This story is about to wrap this is the second to last Chapter but don't worry I am already on story three of these chronicles. Lots of ideas this brain of mine holds for Lou. :)

Chet was pacing like a trapped animal as he watched the female paramedic set up triage for the known influx of patient's she was about to get. "Chet, please stop you're driving me nuts and I have enough on my plate right now. I know you want to be in there but we can't be, so we'll be here." She grabbed several items and laid them out in anticipation; splints, c-collars, IV kits, and fluids stood at the ready. He stopped momentarily but began pacing again as station 88's engine crew ran into the house that had collapsed on four of their crewmates. Lou sighed, "I just wish the additional squads were here too. Where the hell are they?"

"Unknown ETA still, Lou." The engineer reported arriving back at the triage area. "The mudslides that started all this is making it difficult for the smaller squads to get to us."

Roy, Johnny, Marco and Cap were all in this mess. A condemned building where multiple homeless families had squatted in started to collapse as the ground underneath it grew muddy and soft with the rain. The families couldn't get out and began to scream for help a passerby had heard the screams and called 911. Station 51 and engine 88 had responded and they had gotten almost everyone out with minimal effort, just some scrapes, bruises, possible broken bone or two, none of victims needing one of the paramedics to ride along. The men of 51 were doing a final quick sweep when the tenuous structure gave up its fight against gravity entrapping the four with Chet barely getting out in time, "But it's our friends in there..." He wanted desperately to be part of this recovery but Captain Young of 88's said the two firefighters left standing were too close to this and had them hold back at the triage staging area. These orders equal parts pissed off Chet and caused exponential worry. He set his pleading eyes on the woman whose own reflected determination with a tinge of fear.

"I know and once they are here on safe ground, I will do everything in my power to make sure they get to go home to their families." Her words had so much weight to them that he held no doubt she would move heaven and earth to ensure that.

A shout from ground zero alerted them that the first of their team had been recovered and this was where she would come into play. Chet assisted the two crew members of 88 laying a limp, pale, and bleeding Johnny on the triage blanket. Lou handed him the biophone and no instructions were needed, if he couldn't help with the medical procedures and treatments he could at least help in this function. Mike began taking vitals while Lou did the physical assessment of the dark-haired paramedic

"Rampart this is squad 51 how do you read?"

"Squad 51, read you loud and clear."

"Rampart this is firefighter Chet Kelly I will be relaying information for Paramedic Werner, we have at least four Code I's at this location and currently 51 is the only squad on scene. First patient is 28 year old male, victim of building collapse. Unconscious, bleeding from multiple lacerations." He held the phone as she passed him a piece of paper for him to read off so there was no miscommunication in the perilous game of telephone. "Obvious deformity to right wrist, no tenderness or deformity to back, slight tenderness to neck. Reflexes present bilateral feet and arms. Lump noted to back of head, unequal pupils with brisk reaction to light. Pressure bandages and splint already in place. Vitals are; Heart rate 68, respirations 12, BP is 108/62." He looked up as the recovery crew brought over Roy and Marco and awaited orders for Johnny's care.

"51 start IV D5W TKO, start C- spine precautions, and transport as soon as possible." Lou had already started assessing, directing Mike to take the vitals on the other two victims as Chet wrote down these orders. He awaited the slips of paper that would tell him more of his friends. Both were awake, but Roy wasn't moving much, and Marco seemed to be in pain. Lou traded slips with him with a nod and started back to John's care.

"Rampart, we have two more two code I patients. Second patient is a 33-year-old male, victim of building collapse, awake and alert. Positive deformity to mid spine with reduced reflexes to extremities, multiple shallow lacerations noted with bruising to chest wall, rales noted to left side of chest. Full spinal precautions being taken and oxygen in place at six liters. Vitals are; heart rate 112, respirations 22 shallow, BP 151/98." Chet didn't have to be medically trained for him to know that this wasn't good for the blonde paramedic, he felt tears prick his eyes. "Third victim is a 27-year-old male, victim of building collapse. Large area of bruising to abdomen and back, multiple lacerations, and is in moderate amount of pain. Reflexes and pupil response are normal. Confusion present to time and place. Vitals are; heart rate 98, respirations, 24 rapid, and BP is 122/66."

