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Skiiing For Disaster Episode 7 written by Pammie
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| Disclaimer: The
characters in the following fan fiction do not belong to me. They belong to CBS and Viacom
and other powers that be. I am only using them for the purpose ofwriting this story. No
money is being made from this writing it is for entertainment purposes only. And now on
with the show...
Sunday, Day 1 I've got to admit it, Steve. I sure did enjoy this ski trip." "See, what did I tell you?" "I know and I'm glad you talked me into going." Steve continued driving down the mountain road. Snow had begun to fall and the weather forecast only called for more snow and more blustery weather. As more snow began to fall, Steve's visibility only lessened. "You know, Jess, we might ought to pull off at the next stop. I can barely see where we're going." Before Jesse could respond, they came upon a curve. Already going slow, Steve softly tapped the brake, but they did more harm than good on the icy road. Even though they were moving slowly, they still went into the world too fast. The truck tires spun on the ice and the truck swerved all over the road. Steve tried to regain control, but no matter what he tried, nothing worked. The truck headed towards the edge of the road. "Hold on Jesse," Steve managed to say before their truck careened over the edge of the cliff. The truck hit several trees on the way down and flipped several times before finally landing on the driver's side in the ravine. ---------------------- Jesse opened his eyes and tried to figure out where he was. He was upside down in the truck cab, and slowly he remembered the accident. His next thought was about Steve. He rolled his head towards his friend and saw Steve was unconscious. Pain present with each movement, Jesse unbuckled his seat belt and landed with a moan. He placed two fingers on Steve's neck and found a pulse. "Thank God," Jesse breathed a sigh of relief. He gently shook Steve, "Steve, I need for you to wake up. Steve, wake up." Slowly Steve opened his eyes. "There you go. Now I need for you to stay with me you hear?" Steve nodded. And as Jesse tried to find a blanket, Steve commented, "You sure don't look too good, Jess." Jesse looked at him, "Well, you don't have a lot of room to talk, my friend." Steve smiled. "So can you move?" Steve tried to move but he was trapped. "Jesse, my legs are trapped under the dashboard." Jesse looked down at Steve's legs and saw the dashboard had indeed trapped Steve. "Just hang on. I'll see if we can get them free in a few minutes. We need to put on some extra clothes first. We need to keep warm." Although the cab of the truck was cramped, Jesse managed to open the suitcases and retrieves a couple of coats, and a few blankets. "Here, wrap this around you." Steve did so as Jesse turned to get a better look at the dashboard. Although one of his arms was hurt, Jesse pushed on the dashboard and it moved some. But the movement only hurt Steve. An involuntary gasp of pain came from Steve. Jesse patted Steve's shoulder, "Sorry." Steve closed his eyes, "That's alright. How bad?" "I don't think I can move it enough to get your legs out. Can you feel them?" "Yeah, they're hurting." Jesse sighed and leaned against the seat. There was only silence between the two men. Neither man wanted to ask the question that was prominent on both their minds-how were they going to get out of the ravine. --------------- Monday, Day 2 A tree branch fell on to the hood of the truck. The bang startled Jesse awake. Darkness surrounded him. For a few seconds, Jesse couldn't remember where he was, but it all came back. "How are we ever going to get out of here?" Jesse thought. His head and wrist throbbed with each beat of his heart. No doubt he had a mild concussion and most likely a fractured wrist. After a while, Jesse stopped even trying to fall back asleep. Soon, he saw daylight breaking through the trees. As more light peaked its way down to the truck, Jesse could see that quite a bit of snow had fallen. He tried to open the door, but his attempt was futile. During this commotion, Steve opened his eyes. Jesse noticed, "How are you feeling?" "Cold." Jesse nodded in agreement, "Same here. It snowed quite a bit during the night." "Great." Steve began trying to push the dashboard. "If it would just move a little..." Steve continued trying to move the object from his legs. He grimaced in pain, but kept on pushing at it anyway. Jesse started helping too, but with only one good arm, he couldn't push too hard. Even so, the extra force on the stubborn dashboard only caused more pain. Steve gasped in pain, "Stop." After a couple minutes had passed, Steve was still breathing hard, "Why won't the damn thing