Author's note: This story was originally written back in the Seventies. At that time, there were many jobs that were not open to women -- firefighting being one of them. The objection in this case was twofold -- first, it was not felt that a women could physically do the job and secondly, the job would call for women to share sleeping quarters with men. The city I lived in proposed the solution of an all female fire company. It never came to pass but I thought it might be an interesting dilemma for the guys at 51 to deal with. I'm happy to say we've come long way, baby, since those archaic days!
Johnny Gage stood in front of the bulletin board at Station 51. A shift had just mustered in but the day was not yet really in full swing. "I don't believe it!" he gasped as he read one of the notices.
"What don't you believe?" Roy asked. He'd been on his way to the kitchen to avail himself of some of Stoker's coffee to clear out his early morning cobwebs. He stopped to see what Johnny was so shocked about and maybe head off one of Johnny's all day obsessing sessions.
Chet also walked over to Johnny. He could home in on Johnny's dilemmas a mile away.
"They've made 18s an all female station!!" Johnny said with disbelief.
"What's wrong with that?" Roy shrugged. He headed for the kitchen hoping against hope that would be the end of it.
"Roy!!!" Johnny's voice raised two octaves as he followed him in to the kitchen, "Didn't you hear what I said?! A female fire station!!!"
"Well, John," Chet chuckled gleefully, "I do believe you are a male chauvinist pig."
"I am not!" Johnny denied it vehemently."But this is strenuous work -- firefighting-- now how could a woman----"
"I don't know, John," the cap interrupted, "There have been women firefighters for years on some of the smaller communities' volunteer units and it's worked out fine."
"Well, yeah, Cap -- but this isn't volunteer -- this is the real thing!!"
"Explain to me, John, what exactly is the difference between a volunteer fire and a real fire?" Chet asked ‘innocently', enjoying seeing Johnny in the hotseat. Johnny was backed into a corner and all he could do was stammer in response. This was almost getting too easy.
The cap decided to nip this in the bud, "The Department says they qualify so there is really nothing to discuss. Is there, boys?"
"Yeah. They've had the same training as we have. They are a full service station," Roy concurred.
"You mean they have paramedics and everything?" Johnny wasn't letting this go.
"Sure do, Gage," Chet smiled wickedly, "Is that what's bothering you? You can't stand the thought of a chick being able to do your job?"
"That's not it at all. I just think that this work is too heavy and dangerous for a woman," Johnny insisted.
"Yeah, right," Chet chided.
"Besides,"Johnny laughed, "Can you really see a woman getting ready fast enough on a night run?"
"What a sexist remark!!" Chet said with mock disgust. "I'm surprised at you, Gage. You really are living in the past. You know women can vote now and everything."
Their argument was interrupted by the alarm.
"Station 51, Man caught in tree - 405 Oklahoma Cross street Delmont. 405 Oklahoma. Time out 8:35."
Station 51, KMG 365," Captain Stanley acknowledged.
***
They pulled up in front of a large Victorian house. There was a middle aged woman standing in the driveway. Her henna red hair was in curlers. She wore a house dress and an expression that would turn away Attila the Hun.
"The firemen are here, Al," she hollered over her shoulder. "Come on. Back here," she commanded.
No one in the company had the urge to argue with her. They simply followed her to the back yard.
"I told him not to try and put up that antenna by himself, but would he listen -- noooo," she got several syllables out of the word in her disgust. She almost seemed to be talking to herself so the cap discreetly went around her as did Chet and Marco. She fell in beside Roy "Are you married, young man?" she suddenly asked him.
"Ah -- yes, ma'am," he answered, unsure of what else to do and suddenly feeling quite deserted by his comrades.
"Well, you be sure and listen to your wife," she lectured shaking her finger in his face. "Don't you be an old fool like Al here."
"Okay, Gladys. Can the commercial. You guys, GET ME DOWN!"
They followed the sound of the man's voice to a large tree next to the house. A television antenna dangled from the roof but they had to peer closely to find any trace of the man in the thick foliage of the tree branches.
Johnny saw him first and pointed. He began strapping on his climbing equipment. He was more than happy to let Roy deal with the bride of Frankenstein. He'd take a nice tree climb any day.
"Ah, yes sir," Roy took over liaison with the victim, "What seems to be the problem?"
"Of all the stupid questions!!! The problem is -- I'm stuck in this damn tree!!"
"Yes sir. We can see that. What I mean is -- are you hurt?" Roy kept his cool.
"Just you get me down!!" he screamed angrily.
"Yes sir. Keep calm. We'll be right up," Johnny took over. "Wanna give me a boost, Roy?"
"Sure thing," Roy agreed, happy to have something to do other than deal with the victim.
Cautiously Johnny climbed up to the man's position. At one point a branch snapped and he nearly lost his footing.
"Careful, Johnny!" Roy called.
"You okay?" the cap wanted to know.
"Yeah. I'm fine," Johnny hollered down to them, rubbing the knee he'd bumped. He continued his climb and finally reached the man. "Hi, how ya doing?" he forced his voice to be pleasant.
"Never better," the man snarled sarcastically.
"Ah, well, we'll have you down in a minute," Johnny promised, continuing to maintain a pleasant tone of voice. He tossed a rope around a thick branch then dropped the other end down to Roy. "Tell me, sir, are you sure you're not hurt anywhere?"
"I'm just stuck. Will you please do me a favor?" the man did not cloak the disgust he felt, as Johnny did.
"What's that, sir?"
"Will you quit being so all fired cheerful first thing in the damn morning. What have you got to be so cheerful about anyway?"
"Well, ah --" Johnny was at a loss.
"I know!" the man suddenly brightened, "Tell me, are you married?"
"No sir."
"Ah ha!" the man called down to his belligerent wife, "You hear that, Gladys? This is a happy man. A happy man!" He suddenly reached up and grabbed Johnny's face with one of his beefy hands. He cupped Johnny's chin and managed to squeeze his cheeks very hard.
"Ahh owww," Johnny yelped. He'd been so surprised by the move that he nearly toppled off the branch he was perched on. It felt like the man was breaking his face.
"And you know why he's happy, Gladys?" the man went on ignoring Johnny's near accident, "I'll tell ya why -- because he's NOT married!!"
"Oh yeah? Well then who does his laundry?" the wife countered defiantly.
The man was still squeezing Johnny's face but he looked at him for an answer.
"I do," Johnny struggled to say.
"See there!" The man was triumphant.
"Poppycock!! There ain't a man alive who can do laundry and not have it come out looking like an unmade bed!!" she argued.
Johnny could see this wasn't getting them anywhere. He fought down his own urge to argue with the woman an turned his attention back to the man. "Sir, if you'd let go of me, I could get you down."
"Well, do it then. Don't just sit there like some kind of baboon!" he grouched.
"Can I have the chain saw up here?" Johnny yelled to the men on the ground.
They hitched it to the rope and he hauled it up.
"You be careful with that thing now," the man suddenly seemed to feel less abusive.
"Yes sir," Johnny wore a smile that could possibly be interpreted as malicious. If it kept the guy off his back so he could do his work then what was the harm in it, Johnny reasoned. "You just stay real still now. I'm gonna cut away some of these old limbs so I can get you free. Just relax."
