THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO CHALLENGE #4…ABOUT DREAMS….
HERE IS THE STORY:
---DREAM…DR. REMARKABLE EMERGENCY ANIMAL MEDIC---
(*happens following the monkey “VIRUS” episode*)
--CHAPTER ONE—
--MONKEY BUISNESS—
“It’s GOT to be,” Dr. Brackett said out loud, speaking into the darkness of his own bedroom “it’s just got to be from that monkey virus. I haven’t been able to sleep since I’ve been home, if it’s not one odd dream then it’s another…. I’m dreaming of monkeys, of all things.”
It must be the after effects of that strong
antidote, he thought. Gage said he hasn’t been comfortable sleeping at night either. Every time we try to rest, our minds start racing and spinning. I’ve been out of the hospital and home for two weeks, and I’ve still got a ‘monkey on my back’. Today will be my first day back, and now, if I don’t get any sleep, I will be undependable and put my patients at risk. I just can’t do this. I will have to have cut-back hours until I can shake this thing. I need sleep, or I can’t handle my regular schedule. Wonder how Gage is handling this?…maybe he’s been having odd dreams too.
Kel continued to wonder, and would have been very much annoyed, except at the moment he was too mystified to do so. He threw himself back onto the pillows, and stared at the dark ceiling, for just a second he thought he saw a smiling monkey, but it was only his socks, hanging from the ceiling fan. He had thrown them up there a few hours earlier at the monkey he WAS SURE he had seen there, chasing its tail.
“Oh, well,” Kel said, “what’s a guy to do? Grin and bear it…I’m going to sleep, somehow.”
--CHAPTER TWO—
--DIXIE’S SPECIAL INSIGHT—
Kel came in to Rampart, feeling defeated, he had let himself down. It would be fewer hours now, at least this for this week. Especially, if it held true to form, as his first weeks had been during his freedom from being an impatient patient at Rampart.
“Hey there, Dix…and I don’t want to hear any ‘good mornings, not from YOU or anyone, understand me?” Kel snapped, and poured some coffee.
“Well, one thing's for sure, it’s not a good morning, now…is it? I can see you’ve taken care of THAT fairly well, haven’t you?” Dixie replied right back in his face, with a wry smile.
“Aw Dix, it’s the blasted monkeys again, for two weeks now, every few nights” Kel said, as he threw his coffee in the sink with a strong swing of his arm. “Let’s get to work, maybe I just need to talk about it to someone. Maybe I’ll have that SOMEONE be YOU…lets see how you like it, dealing with these critters for awhile. Maybe it will get rid of that smirk on your face”; he smiled a bit, as he tried to picture her with a smirk. It was much more of a smug look that she had though, and he wondered why.
Luckily the day had ended with less commotion than he had feared he would be facing.It was time for a needed bit of rest, as he still didn’t quite feel as strong and well, as he wanted to.It will come, he thought, it will come.They were free to leave, but the lounge was where Kel and Dixie had agreed to ‘do the monkeys in’.
The last of the sunlight was streaming through the window, and they sat and just stared at each other, and Dixie laughed, and tossed her head down, and looked up at Kel with a smile.
“All right, out with it”, she said.
“Dix, its still been going on just like the first night I got home. First they just came to visit, then they came and stole my food, and messed up all the water pipes. Tore them all to pieces and thought it was funny. They busted open the window, and then turned up the heat.Then they stole my keys, took off with my car, tried to use my credit cards.With out success, though,I might add.NOW they’re marching around my room in MY clothes and none of them fit right, not even on one single monkey!
Kel stopped as he heard himself speaking, and then continued “What am I saying, WHY SHOULD I CARE IF THEY FIT OR NOT…WHAT THE HECK ARE THEY DOING IN MY CLOTHES IN THE FIRST PLACE.! WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING DREAMING THIS NONSENSE, DIX! It was ridiculous, Dixie, just plain ridiculous. I’m stuck in the middle and can’t get out, and then I DO, I crawl out form the middle of it…. But then I keep seeing monkeys up on the ceiling fan, saying, ‘one two three, we know something you don’t know’…I just can’t take it anymore, Dix…I was sick, I nearly died, and I am JUST TIRED RIGHT NOW.I WANT TO GO BACK TO WORK FULL TIME, and I can’t yet!”
“Kel, look, doesn’t this make sense to you…the sickness came from monkeys. You were unable to eat, or drink.Your whole body felt torn in pieces, not able to function. High fever, chills. You couldn’t go to work. Couldn’t pay bills,…and the clothes…. Well you lost weight. They fit you loose now, don’t they, the clothes, right? Well, you got well, now Kel…you're out from under it all…. So, Kel, guess what?”
