Story Market Day
- Thread starter ComCamGuy
- Start date
I WILL NOT give in to the urge to find a picture of a hairy, fat male(?) wearing a thong for you. Mostly because I don't want to use the eye bleach I would need.
Dumb Blonde
Contributing Member
Aussie thongs, you're welcome.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
At the Motel Down South
It was a busy hour or so as the three of them unloaded the truck into their rooms. They sorted as they went. One of the things Gabriel made sure of was all his sewing stuff went into his room. While the bulk of everything else went into Samantha’s room. When they had the truck emptied, Stephen went over and let Bill the mechanic know. Once he drove off with it, the group gathered in Stephen and Gabriel’s room.
“Did he say how long?” Samantha asked Stephen.
“At least a couple days. Longer if he has to get an engine.”
“So, how much is all this going to cost?” Gabriel wondered out loud.
“I don’t know, but I told him to find or get what he could since we are a long way from where we need to be.”
“What if he can’t find an engine?”
“I told him to check around for any trucks or cars someone might be willing to sell.”
“Can we afford that? Can YOU afford that?” Sam asked, the worry thick in her voice now.
“I don’t know. A lot depends on what he comes up with. I didn’t fly down here with a spare bag of money.” Stephen said.
“So, I guess it’s hurry up and wait.” Sam stated, knowing that answer didn’t make any of them happy.
“At least it gives me time to finish those moccasins for you, sis.” Gabriel said as he started shifting and moving some of the boxes.
Stephen stood there, wondering how he was going to entertain himself while they waited.
It was a busy hour or so as the three of them unloaded the truck into their rooms. They sorted as they went. One of the things Gabriel made sure of was all his sewing stuff went into his room. While the bulk of everything else went into Samantha’s room. When they had the truck emptied, Stephen went over and let Bill the mechanic know. Once he drove off with it, the group gathered in Stephen and Gabriel’s room.
“Did he say how long?” Samantha asked Stephen.
“At least a couple days. Longer if he has to get an engine.”
“So, how much is all this going to cost?” Gabriel wondered out loud.
“I don’t know, but I told him to find or get what he could since we are a long way from where we need to be.”
“What if he can’t find an engine?”
“I told him to check around for any trucks or cars someone might be willing to sell.”
“Can we afford that? Can YOU afford that?” Sam asked, the worry thick in her voice now.
“I don’t know. A lot depends on what he comes up with. I didn’t fly down here with a spare bag of money.” Stephen said.
“So, I guess it’s hurry up and wait.” Sam stated, knowing that answer didn’t make any of them happy.
“At least it gives me time to finish those moccasins for you, sis.” Gabriel said as he started shifting and moving some of the boxes.
Stephen stood there, wondering how he was going to entertain himself while they waited.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Later
Stephen was still amazed as he watched Gabriel’s deft fingers dance over the leather as he worked on a mostly finished pair of leather moccasins for Sam. At this stage, he was using a hand punch to sew on the loops for the laces.
“Where did you learn all of this?”
“Here and there. The moccasins thing was something I picked up in the last year. One of my customers had a pair he needed fixed and didn’t want to send them back to the original maker and wait. He wanted them for a Faire the next weekend and they wouldn’t make it on time.”
Gabriel paused as he rethreaded the hand awl for the next tab.
“So, he knew I did web gear mods for the WWII reenactors and hit me up. It was fun working with leather instead of canvas and webbing. I took the job and went to work on them. Once I saw how they were put together, I knew I could do something like this. The biggest problem was figuring out how they came up with the pattern in the first place. So, when he came back to get them, I asked him how they measured him to make them fit. That’s when he told me the secret to the pattern. After that, I was good to go.”
“I take it the pattern is the roadblock?” Stephen asked.
“Oh yeah! The pattern is what tells you how to cut the leather. If the pattern is off, they don’t fit right. The whole selling point of these is they are made for each individual foot, not off the shelf from some generic template.”
Gabriel stopped sewing and went over to his luggage. He rummaged around in the bag for a moment or two before pulling out a finished moccasin.
“Here’s the one I made for myself.” He handed it to Stephen, who turned it over and over in his hands, feeling the smooth supple leather. His first thought was ‘Barbara would love a pair of these!’.
“How did you get into sewing and all of this in the first place? Did Home Ec class just hook you or what?”
“Kinda. I was trying to help Mom. It was when Sam was gone. Not all of us got to run off to Italy as a foreign exchange student.”
Stephen could see Samantha out of the corner of his eye. She visibly flinched when Gabe said it. He turned and looked over at Sam, but she just gave him a small, silent shake of her head, no.
“So, mom got you into sewing?” Stephen knew he would talk to Sam about it later.
“Yeah, then I helped a buddy fix his gym bag, and took another sewing class at school cause I realized there were like ten or fifteen girls for every guy. I got good at it, then…I don’t know…I started helping this girl from class who was doing it for friends, then it just snowballed from there I guess.”
“Well, you do a hell of a job. I’m sure if you want to keep doing it when we get north, there’s going to be plenty of people needing your handiwork.”
“I hope so. It’s not like I have any other job skills.”
“I think you will be fine.” Stephen thought of all the nylon gear they used in the park just with the staff. He was sure he could get repair work and maybe even custom soft gear jobs just from the park and the park staff. Hell, next summer there would be plenty of people in the park needing upgrades or repairs. It wouldn’t take much to set his little brother up with a full-fledged business once they got north. Once they got north. There’s the rub.
“So, what do I need to do to get one of your wonder moccasins for me?”
Gabriel looked up from the leather in his hands.
“We’re going to be here a couple days, right?”
“From the sound of it, maybe even a week. Why?”
“OK, I can unpack the machine and knock out the main seams. Then it’s handwork like this,” he held up the one in his hands, “I can work the main parts now.”
“So, what’s it going to cost me?”
“A pair of tube socks and about a half a roll of duct tape.”
Stephen was still amazed as he watched Gabriel’s deft fingers dance over the leather as he worked on a mostly finished pair of leather moccasins for Sam. At this stage, he was using a hand punch to sew on the loops for the laces.
“Where did you learn all of this?”
“Here and there. The moccasins thing was something I picked up in the last year. One of my customers had a pair he needed fixed and didn’t want to send them back to the original maker and wait. He wanted them for a Faire the next weekend and they wouldn’t make it on time.”
Gabriel paused as he rethreaded the hand awl for the next tab.
“So, he knew I did web gear mods for the WWII reenactors and hit me up. It was fun working with leather instead of canvas and webbing. I took the job and went to work on them. Once I saw how they were put together, I knew I could do something like this. The biggest problem was figuring out how they came up with the pattern in the first place. So, when he came back to get them, I asked him how they measured him to make them fit. That’s when he told me the secret to the pattern. After that, I was good to go.”
“I take it the pattern is the roadblock?” Stephen asked.
“Oh yeah! The pattern is what tells you how to cut the leather. If the pattern is off, they don’t fit right. The whole selling point of these is they are made for each individual foot, not off the shelf from some generic template.”
Gabriel stopped sewing and went over to his luggage. He rummaged around in the bag for a moment or two before pulling out a finished moccasin.
“Here’s the one I made for myself.” He handed it to Stephen, who turned it over and over in his hands, feeling the smooth supple leather. His first thought was ‘Barbara would love a pair of these!’.
“How did you get into sewing and all of this in the first place? Did Home Ec class just hook you or what?”
“Kinda. I was trying to help Mom. It was when Sam was gone. Not all of us got to run off to Italy as a foreign exchange student.”
