Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm now moved in to my new apartment although I still have some unpacking to do. I know the last couple of chapters focused on Jack but I hope to go back to June for a time. I'm currently debating on whether or not to deepen June's relationship with Optimus. I don't know if it will be romantic or not…or if it will just hint at romance now that my story is evolving. I don't know what to do at this point but I always love to hear from you!
Also, updates from here on out may be slow since I currently don't have internet. I have to travel to my mom's apartment to use her computer to upload new chapters. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! :D
WARNING!—Graphic content; blood and gruesome injuries (Stabbing). Read at your own discretion.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sunny-Side Café…I'm only going to assume it's a real place somewhere. I don't own half-and-half dairy creamer either.
Chapter 5
"Just hold still!" June struggled to restrain a thrashing patient who was strapped down to the ambulance gurney. The man was in his mid-fifties and was a local restaurant owner. He owned a quaint little diner called "Sunny-Side Café". His name was Joey Hagen. He was just brutally stabbed by a robber who cleaned out Joey's register and office safe. The thief got away with close to three grand.
After the restaurant owner was stabbed he lost consciousness…at least until the EMT's arrived on the scene. Fortunately the single stab wound was the only injury they had to contend with. The injury inflicted was meant to kill. Thankfully the criminal was sloppy. The thief must have been in a hurry…
Joey was currently fighting June with a hand he managed to get free after wriggling it out of the Velcro restraint. He was desperately trying to yank out the knife that was still protruding from his chest. It missed his lung by a centimeter. He was very fortunate. June was doing everything in her power to calm Joey down. She used her seasoned strength to force his arm down and made sure he couldn't get free a second time by once more tightening the restraints. If he removed the knife now…he would die.
"JOEY! Listen to me! I can't remove this knife because you will start bleeding out! Right now it's the only thing keeping you alive. We'll be at the hospital soon!"
The man screamed in agony whenever the ambulance hit a bump in the road. The paramedics were doing everything in their power to get the critically wounded man to the hospital QUICKLY without killing him in the process. That knife was dangerously close to Joey's heart.
"OH MY GOD! P-Please…please…please…get it out of me! GET IT OUT OF ME!" Joey screamed as he stared wide-eyed in horror at the knife handle inches away from his face. The entire blade was completely submerged within his chest cavity. He began to hyperventilate as tears squeezed out of the corners of his eyes.
"GET IT OUT OF ME! GET IT OUT OF ME! IT'S KILLING ME!"
The man was going into shock. His breathing soon became labored and sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped down the side of his face.
"Joey! JOEY! Don't look at it! LOOK AT ME!"
"Oh God…help me…help me… P-PLEASE HELP ME! Get it out…get it out…PLEASE!"
"JOEY LOOK AT ME!"
The man didn't appear to hear her and kept screaming. June grabbed the side of his face and turned his cheek so that he was looking at her. His expression spoke volumes of his agony and fear.
"JOEY! You're going to be alright! That knife will come out VERY soon, okay? I'm going to give you something that will make you feel better…"
June hastily pulled open one of the overhead bulkheads and grabbed a small, glass bottle filled with clear fluid. She prepped a syringe and gently squeezed Joey's hand in reassurance. June gave Joey a shot of morphine to ease his pain and to hopefully sedate him until a surgeon could finally operate on him. Soon the man's screams died down and he was reduced to pained moans.
She spoke to him in a soothing voice and stroked his pepper colored hair as a daughter would an ailing father.
"You're doing fine Joey. We'll be there soon. I promise."
She peeled her eyes off of her patient to glance out of the forward windshield.
"Roger, slow down a notch! Take third avenue, it's a shortcut!"
Her partner acknowledged her order and maneuvered the ambulance through an intersection and down a narrow street that was rarely used. It would save them, three minutes.
"Dispatch, this is rescue squad 117. We have a stab wound victim in critical condition!" Roger reported in.
"Copy that 117. We have medical staff standing by."
They finally reached the Emergency Room docking bay. Roger and June gently lifted Joey out and quickly wheeled him in. June handed one of the nurses her clipboard that catalogued the amount of morphine she had given him so that the anesthesiologist would be aptly prepared.
