An Act of Friendship
Chapter 3
Roy found the trip up the embankment to be no easier than the trip down. Their feet sank in the mud repeatedly as it threatened to trap their shoes. Several times Joanne grunted as one of them faltered and the stokes lurched.
"R...Roy, where's J…Johnny?" Joanne questioned.
Roy looked down; he thought she still looked cold. He tucked the blanket more securely around her as he replied, "Don't worry Brice and the guys are bringing him up behind us." Thankful that she hadn't realized how serious Johnny's condition was.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Roy checked Joanne as they crested the top of the hill. The crew from 36s helped them load the gurney onto the stretcher and into the ambulance.
Marco closed the ambulance doors and gave two quick pats. He bowed his head and said a silent prayer for his friend as the ambulance pulled away then he went to help the guys from 36s.
Cap thought the trip up the hill would never end. Brice made them stop several times when Johnny's heart rate became irregular. When it stabilized, they resumed their arduous journey. It was frustrating as he just wanted to get his man to Rampart.
Roy had just updated Rampart on Joanne's condition when he looked down and saw sleepy green eyes peering at him. "How are you feeling sweetheart?" He could see it took a few moments for Joanne to process.
"N…Not as cold, but my head is killing me. Are those sirens always this loud?"
Roy chuckled as he nodded his head. "Don't worry, we'll be there soon," he replied as he squeezed her hand.
Brice called a halt as soon as they crested the hill. He did a vitals check and relayed it to Rampart. Chet took over ventilations from Mike as they loaded Johnny into the ambulance and headed out.
As soon as the ambulance started moving, Brice grabbed two IVs and shoved them down his shirt. When he saw Chet's questioning look, he answered, "Johnny's hypothermic. I'm trying to warm these to help bring his body temperature up." He felt Johnny's arm and abdomen then opened another blanket pack and tucked it around him.
Cap went over to Captain Morris from 36s and thanked him for his help. With all their gear away, he swung up into his seat. "Alright Mike, let's go." He rubbed his hand over his face. 'C'mon John, keep fighting. You can do it son,' he thought, recalling John's resilience to adversity in the past.
Dixie was waiting at the emergency entrance as Roy unloaded the stretcher. She walked them down the hall. "Joanne, I know I told you to see me when you were in today, but isn't this a bit much?" she teased.
Joanne smiled as they wheeled her into the treatment room where Joe was waiting. She was quickly transferred to the treatment table. When she closed her eyes because the bright lights were hurting them, she heard Roy's 'Stay awake Joanne.' "I'm awake. It's too bright." She shivered when Dixie whipped off the blankets and started cutting her clothes off.
Roy made his report to Joe as he changed out the oxygen supplies. He set aside the squad's equipment then took another set of vitals as Joe ordered blood work and x-rays.
Warm, toasty blankets settled on Joanne and she murmured, "Thanks," to Dixie.
"Joanne, can you tell me what happened?" Joe enquired as he pulled out his pen light.
"I, uh, was bringing Johnny here for his checkup." Joanne winced as Joe flashed the penlight in her eyes. "I remember hearing sirens… so I pulled to the side of the road. Um…the car tilted…" Her brows creased as she struggled to remember. "The next thing I remember was waking up in the car and…and we were in the water." Her breathing increased as she remembered. Joe stepped back to allow Roy to move in closer.
"Joanne…Joanne, you're safe." Roy patted her shoulder soothingly.
"Oh…oh God, Roy. Where's Johnny? Is he okay?"
"We got Johnny. Brice is bringing him in." he said as he tried to allay Joanne's fears without divulging too much information.
"Roy, he kicked the glass with both feet…his broken leg…he was in so much pain…he…he threw up. Then he smacked the glass with his broken arm to get it open the whole way." Joanne started to cry. "He hurt so bad, but he wouldn't stop."
"Joanne. Joanne, you need to calm down." Roy stroked her cheek. He was finding it hard to listen to Joanne's account of what happened. 'Oh Johnny, that must've hurt like hell.' He thought as he realized how much Johnny had endured to help Joanne.
Assured of Joanne's mental status, Joe stepped in. "Joanne, let's get you taken care of." He said smiling kind heartedly. When she had calmed down, he continued his exam. She groaned when he palpated her ribs. "Little tender?" he questioned. He pressed more firmly as she nodded. He looked over at Roy as he said, "I don't think they're broken but x-rays will tell us for sure." He finished his assessment as the portable was wheeled in. He squeezed Joanne's arm gently. "We'll be right back." He said as he ushered Dixie and Roy out of the room.
As they approached the base station, they heard Brackett question, "What's your ETA?"
"Rampart, ETA is 3 minutes."
"10-4, 51." Brackett responded, his mouth twitching. He glanced up and said, "Roy, I was just coming to find you. Johnny should be here shortly. I'm positive he has a collapsed lung and I have Bill Mitchellson coming. He's the best pulmonologist we have. I'm going to need your permission for surgery."
"Of course Doc. Do what you've got to do." Roy worriedly responded.
"Roy, do you know how long he was without air?"
Roy shook his head. "No Doc. He had Joanne and was trying to swim to the surface. She was unconscious. I took her out of his arms and headed up. Brice stayed to help him. By the time they surfaced, Johnny wasn't breathing."
Brackett folded his arms and said, "Thanks Roy."
"Oh Doc."
"Yes?"
