Chapter 18

The three men all glanced at each other, sighing with relief that both the patients, were finally on the last leg of the rescue, the hospital. Brice's vitals were stable, from what Brackett could see, he had escaped any internal damage. The breaks were stable and the head injury, so far was presenting as nothing too serious. The IV solution keep his body hydrated and his blood pressure steady, the blankets had keep him relatively warm. In essence A.J. had saved his life.

Roy kept an eye on Brice to monitor his vitals, since Wolfie was hooked up to the EKG; it was the only way to know if he was remaining stable. Kel continued his examination on A.J., while giving Johnny additional orders for IV medications. So far her heart rate had remained fast but steady, however they were having a hard time keeping her blood pressure up, it was 80/60. She was in and out of consciousness. He was certain that she had serious inter abdominal bleeding from either her liver, spleen or both. Her belly was rigid and she had communicated that she had pain around the left side of her collar bone. The flight made the trip to Rampart faster but would it be fast enough?

Johnny's eyes were glued to the small, frail woman on the back board. She could not have looked any more unlike the person he fell in love with. From the first day he laid his big browns on her, he knew she was unlike any woman he had ever known, period, end of discussion. Whenever anyone asked her how they met, she always won the prize for the most interesting story...ever. He had been trapped in a factory fire; she freed him, and then carried him out on her shoulders to safety. How many women could say that? The memory brought a smile to his face.

Since it was late spring, her skin tone had already begun to darken; in a few weeks it would fully reflect her father's side of the family. He always thought it was ironic, in the summer her skin tone was more Sioux but her hair was caramel brown, with streaks of fiery red tones mixed in. In winter, her skin was fair but her hair almost black, like his. In either case her blue-green eyes were always contrasted, almost exotic. Her outer beauty was obvious to anyone who saw her but her inner glow was a trait that only a select few saw. He counted himself as blessed to be one of those few.

Roy sat there, his brother and one of his closest friends next to him. It had taken a long time for Johnny to find someone like her. She seemed to know him better than he knew himself. He also was aware that he seemed to be more comfortable in his own skin; perhaps because she knew what is was like to live in the same kind of skin. Roy couldn't imagine dealing with the prejudice that they must have both encountered. He was repeating the same prayer over and over in his mind. He had never been very religious but he did believe in a higher being and so far he had come through with some major miracles, the first one being....they had survived the crash.

"Craig...?" Her voice still carried a surprising amount of strength.

"Hey, take it easy, he's right next to you. He's lapping up all of the attention!" Gage wasn't sure she could even understand what he was saying.

"Johnny...is that you?" Brackett was alarmed that she was not coherent, not knowing who was talking to her. It could be a sign of a concussion.

"Yeah Baby, it's me, remember I was talking to you a little while ago? If you wanted some quality time with me, there were other ways to go about it!" He forced a brilliant smile to his terrified face.

"I'm sorry....I am so tired and cold....."

"That's alright, you just rest....we can talk later...." He stopped talking when she exhaled and closed her eyes. He looked that the EKG at the same time as Brackett.

"DAMN! Flat line! Grab the paddles!" Kel started chest compressions while Johnny bagged.

Roy turned the defibrillator on and waiting for the correct charge to build up. He put the paddles in place and shouted, "CLEAR!!!"

It took three more jolts and some more IV meds to get her back. The chopper was finally descending on the landing zone at Rampart.

When the chopper door opened they were greeted by orderlies and nurses, who directed them into the emergency doors. Dr. Brackett gave orders for A.J. to be taken directly into surgery, her lungs had remained strong, and the internal bleeding had to be stopped, or all of this would be in vain.

Dr. Early took control of Brice's treatment. All his years of experience gave him the ability focus on the task at hand. He could do nothing for his niece and she was in excellent hands. Brice was conscious and talking, which was a good sign.

The rest of the crew and Dr. Morton and Daisy had not yet arrived. Standing in the waiting room, at first neither of the men spoke. All of his stamina and strength suddenly left him, as he began to sway, his knees buckling. Roy had been watching him closely and dashed over to catch him before he hit the floor.

"Sit down, here" It was more of a command than a request.

"I can't lose her, Roy! I just can't." Feeling secure with his partner by his side, he began to sob.