Home » The Archives » Chapter 9 » Regrouping and Recouperation
| Re: Regrouping and Recouperation [message #130 is a reply to message #129] |
Sun, 22 July 2012 19:04   |
artisticrainey
Messages: 1228
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
Karma:
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Field Commander
Switzerland |
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Monday, August 6, 6 PM, L.A. (7 PM same day, Kansas; 1 PM, Tuesday August 7, Tracy Island)
"There's something on televid that we should watch this evening." Jeff turned on the televid in Dianne's room.
"Oh?" Dianne gave him a puzzled look. She still wore the oxygen cannula, and there were monitors keeping track of her blood oxygen levels. She was still breathing shallowly, to take a deep breath hurt too much. An IV still pumped fluids into her as eating was also difficult. It was also set up for pain relievers and for antibiotics to stave off infection. One leg was propped up on a pillow, uncovered except by the wide bandage that encircled the calf. The hospital gown covered the bruising along her shoulders and abdomen. And she wore a soft cervical collar, a result of the whiplash she had sustained.
"Yes. It seems that Ned Cook is doing his IR retrospective early this year, and has set up his circus tent outside the hospital." Jeff surfed until he found the appropriate station, then settled down in a chair next to her, lowering the bed rail so he could take her hand. The door was locked; anyone who wanted entrance would have to knock at the very least.
She smiled slightly and squeezed his hand gently. "Hm. Circus tent. You're not usually so cynical."
"It's not usually like a circus." He ran a hand over his face, and grimaced as his hand encountered the beard. I cannot wait until I can get rid of this! I will never, ever grow one of these things!
"I don't understand," she said, looking puzzled again.
"You'll see." Jeff lowered the lights with a remote. "I asked Drew to have Maggie to record this for us, just in case the team had to go out. Then they'd be able to see it all."
"Okay," Dianne said softly. She raised the head of the bed a touch more so she could better see the machine. The show's trademark music started, the show began, and her eyes opened wide in amazement. "Oh, my word." Turning to her husband, she said, "Jeff, just look. All those people."
He glanced back at her. "I know, love. I know."
Ned Cook was sitting in a director's chair, under the light shade of his outdoor studio. Behind him, the California sun shone brightly on with a familiar looking building. "This is Ned Cook," he said, "reporting from Mercy General Hospital in Los Angeles, and welcome to International Rescue -- The Year's Amazing Rescues." He gestured to his backdrop. "I'm sure many of you are wondering why I've chosen to do this show here instead of in the studio as I usually do. And why I've chosen to do it now, instead of nearer to the year's end. It's because of the extraordinary events of the past few days. We'll recap those events as we go along, but first, let's look back to the early portion of this year and the scenarios that International Rescue found itself involved in."
"In mid-January, International Rescue was called out to aid a Chinese tourist sub that got caught in the kelp fields off the coast of Japan. Here's Hsin Yu with a report on that rescue."
The picture segued into a pre-recorded portion. A Chinese man, wearing a light jacket and with his dark hair ruffling in the breeze, stood on a pier, next to a long submarine with large portholes studded in the sides. The man's name appeared in the lower right corner with a blue line running from it to the opposite side. When the man's name disappeared, he began to speak.
"The vessel beside me is the Manchuria, one of the tourist submarines that visit the scenic undersea vistas off the coast of China, moving north in international waters to view the myriad creatures of the deep. But on Friday, January 13, 2068, the tourists on the Manchuria got more excitement than they bargained for."
The view switched to a sharp-looking young man in a sea captain's uniform. He began speaking in Mandarin, with an English-speaking voice overlying his original words.
"We were following the coast of China, when a malfunction in our guidance computers caused us to veer off course, to the northeast. We tried to reboot the computers, but that was futile. The next thing we knew, we were in the kelp fields. I put the boat on manual control, but before we could get out of the fields, we were caught fast. First the kelp fouled the aft turbines, then it wrapped around the conning tower. We couldn't go forward, and we couldn't go back. We could not go up, and we began to sink. There were injuries, so we called International Rescue."
The scene changed to a middle-aged couple. The woman twisted her hands nervously in her lap, while the man sat ramrod straight beside her. They, too, spoke in Mandarin, and their words were translated into English. The woman spoke first.
"I remember it was getting dark outside. The kelp was very dense and cut off the sunlight. The sub lurched to one side and I fell down, injuring my ankle. My husband was thrown across the room, and hit his head. It knocked him out for a long time. Everyone was very tense, and the air began to feel hot and stifling. Suddenly, I saw these two young men in wet suits outside the port hole. One of them gave a wave, and we all cheered. They began to cut away the kelp. In the meanwhile, there was another young man who came aboard. He was very cheerful and encouraging. He put my husband on a backboard, and with the crew's help, transferred him to a small submarine."
The man now took up the tale. "I don't remember hitting my head or anything of my rescue. I woke up in the hospital. But my wife had been treated and the doctors and nurses said that I had been well treated while in International Rescue's care."
The scene shifted again, and now a female crew member spoke, her words translated. "I had gone down to the engine room to see what I could do to help with the ventilation system. A grating fell down and gashed my leg. The young man with the submarine took me to the little hospital, where I was treated. He smiled, and spoke to me kindly, though I do not know much English. While I was in the little hospital, one of the men who had been cutting the Manchuria free was brought in. He had a bad gash in his arm. I was very impressed that he would risk himself for us."
The captain came back on. "Once the kelp was cleared, the large green aircraft pulled the Manchuria free with its grabs. The small sub towed us to one of our retrieval vessels, which had sailed out to meet us. The green aircraft, number two, flew the injured to our home port, where they were taken to the hospital." He paused, and sighed. "If it were not for International Rescue, we may have perished before help could arrive. I wish to thank International Rescue for their assistance. They are truly miracle workers."
Hsin Yu returned. "Ten people were injured in the incident, and two others died, one of a heart attack, and one from an electrical surge. The Manchuria is still undergoing repairs and refitting not only to make it seaworthy again, but also to upgrade its systems so this doesn't happen again. Without the help of International Rescue, the death toll would have undoubtedly been higher."
Ned appeared back on the screen. "Thanks, Hsin. More on International Rescue's year in review after this message." Just before the commercial came on, there was a shot of people milling around outside the hospital. The camera zoomed in on one elderly Hispanic lady who had her rosary in her hands, and appeared to be praying. Then the commercial came on.
"How long have they been there?" Dianne asked.
"As soon as the word got out that you and the nurses had arrived," Jeff said. "Most of them are here to wish you well, to thank us for what we do."
Dianne looked down and away, closing her eyes, and biting her lower lip. "I... I don't... I don't know what to say or think. All of a sudden, it feels like a weight, doing what we do."
"It's always been a huge responsibility, love," he said, squeezing her hand gently. "We don't often get to see how the rest of the world sees us. That in itself is a heavy burden."
They sat quietly for a while, then Jeff said, "I need a drink of cold water. Can I get you one, too?"
"Yes, please," Dianne replied, nodding slightly.
He rose, and picked up the pitcher from her bedside table. It was full of ice water; the nurses were very good about keeping it full and fresh. As he poured out two cups of water, his eyes kept straying back to the televid, and the events unfolding there.
Post by Tikatue on 11/1/2006
  
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