The visibility was almost nil. The marine layer was as thick as pea soup. Stoker squinted through the windshield as he forced as much speed as possible out of the heavy rig.
"It's the next right, Mike," Captain Stanley advised. He had been glaring out the window searching for familiar landmarks. the view was so obscured by fog that everything took on an alien; almost surreal appearance.
Stoker slowed and made the turn but suddenly a cold had grabbed his gut and wouldn't let go. Everything started happening in slow motion. He tried to slam his foot onto the brake but it did no good at all. Where the road should have been, was nothing but air.
Roy and Johnny watched in horror as the rig careened off the road and disappeared into the fog-bound ravine.
Roy brought the squad to a stop as Johnny reached for the mic. "LA, this is Squad 51, Engine 51 has gone off the road our approximate position is..." Roy didn't hear the rest of the transmission, he had grabbed the handi-talki and was headed over the side of the ravine. He knew Johnny would be right behind him.
At first he couldn't see the engine. The terrain was steep and covered with rocks and shrubs. The kind of shrubs that would give and close in behind anything that went through them. Then about twenty yards down he made out the ghostly shape of Engine 51. It was lying on its left side. Equipment was scattered everywhere. Roy knew it had rolled at least once. Memories of a similar accident the squad had been in jumped to his mind. He shook them off. There was no time for that kind of thinking.
As he approached the scene, it was quiet. The only sound was that of water leaking from the engines tanks. Roy could also smell the distinct odor of diesel fuel. He only hoped the leaking water would be enough to keep the fuel from igniting.
He found Chet lying on the ground a few feet behind the engine. He had apparently been thrown clear. He wasn't moving. Roy checked for a pulse and respiration, they were both strong. As he began to assess the rest of his injuries, he heard Johnny gasp as he too realized the gravity of the situation.
Johnny set the drug box and bio-phone beside Roy and started to kneel next to Chet, "I've got him," Roy said "Go check on the others."
Johnny nodded wordlessly, as he moved toward the engine. He said a silent prayer for his friends and then steeled himself for what he was going to find.
The engines windshield was shattered. Through a hole, John could see Captain Stanley hanging to one side, held in his seat by his seatbelt. He was unconscious and blood was showing from under his helmet. John carefully removed enough of the glass to reach through and check his vitals. Cap's pulse was strong, but his breathing was somewhat labored.
From where John stood he could see Mike Stoker. He was pinned by the steering wheel to the back of the driver's seat. John couldn't reach him, but he could see that Mike was bleeding from a bad head wound, he could also hear Mike's extremely labored breathing.
Gage couldn't see Marco from where he was standing. He ran around the side of the engine, that used to be the top. What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks. Marco lay pinned beneath the engine from the waist down. "No!" Gage yelled as he ran to Marco's side. He quickly checked for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. His breathing was shallow. The only thing that had kept the engine from crushing Marco was a large rock that was holding the cab about a foot off the ground. If that wasn't enough for Marco to deal with the water escaping from the engines tanks was starting to pool around him.
Johnny ran back to Roy and filled him in on the rest of the crew's condition. Roy had started Chet oxygen and had him in a cervical collar, he was just about to start an IV when Johnny came up. Roy filled in Rampart while Johnny went back to the squad for more gear. He filled the stokes with as much as it would hold and started back down the embankment dragging it behind him. He could hear the sirens of the engines and squad sent to assist.
Captain Martin from Station 48 and his crew made their way down the embankment to assist. They reacted with the same shock as John and Roy had. Captain Martin started yelling orders and the crew reacted with numb professionalism. Jim Foley and Steve McDaniel of Squad 48 rushed to assist Roy. Roy quickly filled them in and turned Chet's care over to Foley. Roy and Steve quickly made their way to the engine to assist Johnny. They found him working on Marco. He had started oxygen and was trying to divert some of the water away from his head. It was apparent that they couldn't do anything for Marco until they got the other two out, they headed for the front of the engine.
The two men from Station 48 had begun removing the windshield so they could get to Stanley and Stoker. Another one had started helping Johnny divert the water. Johnny called Marco's vitals to Roy.