Stephen could see Samantha out of the corner of his eye. She visibly flinched when Gabe said it. He turned and looked over at Sam, but she just gave him a small, silent shake of her head, no.
“So, mom got you into sewing?” Stephen knew he would talk to Sam about it later.
“Yeah, then I helped a buddy fix his gym bag, and took another sewing class at school cause I realized there were like ten or fifteen girls for every guy. I got good at it, then…I don’t know…I started helping this girl from class who was doing it for friends, then it just snowballed from there I guess.”
“Well, you do a hell of a job. I’m sure if you want to keep doing it when we get north, there’s going to be plenty of people needing your handiwork.”
“I hope so. It’s not like I have any other job skills.”
“I think you will be fine.” Stephen thought of all the nylon gear they used in the park just with the staff. He was sure he could get repair work and maybe even custom soft gear jobs just from the park and the park staff. Hell, next summer there would be plenty of people in the park needing upgrades or repairs. It wouldn’t take much to set his little brother up with a full-fledged business once they got north. Once they got north. There’s the rub.
“So, what do I need to do to get one of your wonder moccasins for me?”
Gabriel looked up from the leather in his hands.
“We’re going to be here a couple days, right?”
“From the sound of it, maybe even a week. Why?”
“OK, I can unpack the machine and knock out the main seams. Then it’s handwork like this,” he held up the one in his hands, “I can work the main parts now.”
“So, what’s it going to cost me?”
“A pair of tube socks and about a half a roll of duct tape.”
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ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
It wasn’t long before Stephen was standing there, wearing two pairs of tube socks, a thin pair over a thick winter-weight wool pair. He watched Gabriel make a pad of tape strips to stand on, then use more strips to completely encase his whole lower leg. Stephen still wasn’t sure how tall he wanted them. Gabe kept talking about five button, nine button and other things like he expected him to know what he meant. Gabe told him he was making the pattern for the tallest height, and it was easier to make it shorter afterwards, once he decided.
While Gabe worked, he kept tossing out all the next choices Stephen needed to make, like which leather, Elk or Buffalo, did he want an overlayer for insulation and weather, what for buttons, and which material for the sole.
As Gabe talked, Stephen realized his annoying little brother was gone. Here was a craftsman well and confident in his trade.
While Gabe worked, he kept tossing out all the next choices Stephen needed to make, like which leather, Elk or Buffalo, did he want an overlayer for insulation and weather, what for buttons, and which material for the sole.
As Gabe talked, Stephen realized his annoying little brother was gone. Here was a craftsman well and confident in his trade.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Nice leather work! Thanks, CCG!
Armadillo3
Member
Haven't had a good pair of moccasins in years. Remember how comfortable they were.
The closest thing to real fitted martial arts shoes from Pilsung made in Korea.
Just one string around the top of ankle and fit to the feet like being barefoot but with protection.
Now I am going to have to look for a good custom maker.
The more I read the stories from CCG and 223shootersc, the more it costs me money for items that I
remember from the past, that I decide to buy again.
The closest thing to real fitted martial arts shoes from Pilsung made in Korea.
Just one string around the top of ankle and fit to the feet like being barefoot but with protection.
Now I am going to have to look for a good custom maker.
The more I read the stories from CCG and 223shootersc, the more it costs me money for items that I
remember from the past, that I decide to buy again.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
couple big Ren Faires in Illinois, you could go get fitted and hooked up.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The Next Day
There wasn’t much to do at the Motel. Samantha was reading a book when Stephen came over to her room.
“What’s up?” she asked when she answered the door.
“Gabe kicked me out. He said I was distracting him too much so I figured to come see what you were up to.”
“Just rereading a book.”
Stephen looked around the room at all the boxes and bags stuffed in here with Samantha. He knew they could pack this stuff smaller, given enough time, and now it looked like they might have that time, depending on what the mechanic found out.
“I might have another project we could do while our elf is making shoes.”
“What do you have in mind?” she looked at him with suspicious eyes. Stephen couldn’t help but laugh.
“I was thinking we could downsize this pile if we broke stuff down and put it together into kits.” He remembered when Barbara showed him how she stripped out and downsized an MRE to almost a third of its original size without losing any of the nutrition.
“Kits?”
“Yeah, we take the contents and reassemble them into meals instead of components. Stuff like the canisters of egg protein powder are a pain in the ass to pack, but if it goes in with the rice or noodles or potato flakes, it takes up almost zero extra space since the powder fits in the nooks and crannies and we get rid of the container. Same thing for the boxes of potato flakes, and the dehydrated veggies and so on and so on.”
“So, what you’re saying is you want to rope me into building meal bags again like you tricked me into when you did your big hike. I’m not a little kid anymore. You can’t fool me.”
Stephen grinned at the memory them slaving away in the kitchen, him bribing her with homemade brownies as they put together his pre-packs.
“Tell you what. I’ll go over to the mechanic and see if he has a rough estimate of how long before he knows something, then on the way back, stop at the shop and rob and see if they have some brownies.”
“They better, otherwise you’re on your own.”
There wasn’t much to do at the Motel. Samantha was reading a book when Stephen came over to her room.
“What’s up?” she asked when she answered the door.
“Gabe kicked me out. He said I was distracting him too much so I figured to come see what you were up to.”
“Just rereading a book.”
Stephen looked around the room at all the boxes and bags stuffed in here with Samantha. He knew they could pack this stuff smaller, given enough time, and now it looked like they might have that time, depending on what the mechanic found out.
“I might have another project we could do while our elf is making shoes.”
“What do you have in mind?” she looked at him with suspicious eyes. Stephen couldn’t help but laugh.
“I was thinking we could downsize this pile if we broke stuff down and put it together into kits.” He remembered when Barbara showed him how she stripped out and downsized an MRE to almost a third of its original size without losing any of the nutrition.
“Kits?”
“Yeah, we take the contents and reassemble them into meals instead of components. Stuff like the canisters of egg protein powder are a pain in the ass to pack, but if it goes in with the rice or noodles or potato flakes, it takes up almost zero extra space since the powder fits in the nooks and crannies and we get rid of the container. Same thing for the boxes of potato flakes, and the dehydrated veggies and so on and so on.”
“So, what you’re saying is you want to rope me into building meal bags again like you tricked me into when you did your big hike. I’m not a little kid anymore. You can’t fool me.”
Stephen grinned at the memory them slaving away in the kitchen, him bribing her with homemade brownies as they put together his pre-packs.
“Tell you what. I’ll go over to the mechanic and see if he has a rough estimate of how long before he knows something, then on the way back, stop at the shop and rob and see if they have some brownies.”
“They better, otherwise you’re on your own.”
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
At the Mechanic’s
Stephen walked into the open rollup door into the mechanic’s bay. Their truck was in there already, hood up and a rolling table next to it held parts he could vaguely recognize. He continued forward until he could see the mechanic working away under the hood.
“Morning, sir.”
He looked up at Stephen. “Morning, what’s up?”
“I was going next door to the store and wanted to stop in and see if you had a rough estimate on when you might know something. I don’t want to unpack ten days of underwear if you think you might know something in three.”
“Well, if you get lucky and it’s simple, it will still take a couple days to fix, and if it’s what I think it is, it will take even longer to fix, so you should be safe unpacking three- or four-days’ worth of underwear.” He said with a grin.
Stephen was about to say something else when a woman he hadn’t seen yet walked into the bay.
“Dad, you got some more tape, this thing is still leaking.”
