CLEAR SAILING

by gwen doucet

"Man," lamented fire fighter Paul "Chili" Chilibeck, as he and fire fighter/paramedic John Gage carried yet another round of beers across the floor of The Second Alarm's crowded bar. "I thought we were good bowlers, but those chicks from 18's...."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed glumly. "We're never gonna live down losing to them."

"My wallet definitely won't forget soon, that's for sure," Chili added. The wager on the game, cooked up by the two of them, had been that the losers would pay for the beers. The two had been that sure that they would blow Station 18 out of the water.

Captain Tacy, from said 18, who was sitting at a table with 51's Captain Stanley, saluted them with her beer as they passed by on the way to their own table. She was actually smiling. Johnny and Chili exchanged a look. They were definitely never going to live this one down!

"Ah," Fire fighter/paramedic Cassie Kelly grinned at them, grabbing a beer. "The sweet taste of victory."

"Don't rub it in," muttered Chet Kelly, also a fire fighter and brother to the grinning red haired woman sitting across from him, as he reached for a beer himself.

"Better get used to losing, brother of mine." Cassie was clearly enjoying the moment. "We're your worst nightmare come true... chicks who can fight fires and bowl!" She snagged another beer as she saw her partner, Liz "Pidge" Pigeon, who had been talking with the some of the wives at another table, head over.

Roy laughed out loud at her comment and received glares from three disgruntled fire fighters. He gave an apologetic shrug. "Sorry. I thought it was funny."

"Humph!" Johnny snorted. He took a drink, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "So, did ya ask JoAnne yet?"

Roy shook his head, looking over to where his wife was sitting with Karen Stanley. The women were chatting animatedly.

"Well, what are you waiting for, pal? Thursday's only two days away."

"I know. But she might have plans for us that day, you know, with the kids away at her parents for the week and all."

Johnny and Chili exchanged glances, both shaking their heads. Married guys.

"We'll be back by six, at the very latest," Chili assured him. He added slyly, "Still lots of time for you guys to... do stuff."
"Unless of course you really don't want to come with us," suggested Johnny.

"No, I do. It sounds like a lot of fun." Roy set his beer down and stood up. "I'll go talk with her now."

Chili watched him walk away. "Married guys," he said, feigning sadness. Johnny laughed.

"So, what's going on?" Chet asked curiously. "What'dya guys got planned?"

Johnny groaned and gave his colleague a look. "None of your bees wax, Chet."

Oh yeah. "Bees, huh?" He gave a devious grin, remembering Johnny's fateful encounter with the flying critters. He turned to the ladies at the table. "Speaking of bees, did anyone ever tell you about Gage here..."

"Okay, Chet!" Johnny quickly interrupted him as Cassie and Pidge perked up, ready to hear all. "Chili's got his uncle's cabin cruiser on Thursday. We're going sailing for the day, maybe do a little fishing."

"Hey, sounds great!" Chet jumped in eagerly. "What time are we leaving?"

"Now, Chet..." Johnny began, shaking his head.

The stocky fire fighter immediately turned back to the ladies. "So, where was I with that bee story?"

"All right, all right..." Johnny broke in hastily, shooting Chili a "what can I do" look. Chili, having heard the story from Roy, grinned, enjoying his friend's discomfort. "You can come too."

"Great!" Chet was pumped. "So, what can I bring? You know, I've sailed before so if you need a co-captain...."

Johnny groaned as Chet prattled on. There went a nice, peaceful day at sea. He frowned as he realized that Cassie was watching him closely.

She gave him a speculative look. "This bee thing has to be pretty big for you to agree to spend time with my brother outside the job." She grinned wickedly at her sibling. "Spill it!"

"Chet!" warned Johnny, squirming.

"Don't worry," said Chet, all earnest as he placed a hand over his heart. "I'll never tell."

"Hmm." Cassie gave Pidge a smug smile. Her brother had never been able to keep anything from her before, and she was sure this time would be no exception. She would get it out of him, somehow. He was no match for her in the deviousness department.

Johnny didn't like this conversation one bit. He was relieved to see Roy heading back to the table.

"Well?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

Roy shrugged his shoulders as he sat back down, looking a little glum.
"She said no?" Johnny was surprised. That didn't sound like JoAnne.

Roy took a long drink of his beer. "No, she said it was no problem."

"And that's got you bummed out?" Johnny shook his head. Man, he was never going to understand married guys. Maybe something happened to your brain when you said 'I do'.

"Well..." Roy looked uncomfortable, glancing around the table.

Cassie and Pidge exchanged smiles.

"Come on, Cas. Let's go 'powder our noses'," Pidge said, getting up. "The guys want to have a little girl talk without us around."

Cassie gave her friend a dirty look. "Powder our noses?" she snorted derisively. "Don't know about you but I've gotta take a leak! All that free beer you know," she added, for the guy's benefit.

Chili watched them walk away. Shaking his head, he turned back to Chet. "Man, Kelly, I can't believe you two are brother and sister, let alone from the same species."

Chet gave him a beady look. "That's getting real old, real fast," he muttered, draining his beer. "Hate to say it, but I think it's my round." He got up and trudged to the bar.

"Okay, Roy," Johnny had been waiting impatiently. "What is it?"

Roy looked sheepish. "It's nothing. Just a silly thing."

"I'm sure it is," Johnny agreed easily.

"Maybe he doesn't really want to go with us and didn't want to tell us so he was hoping she would say no?" Chili suggested helpfully, tongue planted firmly in cheek.

"No, I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't gone sailing in ages. It's just..." Roy looked down at his beer. "It's just...she didn't even have to think about it."

"So, what's the problem?" Johnny just didn't get it.

"She didn't even have to think about it!" Roy burst out. "I mean, it's not like we've had a lot of chances to spend time alone without the kids, you know."

Chili started laughing. "Maybe she's trying to tell you something, DeSoto..." Roy gave him a baleful look, as he quaffed his beer. "Man, you married guys are just too much."

"Roy, we're talking about JoAnne here. You guys have been married like forever," Johnny grinned. "Maybe she just wants a little time alone too. Then when you get home you'll have the whole evening to enjoy each other’s...company."

Roy stared at his partner for a moment. Once in a while, he surprised him with his insight. He started to smile. "Yeah. You're probably right. And I'm really looking forward to getting out there on the water."

"Good!" Chili stood up. "Come on. Let's go get that beer from Chet."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed. "It's not too often that he opens that wallet of his."

Cassie was wiping her hands on a paper towel as Pidge emerged from a bathroom stall and walked over to the sink. She eyed her friend. "You were certainly chatting up a storm with the wives earlier," she observed.

"Uh huh." Pidge turned on the facet, jumped back as the pressure caused some of the water to squirt up on her. "Damn!"

Laughing, Cassie handed her some paper towels. "So, what in the world did you have to talk about?"

Pidge, wiping down her shirt, shrugged. "Oh, you know, just things. They're very nice."

Cassie leaned up against the sink, her back to the door. "Nice," she repeated. "I think that's the major qualification for being a fireman's wife. You have to be sugary sweet and nice. Like JoAnne DeSoto. No one can be that nice all the time." She didn't see the look on Pidge's face, the warning she was trying to send her. "Nice, boring and bland. No spice."

Too late, she noticed something was amiss. She turned and saw JoAnne DeSoto standing behind her. The older woman looked at her for a brief moment, smiled a hello before heading into one of the stalls.

Cassie turned to Pidge, making a face as they hurried out of the bathroom.

"Do you think she heard me?" Cassie whispered.

"Don't know." Pidge was not happy with her at the moment. "It's just so you, Kelly. When will you learn?" She walked away.

Cassie frowned as she stood staring after her. She looked back at the bathroom door, hesitated briefly, then quickly trailed after her friend.

Johnny, loaded with supplies, stepped onto the Jacqueline Jane and headed down into the cabin while Roy joined Chili at the helm.

"Nothing like watching the sun rise on the ocean," Roy observed. He checked out the horizon. "Looks like we're going to have great weather."

