Finding the Brother

by Theatrefangirl014

When the A-Team is hired to find Johnny Gage's brother, it seems to be just another case. But everything changes when Face (Templeton Peck) is in an accident and when the rest of the team puts together the pieces of the puzzle to find Johnny's brother.

Finding the Brother

(A-Team/Emergency! Crossover)

1st story in the Finding Series

NOTE: I do not own any of the characters of the A-Team or of Emergency! These characters belong to Stephen J. Cannell, Frank Lupo, Robert A. Cinader, Harold Jack Bloom, Jack Webb, and associates.

It was a rainy day, and Templeton Peck AKA Face was waiting for Murdock to pick him up from the airport. Come on, Murdock. Where are you? I've been waiting for over an hour now. I thought you said this mission was 'of the utmost' importance.

In a matter of minutes, a Jeep pulled up with Murdock in the driver's seat. "Murdock, where have you been? I've been waiting for over an hour!" Face shouted angrily.

"Faceman, I would have come sooner. But if only you knew the circumstances…" Murdock rambled.

"What "circumstances", Murdock? No one's told me anything about the mission."

"Well, where do I start?"

"How 'bout the beginning?" Face said sarcastically.

"Well, Hannibal got an urgent request for us to find some lady's adopted brother's brother…"

"Why us? Why not a private eye?"

"Hannibal said she specifically asked for us. And there's a ton of other info, but I'm sure Hannibal will want to brief you further."

"Ok. Where are we meeting them?"

"We're meeting them at the hotel. It's about forty-five minutes from here."

"Let's go."

Murdock promptly grabbed Face's suitcase and started wheeling it towards the jeep. Face followed with his backpack slung over his right shoulder.

"Do you have your laptop handy?"

"It's in my backpack," Face said as he slid into the passenger seat.

"I need you to look up Renata Dietrich," Murdock said as he put the key in the ignition.

"How do you spell that?"

"R-E-N like hen with an R. Then A-T-A. And Dietrich is spelled D-I-E-T-R-I-C-H."

"Hmmm," he mumbled as he typed the letters into the laptop's search engine. After a few moments of silence, Face said, "Wow, she's gorgeous. OOOhh, and she's not married. Wait, the guy's her son?"

"No, he's her brother. And you didn't let me finish. Her family took him in when he was a child. You see…"

Murdock's phone rang, interrupting him.

"I've got it," Face said while reaching for the flip phone. "Hello, this is Face." he paused. "Hi, Hannibal." Another pause. "Ya, Murdock was just explaining it to me." Another pause. "No, I just got to the part that he was taken into their family as a child." A long pause. "Ok, I'll put you on speaker phone," Face said as he pushed a series of buttons. "You're on speaker phone now."

"Hey, Murdock. I'm going to brief Face over the phone. I had something come up, and I can't meet you at the hotel." Hannibal said.

"That's fine, Hannibal. Go ahead." Murdock said as he merged into the right lane of the highway.

"So the kid's name is John Roderick Gage AKA Johnny Gage. He was taken into the Dietrich family when he was about eight years old. Renata was about eleven at the time. You see, Johnny was born to his Native American mother and his white father. His father was very abusive to both Johnny and Johnny's mother. His father even killed Johnny's mother when Johnny was six years old. Then the cops came and arrested the father and sent Johnny to his aunt's where he lived for two years. Unfortunately, she died while Johnny was in her care. It just so happens that the Dietrichs heard about poor Johnny and how he was going to be sent to an orphanage. So they volunteered to be his foster family and eventually adopted him but kept his name the same." Hannibal said.

"I looked up the girl on the Internet, and she seems like a trustworthy person. No criminal record or incriminating evidence of anything." Face said.

"Ok. When you two get to the hotel, B.A. might have some information on the family tree by then." Hannibal said. "I'll be at the hotel in a few hours. Bye."

Meanwhile, Hannibal was driving through Butler to get to the house of the Dietrich family. He had received a call from Renata saying that she wanted to talk to him about her adopted brother. He took a quick look at the map, and then continued on his course.

Within ten minutes, Hannibal was pulling into the Dietrich's driveway. A woman about Face's age was sitting on the porch step waiting for him. As he approached, she rose to her feet. "Hello, you must be Hannibal Smith. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a warm smile.

"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Dietrich," Hannibal said with a grin.

"Please, call me Renata."

"Ok, Renata. So what did you want to tell me about Johnny?"

"Well, for one, Johnny has a job in Los Angeles as a Firefighter/Paramedic. I haven't told him about this, yet. I want to keep it a surprise for his birthday."

"When's his birthday?"