"Are you alright, Al?" his wife called. There had been a break in their argument. That hadn't happened very often in their thirty year marriage.
The man realized that the fireman wouldn't pull anything cute with the saw with all these witnesses so he reverted back to his true personality. "I will be when Paul Bunyan here gets finished. Will you hurry up?"
"I'm going as fast as I can. Will you please relax? Roy, wanna give me a hand up here?" Johnny was beginning to anger. He was starting not to trust himself alone with the obnoxious man.
Roy climbed up to join them. His presence had a calming effect on Johnny and soon they had the man free. They rigged up a Stokes and used it to lower the man to the ground. Roy had climbed down with it keeping it steady, leaving Johnny to gather up the power equipment he had used and regain his patience.
Roy was already on the horn to Rampart when he climbed down. Gladys accosted him before he even had both feet on the ground. "Young man!" she began angrily, "Look what you've done to my tree!!"
"What?"
"My tree. You've ruined it! Cutting that gaping hole in it!!!"
"Well, ma'am I had to do that to free your husband --"
"Don't you worry. The county will get a bill for this. I intend to sue for damages. What is your name? Who is your superior?" she fumed.
"Cap," Johnny called angrily. Every bit of patience he had was gone. "Would you come here a minute please?"
"Sure, Johnny what is it?" Captain Stanley asked soothingly. He could see Johnny had lost it and it would be up to him to deal with Gladys.
"This is Captain Stanley, ma'am. He is my superior. My name is John Gage. G-A-G-E. He'll be glad to talk to you. Right now I have work to do -- looking after your husband. Excuse me, please."
Johnny went over and joined Roy. The man was experiencing numbness in his legs and Rampart had ordered an IV. "I'll get it," Johnny snarled through clenched teeth. His hands shook slightly from anger and he was having trouble opening the sack.
Roy took it from him. "Take it easy, Johnny," he smiled calmly as he set up the IV.
The ambulance had just arrived. "I'll ride in with him," Roy volunteered. He figured that Johnny had more than had his fill of the Bickersons.
The ambulance pulled away and the woman followed in her car.
The others helped Johnny gather up his equipment. "Cap," Johnny began apologetically, "I'm sorry I got a little steamed there for a minute. I didn't mean to talk to you like that."
"Like what, Pal?" the cap smiled clapping him on the back to let him know all was forgiven.
"Boy, those two deserve each other, don't they?" Chet observed as he helped Johnny pack everything back into the squad.
"Yeah," Johnny smiled as he got in to the squad, "They sure do."
***
When Johnny arrived at Rampart he went up to the ER nurses' station to wait for Roy. Dixie was there working on charts. "Hi, Dix," he greeted pleasantly. He'd had the drive in to calm down.
"Hi, Johnny," she greeted but couldn't resist teasing him a little. "Hey, I hear the Fire Department now has an all women division."
"Yeah," Johnny said with some disgust, "How do you like that?"
"I like it just fine. At least that's one group of paramedics who won't be mooning over my nurses," she teased.
"Dix, you don't understand. I don't see how a woman could do it. Not over the long haul -- I mean this is a tough job."
"Well," Dixie was a bit defensive. "It so happens that I've met the A shift paramedics already. They were on a run earlier."
"Oh yeah? How'd they do?"
"Fine. Senior member is Liz Pigeon. She's an RN. Took her training right here, as a matter a fact. Excellent diagnostician. Completely capable in every way."
"Oh yeah, well if she's a nurse, I guess I can see how she could pass paramedic training with no sweat but -- well how about the other one?" he asked, stealing an apple from a basket on Dixie's desk.
"What sort of info are you fishing for? This isn't your local dating service, you know?"
Johnny insisted, "Hey, this isn't personal -- it's professional curiosity only. What's the other one like?"
"She's a qualified paramedic same as you, Johnny."
"Yeah, but Dix, a paramedic has also got to be a fireman." Johnny figured he had her there.
"Firefighter," she corrected him.
"Okay, firefighter. The point is sometimes we are called upon to do things that are dangerous. We have to be strong. And we can't just panic and lose our cool when any little thing goes wrong."
"Tell me about it," Dixie got up on her high horse. "I understand that you had a few less than gracious words with Mrs Whitcomb."
"Who?"
"Mrs. Whitcomb, wife of the victim you guys just brought in. Something about a tree...."she prompted.
"What do you mean less than gracious. I was gracious. I was just a little angry, that's all. Just a little," he assured her.
She looked him square in the eye.
He squirmed. "Well, you should have been there, Dix. She was griping about her tree. A stupid tree. I almost broke my neck and she's worried about a tree. Not her husband, mind you. I could have understood if it was her husband she was upset about -- but a damn tree!!"
Roy walked up and joined them.
"How is the ‘dear old gentleman'?" Johnny asked him sarcastically.
"There you go again, Johnny. Less than gracious," Dixie cautioned, barely able to contain her laughter.
"Dix!!"
"He's gonna be okay," Roy interrupted the battle of wits that Dixie was enticing Johnny into.
Johnny was rubbing his jaw. It was still sore.
"How's you face?" Roy asked.
"Very funny, Roy -- uh oh," Johnny gasped suddenly. He ducked into the room behind the nurses' station. He'd seen Mrs. Whitcomb approaching.
"Your husband is going to be fine, ma'am," Roy reported politely.
"I know that. I knew it all along but I wanted to thank you for all you've done anyway."
"Ah, well, you're welcome, ma'am. It's all part of the job."
"Well thanks are in order all the same. I have to go now. Tell that other vile young man I said thanks too. Where is he anyway?"
"Ah, he's around here someplace." Roy looked around innocently.
"He's very rude, you know. But he'll straighten out as soon as he gets married. Good day." With that she left.
"You can come out now, vile young man," Dixie laughed. "When are you getting married, anyway, Johnny?"
"Probably never," Johnny vowed. "Boy, I like that. I do all the work -- well most of it and you get all the thanks and all I get is ‘vile young man'. Why is that, anyway?"
"Well, it's pretty simple, Johnny. She liked me better than she did you," Roy smiled.
"Because you're married?"
"No, because I'm charming." Roy winked at Dixie. He picked up the drug box and headed out to the parking lot.
"Charming?" Johnny squawked as he followed Roy out. "Charming! Where did you get that?"
"She told me," Roy assured him as they got into the squad.
"Charming," Johnny repeated, trying to get used to the idea.
"Squad 51, available," Roy said into the mic then backed out of his parking spot.
"How do you like that? Charming." Johnny muttered in disbelief.
"Well, it's better than being vile," Roy reminded him.
"Ha ha," Johnny snorted.
"Dr Brackett was telling me that 18s has been in on a run already this morning," Roy changed the subject.
"Yeah. Dix told me. She says they're good."
"I'm sure they are. They'd have to be."
"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?"
"Well, it'd figure the department -- everybody -- would be down on the idea of women on the job so they'd have to be good -- very good-- maybe even better than a man, just to get in."
