A House Divided – Chet's Cataclysm
Chapter 10
"Mr. Kelly, I'm glad you let me know what really happened this morning. Otherwise, I could've closed that wound without treating you for potential infection."
Chet looked up at the young intern, feeling a sense of connectedness with the fellow Irishman. "Did I do a lot of damage?"
"I don't think so but that glass shard was deeply imbedded. I'm sure you've been in quite a bit of pain today. We'll watch it closely," he said as he finished bandaging up his patient's foot.
Chet saw an opportunity too good to pass up. "Oh…it hurt like a sonofa, uh, yea it hurt …probably gonna hurt again when this stuff wears off too, huh?"
Dr. Harrison smiled as he stepped closer to the head of the bed. "I can give you a prescription to take care of that. I'm also going to prescribe some pretty powerful antibiotics for you to take orally as well as give you an injection before you leave…kind of like a booster for the pills. If the pills cause you any stomach difficulties just let me know."
"Um…"
"Don't worry; you can fill them in the hospital pharmacy before you leave. You don't need to be driving for a few days anyway." Dr. Harrison patted Chet on the shoulder.
"Thanks, Doc. For everything….and you can call me Chet…I hate the Mr. Kelly stuff."
"Alright, is it ok for Sally to come back in and finish up?" He thought he knew the answer but he wanted the decision to be made by his patient.
"Oh, yea…yea, sure…just….well, I'd rather not have Roy or Johnny in here, ya know?" He explained propping himself up on his elbows.
"I understand," Dr. Harrison answered as he pushed through the exam room door. He saw Sally talking to the head nurse of the emergency department, both their faces downcast. He headed over to give her the orders for Chet's discharge.
"Ms. McCall, Ms. Lewis," he said in a subdued tone. "What's wrong?"
Dixie tried to smile at the intern she was quickly growing to like. "We lost a paramedic earlier…his partner's in ICU. These guys are," her sultry smoky voice hitched. "They're like family…living in the world of the fire department and the hospital, equally well."
"I'm very sorry."
"How's Chet?" Sally asked.
"He's gonna be alright." He reached inside his pocket and withdrew a prescription pad. "Here's what he needs before he can be discharged. Will you take care of this for me please?"
She took the paper from him; a smile crossing her lips as she read it. "He's going to hate this."
Dixie watched her remove what was needed from the supply cabinet and a semblance of a smile found its way on her rosy lips. She knew just how Chet was going to react; she'd given Johnny the same medication several times. The sound of Dr. Harrison's voice brought her mind back to the present.
"Ms. McCall? Is Johnny the name of Roy DeSoto's partner?"
"John Gage, yes…why do you ask?"
Dr. Harrison just smiled. "Oh, Chet was just throwing some names around and I'm still learning who's who. I met Roy DeSoto but not his partner…just wanted to make sure I had the names right."
The thought of her favorite paramedic duo finally coaxed a fleeting smile to Dixie's face. "Well, those two are quite well known around here…you'll have plenty of chances to meet Johnny….and he's as likely to be a patient as a paramedic," she snickered.
E!
Inside treatment room 4, Sally was trying to maintain a professional face. "Ok, Chet, I've got a shot for you and then I'll get you a pair of crutches. Dr. Harrison is calling in your prescriptions to the pharmacy and I'll go pick them up for you before you leave."
"Da…uh, darn I hate needles," he said with a grimace as he pushed himself up to a seated position and began rolling up his sleeve.
Sally stifled a giggle, shaking her head negatively. "Uh…no, no Chet. I'm going to need for you to lie back and pull your pants down."
"Ugh," he began, plopping himself back down on the pillow and reaching for his belt. The lineman's old personality fought to escape the confines of his current downtrodden mental state, if only for a moment. "Been a long time since I heard that," he mumbled, hoping it was too soft for her to hear. The exam table squeaked with the shifting of his weight as he turned on his right side, baring his left lower cheek to the pretty nurse. But, she had indeed heard him and the situation left both of them blushing as she swabbed down the intended area on his hip.
"There…now how was that?" She asked, placing a small band-aide on the injection site.
"Humiliating," he scoffed, turning back over and refastening his pants, his somberness returning in full force.
"You don't have anything to be embarrassed about," she said with a grin. "I've seen it all before."
"Hummph."