"August 28th. So in eight days," she paused. "Do you think that your team can find him in about a week?"

"I think that we can, Renata. First, did the state department give your family any papers about him?"

"I do remember a certain file about him. It would be in the attic."

"Good, then I'll help you look for it." Hannibal said.

She led him up the steps, to the right, and through a bedroom. They arrived at a door that was old and had peeling paint. "We haven't been up to the attic for a few years. So sorry about all the dust and stuff," she said as she gave the door a hard yank. The door squeaked open. They walked up the creaky stairs in silence.

"It would be in this section. This is Johnny's stuff," she said as she started to rummage through the multiple boxes.

Hannibal looked at the stack of boxes. There were about six total. He chose a small box that was unmarked.

After a few moments of rummaging, Renata found something. "Hannibal, this is it," she said holding up a brown file with Johnny's name of it. She handed it over to Hannibal.

"Can I take these with me, for the rest of the team to look at? I promised them that I would be back shortly," Hannibal said.

"Sure. If you have any questions, here's my number," she said handing him a piece of paper.

"Ok, will do," he said as he got in his car and drove away.

When Murdock and Face arrived at the hotel, they found B.A. busily typing on the computer.

"Hey, Face, as soon as you're done unpacking, can you take a look at this?" B.A. said gruffly.

"Sure, I'll only be a minute," Face said as he plopped his stuff down on the bed.

"Ya, a Face minute equals an hour," B.A. mumbled under his breath. "Hurry up, Face, I don't got all day."

"I'm coming. I'm coming. No need to get uptight, B.A. What did you find?" he said while peering over B.A.'s shoulder.

"It seems that that kid, Johnny Gage lives in LA and get this…he's a firefighter paramedic."

"Wow, that's interesting," he said while quickly skimming over the page.

"What did ya find out about that girl?"

"She's gorgeous."

"No fool, I meant the background information."

"Oh, ya. She seems trustworthy. No record. No incriminating facts."

"Good, 'cause Hannibal already went to see her," B.A. said.

"What did you say B.A.?" Murdock shouted from the bathroom.

"I said that that's where Hannibal went," B.A. said loudly.

A couple hours later, the door of their hotel room swung open. B.A. jumped to his feet ready to fight the intruder. "Hannibal, why can't you just knock? You just about scared me to death," B.A. said gruffly sitting back down in the armchair.

"I got the file on Johnny. Gather around, and we'll all take a look at it," Hannibal said while carefully taking out several pieces of paper.

They all looked intently at the six sheets of paper. One was a list of all the immunizations that he had had up until the time that the Dietrichs took him in. Another was a brief summary of his life/who he had lived with and for how long. The third paper was a form signed by his aunt. The fourth was a paper signed by the Dietrichs. The fifth was a copy of the father's will (if he had died by that time) along with the address of the jail that he was in. And the last sheet of paper was a family tree that was torn in half with a whole side missing. The family tree (or what you could read of it) said, James Longfeather and Martha Tre…. (the rest was cut off) and under them were Christiana (Samantha) Longfeather and Bill Gage/A.J. B…. (the rest was cut off) and under them was John R., Ellen, and Alvin (Richard) Br…. (the rest was cut off).

The team did not find any immediate leads, so they decided that it would be best to sleep on it.

When morning came, the team found themselves waking up to the sound of music. Confused, they all looked around to see what was making music. They saw Hannibal holding a music box. "Wake up, wake up! We've got a big day ahead of us!" Hannibal said. Slowly, B.A. and Murdock pulled themselves out of bed and walked toward Hannibal. "You too, sleeping beauty," Hannibal said to Face "And hurry up!" the Colonel shouted getting a little edgy.

"Aww, Hannibal," Face whined as he pulled the covers over his head.

"Lieutenant, get over here right now. We've got to be making a game plan!" Hannibal said firmly.

With a grumble and a nod, Face slowly got out of bed and walked towards the others. "Ok," Hannibal said, "Any ideas on how we can find this guy?"

Murdock replied, "I was thinking, Colonel. Didn't you say that the kid lived on a reservation with his parents for about six years?" Hannibal nodded. "So," Murdock continued, "we could go to the reservation and see if we can fish up any files about their family."

"Good thinking," Hannibal said to Murdock with a grin. "What about the rest of you? Have you two got any ideas?"

"Hannibal, if Johnny works for a fire station in L.A., then the hospital that he takes his patients to would have to have records on him. I could go to L.A. and see what I can find." Face said.

"B.A., you keep looking online for files, records, genealogies, etc. Murdock will go to the reservation, Face will go to the hospital, and I will go to the fire station." Hannibal said.