"Oh, wait a minute, Roy, better than a man?!"
Just then they got a radio call. "Station 51, Station 18, Engine 4, Truck 8. Warehouse fire corner of 12th and Gilbert. Time out 10:18."
"Squad 51 10-4, LA" Johnny said into the mic.
"Well, Junior, here's our chance to see how they do," Roy told him.
"Yeah," Johnny agreed, sounding less than enthusiastic.
***
When the squad arrived at the fire, Station 18 was already there and set up. Engine 51 pulled in right behind them.
Captain Stanley approached the area where the command post was in place. Captain Tacy of 18s looked up from the blueprints she was going over. "Hank Stanley," he introduced himself. "What's the situation?"
"I'm Tacy," she said simply as she returned her attention to the blueprints. She was a stern looking, middle-aged woman. Her greying hair was cut short. She looked to be all business to Hank. He knew that she had done fire work in the military. "We've got flames showing on the south side. 4 is setting up there but they could use some back-up. I've got my girls trying to put a lid on the north side -- we've got some smoke there. Look at what they've got stored on the third floor -- propane -- if the fire gets to that we can all kiss our keisters good-bye."
"We may need a second alarm," Hank agreed. He could tell by the captain's assessment of the situation that she knew what she was doing. The fact that she had assigned the rookies -- her station, to the less dangerous part of the fire was a decision he fully agreed with. There was no room for overblown egos in fire service. But with the potential this one had for danger there was no safe, easy job anywhere. He set about deploying his men. If this one got away from them it could spell disaster.
The main warehouse was a three story brick building. There were several smaller storage buildings on the grounds. They had two known trouble spots. Hank was scanning the building for more as he worked at co-ordinating teams.
The paramedics from 18s brought out two victims. Liz Pigeon carried a young boy in her arms. Her partner, Cassie Kelly had a woman over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. They carried them to the triage area which was near the command post. The woman revived almost immediately upon receiving oxygen. The paramedic tried to gently hold her down but she was becoming frantic. Captain Tacy went over to lend a hand.
"Tommy! Tommy!" the woman cried out.
"Calm down, ma'am. Pidge'll take care of him. Now you just breathe into this for the nice captain, I'll go check on Tommy. I'll be right back," Cassie promised and ducked away before her captain could object.
"Looks like ya got your hands full there, Partner," she grinned.
The four year old was not being co-operative. Pidge was having so much trouble holding him still that she could not properly examine him. She shot her partner an icy look.
"Whoa, Tommy, chill, buddy. Ya gotta sit still so Ol' Pidge can have a look at you." Cassie gently put her hands on his arms and held him still.
"I gotta go back. I GOTTA!" Tommy insisted.
"You don't want to go back in there. Your mommy is fine. She's right over there."
"Charlie and Digby," he screamed, "They are still in the fire!!"
"There's no one else in there, baby. We checked," Pidge assured him.
"Charlie and Digby," he sobbed.
Captain Tacy had been unable to keep the mother from her child any longer. She walked her over and carried the O² .
"Do you know what he's talking about, ma'am?" Pidge was at her rope's end.
"Hey I know!" Cassie stood up making room for the mother. She unsnapped her turnout coat. She had a toy Koala bear stuffed in the waist of her turnout pants. Hitched to her suspenders was a very small hamster cage.
"Charlie and Digby!!" Tommy was delighted.
Captain Tacy was not. "How did you --" she began sternly. This station had been on line for less than 24 hours and as she had all during training, Kelly was skirting right up to the edge of the rule book.
"They were right there with him. It took NO extra time to grab them too. Honest, Cap."
"I'd laugh if that mouse had gotten loose in your trousers," Tacy growled in a tone that let the paramedic know this discussion was not over.
"It's not a mouse . It's a hamster. In fact, it's a lot of hamsters," Cassie reported checking the cage more closely.
"Mommy look! Charlie made babies!!"
"I see, Tommy," the mother smiled. She was so relieved that he was alright nothing else mattered. She sat on the ground next to him and held him. "Thank you," she told the captain and the paramedics.
The captain walked back to the command post.
"You suppose I can do my job and finish checking you two out now," Pidge smiled "No sense both of us being in Dutch with the captain."
"Thanks, Pard." Cassie pretended to by hurt by her partner's lack of support.
"Tommy shouldn't even have been here," the mother felt the need to talk. "But the babysitter is down with that flu that's going around. I couldn't get anyone else so I had to bring him to work with me."
"You must have one of those understanding bosses," Pidge continued to tease her partner.
"I am the boss," the woman stated.
"Right on!" Cassie was all for any victory in the cause for woman's lib.
Suddenly there was an explosion in one of the secondary buildings.
"Oh no," gasped the woman getting to her feet.
"What's in there?"Tacy hollered from the command post.
"Paint," the woman told her.
"They are calling for a paramedic on the west side of the building," Tacy called over to them.
"You go," Pidge urged, "You're the one that needs to score the brownie points."
Cassie grabbed the back pack that held some basic supplies and ran to the west side of the building. The first building was largely under control now so most of the units were attacking the second building. She saw a fireman kneeling by a man on the ground.
"Injured civilian over here," Marco called.
She ran to them.
"Are you a paramedic?" he hollered over the noise and confusion,
"Yes," she hollered back. "What have you got here?"
"He's got some burns on his hands and it looks like he got a little too much smoke."
She nodded and started to unpack her sack.
"Between you and me, I think we should move him. I don't like the looks of that wall," Marco confided in her.
She followed his line of vision. There had been a lot of damage here and the brick wall did almost look bowed out a little. "Good idea," They got the man to his feet and draped one of his arms around each of their shoulders. They walked him out of harm's way to the triage area.
Marco had picked up her pack. He sat it on the ground next to the man.
"Thanks," Cassie said while digging for a stethoscope.
"Can I make a suggestion?" Marco asked simply.
"Sure. Fire away," she said, waiting to listen to the man's chest.
"Don't go back into the fire without your helmet."
"Yipes," she, gasped, automatically putting her hands on top of her head. He was right. She'd dropped her helmet when they were taking care of Tommy and his mother and she'd forgotten it when she headed back in. It was pretty lucky that the cap had been too busy to notice. "Thanks."
"That's okay. Look I gotta get back. Looks like you have more customers on the way."
There were more people who had been overcome by smoke that were being brought over by firemen and their co-workers. The paramedics were kept hopping for a while but soon everything was under control and Pidge once again volunteered to handle it.
As Cassie headed back to see what she could do to help a voice suddenly erupted behind her.
"Chet, you're supposed to be on the roof!"
She spun around to face Captain Stanley.
He saw the 18 on her helmet. "Oh sorry, I have a man - er firefighter named Kelly too," he fumbled. The name on the back of her coat was what had confused him.
"I know," she said simply. "Look, I'm available. Where do you need me?"
He recognized her as one of the paramedics he'd seen earlier. "Roy could use some help," he said, pointing Roy out to her. She nodded and ran to Roy.
"Need some help?" she asked Roy as he knelt between two different victims.
"Sure do." Roy was glad to see her. "Wanna get some vitals on him?"
