Voices
of
Conflict
by GCS & LK
Chapter Sixteen
Noises filtered through the fuzziness in his head, but he couldn't make out what it was. Along with the jumbled noise came the realization that everything hurt. "Uhnnn," he moaned softly.
"Johnny can you hear me?"
He felt the familiar rocking of the back of an ambulance. The smells and claustrophobic feeling he always got when he had an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.
"I think he's coming around."
It was Roy he finally decided when the noise cleared and he could understand the words.
"What is his blood pressure now?"
'Dixie? Why is she here? Was she on a run with us? I thought the paramedic bill had passed, and we didn't have to have a nurse along anymore.' Thoughts sifted through the haze. 'No wait that was years ago. My house…we were at my house. Oh God.'
"It's up a little, but not enough. He's still pretty out of it."
'No I'm not, Roy. I'm fine.'
"He's exhausted, Roy. He should have stayed in the hospital. We should have never let him go home for that party."
"Aw, Dixie, you know he would have driven us crazy if we hadn't let him." Roy smoothed the extra yellow blanket that he had draped over the gurney to help keep his friend warm. Chills seemed to have taken up residence in his friend. Roy knew it could be from the drug Jimmy had given him or from shock. The source of the chills didn't matter. He only wanted to keep him warm.
"I know, but if we had made him stay at the hospital none of this would have happened." She reached up with her good arm and swiftly wiped the tears from her eyes before they could slide down her cheeks.
"You don't know that. He was at the hospital yesterday morning. I saw him in the courtyard." Roy sighed. "He's been after Johnny for days. Vince told me he fit the description of a man seen leaving an alley where a man was found beaten to death. The squad was called to a false alarm about the same time. B-Shift was on."
"Oh my God." Dixie's hand flew to her mouth. "The poor man."
Johnny's mind flew into overdrive after hearing Roy's words. The memories of the last twenty four hours flooded back into his head.
He could remember hearing noises in the woods beside his hammock. That was Jimmy.
He remembered the sound of the voice and smell of the aftershave on the deck. That was Jimmy.
He remembered the breathing in the hall. The breathing he thought at first was Roy, but it wasn't, it was Jimmy.
The nightmare of the last several hours was Jimmy.
Jimmy was why he felt himself rocking once again strapped to a gurney on the way to the hospital hurting all over and sick to his stomach. He swallowed back the feeling of nausea. "Uhnnn." He struggled to pull himself through the haze that gripped him. "R..oy?"
"I'm right here Johnny."
"D..ix?"
"I'm here too." He felt her soft hand brush across his forehead.
"We're on our way to Rampart. We'll have you fixed up in no time." Roy told him softly.
"J..jim…my?"
"Don't worry about him right now. He's in the other ambulance. They're probably already at Rampart. Just concentrate on staying awake for me." He could feel Roy inflating the BP cuff on his arm again while he talked to him in hushed tones. "I won't let him get to you again."
"He…he's sick…n…needs help."
"I know, Junior. They'll help him."
Johnny felt the haze thicken around him. He could hear Roy calling to him from the distance as he slipped back into the darkness.
"He's out again." Roy looked over at Dixie. "How are you holding up?"
Dixie leaned against the wall of the ambulance. "Don't worry about me. I'm tough." Her lips spread into a grin.
"Yeah," Roy chuckled. "We'll be there in a few minutes. Brackett will get you fixed up too."
"I know." Dixie looked over at Johnny. She noticed that his hands were still twitching beneath the blanket. "That must have been a strong dose of Halperidol. He's still trembling." She reached out and felt his forehead again. "His skin is hot and dry, classic symptoms. Did we tell Rampart about that?"
Roy looked at Dixie, concern etched on his face. Maybe that concussion was worse than he thought. "Yes we did. Don't you remember?" He watched as confusion ran across Dixie's features. Then she looked over at him and shrugged her shoulders. "It's okay. They know."
Dixie lifted a hand to her head and rubbed her temple. "I guess I forgot. My head really hurts."
"They can't give you anything until…"
"Roy Desoto, don't you quote protocol to me. I taught you remember?" Dixie grew agitated.
"I'm sorry. Just calm down, okay?" He reached out and patted her knee. "We're backing in now."
Before the ambulance came to a complete stop the doors were flung open and Brackett started barking orders. "Get Johnny into 3; I need a full blood work up, x-rays and get those clothes off him. I'll be in to cut that cast off in a second. Replace that bag with a new one." A flurry of activity took place outside the ambulance as the gurney was lifted into the upright position, and Roy climbed out of the ambulance holding the IV bag. The entourage quickly disappeared inside the automatic doors. "Come on Dixie, Joe is waiting for you in 4." He reached out to steady her as she stepped down from the ambulance. He guided her into the waiting wheel chair Betty had brought out for her. She swayed a little and felt his strong hands keep her upright. "Easy." He whispered close to her ear. "I've got you."
