SquidgeWorld Archive

Mother's Magic

By GCS

DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.

Mother's Magic

By William Gearld Smith

Mother's Magic is in the kiss that heals,

A hug that calms, a story that feels.

It is like an island in life's ocean, all vast and wide,

A peaceful quiet shelter from the restless rising tide.

A Mother's Magic is in our pain that she so willingly shares,

When we are caught by life's tricky and cumbersome snares.

Her love is like a fortress, and we seek protection there,

When the waves of tribulation seem to drown us in despair.

For a mother's magic is fashioned after God's enduring love,

It is endless and unfailing like the love of him above.

And just before she left us I saw a bright white dove;

I knew then that she was still with us in spirit and in love.

I touched her hand so softly; the Magic had gone away.

I turned to the others I knew not what to say.

Those hands that were full of magic now lay by her side at rest,

But memory still holds them close to the ones that knew her best.

Running as fast as he could the teenage boy knew he was going to be late, very, very late. He was accustomed to running home, since the older bigger boys at school often chased him. Although he was tall for his age nearly 6', at 15 years old he was painfully thin. As he sprinted towards home his thoughts drifted to what his father would say about the track coach keeping him after school to try to encourage him to join the team. No matter he thought as he ran smoothly across the field and leapt gracefully over the fence as though it were not even there, his father would never agree to it. He had responsibilities at home.

Approaching the long drive that led to his home the teen slowed to a walk. He didn't want his father to know he was afraid of his reaction to his tardiness. He thought if he walked that he might even make it into the barn without being noticed by his father. Then he could at least be working on his chores when his father found him. He would slip his books into the tack room and get them later after his father had gone to bed or had left the ranch for the local bar as he usually did at night. Maybe just maybe he would escape his father's anger. If only he could get some of the work done before his father found him.

Slipping into the barn he glanced up at the windows of the house. Squinting he could see a figure slumped at the kitchen table. Maybe he was already drunk and hadn't noticed that he wasn't home yet. More than likely he was having dinner and being late Johnny wouldn't get anything. He hated being sent to bed without dinner. He was always hungry anyway, but without dinner his stomach hurt from hunger and he couldn't sleep. That made it even harder to get through the next day at school.

Johnny loved school. He particularly liked English. He loved to read and write stories. His mother had been the only one to know that secret. She liked for him to read his stories to her at night when it was just the two of them. His father had always liked to drink. That was how things had gotten so bad for Johnny and his mother. She was such a gentle soul. She would do anything for her son. Sometimes she stepped in and tried to calm her husband when he was angry at Johnny. She always held him after his father had spanked him for his clumsiness. Then when the spankings turned to beatings she stayed by his side and nursed him until he drifted to sleep. Sometimes she was still there beside him when he woke up. She gave him her strength. Johnny's mother knew he was special. She knew that someday he would do great things. She told him this all the time.

One night she had taken Johnny to the clinic on the reservation where they lived. Johnny's father had beaten him so badly that his arm was broken in two places. He also had several cracked ribs, a busted lip, and black eye. The doctor at the clinic wanted to know who had beaten Johnny, but his mother lied and said he had been thrown from his horse. His father had been so angry at her that he lost control. He had hurt her so badly that when Johnny woke up from the medicine the doctor had given him for pain he found her barely alive sprawled across the kitchen floor. He called for help, but it would not get there in time. He held her hand as it grew cold and the life slipped away. She couldn't help to take away his pain any more. She was gone.

His father had come home later that night to find his son sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor. The coroner had come and taken his wife's body away. The police had come to find him at the bar and told him that someone had broken into their home and murdered his wife. Where they had gotten that idea he did not know, but he was glad because he knew that he had done the damage himself. He wouldn't be charged with her death.

The funeral was small. She was buried in the reservation cemetery. The thing that Johnny remembered from that fateful day was the white dove that seemed to fly over the proceedings, circle his head and land on a branch in the tree nearby. Being part Indian Johnny had been taught of animal spirits. He knew that it was believed that a loved one's soul often found a home in an animal form after death. Johnny thought the dove must certainly be his mother. Now every time he sees a dove he thinks his mother is watching over him.