They went to work on the victims. They were among the many who had suffered from smoke inhalation and the effects of the toxic paint fumes. Within the hour things were pretty well under control. The first responders were taking a break while the second alarm units started to do mop up.
All of the paramedics had been kept busy. They were finally getting caught up. The worst of the victims were on their way to Rampart. A circle of onlookers had gathered around. Suddenly a man in the crowd grabbed his chest, groaned loudly, then collapsed.
"Kelly," Captain Stanley called the closest paramedic.
She ran to the downed man and began to check him over.
Suddenly he grabbed both her upper arms and tried to pull her close for a kiss. It happened so quickly that neither Captain Stanley nor Marco, who was also standing there, had time to come to her assistance. As it turned out, she didn't need any.
"Where ya been all my life, baby?" the man leered.
"Wasn't born yet for most of it," she shot back, rolling her eyes at his lameness. She quickly extended her arms outward breaking his hold on her. She got to her feet and started to walk away.
The big man quickly got up also. He reached out to grab her shoulder, certain her rejection had been a mistake. His fingers had barely touched her when she suddenly grabbed him by the wrist, bent forward slightly and flipped the big man with ease. The next thing he knew he was flat on his back in front of her and the crowd was laughing at him.
"I don't think she likes you, Rocky," someone laughed.
Before the man could make another move he found himself staring into the faces of two very angry looking firemen.
"Hey, it was just a joke, fellas," he vowed.
"It wasn't funny," said the captain, "Do you know what interfering with rescue personnel is worth, finewise?"
"Just trying to have a little fun here."
"Well you're done having fun on my time, Rocky," Tommy's mother stated firmly. "You're history around here. Get out."
"Women," Rocky griped.
The rest of the conversation was lost on the fire fighters because they walked away.
"I'm sorry about that, I had no idea he was faking," Captain Stanley said.
"Don't worry about it, Cap. We kind of expect that kind of thing. We're ready for it."
"You sure are," Marco said with admiration.
"Hey, Roy," Mike called from another part of the crowd. "Johnny can't get his breath."
They all went running in that direction. Mike had Johnny sitting on the running board of the engine. He was gasping for breath, his cheeks flushed deeply and his eyes were watering.
Roy slapped some O² on him. "Take it easy, Johnny," he said firmly.
The O² didn't help all that much. Kelly began checking his vitals. "He's very warm," she commented to Roy then checked his lungs with a stethoscope. "Lungs sound congested."
"It's from the smoke," Roy told her.
At last Johnny was able to catch his breath. "Okay," Roy told Mike, who removed the oxygen. "Are you better now?" Roy asked Johnny.
"I sure am," he smiled at Kelly.
"Here we go again," Kelly rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Johnny. You're all right," Roy said, helping Johnny to his feet.
Johnny ignored his partner, "My name is John Gage," he extended his hand to her.
She took his hand and shook it, "I'm ---"
"Cassie! !!!!" Chet exploded from the crowd. "Cassie, what are you doing here?"
"I work here," she said coolly.
"Oh no, you don't!" he spat angrily.
"Oh yes, I do."
"NO. Not this. It's too dangerous for you!"
"Chet," she began through clenched teeth.
"Yeah, Chet, what ever happened to women's equality?" Johnny laughed.
"Women are one thing," Chet screamed, "Kids are something else entirely!" They'd never seen Chet this angry.
"Who's a kid?" Cassie shrilled.
"You are. Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"
"Because we all knew you'd act like a berserk bull in heat -- just like you are doing right now," she said calmly as she packed up her equipment. She really didn't want a fight with him at the moment.
"Look, Cassie," Chet tired to calm himself, "You know I'm as liberal as the next guy ---"
"That depends on who the next guy is," she quipped, as she loaded her equipment on to her squad.
The rest of Station 51 was getting a big kick out of this scene.
"Cassie," Chet struggled to remain calm, "Let's face it. There's just some things that men can do better than women -- that I can do better than you."
"Oh that's true, Chet," she said sweetly, "You're a much better cook than I am."
The rest of station 51 was laughing hysterically by now but Chet ignored them.
"Cassie!!" He slammed his fist into the top of her squad. "Yeoooowww" He shook his hand.
"Are you okay? Let me see," she offered to help.
"I'm fine!" he screamed. "It feels good. I may do it again!"
"You know what, Big Brother? You're really weird," she remarked as she climbed into the squad and started the engine. "Tootles," she waved as she drove off.
Chet was still seething with rage. The cap came up behind him. "Come on, Chet," he said calmly.
"She's just a kid, Cap. She doesn't know what she's doing."
"Yes she does," the cap told him. "She's a qualified paramedic and firefighter. She did a good job. The whole station did. We've been relieved here. Let's go home," he said kindly, clapping his arm around Chet's shoulder. He was a father. He did have some idea how Chet felt.
"Chet, how'd an ugly guy like you get such a cute sister?" Johnny teased.
Without warning Chet slugged him, knocking him to the ground.
"Hey, Pal," the cap cautioned , pulling Chet back.
"I hope you feel better," Johnny grumbled, rubbing his jaw but not completely sure it was safe to get up.
"Calm down, Chet," the cap ordered in no uncertain terms.
"Sorry, Gage," Chet muttered walking away with the cap and the others.
Roy pulled Johnny to his feet and they walked to their own squad.
"I think my jaw is broken," Johnny griped once they were inside the squad.
"You're all right," Roy smiled, "Besides, you asked for it."
"I did not!" Johnny argued but then smiled, "Boy Chet sure changed his tune fast on women's liberation, didn't he?"
***
They arrived back at the station only a few minutes behind the engine. None of the victims had been seriously injured and they had been able to hand them off to ambulance attendants and remain on the scene.
They walked in to the kitchen. Chet was still steaming as he nursed a cup of coffee. Everyone knew they had to cheer him up if any of them were to survive the shift with him.
"Look, Chet," the cap began, "How old is your sister?"
"Seventeen, eighteen," he muttered.
"Chet, you have to be older than that to get in to the department," the cap reminded him.
"What? Well, let's see. She's seven years younger than me -- she's twenty."
"Chet, I was twenty when I became a paramedic," Johnny told him hoping that Roy wouldn't remind him that he actually turned twenty one during training.
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Chet muttered.
"Come on, Chet," Marco tried his luck, "Like you said before -- there's no real reason a woman can't do this kind of work."
"No, I think Chet is right now,"Johnny said while he poured himself a cup of coffee. "This work is TOO dangerous. A woman could get hurt, even killed."
There was now murder in Chet's eyes but the cap intervened and put his hand on Chet's arm to keep him in his seat. "No, Chet," he said in a threatening voice, "This time let me hit him."
"Cap?" Johnny was crushed.
"No, no, Cap. That's quite all right. I'm glad he said that. After all, when a person finds himself in agreement with John, it's definitely time to rethink his position. I mean, they've had all the same training we had, right?"
"Course they did," the cap assured him.
"Well then, how ‘bout some lunch?" Chet brightened.
After they'd had lunch Chet seemed to be back to normal. He was even taking his turn at doing the dishes without complaint. He started gathering them up. Johnny still sat in front of his plate which was practically untouched.
