THAT OLD HOUSE
by ardavenport
- - - part 2 - - -
Johnny's shoes squished when he got out of the squad. He scowled and uselessly brushed at the damp spot on the seat before closing the door. His clothes had only partially dried in the California heat, but everything else underneath was thoroughly damp. Roy went in ahead and by the time everyone else had followed him inside he was standing with head nurse Dixie McCall.
"The Cap and Marco have got some pretty deep cuts, and Johnny's got a lot of insect bites."
"Oh." She looked them over with sympathy. Gage asked her for a towel.
"Sure. You can all go in Two. I'll get Doctor Brackett."
They filed into the treatment room. Stanley helped Lopez up onto the examination table. Kelly and Stoker stood on one side. Gage sat on a stool. DeSoto stood over him.
"Don't scratch that."
Johnny scowled up at his partner, but took his hand away from his arm.
The door swung open. Brackett, in white doctor's coat and a dark blue tie, came in with Dixie.
"What do we have here?"
Roy pointed. "The Cap and Marco have some pretty deep cuts."
Brackett came around the table and looked under the dressing on Marco's leg. Then he moved on, took the Captain's wrist and peeled back the bandage.
"These are pretty deep cuts. You want to tell me what made them?"
"Would you believe a spear?"
Brackett stared up at Stanley and straightened.
"A spear?" Brackett's dark brows rose.
"Two spears." Marco pointed at his wounded leg for emphasis.
"It was this last run, Doc. Guy called the fire department for help, but he neglected to mention that he booby-trapped his whole house. Got us when we were just coming through the front door." His tone rose, agitated. "And Gage there got stuck in some room where he almost got eaten alive by bugs."
Even more surprised, Bracket looked around Stanley at Gage who just shrugged. The doctor went over and looked at the small welts on the paramedic's arms. He pushed back the blue collar revealing a couple more red marks. He ruffled through Gage's thick and damp hair and found another one under his bangs.
"Well, it sure looks like something's been nibbling on you. Don't scratch that."
Johnny guiltily put his hands in his lap.
"How long ago did this happen?"
"He was stuck in there for about an hour, Doc." Roy nodded down at his partner.
"Well, I don't see any necrosis, so it doesn't look like anything too poisonous took a bite out of you. Are there any other symptoms?"
"He did hyperventilate after we got him out."
"I did not hyperventilate." Johnny scornfully looked up at Roy, raising a hand for his objection. But it still clutched the tell-tale paper bag. He crumpled it up, shrugged and shivered a little in his damp clothes.
Roy continued. "And he jumped into the pool to get the bugs off."
Chet followed up from across the room. "Yeah, somebody get that man a towel." Stoker grinned.
Gage sneered back. "You've jumped in that pool, too, if you'd been stuck in there for that long."
"Oh, I'm not knocking you, Gage." Chet held up his hands in surrender. "I wouldn't have lasted five minutes in there without turning into a blithering idiot."
Sulkily silent, Gage accepted the apology. But Kelly couldn't resist a follow-up.
"So, it's a good thing that you already are a blithering idiot to start with."
Gage was offended, but everyone else in the room grinned or held in a laugh. Stanley spoke up, going back to their immediate needs.
"Can we get these patched up, Doc?" He gestured toward Lopez's wounded leg with his wrist.
"Right away. You're both going to need a few stitches. I trust that you are all up to date on your tetnus shots."
"That's mandatory."
"Good. But we'll still need the dates of your last booster shots for our records. Dix." Brackett nodded toward her. They set up a tray and listened to more of the firemen's complaints about the old man and his treacherous house while the doctor cleaned and treated the wounds. Lopez got four stitches. Stanley got three.
And Dixie got Johnny a towel. She also got him some ointment for his bites and told him not to scratch.
He took his shoes off and wrung his socks out in a pan on the floor. He had just put them back on and laced them up when Brackett finished bandaging Stanley's wrist.
The handi-talkie that Stokes carried beeped.
"Engine Fifty-One, are you available?"
After a nod from Stanley, Stoker replied. "That's ten-four. Engine Fifty-One available."
"County Sheriff requests your assistance at Five-Five-Five-Two-One Boa Avenue. Non-Code R."
Engine Fifty-One groaned. Brackett looked around at the roomful of suddenly very unhappy firemen. "Is that the house?"
Roy nodded back. "That's the house."
Stoker confirmed their response and Stanley led his grumbling men out.
Gage rubbed his hair again with the towel. "Boy, I'm sure glad we're not going back there."
Roy had not moved.
"Wait for it." The handi-talkie he carried beeped. Johnny moaned as Roy confirmed their response back to Five-Five-Five-Two-One Boa Avenue (Non-Code R) as well. They went back to the squad. Johnny wiped the seat with the towel before sitting down.
- - - End Part 2