Chapter Three
A/N: I was hoping to release this yesterday or the day before but it turned out to be quite a lot more time consuming than I thought to wrap this one up. Anyway, thanks to everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed!
When Johnny comes to, he's laying on his back behind the squad, staring up at the darkening Los Angeles sky. A street lamp overhead can't seem to stay in focus and it keeps going fuzzy... He can hear his heart thumping in his ears. Pulse 130.
Even through his muffled ears, still keening from the report of the pistol, mere inches from his head, Johnny makes out the sound of voices. Loud, angry, male voices.
And the fizzy, watered-down voices of firemen over his handie-talkie which lays on the ground just beyond his fingertips. He recognizes Captain Stanely's among them...
And that's when he notices the sirens. Not police sirens, either.
The ground trembles below him as Engine 51 whips into the parking lot. Men whose faces he can't make out in the dark and his blurry vision hop out of the vehicle armed with axes, hoses, and crowbars.
There's some more shouting and he tries to sit up, to see what's happening...but someone is holding his shoulder and tells him to stay still. Gage blinks, squinting, and tries to make out who it is and where they are. But he can't see them. All he figures out is that one hand is on his shoulder, but the other one is pressed to the side of his neck.
The shouting stops when police sirens finally arrive. There's a thunder of footsteps and metal clicking and finally, doors slamming shut. More people gather around him, and finally he manages to make out a few coherent words. Although, for some reason, speech sounds jumbled to him. Confusing. Like gibberish.
Still, he recognizes Roy's voice among them so that's good enough. Roy always knows what he's doing.
Roy doesn't know what to do.
He's got two victims now, both in critical condition, and only an ambulance for one. Sure, Marco requested another one with an estimated ETA of fifteen minutes...but that still leaves the question.
Send the injured gang member who's bleeding uncontrollably and going into shock?
Or Johnny Gage, the rescue man, whose throat was grazed by a bullet which may have pierced the carotid artery, now unconscious and fighting for breath.
Protocol demands their patient go first. And that Roy accompany him. But if he goes and Johnny crashes...there will be no one qualified here to help him. But if he sends Johnny first, and their original victim bleeds out...
It's a no win situation.
"Rampart, this is squad 51," he says, purposefully monotoned. "I've got another victim."
"Go ahead, 51."
"Victim is male, age 28, suffering from a graze to the throat by a bullet. Artery possibly compromised. Vitals are: pulse 120, respirations 35 and shallow, BP 75/40. Skin is cold and diaphoretic."
"51, is the victim showing signs of shock?"
"Uh, that's a negative for now, Rampart."
"Okay. 51, on victim two, start an IV with ringers lactate and keep pressure on the wound. Monitor vitals and update every five minutes. Transport as soon as possible."
"Uh, Rampart, there is currently only transport for one victim. No other paramedics or qualified medical technicians at site. Additional ambulances and squad en route but ETA is 15 minutes. Please advise."
Roy hears the hand pass over Brackett's mouth and the doctor quietly consulting with Dixie, although he can't make out the words.
"51, what is the status of victim one?"
"Uh, standby, Rampart." Roy turns around to where the gang man has been stretched out on a stokes. There are dark circles under his eyes and he's trembling violently, despite the shock trousers and IV. The paramedics takes a quick series of vitals and returns to the phone. "Rampart, victim one is still shocky. Pale and diaphoretic. Pulse is 120, respirations 40 and shallow, BP 80/150. His wound has been bandaged but still bleeding heavily."
"51, transport victim one as soon as possible. Have Gage stay behind with victim two until additional squad arrives."
Roy grimaces and runs a hand through his hair. Brackett must have misunderstood when he said 'no other paramedics at site'. He must have thought they were only concerned with which victim to transport first and which to leave behind...
"Rampart," he says, inwardly scolding himself when a little of the panic he's feeling is betrayed in the quake in his voice. "Gage is unable to preform his duties at this time. Victim two is Johnny Gage."
As Brackett hangs up with 51, he leans heavily on the edge of the table, the weight of his decision hanging on his conscience. He smiles fleetingly at Dixie when the nurse places a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I don't think there was a better choice, Kel," she says. "You did all you could."
"I just hope it was the right decision, Dix."
Both of them glance up as the door to the office opens behind them.
"What have we got?" Dr. Early asks.
Brackett sighs and straightens up. "Two gun shot victims with complications coming in. Complications being that there wasn't enough transport or paramedics there for both of them so squad 51 had to wait an extra fifteen minutes." Kel hands his notepad with the details to Doctor Early, who scans them with a trained eye.
"I'll take the victim one in three," says Early.
Brackett nods. "Then I'll have them take Johnny to five."
"Johnny?"
Kel smirks weakly and nods again. "Johnny Gage is victim two."
