New
PATHS
by GCS
Chapter Five
Several hours later Cammie was settled in her SICU room beginning the slow process of recovering from surgery to repair an injury to her liver and removal of her spleen. Dr. Brackett had hoped to save her spleen, but that had not been in the cards. Dixie bathed her new friends face and encouraged her to wake up, "Camille you need to wake up for me honey."
Cammie stirred and turned her head slowly from side to side. Her eyelids fluttered and her lips moved as if she were about to say something. Gradually she opened her eyes and searched the room for the voice. Settling her eyes on Dixie the corners of her mouth turned upward. She continued to blink back the drowsiness she still felt from the anesthesia. "Dixie?"
"Yes Cammie I'm here."
"How bad?"
"My, my Miss Lawson you certainly are like your friend Fireman Gage. That is usually the first question he asks when he wakes up too. You have just come from surgery to repair your liver. We had to remove your spleen. I don't have to tell you what that means. I'm sure as a qualified ER nurse you are well aware. You have several broken ribs and deep bruising, but miraculously that seems to be the extent of your injuries."
"Dixie?"
"Yes?"
"How many people died? I….I tried to help as many of the survivors…I couldn't…I tried."
"I know you did sweetheart. Now you rest. I don't know how many survivors there were. We will find out soon enough about that. You need to concentrate on getting better. I know a good friend of mine who will be itching to see you as soon as Dr. Brackett will let him." She smiled at her friend. As she watched her friend's eyes blink several times then open wide, her mouth opening and closing, and the alarmed look she had on her face Dixie knew what was coming. She reached for the emesis basin and placed it just in time. She held Cammie over, so she could be sick. "Well that's one more thing you have in common with our Fireman Gage." She stroked Cammie's hair and helped her to once again relax and drift to sleep.
Johnny refused to sleep. He had been waiting for word from Dr. Brackett on Cammie's surgery. Roy sat in the chair by Johnny's bed with his feet propped up on the bed watching the news that had been following the crash. Captain Stanley, Chet, Marco, and Mike were also in various positions around the room. "Man why don't they tell us something? This waiting is nuts." The other five men in the room chuckled at Johnny's statement knowing they had spent many an hour 'waiting' for word on him after his countless injuries and illnesses.
Dr. Brackett chose that moment to enter the room. He was still in his surgery scrubs and looked worn out, but he was smiling.
"Doc?"
"She's out of surgery Johnny. She had some damage to her liver that we repaired, some severe damage to her spleen which we had to remove. She has several broken ribs and some deep bruising, but she will be fine."
"Wow, thanks Doc! Where is she? When can I see her?" The others chuckled as Johnny probed the good doctor.
"Well Mr. Gage she is in SICU, and you my friend are still my patient and need to stay right here in your room. Understood?" Dr. Brackett said with his arms crossed and a very serious look on his face.
"Um sure doc," Johnny said as he slumped in the bed.
"However, Roy and the others can check on her for you in about an hour. If all goes well this evening she will be moved to a regular room tomorrow morning and maybe if you behave yourself you will be allowed a short visit."
Johnny visibly cheered up, "Okay thanks doc." At that Dr. Brackett left the room. "Did you hear that? Cammie is going to be just fine. Man she is some woman isn't she? Wow I am some kind of lucky. I have a beautiful woman who says she loves me who survived a plane crash. She is really something! Man I can't believe it. Isn't it great?"
Roy laughed at his friend, "Yes Johnny it is great."
"She said what?" Chet answered as Johnny's statement sunk in. "What is this about Cammie 'loving' you? Gage your delusional. Why would a hot, educated chick want a disaster magnet like you around?"
"Well I'll have you know Chester B that Miss Camille Lawson and I are in love," Johnny smiled as he placed his hand across his chest and had a definite twinkle in his expressive brown eyes. "She said so in the ER. Just ask my partner here."
Roy shook his head in agreement with his 'lucky' partner. "She sure did."
"Wow Johnny that's wonderful," Marco was first to congratulate him.
Mike simply whistled.
"Well John does that mean we will be hosting a wedding any time soon?" Captain Stanley asked.
"Wha….wedding? I…I…don..don't know. I..um..hadn't…um I…maybe. I'm not…sure."
The group of men was bowled over with laughter at the stammering of their friend.
"Okay John I don't think there is any hurry on that." Captain Stanley patted his youngest crew man on the shoulder to try to calm him down.
"Roy? Do you think?"
"Johnny you have only known Cammie for a couple of months. The two of you have been through quite a lot in that short amount of time. Why don't you give it some time? When you are both out of the hospital and can spend some time together you will figure it out. Don't worry about it right now."
"Thanks Roy," Johnny visibly relaxed. True he was in love with Cammie, but the thought of marriage scared him. It scared him a lot.
"Well gentlemen I for one am exhausted. I think that I will make my exit and check on Camille tomorrow morning. I think she has had enough excitement for one day. Roy since you are the best judge of medical stability you should be the one to check on her for us tonight. Let us know how she is after your visit. John take care of yourself and stay out of trouble. Men." Captain Stanley clapped his hands together signaling to the other three members of his crew that it was time to go.
"Aw Cap I wanted to see Cammie and make sure she doesn't need her head examined. I mean after all if she thinks she loves this bozo she could need some psychiatric help." Chet smiled at himself for his comment meant to rile Johnny.
