"Fiddler, you really should give this guy a try," coaxed her partner, Katya ‘Wildcat' Fredericks. "I mean, what have you got to lose?"
Phyllis Ross, known as ‘Fiddler', looked speculatively at her partner and smiled wryly. She shook her head and answered, "Wildcat, what is it with y'all? Just because y'all are married, it doesn't mean that everyone has to be married. Ah'm perfectly happy with mah life the way it is now. Ah've already done the ‘marriage' thing, and it didn't quite work out. Besides, if a man can't meet me on mah own terms, then it's just a waste of time, isn't it?"
Katya smiled up at her partner. "Isn't there anything I can say to make you change your mind?"
Fiddler patted Katya on the cheek, saying, "No, sugah, but Ah know y'all will keep on trying. Has anyone ever told y'all that y'all are an incurable romantic?"
Katya smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I have heard that one or two times..."
Fiddler raised one eyebrow.
"Okay, I've heard it a lot. Point taken."
They were interrupted by the klaxon. "Station 8, Station 18, Engine 60. House fire, 16210 Gilroy, cross-street Sullivan. One-sixty-two-ten Gilroy. Time out 0735.
They dashed to the vehicles as Captain Warner acknowledged, "LA, Station 18, KMG 968."
As she guided the squad to the scene, Fiddler muttered darkly, "Ah hate getting runs at the end of shift! Now Ah'm going to have to reschedule gettin' mah sports car overhauled, again!"
Katya laughed. "Hey, maybe you won't be that late. I mean, the car looks and sounds fine to me..."
"And that just goes to show how little y'all know about precision, fahn-tuned machinery," retorted Fiddler.
"Turn right here, then left at the second traffic light," said Katya, consulting the map.
They neared the scene, and as they looked at the fully-involved structure, Katya said, "I guess you won't be making your appointment..."
Fiddler sighed. "No, Ah guess not. Maybe Ah can get one later today," she replied as she pulled the squad over and they jumped out to pull on their turnouts.
Captain Warner strode over to Captain Webster from Station 8. "Hey, Jeff, what have we got here?"
"Well, Wolfman, apparently a couple of kids were playing with a chemistry set and they got hold of some ‘non-standard' stuff. The squad's got a couple of victims they're just bringing out now. You can get your folks to cover the east side of the house while we cover the west side. The fire seems to have started in the basement, but the whole structure is involved now."
"Right, Jeff." She turned to her waiting crew. "Garcia, Ramsey, take an inch-and-a-half to the east side, first floor. Ross, Fredericks, take an inch-and-a-half to the basement." She turned back to Captain Webster. "Is everyone out?"
"Should be. I'll double-check. Squad 8 from Engine 8: is there anyone still in there?" The handie-talkie crackled to life. "That's negative, Engine 8. According to the mother, there are still two boys in there. We have the mother and two daughters and we're bringing them out now. The boys must be in the basement; we've checked the other two floors, but we haven't managed to get to the basement yet."
"10-4, Squad 8. Squad 18 will check it out." He nodded to Fiddler and Katya.
"Right, Cap," they acknowledged.
"I'll bring a hose to cover you," said Captain Warner.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ten minutes later, they were searching the basement. They had split up, in order to cover more ground, but they were still within calling distance.
"Fiddler, where are you?" shouted Katya.
"Ah'm over here! Ah found one of the boys. He's really out of it -- non-responsive. Just what kahnd of chemicals were they playing with, anyway?" replied Fiddler.
"Damned if I know. I can't see any labels on anything through all this smoke. Hell, I can barely see you, and you're only ten feet away. You okay with him?"
"Yeah, Ah'm fahn. See if you can find the other boy. Ah'll get this little feller out." Fiddler took a deep breath, then removed her facemask and held it up to the boy's face as she quickly examined him for life-threatening injuries. Finding none, she rose quickly and slung him over her shoulder. She started coughing from the choking smoke as she groped he way back toward the stairs. She heard her partner yell, "Got him!"
"Hey, Katya, y'all okay to get out on your own?" she called.
"Yeah, Fiddler. Just follow the lines back, right? You go ahead -- I'll be out in a second. I just want to check the boy out before I move him."
"Hurry it up," said Captain Warner. "We don't know what kind of chemicals we've got here. HT 18 to Station 8," she radioed.
"Go ahead, 18," came the reply.
"The main source of the fire is here, in the basement on the east side. There are a number of unlabeled chemicals here, along with some paint cans. Suggest you request a second alarm, and get some more men down here. We've found both boys; one is on the way out now, and we'll be bringing the other one out momentarily."
"10-4, HT 18. LA, this is Station 8. Requesting a second alarm to this location. We also need two more ambulances."
"10-4, Station 8. Station 45, Station 51, Truck 127. Respond second alarm to 16210 Gilroy, cross-street Sullivan. One-sixty-two-ten Gilroy. Time out 0805."
Meanwhile, Katya had a problem. "Cap," she called, "I think this boy may have a spinal injury, judging by the blast pattern of lacerations from the glass. Can you give me a hand here?"
"Be right there, Katya," Wanda said, shutting off her hose nozzle. When she reached Fredericks and the boy, Katya was holding her facemask over the boy's face while she checked his limbs for injuries. The boy had an ugly jagged cut to his left cheek and was bleeding from a number of wounds on his left neck, arms and legs, caused by the broken glass of an exploded flask. He was unconscious, and both he and Katya were coughing violently from the smoke.
"You okay, Fredericks?" asked Captain Warner.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Look, we need to carry him as flat as possible. Do you see anything around here, like a door or a plank, that we can put him on?" asked Katya, looking around.
"Hold on," replied Captain Warner. She looked quickly around and smiled as she spied the perfect object. "Back in a sec," she called as she headed under the basement stairs, stopping briefly by the workbench. Four fire fighters were coming down the stairs, bringing hoses with them. She directed them to the source of the fire. "Against that wall over there -- watch out for the glass. It's everywhere."
"Thanks, Cap," replied Marco Lopez as the teams from 51 and 45 engaged the fire.
Captain Warner retrieved the wooden ironing board she had seen, silently breathing a prayer that the fire hadn't yet reached the stairs. She returned to Katya and the boy, with the ironing board and the duct tape she had grabbed from the work bench.
"Brilliant, Cap!" coughed Katya. They rapidly secured the boy to the board. "Okay, let's go," she said, wiping her eyes which were watering from the smoke. She continued coughing.
Wanda spoke into the handie-talkie. "HT 18 to Station 8. We're coming out with two casualties. One boy with possible spinal injuries and one fire fighter suffering from smoke inhalation."
Katya shot her an angry look as she lifted the head of the board, but had to admit that Captain Warner was right. She coughed again, her throat and lungs burning from the smoke.
"10-4, 18. Squad 51, respond to triage area."
"Squad 51. 10-4, Station 8."
After they maneuvered the board up the stairs, they quickly made their way to the triage area, where they were met by John Gage and Roy DeSoto. Roy immediately started checking out the boy while John steered Katya to the back of the squad.
"What happened, Katya?" asked Johnny as he sat her down on the bumper and set up the oxygen.
She struggled out of her turnouts and said between coughs, "He was unconscious, next to an exploded flask. I don't know what made it explode, but it seems that the first flask triggered some kind of chain reaction with a bunch of other glassware. It's a real mess down there." She reeled a bit, shook her head, coughed and continued. "He, uh, he's got cuts and abrasions one his face and all down his left side. He's also got a possible spinal injury." She swayed forward and said, "Man, I'm gonna throw up..."
Johnny handed her a small bag and supported her while she vomited raggedly.
"S-sorry, Johnny, I guess I ate too much smoke," she apologized.
"Hey, don't worry about it. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Hey, Roy," said Katya, "he..."
