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Date Posted: 11:42:17 09/11/99 Sat
Author: Sally
Subject: The exchange of conversation at his ICU doorway...
In reply to: Sally 's message, "Pleas post from here!" on 11:40:20 09/10/99 Fri

caught Johnny's attention...although he had only heard smidgens of the words that had managed to filter through his foggy mind -- rousing him from a deep sleep.

For some reason, both voices sounded familiar to him...

He knew with certainty the one belonging to his ICU Nurse, Cara...

but the other one...he thought it too he had heard before -- but when he finally managed to force open his eyes and caught a glimpse of the retreating woman, he saw it was no one he knew.

His heart sank -- 'probably just here to visit somebody else...came to the wrong room...'

He left his head sink back down onto the pillow...even the simple movement had caused severe pain to rifle throughout his body-- which had been battered first by the explosion (the facts of which he still had no real understanding) and then by the well-intention medical staff in their attempts to keep him alive.

The injured patches on his leg -- now debrided of the blackened skin -- burned beneath the bandages,the dressings once again having been changed and a new layer of Silvadene cream applied. He knew Cara had to do the dressing changes -- and the cleansing of the raw tissue, to prevent infection from setting in and to aid in the healing of the burns-- but each second of the procedure had passed with an agonizing slowness.

His legs were not the only sources of pain --

The incision line across the lower part of his stomach also ached -- exacerbated by any movement on his part or even the simple task breathing deeply, which they made him do -- giving him breathing treatments every couple of hours to help assure his lungs would remain free of fluids -- and stave off pnuemonia.

His chest too, hurt -- he could feel where he knew the defibrillator pads must have been placed -- more than once, he reasoned....for the areas to be so inflammed.

And his sterum and ribs felt like they had been tampled over by a stampede of horses.

PAIN...it was his constant companion...

Right now, it seemed....HIS ONLY COMPANION.

His eyes filled with hot tears...as dispair overcame his SOUL.

Where were his friends? What had they still not come?

Didn't they care?

And then a sense of alarm filled his mind -- he knew they had been at the scene of the explosion -- working the fire...Chet had come to his side...had spoken to him briefly.

Could something have gone wrong? Could there have been another explosion?

Maybe something HAD gone wrong-- maybe the reason Cap and the others weren't there -- was because...

THEY...COULDN'T...BE!

Maybe they too had been...

He felt his heart begin to race with fear.

Oh, NO! Not THEM too!!

"What is it? Johnny...what's wrong? Are you in pain, again?"

Cara's tender, caring voice and her gentle touched brought Johnny out of his frantic thinking...

He stared up at her...as she bathed his face with cool water, wiping away the beads of perspiration.

"Here...let me give you something more...."

He saw her fill a syringe with medication -- then watched dully as she slipped the needle into one brownish rubber hub of the IV tubing and began to slowly inject the substance that would flow directly into his blood stream.

'She can find out for you...!' Some distant part of his mind called out... 'Ask her to find out...!'

But, as before, trying to find his voice...managing to form the thoughts into words...seemed next to impossible.

"Try to rest now..." Cara continued speaking. "It's what your body needs most....so you can heal."

"R...Roy?" he wasn't sure if he had gotten out the name...or just imagined that he had.

A second later, as the impact of the medication left him reeling and spinning down into the depth of blackness --

His mind chastized: ROY!? Why in the world had he called out for Roy...?

He knew it wasn't possible for Roy to come! HE had SEEN for himself, the state that his friend was in-- the injuries he had suffered...

Knew that he was somewhere else-- battling his own share of pain -- willing his own body to heal...

So why had the only name he could manage to get out, been...

ROY?

'Because...' Johnny answered the taunting voice. '....I...I NEED HIM!'

As release from the all-consuming pain came in the fashion of a drugged sleep -- only one thought surfaced in Johnny's mind...

'Please come, Roy! Please come!'

Cara leanded down, using her fingers to gently brush away the tears that slipped from beneath the dark lashes as they drifted closed...her heart going out to this brave, young firefighter.

"It's going to be all right..." she said softly. "Whoever Roy is...I'm sure he'll be here soon.'

Cara bit down on her lower lip -- confused.. and more than just a bit angry.

She just didn't understand this -- she had taken care of other injured firefighters before...and it always seemed that there was an overabundance of friends around-- in fact often so many that the staff of the ICU would have to monitor their visiting times-- working out a schedule to keep the room from being swamped.

What was the problem this time?, she wondered.

Even after a full day...why had no one come to see Johnny Gage?

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