Authors Note: In writing this story, I combined two of my favorite shows. In reality I know that the LA Co FD and the LA City PD probably would not work together on a regular basis. But this is a work of fiction, so I took a little literary license. Please enjoy the story as just that--fiction. If your a fan of both Adam-12 and Emergency, you should enjoy it. And let me know what you think. ..thanks Tangee for letting me use your name… ENJOY…
The black and white squad car rolled down the street, the two occupants keeping a close eye on the area around them. They had driven down this block probably a thousand times in the years they had worked together.
Pete Malloy was the older of the two had strawberry blond hair and sturdy build.
Jim Reed was darker and leaner. And always the “junior” partner. But they had worked together for so many years now, neither thought of the other as teacher or student anymore.
“Hey, Pete,” said Reed, “Are we still on for Saturday?”
“You mean the barbecue? Yeah, I plan on being there. I told you I would be,” said Malloy.
Reed looked over at his partner and friend and allowed himself a smile. “I know, I know. But Jeannie keeps asking me to be sure you’re going to be there. I think she wants to play matchmaker again. You know how she is.”
“Oh, yeah, I know. I remember the last female she set me up with,” Pete said, rolling his eyes. “I almost didn’t last the night. The woman wouldn’t shut up.”
Jim started to laugh. “She was a bit of a motormouth, wasn’t she?”
“Just do me a favor, okay,” said Malloy. “Don’t make me stay for this one if she starts to get on my nerves.”
“I won’t,” promised Reed.
***
John Gage pulled his Land Rover into a parking spot behind Fire Station 51. He glanced over at the spot next to his, seeing a small convertible parked there. Roy’s here early, he thought. Must have missed all the traffic.
Gage walked through the vehicle bay into the kitchen. Nobody around. Kinda odd, he thought, usually everybody was here getting his first cup of coffee. He checked his watch, tapping on the face, making sure it was still working. He was thinking maybe he was late for the shift. No, watch was working fine.
Scratching his head, the dark-haired, slender young man walked back out near the squad, looking around. Both the engine and the squad were parked there, bright red and all the chrome shining like new. Well, he thought, they gotta be somewhere. He then walked around the apparatus and across the bay into the locker room.
Again, no one around. It’s like they all just disappeared. Only one other place to check. He peered into the dorm area. Empty. The whole station was empty. Where the heck is everybody? He was beginning to feel like he was in the Twilight Zone!
Well, they can’t have just disappeared. Where the heck were they? Then he smiled. Chet. Another one of Chet’s practical jokes. That’s got to be it. Well, I won’t be the sucker again. I’m not gonna spend all morning searching for them. I’ll just make them find me. I’ll get a cup of coffee and see how long they want to play the game.
He started back toward the kitchen, whistling. Gage had been the target of too many of Chester B’s jokes. Not again. Not this time. No siree.
Johnny pushed open the door to the kitchen. As he headed toward the stove, he heard a loud “SURPRISE!”
Gage jerked his head toward to back of the room. Everybody was there.
Roy, Chet, Cap, Marco, Mike, even Dr Bracket and Dixie McCall. And of course Henry, the basset hound, sleeping on the couch.
“Happy Birthday, Johnny,” yelled Roy.
Dixie walked over and kissed Johnny on the cheek. “So, Birthday Boy, how does it feel to be another year older?”
Gage just stood there with an look of shock on his face. “I …….you……..how did you ….…where were you guys? I was just in here, the place was empty.”
“Gage,” piped up Chet, “you’re not very observant. How’d you ever get to be a paramedic? We were outside the whole time. Geez.” Chet looked around at the others.
“So, where’s the cake?”
At that moment, the loud tones started sounding throughout the station.
“Station 51, traffic accident with injuries, corner of Dearborn and Main. Time out 0811.”
Johnny and Roy started running for the squad. Gage stopped, looked back at Dixie and Bracket “Ah, thanks for the party. Go ahead and start without us.”
Gage and DeSoto jumped into the squad. The captain acknowledged the call and then handed the information he’d jotted down to Roy, who passed it on to Johnny. The siren started and the squad pulled out of the station, followed by the engine.
***
The accident scene was a mess. Three cars were jumbled pieces of unrecognizable metal. As Johnny and Roy pulled up to the scene, they could see at least 5 victims lying on the ground or sitting in vehicles. As they stopped the squad and started climbing out of the squad, Pete Malloy walked over to them.
“We’ve got a bad one here, fellas,” he said. “Two that I can tell appear to be dead. They’re in that black sedan over there. You might want to check them first. I already told dispatch to send at least 3 ambulances. I think we’re gonna need them all.”
Just then, Jim Reed yelled, “Hey, Roy, get over here quick, I think this lady just stopped breathing!”
As Desoto ran over to the green VW where Reed was crouched, he called to Gage. “Johnny, check the pair in the black car.”
Johnny looked at Captain Stanley. “Cap, can you call for another squad, we’re gonna need help here.” Then he took off for the sedan.
“Right, Johnny ,” answered Captain Hank Stanley, and he reached for the microphone to make the request to the dispatcher.
As Johnny and Roy went about getting vitals on the patients, two ambulances pulled up to the scene, followed by two more police cars. Malloy got the officers busy with traffic control and assisting the fire department in any way they could.
***
Malloy and Reed walked wearily through the automatic doors into the Emergency Room at Rampart General Hospital. They had just spent several hours trying to make sense out of the accident scene. As they headed down the hall they saw Johnny and Roy coming out of one of the examination rooms.
“Roy, Johnny,” Pete said as he stopped, nodding at them. “You guys aren’t still here with accident victims are you?”