"Rampart, this is Squad 51. We have a male patient, 32 years of age. He is pinned from the waist down under the a fire engine. Vitals are BP 100 over 70, pulse 90 and weak, respiration 20 and shallow. We have started O2. Over"
"Squad 51, this is Rampart, start an IV with ringers. How soon can you transport? Over"
"Rampart, Squad 51, roger IV with ringers. We don't have an ETA yet. The patient is still trapped. Over"
"This is Rampart, 10-4...Any update on the other victims?"
"Negative, Rampart. We are just getting to them now."
"10-4, 51, we're standing by."
Dr. Brackett was worried, time was of the essence. He had heard Squad 51's call reporting the accident. His heart had jumped to his throat. These men were friends, good friends. He also knew that Station 51 was one of the closest crews in the department. As he turned the base station over to Dr. Morton, he could only imagine what Gage and DeSoto were going through. It was going to be a rough morning for everyone.
**********
While the others worked to free Stanley and Stoker, Roy and Steve went back to the squads for more gear. The first ambulance had arrived by this time. Jim and the attendants were loading Chet for the trip to the hospital. Roy took a second to ask his condition. "His vitals are stable but he still hasn't regained consciousness," Jim said. "We put him on a backboard as a precaution." Roy nodded and ran to catch up with Steve.
Engine 110 and Battalion 14 were just arriving. As Steve headed for his squad, Roy filled in Chief McConakee and Capt Gonzalas. Their faces showed shock and concern when Roy finished. "I've got to get back down there," he said as he turned to get the rest of his gear.
By the time the paramedics returned to the engine, the windshield had been removed. Roy slowly entered the cab, being careful not to step on Stoker. He knew they had to get Capt. Stanley out before they could do much for Mike. Roy gently removed Cap's helmet. The cut on his head appeared to be minor. His pulse was still strong but his breathing was labored. He hoped that was more from his precarious position than from injuries.
As Roy placed the cervical collar around his neck, Capt. Stanley began to stir. "Take it easy, Cap," Roy said gently. "You're going to be all right."
"Roy?" whispered Stanley, "My head. What happened?"
"There was an accident," Roy said quietly.
"An accident?" Things were starting to come back to him. "The others? How bad?"
"Bad," answered Roy grimly "Chet's on his way to the hospital. Mike and Marco are still trapped. We're working on getting to them now."
At that moment, Stanley saw Stoker, his concern for his men overcoming his own pain. "Mike! Don't worry about me, help the others!" he shouted.
"Hank," Roy said, trying to calm him down. "Hank, listen to me. Johnny's with Marco and we can't even begin to work on Mike until we get you out. Now just relax and let us get you out of here."
Capt. Stanley gave a small nod, showing that he understood. With Steve's help they carefully brought him out through the windshield. It was tricky getting him out of his seat without aggravating any injuries he might have. Once he was out and strapped to a backboard, Steve took over his care.
As Roy started to turn back to the engine, Hank reached out and grabbed Roy's arm. "Take care of them, Roy. Please, take care of them."
Roy reached over and patted his hand. "We will, Cap. We will." He then turned his attention to Stoker as Cap was loaded for the trip to Rampart.
**********
Johnny was having a hard time with Marco. The water from the tank had begun as a moderate flow but it had begun to flow heavier. The water was now swirling around Marco. Two men from 110 were trying to dig a trench to divert the water away from them. Johnny was on his knees in the water and mud holding Marco in his arms. Being as gentle as he could, so as not to hurt him further, but keeping his face out of the water. "C'mon, Marco. Hang in there, pal. We've been through too much for you to quit on me now." He kept talking to Marco, in case he could hear him. At the same time trying to keep his own fear under control.
Roy re-entered the engine cab, a knot in his stomach. Mike's condition looked pretty bad. He had been unconscious since the engine rolled, he had a bad head wound, and extreme difficulty breathing. Roy suspected broken ribs, internal injuries, and possibly a punctured lung. He called Mike's vitals out to one of the crew from 48, who relayed them to Rampart. They were getting set up to with the Jaws of Life to free Mike. As Roy started an IV, he yelled out to Johnny. "How's Marco doing?"
"Not good," was the reply. "He's pinned under the engine pretty tight and the water from the engine is starting to get pretty deep."
