"Godzilla and The Smog Monster"
Chapter Thirty-Five
Later that evening…
Dr. Kurtz paid his TBI patient another visit—as promised. Paul was both pleased and displeased to find the young man awake. "Your lungs are good to go!" the doctor declared as he stepped back up to the foot of the fireman's hospital bed. "Your latest Electroencephalogram shows elevated alpha wave activity."
The paramedic exchanged a confused glance with his partner. "Is that what's causing the seizures?"
"Not necessarily. Your TBI slowed down alpha wave production. Fatigue, emotional and physical distress, such as being nearly 'blown up', and even severe pain, can all contribute to the production of more alpha wave activity. One, or more, of your medications may also be a contributing factor. We've been pumping massive amounts of penicillin into your system, and extremely high doses of antibiotics have been known to trigger seizures. Hell, anything that disturbs the normal pattern of electrical activity in the brain can lead to a seizure…including, seizures. Which is why they need to stop. You've suffered two tonic-clonic seizures—so far. I don't want to wait for you to suffer a third one. A-and, since anticonvulsants, alone, don't seem to be doing the job…"
His patient completed his train of thought for him, "You want to place me in a chemically induced coma."
Kurtz nodded. "Do you have a problem with that?"
His patient pretended to appear pensive. "Let's see…Do I wanna spend the next four to five days in here conscious?…semi-conscious?…or unconscious?" the paramedic glared up at the prying eye on the ceiling above his bed. "If you wanna knock me out, Doc, go right ahead. I have no problem—whatsoever—with that."
His doctor picked up the phone and placed an order for a potent sedative.
John's entire body began to involuntarily 'tense up'. He turned to his roommate, looking for reassurance.
"Hey," Roy gave his apprehensive partner's left wrist a reassuring squeeze, "don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."
Johnny gave his understanding buddy a look of undying gratitude and forced himself to relax…some.
Less than a minute later, an ICU nurse came into the room, carrying a tray.
The RN removed a fully loaded hypodermic syringe from the tray and promptly emptied its contents into the patient's IV port.
Roy continued to keep a comforting grip on Johnny's right wrist, until long after his buddy had drifted off into oblivion.
When John Gage re-opened his eyes—five days later—he discovered, much to his delight, that there was no longer a closed-circuit TV camera on the ceiling, directly above his bed. He blinked and looked around.
Sure enough! He had been moved out of 'I See You' and into a regular hospital room.
Which meant that his every move was no longer being continuously monitored.
He sighed in relief and slowly reached for his forehead.
The thick bandage that had completely encircled his head was gone. A much smaller, but equally thick, 4x4-gauze patch was now taped over his left temple.
John smiled. Things were looking up.
The recovering TBI patient received a string of visitors that morning, that kept him smiling.
Dr. Kurtz came by twice: once, during his usual patient rounds, and then again, a half-hour later, to give John Gage the results of his latest EEG. Brain wave activity now appeared perfectly normal. There had been no further seizures, and Paul had been tremendously pleased to announce that, the previous day, he had upgraded the paramedic's condition from 'serious' to 'stable'. The physician finally felt that the young fireman was out of danger.
The LACFD's Chief Engineer also dropped by. Jenner told John that he just wanted to say 'Hi'.
Special Agent Rousseau stopped by to say how sorry he, and the entire Organized Crime Task Force, was, to hear that a third attempt had been made on John's life.
In spite of Agent Rousseau, John spent the entire morning smiling.
Johnny was still smiling when Roy and Chet showed up in his 'regular' room, early that evening.
Johnny thanked his pals—profusely—for their support. He thanked Roy for putting his family life on hold for him…and for getting their captain involved in that whole 'Iverson' business. He said that he shuddered to think what would have happened if Captain Stanley hadn't contacted HQ. He told Roy that, in a roundabout way, he had really saved his life, and that he was extremely grateful for that fact.
Just as his shiftmates were about to leave, Craig Brice poked his head into the room. "Hope you don't mind. I heard you were allowed visitors…"
John's face immediately lit up. "Craig! C'mon in! C'mon in!"
Craig stepped the rest of the way into the room.
Judging by the uniform he was wearing and the HT he was carrying, the paramedic was 'on duty'.
"And I heard that you saved my life—again. Thanks, man!" Gage flashed Brice a grateful grin and extended his un-IV'ed hand.
Brice took it and shook it. "If you hadn't intervened, it is quite possible that I may have been seriously injured—or even killed—outside of the Diamond Groove Disco that night. I was merely returning the favor."
Gage's grin broadened. "Sa-ay, Craig…you like to fish?"
Brice was completely taken aback by the question. "I…I don't know," he truthfully stated. "I've never done it before."
Johnny gave his newest visitor a strange stare, but his enthusiasm remained un-dampened. "Well, I don't know if our 'off duty' schedules will ever line up. But, if they ever do, we'd be glad to teach yah," he offered and motioned to his two regular fishing companions.
Roy heard the offer and just had to grin. "If you expect Craig, here, to learn anything about 'catching fish', he prob'ly shouldn't be hanging around the three of us."
John gave his grinning partner a 'Ha. Ha. Very funny,' look, and then turned back to Craig. "Don't pay any attention to him. We have been known to bring a few fish home…on occasion."
"Yeah," Kelly quickly concurred. "On the occasions we can find a local 'Fish Market' that's open."
Gage's gaze locked upon Kelly and he gave the purveyor of 'gloom and doom' an irritated glare, as well. "Don't listen to him, either," he strongly urged.
"I think I might like that, John…" Craig realized, much to his amazement, and actually smiled.
"Grea-eat!" John exclaimed, sounding genuinely overjoyed.
Kelly suddenly felt compelled to pinch himself. "Godzilla…going fishing…with the Smog Monster," he dazedly declared, and slowly and sadly shook his head. "Ma-an, I must a' stumbled into an 'alternate universe'!"
Johnny beamed a broad grin in his mind-boggled buddy's direction. "Chet, you exist in an 'alternate universe!" he teased right back, and then turned to his fellow firemen. "Every once in awhile, he just manages to stumble into the 'real world'."
The recovering paramedic's partners glanced at one another and traded grins.
The End
Author's note: TBI stands for traumatic-brain-injury.
Additional note:
Hi guys! *wave wave*
Well, there you have it.
Hope you enjoyed the conclusion to 'Godzilla and The Smog Monster'. *fingers crossed*
Again, I wish to thank you all for reading my story. ((((Readers))))
For those of you who so thoughtfully took a moment to leave a comment: (((((Ginormous Hugs))))) and *high-fives*. :)
For the next few days, I'm gonna be filling our big blue Harvestore silo with high-moisture corn. Lucky me. lol
As soon as THAT silo is full, I will be working on "If Wishes Were Horses". Unless, of course, Audrey posts another one of her E! story challenges. lololol I swear, my muse can be so fickle sometimes. :)
Take care! *more waving*
:) Ross7