“No,” replied Johnny, shaking his head. “We brought in a kid who fell out of a tree. Nothing serious, broken arm. So, did you finally finish with your report?”
Reed look at Gage. “We’re just finishing up the last of it. Need to get all the info from the doctors on the folks that you guys brought in.”
Roy glanced at Johnny, who shook his head and looked at the floor. Then Roy looked back to Reed with a bit of sadness.
“What is it Roy? What’s wrong?” asked Reed.
“You know that little girl in the truck? She didn’t make it. There was just too much internal damage. Her body just couldn’t handle it.”
“Damn it!” cried Pete. “I really thought she was doing okay. Her mom died too, you know.”
“Yeah,” Gage said, “We, ah, saw the husband a few minutes ago. The wife and daughter were on their way to pick him up so they could start their vacation…he said they were finally taking their daughter to Disneyland.”
None of the men could think of anything else to say. They just shook their heads.
Each had seen this kind of tragedy many times in the past, and would see much more of it before they retired.
***
Music played. Snatches of conversation could be heard. Reed stood over the grill, flipping hamburger patties, and turning hot-dogs. The doorbell rang and a pretty blond called out, “I’ll get it.” She opened the door and greeted the man standing there.
“Johnny, I am so glad you could make it. Roy and Joanne are already here. Just head on out to the backyard.”
“Jeannie, you are still the prettiest lady on the block,” John Gage replied.
“Oh, John Gage…still the smooth talker. I knew there was a reason I asked Jim to invite you along,” she laughed. She grabbed the bottle of wine that Johnny had brought along and turned toward the kitchen, as Gage headed out the sliding doors into the yard.
“Well, there goes the party,” yelled Malloy. “Gage just got here.”
Gage looked at Pete Malloy and chuckled. “Cute Pete. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear your real name was Chet Kelly.”
Malloy laughed and waved Johnny over to the picnic table. “Johnny, I’d like you to meet Angela. Angela, John Gage. He’s the one Roy and Joanne were telling you about.”
Angela, a petite woman, with shoulder length red hair, glanced at Pete, then at Johnny. She shook her head, and with a slight smile on her face, said “ He doesn’t look like Don Juan.” And everybody at the party started to laugh, including John Gage.
“Don’t believe anything they told you about me,” Johnny said. “I really am a very nice guy. And as soon as you realize that Pete isn’t the guy for you, give me a call.”
Angela smiled, look at Pete. “I take it back. He is Don Juan.”
“Food’s on, everybody,” Jim yelled.
“Great, I’m starving,” said Johnny.
“Yeah, so what else is new,” said Joanne Desoto. “At least this time I don’t have to feed you. This is someone else’s party. I get to just relax and enjoy.”
Everybody gathered around the table, grabbing plates and telling Reed how good the food smelled.
***
The food was tasty. The party was fun. As Roy, Joanne and Johnny said goodbye and headed out the door, Jeannie and Jim waved goodbye.
“You know, they’re really nice—Johnny and Roy. I’m so glad you invited them tonight,” Jeannie told Jim. “We don’t get to see them very often, but I always enjoy their company. And I really like Joanne.”
“I do too,” agreed Jim. “You know, we see those guys at work a lot, but never really spend a lot of time with them. It’s usually just a couple minutes here and there, when they pick up victims of some crime or accident that Pete and I are investigating. I’m glad that they were able to come tonight.”
Pete walked over then, digging his car keys from his pants pocket. “Well, folks I think it is time to head on home. Gotta get my beauty rest, ya know!” Pete looked at Angela, sitting on the sofa. “Ang, can I give you a ride home?”
“Thanks, Pete, but I drove,” said Angela. “But you can walk me to my car.”
“It’d be my pleasure,” Pete said , and he looked at Jeannie and smiled. Jeannie was just happy that Pete and Angela looked like they really liked each other. They were two of her favorite people and she would love to see them get together.
Pete and Angela said goodnight and walked out the door, going down the sidewalk to Angela’s car.
***
Wednesday started out quiet. Almost too quiet. Malloy and Reed were halfway through their shift, looking forward to “code 7.” Dinner. But where to eat tonight. It was Malloy’s turn to choose, but he couldn’t decide if he wanted burgers or a steak.
Steak. Yeah, that sounded good. And he knew just the place for a great steak. As he turned to tell Reed, though, the radio crackled.
“1 Adam 12, Domestic Disturbance.1122 Garfield St. White male armed with a rifle, standing on the porch, yelling that he just shot his wife. Paramedics and ambulance also enroute. Sergeant will meet you at the scene.”
“1 Adam 12, roger,” answered Reed.
Malloy reached for the toggle switch and turned on the overhead lights and siren, and they headed toward the address the dispatcher had given them.
“Well, I guess that blows ‘7’, huh, Pete,” said Reed.
“And I was just getting a taste for a steak, too,” replied Malloy. “I guess it’ll have to wait until later.”
***
A Paramedic Squad was just pulling up to the curb half a block from the house when Adam 12 came around the corner. Pete was relieved to see it was Squad 51, with his friends Roy Desoto and John Gage on duty. At least if he had to go after this guy with the gun, and something happened to him, the best paramedics in LA would be on hand to help him.
Reed removed the shotgun from the rack of the police unit and followed Pete over to the curb where Sgt MacDonald had pulled up his vehicle. Mac walked around to the back of the vehicle, and pulled out the silver case holding the tear gas launcher and canisters, in case they had to force the guy from his home.
Desoto and Gage walked over to the Sergeant’s vehicle.
“Any idea what the situation is inside with the wife?” asked Roy.