"Ok, I'm going to get you those crutches and your prescriptions. Do you need anything else?"
Chet stared unblinkingly at his bandaged foot, pulling up his zipper and tightening his belt. "Um, yea…do you mind making a phone call for me?"
E!
Silence permeated the cab of Squad 51, neither paramedic knowing exactly how to begin the conversation they both knew was necessary. Their call had not resulted in a transport; it had merely been a couple of young boys who had dared each other to stuff themselves with pizza and soda – not the massive outbreak of stomach flu their mother had thought.
Now as Roy drove back to Rampart to pick up Chet as promised, he couldn't help but feel that he owed his partner an apology. He looked over at Johnny who was riding with one arm propped up in the open window, fingertips lightly tapping the red metal ledge. He waited for a moment to see if Johnny would meet his gaze but when he didn't, Roy returned his eyes to the road ahead.
Johnny felt the heat rising up around his neck. He could feel Roy staring at him and knew the man was waiting for an apology. After all, they had both seen Chet carry the firefighter from 36's out of the burning building; a fete that he most likely couldn't have completed if Johnny's accusations had been correct. Just when he turned to face Roy, the other man turned forward again and the moment was gone. Johnny faked a cough into his closed fist then began.
"Ahu…uh, R…"
"Joh…"
Both men interrupted each other then smiled realizing that they were once again in sync.
"Me first, Johnny….ok?" Roy swiped the blinker making the wide sweeping left turn.
"Sure."
"I'm…I'm really sorry I treated you like a kid this morning."
Johnny was stunned to his core. Roy was the one apologizing? He arched one eyebrow in his partner's direction. "Huh?"
C'mon, Junior…stop milking this. "I said I'm sorry for how I…"
"No, no, I heard what you said…but I don't understand why you said it?" Johnny shifted in his seat so that he was able to see Roy a little better, even in the darkened cab.
Roy made the turn into the entrance of Rampart Emergency Room's parking lot, waiting for a yellow cab to back out of its parking spot before pulling the squad to a stop in the vacated space. He exhaled audibly then turned to face his long time best friend. "Because you're right."
"'Bout what?"
"About, Chet. Johnny…I don't know what's going on with him exactly but now I see what you and Marco have been seeing." His blue eyes darted about the inside of the squad before finally landing on the face of the bewildered John Gage.
"But…but you and I both saw him carry Carrigan out of that building. So…so, he must be a'right." Johnny ran his fingers through his dark hair trying to process what he was hearing. "I was goin' to apologize to you for actin' like a jerk all day."
Roy bounced his knee in a move that seemed to be taken right out of the Johnny Gage handbook of nervous behaviors. He wanted to tell Johnny what he knew about Chet's injury but he also didn't want to drag the man into a compromising situation with their shiftmate. "Look…I…when I was in the exam room with Chet earlier…," Roy huffed, searching for the right way to explain his predicament. "I…well, I noticed something that let me know that…that I was wrong to defend him…to not intervene…like you did."
"Roy," Johnny swallowed hard as trepidation tickled the back of his throat. "What do you know? What aren't you tellin' me?"
"I can't tell you…exactly, I mean…but you've just gotta trust me on this one," he looked up pleading for his partner to understand. "The man's in trouble…no doubt about it. I just…I just don't know what to do."
Johnny's voice softened markedly as his words gently floated around the inside of the dark and silent cavern of the squad. "Whatever it takes."
Roy looked up then, waiting for Johnny to explain what he meant.
"You…we," he flicked his left hand between the two of them, "I do trust you, Roy…you know that. So…we do whatever it takes to help him. Same as we'd want done for us."
The volume and tone of Roy's voice matched Johnny's in a message that spoke volumes between them. "Same as we'd do for each other?"
"Yep," Johnny said with a hint of his crooked grin, "Pally." He waited for Roy to respond with 'Junior' but when he didn't Johnny realized just how upset his partner really was with the situation. "Roy?" He asked grasping his partner's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze.
"Yea?"
"You can call me Junior."
Roy tried to smile. He wanted to believe that everything was back to normal between them but in his heart, he knew things had been said that were still painful. He thought for a moment about the paramedic who had died earlier and the one who was still clinging to life in the ICU a couple of floors above them. Then, realizing that any call the two of them went on could prove to be their last, he reached for the door handle. "C'mon….Junior."
