‘Hey, wake up, huh?’
Dixie McCall rolled over in bed and buried her head under her pillow.
‘You’re gonna be late for your gardening event.’
“My WHAT?” Dixie poked her head out long enough to ask.
“That planting thing you said you had today.”
“Planting thing?” Dixie was thoroughly confused now.
‘Yeah, what’d you call it? A root canal?’
“How long have you been dead now?” Dixie asked her spirit guide, Audrey. “A root canal is a dental procedure. Extremely painful one too, as I’m told.”
‘In my day if your tooth bothered you, they just pulled it out.’
“Well, this isn’t your day anymore,” Dixie said crossly as she hauled herself out of bed.
‘Hey, you don’t have to snap at me! I’m just trying to help.’
Dixie sighed as she headed for the shower. She hadn’t asked for the mischievous spirit. She acquired her through a well-planned knock on the head. Just because the ghost was lonely, she was put into a coma. All things considered, it wasn’t SO bad. Audrey had proven herself helpful in her ability to see the future (not ALWAYS reliable, but pretty close).
“I’m sorry,” Dixie said after a minute. “I’m just edgy about today’s appointment is all.”
‘It’s okay,’ Audrey answered. ‘When we get there, I’ll have to show you a trick that’ll help take your mind off it.’
Dixie aimed a smile at nothing in particular. “Thanks.”
**************************
“Dixie McCall?” the dental assistant looked around the small waiting room as she called the name.
Dixie looked up and, with a heavy sigh, stood up and followed the girl back to the exam room.
**************************
10:45 a.m.
Dixie winced slightly as the dentist pulled the needle out of her mouth. “Well, we’ll just let that take effect for a few minutes and then we’ll get to work.”
The dentist set about getting his instruments ready and talking to his hygienists about various office-related matters for a few minutes before turning back to the blonde woman in the chair.
“Okay, you should be okay now,” he said genially. “I need you to open wide. If you want, just close your eyes and relax. Let me know if you feel any discomfort at all, okay?”
Dixie sighed for about the tenth time that day and opened her mouth.
‘Okay, how’d you like to go to a movie?’ Audrey’s voice came into her head. ‘I’ve never been to one but I’ve heard that cute guy Johnny talking about how he took his lady-friends to the movies.’
‘Exactly how do you propose we do that while I’ve got this man here with his hands in my mouth?’ Dixie thought back to her.
‘Like this,’ was her only answer.
Suddenly, Dixie had the sensation of floating. She opened her eyes and realized that her eyes weren’t open. She looked down and saw herself lying in the dentist’s chair with her eyes closed.
“Uh...Audrey? You didn’t just kill me, did you?”
“No,” Audrey answered with a laugh. “Haven’t you ever heard of out-of-body experiences before?”
“You mean I’m...”
“Out of your mind for a bit? Yes, that’s exactly what it means. Now come on, he’s gonna be awhile in your mouth, so let’s go see a movie.”
Dixie laughed at the feeling of freedom that was rapidly filling her being. “Okay! Let’s go!”
****************************
12:15 p.m.
“Okay, Dixie,” the dentist sat back. “That about does it. You still doing okay?”
Dixie didn’t respond.
“Dixie? Are you okay?” He leaned forward and shook her shoulders gently. “Dixie? Can you wake up for me?”
When she still didn’t respond, he shook her a little harder and then gently slapped her face. When that didn’t garner a reaction, he reached down and pinched her arm - hard. No response.
“Dammit, Dixie! You should have told me you were allergic to that stuff!”
**************************
‘Squad 51, woman unconscious. 523 Grandview Avenue, suite 201, 5-2-3 Grandview, cross street Fifth. Time out 12:23.’
**************************
Roy and Johnny arrived at the dentist’s office in less than ten minutes.
“What’ve we got?” Johnny asked as the dentist came out to meet them.
“I think it must be an allergic reaction to the anesthetic. I can’t wake her or get any kind of response at all.”
“How’s her pulse and respiration?”
The dentist shrugged. “They seem to be normal. Pulse 85, respirations 10. I checked her BP a couple of minutes ago and it was 110/80.”
“Okay, where is she?”
“I mean, she’s a nurse! She should’ve known better than to not tell me about something like that!”
“A nurse?” Roy asked.
“Yes, she works out of Rampart...Dixie McCall. You guys know her?”
Both paramedics froze in shock for a moment.
“You DO know her, don’t you?” the dentist said quietly.
Finally, the two men in blue pulled themselves together.
“Uh...yeah,” Johnny’s voice was subdued. “We know her real well.”
