New
PATHS
by GCS
Chapter Six
Not long after the other guys left Roy decided he needed to head home as well. "I'll see you tomorrow Junior. Try to get some sleep. I'm sure Brackett will let you see Cammie tomorrow after she is moved to a step down room."
"Aren't you going to check on her before you leave Roy?"
"Sure Johnny let's call Dixie and see if we can get her to tell us how she is," Roy suggested.
After a call to the ER and Dixie's assurance that Cammie was resting easily Roy said his goodbyes to Johnny and went home to Joanne and the kids. Johnny settled in his bed and tried to sleep. In truth he was tired. He had been through a lot in the last few days, and he was still recuperating from pneumonia. Sleep wouldn't come for him. He wanted to see Cammie for himself.
Johnny decided to sneak up to her room and check on her for himself. He knew he would have to be careful or he would get caught. He waited until normal visiting hours were over. The halls grew quiet. He knew that since he was not on an IV and considered to be approaching discharge the nurses probably wouldn't check on him for at least an hour. He cracked the door to his room open and peeked out into the hall. The nurses were not at the desk. They were probably in rooms checking on patients or administering evening medications. Johnny had not been on his feet much since he came down with pneumonia, so his legs were a little unstable. He slipped into the hall way and walked carefully, slowly towards the elevators. He traced one hand along the wall to steady himself.
By the time he reached the elevators he was a little out of breath. His lungs were still weak form his sickness making his breaths shallow, too fast, and a little labored. When he made it to the bank of elevators he heard the familiar voices of the floor nurses rounding the corner. When the elevator didn't come Johnny made a break for the stairwell. Climbing up the three stories to the surgery intensive care floor was almost too much for him, but John Gage was not a quitter. After stumbling twice scraping his knee and the palm of his hand he finally reached the SICU floor. Stopping at the top of the stairs to catch his breath, Johnny leaned against the wall. He stood there for a good while and tried to deepen and slow his breathing. He hated pneumonia. He hated the weakness he felt when he was trying to get over it.
After a few minutes of deep breathing Johnny thought he could finish his trek to Cammie's room. He looked out the window to the stairwell door to see if the coast was clear. When he saw no nurses in the hall he decided it was safe to go on to Cammie's room, but he was not sure which room that was. As he approached the nurse's station he saw the board on the wall that listed the room numbers and patients within. Seeing which room Cammie was in he kept on walking as though he knew where he was going. One of the nurses noticed him and asked if he needed any help. He nodded to her that he didn't and kept on walking, head down and face turned away form the group. He had been on this SICU floor and would probably be recognized if they got a good look at him. When he reached her room he stood in the door and took in the sight inside. Cammie lay in her bed surrounded by machines and IV's. Sure Johnny knew all about each piece of equipment and what they were for, but seeing them attached to Cammie made him nervous.
Approaching the bed he reached over and carefully picked up her hand and stood beside her bed holding it in his. He felt even more unsteady after climbing the stairs to get here. He swayed a little and reached out to hold the bed rail to keep from falling.
"Johnny?" Cammie looked up at him. "Are you all right?"
"Huh? Ye…yeah I'm okay," he didn't want to worry her.
"No Johnny I can see that you aren't. How did you get here?"
"Walked," He answered vaguely. He swayed again.
"Okay Fireman Gage. You need to sit down, or lay down. You aren't breathing correctly." Looking him over quickly she saw a little blood on the torn knee of his night clothes. "What happened to your knee?"
"I'm okay."
"Johnny I want you to lay down here beside me before you fall." Cammie ignored her own injuries and scooted over in the bed.
Johnny knew she was right. He had overdone it and couldn't catch his breath. His knee and hand hurt from being scraped. Without argument he lowered the bed rail and slipped in with Cammie. He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled next to him. "I had to come Cammie. I had to see you. I couldn't sleep not knowing not seeing for myself that you were okay," he breathlessly told her.