move?" Jesse didn't have an answer, but he did notice that Steve's breathing was still labored, "Hey Steve, is your chest hurting?" Steve nodded, "Yeah. I can't seem to take a deep breath." Jesse raised Steve's shirt up and looked, "You've got some bruising." Jesse started pressing on Steve's sides, "Does this hurt?" Eyes squeezed shut in pain, Steve could only murmur that it did. "You've got several broken ribs." Jesse rubbed his head, "No wonder you're having such a hard time catching your breath. Here just lean back and take small breaths." After several minutes, Steve's breathing had returned to somewhat normal. "Jesse, what are we going to do?" ---------------- Mark looked at the clock, "Where are they, and why haven't they called?" He picked up the phone and dialed Amanda's number. "Hello." "Hey it's me. I hate to sound like the worrywart I am, but have you heard from Steve or Jesse?" "Sure haven't, Mark. I thought they were supposed to come back yesterday." "Yeah they were. They even called yesterday morning when they were leaving." "I'm sure they'll be back soon." "Yeah. Thanks Amanda. I'll see you later." -------------- "Did you find it?" "Yeah. I've got it," Jesse responded as he held up a cell phone. "But I highly doubt that we can get a signal down here." "Yeah, I know. We have to try though." "No signal." He paused a couple of minutes. "There has got to be a way out of here." "Jess, you've already tried every possible way. All of the door frames are jammed and you can't get out of the windows because they are bent too much." Jesse sighed and leaned back. The gash on his forehead was bleeding. "Jess, your head is bleeding." "Yeah I hit it on the seat when I was getting the phone." He needed to get a band-aid, but the slightest movement made his already pounding head hurt worse. The only way to stop the spinning was to close his eyes. Steve noticed, "Head hurting?" Jesse nodded, "Yeah. How's yours?" "Not too bad." The two men sat in silence. A few minutes later Steve started looking around the cab. "What are you looking for?" "The blanket I had a little while ago. I'm cold." Jesse picked the blanket up and wrapped it around Steve's shoulders. He then wrapped another blanket around himself. "It's getting colder isn't it?" "And it's starting to get dark too." Jesse looked up through the trees. The sun had gone down and darkness was closing in around them. It was going to be a long, cold night. --------------- Mark held the phone to his ear, "We haven't heard from them since yesterday morning." Night had fallen and Mark and Amanda still haven't heard from Steve or Jesse. Mark decided to call Steve's captain to find out if he had heard from him. Mark continued his phone call, "Yes, Captain. Thanks. I will." Amanda was sitting at the counter, "Anything?" "No, but he's going to get a couple of guys up to the ski resort to check their whereabouts." Amanda stood and walked over to Mark, "They're fine, Mark. Everything will be alright." ----------------- Tuesday, Day 3 Amanda blinked against the sunlight. It had been a long night, but Mark had finally fallen asleep out of sheer exhaustion. She heard movement in the kitchen and wondered how long Mark had slept. She made her way to the kitchen, "Morning, Mark." Mark was trying to make coffee, but lack of sleep was making his movements clumsy. "Morning." "How much sleep did you get last night." "A couple of hours." "Mark, you need to try and sleep. This isn't doing anyone any good." Mark gave up on the coffee, "I know. But every time I close my eyes, I picture some horrible accident." Amanda made her way over to Mark, "I know that telling you not to worry about them would be futile. Remember, I'm a parent too. But I can tell to think good thoughts. And in the end, everything will be fine." Mark smiled up at her. "Now, let's get this coffee going." ------------- Jesse watched the sun peek through the trees. Maybe the sun would bring some warmth with it. He was chilled to the bone-shivering so much that it hurt. All the blankets didn't even seem to be helping anymore. Jesse looked around the truck. The crash had bent all the doorframes and now they wouldn't open. And even though the windows had been broken, there wasn't enough room for Jesse to crawl out. Jesse's eyes ventured to the dashboard. The crash had bent the dashboard and steering column causing Steve's leg to be trapped. Jesse noticed Steve's pallor. "Hey, buddy. Wake up." Steve's eyes sluggishly opened, "What is it, Jess?" "We need to stay awake and try to keep warm." Jesse noticed Steve was shivering rather hard. "Here, keep these blankets around you." With frozen hands, Steve adjusted the blankets, "Jess, it's so cold." "I know buddy. I know." Jesse realized that he was better off because he could move around to help him stay