One of the general surgeons was already prepped and awaiting their arrival. She watched as they moved Joey out of the ER and into the elevator that would take him up to the third floor to the operating theatre. June released a heavy sigh as weariness and fatigue set in.
"I don't know about you Roger…but I need some coffee," June sighed softly as her shoulders sagged in exhaustion.
"Coffee break it is," the young man smiled as he walked beside his partner.
The two tired EMT's slowly made their way down to the hospital cafeteria and poured themselves the strongest brew they could find. They both got large drinks. The two paramedics had a very gracious buddy system. They would alternate who purchased food and beverages. Today was Roger's turn to buy. June poured in five shots of half-and-half creamer as well as six sugar packets. Roger liked his coffee black. The woman honestly didn't know how anyone could enjoy drinking it that way…
She sipped small amounts of the hot, brown liquid down and released a content sigh once she took a seat at a nearby table. Slowly but surely, the caffeine took effect and began to revive her, giving her the energy boost she needed to complete the remaining four hours of her shift.
Roger took a seat across from her and eagerly stuffed bits of cheese Danish in his mouth. June smiled at him when he offered her some but politely declined.
"I'm amazed Roger at the fact you haven't gained an ounce since you began working with me."
"I have a high metabolism I guess," Roger shrugged as he licked his fingers. He'd practically inhaled that pastry.
"I envy you…" June laughed as she took another sip of her coffee.
It really was remarkable how the two of them hadn't gained much weight despite the fact that they both found themselves stress-eating a lot. June was still full from lunch. Otherwise she would have given in to her junk-food craving.
Soon a shadow fell over their table and June twisted her head around and looked up to see who it was.
"Dr. Raymond! Or do you prefer to be called Dr. Ray? Or Dr. Atchlet?"
"Dr. Ray is fine, although someone misspelled my last name. My last name is really Atchel," the elderly man smiled as he looked down at his new name badge.
June began to stand but the doctor gestured for her to sit back down.
"Please don't get up. You look like you could use a rest."
"I never got the chance to thank you for saving that boy's life a couple of weeks ago."
"Think nothing of it."
"Would you like to join us?" Roger invited while gesturing to an empty chair.
The kind spirited doctor took him up on his offer and sat down.
"So Dr. Ray…are you new to this hospital?"
"In a manner of speaking."
"What kind of care giver are you? What's your specialty?" Roger questioned curiously.
"I'm an Osteopathic physician."
"What's an Osteopathic physician?"
"An Osteopath is a doctor who practices in every medical specialty. They can prescribe medications, perform surgery, deliver babies, set broken bones, you name it," June answered on Dr. Ray's behalf.
"Wow. No wonder you were able to save that kid's life so quickly…" Roger breathed in awe. Now the young man stared at Dr. Ray with newfound admiration. It was the first time he'd ever heard the word "Osteopath" let alone knew what the job entailed.
June nearly laughed when she saw Roger gazing upon the elder man as though he were a god.
"So what brought you to Jasper County Hospital? Where are you from?" June questioned cordially as she stirred her drink.
"I'm from out of town. My boss whom I've worked with for many years transferred me here. I wasn't very thrilled at first. Though I must say I've rather enjoyed working here so far."
"Yeah, it kind of grows on you after a while," June smiled softly.
"How long have you been practicing medicine?" Roger asked as he began to devour another pastry.
"For a lifetime."
"Well if that's the case, you probably know more than every doctor in this hospital put together. I bet you're the best one too," June appraised with a warm smile.
"While it's true that my knowledge is extensive…I do not feel comfortable bragging or boasting about my competency."
"Oh come on, you are just being modest. You are the only Osteopathic physician we have in Jasper! You proved you are the best when you saved that dying child! I've never seen a doctor as skilled as you before in all of my life."
"Thank you for the compliment," a beeping noise registered from somewhere on Dr. Ray's person and he checked what looked like a hand-held pager. He glanced up at them with an unreadable expression. "I'm sorry to cut this so short but I must go."
