Chapter 19

When the emergency vehicles pulled to a stop Dr. Morton was waiting for them, "Kell's waiting for you on the eighth floor. He'll be able to explain the situation to you when you get up there."

Both Marco and Chet had already pulled rope from the compartment and had them slung over their shoulders and so did Johnny as Roy grabbed three safety harnesses.

"Mike you stay with the engine and the squad in case we need anything." Captain Stanley ordered.

"No," Dr Morton interrupted. "Kell needs Mike up there. It's Laura Elmer out on the ledge we're hoping she'll listen to him and he can talk her in."

"Laura!" Mike exclaimed in sheer shock.

"Security can watch your equipment," Morton offered, "We need to hurry."

Six men and their equipment hurried into the hospital and a waiting elevator Hank kept his hand in the middle of Mike's back and the eyes of all the others were also on him. As everyone let out deep sighs and chewed on their lips while the elevator lifted them the eight floors to were the action waited for them.

When the elevator opened on the eighth floor Dr. Bracket was waiting for them. "This way fellas, She warned me several times not to sedate her because once she lost full mental control she got scary she said. Well sometime during the night shift the on call doctor did just what she's talked me out of doing and now I can see why she asked us not to.

Dixie was talking to her and it looked like she was going to be able to get her to come back in until she saw me then she moved to a place a lot riskier than she was. I'm hoping that the time you've spent with her would help her to respond to your voice." Bracket spoke directly to Mike Stoker.

"I'll go with him," Captain Stanley instructed. "Could I get a small pad of paper and a pen, and a warmed blanket?"

"What do you want that stuff for?" Bracket asked in total confusion.

"It's something from a book I'm reading." Stanley talked distractedly as he tightened the safety harness around his waist and hooked a life line in as he watched to make sure Mike was doing the same.

"This isn't a time to experiment with something you've read in a book we need to stick with what's worked in the past," Bracket admonished.

"Normally I'd agree with you, but she wrote the book, so this stuff has got to mean something to her. Trying to understand your jumper is part of what we've been taught to do." Stanley defended his position. "Can I get those things or not?"

Bracket nod his head and turned to a near by nurse, "Get the things he asked for."

The ledge out side the window was a good five feet wide except where the support beams attached the ledge to the building. Laura was resting against one of those support beams and sitting on a section of ledge that was less than twelve inches deep.

Mike made his move out the open window to see Dixie sitting on the ledge as close to Laura as she would let her get, hugging the out side of the wall talking to Laura.

"You've done a lot of good, for a lot of people, there are hundreds maybe even thousands of people out there that wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for you and the things you've done, it's the medication that's doing the talking now not you." Dixie rattled on as Laura sat perched precariously on the edge of the narrowest sections of overhang leaning back against a support structure, tears streaming down her face and a distant and glazed look in her eyes. Mike was sure she wasn't hearing anything that was being said to her.

Mike's first act was to take a good hold of Dixie's arm and pull her to her feet. As Dixie returned his grip taking a firm hold of his elbow Mike remembered the first day he met Laura. Captain Stanley was right behind him and quickly took over helping Dixie back to the open window where Kell Bracket was quick to help her inside while the remaining fire fighters held fast to the life lines two per each line.

"I think I've just realized that I have a fear of heights." Dixie huffed as she placed both hands on Dr. Bracket's shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held on, watching out the window at what was going on out on the ledge. "She kept saying that her patients all died after she sent them off to the hospital. Then she just quit talking, she can't think straight and she's still groggy and pretty much out of it, if she falls back to sleep where she is now-"

"I know Dix, I know, it's up to the fire department now," Kell acknowledged.

"Laura, it's me Mike." Mike called as he moved carefully and slowly toward the girl on the ledge. Laura's tears continued to run down her face as her lips and her breathing quivered. As soon as Mike was close enough he reached out he asked, "Permission to hold your hand."

Laura made no response so Mike carefully slipped his hand under her fingers and wrapped his fingers around her hand. As he gave a gentle squeeze she squoose back and turned to look at him.

"M-Mike?" Laura looked at him as if she wasn't sure she knew who he was. Her pupils were obviously dilated and her eyes red from crying.

"Yeah, it's me, are you alright?"

"I, I, don't think so. Ca- can't think. Ca-can't wake up."