Chili nodded. "Yup. The reports say it's going to be clear sailing today."

Johnny poked his head up on deck and noticed Chet coming down the gangplank. "Well, I think we may be in for a windy gust or two," he joked as he pointed to their colleague.

Chili and Roy erupted in laughter.

"What? What's so funny, guys?" Chet demanded, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Nothing, Chet," Roy reassured him, reaching out a hand to help him on board. "Let's stow your stuff down below."

"Once you're done, Chet, we'll need help shoving off."

"Aye, aye, mon Capitaine." He disappeared below, whistling the Gilligan's Island theme song.

Johnny rolled his eyes at the other two. Stranded on an island with Chet Kelly...talk about your worst nightmare!

So it hasn't exactly been a nightmare, Johnny thought as he stood beside Chili, watching the fast moving storm coming their way. Well, not for most of them anyway, he chuckled silently. Chet, the self proclaimed great sailor, had gotten seasick soon after they had left the dock but refused to let them turn back, insisting that it would go away. It hadn't. The poor guy had spent most of the day on the couch down below, moaning. Roy had elected to sit with him for the last half-hour or so. But hey, it's been nice and peaceful up on deck, well, up until now, Johnny thought worriedly.

The storm had sprung up without warning. The gale force winds had the ocean churning around them, and was powering the waves into and over the boat.

"Damn!" Chili fought the wheel, clearly worried. He was trying to ride into the waves, hoping to avoid having them broadside them. He shot Johnny a look. He didn't have to say anything. The situation was quickly going from bad to worse. Just then, a large wave crashed over them, almost upending the boat.

"Grab the wheel!" Chili shouted to Johnny over the wind. The dark haired paramedic moved in behind him, took hold of the wheel, surprised at how difficult it was to control. Chili finished tying on his life jacket and took the helm back just as another wave hit them.

The boat shuddered as it slammed back into the sea. Johnny lost his balance, falling to the deck. The receding water washed over him, taking him with it. He scrambled, arms flailing as he tried to grab onto something, anything to stop himself from being sucked into the sea.

At the very last possible moment, Chili managed to grab hold of his leg as he slipped by, hauling him back up beside him.

"Thanks, man," Johnny gasped, winded.

"Better get a life jacket on," Chili advised, as he struggled with the wheel again. "Tell the others to get up here too. And maybe you better get some flares."

Johnny stared at him. "Chili?"

"Get movin'!" Chili ordered brusquely, as he reached for the radio.

Johnny took one look at the angry sea. What he saw made him head quickly down into the cabin.

Chili fought to control the wheel as he clicked the radio mic. "This is an S.O.S. from the Jacqueline Jane..."

Chet and Roy looked up worriedly as Johnny came flying down through the cabin door. He was soaking wet and clearly agitated.

"What's happening up there?" asked Roy, as he finished tying on his own life jacket.

"It's bad. Chili's trying to ride into the waves but they're coming from all directions." He avoided their eyes. "We need all hands on deck, guys." He headed into the galley, pulling open cupboards, searching for the flares.

Roy stood up quickly, grabbing the waterproof flashlight sitting on the table and putting it into his pocket. "Come on, Kelly."

Chet, still green, stood up shakily, groaning as he made his way over to Roy. When will I ever remember what curiosity did to the cat, he berated himself silently. Next time I hear Johnny and Chili planning something, I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut, he vowed.

The boat rose, shuddered and slammed back to the sea. Roy grabbed Chet as he lurched forward, holding him up. He was vaguely aware of the sound of dishes, glasses breaking form the galley area, of Chili shouting up on the deck, of the boat creaking ominously.

"Johnny?" Roy called out. If his friend answered, he couldn't hear over the roar of the ocean. He started towards the kitchen, Chet followed close on his heels. They couldn't see Johnny anywhere.

Suddenly, the boat rose, hovered for a long moment, then dropped with a gut wrenching crash. Chet and Roy barely had time to brace themselves before another large wave slammed against the side of the boat, jolting them both off their feet.

Chet went flying through the air, landed up against the couch before dropping against the floor...except it didn't exactly feel like the floor. Disoriented, he tried to look around in the now pitch black cabin, tried to figure out why he was so cold and wet.

Wet! He struggled to sit up as water flooded over him. They were sinking! He called out in panic. "Hey? Hey?"

There was no answer for a long moment, then, "Chet?"

"Roy?"

"Yeah. You okay?"

Chet shook his head to clear it. "I think so. You?"

"Yeah. I banged my ankle on something, but I think it's just bruised."

"What the hell happened?"

Roy coughed up some of the water he had swallowed. "Uck. We must have swamped in that last wave." Moving slowly through the seawater that seemed to now be up around his waist, he strained to look around the room, to figure out what was happening, but he couldn't see anything in the inky blackness. Then, remembering the flashlight, he pulled it out of his pocket and shone it around the cabin.
Everything was still there but just...not where it should be. Somehow, it looked like he was standing on the ceiling instead of the floor. It took a moment before he understood. They hadn't swamped, they had actually capsized and were now floating upside down. He fought panic as he realized how quickly water was filling the cabin. It was now up to his chest.

Chet gave Roy a frightened look as he splashed his way over to him. "Jesus, are we...?"

"Yeah," Roy answered shortly.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Chet fretted, churning through the water.

Roy swung the light around the cabin. "Do you see Johnny anywhere?"

"Oh, man," Chet groaned, stopping. He had forgotten about Johnny being in the cabin. He tried to see in the murky light. "I don't see him."

"Come on. He's got to be here somewhere. HEY, JOHNNY?" Roy called out loudly. They fought against the water's current as they headed toward the kitchen area, finally forced to swim. "JOHNNY?"

"Here...I'm over here."

"Where?" Roy let out the breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. He flashed the light over by the kitchen cabinets. The young paramedic was floating on his back, the life vest keeping his head out of the water. He turned towards Roy, blinking in the sudden glare.

"You okay?" Roy asked, running a practiced eye over his friend.

"Yeah," Johnny paused for a moment, before bringing himself upright, threading water. "Just...knocked my head a bit."

"Your head? Well, then it's nothing serious," Chet deadpanned, trying for levity, failing miserably.

Johnny looked around the room, trying to see in the flashlight's dim light. "Oh man, we're really upside down, aren't we?"

Roy nodded. "Looks like it."

"We've gotta get out of here, guys." Chet repeated.

Johnny shook his head. "Not a good idea, Chet. We don't know how far down we are."

"So? Anything's better than this."

"Think, Chet." Johnny grimaced as he moved his left arm. The others didn't seem to notice. "We might not be able to hold our breath long enough to get to the surface. We could drown."

"And you're suggesting what? We stay here and drown for sure?" Chet demanded, clearly frustrated.

"The water seems to have leveled out," Johnny pointed out. "It hasn't gotten any higher in the last couple of minutes."

Roy flashed the light around them. The water had indeed stopped rising, leaving them with a small pocket of air.

Johnny frowned suddenly. "Where's Chili?"

Roy gave his partner a compassionate look. "He was outside when we went over." He didn't have to say anything else.

Johnny closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath.

"Do you think he got out an S.O.S. before we went over?" Chet asked.

Johnny took a moment to answer. "I don't know. He was trying but..." He couldn't finish.

The silence grew as each man fell into deep thought. The water lapped around them.

JoAnne checked the time, again. It was 8:00 p.m. and still no Roy. She frowned as she turned off the oven. Where was he? He had promised to be back by 6:00, absolutely the latest. That was one thing with her husband. If he promised something, he stuck to it. What if...

Shaking her head, she went into the dining room and stared at the table there. She had enjoyed having a day to herself, a rare treat and now was looking forward to having a special evening with Roy. She had set out the "wedding" china, flowers, had a bottle of good wine chilling in the fridge, had cooked all their favorite foods. Now all that was missing was the husband part. She checked the time again. Two hours late, without a call. She couldn't help but smile at the thought. Now where would he get a phone out in the middle of the ocean, she berated herself.
Still.

She looked over at the phone. It wasn’t like him.