She was tall and young, about the same age as Samantha he figured. She was holding her arm in a towel as she came around the truck.
“Yeah, honey. Let me clean up my hands and I can help you out.” He said from under the hood.
“Hang on, mister. I’m a paramedic. I might be able to help. I might not know a darn thing about cars but banged up people? That I can do.” He stepped towards the woman, who immediately took a few steps back and looked at the mechanic. Stephen looked over at him too.
“It’s ok, Lacy. Let him look. I’m right here.” Stephen heard the change of tone in the last part of what he said, the first part was reassuring. The second part was all iron.
He cautiously stepped over to the woman. Now that she was right in front of him, his brain shifted gears. He could feel it happen as he purposefully put on his medic mind.
He was still fresh enough from all his classes to upgrade from Advanced EMT to Paramedic that he could see the assessment sheet in his head as he started looking at her. He hadn’t been doing it forever like his boss, Doug, where he just did it as quick and simple as stirring his cup of coffee.
He started with a quick glance head to toe to get his general impression of his patient.
She was a young, fairly fit woman, but she had multiple scrapes and bruises, especially on her hands and arms from what he could see. One hand had a towel she was pressing against the other forearm.
“Ma’am, can you pull that away for a moment so I can see?”
She looked from him to her father who must have nodded, because she pulled back the towel. When she did, he could see the problem. She had a long, deep laceration on her forearm, still oozing a healthy stream of blood when she released the pressure. It didn’t take long for him to come up with a plan.
“Go ahead and cover it up tight again.”
After she did so, He shifted around where he could see them both.
“That needs stitches.”
“Closest hospital is in Bakersfield, and we aren’t going there again. Too dangerous.” The mechanic said flatly.
“Well, in that case, I could probably take care of it if you trust me.”
“I barely know you.”
“Good point, but you know I’m not running away, and you can watch everything.”
“You going to do stitches? I didn’t know Paramedics did that stuff.”
“We are more than just ambulance drivers and I’m a backwoods Wilderness Paramedic. You would be amazed at some of the things we can do. The bad part is I don’t have a drug bag with me, so that might get a little touchy. Give me about fifteen or twenty minutes to get some stuff together.”
“What do you need from us?”
“If you have another one of those small rolling tables and a clean towel or sheet we can cover it with, I should be able to get the rest.”
Stephen walked into the open rollup door into the mechanic’s bay. Their truck was in there already, hood up and a rolling table next to it held parts he could vaguely recognize. He continued forward until he could see the mechanic working away under the hood.
“Morning, sir.”
He looked up at Stephen. “Morning, what’s up?”
“I was going next door to the store and wanted to stop in and see if you had a rough estimate on when you might know something. I don’t want to unpack ten days of underwear if you think you might know something in three.”
“Well, if you get lucky and it’s simple, it will still take a couple days to fix, and if it’s what I think it is, it will take even longer to fix, so you should be safe unpacking three- or four-days’ worth of underwear.” He said with a grin.
Stephen was about to say something else when a woman he hadn’t seen yet walked into the bay.
“Dad, you got some more tape, this thing is still leaking.”
She was tall and young, about the same age as Samantha he figured. She was holding her arm in a towel as she came around the truck.
“Yeah, honey. Let me clean up my hands and I can help you out.” He said from under the hood.
“Hang on, mister. I’m a paramedic. I might be able to help. I might not know a darn thing about cars but banged up people? That I can do.” He stepped towards the woman, who immediately took a few steps back and looked at the mechanic. Stephen looked over at him too.
“It’s ok, Lacy. Let him look. I’m right here.” Stephen heard the change of tone in the last part of what he said, the first part was reassuring. The second part was all iron.
He cautiously stepped over to the woman. Now that she was right in front of him, his brain shifted gears. He could feel it happen as he purposefully put on his medic mind.
He was still fresh enough from all his classes to upgrade from Advanced EMT to Paramedic that he could see the assessment sheet in his head as he started looking at her. He hadn’t been doing it forever like his boss, Doug, where he just did it as quick and simple as stirring his cup of coffee.
He started with a quick glance head to toe to get his general impression of his patient.
She was a young, fairly fit woman, but she had multiple scrapes and bruises, especially on her hands and arms from what he could see. One hand had a towel she was pressing against the other forearm.
“Ma’am, can you pull that away for a moment so I can see?”
She looked from him to her father who must have nodded, because she pulled back the towel. When she did, he could see the problem. She had a long, deep laceration on her forearm, still oozing a healthy stream of blood when she released the pressure. It didn’t take long for him to come up with a plan.
“Go ahead and cover it up tight again.”
After she did so, He shifted around where he could see them both.
“That needs stitches.”
“Closest hospital is in Bakersfield, and we aren’t going there again. Too dangerous.” The mechanic said flatly.
“Well, in that case, I could probably take care of it if you trust me.”
“I barely know you.”
“Good point, but you know I’m not running away, and you can watch everything.”
“You going to do stitches? I didn’t know Paramedics did that stuff.”
“We are more than just ambulance drivers and I’m a backwoods Wilderness Paramedic. You would be amazed at some of the things we can do. The bad part is I don’t have a drug bag with me, so that might get a little touchy. Give me about fifteen or twenty minutes to get some stuff together.”
“What do you need from us?”
“If you have another one of those small rolling tables and a clean towel or sheet we can cover it with, I should be able to get the rest.”
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Stephen and Gabriel’s Room
Gabe looked up as Stephen came into the room.
“The more you distract me, the uglier your boots are going to be.”
“Don’t worry about that right now. Do you have any small, curved needles?” Stephen asked as he dropped a shopping bag on his bed and dug in it for something.
“Yeah, why?”
“I got a special emergency sewing job for you.” Stephen said as he crammed stuff in his pockets from the shopping bag and his pack.
“What kind of sewing job?”
“People. I’m going to do the rest of the work, but I need your sewing skills.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“Nope. The mechanic’s daughter has a big lac on her arm that needs stitches and there’s nowhere for her to go get them. I’m doing all the prep work, and you are going to do the needlework.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a package which he promptly tossed to Gabriel.
“Here’s your thread. A brand-new roll of fifteen-pound monofilament fishing line.”
“You’re kidding me. I’m not a medic!”
“You’ve sewn more in the last ten days than I have in the last ten years. You are just stitching more skin,” he waved to the boots next to Gabe. “it’s just this ‘leather’ is still alive.”
“I…”
“Look, you got this. I’ll do all the medical stuff. You just have to worry about the stitches. Needle, thread,” he pointed to the roll in Gabe’s hand, “and a hemostat or needlenose pliers if you don’t have any.”
Gabe looked up as Stephen came into the room.
“The more you distract me, the uglier your boots are going to be.”
“Don’t worry about that right now. Do you have any small, curved needles?” Stephen asked as he dropped a shopping bag on his bed and dug in it for something.
“Yeah, why?”
“I got a special emergency sewing job for you.” Stephen said as he crammed stuff in his pockets from the shopping bag and his pack.
“What kind of sewing job?”
“People. I’m going to do the rest of the work, but I need your sewing skills.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“Nope. The mechanic’s daughter has a big lac on her arm that needs stitches and there’s nowhere for her to go get them. I’m doing all the prep work, and you are going to do the needlework.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a package which he promptly tossed to Gabriel.
“Here’s your thread. A brand-new roll of fifteen-pound monofilament fishing line.”
“You’re kidding me. I’m not a medic!”
