Going to Extreme
Measures
Chapter Fourteen
by GCS
Roy stayed with Johnny at the hospital until he was settled in his room. He had to wait for a replacement to arrive before the squad could go back into service anyway. Johnny's fever had risen and he slept restlessly. Roy brushed the damp hair from his forehead and placed a cool cloth there. "Relax Junior, you're gonna be okay. Dr. Brackett thinks he caught the infection in time to turn things around."
"R roy?"
"You should be sleeping. Try to sleep Johnny."
"I'm sick Roy. Don't feel good. T tell J Jenny 'n Chris 'm sorry about y yes yesterday."
"I know Junior. They'll understand. I'm sorry I was upset at you this morning. You should have told me you were sick when you called yesterday. We could have brought you to see Dr. Brackett and maybe prevented this from getting so bad."
"I didn't t think it w was this b bad. Ss sorry."
"Okay. Just sleep Johnny. It's the best thing for you right now." Roy bathed Johnny's face with the cloth, rewet it and replaced it on his forehead. I have to get back to the station now. Dwyer's coming in. He should be there soon. I'll stop by on our next run." He stood by the bed and watched Johnny finally relax in sleep.
Roy stopped by the nurse's desk on the way through the ER. Dixie looked up and smiled at him, "Don't worry about Johnny. He'll be fine in a few days. Kel thinks we caught the infection in time to turn it around before it gets any worse."
"I know," Roy bit the inside of his lip.
"Then why so glum?" Dixie knew Roy would somehow feel guilty about Johnny being sick. Those two always blamed themselves when their partner was injured or sick. It was one of the endearing qualities Dixie loved about her two favorite paramedics. Their loyalty to each other was unmatched.
"I was mad at him for not helping me yesterday. I just thought he had met some girl or something. I didn't even check on him last night and this morning at the station I didn't pay attention." He shook his head at the memory.
"Roy, John Gage is a grown man and a paramedic at that. He should have known to come in here yesterday himself."
"I know Dix, but he said he wasn't thinking clearly. He was sick, and I didn't even see it."
"You got him here when it mattered Roy. You've never let Johnny down. He knows that and so do you."
"Yeah, I guess." He looked up at Dixie and gave her a slight smile. "He'll be all right now." It was more a statement than a question.
"Yes Roy, I'll check on him in a little while. He should sleep for at least a few hours on those strong meds Kel has him on. Go on back to the station. He'll be in good hands." She patted his arm and pushed the HT towards him.
"See ya Dix, and um…..thanks."
Back at the station Mike decided that he would call Lizzy and let her and Gus know about Johnny. He explained how Johnny was prone to illness after he had been hit by a car and had his spleen removed. Johnny hadn't told them about that. Lizzy promised to visit Johnny later in the day since his best friends were all on shift.
When she arrived at the hospital she slipped quietly into the darkened room. She stood by the door looking at Johnny. 'Wow Johnny what have you done to yourself now,' she thought. He looked like a little kid curled up in the bed with the blanket half covering his head. She could hear the raspy breathing. Johnny loved the sun, but the shades were drawn making the room dim. She knew that was a sign of how sick he was.
She walked up to the bedside and placed her hand on his shoulder feeling the warmth from fever. "Hey Johnny."
He slowly turned his head toward her and squinted.
"I hear you're not feeling too well."
He tried to give Lizzy a smile, but ended up coughing instead.
"Shh. It's okay sweetie, I'm just going to sit with you for a little while. Do you need anything?" Like most everyone else she brushed the stray damp hairs from his face.
"T th thirsty."
Lizzy poured some cool water from the pitcher into a cup and placed the straw to his lips. Johnny gingerly sipped the cool liquid. Lizzy remembered when her dad had found the sick young man in his hot dog stand. He was so weak, she had helped him drink then too. She loved him like a brother and hated seeing him sick again. The water felt good going down his sore throat. "Is that better?" He nodded and turned back over pulling the covers up to his ears once again and drifted back to sleep.
Lizzy sat in the chair beside the bed. She reached for the TV controls and turned it on. With the volume turned very low she watched the news, and then an afternoon soap that she knew nothing about. She didn't really watch TV much, but there was nothing else to do. After a while she wandered to the nurse's station to ask about some coffee. Dixie was just coming up to check on Johnny and had stopped to ask the floor nurses about how he was doing. "Excuse me, but I am visiting my friend John Gage and wondered where I might get a cup of coffee."
"Oh you're a friend of Johnny's?" Dixie asked protectively. She didn't know this woman.
"Yes, I've known him a very long time."
Dixie smiled at the beautiful young woman. "Oh? Johnny is a good friend of mine as well. I don't believe we've ever met."
Lizzy looked closely at Dixie, "No I don't believe we have. My name is Elizabeth. My friends call me Lizzy. Johnny stayed with my father Gus when he first came to California looking for his aunt. We used to surf together."
"Johnny can surf?" Dixie didn't know that he surfed. He had never told her.