"Come on, Gage, eat up."
"Hmmmm what?" Johnny snapped back from a million miles away.
"Your lunch. Ya wanna finish it so I can get done here?" Chet complained.
"Oh, I'm finished, Chet," he said quietly.
"What? You're gonna waste all that food?"
"I'm just not hungry, Chet."
"Don't tell me he's falling in love again," Marco chided.
"Could be," said Mike. "It's been ten minutes since the last time."
"Sometimes you guys really bug me," Johnny said evenly and headed for the locker room.
"Whoa," said Marco and they all looked at each other. This was the first time Johnny had admitted to being miffed in ages.
Eventually Roy went to look for him. He hoped that Johnny had cooled down, otherwise it could make for a very long shift. He found him in the washroom. "What are you doing?" he asked. He must have startled him because he jumped and spun around to face him.
"What are you sneaking up on me for?" Johnny gasped.
"Sorry. Why are you pouring salt into a glass?" Roy wondered.
"Got a sore throat. Must have swallowed too much smoke a that fire."
"Want me to take a look at it?"
"No. It'll go away."
"That's why you didn't eat any lunch." Roy surmised.
"I wasn't hungry," Johnny insisted.
"I see."
"Roy, why is it I always get the feeling that you know something you're not letting me in on?" Johnny complained.
"Why are you so touchy today?"
"I don't know, Roy," he confessed. "Just tired I suppose."
Before Roy could question him farther the alarm sounded.
"Station 51, motor vehicle accident at the 7-11 corner of Beaumont and Sinclair. Time out 3:10"
***
A car had driven into the 7 -11, literally. An old station wagon sat half in and half out of the store. There was a lot of broken glass from the plate glass window and display of soda that the car had knocked over. There seemed to be no sign of fire or a gas leak from the car but Captain Stanley told Chet and Marco to sweep away as much of the glass as they could to make gaining access to the car a little safer.
Roy and Johnny took their equipment and went inside the store.
"What happened?"Johnny asked. The proprietor was very upset and was speaking in rapid fire Spanish. Johnny shook his head and called Marco over to question him.
There were two people in the car. Roy went up to the driver's side. The driver was slumped over the wheel and was not moving. Roy reached in and checked for a neck pulse. He was alive.
Johnny approached the passenger side. The was the point of impact and Johnny had to move several six packs and cases of soda to even get close to the car. The damage to the vehicle itself was another obstacle. The door was badly crumpled and he couldn't get it opened. He couldn't get to the victim. He could see that it was a woman and that she appeared to be coming to. "It's alright, Ma'am, Just relax. We're going to get you out. Just sit still, okay?" Johnny tried to keep her calm while he continued to struggle with the door.
"What happened," she murmured groggily.
"You had a little accident. Just stay calm now."
"Jimmy?" She turned to her companion, "Jimmy!!"
"It's okay, ma'am. Take it easy," he coaxed her. He was still unable to pull the door open but she was beginning to panic. He was afraid she'd either further injure herself or the driver if she lost it. The glass in the vent had been broken during the crash. He pulled the rest of the glass away and reached in to try and grab the woman to keep her still.
He was just barely able to reach her. He put his hand on her shoulder but she suddenly lunged forward bending his wrist back and pinning him in that position. The pain was excruciating. He couldn't help but scream.
Chet pulled open the tail gate of the station wagon and crawled inside. He climbed over the back seat and leaned over the front seat. He pulled the woman back, taking care not to injure her but relieving the pressure of her weight from Johnny's wrist.
By this time Roy and Mike had the driver's side door opened and had removed the victim. The man was beginning to regain consciousness.
"Oh man," he groaned.
"You're all right," Roy told him confidently.
"I'm fine, man. Oh wow. I forgot how to stop the car. Far out....." he murmured.
"He's a little stoned," Roy said to Mike.
"A little?" Mike laughed.
On the other side of the car they had their hands full with the woman. "We'll have you out in a minute," Johnny assured her as he tried desperately to get his own arm free. While it had given him no trouble when he had slid his arm into the small window his turnout coat was preventing him from getting it out.
"Well, I'm not waiting," she said defiantly. With a mighty thrust she managed to shove the door opened.
This move nearly yanked Johnny's arm out of the socket. He thought for a minute he was going to pass out. Only the heavy turnout coat kept him from being badly cut on the remaining shards of glass in the window.
"Wait a minute there," Chet said as he yanked her back.
She turned around and looked at him then smiled broadly. "Hey. You're cute."
She suddenly threw her arms around his neck. The smell of pot both in the car and on the woman was so strong that Chet thought he was getting high himself. "Let's slide out this way," he said as he took her arms from his neck and indicated she should use the driver's side door.
"Okay. Come on," she smiled. She had now forgotten about her boyfriend and had the hots for Chet.
"You go ahead," he said from the back seat. "I'm right behind you."
She slid across the seat to the other door where Stoker helped her get out of the car.
"You alright, Gage?"
"The door, Chet," he gasped, "Close the door."
Chet tried to pull it closed. "I can't. It's stuck. I don't know how the heck she got it opened."
"Oh, Chet," Johnny said weakly. He was beginning to feel very woozy. He leaned on the roof of the car for support.
"Hey, Cap," Chet called nervously, "Wanna give us a hand over here? Quick, grab Johnny. I think he's gonna faint."
"I am not," Johnny mumbled but he was greatly relieved when the cap came and grabbed him under each arm for support.
"Easy, Pal. Marco," he called, "Break out the rest of that glass in that window. Get back, Chet. Attaway. Okay, good. Chet, see if you can work his arm free. Careful now. Good. Good." The captain was able to pull his arm free. "Okay, John let's get you some air," he continued kindly.
"I gotta help Roy."
"Stoker's helping Roy. Come on." the cap walked him out of the store to the engine. He sat him on the running board and pulled an oxygen tank out. He put the mask over Johnny's face. He didn't like the way Johnny looked at all. He was very pale and seemed kind of out of it. "Okay, take a few deep breaths. That's the way."
Officer Vince Howard was helping with crowd control in the 7-11 parking lot. The sight of a car inside the store had drawn a lot of curious onlookers. He approached the engine to see if they needed any assistance.
The color was returning to Johnny's cheeks and he seemed a little more alert. "Thanks, Cap," he coughed. He reached up to remove the mask but the cap pulled his hand away.
"No. You just sit here and breath that in," he warned. He noted that Johnny was having a lot of trouble getting his breath.
Just then the ambulance arrived."I'll take them in," the cap said to Vince, "You wanna stay with him a minute?"
"Sure thing, Hank."
"I'm all right, Cap," Johnny choked.
"Johnny, don't talk -- breathe," the cap told him as he went inside the store with the ambulance attendants.
"How are they?" he asked Roy when they got inside.
"They are so stoned it's hard to tell," Roy said with disgust.
The cap didn't notice any IVs and the patients did not seem to be at great risk. "Do you think you can let them ride in alone?"
"Yeah. I think they need more legal help than medical help. They are only going in as a precaution. They don't need a paramedic escort."