Johnny grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Katya, Roy's got things under control. I want to know how you feel. Put this mask on, and keep it on unless you think you're going to throw up again. Man, paramedics make the worst patients!" he joked while he started taking her vital signs.
She leaned wearily back against the squad, trying to concentrate on breathing and not coughing. Fiddler stopped by, saying, "Ah'm riding in with little Bobby, here. Ah'll see y'all at Rampart, ya little smoke-muncher. How y'all doing, anyway?"
"I'm almost convinced I'll survive, somehow," retorted Katya weakly. "See you later."
Roy was calling Rampart on the biophone. "Rampart, we have two victims of a fire. Victim one is a boy, about six years old, suffering from smoke inhalation and lacerations on the face, neck, arm and leg from an exploded glass flask. Patient is now conscious, but was unconscious for at least ten minutes previously. We have him on oxygen and his wounds have been dressed. He has been immobilized because of a possible spinal injury as well. There is tenderness to the back, particularly on the left side. Vital signs: pulse is 100, strong and regular, respiration is 20 and shallow, blood pressure is 110 over 80. Skin is warm, moist and pink. Pupils are equal and reactive, but slightly sluggish and dilated."
"51, do you have parental consent?" asked Kel Brackett.
"Rampart, patient's mother has been taken to Rampart by Squad 8. Has she arrived yet?"
"Negative, 51. Stand by. Squad 8, this is Rampart. How do you read?"
"Loud and clear, Rampart."
"Squad 8, can you ask your patient to give consent for treatment for her two sons? They're currently at the scene, but will be on the way to Rampart shortly. Both are conscious, but require parental consent."
There was a short pause, then a woman's panicked voice could be heard on the radio, "Do whatever you have to! When I get there, I'll fill out whatever forms you need. How are my sons?"
"Ma'am, we'll be able to tell that when you're all here. They're both alive and conscious, and that's about all we can determine until they arrive for further tests. They're in the best of hands. Can you put the paramedic back on, please?"
"Rampart, our ETA is now five minutes. Squad 8 out."
"10-4, Squad 8. Rampart to Squad 18," said Brackett.
"Rampart, this is Squad 18," replied Fiddler.
"Squad 18, we now have parental consent. Start an IV of D5W tko, continue with the oxygen, and transport as soon as possible."
"10-4, Rampart; IV D5W tko, continuing oxygen. ETA is approximately fifteen minutes," replied Fiddler.
"Rampart to Squad 51."
"This is 51, Rampart," responded Roy.
"51, we have parental consent for your first patient. Start an IV with D5W tko, and continue the oxygen."
"10-4 Rampart. IV with D5W tko. Continuing with the oxygen," answered Roy. He set up the IV as Johnny wrote down Katya's vital signs.
" Squad 51, do you know what chemicals were involved?" asked Brackett.
"Negative, Rampart. The boys apparently found the chemicals in a trash dumpster beside a cleaning plant. They thought it would be fun to play ‘scientist' with their chemistry set, and..."
"Isn't that always the way? Do you have vitals on your second victim?" asked Kel.
Roy handed the biophone to Johnny, and started the IV on Eddy, explaining what he was doing and why they had to strap him down to the board.
"Rampart, this is Squad 51. Second victim is a 26 year old female fire fighter, suffering from smoke inhalation. She is still coughing a lot, and she vomited earlier. Vital signs: pulse 100, weak and regular; respiration is about 28, shallow and irregular. Blood pressure is 110 over 85. Skin is flushed, hot and diaphoretic. Pupils are equal and reactive. We have had her on oxygen for ten minutes at this time. She is somewhat dizzy and nauseous."
"51, start an IV with normal saline, continue the oxygen and transport as soon as possible. Also, draw blood samples from both victims. We'll want to run blood gasses when they get here."
"10-4, Rampart, IV normal saline. Our ETA is approximately fifteen minutes."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In the ambulance, Eddy said, "Thanks a lot, mister, for getting me out."
Roy leaned over him and replied, "You should be thanking Katya, here -- she's the one that got you out, and her partner Fiddler got your brother out."
Katya leaned over so that Eddy could see her. "How are you doing, sport?" she asked, coughing.
"You got me out?! But you're a girl! How can you be a fireman?" asked Eddy.
"Well, by going through the same training and testing that the boys do," she said. "My partner, Fiddler is a girl, too. Our whole station is girls."
"No kidding? Wow! I hope my sisters don't get the same idea. I don't want them to work at my station," he said defiantly.
Roy laughed and said, "So, you're going to be a firefighter, then?"
Eddy chewed his lower lip. "Yes. Yes, I think I will. Bobby will have to help me, though. I mean, he's nearly nine, and I'm only six, so he knows lots more about that sort of thing," he said in all seriousness. "I don't want my sisters to be there, though. They're too bossy."
Roy and Katya exchanged smiles as they arrived at the ambulance bay.
"Katya?" said Eddy, as Roy maneuvered the stretcher out of the ambulance.
"Yeah, sport?" she coughed.
"You and your partner can work at my station. You know what to do, and everything. Besides, you got all the neat stuff already."
Despite herself, Katya laughed delightedly, which turned into a coughing spasm. "Eddy, my friend, you've got yourself a deal. When you get yourself a station, call me at Station 18, okay?"
"Okay. See you later," called Eddy as the stretcher was wheeled through the doors of the hospital.
Katya climbed unsteadily out of the ambulance. Roy glanced back at her and called, "We need a gurney out here."
"Roy!" protested Katya. He raised his eyebrow, and silenced her with a skeptical glance. "Oh, all right, ‘Mother'," she muttered, climbing onto the gurney at the door to the emergency entrance. Fiddler came to greet her. "Hey, partner, what a way to end a shift, huh?"
"Yeah. I'll be fine, Fiddler, you get going. Maybe you can get your car taken care of today."
"Oh, Ah'll stick around a bit to see how y'all are doing."
Katya rolled her eyes. "Is this some kind of conspiracy? Why won't anybody listen when I tell them I'm all..." she broke off in a prolonged coughing spasm that left her gasping for breath.
Fiddler said wryly as she helped push the stretcher into the hospital, "Ah think y'all just answered your own questions, hon. Hey, Dix," she called, spying Nurse McCall. "Y'all got a special room for bull-headed, uncooperative sick paramedics who think they're invincible?" Fiddler asked, leaning over her partner and planting her fists into her hips. Despite her joking attitude, her concern for her partner was obvious.
Dixie smiled briefly and said, "We're ready for her in Room Four. How are you feeling, Katya?" she asked once they were in the room.
Katya sighed in frustration. "I'm fine, Dixie. I just ate a bit too much smoke in there. Have you checked Fiddler out?" she asked maliciously, coughing. "She ate quite a bit of smoke, too, you know."
Fiddler brandished her arm, with an obvious bandage on her inner elbow where a blood sample had been drawn. "Hah, hah, smarty-pants -- already done. Now y'all just shut up, let them do their tests, and Ah'll be waiting out here for news, all right? Bobby and Eddy should be just fahn, incidentally," Fiddler said as she left the room to go to the waiting area.
Dixie turned to Katya. "Okay, the doctor should be in here in a couple of minutes. No nonsense now -- you don't have to put on a show for any other firefighters or your partner. How do you really feel?" she asked as she took Katya's vital signs.
Katya said ruefully, "I never could fool you, could I, Dixie?" She coughed some more.
Dixie smiled at her smugly. "Nobody can," she purred. "Besides, your vital signs don't jive with you ‘feeling fine'. Now level with me," she ordered.