"Oh Kel," a sob escaped as she said his name. "It was horrible."
"Johnny can you hear me?"
He felt the familiar rocking of the back of an ambulance. The smells and claustrophobic feeling he always got when he had an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.
"I think he's coming around."
It was Roy he finally decided when the noise cleared and he could understand the words.
"What is his blood pressure now?"
'Dixie? Why is she here? Was she on a run with us? I thought the paramedic bill had passed, and we didn't have to have a nurse along anymore.' Thoughts sifted through the haze. 'No wait that was years ago. My house…we were at my house. Oh God.'
"It's up a little, but not enough. He's still pretty out of it."
'No I'm not, Roy. I'm fine.'
"He's exhausted, Roy. He should have stayed in the hospital. We should have never let him go home for that party."
"Aw, Dixie, you know he would have driven us crazy if we hadn't let him." Roy smoothed the extra yellow blanket that he had draped over the gurney to help keep his friend warm. Chills seemed to have taken up residence in his friend. Roy knew it could be from the drug Jimmy had given him or from shock. The source of the chills didn't matter. He only wanted to keep him warm.
"I know, but if we had made him stay at the hospital none of this would have happened." She reached up with her good arm and swiftly wiped the tears from her eyes before they could slide down her cheeks.
"You don't know that. He was at the hospital yesterday morning. I saw him in the courtyard." Roy sighed. "He's been after Johnny for days. Vince told me he fit the description of a man seen leaving an alley where a man was found beaten to death. The squad was called to a false alarm about the same time. B-Shift was on."
"Oh my God." Dixie's hand flew to her mouth. "The poor man."
Johnny's mind flew into overdrive after hearing Roy's words. The memories of the last twenty four hours flooded back into his head.
He could remember hearing noises in the woods beside his hammock. That was Jimmy.
He remembered the sound of the voice and smell of the aftershave on the deck. That was Jimmy.
He remembered the breathing in the hall. The breathing he thought at first was Roy, but it wasn't, it was Jimmy.
The nightmare of the last several hours was Jimmy.
Jimmy was why he felt himself rocking once again strapped to a gurney on the way to the hospital hurting all over and sick to his stomach. He swallowed back the feeling of nausea. "Uhnnn." He struggled to pull himself through the haze that gripped him. "R..oy?"
"I'm right here Johnny."
"D..ix?"
"I'm here too." He felt her soft hand brush across his forehead.
"We're on our way to Rampart. We'll have you fixed up in no time." Roy told him softly.
"J..jim…my?"
"Don't worry about him right now. He's in the other ambulance. They're probably already at Rampart. Just concentrate on staying awake for me." He could feel Roy inflating the BP cuff on his arm again while he talked to him in hushed tones. "I won't let him get to you again."
"He…he's sick…n…needs help."
"I know, Junior. They'll help him."
Johnny felt the haze thicken around him. He could hear Roy calling to him from the distance as he slipped back into the darkness.
"He's out again." Roy looked over at Dixie. "How are you holding up?"
Dixie leaned against the wall of the ambulance. "Don't worry about me. I'm tough." Her lips spread into a grin.
"Yeah," Roy chuckled. "We'll be there in a few minutes. Brackett will get you fixed up too."
"I know." Dixie looked over at Johnny. She noticed that his hands were still twitching beneath the blanket. "That must have been a strong dose of Halperidol. He's still trembling." She reached out and felt his forehead again. "His skin is hot and dry, classic symptoms. Did we tell Rampart about that?"
Roy looked at Dixie, concern etched on his face. Maybe that concussion was worse than he thought. "Yes we did. Don't you remember?" He watched as confusion ran across Dixie's features. Then she looked over at him and shrugged her shoulders. "It's okay. They know."
Dixie lifted a hand to her head and rubbed her temple. "I guess I forgot. My head really hurts."
"They can't give you anything until…"
"Roy Desoto, don't you quote protocol to me. I taught you remember?" Dixie grew agitated.
"I'm sorry. Just calm down, okay?" He reached out and patted her knee. "We're backing in now."
Before the ambulance came to a complete stop the doors were flung open and Brackett started barking orders. "Get Johnny into 3; I need a full blood work up, x-rays and get those clothes off him. I'll be in to cut that cast off in a second. Replace that bag with a new one." A flurry of activity took place outside the ambulance as the gurney was lifted into the upright position, and Roy climbed out of the ambulance holding the IV bag. The entourage quickly disappeared inside the automatic doors. "Come on Dixie, Joe is waiting for you in 4." He reached out to steady her as she stepped down from the ambulance. He guided her into the waiting wheel chair Betty had brought out for her. She swayed a little and felt his strong hands keep her upright. "Easy." He whispered close to her ear. "I've got you."