Now here he was working in the barn wondering if his father would be angry with him again. His bruises had just healed from his father's last tirade. Be calm he told himself. Maybe his aunt had gotten his letters. He had written her and asked if he could move out to California with her. He told her that his father no longer wanted him, and he needed a place to go. He had told her of his father's abuse, but wondered if she would believe him. After all he was just a kid. Johnny didn't know that his father, who he had seen slumped at the kitchen table, in fact had company. His aunt was there to take him away. He just didn't know it yet. He worked hard on his chores, rushing through some of them so he could get more of them done before his father came looking for him.

"What are you doing boy?" Johnny stiffened as he heard his father approach.

"My chores."

"Well you can stop. You're leaving."

"What? What do you mean?" Johnny turned around to see his father standing in the barn door with his aunt beside him.

"Come on Johnny, I have already put your things in the car. We are leaving this place. You are coming to live with me. Your father has signed over your custody to me. You are coming to California with me tonight."

He dropped the pitchfork and walked passed his father to the tack room for his beloved school books. As he went back by his father he reached out a hand and grabbed Johnny by the arm. "Don't forget where you come from boy. I'm still your father."

Johnny looked away from his father, pulled his arm out of his father's grasp and left the barn, left the ranch, left the reservation for good. He looked back over his shoulder at his childhood home thinking he would not miss it at all. He would miss his mother, but then he already did. As his gaze pulled away from the house he saw a dove sitting on a branch in a tree by the end of the house. She knew he was leaving. She was watching over him. No matter where he went he would always have her in his heart.

"Uhhnnn," he moaned as consciousness pulled to him. He had been dreaming about his childhood. Not really a dream, mostly a nightmare, the nightmare that had been his childhood. "Don't leave me." Johnny mumbled the plea. "Don't go."

"Shhh Johnny, it's all right just take it easy," Dixie wiped a cool wash cloth over his sweat covered brow. "Show me those beautiful eyes Johnny. It's time for you to wake up."

Johnny had been bitten by a rattle snake earlier while on a run. He had left his handy talkie inside the car that some teenagers had driven down a steep embankment and when he went down to get it he met up with the rattler. Fortunately he was not allergic to the anti-venom, but he had been out for a long time now. He was feverish and weak, but was beginning to come around. The rest of his crew had returned to Station 51 hours ago, because they were still on duty. A replacement had been called in for Johnny.

"Uhhnnn," he moaned again.

"Come on Tiger come back to us now."

"Momma? Hurz momma, my stomach hurz," he slurred.

Dixie knew that he would experience muscle cramps from the snake venom and administered anti-venom. She knew that he would be uncomfortable and weak for a while. The symptoms from the bite could last for several days. He had already experienced the progressive general weakness associated with a bite. His rapid pulse and labored breathing had also been a concern when the anti venom had been administered. She had hoped that he would not have the nausea or seizures that sometimes came with Rattler bites, but then Johnny never made anything easy. However, Dixie did know that Rattlesnake Bites were always followed by continual severe pain. This could last for some time. She also knew that a very strong round of antibiotics would be needed for a while, because along with the venom from the snake's fangs came bacteria from the mouth of the snake. Snake bites almost always became infected from the bacteria. She wanted to sooth him the best she could. Truthfully she had gotten off shift some time ago, but Johnny was special to her. She cared deeply for her friend. She would stay as long as he needed her.

"Momma, help me momma he's hurting me again," Johnny's head thrashed from side to side. "Don't let him hurt me anymore."

"Shhh Johnny, no one is hurting you. You were bitten by a snake. No one is hurting you." Dixie pushed his bangs off of his face. "It's gonna be okay now Johnny. You're delirious from the fever. Just try to calm down. It's okay."

"No Momma he hates me. He's hitting me again. I was late. I didn't get my chores done in time."

Dixie was shocked at the things Johnny was saying. She had wondered before what had hurt him so much when he was growing up. As a nurse she had been trained to see the characteristics of a person abused as a child. Johnny had some of those characteristics. "Shhh Johnny it's okay sweetheart. It's okay." She stood by his bed and continued to bathe his face with the cool cloth.

A noise by the door took her attention briefly away from her patient as Dr. Brackett slipped into the room. "Thought I might find you here."

"He's been dreaming. I don't think they were very pleasant dreams. I think he is feeling some pain now. Can you look at his chart and see when his next dose or morphine is due?"

