"Memorable Moments…Kelly Looks Back"
No Emergency! Characters belong to me or were created by me. The pilot, situations and quotations do not belong to me either; they are being used to tell the story.
Special thanks to my beta reader, Kayaklady for her great ideas and helping this story be much better than it was in the beginning.
It was a fairly normal day in the Emergency Room at Rampart. In other words it was hectic, crazy day, exhilarating, and heart breaking which was nothing new to its head Dr. Kelly Brackett. He finally had a moment to himself and retreated to his office to regroup.
He closed the door on the chaos behind him, and walked slowly toward his desk. He let his fingers brush the carved wax candle Dixie gave him for his last birthday. Did she understand the significance the three Celtic intertwined rings held for him? Probably not.
Sitting down at his desk, he let out a tired, frustrated, and disappointed sigh. With his head cradled in his hands he mentally ran through the questions of what he could have done better to save his patient. She had gone into full cardiac arrest shortly after she arrived in the ER. Despite CPR, intubation, various drug treatments, and even defibrillating her a few times, nothing worked. A half hour later, he begrudgingly called it.
He came back to reality by a knock on his office door. "Come in," he called. Johnny and Roy entered the room. "You wanted to see us when we had a minute?" Roy said.
"Gentleman, thanks for stopping by. I'll be brief. I wanted to ask you if realized what today is?"
Johnny and Roy looked at each other and then at the doctor. Roy shook his head. Johnny slightly shrugged and responded, "I don't think we are sure."
Kelly gave them another hint. "It's a special, unforgettable day."
Johnny and Roy were really surprised with the Emergency Room Physician's demeanor; they rarely ever saw him in a mood like this. Once again, they were at a loss as to what he was getting at.
As a grin threatened to escape him, the good doctor gave one last hint; one that he felt sure would give it away. "Gentlemen, if you don't know what today is, no one does."
"Doc, now I know!" Johnny exclaimed beaming one of his infamous grins. "It has to be the third anniversary of the Wedsworth-Townsend Act."
"It is indeed!" Kelly answered, "Matter of fact, when you had your first run and called in, it dawned on me what today was. You know, I don't recall anything that I was so dead set against as I was the Paramedic Program."
"So Doc, what finally persuaded you that it was a good thing?" Roy asked him.
"Well, it was a combination of things. But the catalysts, if you will, were: you two saving Dixie's life along with the original victims, and the swift recovery of the severed arm."
"Man Doc, I'll tell ya," Johnny replied casually sitting back in one of the chairs, "I didn't think anything was going to change your mind. You didn't see us as anything but unqualified, rank amateurs."
"I have to admit, I was certainly guilty of that. I just couldn't see or imagine anyone, except other doctors, taking it as seriously as I did. But, I found out I was wrong."
Roy added, "To your credit, once you realized the importance of the program, you were our very best ally. Especially, when testifying before the Senate. You're a man with a great deal of clout and when you speak, people listen."
Johnny cackled at his partner, "It sounds like you have been watching too many commercials. From that last response, you are making him sound like he is E.F. Hutton!"
A rumble of chuckles issued from the group. Kelly grew humble as he said, "Well, I'm glad you think I have a lot of clout. But, I simply told the truth of the matter."
Johnny turned to Brackett and replied, "We're lucky to have you on our side."
"Here! Here!" Roy enthusiastically agreed.
Kelly's tone grew more serious as he said "Well, I know you're both busy. But, before you go, I just wanted to tell you both, it's been my honor and privilege to: know you, and work with you. You are very good at what you do. You have truly earned the moniker `LA's Finest'. You are a fantastic team that I have great respect for."
"Thanks a lot, doc! It's been a fun, interesting ride. We're proud to be part of it," Roy responded in gratitude.
The two paramedics shared a warm handshake with the good doc. The sound of the HT squawking broke up their reminiscence, and the two paramedics charged out of Kelly's office.
Kelly sat back down remembering a few of the things he once said in his fight against the program:
'Tell the nurse treatment authorized,' using his you're wasting my time tone of voice…
'Great let the faithful gather together, but I'm not one of them. Dix, you know I'm against the whole program.' …
'I'm a sucker for underdogs and lost causes, but only when I believe in them. That's not the case here.'…
Kicking his feet up on his desk and tilting his chair back onto its rear legs he remembered the things he said after he'd had a change of heart:
'Let me tell you a story, gentlemen, about an automobile accident…'
'You were willing to roll the dice and lose the whole ballgame. To prove it you shut down the link.'…
'Do you think a doctor like me is sure about everything he does? The only sure doctor is a fool.'
Kel grinned at himself thinking, "You sure have come a long way. Why just the other day you just yelled, 'Zap him! Damn it, zap him!' over the base station. I'd have never done that thirty six months ago."
He thought about the young lady whose arm he was able to reattach because of how swiftly Johnny and Roy returned the severed limb. Sure, arm reattachments had been performed for going on ten years. Still, it was something the staff at Rampart had never tried before. He figured with the backing of Joe and Dixie the odds for success were good. The payoff was incredible. A young lady able to have a normal life, and that pleased the good doctor to no end.
He switched his thoughts back to the rescue when Dixie was hurt. He remembered how much it scared him hearing she was down. He was furious when Johnny shut down radio communications. Looking back on the situation he was glad the skinny paramedic had the courage to do it. Yes, Johnny Gage did just fine that day.
He wondered if he hadn't supported the program, how many innocent people would have been lost because of his stubbornness. It was something that he didn't like to think about. Johnny's actions proved to him that paramedics didn't need someone looking over their shoulders in the field. When Dixie was back at the hospital recovering, he knew that supporting the program was a risk he had to take.
He got up and headed for the door. Glancing at the three rings on the candle he smiled thinking, "Three rings for three years. She sure pegged it." He then sent up a silent prayer thanking God for helping him see the light.
End