"Oh Kel," a sob escaped as she said his name. "It was horrible."
Chapter Seventeen
Dixie felt Kel's strong arms pull her close against his chest. She felt his warmth, his comfort. His chin rested on top of her disheveled hair. She looked a mess and she knew it, but she didn't care. Normally she would have her perfectly applied mascara in place, but since they had been awakened in the middle of the night she now faced her colleagues without it. Maybe that was a good thing, because tears began sliding uncontrollably down her pale cheeks. Kel only held her tighter. "It's okay now. He can't hurt you anymore."
"H…how do y..y..you know." She sobbed. "H..ow can you b…be so sure?" The more she allowed Kel to cuddle her the more out of control she seemed to become. She trembled with her sobs. She reached up and grabbed onto his lab coat trying to keep him close. She didn't want him to let her go.
Kel could feel her composure slipping even further away as she sobbed in his arms. "Because I won't let him," he assured her. He rubbed his hand on her back, and she rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes. It was a very uncomfortable position for him, bending over like that for so long, but he would stay there as long as she needed him to.
Dixie sniffed and reached up to push the tears from her cheeks with a trembling hand. They needed to get inside to check on Johnny. She needed to pull herself together before anyone else saw how broken she really was. She pulled back and looked up into Kel's eyes, just looking, reassuring each other with a look. Kel brought his hand to her cheek and cupped her face. Slowly she smiled. "Thanks," she whispered.
"No thanks needed." He kissed the top of her head. "You ready?" Dixie nodded. "Okay let's get you in with Joe, and I'll get started on our boy."
"Kel?" Kel hesitated and waited for her to continue. "Never mind," she looked away.
"What is it, Dix?" He put his hand on her shoulder and leaned close. He wasn't used to his "in-control" head nurse being so emotional, but then again right now she was a patient and a friend in need.
"He thought I was his wife. She…she was a patient, a cancer patient. Johnny and Roy brought her in. There really wasn't any hope. She…She died. He's a very sick man, but…I mean, I know he killed a man, but he's hurting." Dixie stumbled over her words. "Johnny won't be able to live with himself if we don't try to help Jimmy. I don't want us to lose Johnny over this."
"We won't. I won't let that happen." He squeezed her shoulder. "I'll check on him when I'm finished with Johnny. Mike's in with him now." Kel knew that there was little chance of any need for that help. Jimmy had been shot at close range and the damage was great. The likelihood that he would even make it through the night, much less surgery, was slim. As a doctor that thought saddened him. As a friend he was almost relieved.
If Jimmy didn't survive it would be easier for Dixie and Johnny to put this all behind them. Sure it would be hard on them especially Johnny, knowing that Jimmy died even though he had tried to stop the bleeding. If he did survive, then knowing his friends, they would continue to be involved in trying to help the unfortunate man. Mentally handicapped or not, that man had kidnapped his friends and murdered an innocent bystander and that angered him. His friends didn't need to be tied to that kind of person no matter what good intentions they had, but the doctor would do everything in his power to see that the man lived to face his actions.
But first things first, Johnny needed him now. He pushed Dixie's wheelchair into the ER doors and directed another nurse to take her to Joe. He hurriedly moved to the door to Johnny's room and pushed it open. What he found inside the room just reaffirmed his belief that John Gage would do everything in his power to help his tormentor. Johnny's partially casted leg dangled from the side of the table, pieces of plaster falling off and dropping to the floor. Johnny's pants had already been cut away and his shirt had been cut open, but had not been completely removed. The sheet that had been spread over the lower half of his body had shifted and hung loosely, the corner pooling on the floor…the remainder barely covering anything.
"Relax Johnny…you need to lie back down." Roy had both hands on Johnny's shoulders trying to hold him down. Johnny was fighting against Roy with what little strength he had.
"You don't un'ersta..an Roy…he nee's help." Johnny ended his sentence with a painful moan. "Ahhh."
"Take it easy Junior. He'll get help. We'll help him, but first we need to take care of you. Okay?" Roy held firm to his friend.
Dr. Brackett moved over to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a vial handing it to the nurse. "Give him 5 mg." Then he walked over beside the exam table. "Okay Johnny, let me get a look at you."
Johnny still thrashed on the table. "Doc…you gotta help 'm. His wife…he thinks…killed her."