"Okay, see you later?" Roger questioned hopefully.
"You can count on it," Dr. Ray nodded with a knowing smile. He left without another word.
June watched him leave feeling a sense of despondency. Dr. Ray was a mysterious fellow and the woman couldn't help but feel that he held many secrets. There was just something about him…something she just couldn't quite put her finger on. She was broken out of her silent musings when Roger gently grasped her shoulder.
"Hey partner. We should probably get going. Break time is over."
June nodded as she turned to look at him. They gathered their things and returned to their ambulance which was already cleaned and prepped for the next emergency. It wasn't long until they received their next call. It was a simple patient transfer from their hospital to a neighboring county. They loaded the patient in the aft of the ambulance and drove off without their lights and sirens on since it wasn't an emergency.
As they were passing the downtown post office something unexpected happened…
Roger swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle and yelled out a string of profanities. If it wasn't for the seat-belt harness June was buckled down with, she would have been thrown clear across the ambulance. It only took a matter of seconds for the young man to course correct. Thankfully the patient was currently unconscious and the gurney locked down tight.
"Roger, what happened?! Did you spill your coffee on yourself again?"
If he had, it would be the second time this week…
"No! There is some sort of high speed chase going on! One of the cars nearly ran me off the road!"
"Are the cops after them?"
"Not that I can see."
"It's probably just a couple of immature teenagers out joy-riding," June growled as she glanced out the back window. "You'd better call it in to dispatch so they can alert the police."
June saw two cars race past them. Under normal circumstances an average person wouldn't pay the speedsters any thought. The woman, however, noticed that something was out of place. The two cars were both the same purple color…and they looked exactly identical. Like twins. Perfectly matched. That was a rare sight if ever there was one. She couldn't see the irresponsible morons driving them, the windows were too darkly tinted. Soon a green SUV followed after them in hot pursuit.
"Dear Lord…those reckless idiots better not get into a car accident," June muttered partially to herself although Roger managed to overhear her.
"They're probably a street gang that do illegal racing."
"Those reckless fools are either going to get seriously hurt or are going to end up dead. And guess who gets to clean up the mess? US."
The two paramedics left the Jasper city limit and made it to the neighboring town. By the time they arrived at the hospital and signed the patient over to the medical team that had been awaiting the elderly patient, night had fallen. The EMT's began their half-an-hour drive back to Jasper. June actually sat in the passenger seat up front this time since they currently had no patients to tend too. It was a nice change of scenery. The great thing about taking this route was that there was a small forest lining each side of the road for a few miles. It was much better than staring constantly at rocky mesas and the dry, rocky desert that constituted the city of Jasper Nevada.
Soon they both had to squint as blinding headlights appeared directly in front of them.
"Argh. That guy has his brights on. Why do people have to be so rude?"
Roger raised an arm up to shield his eyes from the glare as they were driving through a crossroad. That was when the Paramedics screamed.
It happened so fast. Neither of them had time to think or react. Their ambulance was T-boned by an unknown speeding vehicle which spun them around, forcing them to careen and veer off the road. Both EMT's braced for impact as a large tree appeared directly ahead of them. Roger slammed on the brakes but by then it was far too late.
"OH MY GOD!"
"HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!"
The ambulance hit the tree with a thundering crash. The last thing June saw, was the airbag deploying directly in front of her face. Then everything went dark.
"Ughn…" June moaned softly as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
"Ms. Darby, can you hear me?"
The voice sounded faint and warbled. Like she was hearing underwater. Her ears were ringing. She blinked multiple times, each image blurred and vague. She felt a sharp pain lance through her head and felt something wet trickling down the side of her face. June reached a hand up to touch it and when she pulled her fingers away, they were covered in bright, red blood. Dizziness assailed her causing her vision to swim, threatening to pull her back into the blissful void. There was another ambulance nearby. She could see the flashing strobe lights. Was this another paramedic?
Images began to appear before her eyes, each picture hazy and difficult to distinguish. It was like watching a movie that was chopped up with scenes out of order. For some reason everything looked and felt like it was happening in slow motion. A few times her vision was crystal clear.