warm, but Steve couldn't move, plus Steve's injuries were a bit more serious than his own. He decided to try and keep Steve talking-the worst thing that either of them could do would be to fall asleep. "Can you feel your legs, Steve?" "They're kind of like the rest of my body-numb." Jesse nodded, hoping his concern wasn't showing. He knew it was only a matter of time before he would be in the same condition. He looked around the cab one more time. The passenger side window seemed to be the least damaged area of the truck, but it was also the hardest to get to since the truck was resting on the driver's side. But Jesse looked to his friend and decided that he had to try. ---------------- "Captain Newman, Officer Jacobs is on the phone." "Thanks, Susie." Newman picked up the phone, "Newman here. Any word?" "Sir, the ski resort said that Detective Sloan and Dr. Travis checked out Sunday morning. And we checked nearby restaurants and gas stations, and they didn't stop at any of them on Sunday. One guy at one gas station thought that he remembered a couple of men matching their descriptions coming into the station on Saturday night. But that's it." "The last transaction on any of their credit cards was the payment to the ski lodge. Have you interviewed the highway patrolmen yet?" "No sir. But that's our next stop. We've already got the names of the two that were on duty that day." "Good, let me know what turns up." "Will do, Captain." ----------------- Mark laid the phone on the desk, "that was Captain Newman. They haven't found anything yet." "Mark, it's okay. Wherever Steve and Jesse are, they will be okay. They are very resourceful and they will be okay." --------------- Jesse finally made it to the window. He braced himself so that he could maneuver. Jesse's broken arm was useless and it was making this particular situation even more difficult. With his gloved hand, Jesse knocked the jagged pieces of glass away so that he could crawl out of the window. Jesse gathered all the strength he could muster as he hoisted himself up and out the window. Jesse sat on the door and looked down to Steve, "Just hang on. I'll be back in a few minutes." Steve nodded as Jesse jumped to the ground. For a minute, Jesse just lay on the ground, every muscle in his body aching. He finally stood, but the ground seemed to move. He held to the truck for support and worked his way around so he could see up the ravine. There was no way he could make it up there. It looked to be 75 - 100 feet high. After exploring around the truck for several minutes, Jesse headed back to the truck. Climbing back into the truck proved to be just as difficult as getting out of it. Jesse found Steve asleep. He shook him awake, "Steve, you cannot go to sleep yet." Steve's eyelids were heavy. The effects of the cold were beginning to show. Jesse had to keep Steve alert, but it was only a matter of time before the cold started to affect Jesse too. Darkness was beginning to surround them. The night air was already feeling colder. He had to figure out a way to get out of here. They wouldn't be able to survive much longer. ------------ Wednesday, Day 4 "We haven't had any accidents reported with people matching these descriptions. That night, the weather was awful-the snow just started to fall and it was a heavy shower at that. The roads were almost impassible. I doubt these guys were driving in that kind of weather." The officer looked at the patrolmen, "You said the snow happened suddenly. Any place where they might have pulled off?" "Not really." "What about an accident?" "Like I said earlier, there were no reports matching that profile." "Yes, I know. But what if they couldn't report it?" "We can take a drive down that rode and see of we can find something." "Let's go." -------------- Mark hung up the phone, "They're searching the road to see if there are signs of an accident." Amanda brought him a cup of coffee, "Did they say anything else?" "They haven't found anybody who has seen them since they left the ski lodge." "Mark..." Without acknowledging Amanda, Mark went out to the deck and stared into the horizon. ---------------- Jesse struggled to keep awake. It had gotten harder and harder to stay alert and keep Steve alert. Finally, Jesse saw daylight come through the trees. Maybe the sun could warm them a little. -------------- The two patrolmen and the two police officers traveled down the road looking for any sign leading them to the two missing men. One of the patrolmen looked to the other, "Look there. Those trees are thinned out there." The driver slowed, "Let's go have a look." The four men exited the car and went to the edge of the road. "Look down there. Is that a car?" One of the patrolmen unhooked his walkie-talkie, "Looks like a white truck to me." ------------------- In an