So�This Is Montana� Ch. 33
Anxiously, Dr. Shannon looked down at his watch before chancing a glace out the window of the plane, seeing lights dotting the ground far below.
He was still reeling�disbelief nearly overwhelming him since the phone call he had received from Dr. Parrish a little more than two hours earlier and the infrequent updates that had followed.
Justin injured seriously enough to warrant emergency surgery�Chris and Joey suffering from deep states of shock�JC still unconscious with a severe, grade three concussion�and Lance�still missing.
A steward stopped in front of the doctor and bent slightly toward him, gaining his attention, startling somewhat him in the process.
�Sorry to startle you, doctor but you requested some information from the captain a little while ago and I�ve been sent to let you know that in about an hour we�ll be landing, sir,� he said quietly, not wanting to be overheard by the nearby passengers, only to see that those surrounding them, for the most part, were either asleep or deeply engrossed in whatever they were reading.
�Good. Thank you,� Dr. Shannon replied, nodding while rubbing his hands over his jean clad thighs.
�I�ve also been told by the captain that there will be sheriff�s patrol helicopter to pick you up directly off the tarmac. You�ll be the first to disembark and will be shown where to go by the co-pilot. You should reach your final destination in about 15 minutes once you are on your way.�
�Thank you.�
�You�re welcome, doctor. Is there anything I can get you before we begin landing preparations? Something to drink or eat?� the steward offered�the urgency and anxiety clearly radiating off the man seated before him causing him to make a concerted effort in making the physician as comfortable as possible.
�Some coffee would be good�black, please,� Dr. Shannon said quietly.
�No problem, sir. I�ll be right back with one.�
With that said, the steward made his way back up the aisle then disappeared behind a curtain, leaving the doctor alone with his own thoughts once again.
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Not a half-hour ago, a call for help had gone out for any available paramedic within a hundred mile radius and almost immediately more than a half dozen volunteers had already answered the call, informing the staff at the clinic that even more were on their way in. As a result, as Dr. Granger maneuvered around JC�s stretcher, dodging trays and equipment as well as the extra hands that were helping him in further determining the young man�s condition and those who were continuing to monitor the conditions of the others who had been brought in.
He had already given JC a preliminary examination when he had first arrived at the clinic, identifying the most obvious injury, which were the contusions and swelling from the heavy blows to his head. Quick x-rays had been taken of his skull and fortunately everything had looked good. The young man was free of skull fractures and their main concern, for the moment, was to keep JC condition stable as well as making him comfortable while waiting for the young man to awaken from his unconscious state.
The heavy blow to his head days earlier, in combination with the blows from this evening were cause enough for the doctors to consider transferring JC if he remained his current state for too long. For now, they were awaiting Dr. Shannon�s arrival as well as that of his parents before making final decisions as to where to send the young man. Billings would be the closest major city with a trauma unit, but if JC�s condition remained stable, they would possibly consider sending the young man directly to Orlando with Dr. Shannon.
�How are you doing, doc?� one of the paramedics asked, wincing when the doctor turned to reveal his right eye, which was swollen and bruised from a punch that Chris had haphazardly thrown earlier in his panicked state.
�I�ll live. Man�he has a mean left hook,� the doctor said with a humorless chuckle, reaching for a pair of heavy-duty shears before moving to the end of JC�s stretcher.
�Let�s get these clothes off of him and get him cleaned up,� he said, grasping the left cuff of JC�s jeans. With quick, practice movements, he cut through the muddy denim then handed the shears over to the paramedic standing across from him.
�Whoa�look at this, doc,� the man said, seconds later after having pulled back the heavy cloth to reveal JC�s swollen, misshapen knee.
�How in the world did we miss that? Bring that light down closer,� the physician said, moving to the opposite side of the stretcher. Carefully, he probed the injured area, his fingers firmly pushing against the swollen tissue in an effort to ascertain the severity of the newly discovered injury, all the while watching and listening carefully for any response to pain from JC�in the end only to be disappointed when there was none�JC remained quiet and unmoving. Several minutes passed before the doctor straightened from his bent position.
�We need to get the rest of this off,� he said, gesturing toward the remainder of JC�s clothes. �There�s no telling what else there might be under there. Just as soon as they�re finished with Chris� x-rays, we need them to run some on his knee.�
Inwardly, the doctor kicked himself for having missed it and he shook his head as he watched the others cutting through JC�s shirt revealing, thankfully, very few bruises, none of which appeared to be serious. At the same moment, another man entered the room�in his hand were several x-rays.
