Any Other Day

Johnny's Unfortunate Illness

John Gage laid shivering in a treatment room at the ER of Rampart General Hospital. If he were being quite honest, he really didn't want to be there, a fact that he'd let Roy, under no uncertain terms, know. Even so, the senior paramedic had refused to drop it, all but forcing him to unfortunately give in. John really hated to admit that part of him knew Roy was right and that he needed to be seen by someone with more medical experience than he possessed. It didn't make him any less grumpy with the current situation however.

All John really wanted was to just go home, back to the warm confines of his bed, and let the fatigue pull him back into the comforting realm of sleep. The very same fatigue which had plagued him for the last week, the fatigue which never seemed to truly let up no matter how much he slept. John was but the poor, helpless victim and the fatigue his master. Ultimately it was in control of his life now, and tough beans if he didn't care for the new arrangement.

He didn't care for it, either. Not only had it deprived him of being able to do the job he loved, but also it robbed him of the basic feeling of being a functional human. Simple things that everyone takes for granted, like just being able to take a shower without nearly passing out or being able to stay awake long enough to watch TV, were now things of the past.

If that wasn't all, fatigue had also invited it's friends, fever and malaise and as far as John was concerned they were all unwelcome guests. As if it wasn't bad enough being too exhausted to get out of bed everyday, the fever made sure he was as good and uncomfortable as possible. No matter what John did, the fever remained stubborn and clung to him like a literal wet blanket, leaving him feeling like he was out in the Arctic. Naked.

Sure, there was the occasional reprieve, a temporary end to the pointless suffering, but it wasn't good enough. It was only when he was asleep or shortly after taking a fever reducer, did he feel any type of relief but even taking them had its own cost. The price for a few good hours of feeling slightly better was that he'd have to endure the horrible chills as the medicine wore off and his temperature resumed its upward climb once more. John almost wondered if it was worth it.

Speaking of chills, why couldn't someone provide him with a blanket? John was sure he was at ice cube status by now. Well, maybe when he froze to death someone could at least find a purpose for him which was more than he had currently. Maybe he'd just ask Dixie or Dr. Brackett again when they came back.

Where was Dr. Brackett with the results of his blood test anyway? It felt like an eternity since he'd had to submit himself to that cruel and unusual punishment, but to be fair he'd never been much a fan of needles. Sure, John had no problem using them on others, but when it came to having them used on himself? It was a much different matter.

He'd had to use one on himself once when he'd been bitten by the rattlesnake though but that was only because the fear of dying had overshadowed the fear of a puny needle. Really, you'd be surprised at what you can overcome with the very real prospect of death looming over you. Speaking of death, that's exactly how he felt currently. Why did these things always seem to happen to him?

Seriously, when something bad happened why was it usually to him? As if it wasn't hard enough being a firefighter/paramedic, some higher power had seemingly deemed him as an unfortunate target for all of their anger. It was injury after injury, ailment after ailment and it wasn't fair. John had always known his job was dangerous but this was ridiculous. How many times could one person be put through the ringer?

Too many, apparently, and his conclusion made him feel sick. Or maybe that was just the illness he'd been unfortunate enough to contract, it was hard to tell. Also, where had Roy gone? He was the entire reason he was currently suffering on this examination table after all, so why wasn't he here?