Two days had passed since the last shooting, and no other firefighter had been shot since then. Everyone was on high alert because this was the longest in between times of the shootings. Everyone was preparing for something big.
The men of 51 were on that shift, and the tension was so thick someone could cut it with a knife. Johnny and Roy, however, were the tensest. Something they feared was having to treat a fellow brother injured in the line of duty. There was some relief, because the last fireman that had been shot was going to recover with no lasting effects.
The day started out pretty smooth, Johnny and Roy were able to get a supply run in before any calls came in. Their first call of the day was a woman in labor call. It was her first, and wasn't expecting it to come so quickly. The mother went through the labor just fine, and had a healthy baby boy. After that call, it was pretty quiet. The engine had been called to two trash fires, which both paramedics were glad that they didn't have to do anymore.
It was Chet's turn for lunch, and for once he made something semi-edible. An Irish stew was on the menu, with a tossed salad curtsy of Marco. As it never failed, Johnny and Roy were called out in the middle of lunch. This time the call was a little more serious. The call was for a child down, which both Johnny and Roy hated. Any call involving children touched their hearts. They tried not to let it get to them, but that wasn't always the case.
When they arrived at the scene, they saw a young girl laying on the ground near a swing set. Upon further investigation, they learned that the girl loved to jump of the swing while in motion, but this time fell and landed hard on her arm. The arm was at an awkward angle, so there was no doubt in either paramedic's mind that the arm was broken. They administered an IV with some pain medicine, splinted the arm, loaded her up in the ambulance, and was off to Rampart in no time. She was delivered to the kind hands of Dr. Joe Early.
Directly after that call, Johnny and Roy were called to a Code I times 2 and a site of a fire. This was the call that they were hoping to avoid. Both sent short silent prayers to the Man Up Above for the two men to be okay. When they arrived, they saw a different story. One had a bullet to the head, and was unconscious. The other had one to the leg, which had perforated an artery. Roy called for an extra squad, knowing they were going to need more help.
Johnny quickly took over for the guy holding the artery on victim number two. Both were from station 99, one a paramedic and one a lineman. The paramedic Johnny remembered from the class he took before the bill was passed. He didn't know the guy too well, just knew he had recently gotten engaged. The other was unfamiliar to Johnny.
Roy had started taking vitals on both victims when the other paramedics arrived. The BP on victim two was low, but that was expected from the artery being hit. Brackett ordered an IV of Ringers on him. Craig Brice and Bob Bellingham took over on the other patient, so they didn't have to worry about him. With the help of the IV, his BP stayed steady the whole way to the hospital. While reloading on supplies, Brackett found them and told them that he had a good chance at a full recovery, thanks to the great job Johnny did at holding the artery. He was already up in an OR getting the artery repaired, along with any other damage the bullet did. Brackett, however, was not as optimistic with the other guy. Roy had filled him in. He was a bachelor, but was providing for two younger siblings, because their parents had died when he was just over 18. Johnny felt so bad for the young man, he was barely past his probation stage. He sent another prayer to the spirits that he would pull through. Right now, the kids were staying with a neighbor, but if he didn't pull through, they would be put in foster care.
Charlie cursed to himself. He couldn't find his wallet. He must have dropped it at the scene where he shot the two firemen. Damn he thought to himself. He could only hope that the police wouldn't find it, or he would be dead meat.