�Hey, doc�you need to take a look at these,� he said, flipping a nearby wall switch. A wall panel of lights came on and he slid the sheets of film under hidden clips to reveal a set of chest x-rays.
�These are Kirkpatrick�s. It looks like he has some hairline rib fractures�here�and here,� he said, pointing to two areas that had been circled with marker. �It looks like he took a pretty good set of hits. Fatone is probably going to have some too. It looks like they were both beaten up pretty good.�
With sound of disgust, Dr. Granger stepped closer to the x-rays and spent several moments staring at the images�his eyes searching for any other abnormalities before finally nodding his head in agreement.
�Yeah. Why don�t you just wrap him up tight, Mike? We�re also going to need some pictures of this knee,� the doctor said, waving the other over to JC�s stretcher.
�That�s almost like�a boot or shoe print�here?� Mike said leaning in within just inches of the swollen limb. For several moments, the pair re-examined the knee, planning their course of action until Dr. Granger stepped back.
�I don�t think there is any kind of break and it�s not dislocated. There�s just a lot of swelling,� the doctor said. �Take some pictures and we�ll let Dr. Parrish take a look at it. While you�re at it, go ahead and take some of his ribs. We missed that knee�I don�t want to make that same mistake again.�
With that said, the trio prepared JC to be moved. Once prepared, Dr. Granger watched the pair of paramedics leave the room, pushing JC�s stretcher before turning to leave the room to check on Mitch, Troy, Justin and Chris.
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�Has he shown any signs of response�recognize anyone of you?� Dr. Parrish asked one of the paramedics, Jerry Price, who had taken over in caring for Joey. He and a fellow paramedic had spent the majority of their time with Joey monitoring his vital signs, starting an IV and adding a nasal canula to supply a light level of oxygen before beginning the task of cutting away his mud soaked clothing in order to make sure that the unresponsive figure was more comfortable.
At the far end of the room, the main focus of the others had been in caring for Chris and, now that Chris had been sedated and sent off to x-ray, the older physician could now turn his full attention to the silent figure laying a stretcher before him. For the most part, the only movement that had been witnessed since the time that Joey had arrived was the steady up and down motion of his chest with each breath drawn and exhaled, as well as the slow blinking of his unfocused eyes.
�No, sir. We didn�t even get any kind of reaction from him with all the ruckus that Kirkpatrick was putting up,� Jerry answered grimly, still amazed at the fight that Chris had put out in his frantic, panicked state.
�His vital signs have remained stable. He has good pupil response�his reflexes, blood pressure and respirations are good. We found no obviously severe injuries or broken bones, but there is a small bruise and raised blister here at his temple and a contusion on the back of his head�right�here,� he said, slowly turning Joey�s head to the right before carefully parting his muddy hair to reveal a swollen, bruised area just behind his left ear.
Dr. Parrish leaned in, pushing his glasses up on his nose while another one of the paramedics reached up to pull a large, bright overhead light over so that they could all get a better look at the area of concern.
The first bruise surrounding blistered skin that had been pointed out was very precise�and perfectly round. The doctor could almost immediately identify it as markings left from the muzzle of a gun being pressed harshly against Joey�s head.
�Gun did this�one that had been just fired,� he remarked quietly, glancing momentarily at the others before looking back down at the area, brushing his fingertips over the black, blue marking, being mindful of the small blisters, shaking his head in a mixture of sympathy and disgust before concentrating his attention near the back of Joey�s head. Carefully, he parted Joey�s hair, wincing slightly at the pulling he was doing in order to work around the mud caked in his hair.
�This isn�t going to do,� he said, straightening up, shaking his head. �Get me a basin of warm water and a couple towels. We need to get this mud out of his hair before we do anything else.�
One of the paramedics nodded his head and followed the doctor�s orders. Minutes later, Dr. Parrish was dipping the end of a towel into the basin of water then gently running it over Joey�s face, washing away the worst of the mud splatters, wanting to clean there while the towel and water were still clean.
�Would you like me to refill that before you go to the back of his head?�
Dr. Parrish nodded then waited patiently for the basin to be returned all the while letting his eyes roam over Joey�s features, taking in the bruises and scrapes.
�Okay�let�s see what we�ve got here,� he said, bending over Joey�s head once again, holding the towel gently over the area in an effort to loosen the mud that was matted around the area. After he was satisfied that he would not be pulling at Joey�s hair, he carefully parted the hair to get a better glimpse at the large contusion on the back of his head.
�Pull that light in a little closer,� he said over his shoulder, not taking his eyes from what he was doing.
�Yep�do you know when this may have happened? Looks like whatever did this was pretty heavy�� the doctor said, thinking out loud.