"I know, Johnny. I know." He placed his hand on Johnny's chest. He could feel the tremors that still plagued his friend. "He's in with Mike. Dixie's in with Joe. Let me see about you now." Johnny looked up at him and then closed his eyes. The nurse injected the medication into his IV port. Johnny's eyes flew open and his eyebrow arched. "Just a little something to help you relax. I don't want to give you too much with the Haloperidol that may still be in your system, but you need to calm down." He looked up at Roy who dropped his hands to his side and backed away leaning against the wall. He wouldn't leave. Not yet. They might need him. Johnny might need him.
In the next room Dr. Mike Morton had just finished giving instructions to the x-ray technician and duty nurse. He slipped from the room and hurried to the nurse's desk to make a call to the thoracic and vascular surgeons on call. His patient was bleeding out, and until they could open him up there was little he could do about it. He would step in to fill in as trauma surgeon, but he needed the x-rays to help pinpoint the damaged area. He'd already instructed the technician to deliver the films to the OR.
"H…how do y..y..you know." She sobbed. "H..ow can you b…be so sure?" The more she allowed Kel to cuddle her the more out of control she seemed to become. She trembled with her sobs. She reached up and grabbed onto his lab coat trying to keep him close. She didn't want him to let her go.
Kel could feel her composure slipping even further away as she sobbed in his arms. "Because I won't let him," he assured her. He rubbed his hand on her back, and she rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes. It was a very uncomfortable position for him, bending over like that for so long, but he would stay there as long as she needed him to.
Dixie sniffed and reached up to push the tears from her cheeks with a trembling hand. They needed to get inside to check on Johnny. She needed to pull herself together before anyone else saw how broken she really was. She pulled back and looked up into Kel's eyes, just looking, reassuring each other with a look. Kel brought his hand to her cheek and cupped her face. Slowly she smiled. "Thanks," she whispered.
"No thanks needed." He kissed the top of her head. "You ready?" Dixie nodded. "Okay let's get you in with Joe, and I'll get started on our boy."
"Kel?" Kel hesitated and waited for her to continue. "Never mind," she looked away.
"What is it, Dix?" He put his hand on her shoulder and leaned close. He wasn't used to his "in-control" head nurse being so emotional, but then again right now she was a patient and a friend in need.
"He thought I was his wife. She…she was a patient, a cancer patient. Johnny and Roy brought her in. There really wasn't any hope. She…She died. He's a very sick man, but…I mean, I know he killed a man, but he's hurting." Dixie stumbled over her words. "Johnny won't be able to live with himself if we don't try to help Jimmy. I don't want us to lose Johnny over this."
"We won't. I won't let that happen." He squeezed her shoulder. "I'll check on him when I'm finished with Johnny. Mike's in with him now." Kel knew that there was little chance of any need for that help. Jimmy had been shot at close range and the damage was great. The likelihood that he would even make it through the night, much less surgery, was slim. As a doctor that thought saddened him. As a friend he was almost relieved.
If Jimmy didn't survive it would be easier for Dixie and Johnny to put this all behind them. Sure it would be hard on them especially Johnny, knowing that Jimmy died even though he had tried to stop the bleeding. If he did survive, then knowing his friends, they would continue to be involved in trying to help the unfortunate man. Mentally handicapped or not, that man had kidnapped his friends and murdered an innocent bystander and that angered him. His friends didn't need to be tied to that kind of person no matter what good intentions they had, but the doctor would do everything in his power to see that the man lived to face his actions.
But first things first, Johnny needed him now. He pushed Dixie's wheelchair into the ER doors and directed another nurse to take her to Joe. He hurriedly moved to the door to Johnny's room and pushed it open. What he found inside the room just reaffirmed his belief that John Gage would do everything in his power to help his tormentor. Johnny's partially casted leg dangled from the side of the table, pieces of plaster falling off and dropping to the floor. Johnny's pants had already been cut away and his shirt had been cut open, but had not been completely removed. The sheet that had been spread over the lower half of his body had shifted and hung loosely, the corner pooling on the floor…the remainder barely covering anything.
"Relax Johnny…you need to lie back down." Roy had both hands on Johnny's shoulders trying to hold him down. Johnny was fighting against Roy with what little strength he had.
"You don't un'ersta..an Roy…he nee's help." Johnny ended his sentence with a painful moan. "Ahhh."
"Take it easy Junior. He'll get help. We'll help him, but first we need to take care of you. Okay?" Roy held firm to his friend.
Dr. Brackett moved over to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a vial handing it to the nurse. "Give him 5 mg." Then he walked over beside the exam table. "Okay Johnny, let me get a look at you."
Johnny still thrashed on the table. "Doc…you gotta help 'm. His wife…he thinks…killed her."