"Oh yes he's very good. Why before he became a fireman he was on the professional circuit. He was at the top. One of the best new surfers to ever compete, but he gave it all up to run into burning buildings. I'll never understand him." Lizzy chuckled at the memory.
"A professional?" Dixie knew Johnny was a complex man, but she never dreamed he had given up professional surfing and all its glory not to mention the money he could have made to be a fireman.
"Oh yes he was very good. Still is really when he gets to the beach, but he doesn't come around that often. I ran into him the other day when he was there with Mike. Johnny's been teaching Mike to surf. I'm sure you know Mike. He's the engineer at Johnny's station. I watched while they rescued a drowning man and literally breathed the life back into him."
"Well that would help explain why he's here now. That man will never learn to take care of himself." Dixie smiled. "I had heard an off duty paramedic had helped revive that swimmer, but I didn't know it was Johnny. Trouble just seems to follow him around."
"It was pretty amazing to watch. He must be good at his job." Lizzy knew the answer before Dixie even said anything.
"He graduated top of his class. He and his partner Roy are the best team of paramedics from this hospital. Now how about that coffee?" Dixie walked around the desk and poured a cup for Lizzy. "Cream and sugar?"
"No just black please. I have to watch my figure you know."
"Come on let's go see about Johnny. I was just on my way to check on him myself. Then I have to get back downstairs to the ER." The two new friends walked back to Johnny's room to find him awake and watching TV through barely open eyes. "Well hello there handsome. I thought you would be asleep."
He smiled at Dixie, "Thirsty Dix."
She picked up the cup and held the straw for him. He drank greedily. "Okay not too fast. We don't want you getting sick." She knowingly smiled at him. She had seen John Gage lose his stomach too many times to not know he needed to take things slow. "I'm going to check your vitals and get a temp okay?"
"K"
"Hey Johnny." Lizzy said as she came up next to him when Dixie walked to the end of the bed to get his chart. "Dad said he sends his love and will send some chili dogs when you're up to it. He also said to tell you he would get by sometime later when he closes up the stand for the night."
"Don't have to."
"I know he doesn't Johnny, but he wants to. He was so happy to see you the other day. It's been a long time, and he cares too much to not stop by. Okay?"
"K" Johnny was tiring quickly and his eyes drooped.
"You just get some sleep. I'm going to go call Mike and let him know how you're doing. I promised him I would." She turned to leave and smiled at Dixie, "I'll give you some space while you check him out. I'm going to go use the pay phone."
"You can stop by the desk. Tell the nurse I said you could use the phone to call his station. They'll understand. Those boys have been calling for an update almost every hour. She'll be glad to let you call them instead." Dixie laughed at the thought of the worried shift mates back at the station.
"R roy?"
"You should be sleeping. Try to sleep Johnny."
"I'm sick Roy. Don't feel good. T tell J Jenny 'n Chris 'm sorry about y yes yesterday."
"I know Junior. They'll understand. I'm sorry I was upset at you this morning. You should have told me you were sick when you called yesterday. We could have brought you to see Dr. Brackett and maybe prevented this from getting so bad."
"I didn't t think it w was this b bad. Ss sorry."
"Okay. Just sleep Johnny. It's the best thing for you right now." Roy bathed Johnny's face with the cloth, rewet it and replaced it on his forehead. I have to get back to the station now. Dwyer's coming in. He should be there soon. I'll stop by on our next run." He stood by the bed and watched Johnny finally relax in sleep.
Roy stopped by the nurse's desk on the way through the ER. Dixie looked up and smiled at him, "Don't worry about Johnny. He'll be fine in a few days. Kel thinks we caught the infection in time to turn it around before it gets any worse."
"I know," Roy bit the inside of his lip.
"Then why so glum?" Dixie knew Roy would somehow feel guilty about Johnny being sick. Those two always blamed themselves when their partner was injured or sick. It was one of the endearing qualities Dixie loved about her two favorite paramedics. Their loyalty to each other was unmatched.
"I was mad at him for not helping me yesterday. I just thought he had met some girl or something. I didn't even check on him last night and this morning at the station I didn't pay attention." He shook his head at the memory.
"Roy, John Gage is a grown man and a paramedic at that. He should have known to come in here yesterday himself."
"I know Dix, but he said he wasn't thinking clearly. He was sick, and I didn't even see it."
"You got him here when it mattered Roy. You've never let Johnny down. He knows that and so do you."
"Yeah, I guess." He looked up at Dixie and gave her a slight smile. "He'll be all right now." It was more a statement than a question.
"Yes Roy, I'll check on him in a little while. He should sleep for at least a few hours on those strong meds Kel has him on. Go on back to the station. He'll be in good hands." She patted his arm and pushed the HT towards him.
"See ya Dix, and um…..thanks."
Back at the station Mike decided that he would call Lizzy and let her and Gus know about Johnny. He explained how Johnny was prone to illness after he had been hit by a car and had his spleen removed. Johnny hadn't told them about that. Lizzy promised to visit Johnny later in the day since his best friends were all on shift.
