Goodbye and Hello
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.
"Whoso loves, believes the impossible." Elizabeth Barret Browning
Chapter 10
Johnny went back into the room. He didn't mean to eavesdrop but he managed to hear about Joanne packing up and leaving. His emotions where in turmoil again. First he was so sure that Joanne blamed him for everything that happened when Roy was hurt this week. He was sure there was anger in her eyes. But now it seemed that she just gave up on him. Joanne was really gone. It was hard for him to believe it. A part of him held out that she would turn the car around and come running back into his best friend's arms. But that little dark spot down deep knew that it wasn't going to happen. At least not anytime soon. That meant that Roy would need his A-shift family more than ever.
He looked up to see Hank come back in the room.
"You okay John?"
"Sure Cap," he said. Yea, he was okay. He now knew where he stood and what he needed to do. The crooked smile he flashed told the Captain that he would be okay.
After that initial twenty four hours things started to settle down and become a routine for the crew. Johnny stayed with Roy. Chet took care of his place and wound up taking the kitten home with him until Johnny was back in his apartment. Mike and Hank made sure he left the room daily long enough to eat and freshen up. The routine continued while they waited. Waited for Roy to improve and wake up.
Day five was greeted by rain filled skies and the engine crew having to return to work. Each one came by on the way and checked on their friends before beginning the long shift. Johnny's day comprised of sitting and reading, maybe some TV, then the occasional meal that Dixie, Hank or Mike forced him to eat. It was dinner time and Johnny was busy watching the news when an alarm on Roy's monitor made him jump out of his skin. The sound was piercing and made his heart race as he come out of the chair and ran to his bedside. Roy seemed quiet, his color was okay. He watched at two nurses ran in and began checking the monitors. Finally after what seemed to be an eternity the screaming sound stopped.
"What's wrong?" he asked in a panic.
"I'm not sure Johnny, it's the ventilator alarming. I'm going to call the respiratory therapists real quick," she said as she ran out the door. The other nurse disconnected the ventilator and using the ambu bag began giving him breaths. Johnny's eyes scanned the monitors over and over, watching for anything that indication that he was…well dying. But the monitors stayed steady leaving Johnny confused.
Within a minute the respiratory therapist came running in and began doing a system check on the ventilator. He stood and shook his head. "I can't find anything wrong. Put him back on."
Johnny was concerned. If something was wrong then why use the same machine? He waited with baited breath as the nurse stopped bagging him and placed him back on. They watched the machine anxiously when the alarm sounded again.
Johnny about jumped out of his skin again, "What's wrong with that?" He was about to demand they replace the machine when he saw a smile break out on the man's face. "What?"
"I know what's wrong now," he said to Johnny. "Look."
Johnny watched him point to Roy. Johnny looked at his face then followed his fingers. He looked at Roy and saw he was still quiet, not moving. Wait, he was moving. His chest, it had a gentle rise and fall to it. Roy was breathing on his own. Johnny looked up at the nurse and RT like a little kid that had just gotten the best Christmas present even. Roy was breathing.
"Get Brackett," was all he could say as he looked down to his brother and friend. He took his shoulder and squeezed it. "Come on pally, I know you can do it."
Brackett had his stethoscope in his ears as he listened intently to Roy's lungs. One side at a time. Johnny hung on every movement. When he looked back up Kelly unplugged his ears.
"Well?" Johnny asked anxiously.
"Well we lightened his medication yesterday and he seems to have responded well," Brackett smiled but saw the worried look across the bed. "This is good Johnny. His lungs have healed enough to start working on their own. We'll begin decreasing the ventilator support and hopefully get him off of it by tomorrow." He walked around the bed watching Johnny who still seemed to not be sure. He playfully slapped him on the back. "Deep breathe Johnny. He's doing better."
Johnny shook his head, "Okay. Thanks doc." Finally the Gage smile came through. "I'm going to call the guys."
Brackett grinned, Johnny leaving the room voluntarily? He must be excited.
Marco put his chili on the table and sat down. The day had been long with a lot of runs and they were exhausted. Marison and Brice were working the Squad for the shift and they had been nonstop also. Their thoughts were not on dinner but they quietly went about their routine of the day, chores, putting out fires and pretty much avoiding Brice.
Chet jumped up when the phone rang, "Station 51, Fireman Kelly."
The others kept eating, not really paying any attention to Chet on the phone until they heard him yell, "What?" He quickly looked at the others but they couldn't tell if it was a good what or a bad what.
Hank was on his feet and at the phone, "Roy?" His heart was pounding out of his chest.
"God Johnny! Really?" Chet was getting more and more excited, now in a big grin.
"What?" Mike and Marco were yelling now.
Chet hung up the phone and smile smugly like he had a secret, "That was Johnny."
"You twit, just tell us what he said!" Hank barked.
"Roy's breathing on his own now. Johnny thinks they will take him off the ventilator in the morning!"