After their little "meeting" was done, they all got dressed and headed downstairs to breakfast. In a matter of hours, the threesome of Face, Hannibal, and Murdock were on a plane to LA. And B.A. was safe in a hotel room far away from any plane.

When the plane landed, Murdock got straight to work. He hailed a taxi, and made his way to the reservation. When he got there, however, the Native Americans were not very open to answering any of his questions. I hope the search is going a lot better for the others.

Face got off the plane and immediately got directions to Rampart General Hospital. When he arrived, he inquired about records on employees and was told to go the main nurse's station. The nurse's station was very empty, except there was a woman with her back to him looking intently at what looked like an inventory list. "Excuse me, Miss," he said. The lady turned around and gasped loudly. "What? What's the matter?" he said clearly puzzled about her behavior.

"I'm sorry, it's just that you look a lot like one of my friends who works here," Nurse Dixie McCall replied.

"I was told that you have records here on all your employees."

"Yes, that's right."

"I need information about John R. Gage."

"I'm sorry, but in order for a non-family member to access those files, I need Mr. Gage's permission."

"Oh, never mind," he said as he nervously adjusted his tie. "I'll just be going then." he said as he smiled and walked quickly out of the room.

"Something doesn't seem right," Dixie mused. "I had better go call Johnny," she said as she picked up the phone and dialed the station number. "Hi, Hank. Is Johnny there? I need to talk with him." A pause. "Hi, Johnny. Something weird happened a few minutes ago. Do you have any siblings?" A long pause. "That's funny because a man who looked a lot like you came in here a few minutes ago and asked if he could view the files we have on you." Another pause. "Yes, I told him that we would need your permission. After I told him that, he left rather quickly.' Another pause. "Ok, I just wanted to let you know," she said as she hung up the phone. Something is definitely not right. Johnny said he heard his mother mention about two siblings, and they both are dead. Hmmmm.

Meanwhile at Station 51, Johnny had just hung up the phone after having a weird conversation with Dixie.

"What was that about, Johnny?" his partner, Roy, asked with a quizzical look on his face.

"It was Dixie, she said some guy that looked like me tried to access my files…" Johnny said.

"You mean like a hacker or something?"

"I don't know. But I don't like it…." Johnny started. But he was interrupted with knocking.

"I'll get it, Johnny," Roy said as he walked towards the door. "Hello?"

"Hello, is your captain here at the moment?" Hannibal questioned.

"Yes he is, I'll go get him for you," Roy said as he walked toward Hank Stanley's office. "Hank? Captain Stanley? A visitor's here, and he wants to talk to you."

"Bring him to my office," Hank said.

"Right this way, sir," Roy said as he led Hannibal to Hank's office.

"Come in," Hank said as he ushered the man in and shut the door. "What can I do for you sir?"

"I was wondering if you had any files on hand about John Gage. I believe he works here."

"Yes, we do have some files, but the rest are at the hospital."

"I need to look at John's file then." Hannibal said as he lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't allow smoking," he said as he watched Hannibal snuff out the cigarette. "And I can't allow you to access his files without his permission."

"I'm here on behalf of his sister."

"His sister?"

"His sister through his foster family."

"I'm going to need verbal confirmation of that, Mister…um….Mister…."

"John Smith," Hannibal said. Captain Stanley nodded.

"Here, I'll call her right now," Hannibal said as he picked up his phone and dialed her number. "Hello Renata. Can you confirm that I'm allowed to access Johnny's files to his Captain?" A pause. Hannibal handed the phone over to Captain Stanley.

"Yes, Miss." A pause. "Security reasons." Another pause. "Ok, bye," he said as he closed the flip phone and handed it back to Hannibal. "She said I was authorized to let you and your friends access any files you need, and to hold off on telling Johnny about all this. The files are over here," he said as he opened a drawer and pulled out a file.

"Mind if I make a phone call?"

"No, go right ahead," Hank said as he walked out of the office and shut the door.

Just as Hannibal was about to take a look at the files, his phone rang. It was B.A.

B.A. had been hard at work on the computer all day. When suddenly, he stumbled onto the reservation genealogy site. He had located the James Longfeather and Martha Tre. It seems that her name was Martha Trename. Under them he found Christiana (Samantha) Longfeather and A.J. B…. It seems that the notorious crime king (A.J. Bancroft) was in Johnny's family tree! That's very interesting. Now, for the moment of truth….. B.A. thought. He had found a little paragraph explaining that Christiana (Samantha) married A.J. Bancroft. Then A.J. ran away after his son, Alvin (Richard) Brenner, and his daughter, Ellen, were born. Without the father there, she couldn't afford to keep them and raise them so she abandoned them at separate orphanages. She then married Bill Gage, and they had a son named John Roderick Gage. Alvin (Richard) officially changed his name when he was 18 to Templeton Peck and joined the military. Templeton Peck is now said to be part of the A-Team. Oh my word! I have got to call Hannibal!

