Chapter 28

John ran for the radio nearly pushing his captain out of his way as he grabbed up the mic pressing the button next to his mouth. "Eess, just tell it like it is we don't use the same ten-code here."

"Haa, right," Elise's voice came over the radio again. "We have a four car pileup in front of home station or rather station 69, the cars involved include an eighteen wheeler, and a fire department squad number 39, only one medic on board Name plate says Hutchinson. Also two other passenger cars, One having three passengers the other is completely under the trailer of the eighteen wheeler no idea at this point how many are in there.

Dix has her hands full with a double footling breach that is coming whether we're ready for it or not. Where do you guys keep the jaws, on the squad or the engine?"

"It's okay Eess, help is on the way," John talked into the radio knowing dispatch was hearing everything they said.

"ETA?" Elise asked as the tones sounded over John's head. He paused just long enough to know he was being sent home to deal with the crisis there.

"We'll be there in about ten minutes." John informed.

"Can't wait, this medic won't make it that long," Elise responded.

John looked to his Captain for advice only to see him holding the mic from the squad through the open door. He handed it to John while taking the station Mic and responded, "Station 51 responding KMG365," he then followed by yelling into the bay, "Kelly in the squad, you navigate and ride shot gun while John keeps communications going on the radio."

"The Jaws are one the squad," John reluctantly informed his wife as he was sandwiched into the middle seat of the squad. "It's on the back of the truck in the box nearest the cab." John informed and added, "Eess take care."

"I'll be fine John, remember you taught me how to use this stuff." Elise reassured using the handy talkie as she moved for the Jaws. "Now how do I communicate with the hospital? If there is only one medic the other one must have the direct radio."

"We are setting up a relay to Rampart General Hospital," The dispatcher answered for John as Chet warned Roy of an oncoming car that didn't look like it was going to stop to let him through the intersection.

"I think your jaws are heavier than mine," Elise's voice groaned with the weight she was lifting. "Where can I find IV supplies and a blood pressure cuff and steth?" John could hear the sound of breaking glass.

"The main compartment on the passenger side," John directed, "Look for the box marked Trauma."

"10-4" Elsie responded and John heard the voice of Officer Vince Howard in the back ground asking where he could help.

"Start that motor then see if you can hear any signs of life from the car under the semi," Elise instructed. Before the sound of the jaws compressor was heard and the radio cut out.

"Squad 51 this is Engine 51, John do you know Elise's 10 codes?" Captain Stanley radioed from behind thinking to himself this was going to be a very interesting dispatch tape to listen to later.

"Only one," John answered, "10-85 is for patient condition, Echo stands for obvious fatality, foxtrot stands for suspected fatality, Charlie has got to mean critical."

"LA this is Engine 51 request air transport be added to our rescue." Captain Stanley requested.

"10-4 51"

Squad 51 had only moved two blocks closer to its destination through slowed traffic when the radio came alive again. "John where do you keep the stokes and backboards?"

"In the very back a small compartment just above the bumper," John answered.

"Someone tell Rampart that we have a full flail chest with a puncture wound on the left I'd say between the 9th and 10th rib. Breathing is extremely compromised and there's bulging between the ribs. Request permission to put in a chest tube. Breathing in nearly nonexistent at only two breaths in a counted minute, pulse 160 or faster and weak, BP 70 by palpation. WE need a couple of IV's going full bore Recommend Saline."

"John the stokes and back board are gone," Elise reported while she waited for her orders. "They must have used them on their last run. Where are the keys to little red?" She was referring to her rescue truck parked in the bay of the home station.

"In the office er entry area in the top right hand drawer of the chest there."

"Do you know the layout of a fire station?" Elise was heard to say over the radio but it wasn't meant for the men of station 51 they all knew.

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At the accident scene Officer Howard was kneeling next to Elise controlling the handy talkie's button and holding the device close to Elise's mouth. It was he, she was asking about his knowledge of the station layout.

"Yes pretty much." He responded then listened to his instructions.

"In the office area there's a chest of drawers in the top right is a bunch of keys look for the set with a replica fire helmet on them. Then pull the small red truck out here. It has the supplies we need." Elise instructed and since Vince was still pressing the button on the HT everyone in radio land heard.

"Tell Rampart the chest tube is in we have a lot of blood coming back and it's bright red. We've got a pretty good bleeder in there. Breathing is improving six, eight. Thirty two breaths per minute, pulse is down to 130 still weak, stand by for BP." "Oh Nurse McCall reports baby is delivered, mid range APGAR score mother hemorrhaging, She's getting ready to administer Pitocin. Driver of her car has severe laceration over left ear she can see bone. Patient is unconscious but has pulse of 90 and normal. Not able to get more vitals until help arrives. Second passenger is complaining of a sore shoulder.

As for the rest of them the truck driver is moving around on his own and they think they here signs of life from the car under the Semi but no further info at this time."

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IN the com room at Rampart Dr. Brackett and Dr. Morton were listening in on the scanner to get the info they needed and then Dr. Brackett was talking into the phone giving orders to be relayed back to Dixie and Elise.

"That Paramedic is in bad shape," Dr Morton responded, "I didn't know the paramedics carried Chest tube kits in the squads?"

"They don't to my knowledge, who does this woman think she is?" Brackett responded with exasperated anger.