Katya sighed. "Okay, Boss. My throat and lungs are burning a bit, but not as much as earlier. My stomach is churning so much I'm surprised it's still inside my body. I'm a bit dizzy, and my head is throbbing. Apart from that, I'm fine. But don't tell Fiddler or Captain Warner -- they'll never let me hear the end of it. They mother me enough as it is." She suffered another extended coughing spasm, ripped off the oxygen mask and said shakily, "Dix, I'm gonna..."
But Dixie was already there with a basin in place as Katya vomited again. Dixie patted her gently on the back until the spasms passed. Joe Early, who had quietly entered in the meantime, offered Katya a cup of water.
"Here, rinse your mouth," he said.
"Th-thanks, Doc. S-sorry, Dix," she stammered weakly.
"It's okay, Katya," she soothed, replacing the oxygen mask. "Try to relax and breathe slowly. Doctor, latest vital signs are: pulse 92 and regular, respiration is 22, shallow and irregular, blood pressure is 100 over 75. Pupils are normal, skin is warm, pale and diaphoretic. Patient has vomited -- twice?" she looked to Katya for confirmation. Katya nodded. Dixie continued, "Twice. She is complaining of a burning sensation to the throat and lungs, she is nauseous, light-headed and dizzy, with a throbbing headache."
"Okay, Dix. We should have the lab results from the blood samples soon. Katya, we're going to want to keep you in for observation for a few hours anyway, maybe overnight. Are you still on shift?"
"No -- we only had half an hour left when we got the call. How are Bobby and Eddy doing -- and their sisters and Mom?" she added.
Joe replied, "Mrs. Ramirez and her two daughters have already been released. They'll be staying with relatives. Bobby is due to be released tonight. We've stitched up Eddy. He doesn't seem to have a spinal injury as such, but his back is still a bit sore. We're going to keep him here for observation for a couple of days. His neck seems to be okay, but he'll have to wear a cervical collar for a while. That ironing board was a great way to immobilize him, by the way."
"Well, you can thank Captain Warner for that one. I asked her to find something we could use for a backboard. We didn't have time to wait for one to be brought down. We still don't know what kind of chemicals they had down there. According to Eddy, his brother found some unmarked bottles outside a dry-cleaning store, in the garbage. I don't think we'll ever know what they were."
Joe and Dixie headed to the door. "We'll see you in a bit, Katya. Fiddler wants to stop by before she heads out," said Dixie.
"Okay -- she's entitled to her lecture, I suppose. Thanks, Dix, Joe."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Fiddler stood up as Joe and Dixie came to the waiting area. She said, "Well, was Ah right? She's sicker than she's lettin' on, isn't she?"
"We're going to keep her for observation for a while. Dix, can you get her admitted?" asked Joe.
"Sure, Joe. I wish we could figure out what was in that smoke, though. No one else from that fire seems to be affected that badly. How long was she in there?"
"Well, Ah figure she took off her mask to give Eddy some oxygen, and since they had to immobilize him -- probably about five, ten minutes. It's not like she was sick before the fire, or anything like that. Ah'd better call Andy and tell him. Can Ah see her now?"
"Sure, Fiddler. The lab results should be down in a few minutes. Hopefully, they'll be able to tell us a bit more about what's going on."
"Thanks, Doc. Ah'll try not to lecture her -- not too much, anyhow."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Fiddler entered the treatment room. "Hey, partner, how y'all doing?"
"Well, feeling better than earlier. No lectures, please," she said, holding up her hands in surrender.
"Dixie got to y'all, huh?"
"Yeah -- I really am starting to feel better, though. What about your appointment? Were you able to reschedule?"
"Yeah -- Ah'm set for two o'clock this afternoon. Ah...called Andy. He's on the way over. Ah hope y'all don't mahnd, but he would have wondered..."
"Thanks, Fiddler. I guess I just sit tight down here until they shunt me off to some room or other. Thanks for staying. Now, will you get out of here already?"
"Well.... Ah have to admit that y'all are sure looking better than half an hour ago. How ‘ya feeling?"
"I think I'll survive."
They both turned toward the door as Captain Warner entered.
"Hiya, Cap," greeted Katya, sitting up on the stretcher.
"Hey, Katya, Fiddler. How are you doing?"
"Well, they want to keep me on O2 for a bit longer. We're just waiting for the test results. I'm supposed to be admitted for a little while -- depending on the tests, it might be for overnight. Dr. Early said the boys were doing all right. He liked your makeshift backboard," replied Katya.
"Yes, that's great, but you haven't answered the question. How are you feeling, really?" asked Captain Warner.
"Well, a bit shaky, but I'll be okay by next shift. Cap, Fiddler, I love you both to pieces, and thanks for worrying, but I'll be OK. Now would you please go home and get some sleep? Andy will be here soon enough to get his nagging in, and I wouldn't want to deprive him of the pleasure of thinking his comments were original."
Captain Warner clapped Fiddler on the shoulder, saying, "Well, I guess we've been told. She's certainly sounding a lot more like the ‘Wildcat' we all know and love. C'mon, Fiddler, let's get out of here. See you Friday, Katya," said Wanda as she went to the door.
"Yeah, Katya, y'all take care," replied Fiddler as she left, too.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Cap, she really is looking better, now. Ah've got to get back to the station."
"No sweat, I'll give you a lift. I still have some paperwork to finish up back at the station, anyway."
"Better y'all than me, Cap. Ah get enough paperwork just filling out the squad's logs. Damn, Ah guess Ah've got some paperwork to finish, too, don't Ah?" she sighed. "Well, at least Roy and Johnny dropped the equipment we had here back at the squad and took our squad back to the station for us." Fiddler brightened. "Maybe Cassie and Pidge are on a run. Then Ah'd have to finish the logbook next shift."
Wanda chuckled. "You know, Fiddler, sometimes you are sooo transparent. All right, get your car to the shop, and finish the paperwork on Friday. I'll work around it for my report."
They pulled into the parking lot of Station 18. Fiddler crowed in delight as they both noticed the absence of the squad. Wanda smiled and pushed Fiddler's shoulder in jest. "Okay, get your butt in gear. But I want that log sheet finished and on my desk by nine o'clock on Friday morning," she mock-growled.
"Yessir, Boss-lady! Woo hoo! Ah'll just have a quick shower and change, and be on mah way!" She practically bounced into the locker room to grab her clothes and a towel, and nearly ran down Captain Tacy on her way to the showers.
"Sorry, Cap!" she shouted in passing.
Captain Tacy, from ‘A' shift, looked after Fiddler in astonishment. "Wanda," she said sternly, "What the heck is going on with her?"
Wanda laughed as the two captains entered the office. "She just got the chance to postpone some paperwork until Friday. I'm only giving her an hour on Friday to finish it up, though."
"Good. Maybe she'll have settled down a bit by then." She glanced at her fellow captain, and silently handed her a mug of steaming coffee. "Rough shift?"
"Yeah. We got a house fire at 7:35 this morning. Second alarm went out just after 8."
Captain Tacy nodded as she fixed herself another cup of coffee. "We heard it during roll call. I figured you were on that one, too. Bad one?"
"Six victims altogether, including Katya." She sipped her coffee as Margaret Tacy handed her the uncompleted report.
"She going to be okay?" asked Captain Tacy.
"Yeah. She should be out of the hospital today or early tomorrow. Smoke inhalation. One of the victims -- a six year-old boy -- needed to be immobilized, and Katya used her mask on him while we were securing him on the board. I should have shared my mask with her -- it's my fault she's in hospital," Wanda said gloomily, running her fingers through her sweaty hair.
Margaret looked at her and asked, "Wolfman, were you with Katya the whole time?"
"No, but..."
