Differential Diagnosis

Johnny stayed at the side of the stretcher as it was wheeled from the ambulance through the automatic doors of the ER. The ten year old boy lying on the stretcher kept up the litany that had started at the scene and had not stopped since.

"It really wasn't my fault. She pushed me for sure. I mean, you know she pushed me, right? No one's gonna believe it cause nobody else saw it, but she pushed me. If she hadn't of pushed me, I wouldn't have fallen and broken that statue, cause that's what happened. I was just standing there, minding my own business, standing next to that statue and she came along and just pushed me."

Johnny had stopped responding about ten minutes into the ambulance ride. He just nodded and said, "Uh huh."

Dixie joined them at the in the hallway, "Treatment 2. Joe's on his way." Dixie looked at the splint on the boy's left arm. She hadn't been at the call station when 51 had called it in, but the lack of an IV and Johnny's wearied expression told her it wasn't anything serious. "What happened to this young man, Johnny?"

"Well, Dix, it seems that Phillip here did a header into a rather large statue of something or other. It fell down and broke his arm."

"Oh, come on, man, that's not what happened. I told ya, I was standing there, just minding my own business when she came along and pushed me into the statue. I would never have been foolin' around near that statue. I know better than that. My mother loves that statue. It belonged to my great great grandmother or someone like that. You know this wasn't my fault. She came right up. I even told her to slow down and stop foolin around near the statue. Yup, I forgot before that I said that, but I remember it now. I said, 'Stacey, be careful near Mom's favorite statue,' but she just didn't pay attention and came up and pushed me right over into that statue."

"I take it, the statue was code F?" Dixie grinned at Johnny who was rolling his eyes and nodding. Dixie helped Phillip scoot over to the exam table and asked him, "Did Stacey get hurt too?"

"Naw, she always gets off clear and free. She's like Teflon. Nothin sticks to her."

"Is Stacey your sister?" Phillip nodded. "Well," Dixie said, "you know sometimes big sisters are like that. They seem to get away with things, but you know, in the end, it all evens out."

"Ah, Dix, Stacey isn't his big sister."

"But he just said…"

"He said sister, but not big."

"How old is Stacey?"

Johnny looked at Phillip, raising his eyebrows in a question. Phillip sulked for a moment before telling Dixie that his sister, who had been to blame for all this because she pushed him into the statue, was a year old.

"Cute little one," John told Dixie. "She just took her first steps a few days ago. I suppose, with just the right leverage and the element of surprise it might be possible, but if I were you, Phil, I'd start working on another strategy to make this right with your mom. Blaming it on Stacey will probably only get you into trouble for lying as well as breaking the statue."

Joe Early entered the room and asked gently, "So young man, what happened here?"

Johnny jumped in before Phillip could start again. "I gotta go, Doc. Phil here can give you all the details. His Mom was going to drop his sister at a sitter down the street then follow us in. She should be here any minute. We got permission to treat at the scene. Good luck."

Johnny ducked out the door just as Phil started his revised story for the doctor's benefit, now blaming the accident on his attempts to get his sister away from the precious statue. Well, you've got to admire his tenacity, Johnny thought as he joined Roy and Doctor Brackett near the call station.

"I see you survived your ride with your talkative young friend," Roy said as Johnny approached the two men.
        
Johnny shrugged. "He dropped the dog story right after we got in the ambulance. Now it's the sister's fault. First she pushed him into it, but now she tipped it over."

"Sounds like Jennifer when she's caught red handed. But she eventually comes around to the truth. So, Johnny," Roy said, changing the subject, "Doctor Brackett was just telling me about a conference he and Dix are going to next week. I'm so jealous."

"Oh yeah, Doc? So what's the subject?"

"It's on the newest research on liver disease and substance use."

Johnny made a face at Roy and said, "And you're jealous? You gotta get out more, Roy."

"I don't think it's so much the what as the where that has him jealous, Johnny," Brackett said grinning widely.

"Okay, so where are you going, Vegas?"

"Hawaii! For two weeks. The conference lasts a week, then we are staying for another week's vacation."

"What I want to know," Roy interjected, "is how come paramedics have their conferences in Sacramento and doctors get to go to Hawaii?"

Johnny's mind had traveled in a totally different direction. "So, Doc, you and Dix together for two weeks in Hawaii, huh? The two of you an item again?"

"I wondered who would be the first one to bring that up," Brackett groaned. "I should have figured it would be Romeo himself here. No, we aren't 'an item again.' We always have been and always will be good friends and colleagues. This is a business trip, pure and simple. We have separate hotel rooms and everything."

"Sure Doc. I understand. Just a business trip to the most romantic place in the world with a beautiful woman with whom you just happened to once be romantically involved…"

Roy jumped in quickly. "Johnny, give it a rest. Doc, how did you manage to pull off two weeks away from here, especially both you and Dix at the same time?"

"I found a replacement, Dr. Pete Walters. He was a resident here in the ER about 10 years ago when I was the new chief attending. He went on to work at Memorial up in San Francisco. He helped get their paramedic program off the ground a few years ago. I found out he was coming back to Los Angeles and he agreed to pull a stint here before he starts his new assignment at All Saints next month. You guys will really like him. He's smart, energetic, great with the patients and staff and likes working with the men in the field. You won't even miss me."

"So that's why you arranged to have Dix go with you. Couldn't take the competition, huh? He sounds like quite a guy," Johnny teased.

"I'm sure his wife and three children think so, Johnny. Now, get out of here, you two. I have to get back to my patients. I'm not on vacation yet. Oh, and Roy?"

"Yeah, Doc?"

"Try to keep your partner's mind on his work and out of the gutter."

Roy couldn't resist. "Yeah, Doc, I'll try. But, you know, you and Dixie, together in Hawaii, on the beach, no work, no pressure …"

Brackett groaned, "Why do I bother? I'll see you guys later." He headed into his office as the paramedics returned to the squad.

The paramedics' next visit to the ER was far less jovial. A fire in a rooming house had left two children dead, one a baby who died in Johnny's arms as he was carrying her from the burning building. Efforts to resuscitate her continued in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, but she was pronounced shortly after her arrival at Rampart. The other victim, the baby's five year old brother, died right after being moved from the ER to the burn unit. His body was just too small and the burns too extensive. Their mother, an addict who passed out while smoking, escaped without injury.

Roy and Johnny were still in the ER when Brackett came down from the burn unit with the bad news about their second victim. Johnny was being treated for smoke inhalation after having used his mask to try and save the baby girl. Uncharacteristically he had agreed without complaint to be checked out by Morton, not saying a word during the process. Brackett found the two men with Morton in treatment room 4.

"How is he?" Brackett asked Mike Morton, placing a hand on Johnny's shoulder.

"He's ready to go back on duty."

It was Roy who spoke next. Johnny said nothing. "So, Doctor Brackett, what's the kid's chances?"

"I'm sorry, guys. He didn't make it." Brackett looked at the men closely, knowing that they would take the news hard. Johnny bit his lip and looked away. Roy just looked at the floor. It was tough enough losing one, but to lose two kids in one day… "Come on, partner," Roy said, suddenly needing to escape the hospital. "We better get our supplies and get back to the station. It's my turn to cook."

Johnny nodded. "Thanks, Doc," he said to Morton, not looking him or Brackett in the eye. He said nothing else all the way back to the station.

The rest of the shift had been quiet. No more calls, which would have been a welcome relief except that it meant more time to think about the fire and its tragic outcome. With the shift change, the usual invitations to eat breakfast together were forgone and each man headed off on their own, no one stating what each of them knew. It would be a few days before they would be ready to talk about this. Until then, it was easier to be alone.

Roy and Johnny didn't speak to each other during their days off. On Wednesday morning, Johnny beat Roy to the station and was already getting dressed when Roy arrived.

"Hey Roy, how did it go yesterday? Did you get the new tires for your car?"
        
"Yeah, I couldn't believe how much they cost, but it's not like I had a choice. How about you? I called you once yesterday but you weren't home. Jennifer was begging me to invite you over to see her new doll."

"Oh, man, and I missed that? To think I gave up the opportunity to have a tea party just so that I could go backpacking for a couple of days." Johnny grinned. "When you talk to her later, tell Joanne to tell the little pumpkin that I'll come see her new doll soon."

"So, did the time in the mountains help?"

"I guess. The fresh air, the exercise, the solitude, it all helps me refocus I guess. How about you? You doing okay?"

Roy shrugged. "I wouldn't let the kids out of my sight. I think that's why Jenny wanted you to come over. I think she was thrown when I agreed to play dolls with her. Then, of course, I did nothing right. All I kept hearing was, 'Uncle Johnny does it this way.' I don't know how you do it with her. I try to let myself just get into the make believe, but I just can't do it."

And that was it. Each had asked. Each had said they were okay. There was no further talk of the fire or of the children who didn't survive.

"You're nuts, Gage. Absolutely crazy."
        
"Don't hold back, Chet, tell me what you really think."

Marco offered his opinion on the topic at hand. "I think it's nice. Friends do nice things for each other. I mean, anyone of us would do the same thing for Johnny, right?"

Roy nodded but the rest hesitated. All but Chet, he showed no hesitation at all.

"Not me. No way. You could not pay me enough to offer to drive someone to LAX, never mind pick them up again when they got home. Friendship is all well and good, but airports and help moving are things you only ask your very best friends to do. And then, if they are sane, they run away screaming. Do you know how long you could be stuck waiting for a plane to arrive, never mind the time waiting for luggage and then the traffic getting there and getting home? It will take all day."

"Chet, you are amazing." Johnny shook his head. "You wouldn't hesitate to rush into a burning building to help any one of us, but you wouldn't drive me to the airport? Besides, they didn't ask, I offered. It would cost a fortune for Brackett and Dix to leave a car at the airport garage. They were going to leave a car at the hospital then take a cab, but that's expensive too, and no one wants to deal with all that when they get back from vacation. This works much better. Brackett leaves his car in Roy's driveway. I'll drive them to the airport, then when they get back, I'll just pick them up and bring them back to Roy's to get their car."

"So if they're leaving their car at Roy's, why doesn't Roy just drive them?"

"You know, Chet, you're making a big deal out of nothing," Roy answered. "They're leaving the car at my place because there's no good place for them to park at Johnny's apartment. And I'm not driving them because it was Johnny who offered. But if I had thought of it, I would have offered."

Chet was not about the let it go. "Yeah, but Roy, don't you think…"

There was no time for further comment. "Station 51, boy down. 789 Maple, cross street Pine."

Maple Street should have been a 5 minute run from Station 51. But a water main had broken and the major thoroughfare was shut down due to flooding.

"I don't believe this!" Johnny cursed as their sirens blasted and the squad and engine tried to maneuver onto a side street. "The DPW is suppose to tell us when a road is shut down! If we had known a mile back we could have just gone down South Street. I swear, Roy, do they think we want to know about the streets just so that we can get home to dinner on time?"

There was nothing that Roy could add to the comments, so he said nothing. Johnny was right. The DPW had screwed up on this one and they were going to take 10 extra minutes to get to the scene, if not more. Roy shook his head and laughed under his breath.

"What is the world is funny about this?" Johnny asked in bewilderment.

"Oh, nothing. Sorry. I was just thinking that whoever Captain Stanley talks to at the city about this will never know how lucky he is that he's talking to Cap instead of you."

"Yeah, well, sure, that's right. Cause if I ever got my say…"

"What?"

"I don't know. I guess I don't know what would happen if I ever got my say. But I would still like to someday."

"Well, if you ever do, let me know. I want to be there to listen."

It took them 18 minutes to get to the scene. A woman met them out front, urging them to hurry.

"What's the problem, miss?"

"It's Freddy. He can't breath. He has asthma and I'm not sure what happened. We think he got into the peanut butter. He's allergic. He knows better, but he's only five."

"Are you his mother?" Roy asked as he and Johnny followed her with the oxygen tank, drug box, and bio-phone.

"No, his mother is with him. This is my house. He was here playing with my daughter. She knows he can't have peanut butter, and we even keep it out of reach most of the time, just in case Freddy comes over. But today, I guess I forgot to put it away after I made lunches this morning."

Roy and Johnny entered the family room and found the young boy gasping for air. His lips were blue and his neck was visibly expanding with each breath. His mother was holding him in a sitting position, urging him to take slow, steady breaths. The wheezing was audible from across the room.

Roy knelt down in front of Freddy and his mother. "Hi Freddy, I'm Roy and this is my partner Johnny. Sounds like you're having a little trouble breathing, huh? We're going to put this oxygen on you right now and see if that helps, okay?" Freddy nodded, unable to speak. His mother, out of Freddy's line of vision, cried silently and mouthed, "Please help him." Roy just nodded.

Johnny contacted Rampart while Roy started to get the boy's vitals and prepared an epi shot.

"Rampart, this is squad 51. How do you read?" The voice on the other end of the line was one that Johnny did not recognize.

"This is Rampart. We read you loud and clear. Go ahead, 51."