MacDonald turned to look at the two paramedics and shook his head. “Only what we got in the original report. The guy was on his porch yelling that he shot his wife. And he was waving a gun around. No verification whether she’s really in there with him or not.” Mac glanced down toward the house. “It looks like he’s gone back inside now. We’re trying to get a phone number for him, so we can call him and find out what the problem is there. Just stand by here in case we need you.”
“I’ll let dispatch know what’s going on,” Johnny said to Roy. “They may want to do a move up to have another squad to cover our area.” Roy just nodded in response as Johnny walked toward the squad.
***
Sgt. MacDonald walked over to where Reed and Malloy were standing by their black and white. He doesn’t look very happy, thought Malloy. Pete exchanged a quick glance with his partner, before turning back to ask Mac what was going on..
“Well,” said McDonald, “It doesn’t look like this guy's coming out on his own. We may have to go in and get him. You guys get suited up. SWAT’s on the way, but I want to be ready when they get here.”
“Right, Mac,” replied Malloy, “We’ll be ready.”
“So will we,” remarked Roy Desoto. He and Gage looked on. They were about ten feet away leaning against their Rescue squad.
Sgt. McDonald looked at his two best officers, then over to Gage and Desoto, and shook his head. “I hope to God we don’t need you boys, but I’m glad you’re here, just in case.”
“Sarge, did that guy give you any idea how the woman is?” asked Roy.
Shaking his head, Mac looked back toward the house. “No, he won’t answer us when we ask about her. I just hope that doesn’t mean she’s already dead.”
“Maybe he’d let us go in and get her,” offered Johnny. “I mean, we’re not cops, he may just let us in.”
This time MacDonald’s head shake was more emphatic. “You have got to be crazy if you think I’m letting you go in there without police escort,” he said. “Absolutely not! No way. No how.”
MacDonald started to turn back to the command center, stopped, looked at Gage and Desoto. “But thanks for the offer.”
***
Two hours later, SWAT was in place. But the negotiator was making no headway at all with the husband. In fact, for the last half hour, he had refused to even pick up the phone and talk.
The decision was made to enter the house by force.
***
MacDonald was instructing his officers. Although SWAT would make the initial entrance, they would be followed up by Reed, Malloy and MacDonald. And if needed, Gage and Desoto would come in after the area was secured, so that they could check on the wife.
“Jackson is going to try one more call inside before we get started,” said MacDonald. “We found out that the Hamiltons, that’s the name of the couple, Sally and Mike Hamilton….anyway, the Hamiltons have a couple of kids. We’re hoping that by talking about the kids, we can convince Mr. Hamilton to come on out and give himself up. Or, at the very least,” continued Mac, “Let us get in and get Mrs. Hamilton out of there.”
Just then, a young SWAT member came trotting over to MacDonald. “Hey, Sarge, Jackson says the husband is talking to him again. Said he wants us to hold off going in.” Mac nodded, relieved that he might not have to put his officers in danger after all.
A few minutes later, Jackson, a tall blonde man in blue jeans and yellow polo shirt, poked his head out of the trailer and waved MacDonald over.
“Mac, Mr Hamilton says he’ll let us come in and get the wife,” stated Jackson.
“Only one hitch. He won’t let a cop come in. He said he can see the Fire Department truck out here and he wants them to come in and get his wife.”
Mac looked at the squad, then at the house. “What about putting a couple of our SWAT guys in Paramedic uniforms and…”
Jackson was shaking his head. “Won’t work Mac. Hamilton has already seen them. He knows what they look like. It’s them or no one.”
“Damn it,” said Mac. “I can’t risk the lives of civilians like that!”
“Mac, I don’t think we have a choice,” pressed Jackson. “Hamilton says the wife is still alive, but she’s lost a lot of blood. We can’t afford to wait.”
MacDonald sighed. “Yeah, you're right. I’ll go talk to them. They offered to go in earlier,” he said. “I guess I’ll see how serious they were about it. Damn, I hate being pushed into a corner like this.”
Mac worked his way back over to the Rescue squad. He made sure he didn't put himself in the line of fire by keeping low behind the police car when necessary.
“Hey, Gage? That’s your name right?” called MacDonald.
Johnny nodded, “Yeah, John Gage. My partner is Roy DeSoto. What’s up Sarge?”
“Looks like you’re going to get the chance to go in after all,” Mac informed them.
“Hamilton has decided to let us take his wife out. Only he won’t let a policeman go in there. He already knows you boys are here, and has given his permission for you to go in.”
“Let us get our gear…” started Johnny.
MacDonald raised his hand, “Hold on there now, son. First off, you’re both going to wear vests. Secondly, I am going to have Reed and Malloy go in there with you.”
Pete and Jim had wandered over when they saw MacDonald talking to the paramedics. “I thought Hamilton wouldn’t let any cops in there,” said Reed.
“Yeah, he won’t, but I’m going to try to convince him,” answered MacDonald.
“Just be ready to go in about 10 minutes, alright, all four of you. I’m hoping he’ll let you go in as long as you’re not in SWAT gear. I’ll be right back.” And with that he returned to the negotiator’s van.
***
MacDonald watched as Reed, Malloy, Gage and DeSoto slowly walked toward the front door of the house. The two paramedics carried several pieces of equipment and followed the two police officers up the sidewalk, and up the 3 steps to the front porch.
Just as they stepped onto the front stoop, the front door opened and they could see the barrel of a rifle sticking out of the right side of the door jamb.
Gage glanced at DeSoto, both of them wondering if this was such a good idea after all. Both also hoped they could get in and out quickly. DeSoto was thinking that he was glad the sergeant had been able to convince Hamilton to let the officers come along.