"Shut Up Chet," all five of his friends said at the same time. Mike grabbed Chet by the elbow and ushered him out of the room leaving a laughing Johnny and Roy behind.
Cammie stirred and turned her head slowly from side to side. Her eyelids fluttered and her lips moved as if she were about to say something. Gradually she opened her eyes and searched the room for the voice. Settling her eyes on Dixie the corners of her mouth turned upward. She continued to blink back the drowsiness she still felt from the anesthesia. "Dixie?"
"Yes Cammie I'm here."
"How bad?"
"My, my Miss Lawson you certainly are like your friend Fireman Gage. That is usually the first question he asks when he wakes up too. You have just come from surgery to repair your liver. We had to remove your spleen. I don't have to tell you what that means. I'm sure as a qualified ER nurse you are well aware. You have several broken ribs and deep bruising, but miraculously that seems to be the extent of your injuries."
"Dixie?"
"Yes?"
"How many people died? I….I tried to help as many of the survivors…I couldn't…I tried."
"I know you did sweetheart. Now you rest. I don't know how many survivors there were. We will find out soon enough about that. You need to concentrate on getting better. I know a good friend of mine who will be itching to see you as soon as Dr. Brackett will let him." She smiled at her friend. As she watched her friend's eyes blink several times then open wide, her mouth opening and closing, and the alarmed look she had on her face Dixie knew what was coming. She reached for the emesis basin and placed it just in time. She held Cammie over, so she could be sick. "Well that's one more thing you have in common with our Fireman Gage." She stroked Cammie's hair and helped her to once again relax and drift to sleep.
Johnny refused to sleep. He had been waiting for word from Dr. Brackett on Cammie's surgery. Roy sat in the chair by Johnny's bed with his feet propped up on the bed watching the news that had been following the crash. Captain Stanley, Chet, Marco, and Mike were also in various positions around the room. "Man why don't they tell us something? This waiting is nuts." The other five men in the room chuckled at Johnny's statement knowing they had spent many an hour 'waiting' for word on him after his countless injuries and illnesses.
Dr. Brackett chose that moment to enter the room. He was still in his surgery scrubs and looked worn out, but he was smiling.
"Doc?"
"She's out of surgery Johnny. She had some damage to her liver that we repaired, some severe damage to her spleen which we had to remove. She has several broken ribs and some deep bruising, but she will be fine."
"Wow, thanks Doc! Where is she? When can I see her?" The others chuckled as Johnny probed the good doctor.
"Well Mr. Gage she is in SICU, and you my friend are still my patient and need to stay right here in your room. Understood?" Dr. Brackett said with his arms crossed and a very serious look on his face.
"Um sure doc," Johnny said as he slumped in the bed.
"However, Roy and the others can check on her for you in about an hour. If all goes well this evening she will be moved to a regular room tomorrow morning and maybe if you behave yourself you will be allowed a short visit."
Johnny visibly cheered up, "Okay thanks doc." At that Dr. Brackett left the room. "Did you hear that? Cammie is going to be just fine. Man she is some woman isn't she? Wow I am some kind of lucky. I have a beautiful woman who says she loves me who survived a plane crash. She is really something! Man I can't believe it. Isn't it great?"
Roy laughed at his friend, "Yes Johnny it is great."
"She said what?" Chet answered as Johnny's statement sunk in. "What is this about Cammie 'loving' you? Gage your delusional. Why would a hot, educated chick want a disaster magnet like you around?"
"Well I'll have you know Chester B that Miss Camille Lawson and I are in love," Johnny smiled as he placed his hand across his chest and had a definite twinkle in his expressive brown eyes. "She said so in the ER. Just ask my partner here."
Roy shook his head in agreement with his 'lucky' partner. "She sure did."
"Wow Johnny that's wonderful," Marco was first to congratulate him.
Mike simply whistled.
"Well John does that mean we will be hosting a wedding any time soon?" Captain Stanley asked.
"Wha….wedding? I…I…don..don't know. I..um..hadn't…um I…maybe. I'm not…sure."
The group of men was bowled over with laughter at the stammering of their friend.
"Okay John I don't think there is any hurry on that." Captain Stanley patted his youngest crew man on the shoulder to try to calm him down.
"Roy? Do you think?"
"Johnny you have only known Cammie for a couple of months. The two of you have been through quite a lot in that short amount of time. Why don't you give it some time? When you are both out of the hospital and can spend some time together you will figure it out. Don't worry about it right now."
"Thanks Roy," Johnny visibly relaxed. True he was in love with Cammie, but the thought of marriage scared him. It scared him a lot.
"Well gentlemen I for one am exhausted. I think that I will make my exit and check on Camille tomorrow morning. I think she has had enough excitement for one day. Roy since you are the best judge of medical stability you should be the one to check on her for us tonight. Let us know how she is after your visit. John take care of yourself and stay out of trouble. Men." Captain Stanley clapped his hands together signaling to the other three members of his crew that it was time to go.
"Aw Cap I wanted to see Cammie and make sure she doesn't need her head examined. I mean after all if she thinks she loves this bozo she could need some psychiatric help." Chet smiled at himself for his comment meant to rile Johnny.
"Shut Up Chet," all five of his friends said at the same time. Mike grabbed Chet by the elbow and ushered him out of the room leaving a laughing Johnny and Roy behind.
