Headaches by Icecat62 “Roy, can you hand me that ratchet?” Roy DeSoto picked up the tool from the pile on the floor and sighed as he placed it in Gage’s outstretched hand. “Are you almost done? What if we get a call?” Gage replied in an irritated voice. “Relax, I’m almost finished.” “You should have waited and called Charlie.” “Charlie’d get po’d if we called him over here to do something this simple. Besides…I’m saving him a ton of trouble.” Gage tightened the bolt and smiled. He was done. Roy was such a worrywart sometimes that it was a wonder the man had any hair left on his head. He rolled his eyes as Roy replied to him in his best ‘dads’ voice. “Well I think we should have called him. We shouldn't’t be doing major repairs like this during the shift.” “Look Roy…” The tones went off and Gage automatically jerked upward, smacking his head against the undercarriage of the squad. He flopped back on the trolley, biting back curses and complaints of the pain. His vision fuzzed out and grew black for a second. Blinking his eyes a few times, he took a deep breath before pushing the trolley out from under the squad. Standing, he blinked rapidly as his vision began to dim again. Grabbing the side of the squad to steady himself, he kicked the trolley across the bay to get it out of the way. Grabbing the door handle of the squad, he jerked it open. Settling in the passenger seat, he was relieved to see that Roy had missed what had happened as he had gone to reply to the call. He knew Roy well enough to know that if his partner had known what had happened, he’d stand down the squad and insist that they drive over to Rampart so he could be checked out. Roy’s mother hen instincts would kick in so fast and he’d be on his back getting a skull series for a minor bump on the head instead of answering the call. Placing his helmet on, he strapped it tightly in place, grimacing at the feel of the slow throb of a headache that was beginning behind his eyes. Great. He hadn’t hit his head that hard to deserve a migraine. As Roy climbed into the cab, he took the slip of paper from him, frowning as the words blurred and swam, then finally came into focus. Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he glanced out the passenger window and watched as the remainder of the crew boarded the engine. He tried to ignore the pain. Why in the heck did stuff like this happen to him all the time? “You did finish fixing it didn’t you?” “Uh yeah…I was done when the tones went off.” Looking back at the note in his hands, he directed Roy to their destination. His vision blurred again. As a wave of dizziness hit him, he grabbed at the window frame of the door in an attempt to steady himself. The quick movement wasn’ t lost on Roy. “Johnny…you okay?” Taking a deep breath, Gage tried to center himself as the pain beat a rhythm in his head. “I’m fine.” He pointed ahead of them, trying to deflect Roy’s concern. “Turn right at the light.” He could feel Roy’s eyes on him and chose to ignore it. Maybe after they were done with this run, he’d have Brackett or Early check him out just to be on the safe side. Pulling up to the scene, he grit his teeth as he hopped out of the cab and went about getting his gear from the squad. The fire looked bad and to make matters worse, he knew he and Roy would be going into the burning structure. The moment they had arrived, a security guard had rushed over to Roy and was pulling frantically at his arm as he shouted and gestured at the building. Shouldering the air tank on his back, he placed the mask on his face and readjusted the strap of his helmet, wincing at the pressure it put on his already throbbing head. A hand tugged at his arm. Looking up, he noticed Roy giving him a funny look before speaking. “There’s a man missing. The security guard said he might be somewhere in the back office of the building. We’ve got to make it a quick one.” He stared at Roy’s lips, wondering why he was mumbling. Taking a deep breath, he nodded absently, acknowledging Roy even though he had no idea what he had just said. Cap walked up to them and Roy informed him of what he was told. With a nod of assent from Cap, Roy turned and began jogging toward the building. Gage remained rooted to where he stood for a moment before he realized he had better follow him. Sprinting to catch up to him, he tapped Roy on the arm as they entered the building and raised his voice as he spoke. “Where and how many?” The look on Roy’s face told him he’d asked