"But nothing. Nobody, not even you, can be in two places at once. The choice to use her own air supply on that boy was Katya's, not yours. Sure, it's not ‘by the book', but sometimes fire hasn't read ‘the book', either. You have to make judgment calls -- especially when children are involved. Now dump the guilt in the garbage where it belongs. That report won't really be complete until you get the squad logs anyway, so if you can just fill in the blanks, then you can escape, too. Just don't jump around like a Mexican Jumping Bean named Fiddler. Hell, Wanda, it's nearly 1100. Get your weary old bones into bed, woman..."
Wanda grinned at Margaret over the coffee. "Who are you calling old, Missy?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Katya fidgeted in her hospital room. The oxygen had been discontinued when they moved her, but she was still hooked to an IV. She was becoming increasingly restless and irritated. They'd dumped her in this room almost an hour ago, she hadn't seen her doctor since then, and her husband had only paid a flying visit, since he was working overtime at Station 45. ‘At least he had looked worried enough when he stopped by,' she thought petulantly. She immediately chastised herself. They were both pulling overtime whenever they could, in order to pay off the mortgage on their dream home. They'd have all of the next day together. Sometimes she wondered why she had married an engineer, never mind getting into the fire business herself. ‘Oh well,' she mused, ‘It certainly seems to suit me well enough, even if I've only been on the job for eight months. Besides, who ever thought they'd be hurt?'
Her thoughts returned fondly to her husband. She was lucky to have found such a perfect match. Their temperaments complemented each other perfectly. She thought back to their fifth anniversary celebration, five weeks before. They had invited the whole fire department, and the staff of Rampart emergency to their place in the country. She blushed and giggled as she remembered how she and Andy had been foolish enough to think they had time for a romantic tryst in their garden shed, right in the middle of the party. What had been their ‘secret love nest' became the literal hit of the party. Somehow, the boys from Andy's ‘C' shift at Station 51 and the girls from Katya's ‘C' shift at Station 18 got wind of things and had barricaded them into their garden shed. Then, they had rigged the sprinklers to the doors, and had started pounding on the shed, making lewd suggestions and whistling. She and Andy were mortified, and had both endured nearly a month of ribbing from their shift-mates. ‘It was worth it, though,' she thought. ‘Talk about an embarrassing way to become a part of fire department lore!'
Dixie popped in. "Penny for your thoughts -- I can tell they're probably about Andy, right?"
Katya laughed. "Are you psychic, Dix?"
Dixie replied, "Perhaps. Mostly, you get a kind of excitement and wonder in your eyes. If it's any consolation, Andy's the same way about you, too."
"Enough chit-chat, Dix. When can I get out of here?" Katya asked impatiently.
"Hold your horses. Dr. Early's on the way up with your lab results. How are you feeling?" she asked as she took another set of vital signs.
"Really, Dixie, I'm fine. My throat and lungs are fine. I don't feel sick any more. I just want to get home, shower and crawl into bed until 8:30 tomorrow morning, when Andy gets home."
"Well, your vital signs are back to normal, so I don't think there should be any problem," she said as she updated Katya's chart. "I've got to go see some sick people -- I'll see you later."
"Thanks, Dix," Katya said as Dixie left.
Doctor Early entered the room with a thoughtful look on his face.
"So, doc, how soon can I get out of here?" she blurted out.
He opened the folder and looked at the results. "Katya," he said slowly, "Don't take this the wrong way, but... when was the last time you had your period?"
"About six weeks ago -- but I've always been irreg...." she broke off, staring at him. "But I can't be...pregnant," she whispered, the blood draining out of her face. "We -- we always use a condom... Oh my God..." she said.
"The anniversary party?" Joe suggested gently. Katya nodded miserably.
"Do you want to talk?" Joe asked.
"Do you have the time? I'd really appreciate it."
"Sure," replied Joe, settling into the chair beside the bed. He waited patiently for her to begin.
"Okay. You can probably tell that this is definitely not a ‘planned' pregnancy."
"Yes, I did kind of get that impression."
"I mean, of course Andy and I want to have kids, lots of them, but most definitely not right now. We've always been so careful...except for just once," she laughed without mirth. "Doc... I don't know what to do. I've just started a new job that I absolutely love, but pregnancy just isn't an option with this profession. Sure, I could do the job for a while before the embryo develops into a fetus, but I'm looking at a minimum of six to ten months off the job, then a lot of training just to get back to my current level of fitness. I don't know if they'll let me back into the department. You can just bet that there's somebody in the policy section who would jump all over this and say ‘what a waste of time it is to train women for the job, only to have them go off and have babies'." She sighed. "I don't know how Andy will react. I'm not even sure, myself, if I'm ready to be a mother yet. And the expense... we've got a mortgage to pay off -- hell, we both take as much overtime as we can just to get extra money. Is it normal to have so many doubts?" she asked, bursting into tears.
He leaned over and hugged her. "Shhh," he soothed, rocking her. "You don't have to make any decisions yet .. You're only about five weeks along. Now, you should check with Andy, first of all. After all, this is a decision that you two have to make together. When you've decided what is right for you both, then you can worry about the department. Don't try to do everything at once."
She said brokenly, "How long?..." She angrily cleared her throat, wiping tears abruptly off her cheeks, "How long can I keep doing my job without taking a chance of hurting the...baby?"
Joe pondered for a moment. "I'd say you've got another three weeks at least; maybe as long as five." He brushed the last of the tears gently off her face. "Are you going to be okay? I know this is a lot to take in, especially coming out of the blue. We don't need to give you the bum's rush out of the room, you know. In fact, I'd prefer to have you stay overnight, anyway, just to make sure that your lungs are completely clear from this morning's fire."
"Geez, that seems a whole lifetime ago. Okay, Doc, you win. I think I'd be better off here than moping around at home. I'll just give Andy a call to let him know I'll be spending the night. He can pick me up from here tomorrow when he gets off shift."
"You'll be okay?"
"Yeah, Doc. Thanks for everything. You've got some people who are really sick that you've got to see. I've just got a whole lot of thinking to do."
"Well, I'll drop by later." As he left, Joe glanced back at Katya, to see her put one hand gently on her abdomen and look down in wonder. He suspected that he knew what her decision would be.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Station 45, Captain Mark Saunders speaking."
"Hi, Mark. It's Katya Fredericks. Could I talk to Andy, please?"
"Sure, Katya -- Hey, Andy, it's your cuter and more talented gardening buddy on the phone."
Katya smiled as she heard the boys at the station making kissing sounds and laughing in the background. "Hiya, Sweets! How's it going?" asked Andy cheerfully.
"Well, something a bit irregular came up on one of the lab tests, so they're keeping me in overnight. So, if you can pick me up from Rampart when you get off shift tomorrow....?"
"Are you okay?" Andy demanded, very concerned.
"Yeah, hon, I'm fine. There's just something a little odd. They're going to run a couple more tests, but they'll spring me in the morning. So just pick me up here, babe."
Andy was skeptical. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean, I could call someone in to take my shift, and come to the hospital now..."
"Andy," she said, in the long-suffering voice she knew drove him nuts, "Just stay there. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't worry, okay? We've both eaten smoke before. See you tomorrow, lover," she said with finality, hanging up the telephone.
Andy frowned slightly as he put the telephone back in its cradle at Station 45. He could tell she wasn't completely leveling with him, and it bothered him. It was going to be a long wait until the end of shift.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Oh, Andy! Yo, Earth to Andy!" When Mark got no answer, he resorted to the nickname Andy hated. "Hey, Sprinkler Boy!" They'd been calling Andy that since the infamous anniversary party, whenever they wanted to get a rise out of him. When Andy didn't react, even to the dreaded nickname, Mark grabbed Andy's arm in concern. "What's wrong, Andy?" Mark asked in alarm. "Is Katya okay?"
"What?" asked Andy in bewilderment. "You say something, Cap?"
