Starlight Starbright

These good fellows don't belong to me but I promise when I'm done to pick um up, dust um off and with a kiss on the cheek return them safely home.

"There are two people inside of me- me and my intuition. If I go against her, she'll screw me every time." Kim Basinger.

Chapter 3

Dixie watched her boy's come down the hallway with a smile on her face, until she saw Johnny holding his hand. "What have you done now?" She loved to tease the dark headed medic because deep down she really cared about these guys. After working so many years with them they were part of her family now.

"Johnny here had a disagreement at our last rescue," Roy said as he manually guided him into the treatment room.

Dixie looked back behind her, "Joe? You got a minute?"

"Sure Dix, what's up?"

She nodded him towards the door, "Well, seems we have a patient here who needs some x-rays."

Joe came into the room and a big smile crossed his face as he saw the two men. He also was very fond of the team. "What seems to be the problem gentlemen?"

Johnny remained silent, as usual. Roy spoke up for him, like a father tending to his child. "Johnny here got kicked by a kid," he said pointing to the battered looking hand.

"A kid Johnny?" Dixie said.

"Well, it wasn't my fault he was swinging from the chandelier!" Johnny exclaimed.

Dixie and Joe looked at each other. Dixie raised her eyebrows, "I hope you mean that figuratively."

Roy shook his head, "Nope. Actually climbing onto a 3rd story chandelier."

Joe just laughed. "Only you two would get that kind of call."

"Yea, us two. Hooray for us." Johnny said as he rubbed his poor appendage.

Amanda woke up to a constant pain in her stomach now. Reaching over she opened the bottle and took two more aspirin. She didn't even look at the clock. She felt like crap. Maybe I should call my doctor like I told that nice fireman I would do. As she thought about what she might do, she fell back asleep.

"Well, nothings broken Johnny. We'll wrap it up for some comfort. Put some ice on it when you can." Joe instructed him as he moved from the x-ray box.

"Thanks doc," then turning to Roy. "Told you it wasn't broken."

Roy just chuckled, "Okay Junior fine, you were right."

Dixie worked on getting it bandaged and taped up then gave him a couple of aspirin for the discomfort. Roy moved out to the desk while he waited to go ahead and get the supplies. He figured the last thing Johnny needed today was another encounter with the supply nurse.

As Johnny came out of the room he reached for the HT, "LA, 51 available". It returned with, "Squad 51, you are requested to return to quarters."

"10-4, 51." Johnny replied to the dispatcher. "Wonder what that's all about?"

With the way today was going Roy didn't even want to venture a guess.

After backing into the station they both headed for the dayroom.

"What's up Cap?" Johnny asked as he saw all the guys with chairs pulled up to the blackboard.

Hank took in the site of Johnny's bandaged hand and shook his head, "What happened to you?"

"Oh just a bruised hand where that kid kicked me." Johnny shrugged it off as the room's eyes looked at him.

"Poor little kid, he had to defend himself from where you bruised him," Chet shot the wisecrack.

"Oh shut up Chet!" It was too early in this already bad day for Chet to start up.

"Well sit down, we've got a lot to cover," Hank growled at the men. Johnny and Roy quickly and quietly found their seats.

"HQ is coming down on us about paperwork. Logs not being kept up, reports not being filled out. Now I know that our shift does pretty good but even if one thing is missed they are coming down hard on us." He looked to Johnny. "That accident this morning. Did you get a refusal form from her?"

This caught Johnny off guard, "Well, uh Cap, it wasn't like she refused. She said she was ok."

Johnny felt everyone's eyes on him.

Roy spoke up, "Cap, after Johnny helped with the heart attack victim we looked and she had left the scene."

Johnny shook his head as he tried to replay what happened in his head. He told her to stay put but she didn't. She said she was fine. Then why did I tell her to wait for me. He tried to picture her in his mind, was there something that had him worried, that he wanted to check on before she left. The scene was so busy he couldn't even hardly remember what she looked like. I remember the blue dress but why can't I remember what my exam was on her?

"Earth to Johnny," Hank barked.

"Sorry Cap."

"Did she refuse treatment or not?" Hank just wanted to move on to the next thing on the HQ list.

"She didn't want me to check her. She just kept saying she was fine." He looked to Roy, "She seemed fine. Said she would follow up with her doctor."

Roy tried to not looked too worried, "Johnny did you check her out?"

"Roy she wouldn't let me."

"So she refused care?" Hank interrupted.

"No Cap, she said she wasn't hurt. She didn't seem hurt."

"Her vitals were ok?' Roy asked.

Johnny suddenly felt like he was being attacked, "I, uh, I didn't get vitals on her."

Chet spoke up this time, "Cap I saw Johnny here trying to check her and she was waving him off, saying she was ok."

"Ok, then no form. No injury, no refusal equals no forms to be filled out. Next topic…"

Johnny didn't know whether to thank Chet or not, what had just happened? Why was he now questioning what he did at the scene?

The tones sounded again.

"Station 51, Engine 86, Battalion 9. Structure Fire………….time out 1142.

