So�This Is Montana Ch. 6
About an hour after Harvey Benson left to call Johnny Wright, he returned to the clinic with news. He joined Dr. Parrish and Dr. Granger at the far corner of the large treatment room to inform them of what he and the group�s manager had spoken about.
�Their manager wants to speak to one of you before a final decision is made about how to get the boys back to Orlando. Right now there are two options.� He clicked them off on his hand as he spoke. �One, they could fly home as soon as possible. Two, one of their tour buses could be sent here in a little less than 48 hours to pick them up and take them home. With both options, Mr. Wright said that he would be sending the boy�s personal physician to accompany them home. It�s just up to you to decide what you want him to do.�
Harvey took the cup of coffee that was being offered to him by Dr. Parrish�s wife, Maye.
�Thanks Maye.� Harvey watched as Dr. Parrish and Dr. Granger seemed to be considering what had been said.
Dr. Parrish took a deep breath, his jaw muscles working as he considered what Harvey had just told him.
�I don�t think a plane ride would be that bad for the boys. They would be home much sooner than on the bus, but the bus would provide them with more privacy.�
�Mr. Wright said that the plane would be a privately chartered plane, so there would be no need to worry about the lack of privacy.�
�What do you think David?� Ralph asked before taking a sip of coffee.
�I agree with you about the plane ride. The bus might be more comfortable as far as them being able to lay out fully on bunks, but I think they would be better off getting home sooner than later.�
Dr. Parrish nodded his head in agreement. �We�ll just make sure that they are made comfortable for the trip.�
�Sounds like a plan,� agreed David.
�Do you have Mr. Wright�s phone number handy Harvey?�
�Yeah.� Harvey reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small white business card before handing it over to Ralph.
�David�would you mind checking on everyone while I�m on the phone. It�s about time to give Chris another morphine push.�
�No problem,� David said as he finished his cup of coffee.
�Mind some company?�
David shook his head no at Harvey and put an arm around the old man�s shoulders. �Boy, this has been an interesting night.�
�That it has�that it has,� Harvey answered as he looked at his watch. �Well, boys�got chores waiting for me. Keep me updated and I�ll try to make it back up here later in the evening.
�No problem Harvey. See you later,� Dr. Granger said before he made his way over to Chris�s bedside.
Dr. Parrish looked at the card and quickly punched the numbers on the phone. The other end of the line range two times before there was an answer.
�Johnny Wright.�
�Mr. Wright, this is Dr. Ralph Parrish at County Clinic in Sand Springs, Montana.�
�Hello Dr. Parrish. Thank you for calling back so quickly. It was quite a shock to get the phone call from Mr. Benson about the boys� accident.�
�I�m sure it was.�
�How are they doing? Mr. Benson told me a little about their conditions, but��
�They�re all resting just fine. Let me start with the most minor and move up from there.�
�Okay.�
�JC apparently was asleep in the very back of the suburban and unbuckled when the accident occured. He did not awaken until after the paramedics had arrived and then only for a brief amount of time. He and the others were brought in at about 11 pm last night and he did not regain consciousness until about 5 hours later. He has a slight concussion and is pretty bruised, but other than that, he�s doing fine.�
�That�s good. Who�s next?�
�That would be Justin. He was also asleep right up to the vehicle�s impact with the tree. He said that he heard one of the others yell a warning before he blacked out. He has a slight concussion, a laceration on the right arm that required about 15 stitches to close and he has numerous bruises.�
�Okay.�
�Chris is next. He has a mild concussion with a laceration on his left arm that required 20 stitches to close up and some bruised ribs from his seatbelt. He woke up shortly after midnight and has been drifting in and out due to the morphine that we�ve had to administer for the pain.�
�He doesn�t do too well with pain,� murmured Johnny as he finished jotting down the list of injuries that the doctor was listing. He was going to need the notes with the phone calls he would be making to family members in the next few hours.
�Next is Joey. His concussion is borderline minor to moderate. He took a pretty good lick to the head and has massive bruising across his forehead. We think Lance�s arm hit him when his airbag deployed.�
�How did you figure that?� asked Johnny in slight disbelief.
�Lance has a broken right arm. It made sense that the arm made contact with Joey�s head. We had seen it happen in the past. Believe me, your body will do pretty much what it wants to during a collision,� Dr. Parrish explained. From the other end of the line, he heard a chortle. �Joey and his hard head again.�
�I believe that�s the second time that I�ve heard that tonight.� Johnny could tell that the doctor had a smile on his face with that statement. His voice seemed light for a brief moment before he returned to the matters at hand.