"Rampart, we have a five year old boy who is having an asthma attack possibly as a result of ingesting peanut butter about 25 minutes ago. He is cyanotic. Respirations are 14 and labored with audible wheezing in the bronchi and decreased breath sounds in both lungs. He has used his Alupent inhaler with no results. We have him on two liters of O² and have the epi ready to go."

"51, administer two more puffs Alupent and one amp epi then get me a full set of vitals."

"10-4, Rampart."

"Freddy," Roy explained to both the boy and his mother, "the doctor wants us to give you a shot that's going to help you breath better. This is going to pinch, but then you'll feel better soon." Freddy did not acknowledge Roy. His mother pleaded, "Please hurry. He's never been this bad."

Roy administered the epi and assisted the boy in again using his inhaler, then quickly got the rest of the vitals, which he called into the hospital. Roy heard the ambulance and looked up, momentarily surprised to see Captain Stanley in the room. He had almost forgotten that the engine had responded with them. "Cap, can you let them know where we are?"

"You got it, pal." Thank God for paramedics. This kid wouldn't have made it to the hospital, Cap thought as he went to get the ambulance attendants. But by the time he got back, the situation had deteriorated.
        
"Johnny, get an airway. Chet, can you help his mom here?" Roy was outwardly calm, but anyone who knew him could hear the urgency in his voice. Freddy's mother was clinging to her son repeating "Oh my God, please help him" over and over. Chet gently moved her away, assuring her that her son was in good hands.

Johnny handed Roy the airway and picked up the bio-phone. "Rampart, the victim has gone into respiratory arrest. Request permission to insert an airway."

"Go ahead on the airway, 51, and administer another amp of epi. Start an IV with D5W. Is the ambulance there?"

"One amp epi, D5W, and airway, Rampart. Affirmative on the ambulance."

"Transport as soon as you can move him, 51."

Roy had the airway established and had given the boy another dose of epi. Johnny secured the IV line, then lifted the boy onto the stretcher while Roy continued to bag the boy, forcing air into his lungs through the tube. Chet explained to Freddy's mother that she could ride in the front of the ambulance and that they would be going to Rampart.

"Cap, I need Johnny with me in the ambulance in case he codes on the way in," Roy said quietly so as to not be overheard by the mother. "Can someone bring in the squad?"

Cap nodded. "Johnny, go with Roy. Chet, why don't you bring in the squad?" Cap figured that Chet already had established a rapport with the mother and that might come in useful.

Johnny made sure the ambulance driver knew to use South Street and climbed in behind Roy. Five minutes into the transport, Freddy's heart stopped beating.

Johnny looked at Roy. "Do we stop?" Roy hesitated for only a moment. They were less than 3 minutes from Rampart. "No, keep moving." Johnny started CPR, stopping only when Roy tried to counter shock, with no success. Johnny picked up the bio-phone. "Rampart, this is 51. He's gone into v-fib. We shocked with no conversion. We're pulling in now. Meet us at the door." Johnny didn't wait for an answer but resumed CPR while Roy continued to force air into the resistant lungs of the small boy.

Brackett and a doctor they did not know, most likely the voice from the other end of the radio, met them at the door. Johnny and Roy continued CPR as they brought the boy into the treatment room.

Roy took a moment and looked at Dixie to get her attention. He nodded at Chet and the woman and mouthed, "His mother." Dixie said aloud, "Roy, can you stay and help? I'll be right there." She left the hurrying group and moved over to get some history and provide some comfort to the woman hanging onto Chet Kelly.

Brackett, the other doctor, Dixie, Roy, and Johnny worked for the next half hour, trying desperately to bring life back to their young charge. But it wasn't to be that afternoon and for the second time in two shifts, the men looked at the floor in despair as Dr. Brackett called the time of death.

Brackett left to deliver the news to the mother. Chet had caught a ride back to the station so that the engine could go back into service. Dixie escorted Roy and Johnny into the doctor's lounge and got them both a cup of coffee. Both held the mugs absently, making no move to drink the hot liquid. No words were spoken.

Brackett entered the room. The other doctor was with him. "As strange as it may seem after what we have just been through, I realize that you all don't know each other. Roy, John, this is Doctor Pete Walters who will be covering for me when I'm away. Pete, Roy DeSoto and John Gage, two of our first and finest paramedics."
        
"Sorry to meet you men under such difficult circumstances, but I'm pleased to meet you just the same."

"Same here, Doc," Roy said, reaching out to shake the man's hand. Johnny just looked up and nodded. Brackett sat down next to Johnny. "There's nothing more you or I could have done. It's not much comfort, I know, but you and Roy gave that boy every chance that he had. But this time, it just wasn't enough."

Johnny exploded, spilling his coffee as he jumped to his feet. "Ten minutes!! Ten, God forsaken, minutes!! That mother should sue the DPW you know. If we had known to go down South Street we would have gotten there ten minutes sooner and that boy would still be alive. How do they expect us to do our jobs with bad information? Can you tell me that? How do they expect us to save these kids when they go and block the streets, and take drugs, and set beds on fire, and leave peanut butter in reach?" Johnny turned to look at Dr. Walters. "Welcome to LA, Doc. Lots of fun so far, isn't it?" With that he stormed out of the room and went to sit in the squad. No one tried to stop him.

Brackett just looked at Roy with eyebrows raised. Roy knew he didn't need to defend Johnny to Brackett. He hoped he didn't need to defend him to this new doctor. "We got held up in a water main break on the way to the scene. The Department of Public Works is suppose to notify dispatch when they're closing down a road. They didn't and the detour cost us ten minutes. If we had known ahead of time, we still would have lost a few minutes but only a few. Tell me something, Doc, is Johnny right? Could those ten minutes have made the difference for this kid?"

Brackett wished he could say no, but it just wasn't true. Instead he just shrugged and said, "I don't know, Roy. It may very well have been the difference, but maybe not. Peanut allergies can be so severe. Either way, you got there as fast as you could and did everything in your power to help him. Sometimes, it just isn't enough."

"Yeah, I've heard that before this week." Turning to Walters he said, "Doctor Walters, you saw Johnny at his best a half hour ago. What you saw just now, is a paramedic who has lost three children in the last two shifts, one of them a baby who died in his arms, this one a little boy who died while he was trying to pump his heart for him. What just happened here, well, that's the way I feel too. Johnny just expresses himself better than I do. It's the way he keeps himself going for the next run. I'm not apologizing for him but if you don't know him… Well, I just thought you should know."

Doctor Walters did not hesitate in his response. "Roy, I saw nothing here today that makes me think anything other than the best about the both of you. There's no need for apologies or explanations. I look forward to working with you over the next few weeks."
        
        

When the squad returned to the station, the engine was out on a run. Roy and Johnny hadn't said more than a word or two on the way back from the hospital. Johnny found the makings for a sandwich in the refrigerator and made one for himself and Roy without asking.

Roy was the first to speak as they sat at the table. "You know, Johnny, if you want to take off tomorrow, go camping again, I can bring Brackett and Dixie to the airport. I wouldn't mind."

Johnny sighed deeply before responding. "Thanks, Roy, but no. I don't really feel like disappearing into the woods again so soon. Besides, Brackett would surely decide something was up if I passed this off to you. You know him. He'd find a way to bug me all the way from Hawaii."

"Yeah, probably. Well, if you change your mind, the offer stands."

"Okay. So I guess I didn't make much of an impression on the new guy, huh?"

"Oh, I don't know about that. I doubt he'll forget you too quickly."

"Okay, I mean I'm not sure I made a good impression."

Roy smiled. "Johnny, I wouldn't worry about it. He seems pretty cool. And he comes with Brackett's glowing endorsement. That has to count for something. Even Morton doesn't get that all the time."

The paramedics of squad 51 got several more opportunities to see the new doctor in action during the remainder of their shift. Five more calls landed them in the ER. Walters handled all of the calls and by the end of the night the men were feeling confident that they could work with this man without difficulty. Johnny had been quiet throughout the rest of the shift, saying nothing except what was needed to complete his job. Roy didn't push him. He was honestly grateful for the silence. He didn't feel much like talking either.

The following day Johnny met Dr. Brackett and Dixie at Roy's house. The kids were at their grandmother's house, which enabled Johnny to get in and out much quicker than usual. Johnny was civil, but withdrawn. Before getting out of the car at the airport, Brackett paused and turned to Johnny.

"John, are you okay?"

"I will be, Doc. Nothing that a little time won't heal. You know me, a few days from now your doctor friend will be wishing that my funk had been a permanent state of being." Johnny looked at Dixie, who had that mother hen look on her face. "Dix, don't you fret about anything. Roy and I are big boys and we will move on from this same way as other times. Even if you aren't right there to push us along, okay? Now, you both have a glorious time and remember, if you need some more bucks, one room is cheaper than two and a whole lot more fun."

"Johnny Gage," Dixie exclaimed in mock indignation, "I will not have you calling my virtue into question. Nothing is going to happen between Kel and me. We are friends."

"Okay, Dix. Just be sure you send me a post card to let me know exactly when you give up that second room."

"Goodbye, Gage!" Brackett said as he pulled Dixie away towards the ticket counter. "We'll see you in a few weeks."

Johnny couldn't believe he was actually shaking with fear as they headed for their first call of the day. The shift had just begun when the tones sounded and Johnny and Roy headed off to a "boy down" call. Johnny would swear that Roy drove just a little faster than usual and Johnny had to remind himself to breath as they approached the address.

"Thank you for coming," the woman said calmly as she opened the door, inviting them into the house. "It's my son. He woke up this morning and said that he was sick. He says his stomach hurts and he's grabbing his right side. I called his doctor, but he's out of town. The service said that I could wait until later today and call the doctor covering or I could bring him to the emergency room. I don't drive and his father is away on business, so I called you. I do hope that's okay."

"No problem, ma'am. Where is your son?" Johnny asked, looking around but seeing no sign of anyone but the mother.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. He's in his room. Come on, I'll take you up there."

Roy and Johnny heard the boy moaning as they climbed the stairs. Upon entering the bedroom, they immediately relaxed. Both knew from the look on the boy's face and the sound of the moans that there was no serious problem here.

"What's your name, son?" Johnny asked the boy as he held his stomach and writhed in apparent pain.

"John, but you can call me Jacky."

"Well now, how about that? My name's John too, but folks call me Johnny. This is my partner Roy. We're here to check you out. What seems to be the problem?"

"I feel really lousy. I've been puking all night. My belly hurts something awful and I have a real bad fever. But I'm sure it's just that 24 hour thing that's going around school. I'm sure I'll be better tomorrow in time for the basketball game."

"Something going around school, huh? I hadn't heard about that, did you Roy?"

Roy shook his head. "How old are you Jacky?"

"I'm 11. I'm in 5^th grade."

Roy got out the BP cuff and a thermometer while Johnny continued to question the boy.

"So, Jacky, when did you first start to get sick last night? Do you remember how many times you threw up?"

"Gee, I don't know. I must have puked 10 or 15 times at least, a ton of stuff every time. It was awful. I think it started like around midnight. Right after my Mom went to bed."

Roy noticed the confused look on the mother's face. "Ma'am, did you know your son was sick all night?"

"No, and I don't know how that could be. My room is right next to the bathroom, and I never once heard him."

"Yeah, well, I was real quiet, Mom. I didn't want to wake you up. OH!! MY STOMACH HURTS!!!" Jacky grabbed his abdomen and curled up and rolled over.

Johnny rethought his assessment for a moment upon seeing this. He knew that bending into a fetal position was a reflex movement associated with abdominal pain. He doubted that the boy knew that. "Jacky, can you role onto your back and show me where it hurts while Roy here checks your blood pressure?"

Jacky complied and let Roy take his pulse and blood pressure while Johnny checked for tenderness and rigidity in his abdomen. Nothing was readily apparent. Johnny took the thermometer and started to place it in Jacky's mouth.

"Hey, you don't have to do that. I already took my temperature. I have a real bad fever."

"Well, tell you what. My boss would be mad at me if I didn't check again for myself, okay?"

Roy had called into Rampart and had Walters on the line. "The victim is an 11 year old boy who reports he has been up vomiting all night. He says he vomited 10 or 15 times. His mother cannot confirm this. He's complaining of abdominal pain and a fever. BP is 110 over 70, pulse, 80, and respiration 20. Abdomen is not exhibiting any rigidity or tenderness. No rebound pain."

Roy heard the conversation between Johnny and Jacky as Jacky explained that their thermometer must be broken and handed him one he had used right before the paramedics arrived. "Are you sure this was your temperature?" Roy heard Johnny ask. The boy was adamant in his response.

"Uh, Doc," Roy almost laughed, "the victim's skin is cool and dry and according to our thermometer his temperature is 98.6 exactly. However, he is contesting those results and thinks we have faulty equipment. He has produced a thermometer that he says he used right before we arrived. According to that thermometer, he has a temperature of 106 degrees. He also states he is sure this a 24 hour bug that will be gone before tomorrow's basketball game."