Even though Johnny couldn't see him, he knew Roy had understood. But they both knew they couldn't do much more for Marco until Stoker was out of the engine.
Stoker's vitals weren't good, but they were stable. Roy was concerned that when he was free from the steering wheel that he would start to bleed internally. Engine 48's crew started up the jaws and went to work on the engine. With a loud snap, the steering wheel broke away.
With the pressure off of him, Mike slumped to one side. Roy yelled for assistance, they had to get him out fast. Once out, Roy checked his BP again, as he feared it had begun to drop. As one of the 48's men held Mike's head, Roy quickly got him into MAST pants and began pumping them up. To his great relief, Stoker's blood pressure began to stabilize. He then set about immobilizing their engineer and passing vitals to Rampart.
* * * * * * * * * *
The first ambulance arrived at Rampart with Chet Kelly. They were met by Drs Brackett and Early and Nurse McCall. As they rushed the gurney into the treatment room Jim Foley told them that Chet had regained consciousness briefly on the way in, but that he had been disoriented, and didn't remember what had happened. He had complained about pain in his shoulder and ribs.
After Kelly had been transferred to the exam table, Dixie set about getting a new set of vitals. Another nurse began cutting away his turnout gear and uniform. Joe Early began checking for signs of neurological damage and Brackett checked for other injuries. It was a routine that this team had performed hundreds, if not thousands of times, but it always took on a greater urgency when the patient was someone they knew.
While the x-ray techs were in with Chet, the ambulance carrying Capt. Stanley arrived. He was conscious but his breathing was being hampered by the pain in his chest. The team began to assess his injuries.
"Doc, my men?" Stanley whispered. "Any word on my crew?"
Dr. Brackett leaned over him and gently touched his shoulder. "Kelly's in x-ray now. He's still unconscious. He may have a moderate concussion, broken ribs and a broken shoulder. He's pretty lucky. We'll know more when we see the x-rays."
"And the others?" Caps face was showing the strain of his own pain as well as his concern for the others.
"Last word was that Stoker had just been freed and was about to be transported. But Lopez was still trapped under the engine."
"Under the engine?" gasped Stanley. "Oh my God! I didn't know he was under it!" With that he closed his eyes. Tears started to roll down the side of his face.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Now that Stoker was free, most of the crew could concentrate on getting Lopez out from under the truck. Thanks to the efforts of 110, most of the water had receded and Johnny was able to concentrate on treating Marco's injuries. Roy, swung by to quickly tell Johnny that he was going in with Stoker, seeing Johnny's situation made his heart skip a beat. Marco and Johnny were almost completely covered with mud. Johnny paused for second and looked at Roy.
"How's Mike?" he asked
Roy shook his head. "He's bleeding internally. I pretty sure he has a serious concussion, broken ribs, a broken femur and a possible punctured lung. I'm going to be riding in with him. I'll have the trauma box sent over with one of the others. How's he doing?" he asked nodding at Marco.
"He's alive, but we have to get him out of here soon. I don't know how much longer he can hang on," Gage said. Johnny was looking down at Marco as he spoke, but Roy could see he was holding back tears.
Roy reached out and gently rested his hand on Johnny's shoulder. "You going to be alright, Johnny?
"Yes," he replied still looking at Marco. "I don't have much choice, do I?"
Roy nodded and patted his shoulder. "I've got to go. I'll have McConakee set up a relay to Rampart, since I'll have one bio-phone and Steve took the other."
Johnny just nodded.
Roy quickly explained the need for a relay to the Chief and then ran to the ambulance holding Stoker. They really needed an air ambulance but because of the weather, none were available.
Chief McConakee had made his way down to the engine a several minutes before. He still couldn't believe what he was seeing. Like everyone else, he was wishing he could wake up from this nightmare. The crew from 48 and 110 were trying to figure out a way to get the huge rig off Marco. The water had made the ground so muddy that the jacks were just sinking in. They were getting ready to use some metals plates as a base the jacks hoping they wouldn't sink into the mud. A couple of the firemen were using hand shovels to try to dig Lopez out. McConakee watched as Gage desperately worked on his friend. He could see the tension in every move Gage made. He also saw the worry and fear on his face. He heard the paramedic talking to Lopez, urging him to hang on. Talking about things things that they'd been through together and around the station that wouldn't be the same without him. It was almost more than the Chief could bear. Suddenly his radio came to life breaking the hold the scene had on him.