"I know, Johnny. I know." He placed his hand on Johnny's chest. He could feel the tremors that still plagued his friend. "He's in with Mike. Dixie's in with Joe. Let me see about you now." Johnny looked up at him and then closed his eyes. The nurse injected the medication into his IV port. Johnny's eyes flew open and his eyebrow arched. "Just a little something to help you relax. I don't want to give you too much with the Haloperidol that may still be in your system, but you need to calm down." He looked up at Roy who dropped his hands to his side and backed away leaning against the wall. He wouldn't leave. Not yet. They might need him. Johnny might need him.
In the next room Dr. Mike Morton had just finished giving instructions to the x-ray technician and duty nurse. He slipped from the room and hurried to the nurse's desk to make a call to the thoracic and vascular surgeons on call. His patient was bleeding out, and until they could open him up there was little he could do about it. He would step in to fill in as trauma surgeon, but he needed the x-rays to help pinpoint the damaged area. He'd already instructed the technician to deliver the films to the OR.
Chapter Eighteen
Johnny felt exhausted. He could feel the effects of the medication Brackett had given him immediately, or so he thought. Everything seemed so muddled…confusing. He felt jittery and restless, but tired…really tired.
Dr. Brackett looked over at Roy and motioned him back over. "I need to get that leg back up on the table. Based on the way the cast looks it's going to hurt a lot. I want you to be close in case I need you to help keep him on the table." He whispered to Roy who nodded his understanding and positioned himself beside the table. "Johnny, I'm going to move your leg." Johnny didn't give any indication that he had heard him. "Johnny can you hear me?" Dr. Brackett gently shook Johnny's shoulder. Johnny moaned a little and cracked his eyes open to a slit. "I'll take that as a yes." Dr. Brackett nodded to Roy and reached for Johnny's leg.
As he raised the leg up, damaged cast and all, the movement caused Johnny's eyes to spring open, and he tried to rise up off the table. A gasp and a weak scream let everyone in the room know how much the movement hurt. Roy leaned over his friend and grabbed his shoulders. "Okay, Junior, I know it hurts. I've got ya. It's all right now. Dr. Brackett is done for now. Take it easy; just calm down." He continued to speak calmly and softly. Johnny relaxed a little, but the restless movement of his hands and uninjured leg started again as he calmed. "Doc when will he stop the constant movement?"
Dr. Brackett looked at Roy and rolled his eyes. "Johnny not moving?"
Roy smiled. Dr. Brackett rarely made jokes about a patient, but then Johnny wasn't a 'normal' patient, in more ways than one. "Well yeah…I know, but the restlessness brought on by the drugs that guy gave him."
"I know what you meant Roy, but when has Johnny ever been still." Dr. Brackett patted Johnny on his good knee. "I think once we have everything figured out we can give him something to counteract some of it. I need to get X-ray down here to see about those bruises on his face. It looks like he was hit a few times, and really hard. I don't think anything is broken, but I want to be sure. From what I can tell his eyes are still in rough shape. We may need to wrap them again."
Even though he was in a fog and barely conscious, Johnny heard that comment. "NO! you…you can't…I…no."
"Johnny, you need to give your eyes time to finish healing." Dr. Brackett tried talking with him.
"I…I don't…I can't…you can't." Johnny gasped out. His body began trembling. A genuinely fearful look came across his face. He reached for Roy. "Don't let him…Please, I can't…no."
"Okay Johnny, we'll figure something out. Just calm down." Roy took Johnny's hand and gripped it for a minute then laid it back down on the table. He rested his hand on Johnny's arm. "Doc, we need to find another way. Maybe we could just keep the lights down low in his room."
"Maybe." Dr. Brackett flashed the lights in Johnny's eyes again. Johnny batted his hand away. "I know it's uncomfortable Johnny, but I need to see what's going on in there." He looked at Roy who took Johnny's hand in his again keeping it from batting Dr. Brackett's away.
Joe helped Dixie onto the exam table. She smiled at her dear friend "Don't say a word."
Joe cocked his head and smiled, "Me? Now Dixie, why would you think I would say anything about the lovely way you have your hair styled today?" Thankful for her friend's attempts at lightening her mood, Dixie reclined on the table. "Looks like you had an eventful night." Joe quipped as he leaned over his patient and looked into her eyes with his pen light. She tried to pull away, but his expert hands held her head still. "What did you hit your head on?"
"I think it was the table." She said quietly.
Joe stood up and looked at her. "You don't remember?" She nodded. "That's okay, you're obviously alert and oriented. What about nausea?"
"I felt queasy, but honestly that could have been due to stress."
"Uh huh." The corners of Joe's mouth curled up in a knowing smile. "So queasy…what about headache." He already knew the answer to that since her eyes were still squinting against the light in the room. He walked over and dimmed the overhead lights some.
"Yes."
Joe reached over and removed the pressure bandage from her arm. "Let's get a look at your arm before we get x-rays." Dixie tensed. "Does that hurt?"
"A little."