hour the scene was roaring with activity. Rescue teams, the fire department, and several patrol cars had gathered around the area. The main focus was set on finding a way safely down the ravine. The men secured a line to the fire engine, and the first man headed down. A second followed close behind. Once on the ground at the bottom, the men looked in the truck and called Steve and Jesse's names. ----------------- Jesse opened his eyes at the sound of his name. Struggling to look around, he saw the two men looking through one of the broken windows. "Yeah, we're in here." The rescuer looked inside, "How badly are you two hurt?" "I've got a few injuries, but I'm okay. Steve's legs are trapped under the dashboard and he's barely conscious. "Okay, just hang on a few minutes and we'll get you two out." The rescuer raised up and took out his radio, "They're both alive, but we have to get them out now. We need the saw-one of them is pinned under the dashboard." "Alright, Mike. We'll send it down." "And get us a couple of stokes down here." Mike leaned back down to the truck, "Jesse, look here. I'm going to crawl through that window up there and get you out." Jesse nodded and gently shook Steve, "Steve, just hang on. They'll get you out in a few minutes." Mike started to climb atop the truck. He looked to his partner, "Hey, Stu. Have that stokes ready when I bring him up." "Alright, Mike." Mike lowered himself into the truck. He supported Jesse as he climbed towards the window. Jesse sat on the truck and waited for Mike to come up. Mike crawled out of the truck and jumped to the ground below. He reached up and lowered Jesse to the ground. Stu had the stretcher ready, so Mike led Jesse to it and helped Jesse lay down. Mike and Stu worked to secure the straps. When Jesse was settled, Mike radioed, "We've got Jesse secure. You can pull him up." Once Jesse was on his way up the ravine, Mike looked to Stu, "Come on. We've got to get Steve out. He's not doing too good." For the next half-hour or so, the two men worked on cutting part of the dashboard. Finally, they finished cutting and moved the dashboard away from Steve's legs. Mike and Stu quickly and carefully pulled Steve from the wrecked truck. They secured him into the stretcher and radioed that he was ready for transport. Mike and Stu followed behind him. Steve was being loaded into the ambulance by the time both men had made it to the top. Mike walked over to the sheriff, "How are they?" "Looks like the first one, Dr. Jesse Travis, is going to be fine. But it's touch and go with the second one." ------------------ The phone rang. Mark was still outside, so Amanda picked up the receiver, "Sloan residence." "This is Captain Newman. Can I speak to Dr. Sloan?" "He's outside right now. This is Dr. Bentley. Can I help you with anything?" "They've found Dr. Travis and Lt. Sloan. They were in an accident and had been trapped in the ravine ever since." "How are they?" "They didn't say much, but they are both alive and headed to a local hospital down there." Amanda took down the name and address of the hospital, "We're on our way." Amanda went to the deck, "Mark, they've found them. They're n this hospital." Mark didn't hesitate for a moment, "Let's go." ---------------- Jesse was grateful for the warm blanket he felt being wrapped around him, and was dismayed when the doors to the ambulance opened and the icy air blew inside. He only felt the cold air briefly, though, as he was pushed into the emergency ward. He heard voices and movement around him. "Is this one from that accident?" "Yeah, and the second one is on his way." "On my count, move him. 1, 2, 3." Jesse felt himself being moved to another bed. A doctor shined his light into Jesse's eyes, "Jesse, can you hear me?" Jesse's eyelids were heavy, but he managed to open them slightly. The doctor seemed pleased at the small movement, "I'm Dr. Michaels. You're in the ER. We're running some tests, but you should be fine. Jesse mustered all his energy to ask a question, "Steve?" He's on his way here. I'll check on him as soon as he gets here. You just take it easy. Don't fight the medicine. We'll get you a room in a little while. Jesse relaxed and felt the warmth of another blanket being pulled around him as the medicine took hold and Jesse drifted into a comfortable darkness. --------------- The paramedics rolled Steve into the trauma room, "He's unconscious, BP is 80/40, heart rate is thready, labored breathing, possible broken ribs, and broken leg. They moved Steve to another bed and began to examine him. Dr. Michaels began ordering tests, "I want a trauma panel, CBC, head CT, abdominal CT. Get some warm fluids in him; we have to raise his body temp." The doctor began feeling Steve's rib cage, "We've got several broken ribs and some tenderness." Dr. Michaels