Cassie ignored the ringing doorbell at first, intent on completing her karate routine. Whoever was at the door gave up on the doorbell and was now knocking loudly. She sighed. They weren't going to give up. Reluctantly, she padded over to the door, pulled it open. "What?" she demanded.

JoAnne stepped back involuntarily before she could stop herself. "H...hello."

Cassie stared at her puzzled, "Um, JoAnne?"

"Yes." She smiled slightly at the young woman's obvious discomfort, realizing she was probably worrying about the other night. "I tried calling but your phone was busy."

Cassie gave her a meaningful look. "I take it off the hook when I'm working out."

"Oh." JoAnne thought fleetingly how nice that luxury would be in her busy household. "I'm sorry to bother you," she began, then stopped for a moment before finishing in a rush, "but I was wondering if you had heard from your brother tonight?"

"My brother?" Cassie blinked, her blue eyes puzzled. "No. Should I have?"

JoAnne sighed heavily. "Maybe...I'm just acting like a 'wife'," Cassie winced at the slight rebuke, "but the guys should have been back a couple of hours ago but I haven't heard from Roy."

Cassie sighed. Wives! "I'm sure they just got carried away with their adventure on the high seas and forgot the time."

JoAnne was shaking her head. "No. I called the marina to see if they'd come in. They said there's been some squalls out around where the guys were planning to go and...and that the Coast Guard received some kind of S.O.S. They think it was from the Jacqueline Jane but they couldn't get a confirmation on its identity or a fix on its location."

Cassie immediately stood aside to let the older woman in. "Are they sure?"

JoAnne turned to her. "Well, they won't tell me much. I'm a civilian," she added, not quite keeping the bitterness out of her voice. "I thought maybe they'd talk to you..."

Cassie was already pulling off her sweat top as she headed for the bedroom. "You bet your ass they'll talk to me!"

JoAnne sank down gingerly onto the futon that was sitting up against one wall, crossing her legs awkwardly. She leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment. She had been hoping, in a way, that Cassie would tell her that she had been worrying for no reason, but the look on the fire fighter's face had told her that the situation was indeed as serious as she had imagined.

The three men had been threading water for awhile, discussing options. They had reluctantly decided that until the seas calmed, they would have no choice but to remain where they were. They could only hope that the air pocket would hold.

Johnny couldn't stop himself from thinking about Chili. He knew there was no way his friend had managed to survive the capsizing. He couldn't seem to grasp the fact that he wouldn't see him again. Chili seemed to have the same 'dumb, blind luck', as Roy put it, that Johnny himself had. Not this time, my friend, thought Johnny sadly.

He leaned his head back, the life vest keeping his head out of the water. The cold was beginning to numb his body, which, considering how much his arm hurt, was probably a good thing. He blinked as the flashlight beam swept over him and away.

"Man, I'm freezing!" Chet complained, yet again, as he moved the flashlight around the cabin. He swept the light around Johnny again, stopped, noticing something. "Uh, Johnny?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you cut somewhere?"

"What?" Roy looked over at Johnny.

Johnny shrugged. "Don't think so. Why?"

Chet played the light along the water in front of Johnny. "Cause that's blood."

Roy moved quickly over to his partner's side, checking him over as much as he could in the circumstances. He ran a hand down Johnny's arms, stopped. "He's right. You've got a pretty good gash here on your left arm."

"Damn," said Chet worriedly.

Johnny grinned over at him. "Didn't know you cared, Kelly."

"I don't," Chet retorted. He stared at the men in front of him. "But I have just one word for you...sharks!"

"Oh, great!" Johnny exclaimed, quickly holding his arm up above his head. "That's all we need now."

"Sharks can smell blood from miles away," Chet continued, seemingly unable to stop himself. "They could be out there right now, circling..."

"That's enough, Chet!" ordered Roy. He grabbed the flashlight from him, pointed it at the floating debris. "See if you can find a towel or shirt or something that I can use as a bandage here." He squinted at Johnny. "What happened?"

Johnny made a face. "I must have landed on some of the broken dishes when I fell. Is it bad?"

Roy ran the light over the cut. It looked pretty deep, but the bleeding seemed to be slowing. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, frustrated that once again his partner hadn't alerted him to an injury.

Johnny put his right hand over the cut, holding it closed. "I didn't really know. It just hurt. I thought maybe I broke it or something." He gave a crooked grin. "And I figured a broken arm was the least of our worries at the moment."

Roy looked at him, then around at the submerged cabin. "Well, you might have a point, for once," he admitted.

Chet churned up the water as he swam back over to them, splashing them both. "Hey!" Johnny complained, sputtering as he swallowed water.

"Here," Chet handed Roy a couple of tea towels. He took the flashlight back, glancing around nervously. He jumped as the water suddenly gurgled over by the doorway area. He pointed the flashlight over to it just as an air bubble broke the surface.

"Chet, I need the light over here. I can't see what I'm doing." Roy said patiently. He wouldn't want to admit it to anyone, but he too was worried about the possibility of sharks. Sharks or drowning - what a choice. He forced himself to concentrate on wrapping Johnny's arm.

Chet reluctantly directed the light over by the two men. He shivered, mostly from the cold, but also because the darkness around them was creeping him out. He hated not being able to see what was around them, below them.

Roy was in full paramedic mode now. Johnny seemed to be okay, despite the blood loss but he knew his partner well enough to know that looks could be deceiving. However, there wasn't much he could do for him at the moment. He was alert, oriented, though unusually quiet, obviously thinking about Chili. Roy sighed. He knew how close the two friends were and he, himself was just beginning to really know the young man, to enjoy his friendship as well. It was going to be hard on Johnny when they got out of here...he couldn't help but grin at the thought...and he called Johnny the "cock-eyed optimist"?

"Man, I'm freezing," Chet complained, moving restlessly.

Roy looked over at him. The stocky fire fighter was clearly becoming hypothermic, more so than the rest of them, probably due to the fluids he had lost earlier from his bout of seasickness. He would have to keep a close eye on him.

Suddenly, the water around the area where they figured the door was, began to churn. All three men froze.

The trip to the marina had been an interesting one, at least for JoAnne. Cassie seemed to be gearing herself up for a fight with the Coast Guard. It sounded like she expected a hassle from them and wanted to be prepared.

They parked and walked over to the Coast Guard building in silence. At the door, Cassie stopped, turned to JoAnne and surprised her by saying, "The guys are okay, you know. My brother's main mission in life is to make my life miserable...and he sure as hell isn't finished by a long shot."

JoAnne laughed, shaking her head as she followed the young fire fighter into the building. She found the young woman's candid speech a refreshing change.

Of course, five minutes later she was reevaluating her opinion as she watched Cassie alienate the entire Coast Guard staff. She would have nothing to do with dealing with a flunky. She wanted the top dog and was stubbornly holding her ground.

The commotion at the front desk eventually drew the 'top dog' out of his office. "Hello, I'm Lieutenant Midler. Can I help you ladies?"

Cassie turned furious blue eyes on him. "Lieutenant, I'm Fire Fighter/Paramedic Cassie Kelly and this is JoAnne DeSoto. Her husband is a fire fighter as well."

The Lieutenant shook both their hands, though Cassie was almost too impatient to deal with such formalities. "What seems to be the problem?"

"My brother and JoAnne's husband and some friends are over three hours late coming back from a fishing trip and this flunky here," she pointed a derisive thumb at the hapless desk clerk, "says that you might have received an S.O.S. from their boat, the Jacqueline Jane. Now, I don't know how you do things here, but the fire department usually tells people what's going on."

Midler was aware that everyone in the room was staring at them. He motioned for the two ladies to follow him into his office. He held the door open for them and ushered them in.

"Have a seat. Could I get you some coffee?"

"Can it, Midler," suggested Cassie, rudely. "This isn't a social call. What are you guys doing to find them?"

"Cassie!" JoAnne quickly reprimanded the young lady. Cassie glared at her, but kept quiet...for the moment.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," JoAnne gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sure you can appreciate how worried we are. We just would like to know what's happening."