�No�but we�re guessing it was probably the butt of a gun like Chasez, but�things were so crazy up there according to one of the sheriffs that brought him in. Really�he�s more than likely the only one who�ll be able to tell us anything.�
�Hmmm�you�re probably right, Jerry. Now�what else did you find?� Dr. Parrish asked, standing up straight, looking down at Joey and seeing pretty much the same injuries that Chris and JC had�none of which were life threatening, thankfully.
�There are some raw areas�rope burns on his ankles, wrists and those around his mouth,� Jerry said, gently brushing his hand over Joey�s face where the tightly bound gag had cut into the corners of his mouth, leaving slight traces of dried blood mixed with mud.
�Then�some bruises and a few rope burns on his arms and chest, but nothing too serious. Doc.�
�We probably need to have a skull series done just as soon as Christopher is finished up,� Dr. Parrish said, bending over to get a better look at the area behind Joey�s ear. Gently, he probed around the lump, hoping to elicit some sort of response, but instead, received none�not even an effort to move away or flinch from the pain that he had to be experiencing. Apparently, the young man had pulled deeply within himself, but he wasn�t quite prepared to take care of that problem yet.
He then pulled the sheet that had been placed over young man�s chest down far enough that he could examine the new bruises that had been added to the bruises and contusions that had already been there since his accident with Stan Baker�s truck only a few days prior.
Carefully, he probed Joey�s chest, pressing his hands firmly along the young man�s ribs in an effort to find any abnormalities, inwardly smiling when he didn�t find anything obvious, but that didn�t mean that there couldn�t be something hiding beneath the surface.
�I want to have some pictures of his chest run,� the doctor said before placing the sheet back over Joey, gently smoothing them over the young man�s chest, being mindful of the bruises underneath his hands.
He then took a step back, crossed his arms over his chest as he mentally went over his options. He knew that in order to best treat Joey, he would need the young man to be responsive, able to answer questions. He glanced at those around him, watching as they kept themselves busy, clearing away the muddy towels and checking Joey�s vitals once again.
Glancing down at his watch, the doctor noted the early hour then stepped back closer to the gurney.
Stooping over slightly, he pushed Joey�s damp, matted hair off his mud-speckled forehead then, with quiet, reassuring tones, the older man began speaking, hoping to bring the young man back to reality, knowing that he was taking chances�stepping into unchartered territory, somewhat. But�they could not allow the young man to remain in his placid state for much longer.
�I want you to get some smelling salts and have some valium ready�just in case, Jerry�2.5 mg should be enough to calm him if he comes to and gets out of hand,� the doctor said very quietly, all the while gently running his hand over Joey�s head, being mindful to avoid the swollen, injured areas.
Jerry simply nodded his head then made his way to a cabinet at the other side of the room where medications and supplies were stored. Another one of the paramedics took Jerry�s place at the doctor�s side in the event that he would be needed, realizing that Joey was larger than Chris and could potentially pose more problems for the group if he did become out of hand. As he took his position, yet another entered the room, having been sent by Dr. Granger, who was still with Chris in the x-ray department.
�Dr. Granger sent me to see how things are going in here, doc and let you know that he�s going to move onto to Mr. Chasez,� he said, stepping toward a sink to wash his hands before slipping on a new pair of gloves.
�Chris giving him any more problems, Marty?�
�No, sir�he�s still out. The doc didn�t seem to think he�d be coming to any time too soon. He pretty well wore himself out.�
�That�s true,� Jerry answered from across the room.
�Dr. Granger said that he�s moving him to Mr. Timberlake�s room. Pete�s still in there with Timberlake and there�s two other fellows in there�umm�a Thomas Clair and Donald Crater.�
�Those are the men that found Justin?�
�Yes, sir.�
�Has David checked in on Mitch and Troy lately?� Dr. Parrish then asked, moving around the gurney to grab another blanket from a cabinet. He was trying to prepare for anything that might happen in the next few minutes. He had no idea how Joey would be responding to his efforts to bring him out of his shock.
�Yes, sir. They�re both doing better�more alert.�
�How�s he doing, doc?� Marty asked, nodding toward Joey, who still remained completely oblivious to the words floating around him.
�Pretty good, Marty. We just need to talk to him�reassure him that he can leave that safe spot he�s set up for himself,� Dr. Parrish replied, his tone retaining the placidness that he was certain Joey needed to hear in order to draw him out of his deep shock.
�Help me with this, would you?� the doctor asked Marty, shaking out the thick blanket over the gurney. Moments later, a thick layer of covers had been laid out over Joey.