“‘One two three’”, Dix said “‘I know something you don’t know’”…. Now I think you won’t have to take it any more …I think it’s all over Kel….”
Kel just stared at her, “you know Dix… why it all makes sense now, why couldn’t I see it…?”
“Kel, you don’t monkey around when you talk, you get right to the point don’t you…so how could you expect to understand.” She answered, in her cool sophisticated way.“See, I’m one up on you again, Kelly Brackett.”
“Very funny, Dixie. Are you trying to tell me I’m a bit too technical for my own good; now, are you?"She gave him a light punch in the shoulder, and they went their separate ways.
“Hey Dix”, Kel called back to her.
“Yes, what is it Kel?”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it… any time, Dr. Brackett” and she watched him walk out the door, in his own special way. I sure enjoy how that man walks, sure of himself and determined, thought Dixie. “Keep up the good work, mister.” she said, to unhearing ears.
--CHAPTER THREE—
--WAVE UPON WAVES, FOR THE BRAIN WAVES—
Kel’s first words to Dix, that next morning at Rampart were,” I had a great night Dix…and to tell you the truth…I am so grateful, I think I’ll have a talk with Gage, he’s been having some of the same problems… so I hear…”
Dix, replied, “Well, first, there’s a protest going on about white lab rats. Do you want to read this article?”
“No, not now, Dix…this is MY time, coffee and me, before work…no white rats for me.”
Later that afternoon, after a few cases had come and gone, Kel stood in the hall, and stretched out a bit…as he listened to the local desk gossip, he soaked up some information about Dr. Early and his new problems. Apparently a friends farm was infested with rats…Kel threw his head back against the wall, a bit harder then planned, as he recollected: rats of all things, all day, I’ve been hearing about rats.
As the day wore on, Kel was finally able to get hold of Gage.
“Yeah, Kel”, Gage began to relate “I sure have been, and I understand completely, but I’m having nightmares. REAL full blown nightmares.Like, falling down holes, that have no bottoms…. going through doors, and not returning ….climbing up stairs that have no end….it’s terrible. Continuing unending prolonged troubles. And NOW we have mice in the station, can you believe it! They sound like rats to me though! Heck, I’m having ENOUGH trouble sleeping as it is, and that virus, as you know really took a toll on me. Well, yeah and you too. So…how’re you holding up now? You look a bit ‘peaked’, are you tired still, or what? Maybe we all went back to work too early. But once it passed, we have nothing to do but get stronger now, right, Doc. Hey Doc, are you listening?”
“Yeah” I was just thinking about something else, that’s all”… yeah, rats…and that Gage sure knows how to talk…and talk. Good guy, though.
"Hey, anything you want to share, Doc?” Gage, drew closer, and put his arm on Kel’s shoulder.
“No, not really, but I do think you should talk to Dix, Johnny she helped me. I know it’s the after effects of the medication, but I did get one good night, and I am just about to get another tonight.”
The day had drawn to a close, and as Kel stepped out into the night, on the way to his car, he noticed a mom carrying a sweet little babe…. holding a stuffed animal, a rat.I think I’m now in the ‘twilight zone’ thought Kel, as he smiled at the mom and babe.
That night, the rats were everywhere, no matter how hard he tried, Kel could not get them to go to bed…. They wouldn’t take their cold medication, and they were continually sneezing. The calming effect of Kel Brackett’s special papaya balm finally did the trick, and the whole animal clinic was singing for joy. Kel saved the day, the rats were well on the road to recovery, and it was his great veterinary skills that saved the day.The whole village was in an uproar, and he was a hero. No more mice would be victims of the science labs. They had a sanctuary there with Dr. Kel, the ‘REMARKABLE’ Vet.
As Kel, threw off the blanket and pillows to spill out the rats that were crawling over him, snuggling up to him with their gratitude, he REALIZED he was now AWAKE. The rats were gone and so was the rest of the night for him. Well, at least for now he was relieved. He wasn’t a ‘REMARKABLE’ Vet in South America, he was home in his own bed, and as far as he knew ...he was still a DOCTOR. At least for tomorrow, if he could just get some sleep.
--CHAPTER FOUR--
--CAT SCANS, RAINING CATS AND DOGS, CAT-ALOGS, CAT-TAILS, AND LOTS OF ‘COOL CATS’--
“Well, Dix”, Kel said “rats, yesterday, then all night long, and now today its cats…all day long the word cat here and cat there, cat this and cat that. Why I even heard a boy in the waiting room reading ‘The Cat in the Hat’. This is a set-up, Dix, you know that? I just know this is going to be a rough night…. No more monkeys. It was rats last night. Today if my suspicions are right, like I said, I’m in for a rough night.”