"Well I don't think it's too bad. I'll put in a few sutures. It'll be sore for a while."
"I know."
Joe patted her shoulder. He knew she had spent time in the service. She had shared some of her experiences with him over a bottle of wine several years ago. The more wine they drank, the more she opened up. Before the evening was over she had told him about the soldiers she couldn't save, and the time she was hit by a stray bullet. It had just been a graze then too. She had a scar across her shoulder. He hoped he could prevent her having another such battle scar, but he knew that the emotional scars were much deeper than the bullet graze would leave behind.
Dixie knew he understood. She closed her eyes. She could feel Joe working to numb her arm. Her mind returned to Johnny's ranch and the shadows that danced around the room as the lightning flashed. How Johnny had been able to move about so quietly with a broken leg amazed her. He had managed to get behind Jimmy and wrestle him for the gun. She shuddered as she remembered the shot and the burning sensation on her arm as she slammed against the wall. She could almost feel the warmth of the blood on her hand. She opened and closed her hand remembering the stickiness. In her mind she could see herself as she pulled herself up from the floor, her hand sliding down the wall before grabbing onto the door facing and pulling herself into the blackness. She remembered almost tripping down the stairs in the darkness, and the shuffling noises she was leaving behind. Fear gripped her again even though she knew she was safe and at Rampart. More gunshots and the groan of a man injured by the searing pain of a bullet at close range made her heart pound in her head.
Joe watched Dixie as she apparently fell into an exhausted sleep. He could see that she was dreaming and it didn't appear to be good dreams. He gently shook her. "Dix…come on, wake up for me."
Her eyes blinked. Salty tears slid down her cheeks. She looked up at Joe. "Sorry, I must have dozed off."
"You were dreaming."
"Remembering." She closed her eyes again.
"I'm going to step out and let Malcolm get some x-rays. I'll be right back." Dixie glanced at her arm and back up at Joe. "I'm all done with that." She smiled a little. She hadn't felt a thing. Joe really was good at what he did. Joe left leaving her with Malcolm.
Up in the OR a battle was being fought to stop the bleeding and repair the damage the bullet had caused for Jimmy. It was extensive. There was some kind of damage to most of his abdominal organs. Everyone in the surgical suite knew there was little hope the patient would survive, but most were not aware of his actions. They only knew the man was gravely injured, and it was their job to try to repair the damage.
Inside his head, in his medicinally induced state of oblivion, voices continued to berate him for his failure.
In his oblivion he saw his Amber calling him. She held out her hand and he reached for it.
"We're losing him." Dr. Morton stated with little emotion. He alone knew of the hurt the man had caused to his friends. He hated to lose a patient. He hated to lose at all, but this time maybe it wouldn't be so hard to deal with. This time he knew what the man was capable of. If he survived who else might he hurt? This time maybe it would be all right to let him go.
Three weeks later Johnny and Dixie were both home recovering from their ordeal. Dixie had decided to stay at the ranch with Johnny during their recovery. His eyes were completely healed now, but his broken leg was still in the new cast and would be for a few more weeks. Dixie's arm had healed with a very small scar. She stayed mostly to help Johnny, but she needed to work through the trauma as much as he did, and knowing Johnny like she did, she knew that he wouldn't talk to a professional. She appointed herself as his confidant.
Roy helped too. He had cleaned up the damage to the front room. The blood streaked wall had been repainted before Johnny got out of the hospital. The bullet holes patched and filled. The dent in the hallway wall had been spackled and smoothed out; the entire hallway repainted. His sofa pillows replaced so that the one with the hole in it was gone too. There was no physical evidence in Johnny's house that would remind them of their ordeal.
Her time at the ranch had given her a firsthand view of the depth of Johnny and Roy's friendship. Now she shared in that strong bond with them. She had always been close to her two favorite paramedics, but now she felt like family.
They had talked many times about their horrible experience. On the bright side they had both survived. Dixie knew the lengths that Johnny had gone to in order to protect her. Johnny knew that Dixie had put herself in danger for him, trying to keep Jimmy distracted when he thought she was his wife. The two friends had shared their feelings about it and came out stronger. They knew they would never forget that night, but somehow they would turn it into something positive.
The day before Dixie planned to go home Roy took them to the cemetery to find some closure. Johnny had made arrangements for Jimmy to be buried next to Amber. He knew her death was not his fault, but she had been another victim that he had not been able to save. Making sure her husband had a place beside her seemed the least he could do.
Dixie had made arrangements at Rampart for a newly organized support group for the families of patients of mental illness. Victims of abuse at the hands of the mentally handicapped were also welcomed to join.
Maybe with more understanding and support more people would be able to help the mentally impaired; offer the support they needed and understand the importance of their medications. Maybe if more people understood mental illness, others could be spared from the type of behavior that she and Johnny had been forced to witness from Jimmy.