"I said, ‘Is Katya okay?'" repeated Mark.
"She says she is," replied Andy, sounding unconvinced. "They're, uh, they're keeping her overnight for observation. She says there was something odd on one of the tests, but not to worry about it. Damn it! How am I supposed to ‘not worry'?"
Mark eyed Andy speculatively. "Hmm. Let me check something out. You guys, see if you can get Sprinkler Boy here to come to his senses," Captain Saunders said, addressing the rest of his crew. He headed for his office to make a couple of telephone calls.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You can? That's great, Bruce... No, it shouldn't be for more than about three hours at most, I hope. Yeah... he's a bit...unsettled, shall we say? I figure that if he sees with his own eyes that Katya's really okay, he'll relax enough to work safely. Thanks a lot, Bruce. The last thing I need is a zombie driving the rig.... No, I'll call LA and let them know. See you in about half an hour."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Precisely half an hour later, Bruce Jones came into Station 45. "Hey, Cap," he called, waving to Mark. "Your relief pitcher is here."
"Great, Bruce. Hey, Andy, get your butt over to Rampart and check out your wife. You've got a couple of hours to convince yourself that she's going to be okay, then you can come back and take over for Bruce."
Andy pumped Bruce's hand furiously. "Thanks, Bruce. Thanks, Cap. I'll be back soon," he said, running to his car.
Bruce mused, "You think he'll be able to make it there without getting a traffic ticket?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Katya was standing at the window of her hospital room, watching the sunset and unconsciously twisting her wedding ring around and around on her finger. Andy came up behind her and said tentatively, "Katya?"
She whirled in surprise. "Andy? I thought you were at the station. What are you doing here?"
He hugged her tightly. "Katya -- you scared the shit out of me! First, I get the call this morning that you've been hurt in a fire, then when I see you, you're hooked up to oxygen and IVS; then you call me tonight and tell me they're keeping you in for observation when I thought you'd be home by now, and then you tell me there's something wrong with one of the lab tests and you tell me not to worry and you hang up on me! What the hell is going on?"
"Andy, I told you there was something odd, not that there was something wrong," she stated patiently.
"What's the difference?" he demanded.
Katya looked at him, shook her head slightly, and laughed. "You'd better sit down for this."
"Katya, for God's sake tell me what's going on!"
"Well, ‘Sprinkler Boy', now your name has another dimension. We're pregnant."
He looked at her as if she had grown another head. "Pregnant? How did that happen?"
She laughed. "Do you want diagrams?"
"Okay, smart-ass. How about when did this happen?"
"Andy, use your imagination -- ‘Sprinkler Boy' -- when do you think? What I need to know is how you feel about it. Whatever we do has to be a joint decision. I must admit, it's sure thrown me for a loop."
Andy sagged in the chair. "Yeah, I know what you mean. How far...?"
"Well, you can do the math as well as I can. About five weeks. Doctor Early said I should be able to work at least three more weeks without potentially hurting the baby before we have to decide what to do. There's a lot of pros and cons, either way. Now that you've seen for yourself that I'm really okay, what say you go back to the station, finish your shift, and we'll talk tomorrow. If you can get any sleep at all tonight, why don't you make a mental list of pros and cons. Believe me, I've been doing that for a couple of hours now."
He stood up and scratched his head. "You're right, as usual. I take it you want to keep this quiet for the time being?"
"God, yes! Just think of the flack from the department if it leaked through the grapevine! There's going to be enough trouble anyway -- all the naysayers will hold me up as some sort of example of ‘this is what happens when you recruit women'. Besides, I think we owe it to our shifts to let them know first, if we decide to go through with having this baby, don't you?"
"Right again, ‘Sprinkler Babe'. Wow. A baby." He gently touched her abdomen and lightly kissed her forehead. "Which way are you leaning, anyway?" he asked.
"I think I'm leaning toward having the baby, but we still need to hash it out. Get going, Hose-head. I'll see you tomorrow. Stay safe, okay?" she replied, just as she had every shift for five years.
"Sleep well, you...two. I'll just feed the guys the same line that I wouldn't choke down, about you having more tests tomorrow." He kissed her passionately and took his leave.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Okay, so we're agreed, then?" Andy said.
"Right. I'll talk to Captain Warner tomorrow, and see where we have to go from there. Jeez, if we're going to be parents, I guess we'd better grow up sometime in the next six months. Feel free to tell the guys. But if I hear any more snide remarks about sprinklers or garden sheds...." Katya left the threat hanging.
"Maybe we should set up an outdoor nursery in there. Or, if you feel like seeing what else we can do in there...."
"Andy, you're talking to a pregnant woman here!" she said, pretending to be shocked.
"Yes, and do you know how incredibly sexy that is? Let's go see if we can recapture the magic..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Pregnant!" Captain Warner was momentarily stunned. Then she smiled wickedly. "I guess garden sheds do have their uses..."
"Ha, ha. The point is, just how much trouble am I going to be in with the department? Are there any provisions for maternity leave? Do I forever lose the right to be a firefighter with the County? Is this going to, pardon the pun, screw things up for all the other women? Who do I have to see? Dr. Early said I should have at least three weeks left before I would have to consider transferring to a desk job. Could I go to dispatch or something until after the baby is born?" Katya asked, continually pacing the office like a caged wildcat.
Wanda considered the situation. "You just relax and try to get on with the shift. I'll get the ball rolling, so to speak." Katya rolled her eyes at yet another implicit sexual reference. Wanda laughed. "Well, you know what I mean. Are you going to tell the others?"
"Well, Fiddler already figured it out, based on my mood yesterday when she came by to visit. I haven't told the others yet, but I will. It's going to be hard to keep this off the grapevine, and they deserve to know what might be dumped on them by the anti-female factions at headquarters," replied Katya.
Much to her surprise, the others were positively delighted. They were already planning on names for the baby. Katya cut them off, saying, "For Pete's sake, it's not even the size of a radish yet, and you're already picking out names? And remember, girls, the first person that ‘mothers' me is going to get a boot to the keester, understand? I'm not going to break apart, okay?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A week after the momentous announcement, Katya was waiting at Station 18 for Andy to pick her up. Station 18 had been sent out on a call, ten minutes after ‘A' shift had arrived. Katya paced the lounge, thinking that she only had another week before she was due to be transferred to dispatch. It wouldn't be fighting fires, but it would still be with the department. She hated being a ‘guinea pig' for policies, but if it made things easier for subsequent women fire fighters, she was willing to help. She stared at the walls and furniture, trying to make a mental picture of the station before she left. She idly thought, ‘I'll have to bring a camera next shift, just so I can have a real picture of the station, too.' All of a sudden, she had the by-now familiar nausea. She headed to the bathroom to throw up, just as Andy arrived.
"Hon?" he called as she rushed past. "Bathroom," she said economically. He smiled to himself. ‘Better her than me,' he thought. ‘I wish she didn't have this problem with morning sickness.' After ten minutes, he wandered into the bathroom and was stunned to find his wife writhing on the floor in extreme pain.
"Katya! What's wrong?" he shouted, throwing himself to his knees and gathering her in his arms.
"I...don't...know...cramping....get...an..ambulance," she gasped painfully. "I...think.....rupture...." she whispered, her breath coming in short harsh gasps. He quickly checked her pulse and was stunned that it was too fast to really count.
"Hang on, Baby, I'll be right back!" Andy ran to the microphone and called in a still alarm at the station, then ran back to his wife. He was shaking all over -- he didn't know what to do, and the most precious thing in the world to him was lying on the floor in agony.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Squad 51, still alarm at Station 18, female with acute abdominal distress, time out 0823. Ambulance is on the way."
"Squad 51, KMG 365," acknowledged Hank Stanley.