"Understood, 51" came the response from Rampart. "Tell the mother I suggest that she call the school and find out what he's missing today due to his apparent illness. I would further suggest that she impress upon the young man that an illness serious enough to need a paramedic response clearly calls for bed rest when not in school for at least 2 days and that includes passing on any basketball games. If she's still worried she should bring him to see her family doctor."

"The family doctor is away, Rampart. That's why she called us. Also, she does not drive."

"Well, she can bring him here if she wants, but there is bound to be a wait. Don't tie up an ambulance on this one. Tell her to bring him in by cab if she wants. Also, advise the mother that she should throw away that thermometer and buy a new one. He had to leave that baby on a light bulb for a while to get it to 106 and who knows if it will ever work right again after that."

"10-4, Rampart. Bed rest and a new thermometer. 51 out."

Johnny almost felt bad for the kid as he listened to the exchange between Roy and Dr. Walters then between Roy and Jacky's mother. "So, what are you getting out of in school today?" he whispered in a conspiratorial tone.

Jacky knew he was beat. "A history test. I didn't read the book. I figured I could catch up today then take a make up test. I didn't know she'd call you guys, honest."

Johnny nodded. "A word of advice, pal. First off this is a stupid thing to do that always back fires, and I know you won't ever try it again. Second, by the time you've puked 3 or 4 times, there's nothing left but a clear acidic substance called bile. Third, with a temperature of 106, you'd not only be unconscious, you'd likely be dead. If you're going to fake an illness, less is more. You go over the top, and you hang yourself for sure. And last," said louder for the benefit of Roy and the boy's mother, "if you ever call paramedics again for a fake illness, I'll personally show up and take you to the hospital and make sure that every student nurse and student doctor gets to practice giving you shots. You got that?"

On the way back to the station Roy asked Johnny, "Did I really hear you giving that kid advice on how fake an illness?"

Johnny grinned. "More like how not to fake an illness. I wanted to be mad at the kid, but you know I was just so relieved that he wasn't really sick that I couldn't be mad. Besides, he made me remember a day I tried to convince my mother I was sick and couldn't go to school. Only I used a match to raise the temperature of the thermometer. I scorched and melted the tip. I tried to convince my mother it was because my fever was so high. She gave me a whopping dose of cod liver oil and grounded me for a week." Johnny made a face and shook just thinking of the substance. "I'm not sure what made her madder, the fact that I'd lied to get out of school or that I had lit a match."

Roy grinned, picturing Johnny as a boy trying to pull off a whopper with his mother. "You couldn't get away with a lie even then, huh?"

"Well, it wasn't one of my more inspired attempts, but no, somehow people always see through me when I try to lie. It must be that aura of integrity that I carry with me," Johnny grinned widely for the first time in several days.

Roy laughed. "Aura of integrity, huh? I suppose that's one way to describe it. I'd think of it more like a face you can read like a book, but if you want to stick with 'aura of integrity' I'll go along with that."

"So, Jennifer is all worked up about you coming to dinner tomorrow night." Johnny and Roy had dinner clean up and were working on washing the last of the dishes. Cap was in his office finishing reports. Chet, Marco, and Mike were out shooting hoops. "She has the whole evening planned out. The two of you are apparently going to set up the furniture in the doll house you gave her for her birthday, then after dinner you are going to help her name her new baby doll."

"Well, at least I get to eat dinner in there somewhere. I can always beg off and tell her I have to spend some time with Chris. At least I can play catch with him."

"Sorry, Junior. Chris is spending the night with the cub scouts at an indoor campout in the church hall."

"What's an indoor campout and what kind of fun is that?" Chet asked as he came into the kitchen and sat at the table.

Marco answered before Roy could respond. "My brother has a cub scout troop. He did that this year too. It's for the younger kids who have never camped before. It gets them used to being away from home, sleeping in sleeping bags and all that stuff without having to also contend with outhouses and mosquitoes."

"That's what they say," Roy added, "but I think the real reason is that they're right near a phone for all those calls to parents to come get their homesick kids in the middle of the night."

"Yeah, but Roy, we've taken the kids camping for real." Johnny was shaking his head. "I mean, Chris has spent lots of nights backwoods camping. Does he really want to camp in a church hall?"

"He says he does. You know, he's only 7. I'm not really sure how well he'll do camping without you or me there. I may be one of those parents who gets a call from a crying kid at 2 AM."

"No way. Chris is tough. He won't miss you at all."

The rest of the shift had been without difficulty. Although there had been a few more runs, and a major fire, there were no serious injuries and no transports to the Rampart.

Dinner the following night was pleasant. Joanne had convinced Jennifer to allow Uncle Johnny some "guy time" with Daddy, so Roy and Johnny sat out on the deck, sipping a glass of wine and enjoying the night air while Jennifer was temporarily content watching the Brady Bunch.

"So, Johnny," Joanne smirked as she joined the guys with her own glass of wine, "are you ready for parenthood?"

"Huh?"

"Well, Jennifer and I just had a nice chat and it seems that the reason you need to help her name her new baby is because you're going to be the baby's father some day."

"Even the 4 year olds are trying to get me to the altar. Can't a girl just once be content with a little dinner, and a little bowling?"

Joanne laughed. "You know, you should be honored. Most 4 year olds want to marry their father."

"But most 4 year olds don't have an Uncle Johnny to compete with their father. Alas, to lose my daughter's affections to another man so early in life," Roy replied as he took a deep breath, enjoying the night and the company. "I always thought she would want to marry me."

Just then Jennifer joined the group on the deck. "Don't be silly, Daddy. You know I could never marry you, because you're already married. What would Mommy do if we got married? I'm going to marry Uncle Johnny because he's not married and so he wouldn't need no divorce." Jennifer turned to Johnny. "It's okay if you keep dating those girls until I'm old enough to marry you. Just so you don't marry any of them, okay?"

Roy and Joanne both watched Johnny, wondering what he was going to do with this one. Johnny looked at both of them with a twinkle in his eye then motioned to Jennifer to come closer. She climbed up on his lap and he whispered something in her ear. Whatever was said, Jennifer squealed with delight and threw her arms around Johnny's neck and kissed his cheek. Jennifer started to climb down from his lap when Johnny stopped her and said in a very serious tone, "Now, this is our little secret, right Miss Jennifer?"

Jennifer giggled and crossed her heart with her right hand. "They can pull my finger nails out one by one and I'll never tell."

"Jennifer Lynn DeSoto!" Joanne said swiftly, "Wherever did you hear about something like pulling out fingernails? I don't want to hear that again."

Jennifer looked confused but nodded and said, "I'm sorry, Mommy. I won't say it again. Can I go watch the Partridge Family?"

"Okay, but if you do, then there won't be time for a story, you'll have to go straight to bed."
        
"Can Uncle Johnny tell me a story instead?"

"Honey, Uncle Johnny came over here to get some rest tonight. Why don't I read you a story? You can say goodnight to Uncle Johnny here."

"That's okay, Jo. I wouldn't mind reading to her. You guys relax. Come on, Pumpkin. Say goodnight to Mom and Dad and let's go pick out a story."
        
When Johnny returned to the porch he looked more relaxed than he had in several days. "I want to thank you guys."

"Well, seeing that we had pizza that you brought with you, I'm not sure that's necessary."

"No, not for that. Sometimes it just helps to be around happy, healthy little kids."

Joanne nodded. "Sure. We're happy to share. But, I'm not so sure about the healthy part. Where in the world does she pick up things like pulling fingernails out one by one? She's not getting that on the Brady Bunch or Sesame Street. If she were going to day care, I'd suspect she got it there, but she doesn't. Why would she say that?"

Roy provided his wife with an answer to her question. "She has an older brother! On the way to the sleep over Chris was talking to Patrick about some secret and made him promise on threat of having his fingernails pulled out one by one that he wouldn't tell. Clearly he has made the same demand of his sister. Or else she just overheard him."

Joanne just shook her head. "It doesn't matter what you do. It's like not allowing toy guns. They use sticks instead, or their fingers. You can't win"

Johnny and Roy started their next shift, feeling confident that they would now be able to move beyond the recent string of bad outcomes. The evening with Jennifer and some time away again had been just what they needed. That, and a post card from Dixie.

After roll call the men gathered at the kitchen table for a cup of coffee. Johnny pulled out the post card and showed it to the guys. The scene was lovely, a tropical beach with a hammock and palm trees at sunset, a silhouette of a couple holding hands on the beach. The message said only, "And then there was one."

"Well, what the heck does that mean?" Chet asked. "One what? Place looks nice. But, that's one weird message. Is it a code or something? Are you suppose to write back and say, 'The rooster crows at dawn'?"

Johnny knew exactly what it meant, but he suddenly realized that perhaps that information was not meant for everybody. "I don't know. I just thought the place was pretty."

At their first chance to be alone Roy grabbed Johnny. "Let me see the card again. What does it mean? Do you know?"

Now that it was just Roy, Johnny was all smiles. "Of course I know. Before they got on the plane I reminded them that one hotel room was cheaper than two and told Dix to send me a post card to let me know when she and Brackett moved into the same room. I was teasing, but I guess they did. Boy, I hope it works out for them. They are great together, but there was nothing worse than working with them when they were going through breaking up."

"Yeah, its tough when you have to work together even if you aren't together. But, they know what they're in for, so hopefully it will be right this time."

Johnny agreed and added that he thought they should keep this secret for now. Things could change even before the two arrived home.

"Absolutely. But speaking of secrets, are you going to fill me in on the one you have with my little 4 year old who is helplessly in love with you?"

Johnny actually giggled. "I just told her that she was my favorite girl and the prettiest girl I knew, but she couldn't tell any of the girls I dated about that or they would be jealous."

Roy shook his head. "I wonder some times what I'm going to do with her when she's 16."

The sound of the klaxons broke through their conversation. "Station 51. Respond to a possible drowning at Camp Blue Jay on Parker Road."

Johnny sat outside Rampart in the squad, waiting for Roy to finish restocking supplies. He knew he should be in there helping, but he couldn't bring himself to stay there. Walters kept looking at him like he was going to break, kept asking him if he was okay, kept asking him if he needed to talk. He liked the man okay, but he had not exactly been in a talkative mood for much of their interaction. And after the rescue at Camp Blue Jay, Johnny was quite sure he wasn't going to be in a talking mood for many days.

When Roy finally came out to the squad, he started driving before he started talking. "Walters is worried about you. I told him he didn't need to be, but he is. Johnny, what happened back there? I just can't figure out how it all happened? Do you know?"

Camp Blue Jay was a camp for girl scouts. It was on a river on the outskirts of LA county.

Johnny just shook his head. "I spoke to Vince when I was packing up the gear. The police were still there investigating. I don't think they were leaving any time soon. Anyways, Vince said that the river is usually slow this time of year, but last week's rains must have caused a swell. The three girls asked to take out a canoe and no one noticed that the river was running high and fast. They just said okay. They counted the life jackets still in the shed. They were all there which means none of the girls even had a life jacket with them. None had ever been in a canoe on fast water. And when the boat tipped over, no one on staff knew anything about doing a fast water rescue."

Johnny hesitated before he went on. "Roy, everything seems so out of control, you know? I mean, today three kids and the two adults who tried to save them, all but the one lady dead. And that's just today. If we include the last week, well, it gets a little scary, don't you think?"

Roy had been thinking the same thing. "Yeah. I don't ever remember another stretch like this one. And it's mostly kids. You know, I don't think we lost one kid in the last six months before this past week. At least this time we got there as soon as possible. But I can't believe that out of five victims, only one was still alive when we arrived. It's not that I've never done recovery work before, but to pull three little girls out of the river, knowing there is just no chance for them, that was one of the hardest things I've ever done."

"How do you ever let Jen and Chris out of your sight? I mean, I feel the need to find them and hug them and they aren't my flesh and blood."

"You can come over and get your hugs anytime, partner. As for letting them out of my sight, I'm afraid to say that Jo and I haven't been real good at that in the last few days. Now, it will be worse. I have the feeling that the next few days are ones that the kids will talk to their friends about when they talk about things they'll never do to their kids. Chris is supposed to go canoeing with the cub scouts tomorrow. I may be wrong, but I can't let him go. I just can't."

"I'm glad. I've been sitting here trying to figure out a way to suggest that you not let him go. It's wrong. It's irrational. But it's real."

Roy nodded. "Joanne will be relieved. She wasn't too thrilled about this trip anyway, since I wasn't going to be there."

The conversation was cut short by their radio. "Squad 51, what's your status?"

Roy cringed, realizing he had forgotten to make them available. "Squad 51, available."

"10-4, 51. Stand by for a response."

"Standing by, LA."

"Squad 51, man down at 9908 North Wilshire Blvd. Cross street, Milk Street."

"10-4, LA, 9908 North Wilshire Blvd."