"You will be, trust me, you will be all right," Mike assured still holding her hand but very aware that if she did push herself over the edge that the hold he had would not be enough to keep her from hitting the ground eight stories down. "We're going to get you the help that you need and you will get through this."

"I will?"

"Of course you will," Captain Stanley entered into the conversation. "You've gotten through a lot worse than this remember." "You've even written a couple of books to help the rest of us."

"Digging out, have'ta, have'ta dig out," Laura nod her head and took a deep breath her eye lids fluttering as she fought against the sedatives. "got'a got'a be able to, to th-think strait. One step at a time."

"That's right; you're real good at digging out." Mike talked with new confidence feeling the odds were good that he and Cap were going to be able to talk her off the ledge. "Remember, you showed me and my whole family how to dig out of the pit we had been in for months."

"You let me help," Laura turned to look at Mike with her glazed eyes.

"We were all glad for your help." Mike added as he started to move his other hand hoping he could get it around her and pull her to a safer place on the ledge at least. "You helped us find peace again."

"Why wouldn't Gary let me help? Way couldn't he choose to live?"

"Gary, he was your brother, right?" Mike questioned.

"My Brother, he's, he's dead, they made me stop, stop CPR, made me s-stop." Her eyes fluttered closed for an instant and her head dropped before she jerked herself awake again.

"We've got to get her off that narrow section," Captain Stanley whispered in Mike's ear.

"You did everything you could," Mike tried to comfort while nodding to acknowledging his Captain; "It wasn't your fault." He slipped his hand around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

"Let's move you to someplace a little safer." Mike continued to talk as he let go of her hand and slipped his hand under her knees. The job of taking a firm hold on Laura was made more difficult because she was sitting with her feet dangling over the edge but Mike did the best he could. As he lifted her closer to him he felt comforted as she let him pull her close and rested her head on his shoulder. "Everything's going to be alright, you're going to be alright. Let's just move you back over here."

Captain Stanley took a hold of Mike's arm with one of his and his safety belt with the other hand and steadied him pulling him to the deeper section of the ledge as he pulled Laura. The four men inside holding tight on the ropes keeping the ropes taught.

"What da ya say we get you inside now." Captain Stanley spoke with a sigh of relief thinking they had broken through to her.

"NO!" Laura pushed away from Mike and he realized even more just how inadequate his hold on her had been as he moved to corral her in the deepest part of the ledge and watched as she pulled her knees up against her chest and melted into the corner where the support beam met the building.

"It's okay, you're alright, take it easy," Mike spoke a calm mantra, "You're going to be alright, we're not going to hurt you."

"Can- can't go back in, th- they'll give me more dr- drugs, got'a stay, stay here." Laura trembled in fear as she pulled as deeply into the corner as the concrete structure would allow.

"It's okay nobody's going to hurt you." Mike began once again to build trust in Laura, "I think they understand now that that's not a good idea."

"Psst, Psst," they heard from the open window and Captain Stanley responded as Mike kept his eyes fixed on Laura. Dr. Brackett was handing the warmed blanket out the window.

Captain Stanley mad he way back to the open window and retrieved the blanket but when Dr. Brackett started to pass the paper and pen to him he shook his head, "She's to out of it for that."

Carrying the blanket back to Mike and Laura he noticed that Mike had once again slipped his fingers under Laura's hand and she was returning his gentle squeeze.

"Here's a nice warm blanket," Cap said as he carefully moved it between Mike and Laura as Mike worked his arm around her shoulders once again, pulling the blanket around her as he did. Pulling her close to him again he coaxed her to rest her head on his shoulder once again and held her rocking back and forth as her eyes gave in to the sedatives. When Laura began to snuggle into Mike's shoulder and reached over with her hand and took a hold of his uniform collar Mike gave his Captain a nod and once again moved his other arm under her knees and lifted as the Captain helped him to his feet.

As Mike walked along the ledge back to the open window he rest his cheek on the top of Laura's head and repeated the quiet mantra, "It's going to be all right, you're going to be all right,"

As Mike got closer to the open window Captain Stanley moved into position to help hold Laura and together they started handing Laura through the open window feet first.

From the inside Dr. Bracket reached out to help in the process but as soon as he took hold of Laura's feet her eyes flew open again in panic when she saw Dr. Bracket. Laura planted a foot in Dr. Bracket's chest and with all her might gave a shove that sent him flying backwards past the other firemen knocking them off their footing as well as shoving Mike and the Captain back against the edge and open air.