"Battalion 14, LA. Rampart is requesting and updated set of vitals."
"LA, Battalion 14, 10-4 standby."
He knew he didn't have to relay the question to the paramedic. Gage had heard the radio and was already gathering the information. "Pulse is 95 and weak, respiration is still 20 and shallow, BP is 90 over 60."
Chief McConakee relayed the information. "Batallion 14, LA. Rampart requests to know if you have an ETA yet?"
"Not yet, LA. We'll let you know as soon as he's free."
"10-4"
The metal plates, combined with the digging seemed to be having the desired effect. John had had one of the Fire Fighters position a backbaord at Marco's head. He wanted to slide him straight out onto the board, keeping his neck and spine as straight as possible.
It seemed to take forever. The engine began to creak and groan as it was lifted inch by inch. Finally someone yelled that Marco was free. Johnny quickly shifted position. Grabbing Marco under the arms he gently slid him out from under the engine.
Johnny quickly strapped Lopez down and rechecked his vitals. They seemed to be holding. Gage had Chief McConakee relay the info to the hospital. He then quickly cut away Marco's pants so he could check the areas that had been pinned by the engine. He found a fracture of the right femur and tibia, possible broken left foot and severe bruising on Marco's right side. The fractures were quickly splinted and the IV that Dr. Morton had ordered was started.
Marco was then ready for transport. Gage took Chief McConakee's handy talky so he could stay in touch with Rampart. Then the last of Engine 51's crew was enroute to the hospital.
Just before he got into the ambulance, Chief McConakee grabbed Johnny's arm. "Gage, as soon as you get to Rampart, you and DeSoto are released from duty." he said quietly. And with a catch in his voice he continued, "I'll notify headquarters that Station 51 is out of service."
John looked at him and nodded. "Thanks, Chief."
McConakee closed the ambulance doors, and patted them to let the driver know they were good to go. He then turned back and looked at the wreckage of Engine 51. Looking at it now, from a distance, it was amazing that any of them survived.
* * * * * * * * * *
Shortly after the arrival of the ambulance carrying Capt. Stanley, reporters had begun to descend on the hospital. As the firefighter's families arrived they were shielded by the police and security guards and quickly ushered to a room set aside for them. It was off limits to the press, giving the worried families a place to wait for news without being harassed by the members of the media. The public always seemed to have a morbid interest anytime a member of the Fire or Police Department was injured, but with four men hurt it became a feeding frenzy. Extra police had to be staged at the ambulance entrance to keep the reporters and photographers from interferring with the transfer of patients. Even the ones that had nothing to do with Engine 51, but just had the bad luck of needing an ambulance at the same time.
By the time the ambulance carrying Stoker had arrived, the press was firmly entrenched. At first they thought it was another civilian patient, but then they caught sight of part of his uniform and the flash bulbs went off. The police had to move quickly to contain the surge of bodies.
Once inside, the ER team went to work. Mike's injuries were severe, they knew he needed surgery to stop the internal bleeding but they also needed to find out the total extent of his injuries. Roy helped monitor Mike's vitals until Dixie got a junior nurse to take over. She put her arm around Roy's shoulder and despite his reluctance, gently steered him out of the room and toward the family waiting room.
Roy stopped just outside the door. He looked up to the ceiling, fighting back the tears that had been there since the accident. Dix understood. She knew how close members of emergency services were. And she especially knew how close 51's "A" shift was. She waited patiently for him to deal with his emotions. When they took over, she quietly held him until he could gather himself. As he gently pulled away he looked at his friend.
"Thanks, Dix." Then he looked at the door, "What am I going to tell them? They're going to want answers."
Dixie but her hand on his shoulder. "Tell them the truth," she said. "They'll expect it and they deserve it."
Roy nodded. He reached for the door, took a deep breath and opened the door.
* * * * * * * * * *
The ambulance ride seemed to take forever. Gage had his work cut out for him. Marco's vitals were slowly dropping. Johnny had started a second IV and was taking vitals every five minutes. "Come on. Come on. Let's get there," he said to himself. But he already knew the driver was moving as fast as he could.