"Sure Dixie, but I think you need to go home and get some rest yourself. You got off shift a long time ago and you are due back on first thing tomorrow. I'm going to head home after I check on our friend here. I'll walk you out." Dr. Brackett made his way to the other side of Johnny's bed and started his exam.

"I know Kel, but…."

"No buts Dixie McCall. I know how much you care about your paramedics especially this one, but you can't take good care of him or any of your other patients if you are dead on your feet. Mike Morton is on tonight as well as Carol, and if I know her as well as I know you she will be up here on every break doing exactly what you are doing for him. Besides that partner of his is still on shift, and knowing Roy he will be up every time he gets to transport a patient into my ER. I called the station and told them to wait until tomorrow afternoon to try to visit, but knowing Roy he will be in that chair you have been keeping warm as soon as his shift is over. I am going to sedate him for the night anyway. He will sleep Dix, and you my friend will go home. As a matter of fact I will be walking you to your car very shortly, understood."

Nurse Dixie McCall did not take orders from anyone and started to protest Dr. Brackett's demands, but when she looked up their eyes met; she knew he was toying with her. She smiled and nodded her agreement to go home for a little while. Then as if on cue the door cracked open and in walked a very sooty Roy Desoto.

"How is he?"

"Well if it isn't our other star paramedic," Dr. Brackett smiled over towards Dixie. "He's doing good Roy. The pain that follows a Rattler bite has had quite a grip on him this afternoon, but we are doing our best to control it with the morphine. I started him on a very strong round of antibiotics to try to prevent any severe infection from the bacteria that accompanies snake bite. I was just telling Dixie that I plan to sedate him tonight. I'll let him wake up slowly tomorrow and then we will go from there. I think he's a bit anemic, but that is common from snakebite too." Dr. Brackett made some notes in the chart and then left the room to give the nurse on duty the medication instructions for the night. "I'll be right back."

Roy walked over to the end of the bed and looked his partner over as he tapped his finger on the mattress beside Johnny's leg.

"Roy what happened to Johnny's parents?"

"I don't know Dixie. I know his mother died when he was young. He lived with his dad until he was 15 and then was sent to live here with his aunt. You know Johnny knows almost everything about me and Joanne, but we know very little about him. He just doesn't talk about his past."

"I'm not sure about this Roy, but I think he was abused. Remember when he had that monkey virus and was delirious. He kept calling out to his mother for help. He was doing it again a few minutes ago. He thought that the pain from the snake venom was caused by someone hitting him for not getting his chores done on time. I think…." She paused in thought. "I think his father beat him."

"Yeah, I've wondered the same thing. He told me once that his father had died in a car accident and that was why he was sent to live with his aunt. I'm not so sure that was the truth, but I would never question him on it."

"Noooo don't leave me…" Johnny became very agitated. "Momma I can't stay here. Not without you."

Roy reached out his hand and took Johnny's in his. "Junior?" He waited for Johnny to still. "It's Roy. You are at Rampart. You were bitten by a rattlesnake on a run today. No one is going to hurt you. There are only friends here. Okay?"

Johnny stilled at Roy's comforting words. Though he did not open his eyes his head lulled in the direction of Roy's voice. His breathing slowed and he fell into a deep sleep once again. Just then Dr. Brackett returned with the sedative that he wanted Johnny to have to keep him resting until morning. "He should sleep with very little dreaming for the rest of the night."

Dixie bathed his face one last time and then took the cloth and bowl of water into the restroom. Roy patted Johnny's hand, whispered something in Johnny's ear meant only for him to hear, and said his goodbyes. "I'll see you in the morning Junior. Bye Dr. Brackett, Dix."

"Okay Dixie now it's time to make our exit."

Dixie placed a gentle kiss on top of Johnny's head, stroked his cheek and turned to leave. "Kel, I think our friend here needs more than just medications to fight off his demons. I think he needs to come to terms with his past."

"What do you mean Dix?"

"He keeps calling out for his mother and asking her to stop someone from hitting him. I think our John Gage may have been abused by his father. It always haunts him in his dreams when he is hurt or sick. Just like how he speaks in Lakota when he is overly tired or injured. He speaks from his subconscious when he is ill. He is too good of a person to be haunted by those types of memories. He needs to know that he is a valued member of our staff and a very important friend to many. I for one intend to help him. I hope I can count on you to do the same. I am certain that the rest of his shift mates will be there to help especially Roy." The two friends walked out of Johnny's room leaving him to sleep.