"I think you'd better take a look at Johnny. He can't get his breath."
"Again?" Mike commented.
"He took in a lot of smoke at the fire," Marco remarked.
They all went out to the engine and came up behind Vince, who was squatting front of Johnny holding the mask to his face.
"How is he?" the cap asked with concern.
"Kinda rocky," Vince was worried. He stepped back out of their way.
Roy took his place. "Johnny," he said firmly, "Are you all right?"
Johnny nodded but continued to cough.
"Check his arm, Roy," Chet advised. "That crazy chick banged it up pretty good with the car door."
"I'm all right," Johnny insisted quietly.
"Well, let's have a look at you anyway," Roy said firmly as he carefully took off Johnny's jacket.
Johnny groaned when Roy touched his sore arm. The color drained from his face again and Marco slapped the oxygen back on him. He recovered more quickly this time.
"Where does it hurt, Johnny?" Roy asked once he thought Johnny was able to answer.
"It feels better now," Johnny told him. He was able to move all his fingers and rotate his arm as Roy commanded him. He was sure he'd be able to work the stiffness out.
"I guess it's all right," Roy said at last. He could see nothing that indicated a broken bone and he did have complete mobility. He was even breathing a lot easier now.
"It is," Johnny said. He carefully removed the oxygen mask and took a few deep breaths. His throat was really killing him and his head was throbbing. Both could be the results of breathing in as much oxygen as he had during this shift.
They gathered up their equipment and headed back to the station.
Johnny groaned as he got into the squad.
"You're sure you're okay?" Roy was still concerned. "You're awfully pale."
Johnny leaned his head back against the seat. "Just a little tired is all," he told him in a hoarse voice.
"You would tell me if you weren't all right, wouldn't you?" Roy ventured as he backed in to the station.
"Roy, stop making a fuss."
"All the same maybe you'd better lie down for a while," Roy was saying as they walked into the kitchen.
"I don't believe you, Roy." Johnny shook his head.
"I don't think that's such a bad idea," the cap said firmly.
"Cap," Johnny croaked, pouring himself a glass of ice water, "I told you guys I'm all right -- honest." His voice was very raspy.
"You sound awful," Chet stated defiantly.
"Thanks." Johnny made a face at him.
"Your voice ---" Chet started.
"Don't you worry about that. I'll wash it away," Johnny promised as he took another glass of water and drained it. The others watched in amazement as he downed almost a gallon of water. It hurt like hell to swallow but he was so hot and dry he felt he had to do it. He really wasn't aware that they were staring as he refilled the pitcher and put it in the fridge.
"Come on over here and sit down then, everyone. I have a dispatch I want to go over. Wait a minute, I have a better idea. Forget about the table -- let's sit on the couch. We might as well be comfortable. It's been a rough day," Captain Stanley suggested.
The captain's plan worked. Before very long Johnny fell asleep siting on the couch listening to the captain's voice drone on about retirement plans.
"That was pretty clever, Cap," Chet said with admiration."That dispatch was boring enough to put anybody to sleep. I had to keep poking Stoker."
"What are you talking about?" Mike wanted to know.
"Shhh," Chet scolded him, "Let Sleeping Beauty get his rest."
"You sure he's all right?" the cap asked Roy a little later.
"He says he is," Roy told him as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Says he's just tired."
"Well maybe that's it." The cap was just as skeptical as Roy.
Twenty minutes later the alarm sounded. Johnny jumped up and stumbled out to the garage and got into the squad.
"Feel better?" Roy asked hopefully.
Johnny nodded though it was a lie. He actually felt a lot worse. His neck was stiff from the way he'd been sleeping. His eyes were on fire. Both is throat and head were killing him. They had almost reached the location dispatch had given them when the run was suddenly canceled. Inwardly he was very relieved.
When they got back to the station Dr. Brackett was there. "Hi, fellas," he smiled."I helped myself to some coffee."
"That's what it's there for," Captain Stanley told him.
"Gotta run a surprise check on your equipment, boys," he told the paramedics. These tests were pretty routine. They were used to them by now. The doctor and the paramedics headed out to the squad while the other guys started supper. This inspection concerned the paramedics only.
Johnny continued on to the locker room.
"Where ya going?" Roy wondered.
"I'll be right back," Johnny promised in a loud whisper which was all he could muster.
"What's wrong with his voice?" Brackett asked.
"Oh, he breathed in a little smoke this morning," Roy explained, staring after him.
"Well we can start without him," Brackett said.
Roy opened up the bay doors in the squad giving them access to all the equipment. Johnny returned wearing his jacket. He just stood next to the squad. He was feeling cold and couldn't help coughing once in a while. He didn't jump in to answer any questions or make any suggestions as he usually did.
Roy felt like he was going through this inspection alone and that Johnny was little more than an interested onlooker. Johnny was just leaning against the squad but Roy thought he noticed him shiver slightly.
Dr Brackett didn't pay any attention to Johnny. He was in a hurry. He had three more stations to drop by and it was nearly five o'clock already. These hose jockeys were sometimes hard people to catch up with.
"Where's your OB kit?"
"Ah -- it's over there. We don't need it on every call so we don't have it as handy as other things," Roy was about to ask Johnny to get it as he was closer but changed his mind after shooting Johnny a curious glance. "I'll get it."
As he walked past Johnny he had the sudden urge to put his palm to Johnny's forehead to check his temp. "You're burning up!" he gasped under his breath once he'd felt his skin.
"You're crazy, Roy," Johnny croaked. He was now visibly shivering. "I'm freezing."
"Hey, Doc," Roy called back to Brackett, "Do you have time to do a surprise check on a paramedic?"
"Roy!!" Johnny gasped and immediately started to cough.
"What's wrong?" Brackett asked with concern as he walked around the squad to join them.
"Nothing," Johnny gasped fiercely, "I'm all right."
"You are not all right," Brackett said firmly. "Where can I examine him?"
"The dorm," said Roy. "Right in there." Roy pointed to the door.
"Good. Bring him in there. I'll get my bag." Brackett headed out to his car in the back lot.
Once Brackett began the exam Roy headed for the kitchen.
"All your equipment pass?" Marco asked as he set the table.
"All but one piece," Roy said solemnly, as he headed for the coffee.
"What was that?" Chet asked. They'd never had a problem before.
"Johnny. Dr Brackett's examining him now."
"I knew there was something wrong with him," Chet declared.
"It was the smoke. He swallowed a lot of it this morning," Marco told them.
"Yeah, but he was all right after that. I bet it was his arm. That dame nearly yanked it off," Chet wagered.
"Suppose I should have someone called in?" the cap asked Roy.
"I'd say so. He's got chills and fever. I don't see how he can work."
Soon Brackett came in to the kitchen.
"What's wrong with him?" they all asked at once.
"He's got the flu," Brackett said simply.
"The flu?" Chet sounded disappointed. That hardly lived up to the macho image they all liked to have of themselves.
"Yeah, but instead of staying home today like he should have, Mr Macho had to come to work. Now he's aggravated the condition out of all proportion. I gave him a shot of antibiotic and I'm going to take him home."