“Where is she, Doc?” Roy said finally and took a step forward.
“She’s in here,” the dentist said grimly and led them to the unconscious form of one of their best friends.
*******************************
“Rampart, this is squad 51, how do you read?”
“Loud and clear 51,” Kelly Brackett’s strong voice came over the biophone.
“It had to be Brackett! Why’d it have to be Brackett?” Johnny muttered. “Why couldn’t it have been Morton?”
“Uh...Rampart, we have a female patient...approximately 35 years of age...completely non-responsive. BP is 110/80, breathing is 10 and pulse is 85. Dentist suspects an allergic reaction to the anesthetic used during her root canal.”
“Vitals seem normal,” Brackett’s puzzled voice came over the airwaves. “You say she’s completely non-responsive?”
“That’s right, Rampart. No reactions to noise or pain,” Roy paused. “Uh...Rampart, be advised that the patient is Dixie.”
*******************************
“Uh...Rampart, be advised that the patient is Dixie.”
At that moment, the bottom dropped out of Kel’s world.
“Uh...Joe, could you come take this call?” Kel called to the white-haired doctor as he was passing by the base station.
“Sure Kel, what’ve you got?” Joe Early said with a smile...which quickly faded as he saw the dark-haired doctor’s demeanor.
“Dixie,” was all he said.
Joe’s eyes widened and then he seemed to pull himself together. He took the paper that Kel had written the vital signs on and looked at it.
“Uh, 51...vitals seem normal. Keep a close watch on them and transport as soon as possible.”
“Roger that, Rampart. Ambulance has just arrived. ETA is 10 minutes.”
“We’ll be waiting, 51,” Early said grimly.
**********************************
1:45 p.m.
“Boy! That was neat! Now I know what Johnny sees in those movie things! How do they get pictures to move like that? It’s better than the theater!” Audrey was gushing as she led the way back to the dentist’s office.
“I’ll explain it later. Right now the dentist is probably wondering if I’ve fallen asleep.”
Audrey giggled as they floated back into the office and to the place where Dixie’s body...should have been.
“Uh...Audrey? Where’s my body?”
“That’s a good question...”
“Not the answer I was looking for...”
“It couldn’t have just walked away...or maybe...”
“Maybe what?”
“You don’t want to know.” Audrey said quietly.
“Yes...I DO want to know...”
“Well, sometimes a displaced spirit sort of...walks away with an unoccupied body...not a dead body, mind...but one like yours...where the owner’s just stepped out for a quick jaunt.”
“So it COULD have walked away.”
Audrey did the psychic equivalent of nodding.
“How do we get it back?”
“Well, we have to find it first.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
“There IS one thing you ought to know...”
“What’s that?”
“A body can only survive without its original spirit for 24 hours. If someone DID walk away with it, they’ll be homeless by this time tomorrow and you’ll get to spend eternity with me.”
“No offense, but that’s not exactly a tempting proposition.”
“So let’s go hunting.”
***********************************
2:10 p.m.
Roy and Johnny dragged themselves back into the break room at the station. The other men looked up at the sound of shuffling feet.
“Bad call, guys?” Marco asked.
“It was Dixie,” Roy said. “We couldn’t wake her. There was nothing wrong except we couldn’t wake her.”
“Nothin’ wrong?” Chet walked over to them. “So how come you couldn’t wake her?”
“I dunno,” Johnny said sullenly. “Nothin’ we did worked.”
“It was almost like she didn’t want to wake up,” Roy said.
“Nah...it was more than that,” Johnny said. “It was like she simply wasn’t there.”
“What could’ve caused something like that?” Marco asked.
Roy shrugged. “The dentist seemed to think it was an allergic reaction, but it wasn’t like any reaction I’ve ever seen.”
“Hopefully, she’ll wake up when the stuff works its way through her system,” Johnny said.
Roy smiled bravely at his partner. “I’m sure she will. That stuff never lasts more than a few hours. She’ll be up and around in no time.”
******************************
5:30 p.m.
“How’s she doing, Joe?” Brackett approached Early as he exited the elevator.
Early sighed and shook his head. “She’s fading, Kel. I don’t understand! Toxicology came back negative! There was no allergic reaction. Her body is simply giving up.”
“What are you saying Joe?” Kel asked, a knot in his stomach and his heart in his throat.
Joe sighed again. He hated telling people news like this - especially when it concerned two of his best friends. “If she keeps going the way she’s going, she’ll be gone in less than 24 hours.”