"What is it, B.A.? Did you find something interesting?" Hannibal questioned. Then there was a pause. "What? Are you sure? Face is his brother? I'll call Murdock right away," Hannibal said as he hung up on B.A. and dialed Murdock's number.

Just as Murdock was about to ask the Native Americans another question about Johnny, his phone rang. "Hello?" Pause. "Hi, Hannibal. Did ya find anything?" Another pause. "You did? Are you sure?" Another long pause. "Oh, Johnny's not there. Do they have a picture? You might be able to tell if they look alike. You know how you can sometimes tell animals apart because they look like one of their parents," Murdock rambled. Hannibal interrupted him, and he grew very quiet as he listened. "Well, does it look like him?" Another pause. "He has the same eyes and smile. Well, if that don't beat it all. Have you told Face, yet?" Another pause. "How am I supposed to know how Faceman would act if you told him over the phone while he was driving that he had a brother?" he gasped. "Wait, maybe it would be best to tell him in person." Another pause. "Ok, bye Hannibal," Murdock said as he hung up.

"Hey, Mister Smith! Johnny is back now. You can come see him if you like!" Captain Stanley shouted.

Hannibal looked up to see two men walking towards him. One was Johnny, the one in the picture, and the other must have been his partner, Roy. "Hiya, fellas!" Hannibal said. "Can I talk to you in private, Johnny?" Johnny took a glance at Roy who gave him a reassuring nod.

"Sure, we can talk in Cap's office," Johnny said leading him into the office. Hannibal followed and shut the door behind him.

"Johnny," Hannibal started, "what do you remember about life on the reservation?"

"Not much. I was really little. All I remember was when my father….." Johnny trailed off.

"I know what happened Johnny. But do you remember your mother mentioning any siblings to you?"

"She did mention me having an older brother and sister. But my father told us how he had received word that they died a few years after I was born."

"You did have a sister, Ellen. But she did not die when she was young; she died two years ago in a skiing accident. And," he paused, "your brother is still alive."

"What? That can't be...I...uh…" Johnny stuttered his eyes growing wide.

"Do you remember your brother's name?"

"I remember my mother mentioning an Alvin, but my father told me his name was Richard. I thought that maybe Richard was his middle name or something. But they didn't really talk about him that much."

"Well, your foster sister, Renata, wanted us (The A-Team) to find your brother for your birthday that is coming up."

"Renata always did take good care of me, even though she was only a couple years older than myself."

"That's not the point. The point is that your brother Alvin/Richard Arthur legally changed his name when he turned eighteen. He then served in the military, was accused of a crime he didn't commit, and became the youngest member of the A-Team."

Johnny's jaw dropped, and he just barely managed to say, "But didn't you just say that you were the A-Team?"

"Yes I did. Your brother is none other than Templeton Peck."

"You're saying that you know my brother, and you've seen him?"

"I saw him just this morning."

"Oh, wow," Johnny said, "What's he like? Does he have a nickname? Do I look like him? Do you have a picture?"

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down!" Hannibal said. "He's the youngest on the team. But he's been like a son to me. Before I knew him and during the war itself, he had a very hard life and all of his family deserted him or died. We usually call him "Face". And yes, you do look like him. Face always told us that he got his eyes and his smile from his mother. It's obvious that you did, too. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture at the moment. But you can meet him tonight if you like."

"It's just so much to take in all at once. Does he look Native American, too?"

"He does get pretty tan, and he always said that it was his Indian blood. But, no. He's blonde."

Before Johnny could reply, the tones sounded. SQUAD 51, POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK VICTIM CROSSSTREET ELM AND LAUREL

Captain Stanley hastily replied, "10-4, KMG-365"

"Sorry, I have to go. But I'll think about it," Johnny said as he turned and ran to the squad.

Meanwhile, Face was just leaving the hospital. He hopped into his corvette and started the engine. I hope Hannibal and the others had better luck than I did. Just as he was pulling out of the parking lot, his phone rang. It was Hannibal. "Hi, Hannibal. What's up?" A pause. "You solved it already?" Another pause. "B.A. solved it? Well, I hope this means that we can actually relax for once." A longer pause. "Where am I? Well, let's see… I'm coming up on Laurel Street." A long pause. "So you're going to keep me in suspense because you think I'll get agitated if you tell me over the phone! Why would I get agitated?" Face said angrily. "I am not agitated, Hannibal! Anyway, what is the 'mysterious' brother's name?"

