It had almost been a loss of momentum.  A few weeks of PT for a man who'd been on the threshold of retiring had us hunting for ways to ease the burden of stress on middle age bodies.  A different saw, better ladder.  "It's got to be adapted," a lifer-buddy barked about the cable TV wires.  Standing on the ground us Carpenters finished and saved sips of coffee and ice, looked at the mess of wire spine, (i)a blotch on precision(i)?  "Mebbe," the man spit.  A tug on a baseball cap and hiding eyes from.  A support person, woman, moved in closer. "Na-ah," she flicked his cap up in a "I'ah, I'm gonna love you," kinda way.  "No secrets.  We don't hide from each other." 

     "Okay." The gentle giant looked at his feet.  A nose-bleeding concussion was still fresh in our minds.  The young person talked through (i)crisis in the field, here(i) with engaging "jokes" and multi-disciplinary scramble.  After the Emergency Services were (i)on the way(i) the same support person had dug through a musician's purse and dug out little packs of pepper.  She put it on the running mental list of (i)things to talk about(i) at whichever campfire her "tired ass landed at" as the sun sank low. 

     "Thank God you all are here," the young person was about to crumble into viscous-disturbing crying relief of stress.  She held eye contact and called for more "funnies". 

     "Or a good story," she moved her finger in front of eyes.  "Fluke we were, are here." Mostly middle-age but serviceable Americans kicked at mulch and oil in dirt on the off-road.  "You gotta do better than that," she called over her shoulder.  "What? No pay, no gab?!" 

     A man with a beard in a braid said, "The traveling Pastor's back overtah Rugby."  A shock tremor passed through the young person's body.  "Come help me steady and watch the nostrils."  

     "Am I gonna die?"  

     "Now, son, there ain't never a time fir that kind of talking 'cuz if you can ask, you're (i)probably gonna make it(i)." 

     "Darn."  

     "Let's do this," an off-duty EMperson had pulled a roll-on luggage from a car.  He flipped open a knife to quipping (i)that's not a knife, that's a knife(i) and blessed and volunteered the baggage.  "If we can get this handle out, it'll serve as a back brace type apparatus." 

     (i)Shit(i) "I just got that one." 

     It was spared by the no sirens, lights on Ambulance switchbacking down 

     (i)inside(i) the scene.