As Kel said down in the lounge, Dixie came up to him. He had his face buried in his hands, and she touched him on the back of his head, and he looked up at her.“What’s wrong with me, Dixie?” He just looked up at her, with a lostness in his eyes, as he searched for understanding, and hoped she had it.
“Getting through problems is a process, Kel, you know that as well as I do. So what if you dream about cats, at least you’ve been forewarned, right?Consider it a test, and you have your own ‘cheat sheet’ and now you know the answers, okay? Now, go home and try to get some sleep.I expect a full report tomorrow, understand, Doctor?”
“A full report, huh?” Kel sighed, and looked down at his hands and back up at her."Cheat sheet, huh?”
“Hey, Kel, I thought you left” Dr. Early turned back, a bit shocked and looked in the door. "Thought you’ve been counting the hours and couldn’t wait to get free of us, well?”
“I’ve been studying for a test, now leave me alone!" With that said, Kel left for home.
--CHAPTER FIVE—
--THE FURRY MENAGERIE—
Kel spent his night in a fitful sleep. His adventures in dreamland had him aiding every conceivable ‘EMERGENCY’. He was the most amazing ‘ANIMAL MEDIC’ in each situation.He started out on a farm in Texas, helping the Brahmas. He saved many heifers during calving problems. He found himself in Oklahoma, working with horses, if it wasn’t for his calm and steady hand and gentle nature, they would have lost some of their prize horses that had been going through some colic troubles. Finally, he found himself in Los Angeles, at a cat clinic. His name was in all the papers, he was the most ‘REMARKABLE EMERGENCY ANIMAL MEDIC’ the city had seen in years. Kel put the last cat back in its cage for the night, and went into his office for some much needed rest, leaning back he stared at the sign on his desk, and couldn’t believe his eyes, how had this happened, ‘DR. REMARKABLE EMERGENCY ANIMAL MEDIC’ was what it read. Kel woke up in a sweat, and realized he was shaking. There wasn’t a cat in sight. AND to his utter amazement there was no desk, and NO SIGN. He took a cold shower, went to the kitchen and had a few drinks, sat down on the sofa, and fell asleep.
--CHAPTER SIX—
--Dr…R…E…A…M…--
“Dixie, I’m telling you it was hell” Roy was relating to Dixie about the fire on the other side of town.“Part of it even hit the kennels, dogs loose all over the place!”
“No, it wasn’t hell, and it could have been a lot worse, three people died, but if it wasn’t for you guys, we’d have lost the other ten” Kel said as he sighed with relief, knowing the worst of it was over.“You just stick around, I’ll tell you about hell, I was THERE last night.”
Roy and Johnny had just been treated and were found to be well enough to carry on their work. As, they got up to leave, they gave Dr. Brackett a very puzzled look.
“I bet it’s those dreams”, Roy said, as he looked at Johnny. “Hey, yours finally stopped, didn’t they? Hey, Dr. Brackett, did you hear about that? We haven’t been listening to John here tearing up his pillows every night. He’s been sleeping like a babe…making up for lost time I suppose, actually, we haven’t been able to wake him up at all. This morning we pulled him out of the bed, sheets, and all.It was like dragging an old hound dog around! You should have seen him!”
“Look would you knock off the ‘dog talk’ I’m not in the mood for hearing anymore about dogs!” Kel yelled as he rammed his fist into his other hand and glared at them.
“Oh, your just a bit ornery cause you’re tired, Doc.I’m all better now, and well, at least I feel refreshed… I slept like a dog and I feel like my good old self again. And as for you, Roy, I’m warning you now. Leave me alone, okay. I didn’t make fun of you and your dreams about Miss November last year on the fireman’s monthly calendar. Your taste in women can go to the dogs, Roy” Gage replied, as he gave him a shove, and they pushed each other out the door, and made a ‘run for it’.
The rest of the afternoon was kept busy for all concerned, at Rampart, and for Squad 51. Towards the end of the day, Kel found himself trying to comfort a pair of twins, about the loss of their dogs. He himself felt like crying and had to turn it over to Dixie. He went and busied himself elsewhere. Dixie met up with him later.
“So, Kel, do I get a full report” Kel’s body shook up as he heard Dixie’s voice. They were in his office.It had been a long hard day Atleast it had had some happy endings.
“What’s wrong!” he jumped up, upsetting everything on his desk.
He was shocked as he came to realize he had fallen asleep. “What reports are you talking about? Look, I have a bunch of them here. And…and…they are covered in coffee. Did I do that?” he asked sheepishly.
“So, what’s this about hell, and do I get that full report, or don’t I?” she asked him, with her arms folded, and waiting.
“Dixie, you’re not getting a full report, as I’ve had MY FILL. I WILL SAY THIS THOUGH, it was HELL. I started out in Texas, and finally ended up here in Los Angeles in a cat clinic. AND I found myself face to face with a sign on my desk that read: ‘Dr. Remarkable Emergency Animal Medic’.
