide him out of the exam room, but as the door was opened for him, he turned to his fellow patient. "You sounded like a bonafide hero to me, son," he said, before he stepped out through the door.
Johnny felt his face flush yet again at the unexpected praise. It only took ten minutes for Dr. Brackett to finish his exam. "Well, I'd say you were very lucky, Johnny. That fall could have caused some serious injuries."
Dr. Brackett stepped over to the cabinet at the wall and fished around before coming back with a small bottle. "This is cyclobenzaphrine. It's a muscle relaxer. You won't be able to take this while you are still on duty, but by tomorrow you are going to be pretty sore. You have some nasty bruising across your back. Take one every six hours to keep the muscle spasms from causing you too much pain. It doesn't look like you've broken anything, but I want you to have a chest x-ray before you go. Radiology is pretty jammed up with all of the accident and gang violence victims so it may be quite a while before we can get a tech over here."
"I could just go down to the radiology department if that would be easier." Johnny offered.
Dr. Brackett nodded. "We could use the room since we still have quite a few patients yet to see, but I won't clear you for duty until I have seen the chest x-ray."
Roy, who had taken a seat on one of the stools in the corner of the room, stood up. "We'll bring the pictures back to you when we get done over in radiology."
"Okay, sounds good. Oh and, Johnny, you really were a hero today."
Johnny stared at Dr. Brackett feeling awkward again and not knowing for sure if the man was joking with him or if he was serious. "Yeah, okay, doc. Thanks."
If Johnny thought the ER was busy it was nothing compared to the radiology department that had to handle not only the ER patients, but surgical patients, patients who were admitted to the hospital, oncology patients, orthopedic patients and their own queue of out-patients or walk-ins.
Johnny was placed higher in the queue because he was an ER patient, but they still waited almost an hour to get in to have the films done. While they were waiting, another technologist was called in to help out with the glut of exams waiting to be done. By the time Johnny and Roy made their way back to the ER with films in hand it was nearly ninety minutes since Dr. Brackett had sent them over to radiology.
The guys walked up to Dixie standing at the base station, and narrowly missed bumping into Dr. Brackett as he walked out of an exam room on their left.
"There you are!" the doctor exclaimed. "I was beginning to think that you guys had left without getting John's x-ray."
Johnny just shook his head at the state of the entire hospital that day. "We're just getting back from radiology. They are even busier than you guys, if you can believe it."
"Oh I can believe it. Look, I know you guys need to get back on duty. Are those the films?" he asked, as he took the large manila colored folder Johnny was holding.
"Yeah, hot off the presses," the paramedic quipped.
Dr. Brackett looked in both directions seeing nurses and orderlies stepping in and out of all the exam rooms up and down the hall. "Come on; let's take these to my office. It is probably the only light box available."
They made it part way down the hall when Dr. Early stepped out of exam room two. "Kel, can I get you to look at my patient in two?"
"Yeah, Joe, I'll be there in a minute," Dr. Brackett called, over his shoulder.
They only made it another few feet when one of the nurses walked up to Dr. Brackett and handed him a few sheets of paper. "These are the lab results on Mr. Barrows, Dr. Brackett."
Dr. Brackett stopped for a moment and looked at the report then handed it back to the nurse. "That's what I thought. Get respiratory down here for another albuterol treatment, then draw the blood gases again."
Roy and Johnny followed Dr. Brackett down the hall toward the ambulance bay doors where his office was located. Johnny lagged behind feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the activity all around. He quickened his pace when he saw Roy looking back for him as he and Dr. Brackett entered the office at the end of the hall. Dr. Brackett pulled the films out of the jacket and threw them up on the light box flipping the switch.
He looked intently at the films and Roy could tell he was tracing the ribs with his eyes, looking for breaks or cracks. He carefully looked at the lateral or side view of the chest which showed the bones of the thoracic spine very clearly.
"The x-rays look good, so I will clear you for duty," Dr. Brackett finally announced. "If you get too uncomfortable, Johnny, let me know and we can cut your shift short if necessary."
"That's okay, doc." Johnny forced a shrug, refusing to allow the sharp pain to show on his face. "Our shift ends in a little over twelve hours anyway. Then we're off for three days. I'm good for it and, besides," he aimed a crooked grin at his partner, "these guys need me, ya know being a hero and all."
That comment earned him a slap on the arm from Roy but it didn't deter Johnny for continuing to speak. "Have you noticed how busy we've been? Must be a full moon, or something."
Dr. Brackett nodded as he switched off the light box, but he left the films there. "Three days off? That's good. You are going to need them to rest. The muscle relaxers will allow you to get some quality sleep and they should make you more comfortable. That bruising will take a solid week or so to begin to clear up, and the first few days will be the most uncomfortable."
Johnny sighed at the statement.
"What's the matter, Junior?"
"I'm supposed to be going out tomorrow on a date with the new nurse in Orthopedics. I guess I'll have to cancel." Johnny said dejectedly, then his classic grin returned. "Ooor... maybe she would be willing to entertain a 'house call' Ya know for the hero n' all."
Roy rolled his eyes and Dr. Brackett laughed. "You never cease to amaze me, Johnny. Just don't over do it or you'll wind up with me giving you a house call!"
Johnny made quite a face at that prospect. "Thanks, Doc., but I think I'll pass. I'll catch ya on the flip side." Johnny smiled as he turned to leave.
As the two men walked out to the waiting squad Roy shook his head at his partner. "I'll catch ya on the flip side? What is that supposed to mean?"
Johnny raised his hand to pat Roy's shoulder and winced at the movement. "Ya know something, Roy? You're getting old."
TBC