The fact that no engine had been called out meant that either the caller had indicated an engine was not needed, or there was not one available. The paramedics hoped for the former, but with the way their day had been going, anticipated the latter. They arrived at the scene to find a man, alone on his front steps, sitting holding a phone that had a long cord leading from the house. The man was in obvious distress.

Johnny grabbed the equipment while Roy took the oxygen and hurried to the man's side.

"Sir, my name is Roy and this is my partner, John. What's your name?"

The man's response, "Ben" was hardly audible.

"Ben, can you tell me what's wrong?" Roy put the oxygen on Ben as he asked the question. "This should help you feel better," he explained.

Ben had trouble speaking. He kept pulling his tee shirt away from his neck, even though it was not tight.

"Ben, are you having trouble breathing, does your chest hurt?" Roy asked, as Johnny began to check his blood pressure and Roy took his pulse. The man nodded and spoke slowly.

"Angina… was loading that lumber onto the loft above the garage… stupid idea … home all alone … started to hurt …. couldn't breathe …thank God, phone… was outside … waiting for call"

Johnny set up the bio-phone, then suggested to Ben that he might be more comfortable without the tee shirt. He agreed and allowed Johnny to cut it off rather than try to remove it over his head. "Ben, we're going to put these paddles on your chest here so that we can see what's happening with your heart beat real quick. Then we'll hook you up so that the doc at the hospital can see as well, okay?"

Roy got on the bio-phone as Johnny set up to send the hospital a strip.

"Rampart, this is squad 51, how do you read?"

Morton responded, "Go ahead, 51."

"Rampart, we have a male, approximately age 60, complaining of chest pains after loading some heavy lumber into a loft above his garage. He reports a history of angina. Vitals are, pulse 90, respirations 20 and labored, BP 140 over 100. We're sending you a strip on lead 2."

Morton looked at the strip and immediately ordered an IV, nitroglycerin, oxygen, and immediate transport. "51, you said the victim has a history of angina. Does he have any prescriptions?"

Roy asked Ben who nodded. "Don't remember the name… my shirt… in garage… pocket … "

Johnny went to find the shirt. "Rampart," Roy spoke to Morton, "that's affirmative on the prescription, but the victim doesn't remember what it is. Johnny's gone to get it now. There's an apparent delay on the transport, however. The ambulance hasn't yet arrived at the scene."

"Okay, 51. Bring the meds with you, continue to monitor and keep me updated. Transport the minute you can. I'll stand by."

Roy started the IV then looked around for the HT before remembering that Johnny had it with him. "Hey Johnny!" Roy called loud enough for his partner to hear him in the garage. "Can you get LA and check on the ETA of the ambulance?"

Before Johnny could answer they heard the siren in the distance. Johnny yelled out to Roy, "Do you hear them? Sounds like they're about two minutes away."

Roy sighed with relief at the sound. Within a few minutes they would be on the way to the hospital. Maybe this victim will make it there before going into full arrest, though his EKG doesn't look good.

But before the ambulance reached them, another sound filled the air and filled Roy with dread. It was the sound of the loft in the garage collapsing from the weight of the lumber. As Roy looked over, he prayed he would see Johnny walking toward them with the shirt. But Johnny was nowhere to be seen. He was still in the garage.

On instinct, Roy got up to run to the garage, but the man in front of him grabbed his chest and went into full arrest. Roy could still hear the ambulance, but it was nowhere in sight. There was no one else in sight. Of all the times to not have a crowd of onlookers! He yelled Johnny's name as he charged the defibrillator, but if Johnny answered him, he didn't hear him.

Roy shocked Ben once, with no conversion. He called out to Johnny again, but still got no answer. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that he needed to stay focused and calm. Every fiber of his being wanted to run to the garage and help his partner and friend. But his first obligation was to the man in front of him. Johnny would have to wait. Please, God. I hope he can wait. He picked up the bio-phone. "Rampart, we have a situation."

"I see it, 51. Have you counter shocked yet?"

"That's affirmative, Rampart. No conversion. Doc, I need assistance. The ambulance is on its way, but still not here. The loft of the garage has just collapsed while my partner was in there getting the meds. I can't get to a radio. I need you to call in a code I. Have them send another squad, ambulance, and engine."

"Okay, Roy, we'll take care of that immediately from this end. Are you ready to shock?"

"The dilemma of a one person rescue. I've got to put the phone down, Doc. I'll shock then get back on the line."

Roy worked on the victim for several minutes, shocking and administering medication as instructed. The ambulance attendants arrived and started hauling debris out of the garage, something not in their job descriptions, but since they couldn't take over for Roy they did what they could for Johnny.

Squad 16 arrived before the engine. Carl Johnson joined Roy in trying to revive the victim. Nothing was working. After another few minutes, Morton ordered them to transport and continue CPR on the way in. Roy didn't even have to ask Johnson and his partner to take charge of Ben's care and allow him to stay for Johnny. That was simply assumed. The paramedics of squad 16 went together in the ambulance, with Roy's promise to find a way to get their abandoned squad to the hospital as soon as possible. Engine 51 arrived just as the ambulance was leaving.

As the crew rushed to the garage, they immediately began hauling out the lumber and other things that had fallen to the floor, without even needing to be told that there was someone under the pile. The look on Roy's face was enough to tell them it was Johnny.

Captain Stanley came up to Roy's side and began moving lumber. "Fill me in, Roy."

"Johnny was in the garage when the loft collapsed. The victim went into full arrest and I couldn't leave him. Squad 16 just took the victim to the hospital. Johnny's been in there 10 minutes already. He's not answering me. I'm not really sure what part of the garage he was in. He came back here to get the victim's medication out of his shirt pocket."

Marco, Mike, Chet, Cap, and Roy spread out and all took turns calling out to Johnny as they quickly moved the lumber and the other debris. It was Marco who heard Johnny first. "Over here," Marco called to the others who quickly came to join him in the back of the garage.

Marco called back, "Johnny, we hear you. We'll have you out in a few minutes. How badly are you hurt?"

Johnny answered Marco. Roy was relieved to hear that his voice sounded strong. "I'm okay. I'm bleeding from somewhere. My arm I think. But I can move everything. I think I got bonked off the head. I've got a hell of a headache. I guess I was out for a bit, but I'm not sure. Did Roy go in with the victim?"

"No, Johnny," Roy answered, "I'm right here. They responded a second squad. They took in the other victim. How bad is the bleeding?"

"Pretty bad, I think. My arm hurts. Hey Roy, how long before you have me out of here? It's getting kind of cold in here."

Roy knew Johnny shouldn't be cold. It was still 85 degrees out. He must be going into shock. He tried not to let any of the urgency he felt come through to his voice. "Not long. Just hang in there, partner. We don't want anything else to fall in on you. Keep talking to me. Are you having any trouble breathing? Does your chest hurt?"

"No, remarkably, one of the beams seems to have kept most of the stuff off me. But it's blocking my line of vision. I can't see below my shoulders and I don't dare move. I think I got whacked off the head. I've got a monster headache and I think I blacked out, but I'm not real sure. Hey, Roy?"

"Yeah, Johnny?"

"Not that I'm worried or anything, but after this week… well, just hurry as much as you can, okay?"

"I understand, Junior, but you have nothing to worry about, okay? I can see your feet. We'll have you out in a minute. I'm going to contact Rampart while the guys finish getting this stuff off of you. Mike, keep talking to him."

Roy picked up the bio-phone and contacted Rampart again.

"Rampart, this is squad 51. How do you read?"

"Go ahead, 51." This time it was Walters. That probably meant that Johnson was already there with the first victim and Morton was with them.

"Rampart, we have the second victim almost free. He is a 26 year old male who has been trapped under a pile of lumber and other debris from a structure collapse for about 15 minutes. He is conscious and responsive, though there are indications that he lost consciousness after the collapse since he was not responding to verbal calls until five minutes ago. We don't have any vitals yet as we can't get to him yet. He states he was struck on the head and left arm. He is bleeding from somewhere, but we don't know where. He reports his left arm hurts. He is also cold despite the 85 degree temperature here. We'll update you as soon as we have better access to him. Be advised the victim is John Gage."

Walters groaned silently. What was that Dixie had said? "Johnny tends to rush in where even fools dare not tread."

"I'll stand by, 51. Get me the vitals as soon as you get him out."

Roy returned to the garage just in time to see Johnny arguing with the cap about whether or not he should be standing, which, Roy noted, was a moot point since he already was. Roy wished that just once his partner would admit when he was hurt and let others help him before reaching the point of collapse. But he knew that was too much to hope for. All he could do was watch as Cap and Chet helped Johnny walk over to Roy. Johnny's left arm was cradled to his chest and was bleeding profusely.

"Boy, you can be stubborn sometimes," Roy chastised as he knelt down to where Cap and Chet had deposited Johnny on the front step of the house, the same place they had found the victim sitting when they had first arrived. "Come on, let me see your arm. Cap, can you get me the trauma box?"

Johnny's left arm was badly cut. A long laceration ran from just below his elbow toward his wrist. It was deep and jagged and bleeding. Roy quickly noted, however, that there didn't appear to be enough blood to indicate arterial damage which meant the bleeding should be easier to control and would be less likely to result in any permanent damage from lack of blood flow to the hand. But it would clearly need debridement.

"This is a pretty nasty gash, Johnny," Roy stated matter of factly as he bandaged the arm. "Can you move all your fingers?"

Johnny slowly made a fist then straightened out his fingers again, easing both his and Roy's fears. "I don't think anything's broken. Looks like the tendons are okay too. It hurts like crazy, but I bet it's going to hurt more when they clean it out."

"I'm sure they'll give you something to numb it. How's your head? Where does it hurt?"

"Now it hurts everywhere. But at first it was just the back of my head. I think that's where I got whacked."

Roy found a nice size goose egg forming.

"Ow!! Johnny pulled away.

"Sorry, I'll be more careful. But you need to stay still, pal. How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Two," he answered, his level of stress now showing in his tone of voice. "And my name is John Gage and today is Friday and Gerald Ford is the president. Roy, is this really necessary?" Johnny pushed his partner's hand away as he tried to check his pupils with the pen light.

Roy ignored the question, instead taking his partner's wrist and counting out his pulse. "Sit still!" He admonished as Johnny pulled away.

"Well, your hands are cold," Johnny complained.

Johnny knew Roy was right, but he just couldn't help it. It annoyed him to no end to be on the receiving end of medical care, especially in the field, in front of all the guys. Protesting the attention was what came naturally.

Roy was becoming frustrated, but stopped himself before accusing Johnny of acting worse than a child. Treat him like the victim that he is at the moment. "Look, Johnny, you're not trying to tell me that you're not hurt, right? You agree that you have a serious injury to your arm, you have a headache, you may have a concussion, and you just had a building collapse on you, right?"

"Well… yeah," Johnny admitted.

"So, I think you need to indulge me and let me treat you the way I would any patient who just spent 20 minutes trapped in a collapsed building. And, I might add, the way you would insist on treating me if the tables were turned."

"Okay, you have a point. I'll shut up. Just remember that next time you're on this side of the stethoscope."

"You've got a deal." Roy grinned at his friend and finished the neuro check that Johnny had interrupted. "Cap, can you hand me the bio-phone and then check on the ambulance? They must be busy today. The last one was delayed too."

"Sure, Roy." Cap turned to Marco. "Lopez, why don't you drive 16's squad into Rampart. They'll need to get back in service."

Cap got on the radio to check on the ETA of the ambulance while Roy got back in touch with the hospital.

"Rampart, this is squad 51. How do you read?"

"We read you loud and clear, 51," Walters responded.

"Rampart, victim number 2 is now free from the debris. He is conscious, alert and oriented. He has a large bump on the back of his head where he was apparently struck by debris. Although we can't be sure, we think that he was unconscious for about 10 minutes. His pupils are equal and reactive. He's complaining of a headache that started at the site of the swelling but is now encompassing his whole head. His vision is clear. He has a deep laceration on his lower left arm. We have controlled the bleeding with bandages. There doesn't appear to be any broken bones or tendon damage. He has full mobility. He is showing signs of shock. He's pale and is feeling cold despite the warm temperatures. His pulse is 75. BP is 106 over 70. Respirations are 16 and his lungs are clear."

Although he wished Gage had not been hurt at all, Walters was relieved to hear that the injuries were not more serious. All this was treatable. "Start an IV with D5W, take precautions for shock, and bring him in, 51."

"10-4, Rampart. D5W and transport. The ambulance has just arrived."

As Roy put down the bio-phone, Mike handed him the IV set up and the D5W. They all want to do something to help, but their hovering is going to drive Johnny crazy. "Thanks, Mike," Roy said to the engineer. He turned to Stanley. "Cap, we're all set here. If someone can drive our squad to Rampart, you guys don't need to stay."

Stanley understood immediately that Roy was trying to get them to back off. "Sure thing, Roy. Do you need anything but the phone and the drug box with you?"

Roy shook his head no and Stanley and the other guys loaded the rest of the equipment back in the squad.