The whoops and cheers amongst the men lifted the spirits of the station times ten. Suddenly they couldn't wait for the shift end.
The next morning came and started in a routine manner. It started with Dixie getting Roy's vital signs, waking Johnny up for breakfast then scooting him off to freshen up for the day. But this morning Johnny had high expectations.
"Dix, when will Brackett come in?" Johnny asked with anticipation.
They both looked up to see him enter the room, "Ask and he appears."
Johnny was ready for it to happen, "Now doc?"
Brackett just laughed, "Okay, okay." With the help of the technician he gently removed the airway and placed a nasal cannula on Roy. After listening to his lungs he nodded. "Okay, we'll see how he does. If he doesn't tolerate this then we will have to put him back on."
Johnny was thrilled with the tube being gone but Roy was still unresponsive, "When will he wake up?"
"He's been on a lot of medication. Let's give him time to wake up on his own."
Johnny wanted that reassurance of seeing Roy awake but understood that the healing process still required his patience.
Later that morning the guys came by to see him. Since he was doing better they all came in to see him at the same time. Johnny stood up and greeted them with a handshake and a weary smile. "Good to see you guys."
They moved around his bed, "It's good to see he's made some progress." Marco said.
"Yea, off the vent a couple of hours ago and doing okay so far," Johnny said.
But Chet noticed the lack of enthusiasm that was there a few hours before, "Johnny what's wrong. That's good news right?" he asked.
"Yea, it is. I just wish he would wake up."
They knew what Johnny's fear was. How long Roy had been down. Even if he got past the smoke inhalation would he be the same Roy they knew? Hank knew the worry in Johnny's heart.
"He's making the right steps, let's give him time okay?" Hank offered the young man.
"I know Cap. It's just hard to sit and wait."
"Well, that's why Chet is taking you home today," Hank said. He wasn't surprised at the snapping up of Johnny's head to that news.
"Cap…" he started to say.
"Don't Cap me. You've been cooped up here for nearly a week now. Go home for the afternoon, check on your place then come back. We will sit right here with him and call you if anything changes. If he does wake up he won't find an empty room."
Johnny did feel like a caged animal. He wanted out so bad but he felt it was so wrong to leave Roy now. The last time he left him…
"Johnny," Hank said. Johnny looked up at him. "You're not abandoning him, I promise we won't leave. Go get cleaned up, get some fresh clothes, get some lunch. Then come back."
He went over to Roy and placed his hand on his shoulder, "I'll be right back partner. I promise." With slumped shoulders Johnny did what his Captain told him to do and followed Chet out the door to the car.
Johnny putzed around his apartment half heartedly. He got his clothes washed and picked up the living room some. None with much energy. All he could think about was getting back to the hospital. Several times he picked up the phone to call and check on him but would hang up before it would even ring into the room. He looked down at the empty water and food bowl in the kitchen realizing that Maxie wasn't there anymore. He looked at Chet on the couch, "Maxie?"
"Oh the little furball. He's at home with me. I figured he would be lonely here till you came back so he's at my place." He saw the frown come across Johnny's face. "It was just temporary Johnny; I'll bring him back now if you want me too. My manager is having a fit over the big mouth in my place anyways."
Johnny shook his head, "No, it's okay. I understand. It's just that Jenny gave him to me and I don't want anything to happen to him."
Chet didn't realize and now understood why Johnny was a little protective over him. "Sure Johnny. I'll keep him safe until you come back." He felt dismay over those words knowing that Johnny would stay by Roy's side until he was better and they didn't know how long that would take. Johnny and Roy were like brothers and there were times that he was a little jealous of that closeness but he knew it had saved their lives more than once. This was one time that he would help out in any way needed to make sure Johnny would be there to see Roy through this crisis.
Johnny went to finish packing his overnight bag when the phone rang. Chet reached over to answer it when Johnny came back into the living room in a mad dash. "Roy?"
Chet nodded, "Cap says we need to get back."
Johnny's heart was hammering in his chest, "What happened?"
"He didn't say, just to get back."
Chet was glad he had driven because if he had put Johnny behind the wheel they might not have made it back alive. Dashing up the stairs and into Roy's room Johnny saw Dixie and Joe Early standing by his bed. Johnny was at his side in a heartbeat.
"Doc? What's wrong?" He said as he scanned Roy and his monitors.
"I think he's trying to wake up Johnny but he's combative and we're having trouble calming him down. I really want to avoid sedating him at this point. If I depress his breathing any we will have to put him back on the ventilator," Joe said.
Then Johnny saw what they were talking about as Roy began thrashing about, not really awake but like he was living a nightmare that he couldn't escape from. Hank sat on one arm trying to keep him from ripping his IV out while Mike worked on holding the other one down. It was taking all they could do just to keep him in the bed. Joe stood with the syringe in his hand.
Dixie leaned over to Johnny, "Talk to him Johnny."