The following morning dawned bright. Roy thought as he drove to Rampart that Johnny would love a day like today to go hiking or to the beach. He loved the outdoors. Pulling into a parking space outside the ER by habit Roy stepped from his car. He stood with his face up to the morning sun feeling its warmth.

Stepping into the automatic doors to the Emergency Room at Rampart Roy out of habit went over to the nurse's desk. "Morning Dixie."

"Well what a surprise. If it isn't Roy Desoto," she smiled knowingly at her friend. "He's still sleeping off the sedative this morning. The fever broke during the night. He still seems to be experiencing some cramping, but I think it is easing up. Kel thinks he will start to come around in the next hour or so. Would you like some coffee before you go up?"

Chuckling at the information his friend had shared with him without his needing to ask Roy nodded the affirmative to some coffee. "Thanks Dixie, I think I will have a cup."

"My, my if it isn't Roy," Dr. Brackett smiled as he slapped Roy on the back. "I thought I told you guys to wait until this afternoon to visit that he would be asleep until at least noon," he said as he winked at Dixie.

"Yeah, but….."

"Well why don't we go up and check on our friend." Brackett and Roy headed to the elevators leaving Dixie to handle things in the ER.

In the elevator Dr. Brackett asked Roy the same question that Dixie had asked the night before about what happened to Johnny's parents. He also wanted to know if Roy knew anything about Johnny's childhood. Roy explained that he knew very little, but planned to find out more as soon as he had the chance. He had almost lost his best friend….again, and did not want to waste any more time getting to know him better. When they arrived at Johnny's room they noticed that their friend was stirring in the bed apparently waking up. "Johnny are you awake?" Roy asked as he approached the bedside. Johnny didn't answer, but stirred again.

"I don't think he is quite ready just yet Roy. Give him a little more time." Dr. Brackett said as he looked over the chart notes from the night nurses. "His fever broke around 2 am. The antibiotics seem to be working to fight off the infection that usually follows snakebite." Looking over at the patient he noticed the barely open brown eyes looking back at him. Although Johnny was not fully aware yet he was waking up. "Well good morning Mr. Gage."

Roy also noticed his friend's eyes scanning the room trying to discern where he was. "Hey Junior, you're at Rampart. You were bitten by a rattlesnake yesterday. You're going to be just fine." No sense in delaying the information from Johnny. He wouldn't rest until he knew what had happened to him. "Are you thirsty? Want some water?" Roy asked as he already held the cup and placed the straw at Johnny's lips. Johnny looked over at him and opened his mouth enough for Roy to put the straw in his mouth. He drank greedily. "Hey not too fast."

Johnny thought for a minute taking an inventory of his body's aches and pains. He knew from his training that snakebites caused muscle spasms and cramps, but until he experienced it himself he had no idea of the severity of it. He felt like he had been hit by a truck, a very big truck. Finding his voice he turned to Roy and asked, "The kids?"

Roy knew immediately that Johnny was talking about the three teenagers that they had rescued before Johnny was bitten by the snake. "Their fine Johnny, they are all right here getting treatment."

"Johnny the girl's blindness was temporary just as you thought. The other girl with the back injury just had some severe bruising to her spine, but will recover completely with some physical therapy. The driver got quite a few stitches to his leg and lost some blood which we replenished, and he'll have a scar to remind him to be more careful behind the wheel," Dr. Brackett also knew Johnny well enough to know that he may as well give all the details on the front end. Otherwise Johnny would ask and ask and ask until he was filled in on the well being of his patients. "You and Roy did a good job treating them and getting them in here before you met up with your snake friend."

" 'sno friend of mine." Johnny still had his sense of humor which was a really good sign. "Man I feel terrible."

"Well gentlemen I will leave you to your visit. I have other patients to tend." Making his goodbyes Dr. Brackett turned for the door. "Oh and Roy I think Johnny needs to wait at least until dinner before you try to sneak in the hamburger, fries and shake. His stomach has been through a great deal of stress from the cramping." He turned and laughed as he exited the room.

Roy and Johnny looked at each other with their mouths slightly open. Then they burst into their own laughter. "I had no idea he knew," Roy said.

"Me either Pally."