Even though they didn’t carry weapons in their holsters or in their hands, Gage and DeSoto knew that both of the policeman were carrying weapons hidden under their shirts, just in case they got the chance to take the suspect into custody.
The barrel disappeared from the doorway, and they heard a man’s call out “Come all the way inside, and keep your hands where I can see them. Especially you cops, don’t do anything stupid, cause I don’t care if you leave here alive.”
The four friends walked in through the door. Hamilton instructed Gage to shut the door behind him.
Mac watched all this from across the street, feeling totally helpless. He had been in touch with Captain Stanley and had advised him what was going on, since his men would be at such risk. And right now he understood what Stanley meant when he told MacDonald he hated not being there when his men were putting their lives in danger. They were responsible for these men, and now they were both “out of the loop” and could do nothing else to help them.
MacDonald hated that. He liked to be the one in control; the one who made the decisions. He just hoped that Hamilton would keep his word and let them take the woman out. And he hoped the bad feeling he had in his gut was just the burrito he’d had for lunch.
***
The woman lay on the couch, eyes closed, blood on the front of her blue shirt. For a moment they all just stood there with Hamilton pointing his rifle gun at the four men.
Then DeSoto started toward the victim, slowly, so as not to startle the armed man. Gage followed, keeping a close eye on Mr. Hamilton, afraid he would just decide to shoot them all. Reed and Malloy watched it all, hoping they might get the chance to disarm Hamilton and end the whole nightmare.
Roy knelt down beside the woman, and grabbed her wrist to check her pulse. Johnny set down the drug box and bio-phone, and then asked Roy, “Is she alive?”
“Yeah, but her pulse is really weak and she’s not breathing well at all.”
As Gage sat on the sofa next to Sally Hamilton, and started to remove the blood pressure cuff from his equipment box, Roy looked over at Hamilton.
“Mr Hamilton, your wife is really in bad shape,” he told the man. “We really need to get her to the hospital if she’s going to have a chance to stay alive.”
Hamilton was staring at Reed and Malloy, figuring they would make a move toward him. They were cops, after all. And that was exactly what Pete was thinking about—how to get that rifle from Hamilton. He thought, if his two paramedic friends could distract Hamilton by talking about his wife, maybe that would give him or Jim a chance to get that gun away from the man.
“Mr Hamilton? Mr Hamilton,” Roy repeated. “Did you hear what I said? Your wife is still alive. If she’s gonna stay that way, we have to get her to the hospital—NOW!”
Hamilton glanced at the sofa, where his wife was now beginning to moan softly.
Then he looked back at Reed and Malloy, and gestured with the rifle for them to move further into the room. They moved, exchanging looks, sizing up the situation. Their eyes were moving around the room, taking in everything, wanting to be sure there would be no surprises when they did make their move.
Hamilton walked toward his wife.
“Sally, Honey. Can you hear me, Sally?” asked Mike Hamilton. “Honey, I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You’re going to be okay. Sally? Sally, wake up.”
DeSoto stood up, concerned now only with his patient.
“Mr Hamilton, I’m going to get on that phone over there and speak to a doctor at Rampart General. Alright? I need to do that in order to help your wife.”
Hamilton just nodded, staring at his wife, watching as John Gage check finished taking Sally’s vital signs. DeSoto opened up the bio-phone and began calling Rampart.
***
“Okay, we’re ready to go here,” Roy told Gage. “I’m going to go out and get the stretcher.” He started toward the door.
“Hey! Where do think you’re going?” called Hamilton. As Roy turned to explain what he was doing, he saw Hamilton swing the rifle around to point directly at him..
Roy stopped. “Take it easy, I’m just going out to get a stretcher, so we can get your wife out to the ambulance.”
Hamilton lowered the barrel a small amount, stating, “Just be sure you come back in alone.” Roy continued toward the door and went out toward the waiting ambulance outside.
Sgt. MacDonald was standing near the ambulance.
“So, what’s happening in there? We’ve been kind of in the dark here.”
“I just came out to get a stretcher, Sarge. The wife is still alive and Hamilton is going to let us bring her out.”
“And you guys are coming out with her, right?”
Roy had grabbed the handle of the stretcher and started back up the street toward the house. “Yeah, that’s the plan,” he told Mac. “That’s the plan.”
***
As Roy came back into the house with the stretcher, he saw Hamilton next to his wife, holding her hand with his. But he also kept a firm grip on the rifle, and kept it pointed at the two policeman, glancing their way every few seconds to be sure they stayed put.
Roy pulled the stretcher over toward the couch, then he and Johnny moved the coffee table out of the way so they could position the stretcher. They removed the blankets that were folded on top, and turned to lift Sally Hamilton from the couch. They placed her softly on the stretcher, being careful not to disturb the IVs they had established. Roy opened up the blanket and placed it over her, as Johnny pulled up the straps and got ready to tighten them around her.
As John Gage and Roy DeSoto started to wheel the unconscious woman out of the house, Hamilton started to follow, lowering the rifle down along his right leg.
Pete Malloy saw the opportunity to end it, but wanted to let the paramedics and the victim get all the way outside before he made his move. Reed sensed that his partner was getting ready to take the initiative, so he started to edge away from Pete, to try and get the angle on Hamilton.
Roy and Johnny lifted the stretcher off of the porch and started down the sidewalk to the street. As they lifted the stretcher into the ambulance they heard a shout.
Then two shots exploded from the house. And another. And more shouting.
Roy slammed the doors on the back of the ambulance, yelling at the driver to get out of there. Then he and Johnny turned back toward the house, stopping when MacDonald yelled at them to get down.
The paramedic partners hunkered down behind a police car with Sgt. MacDonald.