Upon arrival they could all see that the structure was already well involved. The Chief was there and updated them that no one was in the building as they worked on pulling lines and assisting in putting it out. A second alarm had already been called.

Nearly an hour later the men, hot, exhausted, and covered in black soot gathered at the Engine. Thankfully no one had gotten seriously hurt, a little smoke was eaten, some rinsing of eyes from the ash but nothing serious that couldn't be handled at the triage area. For the first time today, Johnny and Roy didn't have to go by Rampart first. After loading up their boxes they checked in with their Captain who released them from the scene.

They were relieved with the surprise reward. First ones back meant hot showers.

Once everyone had made it back to the station they took turns heading to the showers. Chet sank onto the couch with Henry while Marco pulled out some lunch meat and fixings from the refrigerator for lunch.

Mike looked at the clock, "Someone please tell me it's later than one o'clock."

Chet just groaned, "Sorry pal, the day's still young."

Johnny and Roy were in the bay checking over supplies. Roy knew that Johnny was being way to quiet.

"You know there are plenty of times we don't do a full assessment when the victim swears they are fine and they visually look fine," he told him, hoping to calm the fears that he knew Cap had stirred up earlier.

"I know. But I told her to stay and wait for me. That's what bothers me. Why?"

Roy closed up the trauma box and put it in the side compartment, "Was it something she said maybe? You know we've done this long enough that sometimes our gut tells us more than an assessment."

Johnny thought for a minute, "Maybe that's what it was. I mean visually she didn't seem hurt at all. I guess I just wanted one last chance to check on her. But she left."

"Well partner, there's nothing you can do about a patient who refuses to be helped."

Johnny just shook his head. He knew that what Roy said was true. But he still worried.

Amanda woke to the phone ringing but her brain seemed in a fog and she couldn't remember where it was. Then the ringing stopped. All she could do was groan. Something was very wrong. She pulled the warm fuzzy blue blanket closer to her, trying to get warm. She was shivering and even that was hurting her.

"Mandy?"

She looked up to see her roommate come in the bedroom.

"What are you doing in bed silly girl?" The perky young woman said as she played with the china doll on the dresser.

Amanda looked at Carole, or aka Moon Blossom, knowing instantly that she was high as a kite.

"Bloss, who called?" She managed to get out.

"Oh you're sister. I told her you were at work. Didn't know you were in here sleeping."

She tried to push herself up in bed. Unsuccessful she sank back down into the blankets, "I'm not sleeping. It was Amy?"

"Yeppers," Moon Blossom bobbed her head around as she came and plopped on the bed with Amanda.

"Oww!" Waves of nausea swept over her as she turned quickly and threw up in the floor.

"Ewww Mandy, that's just gross. Hey, you know this stuff is really good for nausea. Will make it all…go…away…" With that Blossom danced her way back downstairs to her friends who had invaded the living room below.

Amanda took a blanket and tossed it in the floor to cover her mess. She couldn't get up anymore, Blossom was useless like she was now and the phone was on the dresser. Please Amy, hear me. Help me. She needed that sister ESP now more than ever. She swore to herself to never complain about it again.

Suddenly the phone rang again. Blossom came, tip toeing through the tulips, up the stairs again and grabbed the phone.

"Mandy's palace," she winked at her bestest friend with excessive animation.

"Carole, give the phone to Amanda right now!" Amy demanded.

"Now Amy girl, that's not very loving," Blossom stuck out her lower lip like a two year old.

Amy took a deep breath then softened her voice, "Blossom my love; I will bring you a moonbeam of angels if you let me chat with my sis for a minute."

"Aww, that's sooo nice," she beamed as she handed the phone to Amanda.

She almost dropped it, "Sis," she whispered.

"Amanda, what's wrong. I know something's wrong." Amy's fear had brewed and stirred for hours and then a surge of panic came over her as she sat with her children watching TV.

"Amy, something's …wrong…I'm sick. My stomach…it hurts…so bad."

Amy looked at the clock; it would take her over an hour to get there, more with the kids in tow. "Amanda, are you hurt from the wreck? The fireman said you were ok right?"

"I don't know…think so… but Amy, it's not…his fault. He tried…to help…but I wouldn't …let him...don't blame him."

Amy heard her voice getting weaker, "Amanda! Blame him for what?"

"For what …happens to me." With that Amanda's strength was gone and she passed out, the phone hitting the floor.

Getting no response for her desperate pleas Amy hung up the phone and ran to the kitchen to grab the phone book. LA fire department….LA, God where is it?

"Amy, what's wrong?" Her husband came up behind her.

"It's Amanda; I think something really bad has happened to her. I need to call the fire department to go check on her." Her hands were shaking.

He had seen the link between his wife and her sister more than once and learned a long time ago to never question it. He took the phone book and called the LA dispatcher.

Everyone pulled up a chair and started making sandwiches. Nothing exciting but it was food and they were starved. Chet poured everyone a glass of milk and sat down next to Marco. The mood was quiet as they tried to enjoy a few moments of peace and ...

"Station 51. Woman down………time out 1349."

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