As the ambulance pulls in, Roy is met with not only hospital staff, but police as well. An LAPD officer escourts victim one personally to room three where Early is said to be waiting for him. He doesn't follow them, though. Instead, Roy stands aside and waits until the second ambulance has parked before hurrying around back to help get Johnny out.
"How'd he do?" Roy asks the paramedic from station 73.
"Not too bad, condition hasn't changed much. He's semi conscious now." Surely enough, Johnny's eyes are open. Just slits of brown showing under his heavy eyelids.
"Hey, Junior," Roy says, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "How you doing?"
"Uhnn...not bad..." Gage relies groggily. Though DeSoto doesn't think it's the blood loss making him drowsy. More than likely, it's the drip of morphine attached to his IV.
"Good, you just hang in there, pal," Roy tells him. "Brackett's waiting for him in five."
"Right."
Roy walks alongside the gurney, holding the IV drip as they wheel him toward the door which Dixie is holding for them. They park the gurney beside the examination bed and between Roy, Brackett, and the station 73 paramedics, they easily lift Johnny onto the bed and get the gurney out of the way so the doctor can have a look at him. Brackett looks only briefly at the neatly bandaged wound on the fireman's neck before moving on.
"Pulse is down to 100," Dixie says. "Respirations are 20, blood pressure's just a little low. 85/55."
Kel nods and tips Johnny's head back, gently holding his eyelids open as he flicks a light over both eyes. "Johnny, can you hear me?" he asks softly.
"Uh-huh..."
"Good, can you move your arms for me?"
Johnny weakly lifts both arms. Roy smirks when his partner also makes fists and flexes his fingers. Show off.
"That's good. How about your legs?"
Left leg first, then the right. He curls his toes without being asked.
"That's great, Johnny. Looks like there's no spinal damage, but I'd still like a few pictures, just to be safe."
Gage grunts a reluctant affirmative and Dixie makes the call. Meanwhile, Roy helps the good doctor set up a bag of plasma to replace some of the blood his friend lost, and the paramedics from station 73 quietly excuse themselves to get back to work.
"So you think he'll alright?" Roy asks, watching with some relief as the color slowly returns to Gage's face.
"I'll know more once I've got the x-rays, but fortunately the bullet missed any vital arteries and it doesn't look it touched his spine, so I think he'll be back on his feet as soon as that wound heals up and he's got his strength back. Obviously I'll want him to stay here overnight for observation, though."
"Of course," Roy says.
Johnny groans in annoyance from the bed and the doctor smirks.
A few minutes later, the x-ray machine is wheeled in so Dixie and Roy step out for a bit. They linger outside the door for a moment, listening to Brackett and the x-ray technician talking to Johnny as they snap the photos of his spinal column.
After a while, Dixie smiles sympathetically at Roy. "How's about a cup of coffee, huh?" she asks, straightening from her lounged position againist the wall.
"Nah, I better not," Roy says. "I'm still a little...shaken up. Caffeine wouldn't help much."
"Yeah, just thought I'd offer," Dix mutters. "So...how'd this happen?"
Roy sighs and rubs the back of his neck, trying to work out the tension. "We were responding to a man-down in an alleyway behind that restaurant on 30. Johnny went to get stokes and I guess he saw the guys who shot our victim, so he made a call to dispatch. Cops didn't get there fast enough, though...and Johnny got shot. The engine showed up a few seconds later and held 'em off until the LAPD got there..."
"Wow..." Dixie shakes her head sullenly. "What a way for it to happen...you must've been real worried."
"Yeah, I was..."
That's when the door to Johnny's room opens and Brackett's peeks his head out. "Dix, mind helping out for a minute in here?"
"Sure thing, Kel." Dixie turns back to Roy and squeezes his hand. "You heard Kel earlier, Johnny's gonna be fine."
"I know," Roy assures her. "You better get in there. I'm gonna go make a few calls."
"Alright, I'll let you know when we're done."
"Thanks, Dixie."
As it turns out, it takes a few hours before Brackett is satisfied with all his tests and Johnny is moved to his own room. By that time, the entirety of station 51's A-shift is seated in the waiting room, chatting quietly amongst themselves as they wait to visit their injured friend.
Roy has just gotten off the phone with Joanne, having spent nearly fifteen minutes trying to convince her not to jump in the car and fly down here. With his wife borderline calm, knowing that their friend is okay, Roy is just about to join his coworkers when Doctor Brackett comes around the corner.
It's an unspoken agreement among the men to "not notice" how quickly Chet springs to his feet upon seeing the doctor. Nor how eager he sounds when he asks if Johnny is alright.
"He's going to be just fine, fellas," Kel says with a tired grin. "The bullet missed all the vital parts and there was a clean entry and exit wound. He lost a lot of blood, but once he's got his strength back up, he should be alright to return to work."