continued his exam until a monitor started beeping. "Doctor, his pulsox is dropping," a nurse informed the attending doctor. Dr. Michaels listened to Steve's chest, "His lung collapsed. Get me a chest tube tray and prepare to intubate." Dr. Michaels quickly and efficiently inserted the tube into Steve's chest. "How is he breathing?" "Still labored." "Okay, let's intubate him." As the doctor prepared to insert the tube, he turned to the nurse, "Get that surgeon down here now." He looked to another doctor who was also working on Steve, "How's his temp?" "Slowly going up." "Keep the warm fluids going." A lab technician entered the room, "X-rays are back." Dr. Michaels looked at the pictures carefully. "Broken ribs, concussion, tib-fib fracture." He turned to the nurse, "Let's get ortho down here." Looking back to the scans, "Looks like some bleeding in this area." Another doctor entered the room, "What have you got?" Dr. Michaels recognized him as the surgeon, "MVA. Trapped for 3 days. Abdominal tenderness and looks like some internal bleeding." The surgeon examined Steve, "Probably the spleen. Get him ready for transport. The OR is ready." Dr. Michaels looked to the surgeon, "His leg is broken. It needs to be splinted before he goes up." After splinting the leg, a couple of orderlies pushed Steve towards the elevator. T he surgeon looked to Dr. Michaels, "What about family?" "On their way. We'll send them up to the surgical floor when they get here." ------------------- A while later, Mark and Amanda walked into the emergency room. They were waiting at the information desk. The door behind the desk opened and a doctor walked up to them, "I'm Dr. Michaels. I'm the attending physician who took care of both Dr. Travis and Lt. Sloan." "How are they?" "Come into the office and we can talk." Once all were seated, Dr. Michaels began speaking, "Dr. Travis sustained rather minor injuries. He broke his arm, has a mild concussion, has some mild frostbite and hypothermia, and several bruises and contusions. He's been admitted. But probably only for a day or two." "What about Steve?" "Lt. Sloan's injuries were a bit more serious. He has a concussion, several broken ribs, and a broken leg. He had a more serious case of hypothermia, but it doesn't appear to have caused any damage. The frostbite was a bit more severe, but again I don't think it caused any long-term damage. But his big problem was when one of his broken ribs punctured his spleen. His lung collapsed, and we had to insert a chest tube. But he was stable when he went up to surgery. The surgeon, Dr. Watkins, is the one operating. He'll talk to you as soon as he finished with the surgery." "Where can we wait?" "In surgery waiting on 4/" Amanda stood and helped Mark stand, "Thank you, Doctor. What room is Dr. Travis in?" The doctor looked in the chart, "Room 515." Amanda and Mark made their way to the waiting room. Mark hadn't said a word since talking with the doctor. "Mark, are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine." Amanda knew Mark was only running on adrenaline, so she let the non-committal answer go. In a little while, a doctor emerged from the OR. He walked up to Mark and Amanda, "Are you with Steve Sloan?" Mark began to stand, "Yes, we are." "Please, stay seated." He pulled a chair up close to Mark, "I'm Dr. Watkins. Your son's surgery went fine. We had to repair his spleen, and there were no complications. The orthopedic surgeon is in there now setting his leg. It looks like a pretty bad break." Amanda looked to the doctor, "So, he's okay?" "Yeah. He's still not completely out of the woods, but he's stable, and that's always a good sign." Mark looked up from the floor, "Thank you." ----------------- A while later, another doctor approached Mark and Amanda, "I'm Dr. Sinclair, the orthopedic surgeon who has been operating on Steve's leg." He held up an x-ray to the light, "As you can see, it was a pretty bad break." He pointed to a few places on the x-ray, "we had to put in two pins into the ankle and two more on the distal tibia and another one on the fibula. The surgery went fine. No complications. He's in the recovery room right now, but soon we're going to move him to the ICU." "Thanks." "Sure. Someone will be out to tell you when he is moved." "Could you send them to room 515." "Shouldn't be a problem." Mark shook the doctor's hand, "Thanks again." ----------------- Mark and Amanda quietly entered Jesse's room. The head of the bed was slightly elevated, and there were several blankets covering Jesse. Hearing the door close, Jesse stirred and opened his eyes. Amanda moved closer to the bed, "Hey, Jesse. How are you?" Jesse swallowed, "Not too bad. How's Steve?" "We haven't seen him yet, but they say he is holding his own." Jesse sighed, "Good." Mark spoke for