"Doc," Johnny tried to explain as he wearily leaned against the door, "I can't go. Roy needs a partner."
"Dwyer's already on his way, Pal," the cap said. "The squad is off alert duty status till he gets here."
"But my car --" Johnny tried to argue.
"I'll drop it off to you in the morning," Roy assured him. Joanne was going to pick him up in the morning. He'd just have her pick him up at Johnny's.
"You're in no condition to drive, Johnny," Brackett said with authority.
"Okay. Here's the keys." Johnny reached in to his pocket, fished out his keys and gave them to Roy.
"Johnny, you'll need one of these to get into your apartment. I'll use the spare key you keep under the hood," Roy told him patiently, handing him back the keys.
"Okay," Johnny gasped weakly. "I am starting to not feel so good," he admitted miserably.
"I'll call Joanne and have her fix you some chicken soup and we'll drop it off in the morning when we bring you your car," Roy promised.
"Okay, you win," Johnny said in a small voice.
"No, Johnny. You win," Brackett corrected him. "Wanna walk him out to my car, Roy? Can't have him falling down and splitting his skull open on his own time. I'll be right there. I forgot my bag in the dorm."
Roy put his hand on Johnny's elbow and guided him out. Brackett was right. He did seem very unsteady on his feet. He also appeared to be the most abjectly miserable person on the face of the earth.
"Hey, why the long face? This isn't some kind of punishment, you know."
"I guess."
"Hasn't been your day, has it, Pal?" Roy asked sympathetically.
"I'll say -- I had to deal with that grouch in the tree and his charming wife, then there was that fire, then Chet decks me, then some spaced out chick tries to rip my arm off, now this -- what else can go wrong?"
"Maybe your luck will improve now," Roy said hopefully.
Dr Brackett came out and joined them. He had decided against trying to do any more inspections today. It was late and he was tired. He'd only been able to conduct two of the five inspections he had planned to do. He'd spent an inordinate amount of time waiting around fire stations waiting for squads to get back from calls. To say nothing of consuming coffee that was guaranteed to put hair on his teeth. He was going to take Johnny home but he didn't want to lay eyes on any more Fire Department personnel today.
He was nearly at Johnny's. He was stopped at a light. He glanced over and noticed that Johnny was sound asleep. He wondered why these firemen thought they were indestructible. Johnny should have called in sick today. He didn't have any longer to ponder the situation. The light changed and he pulled out into the intersection.
Although Brackett never saw or heard the approach, three police cars were involved with a high speed pursuit of a stolen car. They arrived at the intersection the same time as Dr Brackett did. His Mercedes was clipped in the rear end as the speeding car tried to maneuver around him. The impact forced the heavy German car onto its side and they both spun out. The suspect's car left the road altogether and slammed into a building. While braking to avoid the collision one police car started to spin also. He was nicked by one of the others. The sound of squealing tires, screeching brakes and tearing metal filled the air but neither Brackett nor Johnny heard a thing.
***
Just as Station 51 was sitting down to eat the alarm sounded.
"Engine 51, Squad 18 for Squad 51, multiple vehicle accident with injuries intersection of 4th and Topeka Time out 6:02."
***
Squad 18 was returning from an Obstetrics call. "You suppose the department just let women in so we could deliver all the babies?" Cassie asked.
Pidge just shook her head as she worked on her log on her lap. Nursing had taught her to not let her charts get ahead of her. When they got the call on their radio she acknowledged it as Cassie hit the lights and siren.
"Station 51," Cassie groaned. "Why'd it have to be 51?"
"What's wrong with that?" Pidge wondered.
"That's the home of Chet, the dog-faced boy."
"Who?" Pidge laughed at her partner's obvious discomfort.
"My brother."
"Oh yeah, the one you thought you'd be able to keep from finding out you were in the department."
"Well I thought I could get through one day. Where the heck is the luck of the Irish when you need it?"
***
Squad 18 was closer to the call and they were the first to arrive. When they pulled up a police officer ran up to them. "Glad you're here, fellas ----" he suddenly noticed they were not fellas.
"What have you got here, Officer?" Pidge took over with authority. She couldn't have her volatile Irish partner coming to blows with this guy over semantics.
"Two kids in a stolen car joyriding," he shook his head and pointed to what was left of the car that had hit the building. "They must have been doing close to 100 when they hit. They -- ah -- they didn't make it."
"Are you certain?"
"Yeah confirmed. Two DBs. Nothing you can do for them. I have a couple of cops with minor injuries. We can't get to the civilian that they hit because the car is spouting gasoline."
"Probably diesel," Cassie said getting out of the squad and starting to walk over to the Mercedes.
"Girl!!" Pidge shrieked, grabbing her arm. "You heard what the man said. We have to wait for the engine company to get here and wash the gas away."
"There's no sign of life from there anyway," the cop told her.
"Well the victim might be hurt. We gotta check!" Cassie was not good accepting the authority of others. She started again to walk toward the car.
"Stop!" Pidge grabbed her angrily. "I said we wait."
"But what if ---"
"What if you somehow touch off a spark and both you and the car go up in flames? Who would that help?"
Cassie knew Pidge was right but she didn't like it. She shook her arm free but stayed by the squad. She didn't tell Pidge that she had recognized a Rampart parking sticker on the crumpled bumper. Where the hell was 51s?
***
When 51 got there Captain Stanley ordered his men to thoroughly hose down the car and the street. Then he had his men administer first aid to the policemen freeing up the paramedics to treat the victims in the car.
When they got the okay the paramedics ran over to the car. Pidge stopped a few feet away and set up the biophone. "Rampart, this is squad 18. How do you read?"
"Read you fine, 18. Go ahead," Dixie answered.
"Rampart, we are on the scene of an MVA. We have two code Fs and some minor injuries at this point. There is one more vehicle involved and we are currently trying to ascertain the condition of its occupants. Please stand by."
"Standing by, 18"
Cassie hoisted herself upon the side of the car to look in the window. "Two victims," she called back to Pidge. "The driver is moving."
"Rampart, we have two victims. They are currently still trapping in the vehicle but at least one victim is alive."
"10-4, 18. Keep us posted."
"Pidge!" Cassie called desperately after she'd gotten a better look at the driver. "It's Dr Gorgeous!"
"Who?" Captain Stanley asked. He was standing by to find out the condition of the victims. That would determine the speed with which they would have to work to extricate them.
Pidge did not answer him. She just closed her eyes for a minute and swallowed hard. Then she put the receiver up to her mouth. "Rampart," she said with a shaking voice. "Please be advised that victim one is Dr Brackett. Repeat. Victim one is Dr. Brackett."
There was silence for a minute then an equally shaky voice answered. "We copy, 18. Please keep us advised."
"Dr Brackett," Captain Stanley was nearly as upset as they were by that news. He became even more upset a moment later when he realized who the second victim, the one that was not moving, had to be. He called his men over "All right guys, we have two people trapped. At least one confirmed alive. We gotta get them out of there. And, boys,-- it -- it's Dr Brackett and Johnny." His voice cracked when he said Johnny's name. They'd seen a lot of wrecks like this. Too many. The car was so mangled none of them had recognized it. They all knew the what the odds were but he had to tell them exactly what they were up against. They were all glad Roy was back at the station waiting for Dwyer.