The four firemen on the inside held tight to their ropes as they pulled themselves back to their feet where they got a view that shifted their stomachs up to their throats. Captain Stanley and Mike were leaning against the rope half over the edge of the ledge and both totally off balance. Captain Stanley was starting to pull against the rope to regain his footing but Mike's arms were full with Laura and he was holding his breath in hope that Laura wouldn't fight him or that no one would let go of the rope that was the only thing keeping both he and Laura from a fall that would surely mean their death.

(Author's note: for all of you that love cliff hangers, I was real tempted to stop right here but I really want to finish this story. It already has twice as many chapters than I planned when I started it.)

As the firemen pulled inch by inch pulling their comrades to safety Dixie helped Dr. Bracket up from the floor and checked him for injury.

"Doc, you better get out of here before someone gets killed." Johnny grunted quietly but sternly as he pulled on the rope.

Once Captain Stanley was secure on his feet he took hold of Mike's rope and helped to pull him toward safety, once he was sure all was well he let go of the rope and took hold of Mike's arm and put his other arm around his back to pull him forward. Pleased to not see the doctor any longer they again lifted Laura through the open window feet first but this time Roy and Johnny took her from the inside being careful to stay at her side as they mimicked the mantra that Mike was chanting.

Once they had taken all of Laura's weight from Mike, Marco moved to roll the gurney under their patient as Chet helped Mike and then Cap through the window to the inside. While Cap unbuckled his safety harness Mike hurried to Laura's side where he reclaimed her hand and continued his Mantra that everything was going to be alright. John and Roy tightened the gurney straps around Laura and then looked up for someone to give them directions as to what to do next.

"Do you fellas think you could get her back to her room?" Dixie poked her head around the corner of the hall way not wanting to agitate the patient again.

"Sure, what room?" Roy questioned.

"I know where it's at." Mike injected as he reached with one hand to untie his life line while maintaining his hold on Laura's hand.

Four firemen moved a gurney behind Mike's lead as Chet and Marco stayed behind to coil the ropes and gather up the safety harnesses. Dixie and Dr. Bracket followed along at a distance to avoid agitating their patient. Dr. Bracket was guarding his chest as he walked occasionally leaning against the wall, something that wasn't missed by the two paramedics and Dixie.

As they guided the gurney into the room and worked together to transfer her into the bed Dr. Bracket leaned against the wall outside the room and started barking out orders, "I want someone in the room with her every minute until those drugs are completely out of her system. Let's not worry about restarting the IV's just yet we'll wait until she's completely awake and talk to her about her options. We'll use restraints only as a last recourse. What ever we do, no more sedatives, under any circumstances! We might not be so lucky next time."

Mike and Captain Stanley remained in Laura's hospital room after John and Roy left to check on Dr. Bracket. Now that Laura was in a hospital bed she was fitfully sleeping and fighting the sedatives once again. Hank searched his memory for something to help her relax and ended up taking an extra pillow from the closet in Laura's room and with some cord that he found on a shelf he tied it up so that it had a resemblance of a head and arms and tucked his make shift doll in bed with Laura. She did seem to calm down as she placed her hand on the dolls chest.

When a nurse came in the two firemen were asked to leave and Mike and Captain Stanley stepped out into the hall to find Marco and Chet standing with the ropes and harnesses about their shoulders. Roy and John were watching over a wheelchair that held Dr. Bracket while Dixie was on the phone making arraignments for him to be taken for a chest x-ray.

"Mike," Dr. Bracket called for his attention once he exited the hospital room, "I know you've only known Miss Elmer for a few days but she called out a few names today and it would be helpful for us if we knew who these people are. I know that Gary was her brother but who was Scott?"

"Um, Her husband," Mike answered feeling uncomfortable sharing her information.

"She's married?" Brackett questioned in surprise.

"a, Divorced," Mike clarified.

"Do you know how long ago the divorce took place?"

"I'm not sure." Mike answered then searched the eyes of his shift mates looking for their reactions.

"Do you know where this Scott can be found?" Dr. Bracket inquired further.

"I have no idea."

There was a moment of silence before Captain Stanley clapped his hands together. "Well Doc if you don't need us any further we best be getting back to the station."

Before they left the hospital Mike begged permission to spend a moment in the hospital gift shop where he purchased a Teddy bear that had the sound of a beating heart with in it and had it delivered to Laura's room to replace the tied up pillow.