Midler sat down behind his desk, glanced from the obviously worried, though composed older woman to the spitfire redhead. He looked down at the blotter on his desk. "Well, we did receive an S.O.S. around 5:00 this evening. There was a lot of static and the transmission was broken up but it sounded like the caller identified himself as being from the Jacqueline Jane. They reported that they were being swamped by a storm."

JoAnne couldn't help it. She gasped, paling, the matter-of-fact recitation making the nightmare even more real. Midler paused, as he waited for her to compose herself.

Cassie watched her, unsure of what to do. She just hoped that JoAnne wouldn't become hysterical. Truth be known, she could handle any situation that fire fighting could throw at her, exploding buildings, rampaging fire, critically injured patients, but a hysterical woman and she was helpless. She usually let Pidge handle them.

After a brief moment, JoAnne composed herself, motioned for Midler to continue. "According to our satellite data, we managed to pinpoint where there's a pretty big storm happening. We assume that's where they are."

"All right, so you've got a search party out there, right?" demanded Cassie. This she could deal with...facts, action.

Midler shook his head. "We have to wait for the storm to die down."

"What?" exploded Cassie. "What kind of two-bit rescue operation are you guys running here?" She jumped to her feet. "Look, if the fire department waited for a fire to be out before we rescued people, we'd have a hell of a lot of dead people on our hands!"

"Cassie!" JoAnne gave her a stern look. Really, the young woman was definitely crossing the line. "Don't be rude."

"Rude?" Cassie scoffed. "I'm being truthful here and if he can't handle that..."

Midler held up his hands. "Please. Ladies. As I was about to say before I was interrupted..." he gave Cassie a look, but she remained defiant, "once we get a report that the storm's dying out, when it's safe for all parties concerned," he emphasized, "we'll be launching a full scale rescue operation."

JoAnne hurried to speak before Cassie could say anything. "And when do you think that will be?"

Midler looked uncomfortable for a moment. "We anticipate maybe another hour or so. I was just about to check on the latest weather satellite report when..."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" demanded Cassie, reaching over and yanking open his office door.

Midler, shaking his head at her, got up and stepped out of the office.

JoAnne turned to Cassie but the younger woman held up a restraining hand, "I know, okay. Just don't."

All three men stared at the bubbling water, each holding their breath. The light that Chet aimed in that direction wavered wildly.

The water churned. Something was definitely making its way up into the cabin. Johnny struggled to keep his arm up out of the water, while Roy looked around for something, anything to use as a weapon.

Suddenly, Chili popped up into the air pocket, coughing and sputtering.

"Chili!" shouted Johnny in disbelief.

"Oh, man," groaned Chet. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," grinned Chili, sucking in air. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah," Roy answered, shaking his head and smiling at the young man.

"We thought you were a goner, man," Johnny said, grinning.

Chili worked his way over to them. "Can't get rid of me that easily, Gage, so if you had designs on my little black book, you can just forget it."

Johnny laughed, then grew serious. "How the hell did you...I mean...we went over..."

Chili waved a hand. "I managed to grab onto a rope as we went over. Got a little banged up against the boat but I hung on. Quite a ride, let me tell you. I had to wait for it to ease up before I could even think of coming to check in here." He couldn't quite hide the tremor in his voice. "I thought you guys were...fish bait for sure."

Johnny snorted. "Well, as you yourself pointed out, you're not getting rid of me that easy either."

Chet shook his head at them, "Uh, guys, this is all heart-warming fuzzy and all but can we focus on the problem here?"

"How far down are we, Chili?" Roy looked around the air pocket. None of the others seemed to have noticed that it was getting smaller. They were running out of time.

"Ten, fifteen feet, give or take ten feet," Chili shrugged with a grin. "The bottom of the boat's just above the surface. A good lung full of air'll get you to the top."
All right then, we better move it." Roy shone his flashlight around the cabin. "Chili, do you know if there's any rope in here? We might be able to use some to tie to the boat to hang on to."

"Good idea. I think there's some down here." Chili took a moment to orient himself before diving beneath the water.

Johnny glanced around the cabin worriedly. He caught Roy's eye. He too had noticed that the air pocket was getting smaller. Roy gave an imperceptible shake of his head, motioning over at Chet. Johnny nodded. No sense getting Kelly worked up over their latest predicament.

Chili broke to the surface, carrying a couple of coils of rope. He started to hand one to Johnny, then saw the makeshift bandage on his arm. "What the hell happened to you?"

"It's nothing. No big deal."

Chili shook his head as he handed a coil of rope to Roy. "Man, I can't turn my back on you for a minute and you're getting yourself banged up again. How the hell do you handle having him for a partner, DeSoto?"

"It's rough," Roy joked back, "but someone's gotta do it."

Johnny made a face at them. "Oh, funneee. Let's just get out of here."

"Yeah, I'll second that." Chet shivered. "I'm freezing down here."

Roy gave him a questioning glance. It wouldn’t be any warmer topside.

"Okay, guys." Chili unrolled one of the ropes. He tossed one end to Johnny who was furthest from him. "Everyone grab onto this and follow me out. And Gage, make sure you stay with the line. I don't want to have to be rescuing you all over again."

Johnny shot him a look, rolling his eyes.

Chili grinned. "Ready?" They all nodded. "Okay, deep breath now. See you at the top."

He dove under the water and Chet and Roy quickly followed. Johnny hesitated as his left hand slipped off the rope. He shook his arm, trying to get circulation back into it. It was like a deadweight. He took a deep breath and followed the others into the eerie, inky darkness.

Cassie was pacing impatiently inside one of the meeting rooms that Midler had escorted them to. She glanced at her watch. It had been well over an hour now and still no news. She hated this waiting around and especially hated not having any input into the search. Being a civilian in this situation really sucked!

She glanced at JoAnne DeSoto who had been sitting quietly in a chair the entire time. She shook her head. She couldn't understand the woman's calmness. Didn't she understand the seriousness of the situation? Cassie pulled her hair back off her face, flipped it over her shoulder restlessly. Enough of playing meek Joe Q. Public, she decided. It was time to storm into Midler's office, demand action. She squared her shoulders.

JoAnne looked up at her. "I think you should stay here. They'll come get us when there's some news," she said quietly.

Cassie stared at her. "How did you know what I was going to do?"

JoAnne smiled. "You probably don't want to hear this but you remind me very much of another young fire fighter that I know."

Cassie frowned. She couldn't mean...no, not...she couldn't even bring herself to think of his name.

JoAnne actually laughed out loud at the look on Cassie's face. The exact same look she had seen many times on Johnny's face when she would make a suggestion that he didn't like.

"What?" asked Cassie, trying to control her irritation. She hated being the butt of a joke, especially one she didn't get!

"I was just thinking of someone," JoAnne replied, still smiling fondly.

Cassie glared at her for a moment longer, then couldn’t help herself. She smiled back, shaking her head. "How can you be so calm right now?"

"When you're a wife of a fire fighter, you learn how to wait," JoAnne said simply. Surprised, Cassie stared at her. She had never thought about it before. "You'll have a husband one day who'll have to learn the same thing."

The red head shook her head quickly. "No way. I'm not looking to get married."

"Well," JoAnne couldn't help the smile in her eyes, "sometimes it comes looking for you, whether you want it or not." Cassie gave a snort at the statement. "There's nothing wrong with getting married and having kids, you know."

"It's not what I want."

"I admire you and the others," JoAnne told her thoughtfully. "You're chasing your dreams in a very tough field. Just don't let it turn you away from some things just because you think it'll compromise your fight."

Cassie looked unconvinced.

"For me," JoAnne continued, wanting to keep the dialogue going, to distract both of them. "I've always wanted to be a wife and mother, to raise good kids. I suppose if we all wanted the same thing, life would be pretty boring, mmm?"

That made Cassie laugh. "Yeah. That's what I think." She looked questioningly at the other woman. "You really like being a mom, huh?"