"I know Johnny. I wanted to see you too. I'm okay. Really I am." She smoothed the hair from his forehead. "Now you just need to relax and breathe normally. You shouldn't have come up here on your own. You shouldn't be sneaking around the hospital at night. What if you had hurt yourself worse than a scraped knee?"
"You saw that? Doesn't matter. I had to come. I had to see you so I could believe you were all right. I couldn't sleep worrying about you." He kissed the top of her head.
She snuggled closer.
They fell fast asleep in each others arms.
Dr. Brackett and Dixie McCall wanted to see their two friends before leaving for home. They decided to stop by Johnny's room first. They were surprised to find an empty bed in his room. "See if he's in the restroom Dixie."
She walked to the closed bathroom door and knocked. "Johnny are you in there?" She didn't really expect an answer, but when she didn't get one she tried the door. Opening the door to an empty room she turned and nodded her head to Dr. Brackett.
"Well let's see if we can find him." Brackett turned to leave the room.
"Kel I think I know where he is," Dixie smiled.
"Yeah he's either there or up on the roof again. You know how he loves to sneak up there and look at the stars. I wonder if he suspects that we know he goes up there? Somehow I think it would take some of the fun out of going if he knew we knew." The two friends chuckled as they entered the elevator. They had known about Johnny's sneaking around the hospital for some time, but never told him. As long as he stayed out of trouble and was not hurt, they realized that it relieved some of the itch Johnny had to leave the hospital earlier than they usually wanted him to. Everyone knew Johnny hated long hospital stays. Really he hated any hospital stay, but the long ones were the worst. If his escapades helped him agree to stay under the watchful eyes of the hospital staff then a little sneaking around would be allowed.
Arriving at their destination they stopped at the nurse's station to inquire as to whether they had seen the wayward paramedic. "Evening ladies," Dr. Brackett addressed the group. "Have any of you seen Johnny Gage?"
"Hello Dr. Brackett, Nurse McCall, I think you'll find him in Camille Lawson's room. He was by here about half an hour ago. He must have fallen, because the left knee of his pajama pants was torn and a little bloody. Nothing serious though. I couldn't be sure but maybe the palm of his left hand was skinned too. He was moving a little slow and looked to be a little out of breath. I think he's okay though. He didn't think we recognized him. He kept his head turned," the pretty nurse giggled at the thought.
"Thanks we suspected he might be up here. Well Dixie let's go check on our boy."
Stopping in the door to Cammie's room the two friends smiled at the touching sight before them. Johnny and Cammie slept in her hospital bed entwined in each other's arms. "I hate to wake them Kel," Dixie whispered.
"Well he can't stay here in her bed Dixie. He shouldn't be up walking without assistance. He's been off his feet for almost a week. He's obviously unstable look at his knee." Dr. Brackett walked over to the bed and gently pulled the fabric away from the skinned knee. "Doesn't look bad, but needs cleaning." He glanced toward the hand that was wrapped around Cammie. "Can't tell about the hand without waking them up." Just as he stepped back from bending over the two sleeping patients he noticed Johnny's brown eyes looking up at him. Johnny was grinning.
"Hey Doc. Guess I'm in trouble."
"Well you should be John. You've been sneaking around the hospital when you should be in your bed downstairs. What happened to you knee and hand?"
"I fell on the stairs."
"You climbed the stairs? Johnny you're recuperating from pneumonia. What were you thinking? Your lungs are still healing. You haven't completed your respiratory therapy. You haven't been cleared to walk without someone with you, and you are certainly not supposed to leave your floor." Brackett lectured Johnny.
"Johnny you should have asked. One of us could have brought you up here in a wheelchair." Dixie patted Johnny on the shoulder.
"I didn't think you would let me come." He frowned and averted his eyes feeling like he had let his friends down. He knew he wanted to see Cammie, but he hated it when he thought that people who he respected were disappointed in him.
"Okay Johnny. It's not important now, but we need to get you back to your room and take care of your knee and hand. You wait right here while I go get your transportation." Dixie smiled at him at stroked his hair in a loving paternal way.