Roy turned his attention back to his partner. The relief was showing on Johnny's face. So was the weariness that was beginning to set in. "Thanks, Roy."

"Anytime. Listen, how about you get onto the gurney and get comfortable before I start the IV. It'll be easier for you to move without it." Besides, you really need to lie down.

Johnny acquiesced and Roy helped him move to the gurney. He lay down without needing to be told to do so and Roy knew he felt worse than he was admitting. Roy put the BP cuff back around his arm and pumped it up to act as a tourniquet to ease the insertion of the IV.

"Okay, you know the routine," Roy said evenly as he swabbed Johnny's arm. "Don't watch and you probably won't even feel it."

"No way, pal. If you're going to stick a needle in my arm, I'm watching every move you make."

"Okay, then watch and see how a pro does it. Unless, of course, you'd like to do it yourself?"

"No, I trust myself to your capable hands, but just remember, Pally. One of these days the shoe may be on the other foot and I'll be holding the IV and you'll be lying here. When that day comes, I'll remember this moment, so you be careful. OW!"

Roy just smiled and taped down the IV line. Minutes later they were on their way to Rampart.

The events of the day caught up with Johnny on the way to Rampart. By the time the ambulance pulled into the bay, Johnny's strength and mood had both plummeted. His head and arm were throbbing. Against his better judgement, at Johnny's insistence, Roy had told him about Ben's heart attack and the likely outcome. Johnny had also realized that he was now going to have to face Walter's probing eyes and questions, with no easy escape. He didn't think he'd have the energy to put on a good front, so he would just have to live with the consequences.

Carol directed the paramedic team into treatment room 2. "Dr. Walters or Dr. Morton will be in in a few minutes. We just had a code in the unit and they're both with her, but it shouldn't be long."

"Carol?" Johnny was hoping. "Maybe you could tell Dr. Early that I'm here?"

"Didn't you guys hear? Dr. Early's out with pneumonia. He'll be okay, but he'll be out at least another week." Carol was somewhat surprised at the request. From what she had seen, the paramedics all got along with Dr. Walters.

"Oh man, that's tough. He's gonna be okay though?" Johnny inquired.

"Absolutely. But I'm afraid you're stuck with Morton or Walters. But anyway, I thought you liked Dr. Walters."

"I would hope so," Pete Walters said as he walked through the door.

Johnny turned three shades of red, embarrassed that he may have hurt this man's feelings. "Of course, Doc. I was just asking about Dr. Early. I didn't know he was out sick. It's nothing against you or anything. I just figured that if he was around, well, he knows me better and stuff."

Johnny looked beseechingly at his silent friend. Feel free to jump in any time, Pally. But he was saved by the intercom. "Dr. Peter Walters, dial the operator."

"Sorry, guys," Walters apologized for the interruption. "I'll be right back. Roy, can you get me a new set of vitals?"

"Sure, Doc." Roy grabbed the BP cuff and cut Johnny off before he could object. "Just behave and you'll be out of here that much quicker."

Walters was back in a moment and got an update from Roy. "Alright, John. Can you tell me what you remember about what happened?"

"We were on a rescue. I went into the guy's garage to try to find his shirt, which had his meds. While I was in there, I heard a creaking, then the whole thing came crashing in. The garage loft, I mean. He had just put a bunch of lumber up there and it wasn't stable enough. I got bonked off the back of the head by something that fell. I don't remember hurting my arm, but obviously I did. I figure I must have passed out, but I don't really remember coming to or anything. I just remember getting hit, realizing I was trapped, then hearing Marco call my name."

Walters immediately found the bump on the back of his head. "I bet that hurts."

"Yeah, my whole head is pounding."

Walters did a full neuro check and found no problems. He then unwrapped Gage's arm and examined the laceration. Johnny couldn't help but wince as he touched it.

"Any idea what caused this?" Walters asked Johnny and Roy.

Johnny shook his head. Roy responded. "Some of the wood stored in the loft had old nails and screws in it. He might have gotten hit with something like that."

"Are you up to date on your tetanus booster?"

"Yup."

"Okay, well, here's what we're going to do. First, we're going to get some pictures of your head. Then, we'll clean up your arm. You'll need stitches. After your arm is taken care of, we'll get a CAT scan. Then we'll figure out what to do from there. In the meantime, we'll hang an antibiotic on the IV. Might as well get a head start on fighting an infection in your arm."

"Uh, Doc?" Johnny asked despite knowing the answer, "Do you think I could have a couple of aspirin?"

Walters made a face. "I'd rather hold off until I see the x-rays. Can you hold on?"

Why ask if I can hold on if the answer is still going to be no. But then, I asked even though I knew the answer was no. "Sure, just make sure you have it standing by."

"You've got it, John. X-ray will be here in a minute, then I'll be back to take care of your arm."

Walters was gone. Johnny leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and used his right hand to put pressure on the bridge of his nose, trying to ease the pounding behind his eyes. He almost forgot Roy was still in the room.

"Is the pain getting worse?" Roy quietly asked his ailing partner.

"I don't know. I guess. Hey, you don't have to hang around here. You need to get back to the station. Cap will be waiting on you. No way they're going to let me go back to work, even if they let me go home, so I guess he'll need to call in a replacement."

"It better not be Brice or I'll make you pay dearly for this. Look, chances are I'll be back here on another run before you're finished with all this, but either way I'll check in on you."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

Johnny closed his eyes and tried to meditate. Maybe I can will the pain away, he thought, again applying pressure between his eyes. He took deep, measured breaths, trying to focus on the process. But, it wasn't working. Meditation had helped him get through having his arm treated, but it was doing little to help now. His arm was throbbing with every beat of his heart and his head felt like it was in an ever tightening vice. How long can it take to read a CAT scan? Surely they'll know something in a few minutes and then they can give me something for this pain.

Johnny didn't hear Doctor Walters come in. Walters stood silently watching his young charge before announcing his presence. Johnny hadn't said three words in the last two hours that were not in direct response to a question, not even during the 45 minutes it took Walters to clean and suture his arm. This did not fit with the way others described Johnny. Morton had told him he was a terrible patient who complained constantly. Carol had told him he had a reputation for flirting with any female within hearing range. Everyone had warned him that Gage would try everything possible to get himself released and returned to duty. But he was doing none of these things. He was sitting silently, seemingly pulled deep within himself. As Walters thought about it, he realized that Gage had not fit others' description of him at any time since he had met him. He did not find Gage to be outgoing, talkative, and engaging. He found him to be sullen and withdrawn. All that started before this injury. He would have to think more about that. In the meantime…

"John, how do you feel?"

Johnny startled at Walter's voice. "I feel like the tuba, bass, and trombone have joined the drums in my head. What did the CAT scan show?"

"A concussion, but nothing more. As I said, the x-rays were negative as well. Any nausea or vision problems to go with your headache?"

"No, just the pain."

"Well, let's try this. My guess is that it's too late for aspirin to take hold of this. I'm going to give you something stronger for the pain. If it takes the pain away we can talk about sending you home. That is, unless you live alone."

Johnny groaned. He couldn't very well lie. Walters would be sure to find out. "I do live alone, but I'm sure I'll be okay. I can call a neighbor and ask them to check in on me later, okay?"

"Before we worry about that, let's see if we can get the pain under control. I could give you a pill, but a shot will work faster. I'll send Carol in with something, then you try closing your eyes again. I'll be back in a half hour to check and see how you're doing. Sleep if you can. I promise I'll wake you up."

Johnny nodded. "Thanks, Doc." Just knowing that the pain was going to go away made things better.

Roy returned to the ER to find Johnny asleep. He quietly slipped out of the room and went in search of someone who could fill him in on his partner's status. He found Carol at the desk.

"Hey, Carol. What's up with Johnny? I see he's asleep."

"He's going to be fine, Roy. No broken bones, no bleeding, just a concussion, the injury to his arm, and a major headache. I gave him a shot for the pain. Doctor Walters would release him if he didn't live alone, but I suspect that since he does, the doctor will decide to admit him over night."

"He's not going to like that decision. Especially if Walters tells him he could go if he didn't live alone." Roy knew he could solve the problem, but he didn't know if Johnny would let him. Well, he could at least set it up just in case. "Carol, can I use the phone?"

Roy was just hanging up when he saw Walters approaching the desk. "Hey, Doc. How's my partner doing?"

"I was just going in to talk to him. Want to join us? I don't think he'd mind."

"Sure," Roy said and followed him into the treatment room.

Johnny continued to sleep soundly, his face no longer scrunched in pain. Walters gently touched his shoulder and called his name, not wanting to startle him. Johnny opened his eyes and acknowledged Walters before seeing Roy standing in the background.

"Hey, pal, you back on business or pleasure?"

"If I ever start hanging out here for pleasure, remind me that it's time to find a new career. How ya doin?"

"Okay, I think. What do you think, Doc?"

"How's the pain?"

"Much, much better. Whatever it is that you gave me, I'd highly recommend the stuff."

"Demerol is good. But I don't think you'll need something that strong again. Now it's a matter of staying on top of it. I'll give you Tylenol with codeine to get you through the next couple of days, then plain aspirin should do the trick. I'm also giving you a prescription for an antibiotic. It's very important that you take it as directed and finish the whole prescription even if you feel okay. Your system was exposed to all sorts of things through that gash in your arm. Let's keep those germs in check."

"So, does that mean I can go home?" Johnny asked, hoping that the doctor had forgotten the caveat about living alone.

"Sorry, John, but I can't send you home alone tonight. You need someone to check on you from time to time through the night. Stay here as our guest tonight and you can go home tomorrow or the next day."

"Tomorrow or the next day!! Come on, Doc. I'll be fine."

"Johnny…" Roy tried to interject. He was ignored.

"And what's with tomorrow or the next day? I certainly don't need to be here more than one night. You said if the pain was under control…"

"Johnny…" Roy tried again, louder this time.

"Don't bother, Roy. You're not going to convince me that this is a good idea. I don't need to be here. If I needed to be here, they wouldn't let me out even if I didn't live alone, right?"

Walters said nothing, deciding to instead see what Roy would do.

"Johnny," Roy started for the third time, "Joanne is on her way down here to pick you up. You can sleep in Jennnifer's room for the night and Jen will sleep with Joanne. She can check on you a few times during the night and that way you can be in a bed, away from the noise and poking of a hospital. Before you refuse, just remember it's your only chance of getting out of here tonight."

Johnny didn't know quite what to say. He had been a guest at the DeSoto household many times, but the only time it was overnight was the time they had wanted to get an early start for a camping trip the next morning. And always, Roy had been there.

"But Roy, you're working tonight. That's an awful lot to ask of Joanne. And, well, I don't know. It feels funny sleeping in your house when you're not there."

"You slept there the weekend you watched the kids when Jo and I went away."

"Yeah, but that's the point. Jo was with you. I mean… I don't know. It just doesn't feel right."

Roy wanted to laugh, but he knew Johnny was serious so he held back. "Johnny are you telling me I have to worry about you with my wife?"

Johnny turned red for the second time that day. "No, of course not. But, you know, people talk. I wouldn't want anything to mess up what we have going, you know?"

Roy just shook his head. "Johnny, I trust you. I trust Joanne. Joanne thinks of you like a little brother. She'd be hurt if she knew we even had this conversation, so we won't tell her. Go home with her. Let her mother you for a night. As for what other people think, who cares?"

"So, you're telling me that when Chet or one of the guys on another shift says to you, 'Hey DeSoto, heard your partner and your wife are shacking up while you're at work,' that isn't going to bother you?"

"You aren't giving the guys enough credit. They wouldn't say that. But, if they did, I'd either set them straight or just ignore it. As for Chet, yeah, you're right. He'll make some stupid comments and then he'll forget about it, same as with everything else. That is, as long as you don't let him know he's getting to you. So, what do you say? Doc, can he go home if he goes to my place?"

Walters seemed to hesitate for a moment. It was unintentional but he immediately noticed Gage's response and decided to use a little reverse psychology. "I don't know Roy. What would your wife do if suddenly things started to go sour?"

Johnny almost jumped off the table. "Oh, come on, Doc. You just said that the only reason I couldn't go home was because I lived alone. Now I've come up with a solution to that problem and you're going to throw another roadblock in the way? Joanne's perfectly capable of calling for help if I 'go sour' as you put it. And honestly a squad would probably get to her house quicker than a nurse would answer the call button here."

Walters kept his smile to himself. Some people were very predictable once you started to understand them. "Okay, John. You win. You can go home with Mrs. DeSoto on the condition that you stay the next 24 hours in her or Roy's company. If you are still okay tomorrow night, you can go home to your own place. Now, when is your next shift?"

"Today is Friday. We're on again on Monday."