“You’ve sewn more in the last ten days than I have in the last ten years. You are just stitching more skin,” he waved to the boots next to Gabe. “it’s just this ‘leather’ is still alive.”
“I…”
“Look, you got this. I’ll do all the medical stuff. You just have to worry about the stitches. Needle, thread,” he pointed to the roll in Gabe’s hand, “and a hemostat or needlenose pliers if you don’t have any.”
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Back in the Garage
When Stephen came back into the work bay, he found Lacy sitting on a stool in front of a small mobile worktable, her arm resting on the large towel covering the work surface, her father standing next to her.
“Good. This will work great.” Stephen said as he set several things down on the table.
“So, how are we going to do this?” The mechanic asked Stephen.
“Ok, the first thing we are going to do is stop the bleeding so we can get a good look at the wound and clean it up before we close it.”
About this time Gabriel came into the bay. The mechanic immediately went towards him.
“Sir, we are closed for lunch right now. I can…”
“It’s ok, he’s with me.” Stephen reassured him.
“Is he another paramedic?” the woman asked.
Stephen smiled at Lacy. “No, this is Gabe a master seamstress. His stitches will be a lot smaller, more even and more effective. Don’t worry. I’m doing the medicine parts, he’s just a whole lot better with a needle than I am.”
Stephen glanced over to see Gabe giving the young women one of his father’s flirtatious smiles. Just what he needed Gabe acting like his father in a time like this.
Stephen paused a moment to get his thoughts together. He knew he had to explain things to keep everyone on track with what needed to be done. He tried to think how Doug would do it. Stephen thought back to a rescue he did with Doug. It was hard one, Stephen was doing what Doug called ‘Wilderness Paramedic ride along’. Stephen resented it at first but with multiple casualties, he was glad Doug was there.
During the rescue, Stephen watched how Doug seamlessly splint the guy’s broke leg while keeping him distracted talking about what he was doing. Doug even managed to throw in a few jokes and find out about the guy. The guy was still laughing while occasionally wincing when Doug told him he was done and ready to carry him out in the Stokes basket. Doug assured Stephen he would learn to do it someday. Stephen wished someday was today. He wanted Doug here right now. Tenderness was his thing. He had no choice but to step up; there was no one to step aside to. This girl needed him.
“Alright, Lacy, I need you to look at me. I’m not going to lie to you. This going to hurt but I do what I can to minimize the pain. Tell me when it hurts too much. I am going to tell you what we are doing so you won’t be as afraid Ok. If you have questions, ask me Ok?
Lacy looked over at her father and nodded.
“Let’s get started. We are going to put a tourniquet on your arm.” He saw some apprehension appear right away.
“Don’t worry. It’s only temporary. We have to stop the bleeding. This way you won’t be bleeding while we work on the cut. As soon as we are done, we take the tourniquet off. The other thing is it will help it not hurt as much when we sew. Have you ever slept wrong on your hand, and it goes numb? Well, that’s part of what we are doing here.”
While he was talking, he was building an improvised tourniquet out of a cravat and a small rod. He tied the cravat tightly around the woman’s upper arm.
“The bad thing about a tourniquet, when I put it on, it’s going to hurt a lot if I do it right. Are you ready?”
He saw her take her father’s hand with her other hand then nod. Stephen began to twist. He could see the pain on her face and in how she squirmed. He didn’t stop. He had to cut off the flow. After two full rotations, he checked the pulse in her wrist. None.
“OK, now, I tie the second one around your arm to keep the stick where it is.” When he was done with that step, he looked at her face.
“Doing ok?”
She was still squirming but managed to blurt out a soft, “OK”
“Good. Now let’s get this thing unwrapped.” Stephen pulled the towel and makeshift bandages away. Now he could see the extent of the wound. It looked like a jagged tear more than a slice. In the cut itself, he could see some spots of clotted blood or debris.
Well, he was prepared for that, but she wouldn’t like what he had to do. First step was to numb it up as much as he could now since the other effect would take time to kick in.
He picked up the hand towel full of ice he brought from the motel and put the icepack directly on the wound.
“This will help numb it up before we clean it.”
While the ice did its job, he unwrapped the pediatric toothbrush and loosened the cap on the bottle of distilled water. After about ten minutes, Stephen decided it was time.
“You doing Ok Lacy?”
The young woman tried to answer but her head was buried deep in her father’s chest trying not to cry and wholly uninterested in watching what they were doing. The best she could answer was a small whimper which everyone took as a good sign.
“It’s time to start cleaning the wound so it doesn’t get infected. My brother is going to pour a little water over it while I clean it out with the tiny toothbrush. This will wash it out so I can see what is going on and Gabe can see what he is going to be sewing.”
Stephen kept hoping Gabriel’s was concentrating on providing the small trickle of water onto the wound, not the pretty girl. If he wasn’t, there was going to be one mad mechanic and one less brother. Stephen also had to keep his mind on scrubbing the wound with the toothbrush or his sister would be without a truck and two brothers.
“Everything thing is cleaned out and it looks good. I am going to turn the work over to the Master with the needle so you will have a minimal scarring.”
Stephen and Gabriel worked at bringing the wound edges together. Stephen pointed out the structure of the skin and how he wanted Gabe to sew it together.
“Hi Lacy. I’m Gabe. I’m going to be sewing up your wound. It shouldn’t hurt any more than getting a tattoo. You ever get a tattoo?” Lacy shook her head no. “Do you want a tattoo? I can make you scar look like a tat if you want me to. I can do mean looking dragon. Celtic knot? A heart for that special guy?” when she didn’t answer, he continued. “No special guy? I’m available.” Lacy for the first time since all this started raised her head and managed a smile as she looked into Gabe’s smiling eyes. Her father wasn’t sure if he was amused.
“Time to get the sewing done Gabe.” Stephen tried not to admonish him since Lacy was relaxing but time was important. He didn’t want to have the tourniquet on longer than they had to.
Gabe had the idea of what he had to do. It didn’t take long for him to finish. Watching Gabe work, Stephen knew he made the right call. It would have taken him eight times as long and would have looked like a seizure victim trying to draw Abraham Lincoln on an Etch-A-Sketch.
“Now, the part you have been waiting for. I’m going to slowly release the tourniquet, and make sure it doesn’t leak. It’s going to hurt again as the blood comes back into your arm, but it will pass.” Stephen told Lacy.
Gabriel’s sewing did a great job bringing everything together and there was barely a small amount of ooze, and even that didn’t keep going.
“OK, you need to leave these in for probably about two weeks.” Stephen was talking as he started dressing the wound, first with some antibiotic ointment, then a fresh pad and an Ace wrap.
“Keep an eye on it. If it gets really red or warm, then you need a doctor and some antibiotics. Don’t do any vigorous stuff with it and give it some time to knit back together. In about two weeks, clip the stitch and pull it out. After you do that, keep it protected another week since it won’t have the stitch helping hold it together.”
He was bundling up their tools as they finished. The mechanic stepped up to Stephen.
“Thanks. What can I do to help you for doing this?”
“Help us find a way to get north.”
When Stephen came back into the work bay, he found Lacy sitting on a stool in front of a small mobile worktable, her arm resting on the large towel covering the work surface, her father standing next to her.
“Good. This will work great.” Stephen said as he set several things down on the table.
“So, how are we going to do this?” The mechanic asked Stephen.
“Ok, the first thing we are going to do is stop the bleeding so we can get a good look at the wound and clean it up before we close it.”
About this time Gabriel came into the bay. The mechanic immediately went towards him.