"Joanne said that Johnny broke the window by kicking it. She said he threw up and she also said he swung his cast at the window."
Brackett frowned when heard this news. "Thanks Roy. I'll make sure to have Ortho on standby. Dix, can you give them a call? Also, get x-ray."
As Dixie nodded and reached for the phone, the stretcher carrying Johnny came around the corner.
"He's in V-tach" reported Brice as Brackett ran over. They pushed him into a treatment room.
Roy started to follow, but Dixie grabbed his arm. "No Roy, you know you're too close. Besides, Joanne will need you when x-ray is done." Dixie smiled. "Don't worry; we'll take good care of him," she said as she went into the treatment room."
Roy blew out a frustrated breath. He knew Dixie was right, but he really felt the need to make sure Johnny was okay.
Joe walked over to Roy and patted his shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go get some coffee while we wait for x-ray." As they headed for the doctor's lounge, Chet walked down the hallway. "How's Joanne?" He questioned as he shifted from foot to foot.
"She'll be okay Chet. X-rays in with her now." Roy replied as he opened the door.
Chet nodded. 'One down…now just one to go. Damn Gage looked bad,' he thought as he followed them into the room.
Before Johnny's transfer to the treatment table was complete, Brackett began barking orders. "100 mg bolus Procainamide over 5 minutes, STAT. I want an ABG, CBC, BUN, Creatinine and electrolytes. Let's get x-ray in here STAT. I want a full skull series, lateral c-spine, chest, back, and that right arm and leg as well. Start him on Penicillin. Anchor a Foley"
Dixie tousled Johnny's hair softly. 'What are we going to do with you, Tiger?' she thought as she whipped off the cold, wet blankets and started cutting off Johnny's clothes.
"Brice, help me move him." Kel requested. They positioned Johnny, head hanging slightly over the edge of the table, and Kel replaced the tube with an esophageal airway. As a nurse hooked up the ventilator, he said, "I want humidified oxygen. Dix, get a core temperature."
Dixie finished cutting off Johnny's clothes and, with Brice's help, log rolled Johnny. 'I am so glad you're not awake for this. I'd never hear the end of it,' Dixie thought as she inserted the rectal thermometer.
Kel listened closely to Johnny's lungs, checking the tube placement. "Where's x-ray? I need that chest film STAT." He looked up as the door opened, Bill Mitchellson walked in. Kel briefly explained Johnny's case. Bill agreed that a chest tube was needed, now. They couldn't afford to wait for Johnny to warm up and stabilize.
"Kel, his temp is 92.7." Dixie stated as Kel frowned, that temperature had to come up.
Let's get ready for that chest tube," he replied as Dixie retrieved the chest tube tray and positioned it next to him.
Dixie prepped and draped Johnny as Kel and Bill scrubbed then donned gowns and masks.
Kel sited the mid-axillary line for tube placement as Bill numbed the area. With swift, sure hands Kel inserted the chest tube, sutured it, and attached it to the Pleurevac. "Breath sounds are returning," he said with relief as he listened to Johnny's chest. "Let's give him 10 mg. MS," he said to the other nurse.
Dixie added another warmed blanket as an x-ray tech pushed in the portable. She exited, followed by Kel and Bill. They walked slowly to the doctor's lounge.
Chet popped up like a jack-in-the-box the moment the door opened. "Doc, how is he?" He questioned before anyone could say anything.
Roy rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, you don't care about Johnny. Keep dreaming pal.'
Kel suppressed a smile before answering. "It's really too soon to tell. We're still stabilizing him."
Chet's brow creased as he nodded. He sat down as Roy worriedly asked, "Does he still need surgery?"
"Until his heart rate settles, I'd rather not risk surgery. I placed a chest tube, which has helped some, but I really need to get in there and repair his lung."
"Any idea how long that will be?" Roy questioned.
"As you know Roy, hypothermia can cause tachycardia, or in layman's terms, a rapid heart rate. His core temp when he was brought in was just under 93. We're giving him humidified oxygen and warmed IVs to bring his temp up. As he warms up, his heart rate should settle into normal sinus rhythm. How long that will be, though, is anyone's guess." Roy was not happy with this news. "Don't worry Roy. We're monitoring him closely and we'll take him to surgery as soon as we can."
By the end of Kel's explanation, Roy looked like he had been sucker punched and Chet was chewing worriedly on the corner of his mustache. Trying to lighten the mood, Dixie asked, "How's Joanne?"
Joe stood up to leave as someone knocked on the door. The door opened slightly and Cap's head popped in.
"I didn't see anyone around and thought I'd check in here." he said sheepishly as he pushed the door open. He entered the room followed by Mike and Marco. "How are Joanne and Johnny?" He questioned as he pulled a seat out next to Chet and sat down.
Joe said, "Roy, I'm going to go check on Joanne. I'll tell her you'll be in after you talk to your captain." As Roy nodded, he sketched a quick wave and left. Mike and Marco pulled chairs from other tables and sat.
Rubbing his hands, Roy looked down, "Joanne is okay Cap. We're still waiting for x-rays, but she's awake…a little cold, but…"
"Thank God." Cap said as he smiled. "What about Johnny?"
"If you'll excuse me gentleman, I'm going to check on Johnny." Kel interrupted as he stood. Dixie stood and grabbed their cups and put them in the sink. Cap gave a nod that said 'take care of my man' to Kel as he held the door for Dixie. Kel gave an acknowledging nod and they left.