When she arrived at the hospital she slipped quietly into the darkened room. She stood by the door looking at Johnny. 'Wow Johnny what have you done to yourself now,' she thought. He looked like a little kid curled up in the bed with the blanket half covering his head. She could hear the raspy breathing. Johnny loved the sun, but the shades were drawn making the room dim. She knew that was a sign of how sick he was.
She walked up to the bedside and placed her hand on his shoulder feeling the warmth from fever. "Hey Johnny."
He slowly turned his head toward her and squinted.
"I hear you're not feeling too well."
He tried to give Lizzy a smile, but ended up coughing instead.
"Shh. It's okay sweetie, I'm just going to sit with you for a little while. Do you need anything?" Like most everyone else she brushed the stray damp hairs from his face.
"T th thirsty."
Lizzy poured some cool water from the pitcher into a cup and placed the straw to his lips. Johnny gingerly sipped the cool liquid. Lizzy remembered when her dad had found the sick young man in his hot dog stand. He was so weak, she had helped him drink then too. She loved him like a brother and hated seeing him sick again. The water felt good going down his sore throat. "Is that better?" He nodded and turned back over pulling the covers up to his ears once again and drifted back to sleep.
Lizzy sat in the chair beside the bed. She reached for the TV controls and turned it on. With the volume turned very low she watched the news, and then an afternoon soap that she knew nothing about. She didn't really watch TV much, but there was nothing else to do. After a while she wandered to the nurse's station to ask about some coffee. Dixie was just coming up to check on Johnny and had stopped to ask the floor nurses about how he was doing. "Excuse me, but I am visiting my friend John Gage and wondered where I might get a cup of coffee."
"Oh you're a friend of Johnny's?" Dixie asked protectively. She didn't know this woman.
"Yes, I've known him a very long time."
Dixie smiled at the beautiful young woman. "Oh? Johnny is a good friend of mine as well. I don't believe we've ever met."
Lizzy looked closely at Dixie, "No I don't believe we have. My name is Elizabeth. My friends call me Lizzy. Johnny stayed with my father Gus when he first came to California looking for his aunt. We used to surf together."
"Johnny can surf?" Dixie didn't know that he surfed. He had never told her.
"Oh yes he's very good. Why before he became a fireman he was on the professional circuit. He was at the top. One of the best new surfers to ever compete, but he gave it all up to run into burning buildings. I'll never understand him." Lizzy chuckled at the memory.
"A professional?" Dixie knew Johnny was a complex man, but she never dreamed he had given up professional surfing and all its glory not to mention the money he could have made to be a fireman.
"Oh yes he was very good. Still is really when he gets to the beach, but he doesn't come around that often. I ran into him the other day when he was there with Mike. Johnny's been teaching Mike to surf. I'm sure you know Mike. He's the engineer at Johnny's station. I watched while they rescued a drowning man and literally breathed the life back into him."
"Well that would help explain why he's here now. That man will never learn to take care of himself." Dixie smiled. "I had heard an off duty paramedic had helped revive that swimmer, but I didn't know it was Johnny. Trouble just seems to follow him around."
"It was pretty amazing to watch. He must be good at his job." Lizzy knew the answer before Dixie even said anything.
"He graduated top of his class. He and his partner Roy are the best team of paramedics from this hospital. Now how about that coffee?" Dixie walked around the desk and poured a cup for Lizzy. "Cream and sugar?"
"No just black please. I have to watch my figure you know."
"Come on let's go see about Johnny. I was just on my way to check on him myself. Then I have to get back downstairs to the ER." The two new friends walked back to Johnny's room to find him awake and watching TV through barely open eyes. "Well hello there handsome. I thought you would be asleep."
He smiled at Dixie, "Thirsty Dix."
She picked up the cup and held the straw for him. He drank greedily. "Okay not too fast. We don't want you getting sick." She knowingly smiled at him. She had seen John Gage lose his stomach too many times to not know he needed to take things slow. "I'm going to check your vitals and get a temp okay?"
"K"
"Hey Johnny." Lizzy said as she came up next to him when Dixie walked to the end of the bed to get his chart. "Dad said he sends his love and will send some chili dogs when you're up to it. He also said to tell you he would get by sometime later when he closes up the stand for the night."
"Don't have to."
"I know he doesn't Johnny, but he wants to. He was so happy to see you the other day. It's been a long time, and he cares too much to not stop by. Okay?"
"K" Johnny was tiring quickly and his eyes drooped.
"You just get some sleep. I'm going to go call Mike and let him know how you're doing. I promised him I would." She turned to leave and smiled at Dixie, "I'll give you some space while you check him out. I'm going to go use the pay phone."
"You can stop by the desk. Tell the nurse I said you could use the phone to call his station. They'll understand. Those boys have been calling for an update almost every hour. She'll be glad to let you call them instead." Dixie laughed at the thought of the worried shift mates back at the station.
