"A First Time for Everything"

Chapter Four

Gage had no notion as to what he would see when he descended into the abyss, but the fireman certainly never figured he'd find their victim alert—and smiling.

Not with a ton of concrete resting upon his pinned hips!

The trapped man saw his rescuer's rather astonished expression. "I know the situation appears very...grave," he casually confessed, his smile broadening into a grin, "but I don't think I'm really hurt. At least, I don't feel any pain. Maybe I'm just in shock?" he suddenly realized, and sobered—considerably. "Darryl Hanson," he announced, and offered the fireman a free hand.

"John Gage," the paramedic introduced. He took and shook his victim's hand, and then immediately produced a penlight, so he could begin his initial patient survey.

Topside, the paramedic's partner dropped their gear, and himself, onto the ground beside the grave.

Roy opened their bio-phone's case. He inserted the radio's call stick and then peered into the hole. "What do we got, Johnny?"

Johnny finished scribbling his victim's initial evaluation down. "I'll be right back," he promised Hanson.

Gage popped up out of the pit to pass his findings on to his partner. He squinted, as his eyes adjusted from the dimness back to bright daylight. "The patient is conscious and coherent. The vault landed on his hips. Possible pelvic fractures. " He exchanged the note in his hand for his fireplace shovel and a couple of equipment cases. "About a foot of loose dirt got knocked into the hole with him, and he happens to be lyin' on it, but I don't dare do any digging until we get the IV's established."

Roy immediately realized the implications of his partner's statements, and smiled his approval of the proposed plan of action.

John ducked back under the burial vault to start taking their victim's vitals.

"Is Darryl still alive?" somebody breathlessly inquired.

DeSoto glanced back over his shoulder and nodded to a big, burly, distraught-looking dude in blue coveralls. "This is County 51. Come in, Rampart..."

"The vault busted one of the hydraulic hoses when it swung around," Darryl's coworker explained. "I couldn't get the blasted thing off of him! Another boom truck is on the way."

"Lucky for Darryl the hose did break," Roy informed the frantic fellow. "He may have massive internal injuries. If you had lifted the vault off of him, he could have bled out in just a matter of minutes. The weight is applying pressure to his damaged blood vess—"

"Rampart Base...Unit calling in, please repeat..."

"Rampart," Roy acknowledged, and redirected all of his attention back to their bio-phone, "Squad 51. We have a male victim..."

By the time Engine 51's crew got to the graveyard, Squad 51's paramedics had their patient packaged and ready to transport.

Hank Stanley and his men stared at all the uniformed, rifle-toting troops that were standing around, and then down at the man in the M.A.S.T. trousers, as he and his stretcher were lifted into the back of a waiting ambulance.

A dirt-covered John Gage grabbed some essential equipment cases and accompanied their now unconscious patient.

DeSoto closed the vehicle's back doors and then slapped them a couple of times.

Its driver heard the 'all clear' signal and pulled away, with his lights flashing but his siren respectfully silenced.

Roy heaved a brief sigh of relief and turned to face his colleagues.

"What happened here?" his Captain inquired.

"A cable slipped and a guy got knocked into a grave," DeSoto explained as he began gathering their remaining rescue gear. "Then a ton of concrete and steel landed on top of him."

The firemen eyeballed the up-ended burial vault for a few moments and then exchanged amazed glances.

Chet Kelly saw the puddle of hydraulic oil...and the busted line on the truck's boom. "What'd you guys use to lift it off of him?"

"We didn't need to lift the vault," Roy informed him. "We lowered the victim," he added, and held up his partner's preferred tool for close-quarter extrications—a short-handled fireplace shovel, meant for scooping up ashes. "The Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps also assisted with the rescue," he calmly continued, and motioned to four uniformed fellows still standing beside the grave, leaning on some shovels.

Marco Lopez looked up from the vault and voiced his amazement. "That thing landed on top of him…and he lived?"

DeSoto nodded. "Not only did he live, Johnny claims he was cracking jokes the whole time—clear up to the moment he passed out!"

The firemen looked even more amazed.

Kelly glanced up from the grave. "His name wouldn't happen to be Lazarus, would it?"

"If it wasn't, it is no-ow..." Mike Stoker contributed.

The looks on his friends' faces turned from amazement…to amusement.

The End—er, R.I.P