Just as Dixie left the room Cammie began to stir. "Johnny?"
"Shhh it's okay sweetheart. Dr. Brackett and Dixie just came to escort me back to my room. Go back to sleep." He smoothed the hair from her face and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Don't want you to go."
"I know, but I have to. It's against hospital policy for two patients to share a bed," he chuckled at his own comment.
Dr. Brackett laughed as well. "He's right Camille. I can't have my new nurse started with a bad reputation now can I?"
"New nurse?" Cammie looked questioningly at Dr. Brackett.
"If you want the job when you're better it's yours."
"Thank God. I certainly don't want to be a stewardess anymore especially after my last flight. No way. I'm working for you. Right here on the ground."
Dr. Brackett laughed at Cammie's reaction to his job offer. "Well then I'll get the necessary paperwork done, and you can start once I clear you for duty."
"Good deal," Johnny was clearly happy with her decision. "Now I can see you every time I come in with a patient, and I won't have to worry while you fly all over the country. After this I don't think I could stand to let you do that."
"What did I miss?" Dixie asked as she returned with a wheel chair.
"Cammie's going to work here," Johnny answered excitedly.
"Camille has accepted my job offer and will start as soon as I clear her for duty," Dr. Brackett explained.
"Well I for one am very glad to hear that Camille," Dixie smiled at her new friend. "Do you need any help writing your letter of resignation to the airline?"
Cammie giggled at Dixie's enthusiasm, "No actually I already have it written. I just have to insert the dates and deliver it, but thanks for the offer."
"Okay Mr. Gage. Party's over. Let's get you back downstairs," Dr. Brackett reached for Johnny to assist him into the chair. Cammie kissed Johnny's cheek as the two hugged once more. Together Dixie and Dr. Brackett were able to help the very tired patient into the chair. "I'll be back up once I get Johnny settled to check on you Camille."
"Okay Dr. Brackett. Goodnight Fireman Gage."
"Goodnight Cammie," Johnny said through a very big yawn. "I'm glad I got to see you tonight. Now I can believe that you're really okay."
"Aren't you going to check on her before you leave Roy?"
"Sure Johnny let's call Dixie and see if we can get her to tell us how she is," Roy suggested.
After a call to the ER and Dixie's assurance that Cammie was resting easily Roy said his goodbyes to Johnny and went home to Joanne and the kids. Johnny settled in his bed and tried to sleep. In truth he was tired. He had been through a lot in the last few days, and he was still recuperating from pneumonia. Sleep wouldn't come for him. He wanted to see Cammie for himself.
Johnny decided to sneak up to her room and check on her for himself. He knew he would have to be careful or he would get caught. He waited until normal visiting hours were over. The halls grew quiet. He knew that since he was not on an IV and considered to be approaching discharge the nurses probably wouldn't check on him for at least an hour. He cracked the door to his room open and peeked out into the hall. The nurses were not at the desk. They were probably in rooms checking on patients or administering evening medications. Johnny had not been on his feet much since he came down with pneumonia, so his legs were a little unstable. He slipped into the hall way and walked carefully, slowly towards the elevators. He traced one hand along the wall to steady himself.
By the time he reached the elevators he was a little out of breath. His lungs were still weak form his sickness making his breaths shallow, too fast, and a little labored. When he made it to the bank of elevators he heard the familiar voices of the floor nurses rounding the corner. When the elevator didn't come Johnny made a break for the stairwell. Climbing up the three stories to the surgery intensive care floor was almost too much for him, but John Gage was not a quitter. After stumbling twice scraping his knee and the palm of his hand he finally reached the SICU floor. Stopping at the top of the stairs to catch his breath, Johnny leaned against the wall. He stood there for a good while and tried to deepen and slow his breathing. He hated pneumonia. He hated the weakness he felt when he was trying to get over it.
