Chapter 3: In which Chet makes coffee and Mike plays catch.
When they arrived back they found Marco and Chet in the kitchen arguing over making coffee. Mike hid behind the business section. He'd already made two pots and figured it was someone else's turn.
Although Marco certainly didn't want Chet to make it! Especially with a handful of crushed eggshells to mix into the grounds.
"Look, man, I'm sure you have to at least rinse the shells before you use them!" he argued.
"But this is how I remember my grandpop doing it!" Chet argued back. Johnny grabbed a soda out of the fridge and two glasses. He held up the can and Roy nodded in agreement.
"So, how long has this been going on?" Roy asked as he sat next to the engineer and snagged the sports section.
"Half hour," Mike replied. "Cap closed his door." That was a bit strange; Cap never closed that door unless something serious was going on.
"Hey, Gage," Marco stopped and looked over at the lanky paramedic as he divvied up the cola. "Thanks for taking care of our lunch!"
"No problem," he replied as he took a long sip of the iced liquid. The argument continued. John pulled over the front section and looked at the headlines.
"Looks like China's out of the Olympics this summer," he said as he read the first couple of paragraphs.
"Who cares," Chet weighed in as he took a break from arguing with Marco. "I said I'd make the coffee, and I'm gonna make the coffee!"
"Ok, Ok, go ahead," Marco threw his hands up. "I'm not gonna drink it unless you rinse off those shells!"
"Guess I'd better get the meatloaf together," Roy decided and started setting up on the counter.
A few minutes later Cap opened his door and stuck his head out. "Who's cooking the eggs?" he asked. Mike just hunkered down behind the paper. Figuring it was a good idea, Johnny joined him.
"Chet?" a warning voice.
"Yeah, Cap?" an innocent return. "Oh, that's just the shells in the grounds. It makes a smoother cup of coffee." Shaking his head Hank opened the windows in the kitchen area.
"John, Dixie called," Stanley said as he passed the table towards his office. "The women you brought in this morning? She was in surgery over 4 hours. Said she was in critical condition."
"Damn, she didn't seem that bad when we left her," he shook his head. "Guess I'll check on her later."
"Hey, buddy, remember the number one rule!" Roy lectured elbows deep mixing meatloaf.
"You're assuming he can count that high," Chet heckled.
"We're not talking about your IQ score, Chester B," John shot back. Mike surreptitiously touched his shoulder in commiseration. He knew Johnny tended to worry about his patients. It also served to calm the younger man down and he ignored the rest of Chet's barbs.
Roy managed to get the loaf shaped and put in a pan before they were toned out again. He slid the meat into the oven and quickly set the timer and temperature. At least he didn't have to be here to start it!
"Station 51, Station 36, truck accident at the docks," the dispatcher relayed address and cross street.
"Station 51, KMG 365," Hank secured the papers and passed one to Johnny on the way to the engine. Soon they were well on their way to the docks at the end of the 710 freeway.
They could see the smoke before they got there. It seemed two tanker rigs had collided and even a slow-moving truck could do a lot of damage to the side of a tank. Hoses were pulled out immediately as Hank called in a request for a foam truck. The two drivers had already been pulled out by some nearby workers so Roy and Johnny were able to start in treating one driver while 36 took the other. Neither man was actually hurt, but were mostly shook up.
"Hey, my rig was pretty much empty," the one trucker said. "But the fumes will explode if they get too hot." Roy immediately called Hank over to pass on the information. The strategy changed and the most of the hoses were turned towards the uninvolved tanker to keep any flames away. 36 kept their two inch on the flames holding them back until the foam truck arrived.
Chet and Marco moved in closer, pouring the water over the tank and cab. They could see steam starting to push out of a seam.
"IT'S GONNA BLOW!" Chet yelled and all the firemen scattered. He managed to throw himself down as the blast forced its way out of the weakened seam. The force picked up Marco and he found himself flying in the air towards the engine and a very surprised Mike Stoker. Spreading his legs slightly he braced himself for impact.
Johnny and Roy watched in horror as their crew mate flew and struck the engineer, knocking him back into the gauges. The younger paramedic was on his feet and running before anyone else could react. He gently untangled his friends and began assessing them for injuries.
Roy joined his partner once he transferred his patient to Dwyer. Marco was dazed and Mike was unconscious.
"Let me get to the controls," Hank moved between them to start shutting down the hoses.
"I got the boxes," Chet dropped the drug box and biophone off before running back for the O2.
"Pass a pressure bandage," Gage requested as he looked over a gash to the back of Stoker's head. "And a c-collar." He noted respiration and pulse rate while he waited for the BP cuff. Marco was awake, but disoriented. Roy couldn't find any apparent physical injuries, but figured the concussive blast possibly did some internal damage.
He called into Rampart and began relaying information. As soon as he finished the phone was passed over to Johnny for Stoker's info. Both men ended up on backboards with IVs and put into ambulances.
Along the ride in Mike regained consciousness. He was a bit hazy about what had happened, but claimed that Marco was flying like Superman through the air and knocked him over. Both men and ambulance attendant had a good laugh.
Once in ER Gage sought out Dixie.