“Sir, we are closed for lunch right now. I can…”
“It’s ok, he’s with me.” Stephen reassured him.
“Is he another paramedic?” the woman asked.
Stephen smiled at Lacy. “No, this is Gabe a master seamstress. His stitches will be a lot smaller, more even and more effective. Don’t worry. I’m doing the medicine parts, he’s just a whole lot better with a needle than I am.”
Stephen glanced over to see Gabe giving the young women one of his father’s flirtatious smiles. Just what he needed Gabe acting like his father in a time like this.
Stephen paused a moment to get his thoughts together. He knew he had to explain things to keep everyone on track with what needed to be done. He tried to think how Doug would do it. Stephen thought back to a rescue he did with Doug. It was hard one, Stephen was doing what Doug called ‘Wilderness Paramedic ride along’. Stephen resented it at first but with multiple casualties, he was glad Doug was there.
During the rescue, Stephen watched how Doug seamlessly splint the guy’s broke leg while keeping him distracted talking about what he was doing. Doug even managed to throw in a few jokes and find out about the guy. The guy was still laughing while occasionally wincing when Doug told him he was done and ready to carry him out in the Stokes basket. Doug assured Stephen he would learn to do it someday. Stephen wished someday was today. He wanted Doug here right now. Tenderness was his thing. He had no choice but to step up; there was no one to step aside to. This girl needed him.
“Alright, Lacy, I need you to look at me. I’m not going to lie to you. This going to hurt but I do what I can to minimize the pain. Tell me when it hurts too much. I am going to tell you what we are doing so you won’t be as afraid Ok. If you have questions, ask me Ok?
Lacy looked over at her father and nodded.
“Let’s get started. We are going to put a tourniquet on your arm.” He saw some apprehension appear right away.
“Don’t worry. It’s only temporary. We have to stop the bleeding. This way you won’t be bleeding while we work on the cut. As soon as we are done, we take the tourniquet off. The other thing is it will help it not hurt as much when we sew. Have you ever slept wrong on your hand, and it goes numb? Well, that’s part of what we are doing here.”
While he was talking, he was building an improvised tourniquet out of a cravat and a small rod. He tied the cravat tightly around the woman’s upper arm.
“The bad thing about a tourniquet, when I put it on, it’s going to hurt a lot if I do it right. Are you ready?”
He saw her take her father’s hand with her other hand then nod. Stephen began to twist. He could see the pain on her face and in how she squirmed. He didn’t stop. He had to cut off the flow. After two full rotations, he checked the pulse in her wrist. None.
“OK, now, I tie the second one around your arm to keep the stick where it is.” When he was done with that step, he looked at her face.
“Doing ok?”
She was still squirming but managed to blurt out a soft, “OK”
“Good. Now let’s get this thing unwrapped.” Stephen pulled the towel and makeshift bandages away. Now he could see the extent of the wound. It looked like a jagged tear more than a slice. In the cut itself, he could see some spots of clotted blood or debris.
Well, he was prepared for that, but she wouldn’t like what he had to do. First step was to numb it up as much as he could now since the other effect would take time to kick in.
He picked up the hand towel full of ice he brought from the motel and put the icepack directly on the wound.
“This will help numb it up before we clean it.”
While the ice did its job, he unwrapped the pediatric toothbrush and loosened the cap on the bottle of distilled water. After about ten minutes, Stephen decided it was time.
“You doing Ok Lacy?”
The young woman tried to answer but her head was buried deep in her father’s chest trying not to cry and wholly uninterested in watching what they were doing. The best she could answer was a small whimper which everyone took as a good sign.
“It’s time to start cleaning the wound so it doesn’t get infected. My brother is going to pour a little water over it while I clean it out with the tiny toothbrush. This will wash it out so I can see what is going on and Gabe can see what he is going to be sewing.”
Stephen kept hoping Gabriel’s was concentrating on providing the small trickle of water onto the wound, not the pretty girl. If he wasn’t, there was going to be one mad mechanic and one less brother. Stephen also had to keep his mind on scrubbing the wound with the toothbrush or his sister would be without a truck and two brothers.
“Everything thing is cleaned out and it looks good. I am going to turn the work over to the Master with the needle so you will have a minimal scarring.”
Stephen and Gabriel worked at bringing the wound edges together. Stephen pointed out the structure of the skin and how he wanted Gabe to sew it together.
“Hi Lacy. I’m Gabe. I’m going to be sewing up your wound. It shouldn’t hurt any more than getting a tattoo. You ever get a tattoo?” Lacy shook her head no. “Do you want a tattoo? I can make you scar look like a tat if you want me to. I can do mean looking dragon. Celtic knot? A heart for that special guy?” when she didn’t answer, he continued. “No special guy? I’m available.” Lacy for the first time since all this started raised her head and managed a smile as she looked into Gabe’s smiling eyes. Her father wasn’t sure if he was amused.
“Time to get the sewing done Gabe.” Stephen tried not to admonish him since Lacy was relaxing but time was important. He didn’t want to have the tourniquet on longer than they had to.
Gabe had the idea of what he had to do. It didn’t take long for him to finish. Watching Gabe work, Stephen knew he made the right call. It would have taken him eight times as long and would have looked like a seizure victim trying to draw Abraham Lincoln on an Etch-A-Sketch.
“Now, the part you have been waiting for. I’m going to slowly release the tourniquet, and make sure it doesn’t leak. It’s going to hurt again as the blood comes back into your arm, but it will pass.” Stephen told Lacy.
Gabriel’s sewing did a great job bringing everything together and there was barely a small amount of ooze, and even that didn’t keep going.
“OK, you need to leave these in for probably about two weeks.” Stephen was talking as he started dressing the wound, first with some antibiotic ointment, then a fresh pad and an Ace wrap.
“Keep an eye on it. If it gets really red or warm, then you need a doctor and some antibiotics. Don’t do any vigorous stuff with it and give it some time to knit back together. In about two weeks, clip the stitch and pull it out. After you do that, keep it protected another week since it won’t have the stitch helping hold it together.”
He was bundling up their tools as they finished. The mechanic stepped up to Stephen.
“Thanks. What can I do to help you for doing this?”
“Help us find a way to get north.”
Last edited:
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Tit for Tat. Thanks, CCG!
SquonkHunter
Geezer (ret.)
larry_minn
Contributing Member
When I went thru wife’s stuff getting out of military. I found 30 stitching packs. Sterile curved needle, tweezer type thing. I told her I liked super glue and duct tape. 
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Nice revision.
Siskiyoumom
Veteran Member
The mechanic and daughter need to with the three amigos north. A mechanic can have mad skills and tools and I am positive the daughter does as well. Thank you for the new chapter!
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Considering his comment to his daughter "I'm here now." that may be in the cards.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Up North at the Cabin the Next Day
Randy came downstairs late. Benji was nowhere to be seen and Barbara was filling up a hydration bladder at the sink.
“What’s going on?”
Barbara didn’t even turn from what she was doing as she answered him.
“Got a message from Stephen late last night. The mechanic working on their truck said the block was bad or some shit like that, so, he doesn’t know how long it will take to fix it, or even if he can get the parts to do it.”
“Ouch! It took two months for mine to get fixed cause it took that long to find a doner engine that didn’t cost more than the whole truck was worth.” Randy said as he poured a cup of coffee.
“You might want to nuke that. It’s three hours old.” Barbara said as she was stuffing the full bladder into her canvas hydration pack.
“So, what does that have to do with you stuffing bags and such?” he asked while he poured the old coffee down the drain and started making a new pot.