After a few minutes of deep breathing Johnny thought he could finish his trek to Cammie's room. He looked out the window to the stairwell door to see if the coast was clear. When he saw no nurses in the hall he decided it was safe to go on to Cammie's room, but he was not sure which room that was. As he approached the nurse's station he saw the board on the wall that listed the room numbers and patients within. Seeing which room Cammie was in he kept on walking as though he knew where he was going. One of the nurses noticed him and asked if he needed any help. He nodded to her that he didn't and kept on walking, head down and face turned away form the group. He had been on this SICU floor and would probably be recognized if they got a good look at him. When he reached her room he stood in the door and took in the sight inside. Cammie lay in her bed surrounded by machines and IV's. Sure Johnny knew all about each piece of equipment and what they were for, but seeing them attached to Cammie made him nervous.
Approaching the bed he reached over and carefully picked up her hand and stood beside her bed holding it in his. He felt even more unsteady after climbing the stairs to get here. He swayed a little and reached out to hold the bed rail to keep from falling.
"Johnny?" Cammie looked up at him. "Are you all right?"
"Huh? Ye…yeah I'm okay," he didn't want to worry her.
"No Johnny I can see that you aren't. How did you get here?"
"Walked," He answered vaguely. He swayed again.
"Okay Fireman Gage. You need to sit down, or lay down. You aren't breathing correctly." Looking him over quickly she saw a little blood on the torn knee of his night clothes. "What happened to your knee?"
"I'm okay."
"Johnny I want you to lay down here beside me before you fall." Cammie ignored her own injuries and scooted over in the bed.
Johnny knew she was right. He had overdone it and couldn't catch his breath. His knee and hand hurt from being scraped. Without argument he lowered the bed rail and slipped in with Cammie. He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled next to him. "I had to come Cammie. I had to see you. I couldn't sleep not knowing not seeing for myself that you were okay," he breathlessly told her.
"I know Johnny. I wanted to see you too. I'm okay. Really I am." She smoothed the hair from his forehead. "Now you just need to relax and breathe normally. You shouldn't have come up here on your own. You shouldn't be sneaking around the hospital at night. What if you had hurt yourself worse than a scraped knee?"
"You saw that? Doesn't matter. I had to come. I had to see you so I could believe you were all right. I couldn't sleep worrying about you." He kissed the top of her head.
She snuggled closer.
They fell fast asleep in each others arms.
Dr. Brackett and Dixie McCall wanted to see their two friends before leaving for home. They decided to stop by Johnny's room first. They were surprised to find an empty bed in his room. "See if he's in the restroom Dixie."
She walked to the closed bathroom door and knocked. "Johnny are you in there?" She didn't really expect an answer, but when she didn't get one she tried the door. Opening the door to an empty room she turned and nodded her head to Dr. Brackett.
"Well let's see if we can find him." Brackett turned to leave the room.
"Kel I think I know where he is," Dixie smiled.
"Yeah he's either there or up on the roof again. You know how he loves to sneak up there and look at the stars. I wonder if he suspects that we know he goes up there? Somehow I think it would take some of the fun out of going if he knew we knew." The two friends chuckled as they entered the elevator. They had known about Johnny's sneaking around the hospital for some time, but never told him. As long as he stayed out of trouble and was not hurt, they realized that it relieved some of the itch Johnny had to leave the hospital earlier than they usually wanted him to. Everyone knew Johnny hated long hospital stays. Really he hated any hospital stay, but the long ones were the worst. If his escapades helped him agree to stay under the watchful eyes of the hospital staff then a little sneaking around would be allowed.
Arriving at their destination they stopped at the nurse's station to inquire as to whether they had seen the wayward paramedic. "Evening ladies," Dr. Brackett addressed the group. "Have any of you seen Johnny Gage?"
"Hello Dr. Brackett, Nurse McCall, I think you'll find him in Camille Lawson's room. He was by here about half an hour ago. He must have fallen, because the left knee of his pajama pants was torn and a little bloody. Nothing serious though. I couldn't be sure but maybe the palm of his left hand was skinned too. He was moving a little slow and looked to be a little out of breath. I think he's okay though. He didn't think we recognized him. He kept his head turned," the pretty nurse giggled at the thought.