Kel felt the news as though Early had just punched him in the stomach. He fell back against the wall and looked desperately at his friend and colleague.
“There’s got to be something we can do! We have all this medical technology at our fingertips! Why can’t we wake her up?”
“We can’t cure the common cold,” Early snapped. “I can’t tell you why that is either!”
Brackett realized he had just snapped at his best friend and sighed. “I’m sorry, Joe. It’s just...”
“I know, Kel. I know. We’re not going to give up yet. We’ll find something.”
******************************
7:30 p.m.
“This is ridiculous! We’ve got to find it!” Dixie said as they floated back to her apartment. “I don’t want to die just because I wanted to see a movie instead of getting a root canal.”
“And we will. Hey, isn’t that your beautiful doctor’s car?”
“Kel? What’s he doing here I wonder?”
“Maybe he found you?”
“Here’s hoping! Let’s go see.”
**********************************
Brackett was sitting on the sofa looking at a photo of himself with Dixie. It was taken at a party and they were both smiling and happy. He was trying to comprehend everything that had happened.
“I don’t understand Kel! The EEG is showing minimal brain function. Just enough to keep her heart beating and keep her breathing,” Joe had said. “But even that’s fading! It’s almost like she’s not there anymore and her body is just winding down.”
“Oh Dixie,” he sighed. “Where’ve you gone?”
‘I’m right here Kel! I’m fine!’ Dixie practically yelled in the depressed man’s ear.
‘It’s no good, Dixie. Unless he’s psychic, he won’t even know you’re here.’
‘I wasn’t psychic, but I could hear you,’ Dixie insisted before returning to her futile attempts to talk to Brackett.
‘That was my doing...and I had to put you in a coma for a week to do it. You want to do that to him?’
‘No, I guess not,” Dixie sighed. ‘So, now what?’
‘We keep looking. Come on, let’s go.’
*****************************
9:30 p.m.
"Hey Doc," Johnny said to Joe Early as he and Roy came out of a treatment room and saw the white-haired man standing at the base-station. "How's Dixie doin'? She complaining about bein' a patient here yet?"
"Yeah," Roy said. "The drugs should have worn off by now. She awake yet?"
Early looked up at the two hopeful young men. He hated to shatter that hope.
"Less than 24 hours now," was all he said.
"She'll be okay in less than 24 hours?" Johnny asked, not liking the sad look on the Doctor's kindly face. "That's what you mean, isn't it?"
“I’m afraid not, John,” Early said quietly. “She’ll be gone in less than 24 hours.”
“What?” Johnny gasped. “But...but...her vitals were normal! She was just out cold! She can’t...I mean...Roy?”
“Doc? What’s going on?” Roy asked more calmly than he felt. He put a reassuring hand on Johnny’s shoulder as he spoke.
Early sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I wish I could tell you. Her body is simply shutting down. It’s not an allergic reaction, but damned if I know what it is.”
“No!” Johnny said vehemently. “She can’t die! Not like this! There must be something we can do! I mean...it’s Dixie! I...it’s just...Dixie can’t die!!”
Roy had moved his hand so that his arm was now over Johnny’s shoulders. He could almost feel the younger man falling apart.
“It’ll be okay, Johnny,” he said softly. “You’ll see. Everything’ll be okay.”
Johnny shrugged out of Roy’s grasp. “What do you know? You heard the Doc! Her body’s shutting down and there’s no reason for it! If there’s no reason, then there’s nothin’ they can do and she’s gonna die! Roy...” his voice broke. “She can’t die!”
‘Squad 51, are you available?’ the dispatcher’s voice shattered the moment.
“Dispatch, Squad 51 is NOT available,” Roy said irritably into the handi-talkie. He turned to his partner. “Come on, Junior. Let’s go up and see her. If anyone can wake her...it’ll be you.”
*********************************
10:30 p.m.
“Bad call guys?” Captain Stanley said as his two paramedics dragged themselves into the break room. “You were gone an awful long time.”
“We stopped in to see Dixie,” Roy said quietly.
“How’s she doing?” Marco asked.
“Dying,” was all Johnny said in response. He sighed and said, “I’m gonna go lay down.”
“Roy?” Chet said, an incredulous look on his face. “What’s wrong with her? How could she be dying? I mean...didn’t you say she was fine this morning, just unconscious?”
“I wish I knew, Chet,” Roy answered. “I wish to God I knew. I’m gonna go check on Johnny.”