June thought she saw tiny glass crystals falling off her torn and sooty uniform as she was pulled out from the wreckage. She felt disconnected from her own body…but she could tell that someone was carrying her. She caught a brief image… their ambulance was not only crashed into a tree but it was now angled in a ditch. The ambulance was a wreck. Steam billowed up from the bent hood of the smashed vehicle. Only one of the headlights remained intact and was still brightly lit.
The world began to spin until she couldn't tell if she was up or down. One moment she had been staring blearily up at the clear night sky and the next she was face down. A small patch of grass was on fire… another area was singed black near the front tire on the passenger side.
June blinked and moaned in pain as she fought back a sickening wave of nausea. Her rescuer was carrying her over one shoulder…commando style. Her rescuer was wearing a white lab coat and brief flashes of silver caught her eyes as it bobbed up and down, reflected from the light of the moon. What was it called? It hurt to think...
A stethoscope. It was a stethoscope… hanging around the collar of the lab coat.
That wasn't standard issued EMT clothing…
She sputtered and coughed as smoke wafted into her nostrils, making her wheeze. The woman could see the hazy bits and pieces of the new ambulance as they drew nearer. The flashing lights made the pain in her head pound harder.
Roger…where was Roger? This unknown person was taking her farther away from her crashed ambulance… farther away from her partner. She couldn't leave him! What if he was hurt and needed help?! She tried to find her voice. She needed to vocalize her distress. All that came out was a hoarse croak. Her mouth was dry and her tongue felt thick making it difficult to swallow.
"R-rog…"
She didn't even recognize her own voice. It sounded so gravelly. So weak.
"Your partner is being cared for as we speak. It's you that must be tended to now. Everything's going to be fine…"
Even though that voice sounded so far away, it did sound extremely familiar.
She noticed a second ambulance behind them and made out the hazy image of Peterson's crew supporting Roger as he slowly limped towards their rescue vehicle. Her partner… he was alive. He was safe…
The person who was carrying her was walking in the opposite direction towards the original ambulance she had first seen.
Soon she was lifted inside the aft of the cabin. Just before her rescuer began to re-position her to lay her down on the stretcher, she could make out the blurry identification number of the vehicle near the bumper.
117
The dazed and quite possibly delirious woman couldn't understand why she was being placed inside the ambulance they just crashed. Wait…she was in an accident? Is that what happened? That was when her fog covered mind registered the fact that no…this vehicle was not damaged at all. It was clean. It was spotless and perfect in every way. June began to feel exhausted and felt her body sinking further into the softly padded gurney. She closed her eyes but was jolted awake when that strangely disembodied voice returned. Someone was roughly patting her cheek.
"Hey! Come on, stay with me! You cannot fall asleep in your current condition!"
She blinked slowly and stared blankly into the face of her rescuer. This man. She had seen him before. It troubled her that she couldn't remember. An oxygen mask was placed over her nose and mouth and she sucked in the crisp, clean oxygen greedily. A soft, warm, fuzzy blanket was draped over her body once she had been strapped down. The man did it in a fatherly sort of way…like he was tucking her in for bed. Slowly the voice grew fainter. Her eyelids were growing far too heavy. It was taking a great deal of effort to even keep them open.
"Ms. Darby! DON'T FALL ASLEEP! You have a concussion! MS. DARBY!"
Why was this man making a big deal out of it? The woman felt she should know the answer but that knowledge was currently locked away in the dark recesses of her mind. She needed to rest. She was tired…so, so tired. A few minutes couldn't hurt…
As darkness slowly consumed her, the last image she saw was the hazy, panicked face of Dr. Ray.
And the last thing she heard…
…was a terrified soul screaming her name.
A soft, faint voice was calling to her. Was she dead?
The voice slowly became clearer and more pronounced. She cracked open her bleary eyes and waited a few seconds for the bright light to dim as her pupils adjusted. Her vision slowly improved although her speech was a little slurred. She was lying in a hospital room propped up with fluffy white pillows. She noticed that her left wrist was in a brace. She must have sprained it…
"Take it easy Ms. Darby. You suffered quite a bit of trauma. How do you feel?" the doctor questioned as he carefully lifted the bandage on her forehead to see how the wound was healing. She had to have five stitches. He then gently pushed the bandage back in place.