"Yes, I do. Children become a part of your soul, I guess is the way I think of it. You'd walk through fire for them..." she made a rueful face at the imagery, considering that she was talking to a fire fighter. "Of course, sometimes, they can drive you round the bend but you still love them, even then."

Cassie was nodding her head. "That's kind of how I think of Chet." She flashed JoAnne a quick look. "But if you tell anyone that I said I loved him, I'll deny it to my dying breath!"

JoAnne laughed out loud. Cassie joined in. It helped to release some of the tension.

At that moment, Midler poked his head in the room, stopping as he saw the two ladies laughing.

They quickly sobered at they noticed him, waited apprehensively.

Roy shone the light on his watch, checking it. It was time for another sound off.

"Chili?"

"Yup, still here."

"Chet?"

"Huh?...Wha...What?" Chet's voice was very weak.

"You still with us, Chet?" Roy called again.

"Uh, yeah...yeah..."

"Okay. Johnny?"

"Can't you just look over and see that I'm here?" asked Johnny grumpily. His arm was really hurting, as well as the other bumps and bruises he had sustained in the capsizing. And though he wouldn't admit it out loud to his friends, not wanting to worry them, he was finding himself growing weaker. He hated when his body betrayed him like this.

"Oh, grumpy, grumpy, Johnny," Chili called out from the other side of the boat. "Did we hurt our funny bone when we fell?"

"At least WE have a funny bone," Johnny retorted spiritedly.

Roy relaxed for a moment as he listened to Johnny and Chili try and one up each other. His partner sounded okay, at least he seemed to. He had been a bit worried about him since they had gotten to the surface three hours ago. He thought that Johnny have been having a hard time, seemed to be fighting to keep hold of the rope, especially when the waves slammed them against the side of the boat but his partner kept saying he was all right. Of course, Roy reminded himself, he had said that a few times before and gotten himself into trouble.

"...sense of humor is always the first thing to go," Chili was saying sadly. "You're on your way out, pal. What kind of flowers do you want me to put on your grave?"

"Don't you worry, "pal". I'll be dancing on yours."

"Guys, not funny," Chet broke in.

"Yeah," Roy agreed. He hated the silences they would fall into but their morbid joking was even worse. Another wave swelled behind them and lifted them into the night. He grabbed the rope tightly. They fell back to the ocean.

"Looks like the worst of the storm's passed now," Chili observed. "They should be sending out a search party now."

"But you don't even know if they got your S.O.S.," Johnny pointed out. "And if they did, they won't be able to see much at night. I think we're in for the long haul." Again, his left hand slipped off the rope. He struggled as he used his right hand to pull himself close again.

"Aren't we Susie Sunshine today?" Chili goaded him.

"S.O.S." Chet started laughing. "Should be S.O.A."

"S.O.A.?" repeated Chili, puzzled. He looked over at the mustachioed fire fighter, and decided to move closer to check him out.

"S.O.A. Save Our Asses!" Chet giggled before reaching up fitfully to wipe at his face. "Man, I'm warm."

Chili knew that Chet was having a hard time, that he was growing drowsier, warmer, slightly disoriented. He might not be a paramedic but he knew what the signs meant. He began to tease him, trying to keep him focused. "Ya know, Kelly, if your sister were here, she'da saved us single handedly by now. Are you sure you guys are related?"

"You keep your hands off Cassie!" Chet glared at him while on the other side of the boat Johnny and Roy laughed. "Besides, you guys just don't see the big picture here," Chet continued, indignantly. "I'm her big brother. I taught her everything she knows!"

That was it. Everyone began roaring with laughter, the sound echoing around them before being swallowed up by the darkness pressing in on them. One by one, they fell silent, drifted, rising and falling with each swell of the ocean.

A half-hour later, Roy started the count off again. "Chili?"

"Yeo."

"Chet?"

Instead of answering the stocky fire fighter complained, "Man, I'm broiling here, guys."

Johnny jumped in before Roy could call his name. "I'm here, okay? I'm here."

Roy grimaced. "Hey, just trying to keep tabs on everyone."

"I bet you were the hall monitor in school," Johnny muttered. His temper was getting the best of him at the moment, not surprising considering the pain her was in, how lightheaded he was getting. Still, he shouldn't be taking it out on his friends. "Sorry."

"That's okay," Roy assured him, wishing that he could get closer to him, to check him out but knowing that Johnny would just wave him off. He sighed.

"Wait a minute," Chili pounced. "You were, weren't you? A hall monitor?"

Roy answered defensively, "So what if I was? There's nothing wrong with that. The teachers just thought I could handle it. It was a big responsibility, you know, an important job."

"Man," Johnny shook his head sorrowfully. "Hall monitor! Bet you didn't have many friends in school."

"I did so!" Roy retorted.

"Yeah, all the other geeks," his partner laughed. "Good thing Chili and me decided to be friends with ya, huh? Saved you from a life of geekdom."

"I don't know, Johnny," Chili joined in the fun. "I don't know if I can seriously be friends with a high school geek."

"Oh, come on, guys," Roy protested. "Not all hall monitors were geeks."

"Yeah," Chet mumbled. "I was a hall monitor too."

Chili and Johnny broke up laughing. Roy couldn't help himself. He started laughing too.

"Wha...?" Chet frowned, trying to concentrate, slurring his words. "Wha'so funny...?"

Roy grew serious at the sound of Chet's voice. "Uh, Chili, is he okay?"

Before Chili could respond, Chet began complaining loudly again. "I'm boiling here. I'm gonna take my jacket off." Without a second thought, he took his hands off the rope, started undoing his life jacket as he floated away from the boat.

"Whoa!" Chili called, grabbing him and pulling him back.

Chet started struggling in his grasp. "Hey, lemme go. Lemme go. I just wanna get cool."

"Uh, guys, I need some help over here," Chili called out, trying to keep his voice even. It was obvious that Chet was becoming delusional.

"Hang on, Chili. I'm coming over." Roy looked over at Johnny, who was resting his head against the hull of the boat. "You'll be okay, right?"

Johnny gave him a long, suffering look. "Yes, Dad. Go take care of Chet." He closed his eyes for a moment as he added, " he was pretty dehydrated from throwing up. Probably why he's out of it right now."

"Yeah," Roy agreed, relieved to hear that Johnny was still oriented. He had been worrying how all that blood loss might be affecting him. Carefully, he began working his way around the boat, calling over his shoulder, "don't go anywhere while I'm gone."

"Ha, ha," Johnny snorted. "Too bad YOU didn't hurt your funny bone back there..."

Laughing, Roy moved out of sight. Johnny could hear him calling out to Chili and Chili answering him back.
A swell, gentler than the earlier ones, pulled Johnny up and out of the water for a brief moment. He tried timing the fall to avoid the hull but still managed to get the wind knocked out of him as he slammed against the side. His left hand now hung uselessly at his side. Time passed but he had no idea how much, his thoughts, his focus just on staying in place.

He heard Roy calling out, "Johnny?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Johnny answered.

"I'm going to stay with Chet and Chili for a bit, okay? Just give them a hand here."

"Sure. Chet okay?"

"He's a little disoriented," Chili observed. "It'll take two of us if he gets the idea to go sun bathing in the nude here again."

Johnny chuckled at the thought. Leave it to Chester B. Suddenly, his right hand slipped off the rope. He dropped into the water. Panicking despite himself, he reached out wildly, finally connecting with the rope. He pulled himself up, gulping air, coughing. Oh man, that was close.

It took all his concentration to hang on. He didn't notice the huge wave building up behind him.

Midler stepped into the room. We'll be setting out in fifteen minutes," he said.

"Okay, we'll be ready." Cassie grabbed her jacket.

"Uh." Midler glanced around for a moment, before straightening his shoulders. "You won't be going with us. You're a civilian."

"What?" Cassie exploded. "I rescue people for a living. I'm a professional. I can help."

"You may be a professional, Miss Kelly, but you're also a family member of a potential victim and that makes you a civilian in this situation."

"Of all the stupid, dumb, asinine...."