�Whatever happened out there to Joey had to be pretty bad,� Jerry said, walking back over to the group. In his hand was a prepared syringe. �Everytime we�ve had to deal with him, he always seemed so calm and together.�
�Yes�it was bad for all of them,� Dr. Parrish said solemnly, not wanting to even imagine what the group had endured�may still have to endure the longer it took for the rescue parties to locate Lance.
�One of the sheriffs told me what happened to him,� Marty said, gesturing toward Joey while moving to the opposite side of the gurney.
�Billy Mark said that they had to pull John�s body off of him�John had been using him as some sort of human shield. When they had put their lights on them, Charlie had just gone down�John grabbed this one off the ground and held a gun to him. Then, Steven tried to get away�and�� the paramedic�s voice fell away. He was still finding it hard to wrap his mind around what had taken place at the ranch.
�We�re going to be dealing with more than just physical injuries while he and the others recovery,� Dr. Parrish said quietly, making room for yet another paramedic and a sheriff�s deputy who had been waved into the area. �These boys are going to have a long road ahead of them in getting over this.�
�Yeah�let�s just hope that Mr. Bass is found soon. I don�t think they would be able to recover from that kind of loss,� one of the paramedics added. In response the others remained quiet as they continued their examination of Joey.
�Now�I need for all of you to stand back for a moment. We don�t want to overwhelm him when he regains awareness,� Dr. Parrish cautioned the group minutes later. �He may become agitated and seeing the lot of you hovering over him might not help the situation.�
Everyone took a few steps back from Joey�s stretcher, giving the doctor plenty of room to maneuver. Carefully, he broke open the small capsule containing the smelling salts before waving it under Joey�s nose.
For a moment or two, there was very little response from the inert figure other than the steady rise and fall of his chest. Patiently, the doctor continued his ministrations until he heard a very low, almost imperceptible moan that slowly grew in volume. As Joey�s groans became stronger, he slowly began moving his head to the right�then to the left, in an effort to avoid the strong, foul odor penetrating his senses. His face contorted�a frown forming when the offensive smell did not immediately go away.
�Nnng�nnn�nnnnoo,� he quietly moaned before coughing as well as reaching up to bat away Dr. Parrish�s hand�his eyelids fluttering rapidly before revealing glazed brown eyes hidden by eyelids that had settled at half-mast.
�Shhh�Joseph? Joseph? Are you with me? It�s Dr. Parrish, son,� the physician said in quiet, reassuring tones as he continued to wave the capsule within inches of Joey�s face in an effort to further bring the young man to more heightened awareness.
Joey slightly started at the voice then squinted at the blurred figure standing over him�not fully comprehending where he was or why or how he had gotten there.
�Nnnn�Doc?� he said, his voice laced with confusion as his eyes finally focused on the doctor�s friendly face above him.
�Shhh, son. Let me do the talking,� Dr. Parrish said with a small smile on his face. He gave Joey a gentle pat on the shoulder.
It was also then that Joey began to feel pain�excruciating, mind numbing pain coming from, what seemed like, absolutely every part of his body. His features once again contorted and he moaned as wave after wave of fresh pain assaulted him.
�Hurts�� he said, his voice thick and slightly slurred�his tongue not wanting to cooperate.
�Where, son. Tell me where it hurts,� the doctor urged him, glancing at those still standing nearby�giving them a look that told them to be ready.
�Head�chest�� Joey said, raising his hands to his face. Just as he had his hands within inches of his gaze, he noticed for the first time the deep, raw and bloody impressions that the ropes had left upon his wrists. It was at that point that the memories of the evening came crashing down upon him causing him to temporarily push his pain to the side so that panic could take hold.
�No�no�nonono�get him off�get him off of me,� he cried out hoarsely, the phantom weight of John lying across his legs overwhelming all other thought.
�He�s gone, Joey�you�re safe now. John is gone,� Dr. Parrish said, trying to calm the young man before his emotions and fears grew out of hand. At the same time, Marty joined the doctor on the other side of Joey�s gurney, but his arrival was missed since Joey�s attention was focused solely on ridding himself of the imaginary weight.
Ignoring the doctor and his pain, Joey shoved himself to his elbows, his mind still believing that John�s heavy, lifeless body was sprawled over his legs and he ran a shaking hand over them in an effort to rid himself of the ghost weight while struggling to remain supported on one elbow.
�Get it off�I can feel him�get him off�get him off of me!�
His cries were desperate�his hands trembling as adrenaline rushed through him so fiercely that he was sure that his heart would tear out of his chest. His breaths sounded ragged as his chest heaved in an effort to draw in the air that his body was gradually beginning to beg for.