the first time, "Are you sure you're okay." Jesse looked to his worried friend, "Mark, I'm fine." Dreading the question, Mark asked anyway, "What happened?" "We were coming from the lodge. The roads were snow-covered and it had started to snow again. We were going to pull off, but the tires skidded in a curve and we crashed over the ravine. Steve's legs were trapped under the dashboard so he couldn't move." Mark patted Jesse's arm, "I'm just glad you're okay." Jesse smiled at Mark. He tried to move but stopped suddenly and an involuntary gasp escaped his lips. Amanda looked, "What's wrong?" Jesse smiled through his discomfort, "Forgot that it hurts to move." Amanda smiled, "Here let me help you." She raised the head of the bed and adjusted the pillow, "Better?" "Much. Thank you." The door opened again, and a nurse entered, "Dr. Sloan." Mark turned, "Yes, that's me." "Dr. Watkins sent me. Your son has been moved to ICU #3." "Thank you." Mark looked to Jesse, "I'll be back in a little while." Jesse nodded as Amanda stood, "I'm coming with you." ------------------ The ICU was quiet. Mark and Amanda walked to Steve's room and, the heart monitor's quiet steady beeping was the only noise that disrupted the quietness. The lights were dimmed, but mark could see that Steve was pale. As they moved closer to the bed, Mark noticed that the chest tube was still in place. Steve's torso was partially covered by a white bandage, and the rest was deeply bruised and his leg was in traction. Mark lightly touched Steve's arm. Still under the effects of the anesthesia, Steve remained motionless. Amanda laid her hand on Mark's shoulder, "I'm going back to sit with Jesse. Try to get a little rest." "I'll try." Amanda made her way back to Jesse's room. He had already fallen asleep. Amanda sat in a chair and soon she too had fallen asleep. ---------------- The next morning, a nurse entered Steve's room. In a fitful doze, Mark opened his eyes as the door opened. "Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you." "Oh, I'm fine. I was only dozing." "He seems to be doing really well. His vitals are still stable and stayed that way through the night." As the nurse put her stethoscope to Steve's chest, Steve moaned and moved his arm slightly. He opened his eyes and blinked against the light. Mark saw Steve open his eyes and hurried to the side of the bed. The nurse patted Steve's shoulder, "Take it easy. Don't move too much." Steve nodded slightly as he absorbed the nurse's words. "Steve, I'm right here. You're going to be fine." Steve rolled his head towards the sound of Mark's voice. "Steve, you were in a car accident. You were hurt, but you're doing fine." The nurse finished checking on Steve, "I'm going to let his doctor know that he's awake." Mark looked back to Steve. Steve was trying to feel the bandage on his head, "Just take it easy. You've got a tube in your chest. Try not to move around." Steve nodded, "Chest hurts." His voice was so low Mark had to strain to hear him. "I know. One of your lungs collapsed. You'll be sore, but it's okay." "Jesse okay?" Steve's voice was still barely above a whisper. "Yeah, he's fine. A little banged up and sore, but he's fine." Steve nodded and closed his eyes. But before he could sleep, a doctor entered the room. At the sound of the door closing, Steve opened his eyes. "Hi, I'm Dr. Watkins. How are you feeling today?" "Not too great," came Steve's straight to the point answer. "Doesn't surprise me. You got pretty banged up in that accident. But the good news is that you should have a full recovery." The doctor removed his flashlight from his lab coat and shined it into Steve's eyes, "How's the head? Any double vision, spots, or flashes?" Steve shook his head, "No." "That's good. You got a nasty concussion." The doctor put on some gloves, and began to gently remove the tape and gauze from Steve's abdomen, "The incision is looking just fine." Mark spoke up, "How about the chest tube. And idea when you can take it out?" Dr. Watkins examined the tube, "Doesn't look like much drainage. We can probably take it out later today." He looked back to Steve, "How's the breathing? Does it hurt when you take a breath?" His voice still sounded weak, Steve answered, "Not really. Mostly just sore." "Good." He took out a stethoscope, "Now take a deep breath for me." Steve did so and groaned in pain. "That's good. No rattle." He returned the stethoscope around his neck. "Well, Lieutenant, all things considered, you are doing just fine. I'll put in that order to have the chest tube removed. And after that we should be able to get you into a private room." "Thanks, Doctor." "You get some rest and take it easy." Just as the doctor was leaving, Amanda entered the room. She looked to the bed, and saw that Steve was awake, "Hey Steve. How