"Thanks we suspected he might be up here. Well Dixie let's go check on our boy."
Stopping in the door to Cammie's room the two friends smiled at the touching sight before them. Johnny and Cammie slept in her hospital bed entwined in each other's arms. "I hate to wake them Kel," Dixie whispered.
"Well he can't stay here in her bed Dixie. He shouldn't be up walking without assistance. He's been off his feet for almost a week. He's obviously unstable look at his knee." Dr. Brackett walked over to the bed and gently pulled the fabric away from the skinned knee. "Doesn't look bad, but needs cleaning." He glanced toward the hand that was wrapped around Cammie. "Can't tell about the hand without waking them up." Just as he stepped back from bending over the two sleeping patients he noticed Johnny's brown eyes looking up at him. Johnny was grinning.
"Hey Doc. Guess I'm in trouble."
"Well you should be John. You've been sneaking around the hospital when you should be in your bed downstairs. What happened to you knee and hand?"
"I fell on the stairs."
"You climbed the stairs? Johnny you're recuperating from pneumonia. What were you thinking? Your lungs are still healing. You haven't completed your respiratory therapy. You haven't been cleared to walk without someone with you, and you are certainly not supposed to leave your floor." Brackett lectured Johnny.
"Johnny you should have asked. One of us could have brought you up here in a wheelchair." Dixie patted Johnny on the shoulder.
"I didn't think you would let me come." He frowned and averted his eyes feeling like he had let his friends down. He knew he wanted to see Cammie, but he hated it when he thought that people who he respected were disappointed in him.
"Okay Johnny. It's not important now, but we need to get you back to your room and take care of your knee and hand. You wait right here while I go get your transportation." Dixie smiled at him at stroked his hair in a loving paternal way.
Just as Dixie left the room Cammie began to stir. "Johnny?"
"Shhh it's okay sweetheart. Dr. Brackett and Dixie just came to escort me back to my room. Go back to sleep." He smoothed the hair from her face and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Don't want you to go."
"I know, but I have to. It's against hospital policy for two patients to share a bed," he chuckled at his own comment.
Dr. Brackett laughed as well. "He's right Camille. I can't have my new nurse started with a bad reputation now can I?"
"New nurse?" Cammie looked questioningly at Dr. Brackett.
"If you want the job when you're better it's yours."
"Thank God. I certainly don't want to be a stewardess anymore especially after my last flight. No way. I'm working for you. Right here on the ground."
Dr. Brackett laughed at Cammie's reaction to his job offer. "Well then I'll get the necessary paperwork done, and you can start once I clear you for duty."
"Good deal," Johnny was clearly happy with her decision. "Now I can see you every time I come in with a patient, and I won't have to worry while you fly all over the country. After this I don't think I could stand to let you do that."
"What did I miss?" Dixie asked as she returned with a wheel chair.
"Cammie's going to work here," Johnny answered excitedly.
"Camille has accepted my job offer and will start as soon as I clear her for duty," Dr. Brackett explained.
"Well I for one am very glad to hear that Camille," Dixie smiled at her new friend. "Do you need any help writing your letter of resignation to the airline?"
Cammie giggled at Dixie's enthusiasm, "No actually I already have it written. I just have to insert the dates and deliver it, but thanks for the offer."
"Okay Mr. Gage. Party's over. Let's get you back downstairs," Dr. Brackett reached for Johnny to assist him into the chair. Cammie kissed Johnny's cheek as the two hugged once more. Together Dixie and Dr. Brackett were able to help the very tired patient into the chair. "I'll be back up once I get Johnny settled to check on you Camille."
"Okay Dr. Brackett. Goodnight Fireman Gage."
"Goodnight Cammie," Johnny said through a very big yawn. "I'm glad I got to see you tonight. Now I can believe that you're really okay."
