Chapter 13
"Revenge, with a Turn for the Worst."
Johnny heard Elizabeth come in and announce, "I'm back hope you've been a good boy."
He heard her set some bags of groceries down on the counter and then leave again. "Sounds like she has gone overboard with her grocery shopping." He slowly sat up on the bed where he had been sleeping. Slowly he moved his feet out of bed and onto the floor and reached out for his crutches. Using them to pull himself up. He felt his muscles ach as he slowly headed out of the room. He heard Elizabeth come back in before he had reached the door to his bedroom. He continued to move on down the hall listening as she opened cupboards and put stuff away. As he came into the kitchen she had her back to him. He quickly decided to sneak up on her again to get back for the pictures she took. When he was just behind her he said, "Boo!"
Elizabeth jumped with surprise and spun around to face him. There was a panicked look on her face. "Gotcha." Johnny said as he smiled. Elizabeth's hand flew to her neck as her facial muscles twitched and she tried to take in a breath but couldn't. Quickly Johnny realized that she was choking. He dropped the crutches and grabbed her and turned her around and quickly clasped his hands together against her abdomen and trusted upward twice. This seemed to help as she started coughing. As Johnny watched and listed as she coughed and tried to take in air, it was clear that there was still a partial obstruction. Slowly he lowered Elizabeth and himself down to the floor. He had her leaned up against the cupboards. Looking into her face he saw the panic in her eyes. He glanced down a little and saw the veins bulging on her neck as she struggled to take in air. "Sit here, I'll be right back." He turned and crawled over to the wall where the phone hung and pulled him self up and called dispatch and requested a squad and an ambulance for a woman with breathing problems. As soon as he finished giving the dispatcher his address he dropped back down on to his knees and quickly returned to her side. "Hang in there, help is on the way." She nodded her head to acknowledge her understanding as she strained to get more air into her lungs. It was then that Johnny noticed the blue ting to her lips and the beads of sweat forming on her face. He places two fingers on her neck and felt the carotid artery pumping fast in an effort to get more oxygen to her brain. He looked back up in time to see Elizabeth eyes close and she fell over towards the floor.
"No! Come on Zibbith stay with me." He grabbed her and lowered her, the rest of the way to the floor as he watched for the rise and fall of her chest only to find that she was not taking in any air at the moment. He quickly repositioned himself so he was kneeling at the side of her head quickly sliding his left hand under her neck and lifting it to tilt the head back and open her airway, she took in a slow ragged breath but it was obvious to Johnny as he watch her chest rise that she was not filling her lungs and he began mouth to mouth breathing to get more oxygen into her lungs. He heard a knock at the door and the call, "Fire Department." Johnny hollered, "Come in." as he bent over her again to give her a breath.
Peters and McGuire hurried in to the kitchen. McGuire asked, "What happened?" as he reached towards her neck to check for a pulse, finding her heart beating strong and fast.
"She's choking on something, I don't know what." Johnny replied as he turned and grabbed the oxygen and resuscitator and began pushing pure oxygen into her lungs as McGuire continued taking her vitals. Peters opened the bio-phone and contacted Rampart.
"This is squad 8, how do you read?" There was not response, "Rampart this is squad 8."
"Go ahead 8." Dixie's voice responded.
"Rampart we have a female approximately 25 years of age. She has a partial blockage in her airway from a foreign body. We have her on 10 liters of O2. Her pulse is 156, blood pressure is one hundred and fifty over ninety five. Respirations are 12 and shallow."
Brackett's voice responded, "8 can you see the blockage?" McGuire gently but forcibly pushed Johnny away and removed the resuscitator and looked into Elizabeth mouth with a pen light. The he looked up and shook his head as he replaced the mask.
"Negative Rampart."
"8 start IV/Ringers and transport as soon as possible and keep us posted."
"Ten four Rampart."
While Peters gathered the IV supplies Elizabeth began coming around. McGuire removed the resuscitator from her face and gave her a smile.
As she focused on the face hanging over her she began to panic, which didn't help her breathing. Johnny seeing what was happening pushed McGuire aside so he could put his face in her eye sight, "Its okay Zib, they're friends they won't hurt you." Then pointing to each man Johnny introduced his co-workers, while McGuire replaced the resuscitator mask for a regular one. Another knock came at the door and McGuire stood and opened the door to let the ambulance attendant in with the gurney. Elizabeth turned her head and saw two more men come into the room. Her fear of men escalated and her breathing became more irregular.
Johnny was watching her and saw her panic. "Zibbeth its okay, I know all these men and I know they won't hurt you. Now calm down, concentrate on breathing in slow deep breaths." However his words didn't seem to register. Johnny raised his voice and called, "Elizabeth!" she pulled her eyes off the others in the room and looked at Johnny, "Everything is going to be okay I promise I'll stay with you. Okay?" She nodded her head and kept eye contact with Johnny as much as possible as they lifted her onto the gurney. "I'll be right behind you." Johnny called out as they pulled her out the door. He quickly grabbed his crutches, while McGuire waited to follow him out. Johnny climbed in and took the seat at Elizabeth head and she reached out her hand towards him and he took it. "Relax; concentrate on breathing in slow deep breaths."