are you feeling?" "I've been better. But I'm okay." She smiled at him, "So what did the doctor say?" Mark answered for Steve, "He said everything was looking pretty good. He's going to have the chest tube removed later today, and then he will be moved to a private room." "Well, that's good news." Steve nodded and yawned, "How's Jesse?" "He's doing fine. He'll be up and about in no time." "So, I'm guessing my truck isn't faring so well?" "No, sorry son, but it was pretty banged up." Steve's smile faded into a yawn. Mark laid his hand on Steve's head, "Get some sleep. I'll be back in a little while." Another yawn, "Okay." Mark and Amanda walked to Jesse's room. He was sitting on the side of the bed and was eating his breakfast. "Hey Jesse. How are you doing?" "Oh I'm fine. How about Steve? Any change?" "He's going to be fine. He's real sore, but he is doing good." "Good. I'm glad. The doctor came while you were gone." Amanda sat at the foot of the bed, "What did he say?" "He said that I could probably be released tomorrow." "That's great. But you still need to take it easy." Jesse pushed his tray away from the bed and began to ease himself back into the bed, "I know and I will. But I would like to go and see Steve." "He's still in the ICU, but they're planning to move him later today. We'll take you to see him after he's moved." "Thanks." "But now, my friend, you need to rest and take it easy. We'll be back later." "'kay I will." Once in the hall Amanda put her arm around Mark, "How about some breakfast?" Mark smiled for the first time in several days," Sounds good to me." ------------------- Later that day, after Steve's chest tube had been removed, Mark accompanied Steve as he was transported to a private room. Once he was settled, Steve had quickly fallen asleep. And once he was sure that Steve was resting, Mark went to see Jesse. He found him sitting in a wheelchair. "Had to go down for an x-ray," Jesse explained. "I talked to your nurse and she said it would be okay for you to go see Steve after the dinner trays are served." "So, he is really okay?" "Yeah, he's going to be just fine." "That's good." "And you know he was talking earlier and was telling me what all happened down there. He said that you were really something. That you helped him." "Well, I don't know about that..." "Jesse don't. Thank you." -------------- After Jesse finished eating, Mark wheeled him to Steve's room. Steve was in a sitting position in the bed, his dinner tray still in front of him. "Hey Buddy. How's it going?" Steve looked up, "Not too bad. And you?" Steve still sounded weak, but he was looking stronger. "I'm fine. They said I would probably get out of here tomorrow." "That's great." "Any idea when you'll get out?" Steve shook his head, "Don't know. They didn't say." Mark took a seat in a chair, "Dr. Watkins said it would be a few days before he would release him. Just so that he can make sure that everything is healing correctly." "Hey, Jess. You know out there-thanks for all you did." "Hey what choice did I have? There's no way BBQ Bob's would make it if I had to run it alone." Steve smiled knowingly-he knew that was probably the truth. Jesse noted the look, "You know you don't have to agree whole-heartedly." Steve was still smiling, "I don't say a word." "You didn't have to. That look said it all." ----------------- Jesse was released the next day, but instead of heading home, he stayed with Mark and Amanda in their hotel room. Over the next several days, Steve slowly regained his strength, and after a couple of days, Steve's leg was removed from traction. On Steve's seventh day in the hospital, Dr. Watkins came to check on Steve. Steve was sitting up in bed, and Mark and Jesse were sitting in the chairs that were positioned near the bed. "Lt. Sloan, how are you feeling this morning?" "I'm feeling pretty good." "Good. Now let me just check a few things, and if everything checks out okay, then you're free to go home." "That's great news." Mark and Jesse watched as Dr. Watkins examined Steve. The doctor checked the incision marks, "These are healing nicely and there is no sign of an infection." Dr. Watkins put his stethoscope on Steve's chest. "Now, raise up for me." Ribs still sore, Steve slowly leaned forward. "Take a deep breath and hold it for me." Steve did so. "Now breathe normally." Dr. Watkins listened for a moment, "Good breath sounds. That lung is healing just fine." Dr. Watkins replaces his stethoscope around his neck. "You're doing very well, Lieutenant. Everything is looking good. I see no reason to keep you here any longer." "Great." "Now, you need to make a follow-up appointment in about a week, so that your stitches can be removed." Dr. Watkins looked at Steve's chart, "and it looks like Dr. Sinclair has listed a referral to an