�Back to Joey. He also has some bruising across his chest from his seatbelt and some minor chemical burns from the airbag�s deployment. He also took 20 stitches in his right arm and has a moderate sprain in his left wrist. He was the first to awaken and he gave us Harvey Benson�s name before going back out on us.�
�Has he been awake since then?�
�No Mr. Wright. Not yet. I suspect that he�ll be coming around in the next hour or so though. He�s showing some signs of reawakening. We just need to be patient.�
�Well, I guess we�re just left with Lance. I take it he had the more severe injuries of the group?� Johnny�s voice had a hint of sadness in his voice. He had been so excited for the young man when he had heard of Lance�s sound investment in the ranch. It really hadn�t surprised him in the least. Lance had spoken on many occasions of the desire to find a place in the country to get away from it all. It was just too bad that an accident had to ruin the excitement for him and the rest of the group.
�Yeah�he got the short end of the stick. He has a moderate concussion. He must have hit the doorframe when the vehicle impacted the tree. He has some chemical burns across his arms and chest from the airbag along with some bruising across his chest. He needed about 20 stitches in his left arm and his right forearm is broken. He woke up about an hour ago for the first time and went into shock and passed out again.�
�Let me guess�blamed himself for the whole thing,� said Johnny with a heavy sigh.
�Yeah. I take it this has happened before,� replied the doctor.
�Yes. About a year ago when JC had an accident and about 2 years ago when Joey was going through a hard time. He�s a sensitive and caring person who is sometimes just too tenderhearted for his own good.�
�Hmmm, that kind of information will help,� said Dr. Parrish.
Moments later, Johnny interrupted his thoughts. �I guess this is where you tell me what means of returning the boys home would be most comfortable for them.�
�Oh, yes. Well, Dr. Granger and I discussed the options that you proposed to Harvey Benson and we both agreed that a plane trip would probably be the best for them. We would make sure that they would be made comfortable for the trip, pain wise.�
�Good. I�d like to set the trip home up for later this evening if that�s possible. What do you think?�
The doctor mulled over the list of injuries that the group of young men had before answering.
�Can you make it as late as 9:00 or 10:00 tonight? That will be right at 24 hours since their accident.�
�Sounds good. I�ll make the necessary phone calls and I�ll get back with you later in the morning.� Johnny quickly began turning is desktop rolodex, plucking cards from it as he spoke to the doctor. �Probably before noon. I�ll have their physician give you a call so that you can clue him in on how the guys are doing.�
�I�d appreciate that�thanks.� At that moment, Dr. Parrish looked up to see that Dr. Granger was standing beside Joey�s bed, motioning for him to come over.
�Listen, Mr. Wright, I need to go. Dr. Granger is calling me over to check on one of the young men. Have their physician give me a call.� Dr. Parrish stood up from his chair to better see what was going on. Johnny�s stomach dropped at the serious tone in the doctor�s voice.
�Anything serious?� he asked, hoping that nothing was going on at all.
�Not sure�.it was nice talking with you�good-bye.� Dr. Parrish did not hear Johnny�s good-bye. He had quickly hung up the phone and trotted across the room.
�What�s up David,� he asked as he looked down at Joey and saw his face contorted in pain.
�I think we might want to take him back to x-ray again.� David pulled Joey�s sheets down and lifted his gown to reveal the massive bruise that crossed his chest from his right shoulder to his left hip.
�What are you thinking?� Dr. Parrish deftly began placing his left hand on the bruising, pushing to check for grating. He had to grab at one of Joey�s hands, as did Dr. Granger, as he continued with his exam. Beads of sweat broke out across Joey�s forehead and he began to moan in pain as the exam was completed.
�Maybe there is a crack in there that we missed or developed into something more with his movements.� Dr. Granger watched as Joey�s eyes began to open.
�Joey�Joey. I need you to tell me where it hurts,� David said as he placed a hand on Joey�s face, turning it so that they could look at each other.
Joey licked his lips. My chest�it didn�t really hurt that bad before�it�s worse�� his voice trailed off as another wave of pain hit, causing him to moan louder.
�Let�s get him in there. We need to be ready to send him to Billings if necessary,� said Dr. Parrish as they quickly began prepare the bed to roll it down the hallway into their small x-ray room. �Have Maye call Jerry Price and Grady Price for a possible trip to Billings.�
Dr. Granger quickly left the bedside and crossed the room to Maye who was standing by Chris�s bed.
�Maye, can I talk to you for a moment?� Chris opened his eyes and saw the concern on the doctor�s face before he turned and walked away with the older woman. In hushed tones David spoke with Maye Parrish. �We need you to call Jerry Price and Grady Simpson for possible transport.�
�For Mr. Fatone?� she asked.
David nodded his head yes then explained the situation before trotting back across the room to help Dr. Parrish roll Joey�s bed out of the room.
�What�s going on?� Chris asked as Maye turned back around.
She walked back over to Chris�s side and placed her hand over his. She debated telling the young man, but saw that it would be best to go ahead and tell them.
�Joey may be more injured than what was first expected. We may need to transport him to Billings for further treatment.�
Chris brought his free hand up to wipe at the tears that were threatening to fall.
�This was supposed to be a fun time�� he said as he lost his battle with his tears, allowing them to flow freely down his cheeks. Maye gave his arm a gentle pat before leaving to make the necessary phone calls.