Walters stopped to figure out how to make this work. "Okay, well why don't you come in early Monday on your way into work. Just be sure to be here by 6:30 AM. I'll come in early to see you so I won't be tied up with anyone else, but if I decide I want another x-ray, I want time to do that before I sign off on your release to return to work. BUT, if you feel at all sick, make sure you call me over the weekend so that we can figure it out before Monday. I'm not working, but I'll be on call and they can get me."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Johnny was trying to figure out if he had just been manipulated when Carol opened the door and announced that Joanne had arrived. Roy only had a minute to talk to her before his temporary partner signaled that they had been called out.

"Call me if you have any problems, Jo, and be gentle but firm. He's a little nervous about this set up. He thinks he's taking advantage of the friendship, I think."

"Don't worry about a thing. Go. Call me when you're free later and I'll give you an update."

Carol introduced Joanne to Dr. Walters who gave her instructions on the medication. "How do I know if I need to call you?" Joanne asked.

"He's going to have a headache. That's a sure thing. Help him stay in front of it with the Tylenol. If he gets more than a little nauseous, his vision blurs, or he gets a fever over 100 call me. If he starts to have problems with coordination or if he starts to get confused, call me, but call a squad first. But if I thought any of that was going to happen, I wouldn't be letting him go home with you. He needs to keep his arm dry. Roy should change the bandages tomorrow. If the arm gets very warm, starts to ooze, or gets bright red, you should call me. It will be a little red and a little warm for a while so don't worry about that. Any questions?"

The night at the DeSoto home went without incident. Mostly Johnny slept. When he woke in the morning, it was at the crack of dawn. As he got his bearings he vaguely remembered Joanne checking in on him off and on during the night. As he looked at the stuffed bunny lying next to him, he recalled Jennifer tucking it there and kissing his forehead goodnight.

Johnny scanned the room for a clock. Oh man, not even 5 AM. If I get up, Joanne's bound to hear me. But I really need the bathroom. Maybe I can sneak downstairs without her hearing me.

Joanne must have been soundly asleep because remarkably, Johnny managed to do just that. He was surprised to find that he felt pretty good once he was up and moving. Remembering Walter's instructions, he took two Tylenol even though his headache was not overwhelming. After using the bathroom downstairs to freshen up, Johnny quietly made a cup of coffee and grabbed a muffin and went out to the deck to watch the last of the color of the sunrise fade from the sky. Even at this hour, the temperature had reached the high seventies. It was going to be another hot day, but for the moment it was just perfect. He wasn't aware he had closed his eyes until he heard the commotion inside the house.

"No Roy, I'm telling you he's not here! … Yes, of course I checked the bathroom. I also checked the basement and the garage. … Four AM. He groaned at me, told me his name and went back to sleep. … No, I called his apartment before I called you. If he's there he isn't answering, but how would he even have gotten there? … Roy, I told you I checked the garage, don't you think I would have mentioned if the car was missing? … Well what good would that do? You're not going to find him if I can't. … I don't know what to do, that's why I'm calling you. … Don't tell me to calm down. … Jennifer, can't you see I'm on the phone? Just wait a minute. …. Well, I don't know, Roy, she probably heard me yelling at you. … Okay, well you call the hospital. Maybe he wasn't feeling well and called a cab or something. … No, I'll call you back in a few minutes. Chris is still asleep."

Oh no. This is not good. She is going to be so mad when she finds out I'm out here. Johnny slowly rose and headed for the sliding doors leading back into the kitchen. He stopped to listen to the conversation between Joanne and Jennifer, hoping to find the right moment to appear.

"Okay Jennifer. I'm off the phone now. What do you want?"

"Mommy, you don't need to be upset. You didn't lose Uncle Johnny."

"Thank you honey, that's sweet, but it's not so much that I think I lost him, but I just can't find him and I'm worried because he's been sick. But I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sure Uncle Johnny will be fine if I don't kill him when I find him."

"But Mommy, you didn't lose Uncle Johnny. He's right there!" Johnny was now standing in the doorway, trying to somehow look pitiful yet healthy at the same time.

"Sorry, Jo. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Johnny Gage, where have you been? What in the world are you doing outside? Why are you even out of bed? Imagine my surprise when I went to check on you at 6 AM and found nothing in the bed but Jennifer's bunny. Then I looked everywhere. I even called Roy. Oh my God, Roy! He's calling hospitals looking of you. I have to call him. Better yet, you call him and explain this to him. Are you okay? Come here and sit down. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. I was just worried."

Johnny sat down, not because he needed to, but he didn't want to argue. "I'm fine, Joanne. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I woke up early and decided to sit outside and watch the end of the sunrise. I didn't want to make any noise that might wake you. I guess I fell asleep on the deck chair."

"Well, if I wasn't so relieved to see you, I'd hit you. But you do look healthy enough so I guess I won't be mad. But you do need to call Roy."

Christopher had just walked into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Mornin' Uncle Johnny." Chris wrapped his arms around Johnny's neck and squeezed. Not to be outdone, Jennifer maneuvered her way onto Johnny's lap and kissed his forehead.

"Alright, you two," Joanne said, "you need to let your Uncle Johnny go because he needs to call your Dad. While he's doing that, I'll pour juice for everyone to hold us over till Daddy gets home. Johnny, you can use the phone in the living room if you want some privacy."

"Thanks, Jo." Johnny was not looking forward to this call, but knew he needed to do it now before Roy had any more time to worry. He picked up the phone and dialed the station. Roy answered on the first ring.

"Station 51, Paramedic DeSoto speaking."

"Hey Roy, it's me."

"Where the hell are you? Joanne's frantic. Are you okay?"

Johnny quickly explained the situation and was starting to go into more detail when Roy got called out. As Johnny hung up the phone, the kids asked him to watch cartoons with them. Although that sounded appealing, Johnny decided he had better find Joanne and make sure things were okay. He found her in the kitchen.

"I talked to Roy. He had to hang up because they got a call. But it's only 6:30 so he may still make it home on time. Jo, I really am sorry."

Joanne handed him a cup of coffee, took her own and sat at the kitchen table with her repentant friend. "Don't worry about it, Johnny. I probably over reacted. I don't know, I guess I was nervous about this whole thing, worried that something would go wrong and it would be my fault."

Now that surprised Johnny. "Really? What could have gone wrong, and even if something had gone wrong, how would have been your fault?"

Joanne thought carefully before answering. "I don't know how to put it into words. It's just, well, you and Roy have this great relationship and… I don't know… Do you remember the time you watched the kids? You said you were so nervous because you were so happy that we trusted you to take care of them and you didn't want anything to go wrong? Well, I kind of felt the same way last night. I guess that's silly, but I felt like for the first time Roy trusted me to take care of you, you trusted me, the two of you let me in and I didn't want to do anything to blow that. Pretty silly, huh?"

Joanne thought Johnny would laugh at her, but he didn't. Johnny was shaking his head, thinking about his own hesitations at this arrangement. "Joanne, I think I understand. It's hard sometimes."

Joanne was not going to let it end here because she had a solution in mind. "Johnny, I think I know what the problem is. To me, you're Roy's partner and friend. To you, I'm Roy's wife. Always Roy is standing in the middle. Now I agree that for a long time, that was the simple fact of the matter. But I think we're beyond that now, don't you? Let's just agree, right here and now, that you and I are friends. We know each other because of Roy, but that friendship goes beyond Roy."

This conversation was getting way too serious for John Gage's comfort level. It was definitely time to lighten things up. "Well, okay that sounds good to me. Only thing is, well, I've never been friends with a woman before so you'll have to give me some time to get used to the way things are done. I mean, I don't really have any make up tips to share and I don't think Roy's ever called and asked me to go to the mall, so you'll have to be patient with me."

Joanne threw a dishtowel at him and made a face. "You men. You just don't know how to have fun."

The weekend passed without incident. Johnny couldn't honestly say that he felt good, but except for the nagging headache, he didn't feel too bad either. First thing Monday morning he checked in with Walters at Rampart. Johnny was straight with the doctor about his ongoing headache, but everything checked out and Johnny was cleared for work with a reminder to continue the antibiotics till they were gone and keep taking aspirin or Tylenol for the headache.

Back at the station, things were hopping for Roy and Johnny from the first minutes of the shift. The first call of the day was a check on an elderly woman who lived alone and hadn't been answering her phone. The team met the police at the address.

"What have we got?" Roy asked the police as they approached the front door.

"The daughter called us. She lives up in San Francisco, but she calls her mother every morning at 7:00 AM. She tried for an hour this morning but the woman hasn't answered. She called a neighbor who came over and knocked on the door, but got no response. She's worried she can't get to the phone."

"How old is she?" Johnny wanted to know as they waited to see if someone would answer the doorbell.

"Ninety seven. The daughter says she's been in great health and is sharp as a tack."

When no one answered the door after a minute or two, the decision was made to find a way into the house. Roy quickly discovered the back door was open and called the others to join him. As the men entered the house, Johnny called out. "Hello, is anyone here. We're from the fire department."

As he turned the corner he almost tripped over the small woman walking toward him.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" As she was speaking she swung her cane up and hit Johnny right between the legs. It wasn't a hard swing, but it was enough to make his eyes water as he let out a groan and instinctively doubled over and backed away from the swinging cane.

"That's right, you men. I know how to hit where it hurts. Now you better all leave right now."

The younger of the two officers put his hand on his gun and said, "Ma'am, put the cane down right now."

His partner looked at him in disgust. "Ma'am," he took over, "we're from the police department. We didn't mean to frighten you. Your daughter, Margaret, called. She was worried because you didn't answer your phone and you didn't answer the door when your neighbor rang the bell. We thought you might be hurt so we came to check on you."

The woman eyed them with suspicion, but noting that they were all in uniform, decided they may be telling the truth. "Well, let me see your badge or something. I suppose anyone could phony up a uniform."

As the officers pulled out their ID's to show the woman, Roy moved to his partner's side. Part of him wanted to double over in sympathy pain, another part wanted to double over in laughter. "Ah, Johnny, you okay?"

Johnny was still not ready to straighten up, but he nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Roy turned back to the woman who had decided that the badges were legitimate. She was headed over to Johnny.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, young man. But, you just shouldn't sneak up on an old woman like that. My heart may be strong, but it is almost 100 years old and it doesn't like surprises. Are you okay? Do you want to sit down?"

Johnny had regained his composure enough to look up and smile at the woman. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it." He straightened up and reached out his hand. "I'm Johnny. I don't think we know your name."

"Well, my name is Milly, and I would suggest that it is likely proper manners to know the name of the owner of the house you are breaking into."

Johnny grinned. "I'll have to remember that, Milly. We did ring the front door bell, but we got worried when you didn't answer."

Milly would have none of it. "Young man, I'm 97 years old. Just how much time did you figure it might take me to get to the door?"

She had a valid point. It was Roy who answered "You're right. We should have waited longer. But when you hadn't answered your daughter's calls and hadn't answered the neighbor, well, we thought you were likely hurt, and we didn't want to waste any time. But you look like you're in pretty good health to me. How do you feel?"

"Not a day over 80. As for my daughter, well, she made me mad last night, and I just didn't feel like talking to her this morning. And that pesky neighbor, well he just comes over here every morning and if I let him he'd sit in my kitchen and drink my coffee and pester me till lunch time. I just don't have the time for such things. I'm a busy woman, you know."

Johnny liked this woman. "Milly, you know, I sure can understand why you might not want to talk to your daughter if you're mad at her, but maybe next time you should pick up the phone and tell her you aren't talking to her. That way she knows you're okay."

"Well, maybe. But I'm not letting that moocher in here every time he knocks."

Johnny and Roy spent a few more minutes talking to Milly and checked her blood pressure for good measure while they were there. When they left, she was talking to her daughter, letting her know exactly what she thought of whatever it was that had been said the night before.

As they drove back to the station the mood in the squad was lighter than it had been in a few weeks.

"So, you really okay?" Roy asked Johnny, already knowing the answer. "Maybe we should swing by Rampart and asked Morton to check out your injury. Wouldn't want to take any chances with the equipment."

"My 'equipment' is fine and Morton isn't getting within ten feet of that part of my anatomy, thank you. And you're not checking it out either, so don't get any ideas."

"Johnny, believe me when I tell you that I have absolutely no intention of doing any equipment checks of that nature. She was something else, huh?"

"Yeah, I hope if I live to be 97 I'm that much together. You know, I've got a good feeling about things, Roy. Like maybe Milly was the break we've been waiting for to shift our karma or whatever it is that's been so screwed up for the last few weeks."

Roy had been thinking the same thing. "Yeah, if ever there was a call that had bad outcome written on the face of it, a call to the home of a 97 year old who was suddenly not answering her phone sure didn't sound too hopeful."

"Of course, we're lucky we didn't blow it by barging in on her that way. She could have been alive when we arrived but dead of a stroke or heart attack when she saw the four of us in her living room."

"I know. I couldn't believe it when that cop almost pulled his gun on the poor lady. I thought his partner was going to throttle him."

Johnny had missed that one. "Huh? I didn't see him go for his gun."