*********************************
‘Johnny? You okay?’ Roy reached his thoughts out to his partner (a talent acquired thanks to a bizarre twist of events involving voodoo and a dog...but that’s another story *Author’s Note - see ‘Dog Daze’ on Fanfiction.net*). ‘Talk to me. The guys can’t eavesdrop on us like this if that’s what you’re worried about.’
‘Roy...I don’t understand what’s going on! She was fine this morning and now she’s simply gone...almost as if...oh God! I think I know what’s wrong!’
‘What? Tell me!’
‘Audrey!’
‘What does Audrey have to do with this?’
‘I read once where trans-mediums used their spirit guides to help them do out-of-body trips. Dixie had a root canal this morning. Audrey probably helped her out! And then we go and move her body and she can’t find it when she gets back!’
‘So what do we do?’
‘I’d almost suggest moving her back to the dentist’s office, but her vitals are so weak now she probably wouldn’t survive the trip.’
‘His office is locked up this late at night anyway...’
‘So we’ll go over there in the morning. You and I might be able to sense it if she comes back to look there again. If she does, we can tell her where to look.’
‘I hope you’re right, Junior. If not...’
‘I’m right. I’ve gotta be! I just hope tomorrow morning won’t be too late.’
************************************
10:00 a.m.
“How’s she doing?” Kel asked Early as he met the older man coming out of Dixie’s room.
“It could be any time now,” Joe said quietly. “She’s just slipping away.”
“No,” Brackett said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t accept it!”
“I’m afraid you have to Kel,” Early said as he put a hand on the taller man’s shoulder. “You might want to...well...say good-bye now.”
Shoulders slumped in defeat, Kelly Brackett walked slowly into the room.
*************************************
“I don’t understand what brings you boys back here?” the dentist said as Roy and Johnny planted themselves in the same room that they had treated Dixie the day before.
“Doc, I wish we could explain in a way you’d believe,” Roy said with a shrug. “But we’re trying to save Dixie’s life.”
“By loitering in my office?”
“Do you believe in the supernatural?” Johnny asked him.
“Not really,” the dentist answered with a shrug. “Why?”
“If your answer had been yes, we’d have been able to give you a believable explanation. Since you don’t believe it, anything we tell you now will just sound crazy. So if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not be committed. Just trust us for a little while longer, okay?”
The dentist sighed. “I’ve got an appointment in half an hour. I’m going to use this room. If you’re still here at that time, I’m going to ask you to leave then. Understood?”
The paramedics looked at each other.
‘I hope it’s enough time,’ Johnny’s thought came across to Roy.
‘Me too,’ Roy answered him. To the dentist, he said, “Understood.”
***********************************
10:30 a.m.
‘Well, any other ideas?’ Dixie asked Audrey as they realized that they probably wouldn’t find her body in time.
‘We could see if whoever took it brought it back to the dentist. That’s usually what happens in these cases.’
‘Why would they do that?’
‘The ones I’ve talked to that have done it say they just like the feeling of being alive again, but don’t want to be around for the body’s death.’
‘So you think they’d put it back where they found it?’
‘One way to find out!’
***********************************
10:37 a.m.
Johnny’s head snapped up. “Roy!”
“I know, Junior! I feel it too!”
“Dixie? If that’s you...get to Rampart ICU NOW! The dentist thought you were allergic to that stuff he shot you up with. We took you to Rampart yesterday!”
‘Dammit! Why didn’t I think of that!’ Dixie exclaimed. ‘Of COURSE that’s what would’ve happened!’
‘I heard you Dixie!’ Johnny answered. ‘You ain’t got much time left...GO!’
Roy and Johnny felt the spirits leave the room and then bolted for the parking lot.
*******************************
10:47 a.m.
Brackett was sitting by Dixie’s bedside watching her peaceful face when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye - the heart monitor. He looked up and saw the heart rate go into V-fib and then...flatline. He closed his eyes as his heart shattered. He knew a defibrillator would do no good against a flatline, but he was almost desperate enough to try.
Joe walked into the room at exactly that moment. “How’s she doing, Kel?”
Brackett looked at the clock. In a voice that threatened tears any second, he said, “Time of death: 10:48 a.m.”
“Oh no,” Early closed his eyes. “Dixie...no...”
Just then, there was a flicker on the heart monitor and the alarm sounded on the respirator. Both doctors looked at each other with eyes wide before turning to look at the body on the bed. Not only was it alive, it was fighting to breath against the respirator.
“Dixie?” Kel’s voice was incredulous. “Dixie! If you can hear me, you need to relax. You’re on a respirator. Calm down and you’ll be able to breathe better. Come on, it’s okay...calm down...you’re okay...”
