Drifts grabbed the mic. “Triple-Three to dispatch,”
Dispatch squawked, “Triple-Three! Are you guys okay? What happened?”
“We were flagged down and held up at gunpoint by some friends of a shooting victim. We’re now en route emergently to Memorial with a second GSW patient.”
“Is anyone else hurt?”
Drifts said, “No.”
Just then the Triple-Three wheel struck a pothole, sending everyone flying up and back down. Antoine cried out. Justin crashed down on top of Roger’s legs.
“Get the fuck off of me!” Roger howled. “Learn to fucking drive, asshole!”
Drifts repressed the urge to cuss on the air. “None of us on the crew are hurt. Could you have PD meet us at the hospital?”
“Will do, Triple-Three,” said the dispatcher. “I’m glad you guys are okay.”
“Thanks.”
In the box Ramirez said, “I’ve got a 14-gage IV in his right AC.”
Justin looked up from placing an oxygen mask on Antoine’s face. Their patient was gasping for each breath. Ramirez grabbed the stethoscope hanging from the cowcatcher net and listened to Antoine’s chest.
“Hand me a 14-gage IV,” said Ramirez.
“You’re going to start another line?” Justin asked.
“No, he’s not moving any air in his right lung. I’m going to do a needle decompression.” Justin’s eyes widened but he quickly came back with the IV. “Hand me the betadine,” Ramirez pointed.
Justin grabbed a prewrapped swab and opened it for the medic. Ramirez took the swab and cleaned a spot above the third rib on his young patient’s chest.
He called up, “Easy on the bumps, Sam! I’m decompressing the chest!”
“What! Do you need me back there?” The EMT started slowing the truck down.
“No. Just take it easy on the road for the next few minutes!”
“Will do.”
Roger looked at the large bore needle in his hand, “What the fuck are you going to do with that!”
Antoine’s eyes started to roll back into his head. Ramirez said, “Justin get ready to bag him!” Justin grabbed the bag valve mask and hooked up the other oxygen dispenser. Ramirez sighted above the third rib.
Roger’s eyes widened. “Are you going to do?”
Ramirez pushed the needle into Antoine’s chest.
“You did!” Roger screamed. “You fucking stabbed him! What the fuck is wrong with you?” The drunk man thrashed in his restraints savagely trying to free himself. “You motherfuckers are monsters!”
Despite Roger’s vulgar yet passionate protests, Ramirez wholly ignored him as he focused on Antoine. He pulled the needle free of the IV catheter and air hissed out of the hub, barely audible over Roger’s ranting. Suddenly, Antoine gasped. The young man’s bulging eyes focused on Ramirez as his continued his panting. It was still labored, but not nearly as bad. The medic quickly secured the 14 gauge down.
“Sam, go ahead and speed us up again.”
“You got it,” answered Drifts.
“Don’t just sit there!” Roger screamed at Antoine. “These fuckers trying to kill you!”
He thrashed again and tried to lurch towards Ramirez to bite him. His restraints held him back and Justin shouted, “Hey!”
The student cinched down the drunk’s seatbelt. Roger released an inarticulate growl. Justin grabbed the mic. “Leo, do you want me to call this into the hospital?”
Ramirez nodded. “Keep it short and sweet, just the highlights. I’m here if you need me. I’m going to start another line.”
“Okay.” Justin keyed the mic. “Triple-Three to Dispatch.”
“Go ahead, Triple-Three.”
“Dispatch could you please give me a channel to Memorial Hospital ER for trauma.”
“Triple-Three, we have Memorial on channel 7.”
“Thank you.”
Justin changed the radio channels. “Triple-Three calling Memorial for two patients, one a trauma.”
“This is Memorial. Go ahead, Triple-Three.”
As Justin opened his mouth to give his report, Roger shouted, “They’re trying to kill us!”
Justin stammered, “Um Memorial this is paramedic student, Justin Colbert. We have two incoming patients. The first is approximately fifteen-year-old male with a GSW to the abdomen. We had to-”
“Help!” Roger screamed.
Justin paused then continued, “needle decompress his chest with positive air release. Blood pressure 88/40, Heartrate 156, resps 40.”
“Someone, call the fucking police!”
Justin glowered at the drunk. “The second patient is a male in fifties, intoxicated and violent, and had to be physically restrained. Vitals stable. I believe you had him earlier tonight in your hall bed. If no further questions we are five minutes out. Oh, we need someone to meet us in the bay with a stretcher. Ours is being used to restrain our more violent patient.”
There was a pause before the person on the other end said, “We can do that, Triple-Three. Do you have Roger?”
“Affirmative.”
“Huh! Tell him he left his backpack here.”
“Will do. Triple-Three out.”
Roger paused in his attempts to free himself. “I did?” Justin nodded. “Well I’ll be damned.”
Antoine caught Ramirez’s eyes. “Sc-scared.”
His breaths were already getting labored again. Ramirez nodded. “I know, young man. We’re here for you.”
“I . . . I want m-my m-momma,” Antoine gasped.
Ramirez’s face was a mask of calm. “Okay Antoine. We’ll call her for you.” He looked at Justin. “Get me another 14-gage IV. I’m going to decompress him again.”
“You can do that?”
Ramirez nodded.
Antoine reached up and touched his arm. “P-pray! Don’t w-want . . . hell.”
“We can do that,” Ramirez said. “Our Father . . .”
“ . . . Father . . .,” Antoine gasped along.
From opposite ends of the rig Drifts and Justin joined in: “Thy kingdom come . . .”
“. . . will be . . . done . . .”