the wrong questions. At least there wasn’t any time for him to make him stay back at the squad. Roy held up a finger, his voice managing to sound both worried and perturbed. “One man. Somewhere in the back office.” Gage nodded his head yes, this time actually understanding what Roy has said to him. Like it or not, he’d definitely be paying Rampart a personal visit after this rescue. He followed Roy through the warehouse, the smoke thick, the flames all around them, and the heat was unbearable. He could see an enclosed area with a few windows not too far ahead of them, wishing for the millionth time that warehouse offices were kept separate from the building or at least placed in the front for easy access and escape. Roy turned the knob on the door, shaking his head in irritation. It was locked. Stepping back, he kicked at it, sending the door flying open, the cheap wood splintering. Making their way into the office, they checked every nook and cranny and found nothing. Gage shrugged his shoulders as he looked across the room at Roy, wondering why in the heck they were sent in for nothing. Bringing the handy-talky up to his mouth, Roy depressed the button. “Cap, there’s no one here. Is the guard certain there was someone in here?” He waited for the response, eager to get out of the building. The sweat trailed down his back, soaking his shirt. He brought the HT close to his ear to hear Cap’s response over the roar of the fire. “Clear out now! They checked the time clock. The guard made a mistake. No one’s back there.” “10-4 Cap!” He waved a hand at Gage, who stood staring in fascination at the flames that had engulfed the warehouse contents. Fire was deadly, but it was beautiful to watch, almost like a living being the way it moved and rolled, the smoke making patterns that weaved and changed with every second. When Gage didn’t move, Roy crossed the room and grabbed him by the upper arm, pulling him forward and out into the warehouse. He was relieved when Gage didn’t fight him and only ran by his side. Exiting the warehouse, Gage squinted at the bright light of the sun as it hit his eyes, the pain shooting through his head, making him feel sick to his stomach. He jogged to the squad and methodically began removing the SCUBA gear, all the while knowing that Roy was going to be giving him the once over. As soon as he closed the compartment door of the squad, he turned and found Roy staring at him, his expression miffed. Glancing downward, he saw the penlight in his hand. Roy pointed at the running board of the squad. “Sit.” There wasn’t any point in arguing with him. As much as he wanted to deny he wasn’t hurt, the pain in his head and the nausea in his stomach told him he’d be a fool to try and talk his way out of being examined. Sitting down, he flinched when Roy flicked the light in his eyes. Roy looked at him, his lips thinning as he bit down a retort. Rubbing the back of his neck, Gage sighed. “I hit my head on the squad when the tones went off. I didn’t think it was that bad.” Roy rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to cuff Gage on the head. “Symptoms?” Gage sighed as he leaned his head back against the squad and closed his eyes. “Some dizziness, a pounding headache…” He motioned at the penlight. “… and light sensitivity.” Roy crossed his arms and stared at him in silence. Gage opened his eyes and found his partner looking at him, expecting more. “Uh…I kinda’ had a problem hearing you once.” “And?” “I don’t know. I guess maybe…I didn’t pass out…things just got a little fuzzy when I hit my head.” Roy exhaled loudly. “You really are a piece of work.” Gage narrowed his eyes, the anger in him quickly flaring. He pushed up and stood, then stumbled back against the squad as the world spun in a circle around him. Grasping the railing, he bit back the retort that was on his lips. Cap chose that moment to walk over to them, his expression curious. “Anything wrong here?” Gage swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat and kept quiet. Roy gestured at him. “He cracked his head on the squad before we came here. If you don’t need us here I’d like to take him to Rampart to get examined.” Cap looked at Gage and raised an eyebrow. Gage just looked back at him calmly like nothing was the matter. “Okay Roy, you take him in and let me know how he is.” Gage gave them a small wave, his voice slightly sarcastic. “Hello…I’m right here.” Cap frowned and pointed at Gage. “And when you come back to the station, you