It was suddenly quiet. No more shooting. No shouting.
SWAT members tightened the grip on their weapons, ready for the order to charge the house, waiting to see the outcome of the sudden onslaught from inside.
“In the window,” a voice cried out. “I see someone in the window.”
Mac called out, “Can you tell who it is?”
“Yeah, it looks like the perp, Sarge.”
So where the hell are Pete and Jim, thought MacDonald.
There was no movement from the house. No sound. Nothing. Then they could see someone near the door. Hamilton.
“Can you hear me out there?” he called.
“I hear ya,” Mac replied. “What happened in there? Where are the two police officers?”
“You better send those paramedics back in here. Your cops decided to try and jump me. They shouldn’t have done that.”
Mac winced, thinking about Malloy and Reed, hoping they were still alive. He had completely forgotten that Gage and DeSoto were crouched next to him until one of them moved. He glanced over toward them, knowing he couldn’t let them go back in that house. Not now, not when the man had already possibly shot two policeman.
“Sarge, let us go back in,” said DeSoto. “We’ve got to see how Pete and Jim are.”
“No. I am not going to be responsible for getting two paramedics shot! It’s bad enough I have two cops down. Your captain would never forgive me if I let you two get hurt as well. No, Pete and Jim knew the risks going in. We’ll have to just wait him out.”
“Damn it, they may not be able to afford for you to sit back and wait! If they are seriously hurt, they need help now!” insisted Roy.
“Don’t you think I know that!” spat Mac. “But I can’t risk the lives of two civilians.”
Roy started to say something else, but Johnny put his hand on DeSoto’s arm.“Roy, take it easy, okay. The sergeant is just concerned that we don’t get more victims here.”
“What the hell are you saying, Gage?” asked Roy, incredulous that Johnny seemed content to just sit back and let their friends bleed to death inside that house.
“I’m just saying that the sarge here just wants to keep things calm. He doesn’t know that Jim and Pete are two of our best friends. He also doesn’t know that we’ll go in there with or without his permission if we have to. He doesn’t know us, Roy.”
With that, Roy looked at his partner, nodding his agreement, thankful that his friend was still the same guy he always knew him to be. Johnny looked him in the eye. Then they both looked over at MacDonald.
***
MacDonald was listening to Captain Stanley, who had shown up at the scene to try to talk his two men out of what could be a suicide mission.
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to stop them. I could order them not to go in there, but as they so succinctly put it—this is their job. I may not like it, but I can’t tell them not to go, not in these circumstances.” Stanley looked over at his men, and continued, “I can’t say I’m surprised. They’ve performed quite a few risky rescues in the years they’ve been together. This is just another day’s work for them…except they have a personal stake in this one. Those two cops of yours happen to be good friends of theirs.”
“That’s just it, Captain,” said Mac. “Maybe they’re too close to the situation.”
“They are professionals, Sergeant,” answered Stanley. “I’ve worked with them a lot of years. Believe me, they will do their jobs. They have two victims in that house and all they want is to get them to the hospital.”
“All right, Captain,” said MacDonald. “I don’t like this, but I need to know if my men are still alive.” Mac and Stanley started to walk over toward the Rescue squad where Gage and DeSoto waited impatiently. “Those men in there are my friends, too. If I could join your paramedics, I would. But Hamilton has already said he won’t allow another cop near him. So it looks like they’re the only chance that Reed and Malloy have right now.”
***
Gage and DeSoto approached the house together for the second time that day. Again they saw the rifle poking out of the side of the door. And again they entered the house to help someone in trouble. Only this time, there were two victims. And the victims were their friends.
As they entered the living room, they could see Malloy sitting on the floor, leaning against a chair. He had his left hand against his right shoulder, and they could see blood covering the hand and staining his uniform. They didn’t see Reed though.
Hamilton was sitting on the couch, pointing the rifle toward the entrance of the room. Pointing it right at Gage and DeSoto. They saw two handguns laying on the couch next to Hamilton. He had taken them away from Reed and Malloy.
“Where’s the other policeman, Mr Hamilton?” said Gage, as Roy started to tend to Pete Malloy.
Pete was awake, but in a lot of pain. He looked at Roy, and said “Jim’s over behind the sofa, near the fireplace.”
Johnny walked over to where Jim Reed lay on the floor. His friend appeared to be unconscious, and was bleeding from the head. Oh God, thought Gage, he’s been shot in the head.
He reached two fingers toward Reed’s neck, to check for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt it, strong and steady. He checked the wound over Jim’s right eye. And was elated when he realized it wasn’t a gunshot wound.
Reed stirred, opening both eyes, trying to focus on Gage’s face. Johnny smiled down at him, happy to see his friend alive, if groggy. Reed blinked a couple of times, before he was finally able to clearly see Gage. “Oh man, my head hurts,” he moaned.
“What happened?”
“I saw a chance to get behind him, but he was quicker than I figured he’d be,” explained Reed. “He swung around and caught me with his elbow. I fell against the fireplace mantel.”
“Take it easy, man. Don’t move.”
“How’s Pete? Is Pete okay?” asked Reed.
“Pete is going to be just fine,” piped in DeSoto, who had cut around the bullet hole in Malloy’s uniform shirt, and was tending to his wound, “As soon as we get him to the hospital.”
“Ain’t nobody going to no hospital,” stated Hamilton. He stood up and backed away from the sofa, so that he could cover all four of the men with the rifle. “Ain’t nobody going nowhere.”
***
Reed was now sitting on a chair, and Malloy had been moved up onto the sofa where Mrs. Hamilton had previously been. Both sported bandages to cover their wounds and DeSoto and Gage were keeping a close eye on their vitals.