“I’m going over to the airport to get his truck so we can go get him.” She said as she slung her bag onto her shoulder.
“Whoa! You're going to what?”
“I’m going to go get Stephen’s truck from the airport so we can go get him.”
“…and just how the hell are you going to do that? And weren’t you the one who said we should lay low in case the guys who killed your car were still looking for us?”
“I’m going to ride my bike there.”
“That’s like sixty or eighty miles!”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll ride halfway then depending on where I’m at and how I feel, take a good nap for the evening, then finish in the morning. I just swing by my place, grab the spare keys, pop down there, throw my bike in the back of his truck, and we’re good.”
“You shouldn’t go by yourself! One of us should go with you!”
“You worry too much. Besides. You need to stay here with Benji and get ready for our run south to pick up Stephen.”
“Where is Benji?”
“He’s in the garage, double-checking my bike.”
“I don’t like this, and I haven’t had coffee yet, so I don’t have a good argument against it.” He moved forward and wrapped Barbara up in a hug. “You be ****ing careful!” he released his hug and stepped back.
“I’ll be fine. You just relax and figure out what you’re going to need for the trip. Benji is already working on a list. I gotta go if I want to make the most of the daylight.”
Barbara slipped out of the kitchen, leaving Randy standing there listening to the bubble of the coffee pot brewing. He was still standing there when Benji came in the kitchen.
“This is ****ing nuts!” he said as he walked into the room.
“I agree, but we have a couple days to get ready to run south with her. If it takes her two days to get to the airport, then she gets back here that evening, that’s what? Three days to prepare?” Randy asked as he poured his first cup of coffee. It stopped halfway to his lips at Benji’s reaction.
“What the hell are you talking about? She isn’t coming back her! She’s going to go get the truck and go get Stephen! She said we couldn’t come because there wouldn’t be enough room for that many people on the way back!”
“Wait, what?”
“She’s going to the airport, then leave from there!” Benji shouted.
“That’s ****ing nuts!” Randy shouted.
“That’s what I said.”
Randy came downstairs late. Benji was nowhere to be seen and Barbara was filling up a hydration bladder at the sink.
“What’s going on?”
Barbara didn’t even turn from what she was doing as she answered him.
“Got a message from Stephen late last night. The mechanic working on their truck said the block was bad or some shit like that, so, he doesn’t know how long it will take to fix it, or even if he can get the parts to do it.”
“Ouch! It took two months for mine to get fixed cause it took that long to find a doner engine that didn’t cost more than the whole truck was worth.” Randy said as he poured a cup of coffee.
“You might want to nuke that. It’s three hours old.” Barbara said as she was stuffing the full bladder into her canvas hydration pack.
“So, what does that have to do with you stuffing bags and such?” he asked while he poured the old coffee down the drain and started making a new pot.
“I’m going over to the airport to get his truck so we can go get him.” She said as she slung her bag onto her shoulder.
“Whoa! You're going to what?”
“I’m going to go get Stephen’s truck from the airport so we can go get him.”
“…and just how the hell are you going to do that? And weren’t you the one who said we should lay low in case the guys who killed your car were still looking for us?”
“I’m going to ride my bike there.”
“That’s like sixty or eighty miles!”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll ride halfway then depending on where I’m at and how I feel, take a good nap for the evening, then finish in the morning. I just swing by my place, grab the spare keys, pop down there, throw my bike in the back of his truck, and we’re good.”
“You shouldn’t go by yourself! One of us should go with you!”
“You worry too much. Besides. You need to stay here with Benji and get ready for our run south to pick up Stephen.”
“Where is Benji?”
“He’s in the garage, double-checking my bike.”
“I don’t like this, and I haven’t had coffee yet, so I don’t have a good argument against it.” He moved forward and wrapped Barbara up in a hug. “You be ****ing careful!” he released his hug and stepped back.
“I’ll be fine. You just relax and figure out what you’re going to need for the trip. Benji is already working on a list. I gotta go if I want to make the most of the daylight.”
Barbara slipped out of the kitchen, leaving Randy standing there listening to the bubble of the coffee pot brewing. He was still standing there when Benji came in the kitchen.
“This is ****ing nuts!” he said as he walked into the room.
“I agree, but we have a couple days to get ready to run south with her. If it takes her two days to get to the airport, then she gets back here that evening, that’s what? Three days to prepare?” Randy asked as he poured his first cup of coffee. It stopped halfway to his lips at Benji’s reaction.
“What the hell are you talking about? She isn’t coming back her! She’s going to go get the truck and go get Stephen! She said we couldn’t come because there wouldn’t be enough room for that many people on the way back!”
“Wait, what?”
“She’s going to the airport, then leave from there!” Benji shouted.
“That’s ****ing nuts!” Randy shouted.
“That’s what I said.”
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Down South
“Where have you been?” Stephen asked Gabe when he came back into the room.
“Checking on our patient.” He said with a smile.
“Oh? When did it become ‘our patient’?”
“I’m just trying to take care of Lacy.”
“And the fact she is a pretty twenty-something blonde doesn’t have anything to do with it?”
“What can I say? I’m a caring sort of person.”
“Let’s not reenact a ‘farmers daughter’ joke and get yourself shot and us with no transportation.” Stephen’s tone turned serious.
“Lacy wouldn’t do that. She’s a nice girl.”
“I’m sure. It’s you I worry about.” Stephen tried to smile a little of the sting out of his comment.
Gabe smiled a little. “Don’t worry about me. I can’t help I’m attracted to pretty women. I’ll mind my manners. We are just talking.”
‘That’s the part I worry about.’ Stephen didn’t say. Gabriel was too much like their dad. He would flirt with a signpost and could convince a nun to consider divorce.
“So, what did you find out about ‘our’ patient, and by the way, how did you convince her into ‘our’ patient?”
“Well, funny story. You see, she’s studying psych, looking to be some sort of counselor, and I told her she aught to help me puzzle through some of my classwork, you know, since I’m studying to be an RN.”
“A what? You told me you were aiming for a history degree. When did you switch over to nursing?” Stephen was all kinds of confused now.
Gabe’s grin got huge. “Oh…” he looked at his watch. “about forty-five minutes or so ago.”
“Dang it, Gabe!”
“Don’t worry. It will all be ok. I got this.”
The grin, the gleam in his eye, it was pure dad. Stephen just shook his head.
“So, what else did you find out?”
“Her dad, and Dave the convenience store guy are brothers. There’s a third brother, Jason if I remember right, living way up north by Canada. Lacy, Elsa and Madison, that’s Dave’s daughter, all used to hang out together, but Madison went north to help Jason with a project on his ranch since she graduated this summer. Elsa stayed here to finish out her last year then her and Lacy were supposed to go north to Jason’s ranch too. Jason was always trying to convince his brothers to sell out and come join him since he had a big ass ranch with plenty of space.”
“Three daughters. Got it. Next worry. Any of them married?”
Gabe’s smirk answered him before the words even escaped his lips. “Not even a serious boyfriend among them.”
“Well, hell. They might be close enough to visit next year when they get done with school. If so, I advise you my fast-talking little brother, go a little slower and maybe you can build something that lasts instead of another prom fiasco.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about…and how did you hear of it?” Gabe was bright red with embarrassment now.
“Mom told me.”
“How did SHE know?”
“You thought you were slick, taking three different girls to three different proms, then trying to keep seeing each of them. It was the pictures that got you caught. That, and she was friends with their mothers from 4H growing up.”