Gradually, Dixie forced herself to calm down and breathe with the unnatural rhythm of the machine. After a few minutes, she lifted a hand and gestured to the respirator with a decidedly annoyed expression on her face.
“You weren’t breathing on your own,” Joe said in a shaky voice. “We had to put you on the respirator.”
She mimed taking it out.
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Dix,” Early said. “You were dead just a minute ago. We oughta keep you on it just to be safe.”
“Listen to the man,” Kel said, not caring that the tears were running down his face. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. If we take you off the respirator too soon...”
Just then, Johnny and Roy burst into the room.
“Dixie???? Did you make it back okay?” Johnny asked breathlessly.
“Back? What are you talking about Johnny?” Kel asked as he turned around.
Dixie gestured to Johnny as if to say ‘would you tell this idiot to get this thing outta my throat?’.
“Uh, Doc? You might wanna take her off that respirator. She’ll be fine now.” Johnny said with a wink at the annoyed woman on the bed.
“And you became a doctor...when?” Kel asked snappily.
“Trust us, Doc,” Roy said. “It was Audrey’s doing. Dixie’s fine now. You can take her off the machine.”
“Audrey? What does she have to do with this?” Kel asked. “I thought Audrey was just a voice that Dixie heard.”
“Well, apparently,” Johnny said with a grin. “She helped Dixie ‘out’ during her root canal and while she was out, we moved her body. Audrey couldn’t get her back again because she didn’t know where we had taken her.”
"Yeah," Roy answered. "You ever hear of out of body experiences?"
"You mean Dixie...?"
"Yup!" Johnny said. He looked over at Dixie, who was watching this exchange. "And knowing that...you might want to remove the respirator before Dixie does it herself and wraps the tubing around your neck. She's looking mad enough to do that about now."
Kel laughed as Joe moved to remove the respirator.
**********************************
'Are you ever planning to talk to me again?'
Dixie ignored her spirit guide.
'Look, I said I was sorry! How was I supposed to know the dentist would get done so quickly?'
Dixie determinedly read the newspaper.
'There's gotta be something I can do to make it up!' Audrey was getting desperate. It had been three days since Dixie had gotten out of the hospital and nothing Audrey had done (not even singing Monkees songs at her) had made Dixie so much as acknowledge her existence. ‘Hey...your gorgeous doctor is about to ring your doorbell.’
Dixie didn’t say a word, but went and opened the door to see Kel with his hand on the doorbell.
“Hi Kel,” she said warmly as she took the flowers he offered her.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure...I’m just gonna go put these in water.”
“Are you talking to Audrey yet?”
Dixie sighed. “Since when are you on her side, Kel?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side in this. I’m mad at her for nearly getting you killed too, but Dixie...I don’t think she’s just gonna go away. You probably ought to declare a truce before she drives you crazy.”
‘Listen to him,’ Audrey said hopefully. ‘He makes a lot of sense. Whether we like it or not, we’re stuck with each other. Please...I thought we were friends.’
Dixie sighed irritably. ‘Okay...but you ever do something this stupid again...’
‘I won’t! I promise!’ Audrey said fervently. ‘Hey...I’ve got another trick you might like though...’
‘NO! No more tricks!’ Dixie said to Audrey. ‘I don’t want to end up on a respirator again.’
‘No really...you’ll like this! Just get your doctor in there into bed and you’ll see what I’m talking about.’
‘What ARE you talking about?’
‘I’m talking about the ultimate connection between two people. Trust me Dixie...he’ll be yours forever and you’ll never want to go back to sex the old way.’
‘Really?’ Dixie responded with an arched eyebrow as she watched Kel settle himself on the sofa.
‘Trust me...you’ll thank me after...’
***********************************
“Oh...my...God...Dixie!” Kel panted several hours later as he fought to breathe. “That was amazing.”
Dixie just smiled, unable to do much more in the wake of the most intense experience that she had EVER had in bed with a man. Making love with Kel had always been good, but Audrey connecting the two of them on a psychic level had pushed the level of sensation almost past the point of endurance.
The total mind-body connection between the two lovers culminated in the most intense climax either had ever experienced. For one brief moment, each saw the whole of the universe as it exploded in ecstatic pleasure.
As they settled down to sleep, Kel murmured, “Love you, Dixie.”
“Love you too, Kel,” she answered serenely.
‘Thanks Audrey,’ Dixie added silently.
‘Told you you’d thank me!’
‘Don’t push it!’ Dixie told her before surrendering to sleep.