As the ambulance with Gage and Lopez arrived the press began another surge. The police did their best to keep them back but one photographer got through. As the stretcher was being removed, he stepped around the door of the ambulance and snapped a picture. Caught off guard, Gage swung at the light and knocked the camera out of the man's hands and it smashed onto the ground. The photographer started to yell at Gage, but stopped when he saw the look of rage in John's eyes. A police officer stepped between them an hustled the him away from the ambulance. Gage quickly turned back to Marco and helped get him into the ER. The reporter didn't know how close he to had come to being a patient.
As soon as Marco was in the exam room, Dixie escorted Johnny out of the room.. She didn't take him to the family waiting room. He was still so wound up from the rescue and the photographer that she didn't want him blowing up in front of everyone else. Instead she took him to the doctors' break room.
John was so agitated that for a short time she thought they might have to give him a sedative to calm him down. But after about fifteen minutes the events of the day caught up to him. There just wasn't any fight left in him. He was exhausted. He was scared. He was worried about his friends, his family, it was Johnny's turn to cry.
After a couple of minutes, Dixie quietly slipped out and made her way to the waiting room. She was greeted by several pairs of eyes as she walked opened the door. "Marco's arrived," she said. "The doctors are with him now. We'll know something soon." Then she looked at Roy. "Johnny's in the doctors' break room." He nodded. He gave Joanne a hug. She gently kissed him, then released their embrace. Joanne was one of the few people, outside of the shift, that understood the bond Johnny and Roy had. Some were amazed that she wasn't jealous of their friendship, but she knew that it was that friendship that had pulled them through more times that she cared to think about and that was something she could live with.
* * * * * * * * * *
Roy found Johnny on the couch. His head was in his hands, staring at the floor. He was still wet and covered with mud. "Johnny?" Roy said gently. There was no response. "Johnny, are you OK?" he asked a little louder.
"No!" Johnny sobbed. "No, I'm not."
Roy sat down in a chair opposite Johnny. He reached out and silently took hold of his partner's hand, letting him know he understood.
After awhile Gage made his way to the doctors' locker room to clean up, he didn't want the families to see him covered in mud. Dixie had given him an orderly's uniform to change into. After a quick shower, he joined the others in the waiting room.
Dr. Brackett was just bringing everyone up to date when he entered the room.
"Chet's in serious but stable condition. He has a serious concussion, broken shoulder, broken ribs, and several cuts and bruises. He's regained consciousness. Capt Stanley has a mild concussion, and some cracked and broken ribs. He's in good condition. Lopez and Stoker are in critical condition. Stoker has a serious concussion, the wound on his head required 25 stitches. He's in surgery now to repair fractured ribs and a punctured lung. After that his broken arm will be set. Marco also has a concussion and broken ribs. He's right leg is fractured in two places, and his left foot is broken. He also suffered some internal injuries. Now as bad as that sounds, they're all going to be all right."
The silence in the room was deafening. Then sighs of relief mixed with tears of joy. Johnny and Roy moved forward and each shook Kel's hand.
"Thanks, Doc," Roy said with a smile.
"Yeah, Doc, Thanks," echoed John
"Anytime, fellas. Anytime."
* * * * * * * * * *
Chet was moved out of ICU the next day. Marco and Mike were moved to a regular room a week later. They would be in the hospital for at least another week. Then on convalescence leave for several weeks. Marco faced additional weeks of physical therapy to regain strength in his legs. Even after his discharge, Capt Stanley made visited his men at least once a day.
Much to everyone's relief, most especially Stoker's, the investigation into the accident cleared Mike of all responsibility for the accident. It had been caused by unreported road work. Apparently the 2/3 of the road had been dug up to repair a large drainage pipe. Since it wasn't on the Fire Department's list, Stoker had no way of knowing it was there and he couldn't see it because of the fog.
* * * * * * * * * *
Four months later, Marco arrive for his first day of duty since the accident. He was greeted with smiles, handshakes, and pats on the back. Everything was back to normal, the way it should be. Station 51's "A" Shift family was whole again.
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