Maybe.
The End.
12/02/09
Thanks to everyone who followed this story from beginning to end, and kept us going with your faithful reviews. When we started this journey it was supposed to be a fun little trip, but it grew into just over a year. And what a great time we've had. You really are part of the best fandom out there! HUGS!
Also, thank you LK for putting up with me through all of this. I really enjoyed our time together. You are the best! XOXOX
Dr. Brackett looked over at Roy and motioned him back over. "I need to get that leg back up on the table. Based on the way the cast looks it's going to hurt a lot. I want you to be close in case I need you to help keep him on the table." He whispered to Roy who nodded his understanding and positioned himself beside the table. "Johnny, I'm going to move your leg." Johnny didn't give any indication that he had heard him. "Johnny can you hear me?" Dr. Brackett gently shook Johnny's shoulder. Johnny moaned a little and cracked his eyes open to a slit. "I'll take that as a yes." Dr. Brackett nodded to Roy and reached for Johnny's leg.
As he raised the leg up, damaged cast and all, the movement caused Johnny's eyes to spring open, and he tried to rise up off the table. A gasp and a weak scream let everyone in the room know how much the movement hurt. Roy leaned over his friend and grabbed his shoulders. "Okay, Junior, I know it hurts. I've got ya. It's all right now. Dr. Brackett is done for now. Take it easy; just calm down." He continued to speak calmly and softly. Johnny relaxed a little, but the restless movement of his hands and uninjured leg started again as he calmed. "Doc when will he stop the constant movement?"
Dr. Brackett looked at Roy and rolled his eyes. "Johnny not moving?"
Roy smiled. Dr. Brackett rarely made jokes about a patient, but then Johnny wasn't a 'normal' patient, in more ways than one. "Well yeah…I know, but the restlessness brought on by the drugs that guy gave him."
"I know what you meant Roy, but when has Johnny ever been still." Dr. Brackett patted Johnny on his good knee. "I think once we have everything figured out we can give him something to counteract some of it. I need to get X-ray down here to see about those bruises on his face. It looks like he was hit a few times, and really hard. I don't think anything is broken, but I want to be sure. From what I can tell his eyes are still in rough shape. We may need to wrap them again."
Even though he was in a fog and barely conscious, Johnny heard that comment. "NO! you…you can't…I…no."
"Johnny, you need to give your eyes time to finish healing." Dr. Brackett tried talking with him.
"I…I don't…I can't…you can't." Johnny gasped out. His body began trembling. A genuinely fearful look came across his face. He reached for Roy. "Don't let him…Please, I can't…no."
"Okay Johnny, we'll figure something out. Just calm down." Roy took Johnny's hand and gripped it for a minute then laid it back down on the table. He rested his hand on Johnny's arm. "Doc, we need to find another way. Maybe we could just keep the lights down low in his room."
"Maybe." Dr. Brackett flashed the lights in Johnny's eyes again. Johnny batted his hand away. "I know it's uncomfortable Johnny, but I need to see what's going on in there." He looked at Roy who took Johnny's hand in his again keeping it from batting Dr. Brackett's away.
Joe helped Dixie onto the exam table. She smiled at her dear friend "Don't say a word."
Joe cocked his head and smiled, "Me? Now Dixie, why would you think I would say anything about the lovely way you have your hair styled today?" Thankful for her friend's attempts at lightening her mood, Dixie reclined on the table. "Looks like you had an eventful night." Joe quipped as he leaned over his patient and looked into her eyes with his pen light. She tried to pull away, but his expert hands held her head still. "What did you hit your head on?"
"I think it was the table." She said quietly.
Joe stood up and looked at her. "You don't remember?" She nodded. "That's okay, you're obviously alert and oriented. What about nausea?"
"I felt queasy, but honestly that could have been due to stress."
"Uh huh." The corners of Joe's mouth curled up in a knowing smile. "So queasy…what about headache." He already knew the answer to that since her eyes were still squinting against the light in the room. He walked over and dimmed the overhead lights some.
"Yes."
Joe reached over and removed the pressure bandage from her arm. "Let's get a look at your arm before we get x-rays." Dixie tensed. "Does that hurt?"
"A little."
"Well I don't think it's too bad. I'll put in a few sutures. It'll be sore for a while."
"I know."
Joe patted her shoulder. He knew she had spent time in the service. She had shared some of her experiences with him over a bottle of wine several years ago. The more wine they drank, the more she opened up. Before the evening was over she had told him about the soldiers she couldn't save, and the time she was hit by a stray bullet. It had just been a graze then too. She had a scar across her shoulder. He hoped he could prevent her having another such battle scar, but he knew that the emotional scars were much deeper than the bullet graze would leave behind.