"51, on second victim continue precautions and oxygen, start IV D5W TKO, vitals every 5 minutes and watch for symptoms of spinal shock. For victim three start IV D5W TKO, bandage lacerations and check neuro status every five minutes." Chet repeated back the orders for confirmation and handed Lou the slips. She set about the care silently and efficiently and about the time the IV was started on Marco, Johnny began to come around.

"Johnny's waking up!" Mike shouted, and the female paramedic rushed back to her first patient looking at the recheck of his vitals to find they are about the same. She shined the light in his eyes and noted that they were still uneven but brisk.

"Johnny can you hear me?"

"Yes." The word was slurred and that is when she noticed that the left side of his face didn't seem to match the right.

"Smile for me." She pleaded. When he did the left side didn't move at all while the right side turned up in a half grin. She asked him to squeeze her fingers with each hand and to push down against pressure she was applying to the bottom of his feet. The fingers on the left hand didn't move and his left foot barely twitched. "Shit!" she grabbed the biophone from Chet, "Rampart victim one is conscious, experiencing slurred speech and hemiplegia left sided. Still able to follow simple commands. Vitals are unchanged."

"51 start victim one on six liters O2, change D5 to NS at one hundred drips per min. What is ETA of ambulance?"

"Six liters O2, NS at 100 drips per min." She confirmed, "ETA of ambulance is unknown." She applied the oxygen and adjusted the flow of fluids. Why haven't they gotten Cap out? Checking the other two victims she was not too happy about Roy's BP and Marco's confusion had evolved to him only speaking in Spanish. She picked up the receiver to relay the changes, "Rampart updates on victims two and three are as follows. Victim two; heart rate is 122, respirations remain shallow at 20 and BP is 98/40, suspect onset of spinal shock. Victim three; confusion has worsened only able to speak in Spanish for answers and is diaphoretic and is now in considerable pain. Vitals are; heart rate 125, respirations 30, and BP is 91/72, suspect retroperitoneal bleed and request MS for pain relief."

"51 on victim two start second IV with LR wide open and continue to monitor. On victim three open up the D5W and continue monitoring vitals every five minutes as well. Negative on MS as BP won't support narcotics at this time, if diastolic goes above 100 then administer 4 milligrams."

"10-4 Rampart." The female paramedic was quickly tiring but she wasn't giving up. "Chet come over here and stay with Marco, try to keep him calm as best you can. Mike, you stay with Roy and keep him talking, if you feel like something changes in him alert me." The two men sat sentinel with their charges as she completed the orders. She gave Roy a reassuring squeeze to his arm as she told him what was going on with Johnny when he asked and used short phrases in Spanish for Marco to help alleviate his panic. I would give anything for backup or for Cap to be recovered. Just someth... Her thoughts trailed off as she saw the crew of 88 running with their captain being carried between them to the triage area. She practically threw the phone at Chet after she did her initial assessment of the older man barely pausing before starting CPR. "CHET! NOW!"

"Rampart Squad 51, fourth and final victim has been recovered from collapse and is critical, CPR in progress." The Irishman felt his own heart being ripped open as he watched the man, they all considered a father figure of sorts, literally die in front of him. This is too much, too many, where's help?! He felt such immense relief when he heard rapidly approaching sirens as an answer to his question. Listening to the doctor's orders, he relayed them to the paramedic that was waging this war.

"51, send me a strip, lead two." Lou nodded and applied the pads and sent the requested information in, twitching as she idled for five seconds knowing something needed to be done and now.

"V-fib 51! Shock 400 watts."

"Shocking 400 watts," she applied the paddles, flipped the switch, and once charged depressed the buttons sending the electricity coursing through the man's heart, his body responded with a twitch, and the doctor read the rhythm again.

"Still V-fib! Shock him again." She sent the electricity once more through the man and when there was no change, she restarted CPR.

"51, start IO and give one amp bicarb."

"IO and one amp bicarb." She took the IO kit out and punctured it into the upper arm of the man, felt the grinding of the bone as she accessed the correct spot, and pushed the request drugs once again going back to CPR. She fleetingly registered that help had arrived and another paramedic was now assisting, giving artificial breaths via resuscitator. Chet was on the biophone still relaying the events in front of him and Mike was helping transfer his colleagues to gurneys and loading them in ambulances

"Still V-fib 51, one ampule epinephrine and another attempt at cardioversion."