JoAnne stepped forward, interrupting her. "Lieutenant Midler. You're married, aren't you?"

Midler nodded, warily.

Cassie frowned. Now what?

"I saw a picture of your family on the desk in your office," JoAnne continued, smiling warmly. "You have beautiful children and your wife is lovely."

"Uh, thank you." Midler was obviously taken aback by the direction the conversation had taken.

JoAnne stared at him intently. "Lieutenant, I imagine you love your wife a great deal." The man nodded. "Well, put your wife in my shoes. What would you want for her? How would you like people to treat her in a situation like this?"
Midler stared at her for a long moment, not saying anything. Cassie knew enough not to say anything to break the moment.

JoAnne continued quietly, not raising her voice, not begging or pleading, just stating her case, calmly. "We care very deeply about those people on that boat. We need to be there, no matter what happens. I think your wife would feel the exact same way if she were standing here, worrying about you."

Midler stared at her, his eyes unreadable. Abruptly, he turned and walked to the door, stopped, and said, without turning around, "We leave in fifteen minutes."

Cassie stared at JoAnne, a stunned look on her face. How the hell had she pulled that off?

JoAnne gave her a little smile. "Sometimes, you can get more flies with honey than with vinegar."

Cassie looked abashed for a moment. "I've been called many things, but...vinegar?"

JoAnne stopped in the doorway. "I'm going to call Captain Stanley to let him know what's happening." She paused for a moment, threw Cassie an impish look. "Just for the record...I happen to like a bit of vinegar myself. Adds a little needed spice to things."

Cassie stared after her, open-mouthed.

Chet was floating between Chili and Roy. The two were talking quietly to him, trying to keep him conscious. Roy was worried though. He knew the man needed fluids in him quickly. Ironic. All this water and nothing to drink.

"Hey, Johnny. I've been thinking..." Chili called out, then paused for a moment, grimacing as he waited for the zinger that his opening had provided, frowned when his friend didn't take the opportunity. Getting slow on the uptake, he grinned to himself before continuing. "Maybe we better stop taking trips together. Next time one of us might really get hurt!"

There was no answer from the other side of the boat. "Johnny?"

Still nothing.

Roy and Chili exchanged worried looks. Roy braced himself, shifting to carry Chet's full weight as Chili started working his way over to the other side of the boat.

"JOHNNY?!"

Chili started waving the flashlight frantically around the bow of the boat. There was nothing there except an empty rope. He swung the light out into the endless ocean. "JOHNNY????? JOHNNY??????" he began screaming. He pushed away from the boat, not thinking, just intent on trying to find his friend.

"CHILI?!!" Roy had managed to move both himself and Chet to the end of the boat. "Chili! Where the hell do you think you're going? Get back here!"

Chili stopped, treading water. He looked behind him at Roy, then back out at the impenetrable darkness around them. The man was right. Reluctantly, he swam back over to him, swearing, venting his frustration. "God damn it, Gage. Why are you always doing things like this?"

"He told me he was okay. I asked him." Roy's voice reflected the pain, guilt, anger he was feeling. "When I see him again, we're going to have a little chat. This invincible act of his is wearing damn thin..."

"Johnny's okay," Chet piped up, briefly aware of his surroundings. "He's like a bad penny. He'll show up again."

Chili clutched at his rope, looked over at Roy.

Silence hung heavy in the air.

Cassie had refused to stay inside the cabin of the search boat, insisting on standing at the front of the bow. She didn't seem to notice the salt-water spray drenching her long red hair as it streamed behind her.

Lieutenant Midler shook his head. Civilians! He looked over at JoAnne DeSoto. "She should really come inside."

The older woman gave him a small smile. "Trust me. She'll do exactly what she wants."

She watched as he grabbed a thermos and stepped out onto the deck. Sighing, she sipped at the coffee she didn't really want and, despite her words, worried over the young woman.

'You can't mother everyone, JoAnne'.

She started, almost spilling her coffee as she looked around the room. She was alone. She could have sworn that it had been Roy she had heard. It was something he teased her about quite often. She closed her eyes, fighting tears.

"Here."

Cassie jumped at the unexpected voice beside her. She turned to see Midler holding out the top of the thermos. She took the cup gratefully, inhaling the coffee aroma for a moment, letting the cup warm her hands. "Thanks." She couldn't meet his eyes, embarrassed by her earlier behavior. Just so her, as Pidge was constantly telling her. Speaking before she had a chance to think things through.

"You know," Midler said gently. "You can see just as well inside, where it's warm. We've got men stationed all along the deck with glasses."

"I know." Cassie looked back out at the churning sea. "I just need..." Her voice trailed away.

Midler nodded. He understood. He had been in this job far too long not to know what she was thinking.

Cassie suddenly looked very young as she turned to him. "Um, about earlier. I'm..." Damn, she always had such a hard time saying the word. "I'm..."

Midler smiled at her obvious discomfort. When she wasn't spitting at him, she was actually quite nice. He wondered briefly what kind of fire fighter she was. Probably a damn good one, he decided. "It's okay. I understand."

Cassie flashed him a grateful look.

"Look, I know you've been in rescue operations before," he began, searching for words. "I just... I just want you to be prepared for this. They might not..."

"No, Midler," Cassie was shaking her head. "You don't know these guys. They're alive. You'll see."

She was absolutely convinced, Midler could see. As was JoAnne DeSoto. They were both amazing women, he realized.

Suddenly, a voice called out. "Hey, Lieutenant. I think I see something!"

"We're not going to die, Chet," Roy said, with a calmness he wasn't feeling. He was getting weak himself from the continued exposure. Chet's increasingly morbid state of mind worried him. Actually, right now, everything was worrying him.

He fell silent again, glancing at Chili who had grown noticeably quiet since Johnny had disappeared. It was obvious he was thinking of their missing friend. He sighed. He didn't know how much longer they themselves would be able to last in the water. He turned his thoughts, once again, to his wife and family, holding on tightly to the mental picture of them in his head.

Chet stirred suddenly, his voice weak, more of a croak. "I...I think I see a light..."

Roy adjusted his grip on the man's life jacket, forcing himself to speak calmly. "Quit it, Kelly. You're not dying. There's no 'light at the end of the tunnel' thing happening here, okay?"

"But, Roy..." Chet blinked, pointing to a spot over the paramedic's shoulder. "I...I really see a light."

Chili twisted his body to look in the direction Chet was pointing. He shut his eyes, shook his head, looked again. The light was still there. "He's right!" he shouted. "HEY! OVER HERE! OVER HERE!!"

Roy started screaming with him.

A large beacon swept across the ocean in front of them, around them, finally on them. The men blinked in the sudden brightness.

The boat stopped a short distance away, the Lieutenant not wanting a wave to push them into the helpless men. A smaller launch was dropped over the side, manned by two men who quickly made their way over to the overturned boat. Cassie and JoAnne waited impatiently on deck as they watched, Chili, then Chet and finally Roy being pulled to safety. They didn't notice that only three men, not four, had been rescued.

The launch docked up against the cutter and many hands reached down to help bring the men up on the deck. Chet was handed up first, and was quickly whisked away into the warmth of the cabin, Cassie following close on his heels.

JoAnne gave Chili a quick hug as he made it up on the deck under his own power, though swaying weakly. He didn't say anything as he was led into the cabin as well. JoAnne frowned after him. Something was nagging at the back of her mind but before she could put her finger on it, Roy made it to the railing.

"JoAnne?" he murmured, dazed, not sure that he was really seeing her.

JoAnne smiled at him as he limped onto the deck, emotions threatening to overwhelm her. She tried for a light touch, a bit of Cassie'ism. "What? You don't call anymore when you're going to be late?" she teased. "Better not get into that habit, mister..." Her voice wobbled and she ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. She wouldn't, couldn’t let go. They walked, still joined together, into the cabin.

Cassie had helped get Chet into dry clothes and was trying to get fluids into him. She looked around the room at Roy and Chili, frowning. "Where's Johnny?"

The look on their faces told the story.