Little did Face know, but a drunk semi driver had just pulled onto the very same road that Face was on. The driver knew he probably shouldn't be driving, but he figured he could make it home alright.

Before Face knew what was happening, there was the sickening sound of metal colliding as the semi smashed into Face's car. All Face saw was a blur of motion and then blackness…

"Face? Face? What in the world is that racket? Face?" Hannibal shouted in a panicky voice. Hannibal quickly hung up and approached the firemen who heard him shout. "I think my friend is in trouble." He explained the whole situation and what he had heard on the phone.

"It's probably nothing," Marco said. "Otherwise, the tones would have sounded."

"But…I..." Hannibal started.

The tones interrupted him. SQUAD 51 ARE YOU AVAILABLE? There was silence for a split second before Roy replied, "Squad 51 available." SQUAD 51, STATION 51, CAR CRASH 2 POSSIBLE VICTIMS CROSSSTREET LAUREL AND OLIVE

Captain Stanley quickly replied, "10-4, KMG-365". "Do you know where your friend was when the connection was lost?"

"He said he was coming up on Laurel Street," Hannibal said.

"Here, get in. You can come with us," Mike said giving Hannibal a hand up.

"Thanks. I hope he's okay," Hannibal said.

Squad 51 was the first to arrive at the scene, because they had just finished up down the street. When they got to the site of the crash, they could tell it was going to be bad. Roy knew that the semi driver might be okay, but they assumed that the driver of the corvette was probably a goner. Roy and Johnny each grabbed a separate drug box. Roy headed to the semi driver, and Johnny headed towards the corvette. It took Johnny a little time to maneuver around the scattered pieces of the car. But, he finally got to the main part of the car. It was upside down, and he wasn't sure if he could reach the driver by himself.

Soon enough, he heard the familiar sound of Station 51's truck. Good, they can help me get him out. "Chet, Marco, I need some help getting this one out!" Johnny shouted to them.

"Chet and Marco, you two take the Jaws of Life and help Johnny. Mike and Hannibal, you two come with me." Captain Stanley said. Chet grabbed the jaws, and he and Marco made their way to the corvette. Hannibal just stood there surveying the many pieces scattered across the road. He frantically looked around for any signs of life…any signs that would show that Face was still alive. "Hannibal! Come with us, you may be able to help us save this man's life and get your mind off that corvette." Hannibal shook his head trying to clear the barrage of thoughts in his head and followed the captain to the semi.

Roy was already there. "It's too late, the man was already dead. I'm going to go help Johnny," he said as he picked up the drug box and hurried off.

Meanwhile, Chet and Marco had arrived and got right to work on the car. They used the jaws to make the door come unjammed. Within about two minutes, they had worked the door open and undid the man's seatbelt. Marco pulled the man out of the car and laid him on the ground. Immediately, Johnny went to work. He set out the stuff and got ready to call Rampart General Hospital on the biophone.

Before Johnny called Rampart, he was overcome with the thought that he knew the man. He tried to shake the feeling, but he couldn't. "Rampart, can you read me?" Johnny's voice came through on the frequency at the nurse's station.

Dr. Brackett happened to be around and answered, "Go ahead 51."

"Rampart, we have a victim approximately thirty years old who was involved in an accident involving a semi and a corvette. There may be another possible victim from the semi."

"51, is the patient awake?"

"Rampart, the patient seem to be stirring a bit. Hold on, Rampart," Johnny said as he leaned over the man. "Mister, can you tell me your name?"

Face heard noises; they were loud but yet somehow muffled. He thought he could make out a voice asking what his name was. He slowly opened his eyes. It was blurry but he saw a man leaning over him. "Templeton…..Peck…" he rasped.

When Johnny heard the name, he suddenly couldn't focus. The world seemed to be spinning all around him.

When Roy reached Johnny's side, he instantly knew something was wrong. He heard Rampart asking questions on the biophone, but Johnny didn't answer. Johnny's eyes had glazed over, and he was looking very sick. Roy quickly motioned for Mike, the engineer, to take Johnny aside. "Sorry, Rampart, we had a minor problem. What did you want to know?"

"Roy? Where did Johnny go?" Dr. Brackett's voice boomed through the phone.

"He's currently unavailable at the moment," Roy said looking over at Johnny who was turning very pale.

"Is the victim still awake?"

Roy looked at the man and replied, "No, Rampart, he seems to have passed out again."