and I will have a little chat. Do I make myself clear?” Gage resisted the urge to sigh, knowing it would only make matters worse. “Yes Cap.” Cap shook his head and walked away from them muttering under his breath. “Kids. They’re worse than my freaking kids.” Roy gave Gage a pointed look. “Can you get in the squad without falling over or do you need my help?” Gage shot daggers at him. “I can walk just fine thank you. Geez, you are such a pain sometimes. So I hit my head, it’s no big deal.” Turning away from Roy he walked to the passenger side door, concentrating on staying in a straight line. Grabbing the door handle, he turned to Roy and gave him a smug look before getting in the squad and slamming the door. He grimaced. The sound made his head ache more than it had a second ago. ******* The drive to Rampart was quiet. Roy didn’t badger him, which was a relief. All he wanted to do was down a few painkillers, take a nap and he’d be as good as new. Resting his head against the door frame, he closed his eyes and relaxed, letting the warm breeze that blew in the window lull him to sleep. Just as he was nodding off, Roy tapped him on the arm. “No sleeping until they say you’re okay.” Giving Roy an irritated look, Gage rubbed a hand over his eyes. He was starting to think that maybe he wasn’t going to be going back to the station after they examined him. Mentally running over his symptoms, he tried to place himself as the paramedic and the victim at the same time. What would his diagnosis be? He came to the conclusion and sighed. He really wasn’t in the mood for an overnight stay. Closing his eyes again, he spoke out loud the results of his self- examination. “I think I might have a slight concussion.” Roy gave Gage a sideways glance and snorted. “You think?” Gage opened his eyes and peered at Roy. “Okay…I ‘know’ I have a concussion. You happy?” Roy gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “You should have told me you hit your head. You had no business going into that fire. You’re damn lucky it wasn’t something really involved or you…” Gage cut him off. “Okay, okay, you’ve made your point! Look…how many times have you clocked yourself on the head and kept going? I didn’t think it was that bad when I did it and I was going to get checked out after the run.” Roy gave him a doubting look. “I was! Geez, you think I’d ignore something if it were really bad?” Roy gave him another look and Gage glared at him. “Whatever. I was gonna’ get checked out and that’s that.” ******* By the time they parked the squad and walked into Rampart, Gage’s head felt like it was going to explode. He couldn’t wait to get his exam over with so he could get some relief from the pain. Who would have thought that getting hit in the head like he did would have caused so much trouble? Walking up to the nurse’s station, Dixie greeted them with a smile. “Well if it isn’t two of my favorite paramedics. What brings you guys here?” Roy hooked a thumb at Gage. “Mister mechanic here hit his head on the undercarriage of the squad.” Gage glared at Roy. “I fixed it didn’t I?” Roy just looked back at him in silence, then turned his attention back to Dixie. “I think he may have a concussion. If one of the doctors are available, do you think they could check him over just to be safe?” Dixie gave Gage a look that he’d seen before. The look of a mother that wanted to give her child a talking to, but wouldn’ t because she knew he was hurting. “I’ll see what I can do. I think Joe’s somewhere around here. Just wait a sec and I’ll be right back.” Gage fixed Roy with another glare. “I ‘did’ fix the squad ya’ know. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have been able to go on that call.” “If you would have let me call Charlie in the first place, we wouldn’t be here.” Gage’s voice rose in irritation. “You’re just like a woman. There’s no pleasing you.” A throat cleared itself at his elbow. He cringed at who he knew he would find as he turned. “Uh…hi Dix.” Her expression was dour and her voice bland. “Joe will see you in treatment room one.” She turned and began walking toward the exam room. Gage shot a quick look at Roy. “See what you just made me do. Now Dixie’s mad at me!” He turned and made his way down the hall followed by Roy. “Made you? I didn’t make you do anything!” Gage ignored him. Walking up to the door that Dixie held open, he gave her a pleading look. “Dix, I didn’t mean you when I said that. You’re easy to please.” She stared blankly at