Roy couldn't help but laugh. "You were rather doubled over at the time. I think it was an expression of sympathy on his part. The look on his face when that cane came up between your legs, we're lucky we didn't have to treat him."

Johnny groaned with a sudden realization. "You're gonna tell everyone about this, aren't you? The crew, the ER staff, by the end of the shift they're all gonna know I got my bell rung by a 97 year old with a cane, aren't they?"

"Some tales are just too good to keep private, my friend."

As it turned out, Roy never got the chance to tell the others of Johnny's misfortune. The paramedic team returned to the station only once the entire shift. Between the 15 calls of the day and the follow ups at Rampart, there was never a break. The only time they even saw their fellow fire fighters was at the scene of a major MVA and there was no time for idle talk. But even with all the activity of the day, the shift ended without a fatality.

It was 8:30 Tuesday morning by the time Roy and Johnny delivered the last of their patients to Rampart. As they headed to the desk to restock before bringing the squad back to the station, they were surprised to see Bellingham and Brice standing at the desk, collecting supplies.

"Alright, now I'm totally confused," Johnny said with a look that matched his words. "I thought you guys were on B shift at 51 today. Why aren't you back at the station enjoying a brief respite while you wait for us to get back?"

"Well, Gage," Brice began, "logic dictated that…"

Bellingham interrupted, noticing that Johnny seemed to have zoned out as soon as Brice started talking, and Roy looked like he was going to fall asleep standing up. Neither needed a Brice lecture on logic.

"Captain Stanley told us about the shift you guys had. He and Cap Freeman decided we should meet you here or your shift might never end."

"But the log…" began Roy, only to be interrupted by Bellingham.

"Can wait. We'll put the encounter slips in the log book and you can write them up next shift."

Roy was thrilled, but he still wasn't sure how this was going to work. "I guess we can catch the bus back to the station to get our cars and stuff."

Brice and Bellingham held out two sets of car keys. "How do you think we got here? Gentlemen, your chariots await you in the parking lot." If Bellingham was going to say more, he was stopped by the tones emanating from the HT.

"Squad 51, what's your status?"

Brice took the HT from Johnny and handed him his car keys. "Squad 51 available at Rampart."

"Squad 51, respond to MVA with injuries at Mile 5 Old Canyon Road."

"Thanks, guys!" Roy called out as the B shift exited the hospital. "Hope this is your last call of the day."

Roy poured himself and his partner a cup of coffee, having noticed that Johnny looked as tired as he himself, felt. Turning back to his partner he found him staring at the keys in his hand. "Here," he said, pushing the coffee into Johnny's hands. "You look like you need this before you drive home."

Johnny slipped the keys in his pocket and took the coffee. He still looked confused.

"Hey, are you okay?" Roy asked his friend. "It was a pretty tough first day back. Maybe you should just leave your car and let me drive you home."

"Huh?" Johnny blinked and looked at Roy.

"I said, maybe I should drive you home. But I changed my mind. Maybe we should find Walters and have him check you out. You look pretty out of it. How's your head?"

"Oh, its okay. You know, I think I just fell asleep standing here. I've heard of that happening, but it's never happened to me before."

It had been well over 24 hours since either of them had seen any sleep. "Yeah, well no way you're driving. Come on, we'll come get your car tomorrow. Why don't you come back and sleep at my place?"

Johnny smiled, knowing that his partner wanted to keep an eye on him. "The ride I'll take. The lodging I'll pass. I'm fine. I just need 12 hours in my own bed."

Another day, another time, and Roy might have argued the point. But today sleep seemed the answer to all problems. An hour later both men were sound asleep.

Johnny woke from an undisturbed sleep to find the sun had set. Damn, he thought as he looked at the clock, it's almost midnight. Now I'll be up the rest of the night. Johnny rolled over and realized that his head was pounding. In fact, everything ached. That's what I get for sleeping for 14 hours straight. Maybe a hot shower and something to eat will make me feel better. He headed for the bathroom.

Forty-five minutes later, he sat in the kitchen, staring at the untouched english muffin in front of him. Even the coffee wasn't appealing. After the shower had failed to relieve the aches and pains, he had taken one of the Tylenol with codeine. Some of the pain had subsided, but mostly he now felt lousy but dopey. He felt like he had the flu. But he didn't have a fever, he had checked. His arm was showing no signs of infection and although his head ached, the swelling in the back of his head was completely gone. He wasn't sleepy, but he was exhausted, which made no sense to him. No, it wasn't exhausted, at least not like after a good hike in the mountains, it was weary, an overwhelming sense of fatigue.

I probably just over did it. Johnny moved to the couch and found an old Marx Brothers movie on TV. After an hour of watching, though, Johnny turned it off. He seemed to be having trouble concentrating, finding himself suddenly not quite sure what had just happened on screen. It was too frustrating, and he picked up a magazine instead. Even that seemed a chore and eventually he just closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

When Johnny woke again, the sun was up. He was definitely feeling better. His head still ached, but the pounding was gone and a good stretch and another hot shower helped ease the overall weariness that was still present. Although he wasn't hungry, he forced himself to drink a glass of milk and a glass of juice. Try as he might, the cereal remained uneaten. Johnny checked to make sure he still had no fever and his arm remained infection free. He then decided that the way to deal with the feeling of lethargy that was overwhelming him was to reject it entirely. Johnny got dressed, grabbed his car keys, and headed for the bus stop. It would take two transfers, but Johnny could get back to his car and bring it home. If he wasn't feeling better by the time he got to the hospital, he would find Walters and check things out.

It should have taken Johnny less than an hour to get to Rampart by bus, but somehow, he had missed one of his stops, although he really couldn't remember even seeing it. As soon as he realized his mistake, he got off the bus and walked thefour blocks back to catch the next connection. By the time he got to his car he was tired and frustrated. He briefly considered going in, but decided against it when he saw three ambulances arrive at the same time. Instead, he got in the Rover and headed home.

The ride home was not without incident, and Johnny found himself wishing he had made a different decision at the hospital. Once he sat through a whole green light cycle before realizing that the driver behind him was leaning on his horn. Then he realized that he had missed his turn, but couldn't remember passing it. Never before had Johnny had this much trouble concentrating. It was beginning to worry him.

Back home, Johnny fixed a cup of coffee and made himself eat an apple. Maybe my electrolytes are off. By noon time Johnny decided the problem was more than electrolytes and decided to call the hospital. As he dialed he wondered if Walters was in. For all the time they had spent at the hospital on Monday, they barely crossed paths with him. Mostly they dealt with Morton who seemed to be on the other end of the radio for every call.

Betty answered the phone at the ER desk. "Uh, hi Betty. This is John Gage… No, I'm off duty today… I need to speak to Dr. Walters, is he around?… Yeah, he could call me back, let me give you my number."

Johnny only had to wait a few minutes for the doctor to call him back. He explained that he was having a lot of trouble focusing on things, he was feeling tired even though he had gotten plenty of sleep, he ached all over, and he had no appetite. He explained that his mind was wandering so badly that he couldn't even watch a movie. Walters agreed that Johnny needed to be seen and asked him to come in as soon as he could get there. He strongly suggested, rather insisted, that Johnny not drive himself.

Normally Johnny would have argued that point, but after his tribulations driving home, he wouldn't have driven himself even if Walters hadn't specified that restriction. He picked up the phone to call Roy.

It was Joanne who answered. "Hi, Johnny. Did you get some sleep? How are you feeling?"

"Hi Jo. Yeah I slept for hours, the whole day actually. How about your hubby? I hope he got some sleep as well."

"Oh you know Roy. Once he's home in his own bed, a train running through the kitchen wouldn't wake him up. I finally had to wake him up to eat dinner. He went back to sleep later though. Roy was going to call you later to figure out about your car. Do you want to come to dinner tonight? He'll come get you. You guys can go get the car either before or after dinner."

"Actually I already have the car. I'm not sure about dinner. It sounds good, but I'm still pretty wiped out. Is Roy around?"

"Not at the moment. He took the kids to their dentist appointment. He just left. I think he was going to take them to McDonald's afterwards for lunch. He should be back in a couple of hours. Do you want me to have him call you?"

Something in Johnny's voice when he said no, he'd call Roy later, gave Joanne reason for concern. She wasn't sure what it was, but she didn't want to just hang up.

"Johnny, are you okay?"

"Sure… Well, actually I'm not so okay. I haven't been feeling great today and I guess I need to go check in with Doctor Walters over at Rampart. He doesn't want me to drive so I was hoping Roy could give me a ride. But that's okay. I'll call a cab. Tell Roy I'll call him later."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can come get you. I'll be there in 15 minutes. Just give me time to leave a note for Roy then I'll be right there. Johnny, is it okay for you to wait? Should I call a squad for you?"

Johnny gasped at the thought. "Oh God, no Joanne! Don't call a squad! Look, I can just call a cab. I don't want to put you out."

"Hey, I thought we went through this already. We're friends now, remember? Friends do things to help each other. So I'll be there in 15 minutes. And if you behave, after your doctor's visit I'll take you to the mall or if you're really up for some fun, we could go to the beauty parlor!"

Johnny laughed. "Be still my heart. Hey, wait a minute, isn't a beauty parlor where they cut hair? The chief put you up to this, didn't he?"

"You'll never know. I'll be there in a jiffy. Sit down and wait for me."

As promised, Joanne arrived in 15 minutes and 30 minutes after that, Johnny was sitting on an exam table in a hospital gown, explaining his symptoms to an attentive Dr. Walters.

Walters summed up what Johnny had told him. "Okay, so you're having trouble concentrating and focusing, you're having trouble getting out of bed, you feel fatigued and lethargic, you've lost your appetite, you're achy and you have a headache. You don't have any fever, no trouble with your vision or balance, and no specific pain in your arm. You've been taking your antibiotic and Tylenol and this morning you took a Tylenol with codeine because of the pain. Anything I heard wrong or missed?"

"No, that's about it. The trouble concentrating seems to be getting better though. It hasn't happened in a while. It's probably no big deal. I don't want to waste your time."

Walters did a neuro check as he continued to question Johnny. "Follow my pen with your eyes. Good. So why do you think you're wasting my time?"

"I don't know. Just, I'm probably okay, just tired after Monday's shift."

"Push as hard as you can against my hands. Okay, how's your mood?"

That question surprised Johnny. "Huh?"

"Squeeze my hand. Your mood. You know. Have you been depressed, anxious, irritable, angry, happy, sad, worried, etc.? How is your mood?"

"Okay, I guess. Normal. Why?"

Walters didn't answer but finished with the neurological exam and checked Johnny for any signs of infection or other problems. He found none.

"Okay John. You're going to be fine. Why don't you get dressed and I'll be right back and we'll talk." Johnny was confused at this turn of events, but nodded and said nothing. By the time Walters returned, Johnny was dressed and pacing, now worried and somewhat irritated at Walter's manner.

Twenty minutes later, Johnny exited the treatment room and was surprised to find Roy waiting for him instead of Joanne.

"Hey, I thought you were at the dentist then McDonald's. How did you end up here? Where's Joanne? Boy you guys must be beginning to think I'm a royal pain. Like you want to spend your day off in the emergency room."

Roy couldn't help but notice the similarities between Johnny and his wife. Both could jump from one topic to the next quicker than he could follow. Neither of them thought there was anything unusual about that thought process.

"I was at the dentist. We decided to stop and pick up Joanne for lunch and I found her note. So she's out with a bunch of screaming kids, clogging her arteries with animal fat and I'm here waiting for you. I think I got the better end of the bargain. So what did the doctor say?"

"Come on, I'll buy you something to clog your arteries without the screaming kids and I'll tell you all about it. I want to get out of this place."

"Sounds like a deal to me."

Johnny said nothing as they drove through their favorite hamburger joint, deciding to park and eat in the car rather than go in. If Roy noticed that Johnny didn't eat any of his burger, he didn't comment. Finally Roy broke the silence.

"Okay, spill. What did Walters say? Obviously he wasn't too worried since he discharged you. He did discharge you, didn't he?"

"So you think I'd put out your wife to bring me to the hospital on my day off then ignore medical advice? Great opinion you have of me, pal."

Roy ignored the comment and asked again. "Okay, so you were discharged. What did he say?"

"He said I'm depressed! Can you believe it? He thinks I'm depressed."

Roy was about to say that was ridiculous, but then stopped. Instead he asked, "Are you?"

"NO! Well, I don't think so. I don't know. I mean, I'm not sad or anything like that. I certainly haven't been crying and God knows I'm not feeling like hurting myself or anything stupid like that. No. I don't think I'm depressed. But Walters is convinced. He says that depression doesn't always 'manifest' itself that way. He says that he thinks I'm withdrawn and sullen. He gave me this test thing to fill out. Some depression scale or something like that. I guess I flunked. I don't know, Roy. I mean, maybe he's right. I tried to answer honestly, you know? And I answered yes to almost everything. I'm tired. I have trouble getting out of bed. I can't concentrate. My memory is shot. Last night I tried to watch this Marx Brothers movie. I love them. And I didn't enjoy it. I couldn't even focus on it. That's two symptoms of depression, I guess. Loss of enjoyment in something you like and trouble focusing. I'm fatigued. That's what he called it. I'm having aches and pains for no reason. I have no appetite. I'm irritable. It all fits. But I just don't think I'm depressed. But he says he's sure of it."