As they drove to the scene, Johnny and Roy mused about what they would find. "You think it's a ruptured appendix, Roy?" asked Johnny.
"More than likely, Junior."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Katya, what do I do?" asked Andy, panic-stricken.
"Blanket..." she hissed. "Raise...legs...Check...vitals... Oxygen..."
"C'mon, Babe, you've got to slow your breathing....I'll just get the oxygen...I'll be right back... please, Katya...." Andy ran to get a spare air tank from the supply room. He heard the blessed sound of Squad 51's siren, and ran out to flag them down.
"Hurry!" he shouted, as Roy drove the squad into the engine bay. "It's Katya....I think it's the baby..." he blurted out.
Johnny looked at him in surprise. "What baby?" he asked as they gathered the equipment from the squad.
"Katya's seven weeks pregnant. She's been having morning sickness for two weeks, and right now she's just lying there in agony. Please help her...she's my world..." he broke off, sobbing.
"Where is she, Andy?" asked Roy urgently.
"Bathroom. She's just lying there... Hurry!" he ran back, Johnny and Roy close behind him.
Despite what Andy had told them, they were not quite prepared to see a friend and colleague in quite so much pain. Roy opened up the biophone while Johnny took a set of vital signs on Katya.
"Hey, Katya, you two sure don't do anything by halves," he joked.
"Johnny...lower...left...quadrant....I...think's it's...ectopic..." she gasped.
"Just relax, Katya. We'll take care of everything. How long ago did this happen?" he asked.
Andy spoke up. "About fifteen minutes ago... she was all right when I got here, and then....and then..."
"Calm down, Andy," said Roy. "Rampart, this is Rescue 51. How do you read?"
"Go ahead, 51. This is Rampart," came Joe Early's voice.
"Rampart, we have a female in acute abdominal distress. She was fine fifteen minutes ago. She is now in extreme pain, guarding the lower left quadrant. Be advised that she is seven weeks pregnant. We have her on oxygen at this time. Stand by for vital signs."
"Standing by, 51."
Johnny said, "Pulse is extremely rapid, guess at about 150 beats per minute, and really thready; respiration is 40, shallow, gasping; blood pressure is 90 over 50; skin is pale, cool and diaphoretic. There is marked rigidity, pain, tenderness and guarding of the lower left quadrant of the abdomen. In addition, there is minimal vaginal spotting."
Roy repeated the vital signs to Rampart.
"Squad 51, administer 15 mg Meperidine IV, and start an IV of Ringer's lactate. Continue the oxygen and transport immediately. Can you send a cardiac strip?"
"Affirmative, Rampart. As soon as we get her hooked up, we'll send a strip. 15 mg Meperidine IV, Ringer's IV."
Johnny quickly hooked up the cardiac monitor and asked Katya, "Is the pain sharp or dull?"
"Sh-sharp....like...a knife...." she said, closing her eyes and grimacing in pain.
"Rampart, Squad 51. Here's your strip. This is lead 2," said Roy, transmitting the EKG.
Joe studied the strip. "51, we're showing sinus tachycardia."
"Affirmative, Rampart. The ambulance just arrived. ETA is about ten minutes. We're transporting her in left lateral recumbent position," Roy reported.
"10-4, 51. Can you give us an updated set of vitals?"
"10-4, Rampart, once we're en route."
Katya moaned sharply as they lifted her to the stretcher. "Andy...."
"I'm right here, honey," he reassured her, interlocking his hand in hers as they carried her to the waiting ambulance.
"Love...you.." she grimaced, writhing weakly as they loaded her into the vehicle.
"Andy," said Roy, grabbing him firmly by the arm, "You're coming with me in the squad."
"But..." began Andy.
Roy closed the doors to the ambulance and thumped them twice. The ambulance sped off. Roy turned to Andy. He was hunched over, shoulders shaking, with his face buried in his hands. "It's my fault...it's all my fault," he whispered between sobs.
"Come on, Andy, let's get going," urged Roy, practically pushing Andy into the passenger seat.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
On the ride in, Andy kept muttering, "It's all my fault."
"Andy, cut it out. It is not your fault. It's nobody's fault..."
Andy interrupted angrily, "Don't give me that crap, Roy! If I hadn't acted like some irresponsible, love-struck, hormone-driven teenager, this would never have happened!" he shouted, pounding his fist on the door of the squad.
"Andy, calm down! In the first place, we don't know exactly what's wrong -- it could be any number of things. Secondly, there were two of you involved, you know. Believe me, I know all about unplanned pregnancies."
"Roderick?" Andy asked in surprise.
"Yeah. It was a really difficult pregnancy for JoAnne, especially the last three months. There was one point when I thought I was going to lose her...so believe me, I know what you're going through..." Roy broke off, remembering how scared he'd been then.
"Roy, I had no idea. What am I going to do if..."
"Hey, Andy, stop thinking like that, right now. All you can do at the moment is wait. I know it's hard..."
"Roy, I've never seen anyone in so much pain...I--I never knew it could be like that. What's wrong with her?"
"I wish I knew. We'll just have to wait and see."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Rampart, this is Squad 51."
"Go ahead, 51," replied Joe.
"Rampart, updated vital signs: blood pressure holding steady at 90 over 50; pulse is down to 128, still thready and very weak; respiration is 28, shallow, irregular. Skin is pale, cold and clammy."
"10-4, 51."
Johnny leaned over to Katya to check her pupils. He didn't like the dullness of her eyes. "Katya? Stay with me, Katya," he coaxed.
"Andy?..." she mumbled. "Andy..."
"Katya, come on, girl, hang in there. Talk to me." Johnny picked up the biophone. "Rampart, Squad 51."
"Go ahead, 51."
"Rampart, pupils are sluggish and dilated. Patient is semiconscious and incoherent. ETA is now one minute."
"10-4, 51. We're ready for you."
Dixie met the at the doors to the emergency entrance. "Oh, Katya...." she said in dismay. She shook her head, letting her professional demeanor slide back into place. "Bring her into Room Three. How's she doing, Johnny?"
"Her pressure's holding steady, but she's still in a hell of a lot of pain, Dix. She keeps asking for Andy, but she's not really ‘with it', if you know what I mean."
Andy burst through the doors, Roy close behind him talking to him urgently in a low voice. "Where is she?" roared Andy.
"Take it easy, Andy," said Roy. "I think she's in Room Three, but we can't go in there yet." Andy started pacing back and forth outside the treatment room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, Joe was examining Katya. As he gently palpated her abdomen, she gasped audibly and opened her eyes fully. "Where's...Andy?" she whispered. The agony in her eyes and voice was like a knife in Joe's chest.
"He's just outside, Katya. You can see him for a minute before you go up to surgery."
Dixie answered the ringing telephone. "Treatment Three....Right. Thanks." she hung up and came over to the bed. "Joe, the OR's ready now."
Johnny said, "Do you want me to get Andy?"
Joe replied, "Yeah, Johnny. We'll just finish prepping Katya. Tell Andy he's only got a couple of minutes. Every second counts now."
Johnny stepped outside. "Andy, you can see her for a couple of minutes, but they've got to get her up to surgery right away. We'll wait here for you. Do you want us to call Fiddler and Captain Warner?"
"Yeah," Andy said. "Thanks." He handed Roy his wallet. "Their telephone numbers are in there someplace." Andy pushed open the door and rushed over to Katya. "How ya doing, sweetie?" he asked, holding one hand and tenderly brushing some stray hairs off her forehead.
"Been...better..."
"I love you, kiddo, and I need you."
"Ditto...."
Dix touched Andy's elbow. "I'm sorry, Andy, but she's got to go up right now."
Andy watched forlornly as two orderlies rolled Katya's stretcher out to the elevator. "How...how long, Dixie?"