At the same time, the paramedics and Dr. Parrish watched the equipment monitoring Joey�s heart rate and respirations, their beeps steadily increasing in both frequency as well as volume.
�Let�s replace this,� Dr. Parrish said, reaching out to pull the nasal canula away, which was not an easy task since Joey continued to move his head, struggling to pull away from the doctor�s hands.
Seconds later, with the help of Marty, Joey was now getting some relief�an oxygen mask had been placed over his mouth and nose.
�Get�it�off�get�it�� Joey said, his voice barely muted by the plastic since fear was fueling his movements.
�We need to sedate him�now,� the doctor said as the readings began to breach a critical level, his words barely being heard over Joey�s fearful cries.
In his haze of panic, Joey missed the quick glance that the doctor gave to Jerry, nodding his consent to dispense the Valium. Jerry quickly ran an alcohol swab over a vent in the IV line they had in Joey�s other wrist then administered the medication. Almost immediately, Joey showed a reaction to the drug and hands were there to help him lie back on the stretcher as his senses began to dim�his hands fumbling in their continued attempts to rid his legs of John�s body.
�You�re fine, Joey,� Dr. Parrish said, taking in the still obvious terror on the young man�s features. �He�s not there any more. John�s gone,� he added, realizing what Joey was doing, his hands still wandering, groping sluggishly over his body, as far as he could reach since he no longer had the ability to sit up, much less simply raise his head up far enough to down look at his legs. Gently, the doctor grasped one of those hands while Jerry held the other�both men hoping that their words of encouragement as well as their touch would penetrate the cloud of panic surrounding the young man.
�You�re going to have some X-rays taken, Joey�you�ll be asleep the entire time,� the doctor said quietly, running a hand over Joey�s head, being mindful of the contusions, watching as the young man continued to mouth the word, �no�no�no,� repeatedly.
�When you wake up, you�ll be in a room with the others, Joseph. You�re going to be okay�everyone is okay�it�s okay�it�s okay,� the doctor murmured, watching as Joey�s features slowly relaxed, tears seeping from the corners of his eyes, which were rapidly losing their focus as his eyelids briefly fluttered, before closing altogether.
Just as Joey became limp upon his gurney, those in the room heaved sighs of relief since they had halfway expected the young man to be as agitated and difficult as Chris had been. For a moment or two, the group stood by, watching as Dr. Parrish, with the help of one of the paramedics, rearranged Joey�s pliant form, putting him into a more comfortable position.
Dr. Parrish took in a deep breath, then nodded at the paramedics who were placing another blanket over Joey�s limp body as well as making sure that the bag of saline attached to his IV line was moved to a new pole on the stretcher, giving them the ability to become mobile.
�Hey, doc? We�ve got some pictures of Chasez�s knee that you need to look at,� Mike said, walking up with a set of x-rays in his hand.
�Okay�tell David I want a full series on his chest and head,� Dr. Parrish said, gesturing toward Joey, his voice slightly strained. �I�m going to get in contact with the sheriff�s department and see what progress has been made on finding Lance Bass then I�m going to work on JC.�
With that said, everyone parted ways, the paramedics pushing Joey�s stretcher through a pair of doors while JC�s x-rays were put up on a lit display for examination.
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Dr. Shannon glanced out at the dark scenery speeding by beneath the helicopter�the county clinic just minutes away. They had been fortunate to catch a good break in the weather so that the helicopter could be utilized.
Ahead in the distance, the blinking lights of a patrol car could be seen guiding the pilot to an empty field. From there, once the helicopter landed, a deputy would rush the doctor to the clinic.
Just minutes earlier, Dr. Shannon had received the latest update from Dr. Parrish. Justin had reached a shallow level of consciousness allowing him to speak authorities, informing them of what little he knew of what happened at the ranch before John and Steven had taken the others away. The doctor had been quite certain that if Justin were not kept lightly sedated, he would be just as hysterical as Chris and Joey had been.
Joey and Chris were still being kept sedated and would remain that way for the next several hours�at least until their families would arrive.
JC had yet to regain consciousness prompting the doctors to consider sending him to Billings. With two heavy blows to the head within the last 72 hours it was uncertain if there were any serious damage. For now, his condition was being monitored under the premise that if he did not show any improvement within the next 24 to 36 hours, he would be transferred.
Finally, and most disturbing to the doctor was the fact that Lance had yet to be found. There was a collection of authorities currently searching the far pastures, the weather having let up enough for them to better concentrate their efforts.
�Almost there, doc.� The pilot�s voice cut through Dr. Shannon�s thoughts and he simply nodded his head while breathing a quiet prayer for all those involved.