Gage was trying to reason with Hamilton, trying to get him to pick up the telephone, which had been ringing off and on for the last 20 minutes. Apparently the police negotiator was trying to re-establish contact with Hamilton, since he wasn’t allowing the others to leave the house.
“Look, Mr Hamilton,” started Gage, “These men need to get to the hospital. The officer over there has a bullet in his shoulder. It has to be removed. And the other officer has a possible concussion. We need to get him x-rayed to be sure there isn’t any other damage.”
“Well, then you go out there and talk to the police and tell them to leave. As soon as they drive away, and let me leave my house, then I’ll let you all go.”
“Mr. Hamilton, be reasonable. Those cops aren’t going anywhere. You shot your wife. You shot a cop. You assaulted a second cop. You know that they are not going to just let you go free.”
“Gage, forget it,” say Malloy. “He’s just not going to listen to reason.”
DeSoto put down the stethoscope he had been using to check Pete’s breathing. “You know, Mr Hamilton,” he said, “Things have gotten way outta hand here. This all started as an argument with your wife. I know you didn’t mean for it to go this far. But stop it now, before somebody dies here. It’s getting late, and these men need medical help.”
“It’s already too late, mister. I’m going to jail. I know that. I won’t ever see my kids again. My wife will never forgive me for this.”
“Mr Hamilton, you mentioned your kids. Where do you think they are right now? How do you think they’ll feel if those SWAT guys out there come storming in here and you get killed? I know how my kids would feel. They’d miss me. So would my wife.”
Hamilton looked at DeSoto. Then he looked at the floor, and put his left hand on the butt of one of the handguns, which he had shoved under his belt.
When he lifted his face again, he had tears in his eyes. “You just don’t understand,” he sobbed. “I can’t face my kids again anyway. I shot their mother. They won’t ever want to speak to me again.”
He walked over and sat in a chair in the corner. “It’s over,” he said, “Just over. Nothing will ever be the same again.”
Hamilton pulled one of the handguns from his belt. Leaning the rifle against the wall, he opened up the cylinder of the revolver in his hand, spinning it and watching the bullets go around in a blur.
“It’s over,” he said again, slapping the cylinder shut. “Over.” He started to point the gun at his head. “Over, it’s just over,” he kept saying, like a litany.
Roy glanced at Gage, neither of them ready to witness a suicide.
They spoke at the same time, both moving toward Hamilton, hoping to stop him from doing something stupid.
“WAIT!”
“No, don’t!”
Just then, there was a crash at the back of the house. Sounds of breaking glass and splintering wood reached the men in the room at the front.
Hamilton jerked up out of his chair. He looked around frantically, searching for an escape. Still holding the revolver in his hand, he look back and forth between Roy and Johnny, finally pointing the gun at Gage.
“You, get over here! NOW!” he shouted.
Gage froze, not sure what to do.
“Hamilton, no,” said Roy. “Don’t do something stupid.”
“Over here, NOW, damn it!”
Gage was afraid Hamilton would just shoot him on the spot. He started to inch his way closer to the armed man.
“Johnny…” Roy started.
Hamilton moved to close the gap between him and Gage, grabbing Johnny by collar of his shirt, and pulling Gage toward him, just as 5 men, all dressed in black and armed with a variety of firearms, spilled into the room.
Hamilton stepped behind Gage, putting his arm around Johnny’s neck, and putting the barrel of the revolver against his head.
“Stop right there, or I’ll kill him!”
Everybody stopped in their tracks. Things had gone from bad---to worse.
***
Johnny could feel his heart beating hard in his chest. He felt the barrel up against his head, and prayed that no one would do anything to startle Hamilton. He wasn’t ready to die, and didn’t want to die by accident. Gage looked at Roy, his eyes pleading with his friend and partner to do something, anything, to help him out of this mess.
Roy was scared and knew Johnny had to be as well. They had been in some tight spots in the past, but had always been able to rely on each other. Roy didn’t know what he could do this time to help his friend. But he wasn’t ready to watch him get his head blown off by this guy.
Malloy and Reed could only wait and watch. Neither of them was in any condition to take Hamilton on again. Pete could barely move with the bullet in him. And Jim got dizzy when he tried to get up. There was also a handful of SWAT cops in the room, but none of them had a clear shot at Hamilton.
It was a stand-off. A stand-off with John Gage possibly in the middle of a shootout.
“Go away,” Hamilton spoke to the SWAT team. “Go away, or I’ll kill him. And that other fireman will be next!”
“You won’t get away with that, mister,” said the team leader. “If you shoot them, we’ll be forced to shoot you.”
“So what! You think I don’t know that’s what you want to do anyway. Well, go ahead. Shoot me! Kill me! But this guy goes first!” Hamilton tightened his grip around Gage’s neck.
Roy DeSoto got between the SWAT team and Hamilton, trying to calm the tension in the room. “Look guys, let’s not get carried away here. We don’t want to get anyone else hurt,” Roy said, trying to calm himself down as well.
“Mr Hamilton….Mike....listen to me. Please. Don’t hurt him. There’s got to be something we can work out here. Look, I’m a paramedic, I’m here to help these guys because they’re hurt, just like my partner and I helped your wife. I don’t pretend to know what’s going on with your life. I don’t know why all this happened today. I just know that I want out of here, in one piece. So does everybody else. But I gotta tell ya, I ‘m shaking like a leaf. I don’t usually get involved with situations like this. I’m mean, I’ve had my share of scary rescues, but I’m outta my league here. Mike, this man is my friend. He’s saved my life more times that I care to remember. And he helped save your wife’s life today.”