It was my biggest fear, just before I passed the test, my medical exams. That I had done all that work for nothing and I wouldn’t pass.I wanted it so bad. I mean, there was never a doubt in my mind,I knew I could and I would pass. But deep down inside where hidden fears can lay waiting to play games with our mind, I would get haunted sometimes at night, and wake up thinking I was a Vet, and that I took the wrong classes, and the results all turned out wrong.” Kel paused for a second, “you know, I think I was better off dreaming about the monkeys, at least it MADE SENSE.”
Dixie peered at him, “Kel, don’t you remember, YOU YOURSELF said the monkeys made NO sense?”
“Well, hell, Dix, you made sense out of it, SO NOW IT MAKES SENSE, okay!”
“Kel, this makes sense, if you look carefully at what your sign said on your desk, in the dream.”
“What do you mean, Dix? Are you going to solve this for me, now? Kel, unintentional was mocking her, and caught himself. I’m sorry, Dixie, I’m very sorry. Forgive me.”
“Initialize it, Kel” Dix said to him.
“What? I’m getting a headache here, Dix.”
“D for Dr. …R for remarkable…E for emergency…” she started.
“A for animal… and M for medic” Kel finished.‘DREAM’… the sign on my desk said dream…I was dreaming about my fear, Dixie.I WAS DREAMING ABOUT MY FEAR THAT I NEVER LET OUT, DEAR GOD!
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! Well, I must say, this is something to think about. Why, yes, congratulations are in order here Dixie.”
“SO what’s to stop me from dreaming about this again?” Kel went on to say. “Well, now, come to think of it… things are falling into place. Gage said his dreams are over, and he was sick before me, so my mind should stop racing at night, when I try to sleep.That’s step number one. Now, the monkey virus was weighing heavy in my mind, until you solved that for me. With nothing left to dream about from this medication side effect, naturally my mind had to grab at something. So it grabbed at that hidden fear. Well, now, Dix, with all this cleared up, things should be back to normal for me now. Hey, I think my headaches gone to, yes sir.It sure feels good to be feeling good.”
Dr. Brackett looked over at Dixie and shared a quiet smile with her. He went up to her slowly and touched her on the chin, and looked into her face.“You know what…sometimes I don’t know what I’d do with out you. Do you know that?”
“Oh, I find out occasionally, when I least suspect it” she replied with quiet understanding, and watched him leave the room.
--CHAPTER SEVEN—
--DOG GONE—
“WHAT are you guys doing back here” Kel said to Johnny and Roy, on his way to his car.
“Why we came by to see you. We're having a cook out tomorrow.You want to stop by?” Roy invited.
“Well, now I don’t know.” Kel stopped to think a minute. Wonder what kind of night I’m in for…I think I got this thing all wrapped up now, but then I been hearing about dogs all day now…medication side effects for Gage stopped so anytime now, I’ll be seeing myself free of it too.
“You know, I think I better decline. I just may have a date with a DOG tonight” Kel said, as he watched for their reactions.
Dixie, in passing caught that remark and looked at Kel with amazement, as well as the guys did.“Did you just say, what I thought you said, Kelly Brackett?”
“Now, Dix, you know me better than that, I would NEVER make such an unkind remark about anyone in that way. And YOU of all people, after these dream discussions should know what kind of DOG I am talking about. Now aren’t you feeling a bit on the 'I’m sorry side’? Kel was feeling a bit surprised at her.But Dixie didn’t get a chance to reply.
“Well, I SURE AM. I’m feeling sorry for you, Doc. Why, you should be having a date with a chick.. Sounds like it’d be a lot more fun.” John Gage said with a smirk, and started laughing.
“Hey now, women’s lib, is going to get you yet, John Gage”. Dixie said, a bit too serious for him.
“Well, you know, actually, he is right.” Kel spoke up now, after thinking the situation over. “It would be a lot more fun if I had a date with a CHICK.” Kel said with a twinkle in his eye and half a smile, looking over towards Dixie. She now was glaring at him.
“Why sure,it would Dixie. It would be MUCH easier ‘doctoring’ over a bunch of eggs, from a chick then ‘doctoring’ over a pack of dogs, and tons of puppies. That is IF I happen to have ONE more dream left before I am free from all this NONSENSE. NOW, wouldn’t you all AGREE?”
Before any of them could comment further, Dr. Brackett left them to their thoughts and was on his way to his car. He actually found himself smiling and quickened his pace a bit. He was also happy to see that he was looking forward to going home. Dog gone it, he just knew he was going to have a dog gone good nights sleep, and the only eggs he was going to see would be on his plate come sunrise.