On the other side of the door, Johnny suddenly sagged against the doorframe as tremors shook his body
On the other side of the door, Johnny suddenly sagged against the doorframe as tremors shook his body. Dixie held tighter to his arm and caught Mike's eye. Without delay, the engineer strode over and grabbed the paramedic's other arm. Together they half led, half dragged the younger man into the doctor's lounge. Mike led his shiftmate to one of the tables and pushed him gently but firmly into a chair as Dixie rejoined them, three cups of coffee in her hand. She shoved one at the paramedic, taking his limp hand when he made no motion and wrapped it around the handle. "Drink." She ordered.
He did as commanded, feeling the hot liquid run down his throat, warming his body from the strange icy feeling that had gripped him. Gradually he became more aware of his surroundings. First thing he noticed was that his other wrist was firmly held by Dixie's hand. "Hey!" He protested, pulling it back.
Dixie released it with a satisfied nod. "Your pulse is returning to normal now. Your color is little better too." Johnny frowned at her and Mike laughed.
"Oh. I see how you do it. You don't give him a chance to protest anything."
Dixie grinned, "Nope. You just do it."
Mike chuckled and sipped his coffee. "Wonder if Roy knows that. I'll have to tell him . . .and Cap."
Johnny made a face at his shiftmate. "You picked a funny time to get chatty, Stoker."
Mike winked at Dixie and shrugged at Johnny. She's right: he looks better now. When he first came out of that room, I thought for sure he was headed for the floor himself. Unaware of their scrutiny, Johnny sighed heavily and ran his stained fingers through his hair. "God, Dix. Roy. How'm I gonna tell Roy and Jo?" He looked up at them, his eyes suddenly awash with unshed tears. "She was right there. Right on the other end of the cabinet from me. I . . .I was fixing supper and she was opening a can to feed the dog. I was just right there."
Dixie laid a hand on his arm, "John. It was an accident and accidents happen. You were there to help her when she needed and you got her in here."
Johnny shifted his shoulders and sighed again. "I suppose so."
She smiled, "I know so." She watched as he finished the coffee then said, "You're a mess Mr. Gage. I can't let you out in the halls looking like that, you'll terrify the patients." Surprise crossed his face as he looked first at her then down at himself. Dried blood decorated his face and once clean shirt and flaked from his hands. Dixie placed a scrub shirt in front of him and he nodded, rose wearily and walked slowly off toward the bathroom. Two sets of eyes followed him then Dixie's gaze shifted from watching the paramedic disappear into the restroom to the engineer. "He'll be fine, Mike, and she will too."
Mike nodded as he finished his coffee. "I see he's in good hands. I'd better call Becky and let her know what happened. She's probably wondering what's going on since I left over an hour ago to have Johnny and Jenny join us for dinner. Chris has been over at our house helping my oldest with his Webelo project." That lengthy speech completed, the engineer left to call his wife.
In the men's restroom, Johnny stripped off his shirt and placed it into the plastic bag Dixie had provided. He looked up and caught his reflection in the mirror. Splatters of red covered his face, arms, neck and hair. He turned the water on, lathered his hands well and once the water ran clear again, scrubbed his face, arms, neck and finally dunked his entire head under the water, letting the water soak through his hair until all trace of blood was gone. He dried himself with the towel she'd provided, toweled his hair and finger combed it into some semblance of order then pulled the scrub shirt on. His clean up complete, he gathered his stuff and left, heading back into the lounge. It was empty when he entered. He figured Dixie had gone back on duty, but wondered where Mike was. He refilled his coffee cup and took a seat again, scrubbing his face with his hands, ending by running them through his hair. There he still sat when the door opened admitting a crowd of people. He looked up seeing Dixie and Dr. Brackett with the other doctor approaching him. He stood quickly, his fear palpable. "Doc . . .Jenny . . ."
Dr. Brackett raised a hand and smiled then headed toward the coffee pot. Johnny relaxed. He wouldn't be heading for coffee if he had bad news for me. He filled two cups, handing one to the other doctor, offered one to Dix then looked questioningly at John who shook his head. Johnny held his breath as they joined him. "First off let me assure you she's going to be just fine, Johnny." Johnny's shoulders slumped and he exhaled. Dr. Brackett's lips twitched as he continued, "Johnny this is Dr. Ken Bentley. He's a vascular surgeon, specializing in hands. Ken, this is John Gage."
The two men shook hands, Dr. Bentley noticing as he did the paramedic had good hands, long fingers well kept and a firm but not crushing grip. "Mr. Gage. It's a pleasure to meet you. Kel's told me quite a bit about you and his other paramedics." Johnny flashed a faint version of his megawatt smile and replied, "It's Johnny, Doc."
Bentley returned the smile, instantly liking this young man then got immediately to business. "Now about the young lady. I understand you're not the father. Have you been in touch with the parents?"
Johnny paled slightly but his voice remained strong, "No. Not yet. They're up in the mountains in a cabin. I have a contact number." He reached into his hind pocket and pulled out his wallet, "but I have full permission for medical in their absence."