"Like I was hit by a speeding train."
"That's not far off from the truth. Can you remember what happened?"
"Our ambulance crashed…and someone pulled me out of the wreckage…I don't know if it was a dream or not but the paramedic who saved me looked a lot like Dr. Raymond Atchel. And he put me in a replica of our crashed ambulance…" the injured woman recounted with her eyes closed in concentration.
June brought a hand to her head and hissed in pain. The memory of the identical emergency vehicle quickly faded away. Her subconscious mind most likely labeling the image as a mere hallucination brought on by the head injury. A strip of soft, white, gauzy cloth was wrapped around her head…holding the thick bandage to her temple.
"Well it's certainly nice to be remembered."
June focused her eyes on the person speaking to her and it took a few minutes for her brain to catch up to finally recognize the man.
"Dr. Ray?"
"Yes, it's me."
"What are you doing here?"
He huffed.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm your attending physician!" he frowned at her as if daring her to defy him.
June was speechless and could only stare at him dumbfounded.
"Was that really you? Are you the one who saved me?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes."
"How did you know we were in trouble? How did you find us?"
"I was in the ambulance bay when I overheard your screams. When you crashed, the dispatch radio in your ambulance was on. Finding you was easy since there is only one route between our hospital and the one in the next county."
"What were you doing in the ambulance bay?" she raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"The Surgeon General and senior medical officer of Jasper County Hospital wanted me to familiarize myself, with your rescue vehicles in the event I was ever needed should your rescue squads become short-handed. I recently renewed my EMT license."
"You have experience as an EMT?! Is there anything you can't do?" June gaped at him in awe-struck wonder.
"Enough talk. You need to rest."
He flashed a penlight in her eyes and she hissed in pain and jerked her head away. Dr. Ray began to scribble notes on his clipboard. June's eyes widened when she remembered something crucial.
"Where's Roger?" she questioned with worry as she glanced around in confusion.
"He's fine. He only suffered two sprained fingers, minor bruising, and a few lacerations. You on the other hand endured far worse."
"Yeah partner, that concussion you're suffering from is a real doozy," a second voice piped in from the doorway.
Roger was leaning casually against the door frame with a can of soda in his hand.
"Roger!" June beamed with a large grin. She'd never been so happy to see him in all her life!
Roger entered the room to stand next to her.
"June…I'm so, so sorry…" Roger apologized profusely as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it with a worried frown.
"Sorry for what?" June questioned with mild confusion.
"I was the one driving…maybe you wouldn't have gotten so hurt if I had just—"
"It wasn't your fault Roger. It would have happened no matter who was at the wheel. We're still alive and our injuries aren't too severe. You have nothing to blame yourself for!" June reassured him.
"Your partner has hardly left your side. I nearly had to pry him away from you with a crowbar, when he refused to take care of his own needs," Dr. Ray shot Roger an annoyed look. The young man had neglected himself. He barely ate and he barely slept. Dr. Ray had to resort to using threats after the third day. He told Roger that if he didn't eat…he would force feed him with a tube down his throat and that if he didn't sleep…he would put him to sleep.
"How long was I out?" June questioned when she saw bright sunlight filtering through the blinds on the window.
"Four days," Roger winced knowing that June would not be happy with that news.
"WHAT?! Oh my God, JACK! I have to get to my son!" June panicked as she began unhooking herself from the medical devices still attached to her in a determined struggle to escape out of the blankets that were currently holding her prisoner. Dr. Ray Atchel would have none of it and forced her back into bed, re-attaching the blood pressure cuff and pulse clip. She really would have received an earful had she succeeded in ripping out the IV line in her right arm.
"Ms. Darby! I promise you that during your recovery, your son has been taken care of. I have a very close, trusted friend who agreed to act as Jack's guardian until you were able to return home. He's quite safe."