“Son of a…!”
“Yeah, she just made a few calls and poof, there it was.” Stephen had a good laugh before he changed the topic back.
“So, since you ‘checked up’ on ‘our’ patient, how did the stitches look?”
“I cleaned it and wrapped it for her, just like you told her it needed to be. It didn’t look any different than when I finished yesterday, so I took it as a good sign since you were telling her to look for changes like puffiness, swelling redness or leaks.”
“Sounds like you did a good job. Maybe you might make a nurse after all.” Stephen smiled again at the brief confusion on Gabe’s face. “You know, what you were studying for?”
“Right! She might convince me, but it’ll take some long walks and some heartfelt talks. We shall see.” Gabe’s grin was back.
“Where have you been?” Stephen asked Gabe when he came back into the room.
“Checking on our patient.” He said with a smile.
“Oh? When did it become ‘our patient’?”
“I’m just trying to take care of Lacy.”
“And the fact she is a pretty twenty-something blonde doesn’t have anything to do with it?”
“What can I say? I’m a caring sort of person.”
“Let’s not reenact a ‘farmers daughter’ joke and get yourself shot and us with no transportation.” Stephen’s tone turned serious.
“Lacy wouldn’t do that. She’s a nice girl.”
“I’m sure. It’s you I worry about.” Stephen tried to smile a little of the sting out of his comment.
Gabe smiled a little. “Don’t worry about me. I can’t help I’m attracted to pretty women. I’ll mind my manners. We are just talking.”
‘That’s the part I worry about.’ Stephen didn’t say. Gabriel was too much like their dad. He would flirt with a signpost and could convince a nun to consider divorce.
“So, what did you find out about ‘our’ patient, and by the way, how did you convince her into ‘our’ patient?”
“Well, funny story. You see, she’s studying psych, looking to be some sort of counselor, and I told her she aught to help me puzzle through some of my classwork, you know, since I’m studying to be an RN.”
“A what? You told me you were aiming for a history degree. When did you switch over to nursing?” Stephen was all kinds of confused now.
Gabe’s grin got huge. “Oh…” he looked at his watch. “about forty-five minutes or so ago.”
“Dang it, Gabe!”
“Don’t worry. It will all be ok. I got this.”
The grin, the gleam in his eye, it was pure dad. Stephen just shook his head.
“So, what else did you find out?”
“Her dad, and Dave the convenience store guy are brothers. There’s a third brother, Jason if I remember right, living way up north by Canada. Lacy, Elsa and Madison, that’s Dave’s daughter, all used to hang out together, but Madison went north to help Jason with a project on his ranch since she graduated this summer. Elsa stayed here to finish out her last year then her and Lacy were supposed to go north to Jason’s ranch too. Jason was always trying to convince his brothers to sell out and come join him since he had a big ass ranch with plenty of space.”
“Three daughters. Got it. Next worry. Any of them married?”
Gabe’s smirk answered him before the words even escaped his lips. “Not even a serious boyfriend among them.”
“Well, hell. They might be close enough to visit next year when they get done with school. If so, I advise you my fast-talking little brother, go a little slower and maybe you can build something that lasts instead of another prom fiasco.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about…and how did you hear of it?” Gabe was bright red with embarrassment now.
“Mom told me.”
“How did SHE know?”
“You thought you were slick, taking three different girls to three different proms, then trying to keep seeing each of them. It was the pictures that got you caught. That, and she was friends with their mothers from 4H growing up.”
“Son of a…!”
“Yeah, she just made a few calls and poof, there it was.” Stephen had a good laugh before he changed the topic back.
“So, since you ‘checked up’ on ‘our’ patient, how did the stitches look?”
“I cleaned it and wrapped it for her, just like you told her it needed to be. It didn’t look any different than when I finished yesterday, so I took it as a good sign since you were telling her to look for changes like puffiness, swelling redness or leaks.”
“Sounds like you did a good job. Maybe you might make a nurse after all.” Stephen smiled again at the brief confusion on Gabe’s face. “You know, what you were studying for?”
“Right! She might convince me, but it’ll take some long walks and some heartfelt talks. We shall see.” Gabe’s grin was back.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
larry_minn
Contributing Member
Well if he could do that kind of stitching on a patient with only ice to dull pain. He should get some medical training.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Ice and the tq
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
On the Bike Headed Towards Town
Barbara was pedaling hard. She wanted to make a quick start and make distance right away to avoid Randy and Benji from being able to catch up and join her on the trip.
She didn’t think they knew exactly where she lived. She was always the one picking them up, not the other way around. She hated being in a car with someone else driving. Completely understandable, considering. That was one of the sticking points when her and Stephen started dating. He didn’t understand she had to either drive or be in the back seat. The one time she tried to force herself to work through it and sit up front next to him, she damn near hyperventilated.
That’s when she had to tell him. After that, he said he understood and always kept it in mind. He would play it off with the others when they were all in the same vehicle, usually with comments about she should sit in back since she had shorter legs.
She was working those shorter legs hard now. She wanted to get to a spot she had picked out on the map for a suitable layover point. She knew she wouldn’t stop for long, maybe four or five hours tops. She would try to balance it with the whole ‘movement attracts the eye and attention’ worry.
She knew some of the stuff she would grab when she got to her place. Most of it was still stuffed in the trunk where she left it those years ago when she ripped through all the stuff they shipped back from her room in Italy for her. They were trying to help, but just even looking at the boxes of stuff from the life she couldn’t get back…God! It hurt!
She ditched so much! The stuff in the trunk was all she had left from that life. It was the little bit she kept as part of her delusion of recovering and being physically good enough, able enough to give her a shot at coming back in.
She didn’t want to admit it wasn’t going to happen. She had fought and fought and still came up short. Hell, she should have put more effort at the paramedic courses she was taking with Stephen, but she wasn’t worried at the time. She was padding her resume and getting a degree to let her in the door as an officer, since she had a better shot that way. She just ‘knew’ once she was back in, back in the pipeline, they would push her though their version of Paramedic, and teach it to her their way.
Hell, the funny part, she thought, was here she was, trying to do the very thing they trained her to do, after they medically booted her for not being able to do what she was going to do. Only she wasn’t a tiny cog in a big machine. No, here she was, thinking of doing this shit by herself, with no back up, no safety net of partners, no higher qualified team members to lean on and follow their lead. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Barbara was pedaling hard. She wanted to make a quick start and make distance right away to avoid Randy and Benji from being able to catch up and join her on the trip.
She didn’t think they knew exactly where she lived. She was always the one picking them up, not the other way around. She hated being in a car with someone else driving. Completely understandable, considering. That was one of the sticking points when her and Stephen started dating. He didn’t understand she had to either drive or be in the back seat. The one time she tried to force herself to work through it and sit up front next to him, she damn near hyperventilated.
That’s when she had to tell him. After that, he said he understood and always kept it in mind. He would play it off with the others when they were all in the same vehicle, usually with comments about she should sit in back since she had shorter legs.
She was working those shorter legs hard now. She wanted to get to a spot she had picked out on the map for a suitable layover point. She knew she wouldn’t stop for long, maybe four or five hours tops. She would try to balance it with the whole ‘movement attracts the eye and attention’ worry.
She knew some of the stuff she would grab when she got to her place. Most of it was still stuffed in the trunk where she left it those years ago when she ripped through all the stuff they shipped back from her room in Italy for her. They were trying to help, but just even looking at the boxes of stuff from the life she couldn’t get back…God! It hurt!