"What are the vital signs?"

"Hold on for a second, Rampart," Roy said as he pulled out the BP cuff. "BP is 110 over 50." Then he checked his pulse. "Pulse is 30 beats per minute." Then he checked his respirations. "Respirations is 10. The victim seems to be having trouble breathing."

"Administer 2 amp of sodium bi-carb to open an airway. Are there any signs of internal bleeding or broken bones?"

"Rampart, there is evidence of both. He seems to have broken his left leg as well."

"Has the ambulance arrived yet?"

"No, Rampart."

"Start an IV with lactate ringers."

"10-4, Rampart."

As Roy started the IV, he was surprised to see another man with the crew, the same man who had pulled Johnny aside at the station.

Meanwhile, Mike pulled Johnny aside. "Johnny, are you okay?" Before Johnny could answer, he passed out. Fortunately, Mike caught him. "Can somebody help me?" When Hannibal and Hank saw Mike struggling with Johnny, they rushed to his aid. "Help me lay him on the ground." They laid him on the ground. "Come on, Johnny. Wake up!" But Johnny wouldn't wake up. Before the guys had time to alert Roy of the other victim, the ambulance arrived.

"Rampart, the ambulance has arrived," Roy said with a sigh of relief.

"Good, transport as soon as possible."

Just as Roy was about to hang up, Mike ran over. "Roy, Johnny's passed out, and he won't come out of it," Mike said.

"Hold on, Rampart. We have another victim age 28 who has passed out due to unknown causes. Be advised, patient is John Gage."

"Do you have vital signs?"

"Not yet, Rampart. We are currently moving the first victim to the ambulance." Roy picked up the biophone and drug box and carried them to Johnny's side. "Does anyone know how Johnny passed out?" Roy asked as he began to check Johnny out.

Hannibal spoke up, "I think I saw Face tell him his name. After that, Johnny started getting pale, but I didn't want to interfere with the treatment."

"Who's Face?" Roy asked with a quizzical look on his face.

"That's my friend over there," Hannibal said pointing to the man who had just been loaded into the ambulance. "His name is really Templeton Peck, and we found out today that he's Johnny's long-lost brother."

Roy remained silent and then responded to Rampart, "Second victim is thought to have passed out due to intense shock. Vital signs are as follows: BP is 130/80, Pulse is 80 beats per minutes, and respirations is 30."

"51, start an IV with normal saline, and administer 2 liters of O2. Transport as soon as possible."

"10-4, Rampart," Roy said as he hung up. "Hand me the oxygen mask," Roy said as he set up the IV. After the oxygen mask was securely in place, Mike helped Chet lift Johnny onto the stretcher.

"Can I come in the ambulance with you?" Hannibal asked softly. "The first victim is the closest thing to a son that I have."

"Sure, hop in," Roy said as soon as Johnny was securely in the ambulance with Face.

As soon as the ambulance pulled onto the highway, Hannibal got out his phone to call Murdock and B.A. "Murdock, Face was in an accident. I don't know if he's going to make it; his corvette was hit by a drunk driver in a semi-truck." A pause. "Ok, we'll be at Rampart General Hospital." Another pause. "Yes, I'll call B.A." Another pause. "I got to meet Johnny, and I told him about the whole situation. Unfortunately, when he found out that Face was the victim he was treating, he passed out and hasn't come around yet." A slight pause. "Ok, see you soon." Hannibal quickly hung up and called B.A. "B.A., Face was in an accident." A long pause. "I don't know, I just don't know," Hannibal said, trying to keep his composure. "Are you sure? You'll have to take a plane, and you hate planes." Another pause. "Ok. Rampart General Hospital," he said as he hung up. As he put his phone away he asked, "How is Face, Roy?"

"Not too good," Roy said with a frown on his face.

Face was very pale and sweating profusely. He hadn't come around yet. His face looked like death warmed over.

"Is there anything you can do until we get to the hospital?"

"All I can do is try to keep him stable." Hannibal nodded slowly and glanced over at Johnny who was coming to.

Johnny stirred and slowly flicked his eyes open. "Roy? What…." he swallowed. "What happened?"

"You passed out. Remember, you were working on a victim," Roy said slowly.

Johnny thought for a moment and then got a worried look on his face. "How is he? Is he ok?"

"He's stable for the moment," Roy replied calmly.

"Where is he?" Johnny asked.

"Take a look beside you," he said.

Johnny turned his head toward Face and stared. "My brother..." he mumbled.