orthopedic surgeon a little closer to where you live. You'll also need a recheck for that leg in about a week." "Alright. Anything else?" Dr. Watkins closed the chart and leaned on the bed rail, "Just one more thing. Rest. Don't overdo by trying to do too much. Take it easy and enjoy some time off." Steve smiled as Jesse tried to cover up a laugh, "I'll try." "Good then. I'll get the discharge orders written up and you should be ready to leave after lunch. So, you can start getting everything packed up." Mark stood, "Thank you doctor." The doctor left, and Mark and Jesse had begun to pack up Steve's extra clothes, magazines, and all the extra items that had accumulated over the past week. Steve sat on the side of the bed, "Here, I can help." "Now Steve, didn't the doctor just say that you need to take it easy?" "Yeah. So?" "So, you just sit tight. We'll get it." Steve faked a sigh and sat back. ---------------- Later that afternoon, an orderly pushed Steve down to the discharge area. Mark pulled the car around and helped Steve move from the wheelchair to the car. Once in the car, Steve leaned his head against the seat." "You okay, son?" "Yeah, Dad. I'm fine. Just a little out of breath." Mark patted Steve's shoulder, "That's normal. You haven't done very much in the past several days and that lung is weak. Just take slow deep breaths and it'll pass in a few minutes. And true to his father's word, by the time they pulled out of the parking lot a few minutes later, Steve's breathing had returned to normal. Jesse leaned up from the backseat, "Okay now Steve?" "Yeah, much better." --------------- Amanda met the three men at the beach house, "How was the drive?" Mark shut his door, "It was fine." As Jesse went and opened the front door, Amanda and Mark helped Steve into the house. "Why don't you sleep in the guest room for a while?" "Why?" "Well, it's going to be kind of tough getting up and down those steps on crutches. And only until you regain your strength. Then it will be easier for you." Steve agreed, "Okay." "Do you want to lie down for a while?" "I'd rather sit out here," Steve motioned tot he living room. So, Steve slowly made his way towards the couch, Mark following close behind." Once Steve was settled on the couch, Mark headed to the kitchen, "Hamburgers okay with everybody?" After all agreed, Amanda went in the kitchen to help Mark prepare the meal, "You two behave." "Of course." "Always." Amanda smiled as she walked into the kitchen, "So, what do you want me to do?" "You can fix the salads." So for the next half-hour, Mark and Amanda worked on fixing dinner. Amanda placed the last plate on the table, "Well, I guess we're just about ready. Steve. Jesse. It's ready," Amanda called into the living room. No response. "I wonder what they're up to." She walked towards the living room, "Mark come here." Mark walked towards the living room, "What?" "Look," she motioned to the couch. Steve and Jesse were propped on opposite ends of the couch, each sound asleep. Amanda smiled and took a throw from a chair and draped it over Steve. Mark took another throw and covered Jesse with it. As they headed back to the kitchen, Amanda turned to Mark, "I guess we just need to keep their plates warmed." Mark nodded, "I never thought my son was capable of sleeping through a meal." "Yeah, that's the truth," Amanda smiled. After fixing two plates for Steve and Jesse, Mark and Amanda sat at the table and ate their meal. When they had almost finished, Jesse came through the door. Mid-yawn, he asked, "You've already eaten?" "Yeah we just didn't have the heart to wake you. Your plate is warming in the oven." "Thanks Amanda." "Where's Steve?" Mark asked as he helped Jesse. "He's still asleep." "No I'm not," came a voice from the doorway. Leaning on his crutches, Steve slowly made his way into the kitchen. "Here Steve. Sit down. I'll get your plate." "Thanks Dad." ----------------- Later that evening after Jesse and Amanda had gone home, Mark found Steve sitting on the deck. He walked out there, "Steve, you okay?" "Yeah Dad. I'm fine. Just trying to talk myself into going inside." Mark sat down, "How are you feeling?" Steve was tired and didn't even try to hide that fact, "It's been a long day. It's kind of drained me." "Yeah I figured as much. Want me to help you get to bed?" "I think I can make it." Steve got up and slowly he made it to the guestroom. Steve sat on the edge of the bed, while Mark took out a pair of pajamas from Steve's bag, "Here you go. Need anything else?" Steve shook his head, "No, that's fine. I can get it." "Good night, Son. It's good to have you back home." As Mark walked out of the room, Steve quietly added, "It's good to be home too..." The End. home | vs home | season one | season two | season three | join dmvs | e-mail us | guestbook |