Dixie knew he understood. She closed her eyes. She could feel Joe working to numb her arm. Her mind returned to Johnny's ranch and the shadows that danced around the room as the lightning flashed. How Johnny had been able to move about so quietly with a broken leg amazed her. He had managed to get behind Jimmy and wrestle him for the gun. She shuddered as she remembered the shot and the burning sensation on her arm as she slammed against the wall. She could almost feel the warmth of the blood on her hand. She opened and closed her hand remembering the stickiness. In her mind she could see herself as she pulled herself up from the floor, her hand sliding down the wall before grabbing onto the door facing and pulling herself into the blackness. She remembered almost tripping down the stairs in the darkness, and the shuffling noises she was leaving behind. Fear gripped her again even though she knew she was safe and at Rampart. More gunshots and the groan of a man injured by the searing pain of a bullet at close range made her heart pound in her head.
Joe watched Dixie as she apparently fell into an exhausted sleep. He could see that she was dreaming and it didn't appear to be good dreams. He gently shook her. "Dix…come on, wake up for me."
Her eyes blinked. Salty tears slid down her cheeks. She looked up at Joe. "Sorry, I must have dozed off."
"You were dreaming."
"Remembering." She closed her eyes again.
"I'm going to step out and let Malcolm get some x-rays. I'll be right back." Dixie glanced at her arm and back up at Joe. "I'm all done with that." She smiled a little. She hadn't felt a thing. Joe really was good at what he did. Joe left leaving her with Malcolm.
Up in the OR a battle was being fought to stop the bleeding and repair the damage the bullet had caused for Jimmy. It was extensive. There was some kind of damage to most of his abdominal organs. Everyone in the surgical suite knew there was little hope the patient would survive, but most were not aware of his actions. They only knew the man was gravely injured, and it was their job to try to repair the damage.
Inside his head, in his medicinally induced state of oblivion, voices continued to berate him for his failure.
In his oblivion he saw his Amber calling him. She held out her hand and he reached for it.
"We're losing him." Dr. Morton stated with little emotion. He alone knew of the hurt the man had caused to his friends. He hated to lose a patient. He hated to lose at all, but this time maybe it wouldn't be so hard to deal with. This time he knew what the man was capable of. If he survived who else might he hurt? This time maybe it would be all right to let him go.
Three weeks later Johnny and Dixie were both home recovering from their ordeal. Dixie had decided to stay at the ranch with Johnny during their recovery. His eyes were completely healed now, but his broken leg was still in the new cast and would be for a few more weeks. Dixie's arm had healed with a very small scar. She stayed mostly to help Johnny, but she needed to work through the trauma as much as he did, and knowing Johnny like she did, she knew that he wouldn't talk to a professional. She appointed herself as his confidant.
Roy helped too. He had cleaned up the damage to the front room. The blood streaked wall had been repainted before Johnny got out of the hospital. The bullet holes patched and filled. The dent in the hallway wall had been spackled and smoothed out; the entire hallway repainted. His sofa pillows replaced so that the one with the hole in it was gone too. There was no physical evidence in Johnny's house that would remind them of their ordeal.
Her time at the ranch had given her a firsthand view of the depth of Johnny and Roy's friendship. Now she shared in that strong bond with them. She had always been close to her two favorite paramedics, but now she felt like family.
They had talked many times about their horrible experience. On the bright side they had both survived. Dixie knew the lengths that Johnny had gone to in order to protect her. Johnny knew that Dixie had put herself in danger for him, trying to keep Jimmy distracted when he thought she was his wife. The two friends had shared their feelings about it and came out stronger. They knew they would never forget that night, but somehow they would turn it into something positive.
The day before Dixie planned to go home Roy took them to the cemetery to find some closure. Johnny had made arrangements for Jimmy to be buried next to Amber. He knew her death was not his fault, but she had been another victim that he had not been able to save. Making sure her husband had a place beside her seemed the least he could do.
Dixie had made arrangements at Rampart for a newly organized support group for the families of patients of mental illness. Victims of abuse at the hands of the mentally handicapped were also welcomed to join.
Maybe with more understanding and support more people would be able to help the mentally impaired; offer the support they needed and understand the importance of their medications. Maybe if more people understood mental illness, others could be spared from the type of behavior that she and Johnny had been forced to witness from Jimmy.
Maybe.
The End.
12/02/09
Thanks to everyone who followed this story from beginning to end, and kept us going with your faithful reviews. When we started this journey it was supposed to be a fun little trip, but it grew into just over a year. And what a great time we've had. You really are part of the best fandom out there! HUGS!
Also, thank you LK for putting up with me through all of this. I really enjoyed our time together. You are the best! XOXOX