him. He swallowed nervously, knowing he’d dug himself deeper. “Aw come on, you know I don’t mean you're easy to please that way.” Her eyebrows rose at that statement. Gage sighed loudly as he ran a hand over his head and winced. “You know I didn’t mean anything by it.” Roy stood behind him and gave him a small push in the back. “Give up while you’re behind Johnny.” Roy gave Dixie a small smile as he passed her and she smirked back at him. Even when Gage was being irritating, she couldn’t stay mad at him. He had that certain quality about him that made her want to mother him to death. She immediately felt bad when Gage went directly into the room and sat on the exam table without being cajoled or nagged to do so. He really was in pain if he did that. Joe Early gave Gage a smile. “So Dixie said you hit your head. How’d you do it and what are your symptoms?” Gage gave a tired sigh. He just wanted to get this over with and be left alone. “I was working on the squad…” He gave Roy a pointed look. “…which I fixed. The tones went off, I jumped up and smacked my head on the squad. I’ve been dizzy, nauseous and I have a pounding headache. And my eyes are sensitive to light. I think it’s a mild concussion. Can I have some pain killers?” Joe smiled. “Well Doctor Gage, I don’t think you needed to see me. Dixie, you should have just given him some meds and sent him on his way.” Dixie rolled her eyes. Gage frowned. He wasn’t doing anything right today. “Look…I’m sorry, but you did ask.” “That I did.” Joe stepped forward and reached up to feel Gage’s head. “Tell me if it hurts.” As Joe placed pressure just above his hairline, he pulled back quickly, hissing in pain. Joe smiled. “I guess that’s where you cracked your noggin.” Gage winced as he touched the tender spot. Joe continued smiling as he took out a small pen light from his lab coat. “This will probably cause a little discomfort. You know the drill.” Gage sighed and resisted the urge to pull away as Early flashed the light in one eye and then the next. He couldn’t help flinching as the light stabbed pain in his head. Joe’s easy smile turned into a slight frown. Flicking the light into Gage’s right eye again, he stepped back. Taking Gage’s hands in his, he held them in front of him. “Squeeze my hands as hard as you can.” Gage frowned and looked at their lightly clasped hands. He didn’t like where this was going. “I didn’t hit myself that hard.” Early waited patently for Gage to squeeze his hands, his frown never leaving his face as the paramedic finally did as he requested. He gave Gage’s left hand a slight tug. “Squeeze this hand.” “Now the other one.” Gage’s eyes widened slightly as he came to the same conclusion that he knew Early was coming to. His right hand grip was markedly weaker than his left. He let out a nervous breath. “I ‘really’ didn’t think I hit my head all that hard.” Roy looked from Gage to Early. “What’s wrong?” Gage flexed his right fist several times, willing it to tighten as much as the left. It didn’t co-operate. His voice was quiet. “Shit.” Early turned to Dixie. “I’d like a complete skull series and blood gases.” Turning back to Gage, Early gave him a small smile. “It’s nothing to worry about Johnny. I just want to make sure you’re okay. From what you described, I don’t see this as being a serious head injury. You didn’t say you lost consciousness.” “No…I just kinda’ fuzzed out for a few seconds. You know…I saw stars. It really hurt like a bit…” His voice trailed off and he gave Dixie an embarrassed smile. “Sorry Dix. It hurt like heck, but no…I never lost consciousness.” Early wrote something down on a pad. “Well no matter what, I’d like you to stay overnight for observation.” Gage sighed. “I thought that’s what would happen.” ******* He lay on the table staring at the ceiling above him, his hands clasped on his chest. Roy had left over two hours ago and he'd been wheeled into x-ray, and had his blood drawn before they brought him back to what he referred to as the room of boredom to wait for Early to bring back the results. Normally Joe would have waited a few minutes for the x-rays to be developed and read them right there, but it was just his luck that the emergency room had an influx of patients. He began flexing his hand again in time with the ticking of the clock on the wall. His grip didn't seem as weak as it had been earlier, but it still wasn't as strong as the left hand. His head still pounded in rhythm with his heartbeat. Just like his grip, it