The two men headed for the emergency entrance with a lightness in their step that had been missing all shift; neither one realizing just how important their friendship would be for the attempted rescue of their coworker which they were about to begin.
E!
Sally removed the sheet from the exam table in treatment room four and was headed to the soiled laundry bin when she noticed Chet's damaged boot lying on its side in the corner. "Uh-oh," she spoke in a soft voice, reaching down and retrieving the dirty, damaged item. She hurriedly rushed from the room and into the corridor when she saw her supervisor walking towards two familiar paramedics. Carrying the boot at her side, she rushed to the intersection of the emergency entrance and corridor where the trio appeared to be meeting.
"Well, that was quick," Dixie said, her face still gloomy from the earlier tragic events.
"Yea…too much RC cola and pepperoni pizza."
Roy looked at his partner's lopsided smirk and nodded his head in silent agreement.
"Oh, so you aren't bringing us any more business then?" She asked, slipping her neatly manicured hands into the pockets of her white uniform.
"No, we're just here to pick up…"
"Has he left yet?" Sally called out as she neared the three friends.
The paramedics and Dixie both looked over at the young nurse who stood before them with a boot dangling at her side.
"Who?" Johnny asked; a quizzical expression plastered across his chiseled face.
"Mr. Kelly…Chet."
"No, we just got back from a run but we're here to pick him up. He should be ready to leave by now," Roy explained.
Sally pressed her lips into a thin line of exasperation. "No," she said turning toward the emergency room entrance. "I called a cab for him."
Roy and Johnny exchanged a worried glance that did not go unnoticed by the head nurse. "Is something wrong?" Roy asked.
Sally stood outside the entrance turning first to her left and then to her right in search of the injured man or the yellow cab she had called to take him home. "Rats," she exclaimed just as Dixie, Roy and Johnny stepped through the doors to join her.
"Why'd he take a cab? He knew we were comin' back for him."
Sally looked back at the dark haired paramedic. "I…I don't know, John. He just asked me to call a cab for him so I did. But he, uh…" she hesitated, lifting the sooty boot for emphasis. "He left his boot."
Roy reached out quickly and secured the boot in his own hand. "I'll get it to him in the morning. I'm going over to change his dressing."
Johnny placed both hands on his narrow hips, looking at Roy as if he had temporarily taken leave of his senses. "But…,"
"Oh no! I forgot to give him the extra supplies," Sally said raising her hand to cover her mouth.
"Don't worry, I can take them with me now so I'll have them in the morning."
"Thanks, Roy. I'll go get them," Sally called out over her right shoulder as she rounded the corner headed toward treatment room four.
"Well, that's certainly nice of you, Roy."
Johnny cut his eyes from Roy to Dixie and then back to Roy. "Yea," he agreed with Dixie's comment. "It sure is."
"Hey…just one friend helping out another," he smiled knowingly at his partner and it didn't take Johnny long to get the unspoken message.
In short order, Sally thrust a small bag of supplies into Roy's hands. "Thank you so much. Please tell him I hope he's back on his feet soon."
"Back on his feet, huh?" Roy snickered a bit. "Don't you mean back on his foot?"
Roy and Johnny waved to the two nurses then each opened his respective door of the squad.
"You gonna go by and check on him when you get off shift?"
Roy looked over at his partner as he cranked up the squad. "Yea…wanna join me?" He asked flatly.
Johnny gave a snort then faced forward looking into the night. "Yep…gotta get to the bottom of this."
"Whatever it takes, right Junior?" Roy asked pulling out of the parking lot.
"Whatever it takes, Pally."
E!
Chet opened his eyes when he felt the familiar bump of the speed breaker on his street. He fished his wallet out of his pants pocket just as the cabby brought the car to a complete stop. He retrieved the necessary bills then struggled to remove himself from the backseat; not an easy task with crutches and a bag of pills with which to contend.
"Thanks, man."
"Anytime, sir."