Johnny didn't know how long he had been floating, riding the swells. Man, it was like being on an endless amusement ride. He had already thrown up everything that he possibly could and now had the dry heaves. Not fun.

His mind drifted, dreaming. The ties on his life vest had loosened, causing him to sink in the water occasionally. Without the use of his left hand, he couldn't fix the problem. He slipped under again, sputtered to the surface, coughing up water. He struggled to keep his eyes open. He knew he was going into shock, needed to stay awake.

He worried about the other guys, though he did grin for a moment at the thought of them. They were probably cursing him right now, ticked that he had disappeared on them. He sobered instantly. At least, he hoped they were still alive to be mad at him. It hadn't really been his fault, he argued with himself, for the nth time. He had been about to call out to them for help when a large wave had pulled him off the rope, and dragged him underwater, away from the boat. By the time he had surfaced, he had been too far away to call for help, too weak to swim back.

Roy was probably blaming himself, he decided grimly. He knew his partner so well.

Suddenly, he stiffened as he felt something bump against his legs. It took all his will power to keep still, to stay motionless, not wanting to attract the attention of whatever it was. He could hardly breath.

Again, whatever it was, bumped against him. That was it. He pulled his legs up, struggling to hold them with just his right arm, and let out a scream. The sound filled the night air. It felt good. He let loose with another gut wrenching yell and another, over and over and over again.
Above him, the stars spun across the sky.

Roy sipped at his coffee, letting it warm him. Now that he was in dry clothes and had some nourishment, he was starting to feel half-human again. It seemed that Chili was also recovering quickly. Chet though, was still in rough shape and would definitely need to get to the hospital as soon as they landed.

Frowning, Roy looked out through the porthole, watching the city skyline get closer, hating that they were so far from the accident site now. He and Chili had argued endlessly with Midler, trying to persuade the man to stay and search for Johnny. He had to admit that Midler had had a point. Searching for a lone man out on the vast ocean, at night, was like looking for a needle in a haystack...except that the needle was his partner and friend. He sighed, remembering Midler's words again. Looking for Johnny in the night was not the same as looking for a boat, which was how they had been found. They could easily pass right by Johnny and not see him or worse, actually run him over.

They had left one of the launch boats behind with two men aboard, in case and would head out in a helicopter at first light.

Squad 14's paramedics Dwayne Duthie and Gino "Aggie" Agnello were waiting on shore as they docked, along with Captain Stanley.. Dwayne quickly began working on Chet while Aggie tried to look over Chili and Roy. They were having none of it.

"We're okay," Roy tried to wave the man away. Aggie gave him a look, then turned to Captain Stanley.

"Let the man do his job, boys," Stanley ordered.

Grinning, Aggie turned to Chili. "You heard the man."

Chili glared back at him.

Midler came over to them. "We'll be taking the helicopter out in about an hour and a half."

Roy jumped up. "I'll be ready."

Midler shook his head. "We have enough rescue personnel to carry this out...healthy rescue personnel."

Roy gave him a stubborn look. "Lieutenant, save your breath."

"Yeah," chimed in Chili. "I'm a diver so if anything happens I can help."

"And I'm a paramedic. Johnny's going to need help."

Midler looked at the two men, then over at JoAnne who gave him a sympathetic smile. "What is it with you people? Don't you think we can do our jobs?" He shook his head, exasperated. "Look, you guys have been in the water yourselves for a long time. You need to go to the hospital. We'll take care of your friend. And," he pointed to Squad 14's paramedics. "We'll be taking one of these guys along as well."

"But..."

Stanley gave the two fire fighters a stern look but before he could say anything, JoAnne decided it was time to put her foot down. "You're going to the hospital, Roy, no argument. You too, Chili. Do I make myself clear?"

Roy gave her a sheepish look. He knew better than to argue when she got this way. "Yes, ma'am."

Cassie looked out from the back of the ambulance. "Go, girl!" she grinned. She tossed JoAnne the keys to her car as Roy and Chili climbed in beside her.

Midler nodded at them. "I'll call the hospital as soon as there's news."

He didn't seem to notice as his head slipped again and he was underwater. He swallowed a stomach full before he could make it back to the surface. God, it was getting harder to fight back, he thought. He sank again, struggled weakly to the surface. He was so tired, so, so tired. Wearily, he tried to lift his head. His eyes closed. Just need to rest, just for a bit...

He was vaguely aware that he was breathing more water than air, had to force himself to lift his head again. He was drifting into sleep, and no matter how much he tried to make himself stay awake, he was losing the battle. He started to sink again.

"Hey, Pally."

Johnny blinked, shook his head. Man, he was really out of it. That sounded like Roy. He closed his eyes again.

"Don't be rude. Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Johnny reluctantly opened his eyes, looked over to his right. There was Roy, bobbing in the water. He stared at him. "Where...?"

"Hey, partner. Don't I always rescue you?"

"Now, wait a cotton picking minute," Johnny protested spiritedly. "I've rescued you just as many times."

"Whatever you say, Gage," Roy smirked at him, treading water, staying just out of his reach. "We'll just ask Chili. See what he thinks."

"Chili? Where is he? And Chet? Chet was with us, too, right?"

"You're rambling, Johnny. Focus. The guys are all right. We're talking about you right now. As usual, you're in quite a pickle."

"As usual?" Johnny found himself grinning, a little strength returning now that he wasn't alone. "You make it sound like I'm some kind of trouble magnet." He groaned as he saw the wicked grin on Roy's face.

"You know, when we get back to shore, I think I'll seriously look into seeing if there's a way of demagnetizing you. You know, maybe get a couple of industrial strength magnets, one at the head of your bed, one at the foot and..."
"Oh, please." Johnny tried to glare at him but the image the words conjured up ruined the effect.

The two friends laughed together as the ocean softly swelled around them.

Roy was driving Nurse Dixie McCall crazy, constantly coming up to the desk to check to see if Midler had called yet.

"Roy, I promise. I'll come get you as soon as I hear anything." She gave him a sympathetic look. She didn't have to tell him how concerned she was herself.

Roy sighed, headed back to the treatment room, limping on his bandaged ankle. He stopped at the emergency entrance, watching as the sun slowly began to rise over the city, fingers of light spread across the sky. As he stood there, he found himself hoping that somehow, against the odds, Johnny was watching it too.

"And some of Marco's chili and lots of fresh bread and some coffee. Oh yeah, a gallon of coffee. Oh, and some of JoAnne's brownies." Johnny smacked his dry, cracked lips. "That's the first thing I'm gonna have when I get out of here."

"Don't know where you put it all, Johnny. You must have a hollow leg or something."

Johnny laughed. "Hey, they didn't call me the Galloping Grey Hound for nothing in high school, you know."

"Oh, look," Roy pointed behind Johnny. "The sun's coming up. You know, I always like watching a nice ocean sun rise. Don't you?"

Johnny turned to look at the rising sun, then back at Roy. But he wasn't there anymore. "Roy? ROY?" He lifted himself up as high as he could in the water, scissoring his legs. He couldn't see his partner anywhere. He dropped back down into the water, exhausted. "Don't leave me," he whispered.

Aggie adjusted his binoculars as he looked out the helicopter's window, the loud, steady whomp, whomp of the blades overhead filling the cockpit, curbing unnecessary conversation. Never had he been so aware of how vast the sea was. It stretched beyond their vision, a huge gray, blue, white capped expanse. And they were suppose to find one, lone person in it? He clamped down on the negative direction his thoughts were taking. He knew John Gage. If anyone could get out of this, he was the person. Besides, Gage owed him some money on the last Dodgers game they had bet on. He had plans for that money. Yeah, he told himself, yet again. They would find him.

The helicopter dipped suddenly, following its next tack on the grid the rescue team had worked out. By calculating the position of the over turned boat, the wind and water currents, how much time had passed since Johnny had gone adrift, the crew had come up with an area that they were searching first. It was a crapshoot at best, but they knew that, considering Johnny's condition at the time he disappeared, time was of the essence. They had to start somewhere.