June relaxed a notch. Until the full gravity of her situation hit her full force. June's face immediately turned a bright shade of red. She didn't like entertaining the thought that someone had to care for her more…private… needs while she'd been unconscious.
Please don't let there be a catheter… June fervently prayed. She quickly checked when Dr. Ray and Roger weren't looking. Nope. There wasn't one. Oh thank God! That didn't mean that she hadn't been hooked up to one at some point while she'd been in a mini-coma for the past four days.
"Why does my right leg feel stiff?" June began to panic as she flexed her toes.
"Oh don't be such a sparkl—an infant," the man quickly corrected himself. Internally Ratchet was cursing himself for his blunder.
Ms. Darby apparently didn't seem to notice as she was too focused in trying to figure out what happened to her leg and Roger was preoccupied texting a close buddy of his.
"Here, look…" Dr. Ray Atchel pulled the covers back to reveal a black, walking cast bound to her lower right leg.
"Aw dammit. How am I supposed to return to work with THAT?!"
"You aren't. You are going on medical leave for the next month."
"NO WAY! You can't be serious!"
"Sorry June…doctor's orders," Roger gave her a sad smile. "Which totally SUCK by the way!" Roger then turned to glare at Dr. Ray who appeared unfazed by the young man's tenacity. "Now I'm going to be forced to ride with Johns and Lidia for the next month!"
"It's okay Roger. You'll do fine without me," June attempted to give him an encouraging smile but it came out more like a grimace.
At that moment she received two surprise visitors.
"JACK!"
"MOM!" The teen ran to her bedside and gently embraced her with a relieved smile. She kissed her son's forehead and gave him a loving smile as she ran a gentle hand against his cheek. Her gaze shifted to her son's escort.
The man who had accompanied her son slowly approached. He nodded at her with a warm smile. He carried himself in a confident manner. He exhibited a great deal of physical strength if his muscle mass was anything to go by. Despite his impressive physical stature, he seemed to have a calm, gentle, and kind aura about him. His very presence seemed to promote a sense of peace and security. He was rather attractive and for some reason she couldn't peel her eyes off of his handsome face. His bright blue eyes were beautiful…they mesmerized her. She had to snap herself out of it…it was rude to stare.
"Hello Ms. Darby. I am Orion Paxton. Dr. Raymond and I are close friends. He asked me to care for your son while you were hospitalized. I hope that my role as guardian meets your approval…"
His voice was deep and rich. It was kind, but firm. He was very pleasant to listen too. She wished he would keep talking. June was speechless and had to mentally chastise herself when she was once again drawn into the depths of those amazing blue eyes of his…
Oh stop it June! You're acting like a school girl crushing on the first cute boy she meets…
A subtle nudge from her son accompanied by the clearing of a throat brought her crashing back to reality.
"Oh! Uh, uh-n-no…no that's great! That's totally awesome. Thank you Orion for watching my son. In fact, you can watch him anytime," she stammered much to her embarrassment. It had been a long time since anyone made her feel that flustered. Try as she might, June couldn't stop her cheeks from burning a bright cherry red.
"I am very glad to see that your health has improved Ms. Darby. We were all very worried about you," he smiled again as compassion seeped into his voice.
"Alright everyone, visiting hours are over. Ms. Darby needs her rest," Dr. Ray ordered firmly.
Roger and Jack grumbled quietly to themselves as they began to leave June's room. They said farewell. Orion was the last visitor to leave. He looked down at June with a serious expression although his eyes were soft.
"I promise your son will be safe with me. Please, rest well."
"Thank you Mr. Paxton," June smiled tiredly.
The man left June and Dr. Ray alone.
"Alright June…I will check up on you by the hour. REST."
"I promise," June sighed softly as she closed her eyes. She was asleep within minutes.
Once he was satisfied that his patient was adhering to his orders, Dr. Ray slipped silently out of the room thanking Primus that for ONCE a patient actually chose to be cooperative. He could only wonder just how long that would last…
TO BE CONTINUED!
Author's Note: Please review and let me know what you think concerning June and Optimus's possible relationship! As I said before…I just don't know. ._.