"One amp epi and attempt at cardioversion." Chet repeatedly mechanically as Lou ripped open packages and gave the medication and shocked the captain's heart and yet nothing happened. This pattern continued to loop over the next several minutes. She shrugged off the relief offered by the paramedics that had arrived, this was her battle and she was going to fight it to it's bitter end

Her vision blurred, her arms ached, and she felt dizzy but she wasn't giving up. She wasn't going to be the one to tell Emily, Hannah, and Danielle that their husband and father died, she refused dammit! She shocked his heart one more time and administered the ordered drugs. She pumped his chest, breathed for him, and fought.

"God dammit! You can't have him! He's not even close to being done yet!" A primal scream left her lips as if she hoped to scare away death himself. She nearly fainted when she saw the blip on the data scope that indicated sinus rhythm, felt his pulse thump at his neck, and saw him take a breath on his own. She sat back on her heels and finally allowed the other paramedics to take over. She wanted to help but she was spent emotionally and physically, looking around she saw that the other injured men were no longer there, and that Chet and Mike stood by quietly. The biophone now in one of 45 paramedic's charge so she stood to make her way to the squad but she stumbled, nearly falling. Quickly she was caught by her remaining crewmates and she heard a litany pour forth from the Irishman's mouth

"We got you. He's alive, he's breathing. you did that, you didn't give up." She nodded numbly and felt the bile rise in her throat at the thought of today's events. She didn't know if he knew how close their captain had come to being pronounced dead on scene. Marco may be bleeding internally, Johnny may have a brain bleed, Roy may be paralyzed, Cap may still die. Those unwanted thoughts were too much, and she gagged, heaved, and lost the contents of her stomach as Chet held her hair and Mike rubbed her back. The men didn't care about the looks they were getting from the others on scene as they gave support to their paramedic. The engineer bent over and picked up the woman in a one person carry and took her to their engine. She was awake and responsive but the exhaustion quickly set in.

"She'll need to get checked out." Chet stated simply as he kept an eye on her as the other man pulled the engine into traffic.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

When the man on the phone identified himself and the situation Dr. Brackett waved over Dr. Early and Head Nurse McCall, showing them the note he had jotted down. Dixie nodded and ran off to prepare all the exam rooms she could for multiple injury traumas. "Joe we'll each take two." The white-haired doctor nodded.

"Do we know how long till her back up arrives?" he asked.

The dark-headed doctor shook his head as he listened to Chet's voice and delivered orders. When those were acknowledged him and Joe traded out. He listened to the conveyance of injuries and of the other men and shook his head in dismay. This was too much for one paramedic to handle and he couldn't help but had the dark thought that they may lose someone today because backup help still hadn't arrived. He grew more and more worried as he heard the updates of the patient of how quickly they were going downhill, even in the background he could hear the weariness and desperation in Lou's voice.

Once they were told that the latest victim was getting CPR, it was like all hope was lost. Brackett took over giving orders as the battle for life and death was fought. He could hear in the background the arrival of sirens which indicated back up was there and was grateful when Joe opened a phone line to dispatch and waved Morton over to open the second triage line. Pretty soon, they too, were speaking with paramedics on scene and giving orders for further treatment but the dark-haired doctor could see they kept an ear open for 51's transmission. Time was ticking for the downed man, and he could hear the fear in the voice of the front-line worker as she gave the ordered meds, continued CPR, and delivered electric shocks with no results. About the time he was about to have his paramedic stop live saving attempts, she started yelling at someone cursing them out then letting out an absolute soul shattering scream that caused him to drop his handset. Then there was nothing, no voices, no clicks, beeps, or breaths. Just absolute silence.

The three doctors collectively held their breath and Brackett was about to do a radio check till the voice of a paramedic from 45s took over, causing them to jump a little. A set of vitals were relayed on the last victim, they weren't great, but they were better than the alternative. Brackett gave the orders for more meds and to transport then signed off. He sighed deeply, his hands were shaking like he was an intern and he could use a shot of something to calm them. He looked up when he heard the ambulance bay open announcing the arrival of the first patient and he steeled his nerves. As the injured men were rolled in one by one the doctors split up taking a patient a piece.

I know the chapter seems short and it is. I try to have at least 3000 words a chapter and this is only 2800. My last chapter had more than it was supposed to my fault with formatting as it had what was supposed to be the beginning of this chapter in it but I feel this still worked ok.