Chapter 2: Here we are again
Chet remained in John's Rover; he kept his hand on Roy's neck and the base of his head to keep him from doing more damage if he were to move as he started to wake up. He knew what needed to be done until more qualified help arrived but that person was currently checking out another patient.
He had been in this part of the world before. He knew they were the most qualified help there was until they reached the small one room hospital or clinic or whatever they called it, and the mere thought of riding there in the hearse they had called on a couple of years ago was not something he wanted to think about. He also remembered the long wait two years ago, a wait that nearly cost one small boy his life.
Chet glanced out the window toward the other truck and watched as John made short work of getting the fire out but he could tell that their troubles were far from over. He could also tell by the way the John pulled at the doors of the truck and then climbed through the window on the passenger side that the other guy was still alive. As he watched John's hurried movements, he was also sure that the driver was seriously hurt.
Thinking back on their last trip to this area Chet was trying to decide if he could remember the way to the clinic, he was sure he could carefully straighten Roy out on John's bed in the back of his Rover and slide the other guy in next to him but, would the doctor be in today? What were they going to use for a back board? What was that other guy going to need?
He suspected by the uneven feel of the Rover that there was at the very least a blown tire. What else would they need to do to be able to get on the way?
His thoughts were interrupted by a moan and an attempt to move against his steadying hand as he looked down Chet saw eye lids trying to open and started talking to his friend.
"Don't move Roy, you're going to be alright, but you need to lay still." Chet talked, counting on Roy recognizing his voice.
Roy's eyes came open quickly at that point and after a second or two to get them to focus he rolled them around until he found the spot where the driver should be.
"Johnny?" Roy questioned with the usual alarm in his voice.
Chet understood quickly that he assumed the reason Chet was taking care of him instead of Johnny was that Johnny was hurt, or worse.
"He's checking out the guy in the other truck, Roy," Chet tried to calm him as quickly as possible. "He's alright; you just got tossed around in the back here a little. Just lay still. I'm sure he'll be back to check you over better in a minute or two."
As soon as he said it Chet knew it was a lie. If that other guy was hurt anywhere as bad as Johnny's actions indicated he wouldn't be coming back any time soon, they were in for another long haul just like before.
As Johnny pushed the heal of his hand into the man's groin, pressing the spurting artery against the femoral bone in his attempt to stem the bleeding, he looked back at his truck still resting on the opposite side of the road and tried to decide if he dared call Chet to come help him move the victim he was now working with. To do so would mean pulling him away from Roy. Roy's injuries were probably just a concussion and perhaps a good whiplash; at least he hoped that's all it was. Chet had done a good job of keeping him from bouncing around inside the car, he really should have been wearing a seat belt but the ones in the back of his Rover were too short for anyone who wasn't under the age of ten. Johnny then realized that he, Roy and anyone else he knew that ever road in the back of an ambulance was perhaps a little casual about their seat belt use. This was one time they got burned by that casualness.
On the floor board of the truck he was in there was a duffle bag with a broken zipper and John was able to see a couple of soiled t-shirts and what looked like a belt sticking out of the bag. Using one hand, John sorted through the shirts looking for the cleanest and most appropriate one to use as a pressure bandage and grabbed the belt.
It was different this time than it had ever been before when Johnny had applied a tourniquet there was no doctor on the radio to tell he'd done it the second it was secured, there was no hope of having the guy in a doctor's care within minutes to surgically repair the artery and restore the blood supply to the lower leg before permanent damage could be done. Johnny knew full well that if they had to wait as long as they did the last time they visited this area the tourniquet he was placing around the man's thigh would cut off the blood flow long enough to lead the medical professionals in the area to amputate his leg, but without it the bleeding femoral artery would pump the blood out of his body in a matter of a few minutes. The choice he made was to sacrifice the man's leg in an attempt to save his life.
As John continued to push with his full body weight into the man's groin he clumsily worked with his other hand to slide the belt under his leg and then to one handedly fasten it around his thigh above the wound and pull it tight. Once the bleeding began to subside he released holding pressure with his other hand and used both hands to pull the belt tighter and then tighter yet until all bleeding stopped.
Once the belt was secured in its tightened position, John then pulled the pen from his breast pocket and carefully inked the word 'Tourniquet', on the man's forehead and then added the time it was put in place.
With the tourniquet in place John quickly used the dirtiest of the t-shirts to wipe the excess blood from his hands before checking the carotid pulse on his patient. Fast and weak, they were far from out of the woods.
Taking just a second to look around for other tools he could use as well as take in his current situation John noticed that sparks from the still connected battery had managed to start a flame in some dried grasses off the side of the road.
He needed to get himself and his patient out of that truck as quickly as possible and to do so he was going to need some help.
Back in the Rover Chet kept his hand on Roy's head and neck and he kept talking about everything he could think of and absolutely nothing. Every so often he would give Roy a quick glance and each time he did he was relieved that Roy had his eyes open and appeared to be coming around nicely. He could also feel him starting to fight being held down.
When Chet wasn't glancing at Roy though, his sights were locked on the twisted truck down the road and watching John's movements. He was trying to guess what was going on by what he was seeing but the other truck was a good hundred yards down the road and it was hard to see what was going on inside the twisted cab. Still when he could see John's movements they looked hurried and slightly panicked. He was sure the guy in the truck was in bad shape and that John could use some help if he could just get it.
Chet had watched him try and pull the doors open before he climbed in through the window, he knew John needed the pry bar that was right within his reach. Chet also knew that if he were to go help John Roy wouldn't stay still like he needed to. What was he to do?
When Chet saw the dried grass beyond the truck burst into flames his decision was made.