didn't hurt as much as before, but that could be because he wasn't exerting himself in any way. Sighing, he resisted the urge to get up and find someone who would give him his results so he could either go home or get settled into his room at Rampart. It really pissed him off to be stuck doing nothing over something as stupid as hitting his head on the squad. The sound of footsteps approaching made him breath a sigh of relief. Now he'd get some answers. Joe Early gave him a small smile as he came to stand next to his gurney. "I hope you haven't been too bored waiting for me." Gage gave him a small grin. "Nah, I love laying around doing nothing." Joe snorted a small laugh. They both knew he didn't like standing still for more than a few minutes before he'd fidget and want to do something. Early held the x-rays slightly above his head and waved them a little.  He clicked the light on the illuminator and snapped the x-rays into place as Gage sat up to get a better view of them. Early pointed at the place on the x-ray where Gage hit his head. "Here's where you made contact with the squad." Gage squinted trying to see if there was anything on the x-rays to cause him any worry. He didn't see anything. "I don't see anything." Early pointed again, drawing his finger along one of the x-rays. "I went over this one again and again. It's not a hairline fracture, but with the weakness in your right hand, I'd like to keep you overnight for observation." Gage frowned. "If it's not a fracture, then how come you keep checking that one x-ray?" Early shrugged. "This one has a slight shadow. It's not a fracture, but you do have a mild concussion. I just want to play it safe. Is there anything wrong with that?" Gage looked at the x-ray then back at Early. The man knew what he was doing and he'd read a million x-rays. If he said he didn't like the looks of something, even if it wasn't anything, then he'd have to keep his mouth shut. "Nope, no problems here." Early smiled. "Good. You'll stay the night and everyone wins." Gage frowned. Everyone didn't win. He was stuck at Rampart. Again. ******* So he'd been checked in, checked over, poked and prodded during the night and now it was morning. As he'd opened his eyes, he found his headache had faded to almost nothing. He closed his hands into fists and flexed them over and over again, pleased to find that the weakness in his right hand was gone. The door to his room opened and Early walked in, his eyes fixed on Gage's fisted hands. "Any weakness in your hand?" Gage smiled. "Nope. No weakness, headaches almost gone, and the light doesn't hurt my eyes." He reached up and felt the bump on his forehead, grimacing slightly. "My head's a little tender, that's about it." Early grabbed his chart and wrote a few notes down. Taking his penlight from his jacket, he gave Gage a quick exam. He smiled at the results. "Everything looks fine. I think we can let you go as soon as the paperwork is processed." "That's it?" "Yes, that's it. Like I said, I wanted you in for observation. You can never be too careful when it comes to head injuries. Even minor ones. From now on if you hit your head and see 'stars', don't wait to come in after a run, do it beforehand. Okay?" Gage bit back the retort that he had planned on coming in right after the run and he knew he hadn't hurt himself that bad. Sometimes it wasn't worth arguing over petty things when it meant he could leave the hospital. "You got it doc. If I ever hit my head again while fixing the squad, I'll come in right away." Early gave him a pointed look letting Gage knew he'd pushed just the right button. "I mean it Johnny." Gage smiled brightly back at him. "I know, I know. I'll come in after any hit on the head. How's that?" "That's perfect." ******* So now he was reclined on the sofa watching the afternoon soaps while eating potato chips. He'd been lucky enough to not have anything seriously wrong with him over something as stupid as a hit in the head. It could have been worse. Much worse. With a mental shrug, he pushed away the negative thoughts. He'd be back on the next shift and things would be back to normal. At least after Roy nagged him for a day or two about letting him know when he was hurt. And Cap reaming him over it. And Chet making sarcastic remarks about him getting hurt in such a stupid way. He stopped chewing the chips in his mouth. Maybe he wasn't so lucky after all to be going back to work so soon. END Feedback for Icecat62 return to main page