"How's Rose Welner doing?" he asked quietly, hoping not to get the lecture.
"Still in the CCU," Dixie said. "Hasn't woken up from surgery. Hey, if you're going up to check would you tell Kel we really need him down here?"
"Sure, Dix," he grinned, knowing she was covering his visit. He rode the elevator up two floors and found the correct bed. Both Brackett and the trauma doctor, Dr. Ryan, were there, going over the latest panels and speaking softly when he walked up.
"Hey, Dr. Brackett?" he said quietly, "Dixie said you're needed down in ER."
"Why didn't she call?" he queried.
"I was just going to check up on Ms. Welner," he admitted. And was immediately chastised about breaking rule number one before Brackett turned and left for his primary domain. Ryan waited until the white coat disappeared into the elevator.
"I've broken rule number one," he admitted to the paramedic. "I'm the head of trauma, considered one of the best in the field, I'm hard-nosed and overly demanding and critical. But I have broken the rule." He smiled ruefully.
"How do you handle it?" Johnny asked. "I mean, in your specialty you have a higher mortality rate."
"A little bit dies inside me," he said quietly. "And I swear I've learned my lesson every time. Then another patient comes along, with that spark and personality and I break the damned rule again!" He glanced over at the unconscious woman. John saw his face, his concern and connected the dots.
"Her?" he asked.
"Yeah," Ryan admitted. "She just snuck under the radar and before I knew it I looked forward to her office visits. Rose is witty and intelligent. Always has something interesting to talk about."
"She sounds like a good person to know," the paramedic reasoned.
"Yes, and it pisses me off she got nailed by a stupid idiot trying to jump lanes on the freeway," the doctor grumbled.
"Any idea when she'll wake?" he asked. The doctor shook his head.
"When she's good and ready," he said with a shrug. "Well, I actually have to get back to my hospital. Thanks for getting her in so fast." He shook Johnny's hand and replaced the clipboard on the end of the bed.
"Do me a favor and wake up soon, Rose," he told her. Johnny approached the bed.
"Yeah, I want to hear more about that perfect son of yours," he added. They rode silently down the elevator. Ryan headed for the parking lot and Gage headed back to check up on his friends.
By now Cap and Chet had made it to Rampart and had joined Roy in the doctor's lounge. Johnny slipped in and grabbed a cup of coffee.
"Mike's gone to get his arm casted," Hank began, "he has a concussion but Early says it doesn't look bad. Took a few stitches on the laceration." Roy picked up the thread.
"He has some bruised ribs but that's all," he finished. "Marco has a concussion, too. He's going up to CCU for observation and some medication."
"Mike said Marco looked just like Superman flying through the air," Johnny said as he sipped coffee. That caused the other three men to laugh.
"Well, I think Mike did a superb job of catching," Hank added with a snicker. Roy checked his watch.
"Meatloaf's cooking," he commented. The door opened and a tired looking Bracket entered. Johnny went over and pulled down a mug filling it for the doctor. He received a tired thanks as the man took a small sip and sat down.
"Sorry I jumped on your earlier, Johnny," he apologized.
"It's Ok, Dr. Ryan talked with me awhile," the paramedic replied earning a look from the head of ER. Ryan was not known to have idle chats.
"How're the guys doing?" Chet broke in, touching on the important stuff.
"Well, Marco's doing OK, so far," Brackett relayed. "The meds will keep the swelling down and he's resting," he took a longer sip. "Mike's being moved into a room as we speak. The arm is only a fracture and the concussion is pretty mild. I think the ribs are going to be the most annoying problem. It'll be a bit painful to breath as you all know!" The men offered their varied agreements to the statement.
"Ms. Welner still hasn't woken up," Brackett added for Johnny. "Probably will just slip into sleep without much trouble. Took out six feet of intestine and had to do some repair to her stomach. Ryan was surprised she got to keep her spleen." Roy and Hank both cast their gazes on the silent paramedic, but only received a blank look back. Johnny relaxed in the knowledge even heads of major trauma units broke the number one rule.
"You can stop by and see them on your way out," Brackett finished and returned to his coffee. He was mildly interested in what Ryan had to say to Gage, but knew he'd never find out from either man.
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Two weeks passed. Marco returned first followed by Mike a week later. Both were glad to be back in the saddle. A brightly-colored package sat on the table and a fresh pot of coffee courtesy of Hank was on the stove. The men wandered in and poured mugs out. The package was tossed to Marco.
Marco took one look at a navy blue shirt and a huge smile covered his face. He ran back into the dorms to change. The crew looked over at Johnny who'd brought it in, but he wasn't willing to disclose what Marco's shirt said.
When the fire man returned he opened his shirt showing the large Superman "S" emblazoned on the front of the t-shirt. Under the colorful "S", neatly printed in bright colors matching the letter, read "Super Marco to the Rescue!"
"All he needs is a red cape," Chet chortled over his coffee. Mike's face slowly broke into a grin as he opened a cupboard door and emerged with a red checkered table cloth. Even Hank burst into laughter as the wiry fireman pulled the "cape" around his shoulders and posed as though he would launch into the air.
It was good to be together again!