“On Earth as it is in Heaven,” Roger said with more lucidity and far less vulgarity than the crew had ever known him to use. All three of them stared in shock, their prayer faltering as Antoine attempted to continue on his own.
“Eh . . . our daily bread,” Ramirez said, picking it up again. “And forgive us of our trespasses . . .”
“For-give…me….Lord!” Antoine cried out before falling into a coughing fit. “For…” He coughed and blood splattered against the inside of the oxygen mask. Ramirez yanked it free and rolled the young man on his side. Justin knelt beside him providing suction. Streams of blood ran up the tube. Antoine body shook as he coughed up still more blood.
Drifts yelled back, “We’re almost there!”
Roger continued on alone, “For thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory. Forever and ever. Amen.”
“Ah-men!” Antoine screamed.
Drifts cut the sirens as he pulled up into the driveway and put the ambulance in park. The doors swung open as several individuals in hospital isolation gowns and masks appeared. A man at the front asked, “Did you guys need help unloading a GSW patient?”
Another spoke from behind him, “Is that Roger? Did he get shot?”
“No.” Ramirez indicated Antoine. “Our shooting victim is right here.”
“Damn.” The questioner cursed quietly.
“Okay, let’s move.”
Several of them climbed up and assisted Ramirez and Justin in carrying Antoine out onto the stretcher.
Their initial greeter commanded, “Let’s get him to the trauma room, now!”
Ramirez looked back at his partner. “Sam, I’m going to need you to stay with Roger.”
Drifts sighed. “Oh goody.” He waved them on. “Go ahead. I’ve got this.”
Ramirez nodded and he Justin started after the trauma team, who were already rushing their patient into the emergency room.
Chapter Thirteen
Late Call
“Roger, I was wondering where you had skedaddled off to.”
Gloria and few male techs met them by a stretcher in the hallway.
“I went to get another drink,” Roger told her plainly.
Gloria looked at him strangely. “That was certainly honest of you, Roger. Well, you left in such a hurry that you forgot your backpack.”
Roger nodded. “I heard. Thank you for keeping it for me.”
She pressed her gloved hand to Roger’s forehead. “Roger, are you feeling well?” He shrugged. Still unsure what to think she said, “Roger, if we untie you, will you give us any trouble?”
Roger shook his head. “No, I don’t want to give you any trouble.”
“Because if you do,” Gloria warned, “the restraints go right back on.”
“I know.”
With everyone standing by ready to pounce, they untied the usually volatile man and watched him amiably move over to the other bed.
Gloria looked at one of the techs. “Do you think you’ll be okay taking Roger’s vitals while I get report?”
The tech nodded. “I’ll call if he gets squirrelly.”
Gloria looked at the crew. “Okay, what did you guys do to Roger? Something’s is wrong with him. He hasn’t yelled the word ‘fuck’ once.”
Drifts shook his head. “Nothing. We were our same charming selves with him.”
Gloria eye’s narrowed. “Did you scare him like the time you brought him from the river?”
Drifts held up his hands. “No. Just a slight tussle when we restrained him, but that’s par for the course with Roger. I don’t remember a time he wasn’t violent or vulgar.”
Ramirez turned from studying Roger to smirk at his partner. “Some would say the same thing about you.”
Drifts said, “Leo, do you even like me?”
“Sure I do. I’ve never had a better ambulance driver.”
“You know, I’ve never hit an old man before, but you’re sorely tempting me.”
“Kids today. No respect.”
“Hey! Hey!” They all looked over at Roger as he yelled out at them. He waved them over. They approached him. Roger held out his hand to Ramirez. The veteran medic took it, fully ready to defend himself if the patient decided to coldcock him.
Roger didn’t try anything. He locked eyes with Ramirez and shook the medic’s hand as he said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Roger,” said Ramirez.
Roger held onto the hand for a moment longer before he released it. Ramirez gave him one nod, then he walked away.
Gloria’s jaw dropped. She looked at him. “Roger, I will be with you in just a moment. Do you need anything?”
Roger shook his head. “No, thank you.”
Gloria nodded to him and then rushed back after Ramirez and Drifts. “Seriously, what did you guys do to him?”
“Nothing, I swear,” said Drifts.
Ramirez shook his head. “I think something about taking care of Antoine got to Roger.”
“Oh yeah!” replied Drifts.
“Who is Antoine?” Gloria asked.
Drifts filled her in. “We were flagged down and given a kid with a GSW to the belly. It was the kind of situation where it was better to load and go than wait for the gangbangers to shoot us.”
Gloria’s eyes went wide. “That was you guys that hauled him in, along with Roger? No wonder he’s so polite. Seeing that kid dying in front of him must have really gotten to him.”
Ramirez inclined his head. “I guess so. Sam, I left Justin in the trauma room to watch them work.”
“You mean that cute kid who’s been following you around tonight? He turned a few girls’ heads as he walked in.”
“Whatever,” groaned Drifts. “He’s not that attractive.”
Gloria rolled her eyes. “Please. If I was ten years younger, I would have dragged him into a broom closet and sent him out with a smile and limp.”
Drifts grinned. “Well, I’m here. So . . .”
“You can put that idea to rest. Point is I’m not ten years younger, so I need to be wooed first.”
Drifts opened his mouth to retort but Ramirez cut him off. “Hold on a minute, where did that patient we brought in earlier go?” Gloria looked at him blankly. Ramirez continued, “His name was Johnny. He was in this hall bed and had a GSW to his butt cheek!”
Recognition dawned on Gloria’s expression. “Oh him.” She grimaced. “Yeah, thank you for that. He was a real charmer.”
“What happened to him? Did he get admitted?”