The collective sigh of relief is almost tangible. Captain Stanley shakes the doctor's hand and thanks him profusely before Marco asks if it's okay for them to go back and visit.
"Just for a few minutes, he's still pretty wiped out."
"Alright! Thanks, Doc!"
Despite Brackett's warning, Johnny is wide awake when the firemen enter his room, guided by Dixie. Not only is he awake, he's on the phone.
Seeing his coworkers enter, Johnny flashes a smile and holds up his hand in a 'just a second' gesture. Dixie shakes her head in disbelief.
"I coulda' swore he was out of it just ten minutes ago..." She mutters.
"Well, you know Johnny, nothing will keep him from talking to a pretty girl..." Roy remarks with a sigh.
"A girl? What makes you think he's talking to a girl?"
"Who else would he be calling at this hour? He was supposed to be on a date with Bethany right now."
"Oh, is that right?"
"Yup...just listen."
Surely enough... "Yeah, yeah, I'm real sorry, Beth. Wha-no, no, you don't have to come down here, I'm still pretty groggy from the medicine, I, uh, haha, I don't think I'd be very good company right now. Yeah. Yeah, it's-hey, why don't we try again this time next week? Oh suuure, I'll be outta here by then! Yeah! Okay...okay...yeah...alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright? Okay, bye." Johnny hangs up the phone before turning a bright grin to his awestruck shiftmates. "Guess who still has a date with a gorgeous lawyer?"
"Ughhh..."
"Johnny, uh," Roy begins, trying desperately to think of a way out of this worn out conversation. "Oh! That cardiac victim we brought in is gonna be just fine. Doctor Early has him blood thinners and a special diet so he's been sent home."
"Really? That's great, glad to hear it!"
"Yeah and that guy, the uh-the gun shot victim," Kelly chimes in. "He's gonna be fine too, but turns out he'll be doing most of his recovering in the slammer..."
"Really..."
"Yeah, turns out he's got all kinds of warrants on him."
"Huh. Well, glad to know he'll be okay, at least..."
"Yeah, well, speaking of which, how're you feeling?" Roy asks, sitting on the edge of his partner's hospital bed.
"Eh, I'm alright. Little woozy feeling but that's just the meds."
"The meds were supposed to put you to sleep." Dixie grumbles, striding over to check his IV and drips, just to be sure the aid hooked everything up correctly. Which she did.
"I'm a little bummed, though," he admits. "You shoulda' heard Bethany on the phone. She was almost beside herself. I'm telling you guys, she really is something... Too bad about our date..."
"Well, at least you've still got your rain check," Roy says, giving up on trying to avoid the inevitable. "She seems to be pretty fond of you, Junior."
"Yeah, I'm surprised," Dixie says, earning a raised eyebrow from Johnny.
"And why would you be surprised about that, Dixie?" Johnny demand, sitting up in his bed just to fold his arms.
"Oh, nothing...just...well I never thought I'd see the day that you might actually settle down with one girl, Johnny..."
"Oh-ho man! Can you imagine? Gage as a married man?" Chet hoots with laughter just at the thought.
"Married...?" Johnny whispers to himself, paling visibly. But no one seems to hear him.
"Married to a lawyer! Man, forget about ever winning any of those couple's arguments!"
"You know, I never thought about that," Stoker says, rubbing his chin. "That's a real shame. I can't win an argument with my wife to save my soul and she's a librarian!"
"Oh! Oh man! And their kids!" Chet laughs and Johnny flushes.
"Wha-what about my kids?!" he demands, scrambling for the telephone again. Rolling his eyes, Roy places a hand on his partner's shoulder.
"Johnny, you don't have kids, remember?"
"Yeah, I-"
"He will if he keeps this up, though." Kelly chuckles.
"Chet," Stanely scolds. "The man's all drugged up with morphine, don't mess with his head."
Chet shrugs but continues grinning at the absurd thought. It's only then that anyone notices Johnny feverishly dialing the bedside phone.
"Who, uh, who're you calling now, Johnny?" Roy asks, glancing back at the captain.
"Bethany." Gage replies, lifting the phone to his ear.
"Why...?"
"To cancel our date."
"Wha-Johnny! Hey, come on, pal, I was only kidding!" Chet says, reaching for the phone to pull it away from him, but the paramedic swats him away.
"I know that, Chet! It's just uh...weeell..."
The firemen lean in expectantly.
"Well I've just never really been fond of lawyers, that's all. Oh, hi, Beth! Yeah, hey it's Johnny again..."
"I cannot believe this."
"This is unbelievable."
"Actually, for Gage, this is pretty believable..."
"I'm going back to the station..."
"Me too."
"Unbelievable."
A/N: So...that happened... X'D I hope you guys enjoyed this extremely weird story.