Roy thought it was ridiculous. But with the litany of symptoms Johnny just listed, maybe he was wrong. "What does he think you should do about it?"

"Counseling, antidepressants, and a stress management group. Can you believe it? He wants me in group therapy."

"So what are you gonna do?"

Johnny shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I can't do the group. No way. It meets the same night every week and I just can't pull that off. The other stuff, I don't know. I told him I'd think about it." Johnny paused. "He threatened to pull me off duty if I didn't comply, Roy. He said if I don't see a counselor and start antidepressants he'd pull me off duty. I just don't believe all this. I don't know what to do."

"So what does he want you to do next?" Roy was trying to stay noncommittal, not wanting Johnny to pick up on his doubts.

Johnny shrugged. "He gave me a script for something called amitriptyline. You should see the list of side effects. He also gave me an appointment with a psychologist for tonight. He's not wasting any time. If I don't keep the appointment tonight, I don't report to work tomorrow. I guess I'll keep the appointment."

"You gonna take the medicine?"

"No. Not today anyway. The side effects sound worse than the symptoms. If you weren't depressed when you started, you sure would be after being on that drug for a while. I mean, I suppose I could cope with the weight gain and dry mouth, but impotence and decreased sex drive? Who wouldn't be depressed? Nope. No way."

Roy was silent. Johnny took it for disapproval. He was expecting as much from his partner. "Okay, just say it!"

"Say what?"

"Say what's on your mind. Tell me I'm making a big mistake. I know you're thinking it so you might as well just say it."

"Actually, I don't think you do know what I'm thinking."

"Okay. So enlighten me."

"I agree you should see the counselor tonight so that Walters doesn't pull you, although, another day off might be just the thing you need. But that's not the way to get it. But as for the medication, I think you should wait until Brackett gets back. Or Early. Get their opinion first. That's what I think."

"Oh… Yeah… Well that's what I think too."

Since Johnny still didn't feel like driving he had no choice but to take Roy up on his offer to spend the afternoon at his place then get a ride back to Rampart for his evening appointment. Then Roy would bring him home. If he still didn't feel like driving in the morning he would need to call in sick. If he couldn't drive, he couldn't work.

Roy had to admit he was surprised to see Johnny at the station Thursday morning. But he looked better and said he was feeling much better. Johnny had told him things had gone okay with the counselor. She was nice enough and listened to his concerns. But she kept stressing that he clearly was depressed and he needed to follow the doctor's orders for the medication. Finally Johnny gave in and told her he would. He had no intention of doing that, however.

Thursday was a very slow day. The calls were few and far between and none of them strenuous, a complete opposite of their last shift. Roy and Johnny had time to update their log. Johnny seemed okay if you didn't look too closely. But Roy noticed that several times he suddenly stared off into space seeming to not notice what was happening around him for a few moments. Roy was worried about what would happen if they got called to a fire, but Walters had cleared him to work and Johnny had told him everything. Roy would just have to keep an eye on him for now. Luckily, the shift was fire free and the rescues all medical.

Just before the shift ended, Captain Stanley pulled Roy aside. "Roy, is Johnny okay? Twice this morning I had to repeat myself before he seemed to listen. If it wasn't the end of a shift, I'd have been worried."

"I don't know, Cap. Walters says he's okay. He went in Wednesday for a check. I know he was straight with the doc, so I guess he's okay. But I know what you mean. He seems off somehow. The easy shift and 2 more days off will probably fix it. After that shift on Monday, I'm not surprised he had an off day."

"Okay. But if he's like this next shift, I'm sending him home."

"Cap, if he's like this next shift, I'll have Joanne and the kids sit on him to keep him home."

Sunday morning came far too quickly. Johnny set his alarm for 6:00 AM, hoping he would be able to pull himself together with a walk and a long shower before work. He had had another appointment with the counselor the day before and she had suggested that he force himself to follow his usual routine and do things that normally brought him pleasure, even if it didn't feel good now. But this morning as he walked, he began to feel dizzy. This was new. But then, he hadn't eaten yet and he figured that was it.

By the time Johnny got to work he was feeling a little better. He ached all over, but that had been defined as somatic pain and he was told to work his way through it. The lapses in concentration were supposed to get better with the medication. If he had been taking the medication he might have known if that were helping or not. But, he figured that if he just forced himself to focus on what was happening, he would be okay.

The first run of the day was simple. A woman with chest pains. Her EKG was normal and Dr. Walters diagnosed her as suffering from anxiety. Indeed, her symptoms did dissipate with a tranquilizer. Johnny was thinking about reconsidering the medication he had been prescribed when he realized that the woman was talking to him and he had not been listening. Normally she may have been upset, but the drugs in her system were certainly not going to allow her to be upset about anything. Instead she just repeated her question. Johnny, however, was anything but calm.

After bringing the patient into the treatment room with Walters, Johnny found Roy and told him about what had happened.

"I'm telling you, Roy, I had no idea she was talking to me. What if she had been trying to tell me about something that was happening instead of asking me if I was married? What if she had gone into cardiac arrest and I missed it even for a second. Then what? Roy, this isn't gonna work. What am I gonna do?"

Roy spotted Mike Morton headed toward the doctor's lounge. "The first thing we're going to do is get a second opinion. Come on. Let's go talk to Morton."

"Morton? You've got to be kidding. He'll lock me up in the loony bin for sure."

"He knows you, Johnny. Walters doesn't. Come on."

Roy and Johnny caught up with Doctor Morton in the doctor's lounge. "Hi guys, what's up? How are you feeling, Johnny?"

Johnny paused, not sure he really wanted to go here, but then there were not many choices open. "Well, Doc, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." Johnny and Roy went on to explain the situation. "So, I was kind of hoping you could give me a second opinion, you know, as someone who knows me."

Before Morton could respond, the HT rang out with their tones.

"Guess it will have to wait, Doc," Roy said as Johnny responded to dispatch.

Morton stepped in front of the men as they headed for the door. "John, call in unavailable. Let someone else take the call. Let's check this out now."

Johnny thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "Look, we're only five minutes from the call. Another squad will take twenty to get here. It's a 'child down'. No heavy lifting involved, but no way I'm going to be the cause of a delay. I'll let Roy run the rescue then I'll catch you when we get back. If you still think I should call out then, I will. See you in a bit." Johnny and Roy left before Morton could object.

Morton paced the floor. He shouldn't have let them leave. If something happened to John or to another one of the men or the patient because of John, he would have to shoulder some of the blame. He could have stopped him. He could have insisted. If Johnny was losing his focus, blanking out, he could put everyone at risk. Morton was so lost in thought that he didn't see Pete Walters until he bumped right into him.

"You look like a man with a problem, Mike. What's up?" Walters asked the troubled doctor.

"John Gage. He was just in here with Roy. He told me about what happened and the symptoms he's been having. He asked for an opinion from someone who knows him. I was just about to check him out when they got a call. I should have stopped him from going, Pete."

"Mike, Gage is depressed. It's a clear cut case. He's obsessing about his symptoms because he doesn't want to admit that the problem is psychological. Do me a favor. Don't give into him. Tell him you reviewed his case with me and you agree that depression is the right diagnosis. I've had him seeing a counselor. He's trying to convince her he's not depressed too, but she's working with me to get past his denial. Don't give him an out, Mike. Make him face the problem and deal with it."

"You know, Pete, I just don't see Gage as depressed. But even if he is, this lack of concentration thing is a danger whatever the cause. He shouldn't be working."

"I appreciate your concern, Mike, but I haven't seen any lack of concentration when he wants to focus. I'm sure he's doing just fine in the field. DeSoto would be the first one to say if he wasn't. Just support me on this, Mike. It's the only way things will get better. He can't solve the depression if he won't admit it exists."

The arrival of an ambulance brought an end to the conversation. And, as it turned out, 51's call didn't result in a transport, and the men went out on another call before ending up back in the emergency room. This call had not been so simple. A man and his car had ended up over a cliff. It would have been a relatively simple two man rescue, but Roy didn't dare let Johnny climb. Instead Marco made the climb with Roy. Once back up the top, Roy had to repeat instructions to Johnny twice during treatment. Before they headed for the hospital, Roy spoke to Captain Stanley and Stanley put the squad out of service until a replacement could be arranged. Johnny agreed with the plan and even agreed to let Chet drive the squad back to the hospital.

Once at the hospital, Roy and Johnny quickly found Mike Morton. They expected Morton to give them hell for taking the second call. They expected him to drag Johnny into a treatment room, complaining about his inability to save a fool from himself. They didn't expect the reaction that they got.

"Listen, John, I talked to Dr. Walters and looked at your chart. I agree with his diagnosis. You're depressed and the best thing you can do is take the medication and go to counseling. If it's interfering with your job, you should take a medical leave. Depression is an illness. It's a legitimate use of sick time. You know, the medication takes a while to kick in, sometimes as long as 6 weeks. You need to give it time."

Johnny shrugged and walked away. Roy didn't.

"I don't believe this! Come on, Morton. You know him. I know him, better than anyone. I'm telling you, this is not depression. Something is wrong and someone is going to help us find out what it is. When is Doctor Early coming back? I can't believe you won't even check him over!"

Morton was taken aback by Roy's tirade. He was used to seeing Johnny worked into a rage, not Roy. "Roy, you need to understand. Johnny needs to get past his denial, and you are just feeding it. If I check him out, I'm just feeding it as well. I know he saw the counselor, but if he's just going through the motions to satisfy Walters then he isn't really giving it a chance, is he?"

"Is that what she said? Did she say he's just going through the motions? She's wrong. You're wrong. Johnny deserves better." With that, Roy turned around and left to find his partner.

Johnny rode with Roy and Chet back to the station. On the way back they discussed their options. Chet pointed out the obvious course of action.

"Uh, guys, isn't Johnny supposed to pick up Brackett and Dixie at the airport tomorrow?"

It was quickly decided that Johnny would stay with the DeSotos for the afternoon and night. They would consult with Brackett tomorrow.

By the time Roy arrived home Monday morning, Johnny was feeling better. But the improvement waned as the day wore on. Roy and Johnny had planned to both go to the airport. Now, Roy convinced Johnny to stay home with Joanne while he went.

"Roy, no talking to Brackett about this today, right? I'll see him in the morning, but not today. Don't go messing up his vacation for this. Roy? Roy? Roy! Promise me! This can wait till tomorrow."

Roy was not going to make that promise. "I'll tell you what. I have to bring them back here to get their car. I'll wait till they get here. Then I'll decide." Johnny was unhappy, but there was nothing he could do so he accepted the deal.

LAX was mobbed. The arrival screen said the flight was due in on schedule, but it was supposed to have landed 15 minutes ago and there was no sign of Brackett, Dixie, or anyone else who looked like they had recently been in Hawaii for that matter. Roy was about to find someone to ask when a few people began to trickle out of the gate. Brackett and Dixie were the next to last people out. Roy caught their attention without difficulty, even though they had been expecting Johnny.

"Hey, Roy." Brackett shook his hand while Dixie kissed his cheek and put a lei around his neck. "Good to see you, though I can't honestly say it's good to be home. I'll tell you, you and Joanne need to go to Hawaii some day. It's incredible. Just awe inspiring."

Roy grabbed Dixie's bag as they headed toward the baggage claim. Brackett continued to tell Roy about the sights in Hawaii as they walked. It only took Dixie a few minutes to tune into the tension in Roy's posture and voice.

"So Roy, not that it isn't good to see you, but I thought your partner was going to meet us. How did you get stuck with this enviable task? Where's Johnny?" Dixie silently prayed that the answer was that Johnny had a date. She suspected Johnny was once again on the injured list.

"Last time I saw him, he was asleep on my couch with my four year old asleep lying on top of him. I couldn't bear to wake him up so here I am." It wasn't a lie, just not the whole truth.

The announcement was being made just as they arrived at the baggage claim area. "Attention, due to an equipment failure, all baggage will be retrieved at baggage carrousel A. Flight 2552 from Chicago is now being unloaded." The announcer went on to read the list and order of flights whose luggage would be retrieved from carrousel A. The flight from Hawaii was 4^th in queue. Dixie grabbed the men's hands and pulled them to three seats in a quiet corner.

"We might as well be comfortable. It's going to be at least a half hour," she offered as explanation for her actions. "Besides, we need someplace quiet to talk while Roy tells us what's wrong."

Roy's head shot up at that comment and he found himself looking into Dixie's concerned and determined eyes. Brackett just looked confused.

"Come on, Roy, I know you. Do you really think that after all this time I can't tell when something is wrong? Is it Johnny? Why isn't he here, really?"

Roy