Aggie lowered his binoculars, and rubbed his eyes wearily.
"We'll be heading back in 15 - 20 minutes," the pilot's voice echoed in his ear.

Aggie frowned. "What?"

"Fuel." The pilot tapped the instrument in front of him. He gave an apologetic shrug.

One of the spotters, Steve Kaliciak, a big, mountain of a man, turned to look back at Aggie. "Don't worry, mate. We'll refuel and head back out. We're not giving up yet."

"Yeah, okay." Aggie quickly raised the binoculars to his eyes and began scanning the ocean again. "Hey, what's that down there?"

Kaliciak turned to look in the direction that Aggie indicated. His mouth tightened. "Damn. It's sharks. A lot of 'em."

"Shit." Aggie muttered quietly.

"Yeah," Kaliciak agreed. He turned back to continue sweeping the area below him.

Johnny couldn't understand why the bed he was on kept moving. Hmmm, oh yeah, his latest girlfriend had a waterbed, that was it. And she always wanted him to stay over at her place, never his. Well, the waterbed was making him nauseous. And to think he had wanted one of these! Okay, he decided, I've given the damn bed a fair enough chance, it's either me or the bed. He had a funny feeling he knew what her answer would be, after all his track record with women was well known. He grinned absently. Wait till the guys heard that he got dumped for a waterbed. Man.

What the heck? He frowned. That noise. Was she drilling for oil in the kitchen or something? He tried to block the sound but couldn't seem to make his arms work. Huh? Maybe it's time to actually open my eyes and check out what the heck's going on here. Something is definitely out of whack.

He blinked, staring up at a blue sky. Oookaaay? Guess this isn't the bedroom. Where...? It all came back in a rush, the capsizing, the guys, getting swept away... He panicked for a moment, struggled to right himself. The life jacket slipped off one arm, leaving him with just his right side being elevated. Damn. Damn. This isn't good.

Suddenly, he realized the noise was getting closer. He looked up. What the hell kind of bird is that????

Kaliciak gave his watch a surreptitious glance before looking back out at the water. His eyes narrowed as he noticed a faint blur of red. Not wanting to raise any hopes, he adjusted his binoculars, tracking the blur, focusing. A life jacket. Definitely a life jacket...with someone attached to it!

"Got him!!!" Kaliciak whooped, tapping the pilot on the shoulder, indicating the direction to go.

Aggie leaned over to look out the window as well. Johnny! All right!

"Woohoo!!!" he shouted as he and Kaliciak high fived before turning to the business at hand. The pilot was already on the radio, notifying one of the search boats .

Kaliciak sized up the situation as he quickly worked to get the life ring ready. He could see that Johnny was in serious trouble. His life jacket was barely on and the man seemed to be disoriented, not moving much. Then there was the added urgency of the sharks heading his way. There wasn't a moment to spare.

The pilot swooped down, hovering above Johnny. The blades kicked up the water, making it harder for Johnny to keep his head out of the water but it couldn't be helped. Kaliciak tossed the life ring out the open cockpit door, managing to drop the ring a few feet away from Johnny.

Johnny had watched the ring fall, and somewhere, he wasn't sure where, got up enough energy to make a move towards it. The churning water went up his nose, down his throat. He gagged, but kept moving. He reached the ring.

The men above him watched, collectively holding their breaths.

"That's it, mate," Kaliciak encouraged as Johnny hooked his good arm around the ring. "All right. Let's bring him up!"

The winch began hauling the rope up but the ring had barely cleared the surface of the water before Johnny slipped off and dropped back into the water. He disappeared beneath the surface. A long moment before he bobbed back up.

"Damn it!" Kaliciak shook his head, quickly strapping on a harness and attaching a spare one on it. "He's too weak to hang on to it."

"We can't wait for the cutter to get here." Aggie worried, frustrated.

"Too right, mate." Kaliciak motioned to the pilot. "Bring her down a bit more, T.J. I'm going in."

The helicopter went even lower and with a thumbs up at Aggie, Kaliciak stepped out the door and splashed down into the water. He vanished for a moment before shooting back up to the surface.

"Hey, there. John Gage, I presume?" he teased in his booming voice.

Johnny stared at him dazedly as Kaliciak kept an arm's length away, wanting to make sure that Johnny didn't panic suddenly on him and drag both of them beneath the water.

"Ready to get out of here, mate?"

Johnny closed his eyes. "Are...are you real?" he croaked. He didn't think he could take it if this person was just another delusion, like Roy had been.

"Oh yeah. Nobody would have a wild enough imagination to conjure me up, mate. Trust me on that one. I'm Steve Kaliciak. Otherwise known as Kamikaze Kaliciak."

"Okay." Johnny sighed quietly. He opened his eyes. "Um, Kamikaze...can we go home now?"

"Yeah, Johnny." The big man reached out to touch Johnny's arm. "We can go home now."

Working quickly, Kaliciak wrapped the harness around Johnny, keeping an eye out for the marauding sharks. Johnny tried to help but his hands were numb, clumsy. "Hey, mate, you just relax. I'll get us out of here, all right. You're job is to just enjoy the ride. Deal?"

Johnny's eyes closed, exhaustion winning the battle. "I can do that..."

Kaliciak held an arm up towards the helicopter, motioning that he was ready. The winch began turning, and slowly, ever so slowly, Johnny was lifted from the water and into the air.

Kaliciak waited for his turn patiently, a huge smile on his face as he watched Aggie reached out to pull the dark haired man into the helicopter. Sometimes, against the odds, they won one. He lived for days like today.

Chili, Chet, Cassie, Stanley and JoAnne were sitting together in Chet's room. The firefighter was sound asleep, though he had been protesting he wasn't tired and wanted to stay awake with them, right up until his eyes had finally closed on him. The other four sat in silence, waiting, wondering, worrying.

Suddenly, the door to the room flew open. Dixie, calm, cool, professional Dixie, was shouting. "They found him. He's alive!"

Johnny propped himself up against the pillows, trying to get comfortable. His left arm still throbbed, felt like a million needles poking at it, but that was suppose to be a good sign. It meant the circulation was working again. He tried to tune out Chet in the next bed, who was yapping away. It wasn't helping his headache any.

He looked up relieved, when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey," he smiled as he saw Chili, Roy, JoAnne and Cassie come into the room.

"Hey, Chet. Johnny." Roy headed over to Johnny's bed. "How ya doing, partner?"

"Okay. I'm doing okay." Johnny made a face. "Though I wish this bed would stop moving."

"Oh, that!" Cassie laughed. "Still feels like you're floating out on the ocean, I bet."

"Yeah, that's it." Johnny still looked a little queasy.

"That'll last for a couple of days, I'm afraid," Cassie advised in her best paramedic voice as she turned to Chet.

"Oh, great."

"Damn, Johnny." Chili shook his head as he grabbed a seat by his bed. "You've gotta be some kind of cat. How many lives have you used up now?"

Johnny grinned weakly. "You keeping count?"

Chili grew serious. "No way, man. I don't want to know."

"Hey, sis, whatdy'a bring me?" Chet demanded, as he eyed the bag in Cassie's hand.
"Oh, this?" she asked, holding up a brown paper bag. "Sorry, it's not for you, brother of mine. It's for Gage here."

"What?" Chet whined. "He wasn't the only one that was lost at sea, you know."

"You brought me something?" Johnny asked in surprise. He snuck a look at Chet, worried that he would start freaking out on him, doing his big brother routine, but the fire fighter was just watching him grumpily and didn't seem too agitated...yet.

JoAnne gave the young red head a quick glance. Cassie gave her an innocent look. JoAnne laughed quietly. Oh yes, the young woman definitely reminded her of Johnny. She turned to watch the fire fighter in question.

He took the bag from Cassie, looked at the others in the room. He reached into the sack, and pulled out a jar. He frowned, looked at it.

Honey!

He shot his roommate a murderous look. "Chet!"

"It wasn't my fault!" Chet protested. "I was dehydrated, delirious. She took advantage of my weaken state..."

His voice trailed away as the laughter drowned him out.

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