Title: Rememories – Pt. 11
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Emergency! is owned by Universal and Mark VII Productions. I make no profit from my imagination—only a personal joy and peace.
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Johnny sat by the fire relishing its warmth against the cool of the night. As he watched the flames lick the sides of the log he had just placed on the fire, he allowed his thoughts to drift back to Greg Daniels. He then heard a lone wolf's cry and thought aloud, "Wonder if that's you, Greg?" He added a half-laugh and a forced smile to his thought. He wished he knew if Greg was alive or dead, but that would have to wait until tomorrow when he returned to the ranch with Jenny. He told himself he would call as soon as they arrived to the house. He would make that call before showering, before eating, and before taking Jenny home. He had to know what had become of his Paramedic.
After sitting for a few more minutes, Johnny got up and walked over to the supply bag. He pulled out the small kettle he used to boil water over the fire. He began the short walk to the creek bank to fill the kettle so he would have hot water in the morning for his coffee. The moon was almost full and it was enough to light his path. He did not want to take the chance of waking Jenny to get the flashlight from his backpack.
The night chill and cool breeze brushed across his neck and face. He still had on a long sleeve flannel shirt and a t-shirt under that. So, he was mostly protected for the cool of the night. The creek's edge was just about 30 feet from the campsite and he took a deep breath as he knelt to fill the kettle from the edge of the small boulder on which he was standing.
Something caught his attention across the creek and he diverted his eyes to that area. He thought he saw movement. He watched closely and realized that something was across the creek…maybe watching him. He stood and called out, "Hey, who's there?" He placed the lid on the kettle as he awaited a response.
He wasn't sure what happened first, but he heard a loud "pop" and felt like he got stung by a bee in his back. He dropped the kettle and grabbed at his back just as he tumbled down. He called, "Jenny", before the darkness claimed him.
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She wasn't sure what woke her. She had been sleeping so soundly. Jenny always liked how warm and safe she felt inside her sleeping bag. She turned to her left to find that Johnny was not in his sleeping bag next to her. This was not unusual. She knew that adults often stayed up way past the time children went to bed. She yawned again and turned onto her side.
After only a few moments of listening to the sound of the creek flowing, the gentle baying of a far-away wolf and the chirping of the bugs, she drifted off to a peaceful slumber again.
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He was cold. No, better assessment would be that he was freezing cold. Johnny heard the water rushing around him and felt the cold trickling around his back and arms. He was on his back and half of him was in the creek and half of him was on the bank. He looked up at the sky and noticed that the stars and moon had shifted. According to rough calculations, about two hours had passed since he'd last looked at the sky and that was before he knelt to fill the coffee pot.
It took him a few minutes to gain his bearings. He knew he was in the woods and, for some reason, in the water. But, it did not yet register how he got where he now was. He began his self-assessment starting at his head. He reached his right hand up, feeling a slight twinge in his lower back when he did. He found a bump behind his right ear and, shortly afterward, the rock that had likely been the culprit. He moved the rock away and allowed his head to rest in the dirt. He felt in his hair near the bump, but could not tell right away if it was blood or water.
He moved his hand down across to his left arm, chest and torso. He tried to slowly sit up and found that it was nearly impossible due to his uncontrollable shivering. His teeth chattered so loudly that he thought it sounded like a woodpecker on a tree. Finally, sitting upright, he could see how he was situated. His entire right side was in the flowing water of the creek bank. He remembered feeling a pain in his back and moved his arm around to see if he could find out what happened.
Feeling around his lower back, there was some discomfort, but no real pain per se. He was feeling a bit nauseated and thought he might vomit if he did not lie down again soon. He thought briefly of calling for Jenny, but until he was certain his condition, he knew he would just frighten her. He decided to try to stand up, even though his legs felt numb. "Is numb the word?" Johnny thought. He knew that the right leg, being submerged in the cold water of the running creek would likely be numb. But, the other leg, though fairly dry, had the same "dead" feeling.
He was close to panic when he finally tried to stand and his legs would not move. He stared at them…willed them to move…and, they remained still. He gathered his wits and thought about what happened again. He spoke aloud to further calm himself.
"I was standing and looking across the creek." His eyes returned to the spot where he thought he saw something moving. "I felt a sharp pain in my back and fell down. Huh? What the hell happened?" Johnny continued to wonder. He moved his hand to his back once again and felt around. He ran his fingers up and down and finally found what had caused him to fall. About 3 centimeters to the right of his spine, he found a hole…a bullet hole. "Someone shot me?" He questioned, still talking aloud to himself. "What the hell?" He moved quicker than he should have and vomited. The exertion from the force of the vomiting should have triggered great pain for a gunshot victim, but Johnny was not feeling much pain.
"Probly hypothermia." He guessed. "I've got to get outta this water." After what seemed like hours, he positioned himself to be able to pull with his arms. He took some deep breaths and pulled with all his strength. The weight he had lost over the past week made the process a bit easier. Once he pulled himself, using only his upper body, from the water, he was completely exhausted. He sighed deeply and wondered again if he should call for Jenny.
"I'll just rest a bit, first. Then I will call her." Johnny thought as sleep overtook him.
TBC