"Roy, John needs some help, I'm going to go give him a hand but I'll be right back." Chet spoke as sternly as he could. "You stay right here and don't move, I'll be right back just as soon as I help John get the other guy out of his truck."
With that Chet took his hands off Roy and held them a few inches away while repeating, "You stay here and don't move, I'll be right back," when Roy just moved his eyes to look at him before nodding his head in compliance before Chet reached for the pry bar as he backed out the door of the rover talking to Roy as he moved.
"Now don't move Roy, stay right there, I'll be right back just as soon as I help Johnny move that other guy out of his truck."
As soon as the pry bar cleared the door frame Chet was running, as soon as he reached the other truck he didn't say a word or ask questions he just thrust he tip of the bar into the seam between the door and the rest of the frame and started levering it open with all of his might.
John turned at the sound of Chet slamming the pry bar into the side of the truck, as relieved as he was that he had the help he needed his thoughts also turned to Roy. Glancing in the direction of his Rover John noticed Roy climbing out of the passenger door and moving very slowly and noticeably unsteady on his feet.
Still there was a crisis on hand, as Chet managed to get the passenger door of the truck to give just a little John turned and started kicking with his feet as Chet curled his fingers around the crack he had created with the door frame and pulled. Slowly and with plenty of groaning and creaking of metal the door gave way.
As Chet finished off the job of getting the door open John turned and took his patient by the shoulders and carefully started pulling him past himself toward the opening door.
"You take his shoulders Chet, I think he's got a broken femur." John instructed, there was no need to explain the dire situation they were in. they both knew they needed to move fast.
As Chet took a hold of the man's shoulders and started to pull, Johnny carefully put his arms under the man's legs supporting them and cradling the injured legs doing his best to prevent further injury and still more quickly.
John and Chet moved quickly and carefully as they hurried past the pool of gasoline and to a safe distance from the truck before laying the man down once again on the side of the road. They were just pulling their arms and hands from under his body when the wind blew a flaming tumbleweed into the road and set the gasoline in flames separating Roy from the rest of them.
"I'll get Roy," Chet called out on a run as he moved around the finger of spilled gasoline kicking dirt on the edge of the flames to buy him a little room to get to Roy. He then pulled Roy's arm around his own shoulders and pulled him back around the flames till he was next to John and the other victim.
"I thought it would be best if we were all together." Chet gave as his explanation as to why he didn't just take Roy back to the Rover.
"I was thinking," Chet continued to talk as Johnny was moving his practiced hands over the body of his patient. "I think I can remember the way to that clinic we went to last time we were here. If you can spare me for a few minutes I can change the tire on the Rover and we can take them in the back."
"Yeah, I thought of that too but what if the Doctor's not in today?" Johnny shared his frustration. "Still it's the best idea I've heard yet. Roy, sit down before you fall down." John directed and Chet eased him to the ground when he held himself in a seated position with one arm as John continued to work with the more severely injured patient and Chet ran off to see about changing the tire on the Rover.
"What have you got?" Roy asked once Chet left his side. John was quick to notice that his partner wasn't able to turn his head to see where Chet was going. At a quick glance John noticed that Roy was facing ahead with his eyes moved over to see John and what he was doing. There was a definite spinal injury there and John hoped it was just strained neck muscles and no spinal cord involvement.
"I've got my hands full here Roy, do you think you can lie down before you fall down and give one less thing to worry about right now."
John really wanted to move over and help his best friend who was clearly hurting, lie down but the man at his feet was having trouble breathing and the only way John was able to help was to stay at his side and hold his jaw bone forward.
Roy continued to lean on his arm in a seated position and John knew even if he did lie him down he would just sit back up again and possibly aggravate his injury more.
John shared eye contact with his partner then took in and let out a deep breath. "Sorry Roy, he's got a fractured femur that's taken out the femoral artery, he's already lost enough blood to throw him in to shock, I had no choice but to put a tourniquet on. He's also got some broken ribs and a possible collapsing lung on the right, along with a head injury and airway issues. I think he might have a broken collarbone in addition to all that."
"How can I help?" Roy asked still looking out of the corner of his eye.
"You're doing more than you should already," Johnny responded to his partner, "How are you feeling by the way?"
"I'll live, you stick with him." Roy answered.
"Don't do that to me Roy." John responded to his partner's statement, "You've got a cut on your head that's still bleeding and is going to need a few stitches, you were unconscious for a good two minutes, so you've got to have a headache from hell, and I can tell with one look at you that you're neck hurts. What else?"
"Yeah, that and a little dizzy, the side of my face hurts," Roy admitted reluctantly.
"What about your hands and feet, do they tingle at all, any weakness?" John questioned as he looked up and down the road and watched as the bottom layer of a pile of tumbleweeds started to catch fire.
"No, I'm good there." Roy claimed.
"Any nausea?" Johnny continued to question.
"Some," Roy admitted, "That's why I don't want to lie down. I'm afraid I won't be able to roll over fast enough."
Johnny eyed his friend over good, he understood how he was feeling much more than he wanted to admit.
Chet made short work at getting around the flames burning on the road and back to Johnny's Rover. He quickly undid the bolts holding the spare tire to the hood of the truck and lifted the hefty tire down and rolled it to the rear driver's side of the truck. Leaning it against the truck he then moved to unlatch the jack from the back of the Rover. Before he had the jack completely free from the truck he noticed the angle of the now flat tire. Stopping his work Chet got down on all fours and looked under the truck. There was more than a blown tire wrong with Johnny's rover, the axel was broken. John's Rover was not going anywhere without the help of a tow truck.