It seemed to take forever to get to the hospital as Johnny watched Elizabeth struggle to breath. When the back doors to the ambulance were opened, Johnny looked up and saw Dixie waiting to direct them. Dixie's eyes locked with Johnny's then she looked down and recognized Elizabeth on the gurney. "Room One." She told them as she stepped aside to let them out. As soon as the gurney was moving towards the open doors Johnny stood and followed. Dixie waited to help Johnny down from the back of the ambulance as she asked, "What happened?"
A tear came to his eye as he said, "It's my fault. I snuck up behind her and scared her."
Dix guided him into the building as she said, "Come on."
As they walked down the hall Johnny stopped to turn into room one but Dixie stopped him. "Sorry Johnny but you need to wait out here."
"Dix, I promised. . . . "
Dixie cut him off. "Johnny I'll be in there with her and she knows Brackett she'll be okay now go sit down before I find some place else to put you, like a bed upstairs." With that Dixie disappeared into room one.
After walking through the door Dixie went over to the other nurse in the room and asked, "Melissa, will you please take Johnny to the waiting room then go upstairs to Roy DeSoto's room. I think Captain Stanley and a few others are there, have them come down and sit with Johnny."
Melissa nodded her head and headed for the door. She found Johnny leaning against the wall just outside the door. "Come on Mr. Gage; let's get you off that injured foot." Melissa slipped her arm behind Johnny and slowly herded him to the waiting room where she helped him sit down and found another chair to elevate his injured foot. Once he was settled the nurse hurried over to the elevator where she disappeared behind the closing doors.
Melissa knocked on the closed door to Roy's room and heard, "Come in." She pushed open the door and saw Captain Stanley and Chet Kelly in the room visiting with Roy. "Excuse me. May I have a word with you Mr. Stanley?"
Cap quickly stood and walked out into the hall way with the nurse while Chet and Roy exchanged puzzled and concerned looks with one another. After a few minutes Cap returned.
"It seems that Johnny's down stairs." Instantly looks of alarm came to Roy and Chet's faces and he quickly explained, "He not here for medical intervention, at least not for himself. It seems he came in with a friend who was choking on something. The nurse told me that he is upset so Dixie suggested that she come get us to sit with him for moral support." He looked from Roy over to Chet and asked, "Chet you want to stay here with Roy or come with me?"
Before Chet could answer Roy spoke up, "I'll be okay, you go check on Johnny and then let me know what's happened."
With a nod of his head Cap turned toward the door and opened it for Chet to go through and then followed saying "We'll let you know as soon as we can."
When the elevator doors opened Cap saw Johnny pacing back and forth in the waiting room. "Johnny?" he called as he walked over towards him. "What's up pal?"
Johnny's head snapped around to look at his captain, "Cap, what you are doing here?"
"Chet and I came to visit Roy," Cap said.
And then Chet jumped in asking, "Why, are you here Johnny, did you hurt yourself again?" Chet wanted to distract Johnny's mind from whatever was bothering him and what better way to do so then with some taunting from the phantom.
"Chet do I look like I'm hurt?" Johnny shot back at him.
Chet looked him up and down with a silly grin on his face and said, "It's kinda hard to tell. Have you looked in a mirror lately?"
Johnny gave him a puzzled look for a moment before he remembered that his face was very black and blue, "Very funny Chet."
"I'm not kiddin you look like one of Frankenstein's projects." Chet continued to barb.
"Chet, why don't you let the man talk?" Cap intervened. "So Johnny what brings you back to Rampart so soon after you gained your freedom?"
"A . . . A friend of mine was brought in." Johnny said as he turned to continue his pacing.
"Aren't you supposed to be off that foot?" Cap asked.
This caught Johnny off guard as his mind was back in room one. He turned to look back at Cap and Chet and asked, "What?"
"You know Gage the appendage that is probably throbbing by now," Chet said with a cocky grin on his face and his hand pointing to Johnny gimped up foot.
"Come on Johnny," Cap said with a hint of exasperation in his voice over Chet's tormenting. "Why don't we go down to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee and you can get that foot elevated while we talk.
"Ah . . ." Johnny mind was fuddled, both his head and his foot were throbbing and he was finding it hard to comprehend all that was going on. Finally he realized what Cap had said and he shook his head. "I need to stay here, Zibbeth may need me."
"Zibbeth! Is that the broad you took to the fireman's picnic a couple of years ago?" Chet exclaimed.
Johnny was incensed about Chet's comment and turned toward him. "What's it to you, if she is." Johnny began moving towards Chet. "You don't even know her. How dare you stand there and be little her."
Cap could see that Johnny was about to do something he wouldn't be proud of a few minutes from now and stepped in front of Chet. "Hey Chet, why don't you go get some coffee for the three of us pal?"
Chet was quick to retreat, "Good idea Cap." And he quickly turned and hurried down the hall way.
"Okay Johnny, let get you off that foot and you can tell me about your friend, Alright?"
Johnny nodded his head and allowed cap to redirect him over to the chairs.