They grabbed their tools and ran up to the car which rested on the passenger side. Cassie had jumped down from the driver's door and run around to the other side. She spotted the sun roof. "I can get in through there," she said.
"Are you sure? It's pretty small." Marco tried to concentrate.
"She can do it, Marco," Chet said simply. "Help me pry the glass out."
Together they removed the sunroof glass. She slid into the small window. There was very little room. The point of impact had been the rear right fender. The trunk had been pushed forward shoving the back seat up toward the roof. There was barely a foot of clearance. There would be no way to remove the victims that way. Cassie crawled forward till she could reach the occupants of the front seat. Dr Brackett seemed to be coming around. "Take it easy, Doc. We'll have you out real soon," she said. She wasn't sure he could understand her. She turned her attention to the other victim. He looked familiar but she couldn't place him. She noticed he was wearing a fire department jacket. She looked closer and read his name tag. John Gage. She'd met him earlier. He worked at 51s. No wonder those guys had turned into such robots. Even Chet had been agreeable. "Shit", she muttered as she checked him for vitals.
"They're both alive. We gotta get them out via the front, though" she called.
Outside of the car there was a bustle of activity while they set up to take that car apart bolt by bolt if they had to to free the victims.
Inside Cassie continued to assess the victims. They had both been wearing five point German racing seat belts. The belts had held them in place when the car went over on its side. The front seat area was relatively intact. As far as she could tell they were not pinned in by any thing except the fact that the doors were inoperable. She could detect no obvious wounds but whip lash would be almost a given. She could only give a cursory exam from where she was as there was not enough room for her to crawl up between the seats.
"Wha -- what's going on?" Brackett asked with confusion.
"Hey, Dr Gorgeous. It's me, Cassie."
"The Girl Wonder," he mumbled.
"That's right. You just relax now."
"What happened?" He was starting to become more alert.
"You were in an accident. Don't worry, though, everything is under control."
"Johnny?"
"He's right here. He seems all right but he's very warm."
"He's running a temp. He has the flu. I was -- ahhh"
"Take it easy. Where does it hurt?"
"Hey! I'm the doctor here."
"Yeah, but I'm the paramedic and you're on my turf now," she said firmly.
The sound of laughter made them both look at Johnny.
"And just what is so funny?" Brackett demanded.
"Nothin' Doc -- Doctor Gorgeous," Johnny could barely say.
"Why, Johnny," Brackett said sarcastically, "I never knew you cared. How ‘bout if you just save your voice, Hose Jockey."
Just then Marco knocked on the driver's side window. "We're going to have to break this glass," he called in.
"10-4," Cassie said slipping off her turnout coat and covering as much of Dr Brackett as she could with it to protect him from any flying glass.
Once the window was broken they were able to use the Jaws of Life to open the damaged driver's side door.
Cassie called for a cervical collar and immobilized Brackett's head and neck. "I'm gonna have to cut these expensive seatbelts," she told the doctor.
"Why do I have the feeling that will be the least of the damage?" Brackett asked.
"Shh, Doc. I'm trying to work here. If I lose my place I'll have to start all over," she joked not wanting him to worry about his car at this point. "Right, Johnny?"
"That's right," Johnny croaked. "We gotta do it all right. That's the way you taught us."
"All the people in the world to be trapped with -- I get stuck with you two," he grumbled. They slid a small backboard in to keep Brackett's neck and back straight while they carefully lifted him out. The steering wheel and the shifting lever were going to make it impossible to get Johnny out that way. Once they had Brackett out they carried him to the place where Pidge was set up.
He was not an easy patient. He began countermanding Rampart's instructions and objecting to everything Pidge attempted to do. Finally she'd had it. She picked up the phone.
"Rampart, patient has marked tenderness in the abdomen. We suspect any number of possible internal injuries. Recommend a complete GI series. Suggest you have a barium enema standing by."
Brackett's eyes widened at her audacity.
"10-4, 18," Dixie's voice was just as strong and threatening. "Barium enema is standing by in case it's needed. Any further interference from the patient would certainly indicate a need."
"10-4, Rampart."
Brackett knew he was licked and became co-operative.
"Boy, she's tough," Captain Stanley remarked quietly to Stoker who just nodded in agreement having no desire to bring down the paramedic's ire on himself.
Meanwhile at the car Chet handed in a blanket to them.
"We're gonna pop the windshield," he told them, "Cover yourselves up. And, Gage, don't get cute. That is my sister." He was actually teasing Johnny to make him feel at ease.
"What are you gonna do, slug me again?" Johnny croaked.
"He slugged you?! What for?" Cassie asked as she started coving them up.
"He thought I was hitting on you. " Johnny tired to make the notion sound ridiculous.
"You were but that still doesn't mean ---"
"You two ready?" Marco interrupted.
"Yeah, go ahead," Cassie called. Despite the lighthearted manner in which she acted she knew that Johnny was feverish and this blanket would overheat him even more. She hoped they'd hurry and get the windshield out. She heard the machinery start up and felt the pressure as the car was literally being pulled apart. Finally the windshield was out and the roof was peeled back. When she got the all clear signal she threw the blanket off them. She called for the same precautionary equipment they'd used for Dr Brackett but also requested Oxygen and cold compresses. Johnny was once more quite lethargic.
"Is he all right?" Chet asked in a panicky voice. Maybe he'd been teasing him too soon.
"I don't know that he's badly hurt but he's pretty sick," Cassie told him.
The oxygen and the cold compresses revived him a little. He did not have the energy to give them nearly as much trouble as Brackett had. Once they set him on the ground near Brackett Cassie began taking vitals on him including his temperature. She'd just slipped the thermometer under his tongue when he asked about Brackett.
"Well, judging from the look on my partner's face I'd say the only imminent danger he faced was her."
"Maybe you should lend her a hand. All I have is the flu."
"I know that's why I'm sticking with you. Flu is gonna be lot easier to spell in the logbook than whatever is wrong with Dr Gorgeous."
"Man, how can you dare call him that? I was quaking in my boots around him my first day."
"Really? I guess women are just braver than men. Now if you don't keep your mouth shut and let me get your temp there, I do have other alternatives," she threatened.
He grimaced and slid the thermometer back into his mouth.
In spite of the way the accident scene and Dr Brackett's car looked neither of them was seriously injured. Although they were transported to Rampart.
The paramedics handed them off to the ER staff and went back on duty. Once the initial rush of tests and exams were over and they were settled in to a room for the night, Dixie ventured a question. "So what d'ya think, boys? Will women ever make it as paramedics?"
Johnny didn't answer. He'd been told to preserve his voice but he had to admit that they had done a good job. As good as he and Roy would have done in the same situation. In fact, he mused, he actually did think that women paramedics were more soothing to the eye. Maybe it would work out having them in the department. Maybe it wasn't such a bad day after all. He did meet a nice girl with whom he had a great deal in common. And maybe Roy was right and his luck was changing.