"Johnny, I need to relay your vital signs to Rampart," Roy said as he moved over to Johnny's side. Roy took out the BP cuff and wrapped it around Johnny's arm. "BP's 120 over 80. Respiration's 40. And Pulse is 70 beats per minute." He took out his penlight and checked Johnny's light reactivity. He turned on the biophone. "Rampart, victim two has regained consciousness."

"Squad 51, what are the vital signs?"

"BP is 120 over 80. Respiration's 40. Pulse is 70 beats per minute. Pupils are equal and reactive."

"Squad 51, do we know the cause of passing out?"

"Intense shock is the confirmed cause."

"Has the other victim come to?"

"Negative, Rampart. The victim has not changed."

"I'll be standing by if anything changes."

"10-4 Rampart," Roy said as he hung up the biophone.

Hannibal felt so strange. He'd never felt this way. He'd always been the one that the other guys depended on. No, I can't lose it now. Face needs me. "Are we almost to Rampart?" Hannibal asked softly.

"We're about 10 minutes away," Roy said as he glanced over at Face.

Face still looked the same as before, except his breathing seemed a bit uneven and choppy. This worried Roy who quickly moved to his side and began checking his vital signs and lungs.

"What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Hannibal asked worriedly.

"His breathing seems a bit uneven. It might be nothing but…." Roy started.

Before Roy could finish his sentence, Face started turning very blue. When Hannibal saw this, he started to internally panic. Would his friend die right before his eyes?

"Hannibal, get Rampart! He's going into cardiac arrest!" Roy shouted as he tore off Face's shirt and attached him to the EKG machine.

The ambulance instantly pulled over. Johnny tried to sit up, but he was instantly overcome by dizziness. Grunting painfully, Johnny squirmed and tried to get to Face's side. Hannibal saw him having some trouble and helped him to his feet and over to Face. "Roy," Johnny said urgently, "let me help."

Roy quickly replied, "Johnny, you're in no condition…"

Johnny shot him a dirty look and handed the paddles to Roy. He turned on the defibrillator and called out when it was ready. Roy grabbed them from Johnny and rubbed them together quickly. "Charge to 300! Clear!" Roy shouted as he pressed the paddles to Face's chest, making his body jolt unnaturally. He looked to the EKG monitor to see if he had resumed normal heart rate. It hadn't. "Charge to 300!" Roy shouted. "Clear!"

Hannibal watched, afraid for Face-afraid for his life. He watched as Roy and Johnny shocked Face again, in an attempt to get his heart rate back to normal—in an attempt to save his life. After the second shock, Face's heart rate was back to normal. Hannibal sighed in relief. The ambulance pulled back onto the road and continued to make its way to the hospital.

"He's not out of the woods yet," Roy said as he continued to check out Face.

Johnny stumbled over to the biophone. "Rampart, the first victim went into cardiac arrest. We defibrillated twice and he's in sinuous rhythm."

"Johnny, is that you? What happened to Roy?"

"Roy is currently checking vital signs on the victim."

"Johnny, you shouldn't be exerting yourself. Go lay down. Roy will take care of the victim."

"I'm sorry, but the victim's well-being is my first concern."

"Johnny," Roy said, "Vital signs are: BP is 110 over 60. Respiration is 50. And pulse is 80 beats per minute. Pupils are dilated and unreactive to light.

"Rampart, vital signs are as follows: BP is 110 over 60. Respiration is 50. And pulse is 80 beats per minute. Pupils are dilated and unreactive to light."

"Squad 51, what is your ETA?"

"ETA is 5 minutes."

_Nurse Dixie McCall waited impatiently for Johnny and the other victim to get to Rampart. Kel (Dr. Brackett) had told her the whole situation and how Johnny refused to care for himself. She did worry about Johnny. Soon, she received word that the ambulance had arrived. She hurriedly got Dr. Brackett and Dr. Early.

They all rushed out to the ambulance entrance and waited for the orderlies to lift the stretchers out of the ambulance. The first one to come out was the man who had asked Dixie for files on Johnny. The handsome blonde was now nearly unrecognizable. His face was covered in blood, cuts, and bruises. Johnny and Roy walked beside the stretcher holding the IV bag and helping the orderlies and ambulance attendants. Dixie couldn't help but notice how pale Johnny looked. When she approached Johnny to check him out, he pushed her away and kept on walking with the stretcher.

After Face was transferred from the stretcher to the examination table, Dr. Brackett shooed them all out. When Johnny was sure that Face was okay and in good hands, he went out to the lobby. As soon as he opened the door, he ran into Dixie and passed out again. Fortunately, Dixie caught him, and with the help of Hannibal, they carried him to the other examination table in another room. "Why didn't he care for himself? Why wouldn't he leave that man's side?" she asked gesturing the other examination room.