Chet watched the tail lights on the yellow cab bob up and down as it crossed the speed bump again on its way back out to the main street. He folded the small paper sack containing his supply of medication so that it would fit inside his pocket then clasped the handgrips on his crutches. The walk to his second floor apartment was torture but he managed to make it and neither dropped his medication nor stumbled on the crutches. He was out of breath when he finally reached the top step of the flight and then carefully maneuvered his way to his apartment. Dots of perspiration had formed across his forehead along his hairline and beneath his mustache-adorned upper lip. He bent down as best he could and pulled back the upper right corner of the outdoor rug. There lay his key, exactly where he had left it months ago. Once again, he was grateful to live in an apartment complex where he trusted his neighbors.
Once he'd gained entrance, he tossed the key unceremoniously onto the end table nearest the television set and dropped heavily into the recliner to prop up his foot. It had been a long hard day and now he needed to figure out a way to get out of the mess he was in with the least amount of damage possible…if he escape it at all.
E!
Marco stepped out of the shower having taken advantage of the engine being stood down while they waited on Chet's replacement. His right shoulder was sore but he was otherwise uninjured from his rescue on their last run. He pulled on a t-shirt over his boxers then walked across the cold cement floor to the dorm room. He sat down on his bed preparing his bunkers for a night run. After positioning his boots in the perfect spot for him to step into at the sound of the klaxons, he sat staring at the empty bunk beside his own. He had heard Hank's explanation that Chet had injured his foot on the last run. But Marco had been replaying the events of the day over and over again in his mind and he kept coming back to the same conclusion; Chet had injured his foot earlier in the day, possibly at the transformer fire. The one thing he couldn't understand was why he had waited so long to seek medical treatment.
"Marco?"
Dark brown eyes looked up at the tall figure standing over him. He hadn't heard anyone enter and the sound of his name had startled him a little. "Oh…I'm sorry, Mike. Just thinking about that last run is all."
"You and Chet did everything you could to save them both. Don't beat yourself up. Jacobs is still alive and if you hadn't gotten him out when you did then he'd have never had a chance." There was more Mike wanted to say but he needed to make sure Marco was okay before he broached the subject of their other lineman.
"Yea…I know. Thanks, Mike." He looked back down at his hands resting in his lap. He knew that he and Mike had not agreed on Chet's situation but with Johnny still out on a run, he didn't have anyone else to turn to and he needed to tell someone about his suspicions. "I…I think I need to go talk to Cap," he mentioned reaching down to pull on his bunkers.
Mike laid a hand on Marco's shoulder. "Um, can I talk to you a minute first? I…I have some concerns about Chet too."
Marco slowly sat back up straighter, his eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Like what?"
Mike sat down on Chet's bed looking eye to eye with Marco. "You've told me that you've been worried about him for a while now and…well, I guess I sort of dismissed your concerns. But he said something to me this morning that…um, I knew something was wrong about it but I just couldn't put my finger on it."
Marco waited for his engineer to continue but when he didn't, Marco prodded a little. "What'd he say?"
Mike leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees and his head down for a moment. He didn't want to make something out of nothing but Chet's statement had been nagging at him all day. Now, he remembered why. He looked up, blue eyes staring at the waiting Marco. "He lied to me this morning, Marco. And for the life of me, I can't figure out why?"
Marco felt his shoulder's slump. If Chet had lied to Mike, their straight as an arrow engineer, then he and Johnny had not been wrong about him. He cleared his throat, needing to know more. "When? About what?"
Mike pressed his palms into his knees, rising to a standing position as he exhaled loudly. "He was complaining about Gage bugging him. He told me that nothing was wrong with him like Gage thought; said that he was just tired from scraping the eaves of his apartment complex and repainting them for his landlady." Mike watched for a reaction from Marco but saw him knit his eyebrows together in confusion. Then Marco's facial muscles relaxed and he stood up joining his engineer.
"But…that can't be, Mike. His…"
"I know. It hit me when we drove by there on the way to that last run. I was going to confront him about it when we got back but," he propped his hands on his hips and turned his upper torso towards the exit.
"You wanna do it when we get off shift? I'll go with you," Marco offered, encouragement sounding in his voice.
"He'll probably be asleep," Mike said.
"Then we'll wake him up. This is important, Mike. I don't think we need to wait."
Mike hesitated, not really wanting to confront the man when he was injured. But he also knew that Marco was right. "I think you're right. I don't think it can wait….especially since Carrigan didn't make it."
Marco hung his head; Mike's words coupled with the soreness in his shoulder reminding him of the loss of one of their brothers a few hours earlier, "Yea…"