Hamilton was scared. He didn’t know what to do. How had he gotten into so much trouble? How did all this happen!?
“I gotta think! Let me think!” he said. He had a good grip on Gage and wasn’t about to let him go yet. He backed up against the wall, dragging Gage along with him, keeping his arm around Johnny’s throat and the gun against the side of his head.
“C’mon mister, just put the gun down and we can all walk out of here,” said the SWAT team leader. “It can all be over in just a few minutes. What d’ya say?”
“Shut up, cop! Just shut up!” yelled Hamilton. He pulled the gun from Gage’s head and started waving it around the room. “All of you just get out of here! "
Malloy looked over at the team leader and then back to Hamilton and Gage. “Joe,” he said to the SWAT leader, “Back out of the room. We don’t want to make things worse.”
“Pete, you’re hurt, man,” Joe responded. “I can’t just leave you guys. We’re here now, and we can end this. All he has to do is put the gun down.”
“Pete’s right, Joe,” argued Reed. “DeSoto was getting through to him before you guys crashed in here. Back off and let us handle it.” But the SWAT leader didn’t look like he was willing to leave.
DeSoto took in this whole conversation, while trying to think of something to say that would make Hamilton release Johnny and give himself up. He couldn’t think of a thing. He was lost in this world of suspects and guns, out of his element. He knew fires and IVs. He wasn’t used to somebody holding him hostage like this.
So he decided to just do the only thing he could think of. He started talking to Hamilton, hoping to reason with him. “Look, Mike, these guys are just doing their jobs,” he explained, as he slowly walked toward the distraught man. “But I really don’t want to see anybody else get hurt. So how about if you let Johnny go, give the gun to me and we’ll walk out of here together. What do you say, huh?”
Hamilton looked at the SWAT members, all pointing their weapons at him.
“Get them out of here first, then we’ll see.”
Pete turned to look at Joe Hendricks, the SWAT leader. “Look, man, you’re not helping matters here. Just leave and we can probably settle this.”
Henderson glanced over at Malloy. “Pete, I don’t like this. I don’t want to leave you guys in here with him.”
“It’s okay, Joe, we’ll be alright,” said Malloy. “After all, we have medical help here already.” Pete shifted his weight, wincing when he moved his arm.
DeSoto saw Pete move. He knew he was in pain. He walked over to the sofa where Pete sat, looked at the wound and checked Malloy’s vitals again.
“Mr. Hamilton,” Roy began, “I’ll tell you what, I think these guys will leave if you let them take these injured officers with them. Their biggest concern is getting these guys to the hospital. Johnny and I will stay here as your hostages, and the SWAT team can take these officers out of here.”
“I don’t know about that, Roy,” said Pete. “It would be putting in guys in a tough spot.”
Roy chuckled softly. “Seems to me, we’re already in a tough spot. Take a look, Pete, Johnny has a gun to his head. If you guys leave, maybe Hamilton will relax and let him go.” DeSoto looked over at Hamilton. “So, is it a deal Mr Hamilton?”
Hamilton looked around the room. He still looked frightened and unsure of what to do.
“Mr Hamilton? Can I get these guys out of here?”
Hamilton closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I don’t know,” he mumbled, “I just don’t know.”
Johnny had been keeping quiet, afraid to speak, afraid he might spook Hamilton into making a bad move. Now he decided to get involved in this conversation..
“Mr. Hamilton, listen,” Gage said, “I know you didn’t mean for any of this to happen. But, you let us get your wife to the hospital. The officers getting hurt was a bad mistake, but they’re not hurt seriously. If they can get to a hospital right now, they will both recover. And Roy’s right, he and I will stay with you until you’re ready to leave on your own. But please, let the officers go. It’ll show the police outside that you mean it when you say you don’t want to hurt anyone else. And it will help them relax a little and give you the time you need to think this through.”
Hamilton relaxed his tight grip on Gage, but kept him close.
“Yeah, okay. Get them out of here. But make it quick.”
Nobody moved right away. Then Roy started to help Malloy up from the couch.
Hendricks directed his men to assist Reed and Malloy, and they all left through the front door. A minute later the three men left inside the house heard the siren on the ambulance that took Pete and Jim to Rampart General.
Roy spoke to Hamilton, “It’s just us now, Mr Hamilton. Take your time and decide what you need to do.”
Hamilton slowly lowered the arm he had been holding around Gage’s neck. Johnny felt the pressure released on his neck and began to pull away from Hamilton, who didn’t stop him from walking away. Johnny rubbed his neck, as Roy walked over to him, making sure he wasn’t hurt.
“Thank you, Mr Hamilton,” Roy smiled at him. “That was a good thing you did.”
“Yeah, Mr Hamilton,” agreed Johnny. “Now, how about we get out of here?”
Hamilton gazed at the paramedics, his shoulders slumped, dejected.
“You guys go on.. leave.. get out of here. I just want to sit here and think awhile,” said Hamilton, as he shuffled over to the chair in the corner and sat down, still holding the revolver that he had used to threatened Gage.
Roy and Johnny exchanged glances. Both were thinking the same thing. They couldn’t just walk away while Hamilton held a gun. He had already threatened to shoot himself. They couldn’t live with themselves if they walked out and let him succeed.
As they looked back toward him, Hamilton was raising the gun to his own head.
Roy was closest to him and lunged at him.
“Noooooo…..,” yelled DeSoto.
He was able to grab the gun and pull in away from Hamilton, but the man fought him, screaming incoherently, trying to break Roy’s grip.
As Gage got close enough to grab Hamilton, he heard a shot!
He heard Roy yell in pain, felt Hamilton go limp. He figured one of them had been shot, but couldn’t tell who!