She ditched so much! The stuff in the trunk was all she had left from that life. It was the little bit she kept as part of her delusion of recovering and being physically good enough, able enough to give her a shot at coming back in.
She didn’t want to admit it wasn’t going to happen. She had fought and fought and still came up short. Hell, she should have put more effort at the paramedic courses she was taking with Stephen, but she wasn’t worried at the time. She was padding her resume and getting a degree to let her in the door as an officer, since she had a better shot that way. She just ‘knew’ once she was back in, back in the pipeline, they would push her though their version of Paramedic, and teach it to her their way.
Hell, the funny part, she thought, was here she was, trying to do the very thing they trained her to do, after they medically booted her for not being able to do what she was going to do. Only she wasn’t a tiny cog in a big machine. No, here she was, thinking of doing this shit by herself, with no back up, no safety net of partners, no higher qualified team members to lean on and follow their lead. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
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ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Down South, Samantha’s Room
“Do you have a plan, or is it just cram shit in bags?” Samantha asked Stephen. They were standing looking at the pile of food components.
“I worked on some menu cards last night. We take the bigger bulk stuff and split it out, like one of the big bags of rice. We break it down into however many dozen ziplocs, then we go through and add stuff to each to make x number of meals. We take the rice baggie, add the contents of a cream of chicken soup packet, a scoop of the freeze-dried chicken and a couple tablespoons of powdered milk. Here, I made some cards.” Stephen held out a stack of three by five cards.
Samantha started looking at them.
Cheesy Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup instant rice
2 Tbsp dry milk
2 Tbsp cheddar cheese powder
Add one cup boiling water.
Veggie Beef Rice
Ingredients:
¾ cup instant rice
6 Tbsp freeze dried ground beef
3 Tbsp dried mixed vegetables
2 Tbsp dry vegetable soup mix
Add 1¼ cups near boiling water
Rice and Beans
½ cup instant rice
1/3 cup instant refried beans (pinto or black)
1 Tbsp dried onion or shallots
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
Add one cup boiling water.
Chicken & Peas
2 cups instant rice
¼ cup freeze-dried peas
¼ cup shelf stable shaker parmesan cheese
2 packets chicken bouillon concentrate
1 tsp butter powder
1 5-ounce chicken packet
Add 2¼ cups water
Chicken Gravy Rice
1 cup instant rice
2 tsp chicken gravy mix
1 tsp diced dried onion
2 Tbsp shelf stable parmesan cheese (green can)
1 5-ounce chicken packet
Add one cup boiling water.
Curry Rice w/Chicken
2/3 cup instant brown rice
¼ cup freeze dried chopped chicken
¼ cup freeze dried mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon freeze dried onions (or 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes)
1-1/2 teaspoons powdered chicken flavor base (or boullion granules)
1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
Add one and a half cups boiling water.
Spicy Fried Rice w/Thai Basil
1 cup instant rice
2 tbsp dehydrated onions
½ cup mixed hot veggies
Kikkoman Fried Rice mix
1 pinch dried Thai basil
2-4 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup dehydrated bell peppers (optional)
¼ cup bacon bits (optional)
¼ crumbled dried mushrooms (optional)
¼ cup freeze-dried eggs (optional)
Half a liter boiling water
Samantha went through the cards. There must have been fifty of them. Rice ones, noodle ones, potato ones.
“And if we figure out we are making say, ten of the cheese rice ones, we write the info and instructions on the bags before we put anything in them. It’s a lot easier that way and more readable.” Stephen said as she was thumbing through the cards.
“Well, I guess it’s better than sitting on my ass reading. Did you have all this in your head?” she looked up from the cards.
“No. Some I do, but I have a couple hundred in my tablet. I just cycle through them and tried to match up to the ingredients we have on hand.”
“Well, we can always raid the convenience store for more ingredients too.” Sam was getting into this idea. She enjoyed cooking and this was a whole new challenge.
“Yeah, but let’s start by looking at how much we have already and work from there.”
Makes sense. Grab your pad and we can cruise the recipes too. You might know them by heart, but I might know some work-arounds that might kick up the flavor some too.” Sam was grinning now.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Do you have a plan, or is it just cram shit in bags?” Samantha asked Stephen. They were standing looking at the pile of food components.
“I worked on some menu cards last night. We take the bigger bulk stuff and split it out, like one of the big bags of rice. We break it down into however many dozen ziplocs, then we go through and add stuff to each to make x number of meals. We take the rice baggie, add the contents of a cream of chicken soup packet, a scoop of the freeze-dried chicken and a couple tablespoons of powdered milk. Here, I made some cards.” Stephen held out a stack of three by five cards.
Samantha started looking at them.
Cheesy Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup instant rice
2 Tbsp dry milk
2 Tbsp cheddar cheese powder
Add one cup boiling water.
Veggie Beef Rice
Ingredients:
¾ cup instant rice
6 Tbsp freeze dried ground beef
3 Tbsp dried mixed vegetables
2 Tbsp dry vegetable soup mix
Add 1¼ cups near boiling water
Rice and Beans
½ cup instant rice
1/3 cup instant refried beans (pinto or black)
1 Tbsp dried onion or shallots
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
Add one cup boiling water.
Chicken & Peas
2 cups instant rice
¼ cup freeze-dried peas
¼ cup shelf stable shaker parmesan cheese
2 packets chicken bouillon concentrate
1 tsp butter powder
1 5-ounce chicken packet
Add 2¼ cups water
Chicken Gravy Rice
1 cup instant rice
2 tsp chicken gravy mix
1 tsp diced dried onion
2 Tbsp shelf stable parmesan cheese (green can)
1 5-ounce chicken packet
Add one cup boiling water.
Curry Rice w/Chicken
2/3 cup instant brown rice
¼ cup freeze dried chopped chicken
¼ cup freeze dried mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon freeze dried onions (or 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes)
1-1/2 teaspoons powdered chicken flavor base (or boullion granules)
1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
Add one and a half cups boiling water.
Spicy Fried Rice w/Thai Basil
1 cup instant rice
2 tbsp dehydrated onions
½ cup mixed hot veggies
Kikkoman Fried Rice mix
1 pinch dried Thai basil
2-4 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup dehydrated bell peppers (optional)
¼ cup bacon bits (optional)
¼ crumbled dried mushrooms (optional)
¼ cup freeze-dried eggs (optional)
Half a liter boiling water
Samantha went through the cards. There must have been fifty of them. Rice ones, noodle ones, potato ones.
“And if we figure out we are making say, ten of the cheese rice ones, we write the info and instructions on the bags before we put anything in them. It’s a lot easier that way and more readable.” Stephen said as she was thumbing through the cards.
“Well, I guess it’s better than sitting on my ass reading. Did you have all this in your head?” she looked up from the cards.
“No. Some I do, but I have a couple hundred in my tablet. I just cycle through them and tried to match up to the ingredients we have on hand.”
“Well, we can always raid the convenience store for more ingredients too.” Sam was getting into this idea. She enjoyed cooking and this was a whole new challenge.
“Yeah, but let’s start by looking at how much we have already and work from there.”
Makes sense. Grab your pad and we can cruise the recipes too. You might know them by heart, but I might know some work-arounds that might kick up the flavor some too.” Sam was grinning now.
“I’ll be right back.”
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
Shotgun Willy
Contributing Member
DIY LRP meals. If I remember what I read correctly, you can add the water cold in the morning and it will be soft and ready to eat by lunch, no fire necessary. They called them Lurp bags.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Eaten a few of those