The next bit of conversation took on a more serious tone when Roy told Johnny about the things he said while he was delirious with the fever and cramping. He told his friend that whatever was in his past was just that, the past. He assured Johnny that nothing that he might have done or faced before would change their friendship.

"Roy, my father hated me for as long as I can remember. I was a half breed. Sure it was of his making, but the way people treated us after I was born. Sure I know my parents took a lot of crap about being a mixed couple, but then when I was born he just snapped I guess. My mom would try to keep him from hurting me, but the older I got the worse it got." Johnny turned his gaze toward the window obviously these were not good memories for him. Dixie had come up to the door to see her friend, but when she heard him telling Roy about his childhood she chose to wait outside. She leaned against the wall thinking she would do everything she could for her friend when he started talking again. "I tried real hard to be the best kid I could, but I was clumsy and messed up a lot. I mean it was silly kid stuff like forgetting to latch the gate or somethin', but he still got really angry and usually made me pay. At first it was just spanking, but that turned into hitting as I got older. Then finally one day he broke my arm. It was a pretty bad break, two places. My mom took me to the reservation clinic and told them I had been thrown from my horse. They knew Roy. They knew I had been beaten, but she wouldn't admit to it. I didn't say anything either." Johnny reached for the cup on the tray beside the bed. Taking a long drink he continued his story. "I was out of it on pain medication when she brought me home. When I woke up I found her in the kitchen. She was on the floor. I knew she was hurt bad, but there was no blood or anything. She was bleeding internally, but I was just a kid. I didn't know. I called for help, but they didn't get there fast enough. I held her hand, Roy. I held her hand until it was cold. I held it until her magic, her warmth, her healing touch, her love for me was gone." Roy could see the tears that slipped from Johnny's expressive brown eyes. Johnny once again turned away from his friend. Facing the window as the tears slid down his cheeks.

"At the funeral a white dove circled overhead and landed in a tree near by. I think…..her soul…her spirit. I think she was that dove Roy. I think she was still watching over me. My dad got worse. He drank all the time. He would send me to bed with no dinner."

Roy thought to himself that it was no wonder Johnny enjoyed food so much.

"I got so tired of being his punching bag. I wrote to my aunt and begged her to come get me and bring me here. Finally when I was 15 she got him to sign over my custody. I left the reservation that very day and never looked back. My dad died about a year later. He always drank a lot. One day he got behind the wheel of a car that way and plowed into a tree. People said there were no skid marks like he did it intentionally, but it was ruled an accident. Sheriff said he probably passed out and never knew what happened. I'm just glad he didn't hurt anyone else. I decided a long time ago that I would not be anything like him. I would help people. My mom always told me I was special and would do great things. I guess I was born to be a paramedic. It's who I am, who I was meant to be. She knew that, somehow she knew I would help people. I know that the abuse is a part of my past. I know it is part of what made me who I am. Roy I will not let it control me. I will not let my dad's stupidity break me." Johnny was exhausted from his story.

"Thank you for telling me Johnny. I know it was hard. I know this is not something that you would want everyone to know. I am honored that you trust me with it. I assure you your mother was right when she said you were special and that you would do great things." Roy patted Johnny on his shoulder. "You are good at what you do. You are wonderful with people and are the best friend I could ever ask for."

Dixie decided that she would keep Johnny's story to herself. She also knew that her friend had dealt with his childhood abuse. True it was part of who he is, but he also had made choices to be a better person because of that abuse. She knew that he would have moments where the memories would haunt him, but she also knew that she and Roy and his other friends would always be there for him. After all Johnny was the kind of man everyone loved. She turned and headed back to the elevators. She would visit Johnny again later. Right now she knew the two friends needed their privacy.

"Roy, I'm kinda tired now. I think I'll try to sleep okay?"

"Okay Johnny. I'll head home for a nap. Chet and I are supposed to come back this afternoon anyway. We'll see you then."

"Chet? Aw man he's never gonna let me hear the end of this."

"Johnny, Chet was very upset about this. He was really scared. He'll never admit to it, but he thought we had lost you this time. You rest easy. He may kid you about it because he is after all 'The Phantom', but he does care." Roy patted his friend on the shoulder one more time and slipped from the room.

Johnny's gaze drifted once again to the window when he noticed a bright white dove perched on the window sill. His mother was still watching over him. She was still with him in spirit and in love.