Hamilton began to cry, and pray, “Oh God, no..please just let me die!”
Johnny picked up the gun where it had dropped on the floor, tossing it across the room. He stood up, then looked down at Roy and Hamilton. Roy was clutching his left thigh, and Johnny could see blood oozing out beneath his fingers.
“Oh, my god, Roy!” cried Johnny.
Johnny heard a lot of yelling from the front of the house, then the room filled with people, but Johnny didn’t even look at them. His only concern was his friend and partner.
Johnny knelt down next to Roy, grabbing DeSoto’s hand so he could get a look at the wound. He pulled Roy’s hand from his leg. Then Roy gripped Johnny’s wrist with the bloody hand.
“It’s not bad, Johnny, not bad,” Roy assured him, “But it sure hurts like hell.”
Johnny sighed, smiled at Roy, “That’s what you get for trying to play hero.”
They both looked over to where the police now had Hamilton on his feet, and were placing handcuffs on him.
Hamilton was staring at the floor, muttering to himself, repeating over and over,
“I never wanted to hurt anybody. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m never meant to hurt anyone…”
The police led Hamilton away, passing Sgt. MacDonald and Captain Stanley who had just entered the room. They both hurried over to where DeSoto lay on the floor.
Stanley was concerned for his two paramedics.
“Roy, Johnny, you guys okay?” He noticed Johnny working on Roy’s leg.
“Cap,” Johnny looked up at Stanley, “Can you grab the equipment. It should be over by the couch.”
“Ah, yeah, sure Johnny. Roy…?” Stanley stammered.
“I’ll be okay, Cap, just a minor wound,” Roy assured him.
Stanley sighed and walked over to get the equipment for Gage. MacDonald watched as Johnny treated Roy’s leg wound.
Mac squatted down next to the paramedics.
“Man, when we heard that last shot, I was afraid what we’d find here.”
“Ditto,” agreed Stanley. “You guys gotta quit doing this. You’re gonna give me an ulcer. Well, there’s an ambulance on the way, so let’s get you guys to the hospital.”
***
Later, in the doctor’s lounge, Johnny sat next to Joanne DeSoto, trying to comfort her and assure her that her husband would be okay. Johnny’s voice was raspy and his throat was sore, caused by the tight grip that Hamilton had kept on his neck. He didn’t complain. He knew things could have been much, much worse.
“Look, Joanne,” Johnny began, “Roy was conscious when we got him in here. He was in some pain, but he was cracking jokes with me.”
Joanne lifted her head from Johnny’s shoulder, where she had rested it when he hugged her. She smiled up at the man who was so important to her husband. He was important to her as well. He and Roy had been like brothers almost since they first began working together as a team. And she knew he was just as worried about Roy.
Roy had been in surgery for just a little over 2 hours. But Johnny assured her that Dr Brackett and Dr Morton were doing the operation themselves, so she knew he was in good hands.
As if on cue, the two doctors entered the room. Both were smiling and laughing, so she knew right off that everything would be just fine.
***
Roy was sitting in his hospital bed, his injured leg propped up on a pillow, when the door opened. Roy smiled when he saw his partner walk in the room.
“Johnny, hi,” Roy said.
“Well, looks like they’re treating you okay, buddy.”
“Yeah, but I sure would like to get out of here. I sure miss the kids.”
Johnny nodded, knowing how close Roy was to his children, and knowing that they hadn’t been able to visit much. But he also knew that Dixie McCall had let them come to visit more often than hospital policy allowed.
“Well, Dr Brackett says you’ll be leaving here in a couple of days. We’ll have to throw you a ‘coming home’ party. Pete and Jim should be able to be there too. Reed’s already been released and Pete should be going home tomorrow.”
“Yeah, Dixie told me. I’m glad they’re both okay. It sure was touchy there for a while. But Johnny please, no big parties, okay? You know,” Roy joked, “ I am still a sick man.”
“Aw, Roy, c’mon, only your closest friends and family.”
Roy groaned, figuring that meant at least 50 people. Oh, what the hell, he thought, maybe a party would be good. After all, it could have been a funeral instead.
“Anyway,” Johnny began, rubbing his hands together, “I have a surprise for you. Now, I already cleared it with the docs and Dixie, so don’t argue.”
DeSoto was leery. He had been on the receiving end of Gage’s ‘surprises’ before and they usually turned out bad. “Johnny…” he began.
Gage raised his hand, and started toward the door. “Now, Roy, don’t argue, I told you. This will be fun. You’ve been laid up for over a week and you’re not getting any exercise. So, you just need something to help you relax and get your muscle tone back.” Johnny opened the door and a beautiful woman in a white uniform walked in, carrying a large canvas tote bag. She was about 5’6, auburn hair, nice tan.
Roy sat up in his bed, not sure what Gage was up to.
Johnny put his hand on the woman’s elbow, leading her over to DeSoto’s bed. “Roy, this is Tangee. She’s here to give you a massage…..a full body massage.”
Roy’s eyes open wide. He stared at the woman. He looked at Johnny.
“Uh, Johnny…..Look miss, this is really nice, but I don’t…uh.. Johnny……”
“Relax, Mr DeSoto.. Can I call you Roy?….Just relax, this won’t hurt a bit….”
Roy heard Gage laugh, then heard other voices join in the laughter. He look over at the door and saw Johnny standing there, with Joanne, and Dixie, Kelly Bracket, and Joe Early.
They were all in on it! He laughed with them.
Well, he figured, he might as well enjoy it then. He look at Tangee and smiled. “Okay, my body is yours. Where do we start?”
And the laughter could be heard echoing out the room and down the hall.