Dixie placed her hand on his, stopping his motions, "We know you do, Johnny. We know that Roy would have made sure of that. Don't worry about that yet." He nodded.
Dr. Bentley gave a curt nod. "Good. Well, this is what we found. She has fairly deep lacerations on three of her fingers, each needed stitched. There was some capillary damage but I don't think that will be a future problem Her thumb is another story. The laceration is nearly to the posterior, just under the nail bed. Fortunately it missed the bone and the tendons, cutting at an upward angle along the bone. She won't need surgery." He went on to describe the amount of stitches he'd placed as well as follow up care needed. "I have one question though, how did this happen?"
Johnny took a deep breath, "She was opening a cat food can on the electric can opener and it didn't quite remove the lid so near as I can figure she tried to pull it off." He demonstrated the upright lid with one hand then slid his fingers up the sides with his other hand. Each person winced in shared pain. "Ow." Bentley commented, "Yeap. That would do it. Well, good job. " He reached for the paramedic's hand again. Johnny shook his hand eagerly and profusely thanked him. Dr. Bentley chuckled, "she's a very lucky young lady to have such a devoted uncle. And it was a pleasure to finally meet one of the dynamic duo." He winked at Brackett then left.
Dr. Brackett suppressed a chuckle himself then sobered. "Ken's right. The cut missed the tendons by millimeters. She really is very lucky."
"Can she go now?" Johnny asked.
Brackett tilted his head, "Well, she lost quite a bit of blood and I put a mild pain reliever in the IV so I want her to finish at least the bag she's on. Dix? Get her some juice too. I'd say after that she'll be ready to go home and sleep in her own bed." Johnny smiled gratefully at his friends. Brackett slapped the young man on the shoulder and finished off his coffee before he too left.
"Johnny, here's your keys. Becky is on her way to get me. We'll keep Chris tonight as planned and bring him back tomorrow." Mike's voice startled Johnny and he faced the engineer. When did he get back? He wondered. Soon he was alone again in the lounge, waiting, with just his thoughts echoing in his head.
Very lucky young lady.
About the injury? Yes. About him? well. . .
Johnny shook his head, bringing himself back to the here and now. That was hours ago and he now stood again at the DeSoto sink. Funny. In his profession as a paramedic, he wasn't used to the clean up afterward. His job usually began with patient contact and ended at the emergency room door. With a sigh, he pulled the plug on the blood tinged water, watching it drain away with another shudder. She's safe. She's in her bed. He told himself again. He'd been there; he'd known what to do and had done it. So. Why couldn't he stop shaking? They had to sew her thumb back on. 16 stitches, inside and out. Another 12 in her other fingers.
Doggedly he mopped the floor, watching as the congealed blood broke up under the onslaught of his strokes. He emptied the bucket and as the final act, took the opened can with its treacherous lid, and dumped it in the garbage. With one last look around the now clean kitchen, he flipped the light switch off.
Johnny checked once more on his sleeping charge and then collapsed with a heavy sigh on the couch. He glanced at his watch. 3AM. If Roy and Jo left the minute they got the message, they could be here within the next two hours. Of course, Johnny had no idea when the message would have reached them. The cabin they were staying in had no phone and the main lodge hadn't answered. Johnny had finally resorted to calling the Sheriff's department. The dispatcher had assured him that a deputy would be sent out immediately with the message. Johnny had made sure that it included the fact that Jenny was alright and knew that his partner would call Rampart for his own verification as soon as he had access to a phone. The crisis is over guys, he thought silently to his friends, don't rush and for God's Sake drive carefully. My nerves can only handle so much at once. He gave a ruefully smile as he glanced back at his hands.
Mousie, the DeSoto's Siamese mix cat jumped up onto the couch, looking at her third favorite human with large blue eyes. Eyes Johnny noticed were a lot like her human companion, Jenny. He couldn't help smiling as he thought about Jenny's decision on the cat's name.
"Her name is Mousie Tongue." The child had announced to the three adults the afternoon after Johnny had brought the requested Birthday gift over, JoAnne looked questioningly at her daughter, "Oh. That's nice, I guess."
Roy was more direct, "How did you come up with that??"
Jenny smiled, "Cause she's Chinese and I heard that name as the president of the Chinese on the news.
Johnny collapsed in laughter as his partner tried to explain to his daughter that the cat was Siamese, not Chinese and the Chairman of China's name was Mao Tse Tung.
Finally Johnny got enough breath to stutter out. "Forget it Roy. I think Mousie Tongue is a good name for a cat." Jenny squealed in delight and threw herself into her uncle's lap, driving the breath again from his body. Roy shrugged and turned to his wife whose eyes twinkle in merriment. "I think Johnny's right. It's her cat; she can name it whatever she wants." Johnny grinned up at his partner who just sighed and threw his hands in the air.
An insistent, 'meuuw' drew Johnny back as Mousie crawled into his lap, purring and bumping his hands with her head. He scratched her ears and she settled into his lap, her face turned upward, eyes squinted in delight, her purr unending. "Cat, we . . Jen . . ..it coulda been so much worse." He told the feline. "She almost lost her thumb tonight. I . .I just . . .I don't . . . " He stopped. The cat reached up and gently touched his face with a paw as if to say, I know but it didn't happen. You did fine. She continued to watch him, her purring louder as if by that she could comfort the man. With another sigh, he leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. Although he fought it, sleep quickly claimed the weary man.