"Bp is the same 70 by palpation, there's a chopper moving in for a landing." They were hearing all that Elise had to say whether it was to those helping her or those she was talking to. "This squad is officially out of IV's I have two NS with two piggybacked Ringers on the medic. Dixie is running two D5W on the mother." "I'm inserting an Esophageal Airway on our medic here."

"LA be advised our rescuer is light headed what's the ETA on the other personnel." Vince was heard to say.

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At the accident scene Elise was being reminded by her body that she was medically retired from this kind of work. She knew lives depended on her getting it right and she knew that the change in altitude the chopper would make would also make her black out for sure. "Get the mother and baby loaded Dixie is going to have to go in with these ones." Elise made the command decision hoping Dixie didn't mind her taking command in a foreign territory. But it was the only way the fireman she was working on had a chance.

"Nurse McCall will be bringing the patients in, advise having a lot of blood on hand for the medic and the mother." Elise reported in.

A blanket was used to carry the mother to the chopper as Dixie carried the baby. The back board packaged medic had already been loaded and Dix was amazed at what Elise had done with the supplies and equipment available to her. The Chest tube was really just four large bore IV needles and IV tubing pushed just deep enough to relieve the pressure and was draining into a sterile bag taped to the ends of the IV tubing, Crude but effective, to a point.

Dixie was reluctant to leave Elise alone but she had to admit the two patients she was going in with were critical and it was the best choice under the circumstances.

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John knew his new home was going to be coming into view at any moment and was nearly holding his breath. The radio chatter was next to nothing now and all of it from the police officers on sight. Before the Home Station came into view they saw the helicopter fly over head in the opposite direction. When they crested the small hill they saw the wreckage and John was franticly searching for Elise as they made their final approach.

When the squad came to a stop John nearly pushed Chet out of the cab to make passage for himself. While Chet was grabbing at equipment in the compartments, John was taking in the scene. The sound of the jaws drew him to a four door sedan and his wife manhandling the heavy equipment as it pulled the steering column away from the driver trapped in his seat and bleeding profusely from a head wound. The winch on the front of Little Red was being used by the police officers to pull the two door sedan out from under the Semi. A woman sitting on the bumper of the wrecked squad was getting a triangular bandage sling applied by the First aid trained Semi driver.

John's terror was replaced with shear pride in his bride. There was room for plenty of help but Elise had everything under control.

The Jaws were stopped having achieved the desired effect and before Elise could move to her patient Captain Stanley had come up from behind her and took hold of both of her arms and pulled her back against his turn out coat. "We've got it from here," Hank told Elise prepared for her to put up a fight. But she was tired and spent with little if any fight in her.

"Are you okay?" John quickly asked before his out of breath wife waved him toward the patient in the car. John felt assured that she was just tired and that his captain would take care of her so he climbed in the car to fully assess his patient. Roy and Chet took on the car that had just been pulled from under the Semi and Elise was guided to the running board of the engine to be place under the watch of Engineer Mike Stoker as Captain Stanley took over Elise's roll as incident commander.

Elise accepted her demotion gracefully and leaned her head against the engine until the vibration of the pumps seemed to cause issues with the foreign body in her skull. She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and then her face in her hands and soon felt a hand taking hold of her wrist and counting a pulse.

"I guess I'm not up to passing the department's physical requirements right now am I?" Elise looked up at Mike Stoker.

"Well I don't know about that," Mike small talked and felt totally uncomfortable with his crewmate's wife. "You sure did a good job with the Jaws and got the two most serious patients packaged and taken care of before we even got here."

Elise turned her attention to the action taking place as she caught her breath. Captain Stanley was helping John slide his patient out onto a back board while Chet and Roy worked together on the patient in the second car. Marco was washing down a gas leak and the police officer was talking to the woman with the injured shoulder and the semi driver.

"You guys sure know what you're doing. If my crew was ever even remotely that good I'd have never left the hospital," Elise marveled. Mike just smiled, well sort of smiled.

When the patients were ready to load up, Hank led Elise, making sure he had a firm hold on her because she looked totally exhausted, and helped her into the cab of the ambulance John and his patient were loaded into, while Roy and his patient were loaded into a second ambulance along with the shoulder injury.

John must have looked through the window to the cab of the ambulance a hundred times turning the ride in. His patient was unconscious with no pain response but was otherwise stable. Elise though looked hauntingly like she did when he got her off the plane when she first came back into his life.

At the Emergency Department, Dr. Early was there waiting for them, he had been called in just to take care of the head injury patient. John was released just inside the door and turned to deal with his wife in the cab.

Opening the door he helped her to turn so that her feet were coming out then kissed her on the forehead and wrapped his arms around her letting her rest on his shoulder. He was ever so aware that she turned her head so that the injured side was free and rested the other side against his shoulder.

"You Okay?" Johnny asked as he freed a hand to check a pulse, strong and steady just how he liked it.

"Yeah, must be all this ocean air," Elise responded without moving away from him, "Never seemed to use up so much energy to do that stuff back home."

"You did great out there today Eess," John sighed, "threw dispatch for a bit of a loop with that ten code of yours but we worked that out."

"I guess it's a good thing I got this pacemaker in my chest or that partner of yours would be looking for another job." Elise joked still resting close to falling asleep on John's shoulder. "I still remember how to use the toys in the clinches though."

John just smiled and rested his cheek on the top of her head until the ambulance attendant showed up at his side with a wheel chair.

John lifted Elise into the wheel chair then took control of rolling it into the emergency room not sure what they were going to do with her. Dixie was just inside waiting for her and she was directed to Dr. Brackett's office.