"I'm sorry, Andy. There's no way to tell for sure. It depends on how much damage there is. It could be a few hours."
Andy turned to Joe. "Doc, what's wrong with her? Is it the baby?"
Early replied, "Based on her signs and symptoms, we think Katya may have a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, but we won't know until they've started the surgery."
"What is that, exactly?"
"Well, you know the mechanics of fertilization?"
"Yeah, I know all about the sperm fertilizing the egg, and the egg getting implanted in the uterus, right?" Andy replied. Katya had given him a crash course on the whole process, once they had decided to have the baby.
"Okay. In an ectopic pregnancy, the egg attaches itself someplace other than the uterus -- usually, in the fallopian tube. Now the egg continues growing in size, but since the tube is too small to support this kind of growth, the pregnancy has to be terminated. There is no way to implant the fertilized egg into the uterus. Sometimes, as we suspect happened here, the egg will cause the tube to rupture. This, in turn, can cause a lot of internal bleeding..."
"Which causes the kind of pain Kitty's got, right?"
"We suspect so."
"What are the risks right now?"
"At the moment, the internal bleeding has to be stopped. Any damaged blood vessels will have to be repaired. There will almost certainly be a lot of damage to the fallopian tube, and the ovary on the left side may also be injured. There is the possibility of peritonitis, which is an inflammation of the abdominal cavity. Let's not worry about problems that haven't shown up yet. As soon as there's any word, we'll let you know."
"She could die, couldn't she, Doc?" Andy asked, concerned.
Joe answered, "We're doing everything that we can -- but, as a worst-case scenario, yes, she could die. But she's strong, healthy, and young. Those are all factors in her favour."
"It's all my fault," Andy said miserably.
Dixie broke in sharply. "None of that nonsense, Andy. Katya needs you to be strong, now more than ever. She doesn't need you going off on some ridiculous guilt trip. It isn't anybody's fault." Her voice softened, "Now let's go grab a cup of coffee. I'm buying," she said, steering him to the lounge. "They can contact us there."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Dixie, what am I going to do? I can't... I can't lose her. She's my reason for living. What are her chances, anyway?" Andy asked.
"Andy, I can't answer that -- everything depends on what they find. She's got a lot going for her, but you've already heard that from Doctor Early. Here, have some coffee," Dixie said, setting a cup on the table in front of him.
Andy stared moodily into his cup, idly stirring the coffee but not drinking it.
"Hey, Andy, what's going on?" asked Fiddler as she entered the lounge. "Roy called me and said they'd brought Wildcat in here."
Andy looked up from his study of the coffee cup, his hands trembling. "They think it's a ruptured ectopic pregnancy..."
"Oh, Andy," said Fiddler, crossing swiftly over to the table. She sat across from him and clasped his hands in hers. Fiddler glanced at Dixie. "How long?"
"From what we can tell, based on what Andy said, sometime around 8:15 this morning. She's been up in surgery for about half an hour now. Look, I've got to get back to the desk. As soon as I hear anything, I'll be in touch." She patted his shoulder as she prepared to leave.
Andy looked up. "Thanks for everything, Dixie. I'll see you later."
Fiddler got up and guided an unprotesting Andy to the couch. "Andy," she said gently, "Y'all can cry if ya want, y'know. Ah have very selective vision and hearing when Ah want to. If it helps, just let it out. Nothing leaves this room, Ah promise," she said, hugging his shoulder.
"Fiddler, I'm so scared. She's so..." he broke off, groping for words.
"Important?" suggested Fiddler.
He shook his head. "Necessary," he said with anguish. He sighed. "Hey, Fiddler, did Katya ever tell you how we met?"
"Something about a dude ranch, Ah believe?" she said with a smile. "Ah've only ever heard her side of the story. Whah don't y'all fill me in on yer version?" Fiddler suggested.
"Well, I entered this really stupid jingle contest on the radio, at my friend Jack's urging, and I won second prize -- which was a week's vacation at a dude ranch out in North Dakota, where Katya just happened to be working for the summer. I tell you, I don't know how she had the patience to put up with all us ‘city slickers'. At least by the end of the week, we all knew what end of the horse to get on. You know I've never been one to believe in ‘love at first sight' or ‘summertime romances' that actually last, but Kitty sure changed that. Sounds like a cliché, doesn't it?" he asked.
"Well, Ah guess y'all will be pleased to know that Katya's version is pretty much the same, at least about the instant attraction thing, anyway. Ah won't tell y'all what she said about your ‘skills' with horses, though -- that's for her to ‘fess us to ya."
Andy smiled wryly. "Really complimentary, huh?"
Fiddler laughed. "Y'all don't really expect me to answer that, do ya? After all, Ah've got to work with the woman. Ah plead the fifth. Y'all can get her to answer that herself, later. Now get back to the story -- y'all were, shall we say, less than ‘gifted' with horses?" she prompted.
"Okay, so the last night of the week there was a party..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dixie came into the lounge, pleased to hear Andy, Fiddler and Wanda laughing about some exploit or other. Three pairs of eyes swivelled her way.
"Dr. Brackett's on his way. Katya's out of surgery and is in the recovery room right now," said Dix.
"When can I see her? How is she?" demanded Andy.
Dixie held up her hands as if in surrender. "Dr. Brackett will explain all that once he gets here," she answered.
As Kel entered the room, he looked to Andy. "Can you step into my office, please, Andy?" he asked.
"How is she, Doc?" Andy pleaded as they headed to the office.
"Well, she's in recovery right now and then she'll be moved to a room in the surgical wing. You should be able to see her in about half an hour. Sit down," Kel gestured to the chair in his office as he perched on the edge of his desk. "Now, it was, in fact, an ectopic pregnancy, implanted in the left fallopian tube, about two centimetres from the left ovary. We had to remove the left ovary and perform a tubal ligation on that side. Katya seems to have responded well to the surgery, but we're going to want to keep her here for at least a week, to make sure there's no danger of infection. That's what we're concerned about, now. Do you have any questions?" he asked.
"God... lots of questions. Is she going to be okay?" Andy started. "Will she ever be able to become pregnant again? Is she in pain? How long will she take to recover? What can I do to help her? I can't think of any more questions right now -- I probably will later, though."
Kel steepled his fingers. "First, with this type of thing, there is the possibility of peritonitis. I think Dr. Early already explained that, right?" At Andy's nod, Kel continued. "We're watching her for any signs of that. Hopefully, that won't happen. Second, there's no reason why Katya can't become pregnant again. She still has one functioning ovary and fallopian tube. There is a risk, however, of another ectopic pregnancy. But, since this has happened once, we're alert to the possibility, and will certainly consider it if you decide to have children. There are certain things you'll have to keep an eye on -- mostly that any fertilized egg is properly implanted in the uterus. There's an increased likelihood of miscarriage as well, but there have been many cases of successful pregnancy after a tubal rupture. Third, she will be in some discomfort, naturally; she just had major abdominal surgery. It won't be anything like the pain she had when she was first brought in, though. As far as her recovery time goes, that depends on the next few days. If infection doesn't set in, she should be up and around in about ten days, and back to work in another week or two after that. How fast she recovers depends, in a large way, on how pigheaded she wants to be."
Andy smiled in relief. "Well, sometimes I'm convinced she's in training for the Olympic stubbornness team. She's sure got me beat in that category."
"Good. That kind of attitude will certainly help. Now, how much do you want me to tell the others?" Kel asked.
"Oh, everything about her condition now. I'd better discuss our future plans and possible troubles with Kitty before anyone else. So, it looks like she's going to be okay, then?" Andy responded.