Sunlight streaming in through the window and striking his face finally penetrated Johnny's eyelids. He slit them open, then turned his face fuller toward the sun, relishing its warmth. As his mind woke up, events of the past evening came back. He sighed, raising a hand to rub at his face. As he did, he noticed his other arm was pinned to his body. He glanced down right into a head full of blonde hair. Sometime while he slept, Jenny must have left her bed and found him. It was her body, curled tightly into his side, her arms around his waist he felt. He smiled and brushed the hair from her face. Blue eyes opened and sleepily blinked at him.
"Hey kiddle, how you doing?" he murmured. She screwed up her nose at the nickname and gave her usual protest. "Uncle Johnny! Kiddles are little dollys. I'm not a dolly!"
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head, "Says you, sweetheart. Now, let me up and I'll see about some breakfast for us." She nodded and pulled away from him. He stretched the cramps from his lean frame and stood. She hopped to her feet and stood beside him. "You hungry?" he asked.
She nodded, then held up her bandaged hand. "My heart moved into my hand, Uncle Johnny."
A stab of pain flashed through his heart as he took the offered appendage and gently kissed it. "I know it feels that way, but see? Your heart is still right here, in your chest." He took her other hand and placed it over her heart. She paused feeling the beating then nodded. "So why do I feel it in my owie?"
Johnny led her toward the bathroom as he replied, "That's sorta an echo of your heart. Sometimes when you get an owie it will do that. We call that throbbing." He gave her a gentle push toward the door. "Wash your face and hands and brush your teeth while I get us breakfast. Do scrambled eggs sound good.?"
She smiled up at him, "Uh Huh!" She replied enthusiastically, " 'specially the way you do 'em." He returned her smile then turned toward the kitchen. "Remember; don't get your hurt hand wet!" He cautioned as the door shut behind her.
Soon he had a skillet full of fluffy eggs covered in cheese and bacon bits ready to dish up. Jenny bounced over to him, holding a brush in her hand. "Brush me." She demanded. He bowed, "At once, your highness." She giggled as he moved her away from the food and the table then brushed her long hair. "Pony tail or braid?" He asked.
"Pony tail"
"Awright." He deftly pulled the hair up, and fastened it with the offered clip. That done he gave her a hug and sent her to her chair. She climbed up and watched as he spooned eggs onto her plate. She grabbed up a fork, then gave out a little cry, dropping it. Tears formed in her blue eyes as Johnny was instantly by her side. "It hurts." she whimpered as she turned her face into his chest.
He held her tight, his throat constricting. "God sweetheart, if I could take this onto myself I would." he groaned. His agonized voice, reverberating deep in his chest, caught the little girl's attention. She looked up, her eyes searching her beloved uncle's face. "Uncle Johnny?" came the hesitant voice, "Are you hurt too? You look like you hurt."
Johnny stifled a cross between a sob and a chuckle as he squeezed her tight. "I guess I am." He dried the tears on her face with his hand as he explained. "See, I love you very much and when someone loves someone as much as I love you, when the ones they love gets hurt, then the other person hurts too. If I could, I would take your hurt away from you, but I can't, so my heart hurts because of that. Understand?"
She nodded, and placed her uninjured hand on her uncle's face, her sky blue eyes glued to his tear filled brown ones. "But I don't want you to hurt, Uncle Johnny. It's bad enough my hand hurts."
Johnny laughed a strangled laugh as two tears escaped. He smiled at his young charge. "It's ok, Jen. Your hand will get better and I'll get better too. Now, how 'bout those eggs before they get cold."
She nodded and he showed her how to adjust holding her fork so it didn't press on her injured hand. After breakfast, he gave her some medicine for the pain and set her off to play quietly in her room. He knew she'd lost a fair amount of blood and knew mild activity and good food with plenty of fluids was the best right now.
After the dishes were done, he checked on her and found her fast asleep on top of her bed, barbies scattered all around her. Mousie looked up from where she curled around Jenny's head. She gave her little friend two quick swipes of her tongue on the ear then purred up at Johnny as if to say, go on, I got the kitten covered. Johnny fondled the cat's head briefly as he removed several of the dolls so she wouldn't roll over on them, then covered her with a knitted throw. He stood for several long moments just watching her sleep.
Finally he turned from her room and headed back into the kitchen. He poured himself another cup of coffee and sank wearily into 'his' chair at the DeSoto table. His shaggy head dropped into his hands and he gave a heartfelt groan. He had no awareness of how long he sat that way, his thoughts bubbling and churning in his mind. A sudden noise in the living room jerked him back to the here and now. Expecting Chris returning from his overnight at the Stoker's he called out. "Chris? I'm in the kitchen." He rose, poured the now cold coffee into the sink and rinsed out the cup. A rough hand on his shoulder spun him around, causing him to stagger for balance. Wide brown eyes were met by angry blue ones. 'Where is she?" Roy growled, "Where's my daughter?"