"Yes -- but we've still got to watch her for signs of infection. We're hoping that we got everything, but it's hard when part of the body ruptures. The next couple of days will tell for sure. Call it ‘guarded optimism'." He stood up. "Let's go talk to the others -- they must be going a bit nuts, now. You can go see Katya in about ten minutes, okay?" Kel said as they headed back to the lounge.
Kel had just finished briefing Wanda and Fiddler when he was paged to the base station. He smiled ruefully. "Duty call. Check with Dixie in a few minutes. She'll know what room Katya's in. I'll see you later."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Andy sat beside Katya's bed and hesitantly took her hand in his. She stirred and murmured drowsily, "Andy?"
He smiled as she opened her eyes, and he said, "I'm right here, Babe. I am so sorry. This is all my fault. Can you forgive me?" he asked.
"What the hell for? This wasn't your fault," she said in confusion.
"It is my fault," he insisted. "I got you pregnant."
She looked at him in amazement and then, to Andy's surprise, she began to giggle. "Andy, you ass!" she gasped, "Don't make me laugh -- it hurts too much." She paused for breath as Andy rose in alarm.
"I'll get the nurse," he said in panic.
Katya waved him off. "Sit down, you bonehead," she said affectionately, pulling on his arm.
"I'm sorry, Kitty. I should let you sleep. I'm just so glad you're okay. We can talk later," he said, caressing her cheek lightly.
"Stuff that," she replied in irritation. "Look, Sprinkler Boy, I seem to remember being a more than willing participant in all this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I always thought it took two to tango -- and it was one hell of a tango, lover," she said with a smug smile, entwining her hand in his. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. She said drowsily, "Besides, this could have happened to anyone, right, Doc?" she called to Dr. Brackett as he came into the room.
"That's right. Hey, Katya," Kel asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Oh, a bit drowsy, sore -- a little confused. Seems I have this nut of a husband who somehow thinks this is his fault. Are you up for a brain transplant, ‘cause Andy sure needs some help there," she replied, squeezing Andy's hand gently.
Andy made a face at her. "Ha, ha, Sprinkler Babe."
Katya shifted slightly in her bed. "Seriously, Doc, what's the total damage here?" she asked anxiously. "Tubal ligation, right?"
Kel cleared his throat. "Yes," he confirmed. "And we had to remove the left ovary as well."
"Damn," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "Will I still....be able to..."
"Become pregnant?" Kel finished her sentence as she nodded, clutching Andy's hand. "I don't see why not," he smiled as she let out a huge sigh of relief. "We'll have to guard against another ectopic pregnancy, though, when you two decide to have a child. At least we'll be on guard. There are a number of things we can do to prevent this happening again. In the meantime, just take it easy and get some rest. We'll be keeping you in for observation for a few days, just to make sure there are no complications. Do you feel up to a brief visit from a couple more visitors? Captain Warner and Fiddler have been driving us nuts downstairs with their hovering."
Katya grinned wickedly. "Yeah, Doc, send ‘em on up! I'd love to see them," she yawned widely. "That is, assuming that I can stay awake long enough to say hello. What is in that stuff, anyway? I feel like I've been hit with a sleep stick."
"That? Oh, just a little concoction we call ‘Paramedic Pacification Powder' for paramedics who don't know when to slow down on their own. Seriously, you've been given sedatives, painkillers, antibiotics and fluid replacement. Get some rest -- that's an order, and one that you won't be able to resist in about ten minutes, so no more time than that, right?" Kel directed the last comment to Wanda and Fiddler who had just entered.
"No problems, Doc," they confirmed as Kel took his leave.
"Jeez, Wahldcat, y'all don't do anything by halves," Fiddler commented, taking in her partner's pale face. "Ah guess Ah'll only have a temporary partner, huh?" she added, gently nudging Katya.
"Yup, looks like it, Fiddler. From what they tell me, I should be back in about two or three weeks." She sighed regretfully, "I only wish..."
Wanda squeezed her hand in sympathy. "I know, hon. Sometimes, the time just isn't right. There'll be another time, right?" At Katya's slow nod, Wanda said softly, "A miscarriage is never easy. Believe me...been there, done that, got the t-shirt."
Katya, Fiddler and Andy looked at her in surprise and sympathy. "Yeah, well, it's not exactly the sort of thing that you put on your résumé, is it? When you want to bend an ear, Katya, just call me -- day or night. Knowing from bitter experience, it will likely be night." Wanda looked at the others and suggested, "We should let you rest now, Wildcat. We'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Hmm? Okay -- thanks for coming, guys. Go home and get some rest, Andy. I'll see you all tomorrow..." Katya drifted off to sleep.
Andy stood and stretched. "Well, you heard the boss, ladies -- I guess we'd better bugger off."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Three weeks later, Katya tentatively stepped into the kitchen at Station 18. She smiled at the banner which proclaimed, "Welcome Back, Sprinkler Babe". She was immediately surrounded by the ‘B' and ‘C' shifts.
"Welcome back, kiddo!" "Great to see you!" "About time you stopped slacking off." "How are you feeling, Wildcat?"
"Well, I'm sure ready to work -- I hate being off sick. Thanks for everything. I'm going to just go change now." Katya thought it odd that she was accompanied to her locker by everyone -- at least, until she opened the locker and got a face full of jello that had been rigged to the latch.
Holly Ramsey shouted in glee, "Yes! Picked off another one!" as the others burst into laughter at the sight of Katya dripping lime jello.
Katya turned to her in mock anger, "Look here, Jello Queen, someday when you least expect it..." She laughed, wiped some of the jello off her face and sampled it. "Mmm -- lime is my favourite. How the hell did you get it to work with this consistency, anyway? It's just not normal."
Holly answered, "Well, I kind of cheated a bit. I'll never tell -- secrets of the trade, you know."
Wanda suggested, "Wildcat, go get cleaned up and into uniform. Jello Queen, the floor is yours. You have five minutes before roll call to get this mess cleaned up. Let's get going, ladies, the day is young, and we've got a lot of work to get done today."
Katya headed to the washroom, wiping jello out of her hair as she went. Unaccountably, she froze at the entrance to the washroom, remembering....
Wanda and Fiddler were there. "It's okay, Katya," said Wanda. "It's only a bathroom. Come in, and let's put that little demon to rest," she encouraged.
Katya let out a sigh, and went into the bathroom. She drew a shaky breath, then visibly relaxed. She looked at Wanda and said, with a wry smile, "You knew, didn't you? Man, Cap, you should have been a psychiatrist. How did you know?"
Wanda patted Katya's shoulder. "I'm a member of the t-shirt club, remember? Returning to the site of my miscarriage was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. You know we wouldn't let you go through that alone."
"So the whole jello thing was rigged for this?" Katya demanded.
Fiddler coughed. "Well, not exactly -- the jello was a bit of embroidery for effect. Ah'll never figger out just how Holly can make jello behave lahk that," she said, shaking her head.
"Well, it's good to be back, even if it is a bit messy. At least it's not sticky....or are there other ‘surprises' waiting for me?"
"Couldn't tell ya, sugah," laughed Fiddler. "Ah'll see y'all at roll call," she said, heading to the engine bay.
Katya turned to Wanda. "Thanks for helping me get through the past three weeks, Cap. I never knew just how strange things would be after a miscarriage. You've saved my sanity."
Wanda answered, "No charge, Katya. Now get ready for work -- we've got a lot of hose to scrub today." She added as she left the bathroom, "If I were you, I'd look very carefully into each piece of equipment today -- Holly made up a lot more jello than was in your locker..."
Author's notes:
1) Yes, the ectopic pregnancy did happen to a friend of mine.
2) Yes, there was an incident involving garden sheds and sprinklers, but I'm not saying any more than that -- suffice to say that it was embarrassing for the participants.
Editor's Note: For more info on the women who work at Station 18 check the Station 18 roll call page.