Hannibal spoke up, "That man, Templeton Peck, is Johnny's brother."

"What? But Johnny said he didn't have any living family."

"He just found out today."

"Does Templeton know?"

"I was just about to tell Face on the phone, when the accident happened."

"Face?"

"That's what we call him."

Dixie nodded and then turned her attention to Johnny. "What he needs is some rest and TLC."

At that moment, Roy burst into the room. "Where's Johnny? What happened?"

"He's right here," Dixie said moving away from the examination table so that Roy could see. "He shouldn't have gotten up in the ambulance. He has overexerted himself."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"After some rest and relaxation, he should be back to normal."

"That's a relief."

"Did you hear anything about Face?" Hannibal asked Roy.

"No, nothing."

Within a few hours, Dr. Brackett and Dr. Early came out to the waiting room to talk to Hannibal.

"How is he, Doc?" Hannibal asked as he saw them approach.

"He has a broken leg. It's not severe, but it needed to be x-rayed," he paused then continued, "We took the x-rays right away. When we were taking the x-rays, we saw that a piece of metal had lodged itself in his side. We immediately took him to surgery," Dr. Early started.

"Surgery?" Hannibal asked.

"Yes, we needed to get it out as soon as possible, so we started right away. The surgery went well, and we retrieved the metal," Dr. Early continued.

"Can I see him now? Is he conscious?" Hannibal asked.

"No, he's still on life support in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)," Dr. Brackett started, "But he's not out of the woods yet. He's in a coma."

"What? A coma?" asked Hannibal quickly.

"I'm sorry, but there's not much we can do," Dr. Brackett said softly.

"Is there anything I can do?" Hannibal asked.

"All you can do is wait and pray. Also, if you talk to him, read to him, or even sing to him, sometimes that brings people out of comas." Dr. Early said.

"Does he have any family that we can notify?" Dr. Brackett asked.

"The only family he has is Johnny Gage. And I'm the closest thing he has to a father. The rest of the team is on their way," Hannibal said slowly.

"Johnny? Are they cousins or something?" Dr. Brackett asked.

"We just found out that they're half-brothers," Hannibal said.

"Well, that explains why Johnny went into shock," Dr. Early mused.

"Johnny is Templeton's younger brother?" Dr. Brackett asked still in shock.

"We call him Face, but yes. They're brothers," Hannibal replied.

"Does 'Face' know?" Dr. Brackett asked.

"No, I was just about to tell him on the phone when the accident happened," Hannibal said softly. "How's Johnny doing, by the way?"

"He's recovering quite well. You can go see him if you like. He's in room 404." Dr. Early said.

"Ok, maybe I will," Hannibal said as he watched the two doctors rush the newly-arrived patient into an examination room.

Meanwhile, Murdock was trying to find where Hannibal was. "Excuse me," Murdock said to a nurse, "Can you direct me to the waiting room. I'm looking for a friend."

"The waiting room is down that hall and to the right," Nurse Carol said with a smile.

"Thanks," Murdock said walking briskly down the hallway. When he reached the waiting room, he looked around for Hannibal. He finally spotted him in the corner with a dazed and tired look on his face. "Hannibal," Murdock said trying to get his attention. Hannibal looked up to see who it was. "How is he? Have you heard anything else?"

"No," he said tiredly with a frown. "But, I'm going to go see Johnny as soon as B.A. gets here."

Murdock nodded and sat down on the chair next to Hannibal.

When B.A. got off the plane, he hailed a taxi.

"Where do you want to go?" the old taxi driver asked B.A.

"I'd like to go to Rampart General Hospital," B.A. replied.

"All righty then," the taxi driver said as he pulled out onto the busy highway.

After waiting in the waiting room for about 45 minutes, Hannibal decided to take a walk outside for a bit. Murdock, however, remained in the waiting room. Shortly after Hannibal left, B.A. arrived.

"Murdock, where's Hannibal?" an angry B.A. asked.

"He went for a walk about 5 minutes ago. He should be back soon," Murdock said as B.A. sat down on the seat beside Murdock.

"Have you heard anything more about Face?" B.A. asked.

"Nope, nothing. We're going to visit Johnny as soon as Hannibal gets back," Murdock said absentmindedly.

"At the fire station?" B.A. asked.

"No, he's here at the hospital. Didn't Hannibal tell you?" Murdock questioned.

"No, he didn't tell me nothin' 'bout Johnny," B.A. said.

"Johnny passed out when he found out that he was treating his brother. He hadn't regained consciousness by the time Hannibal talked to me on the phone," said Murdock.

Before B.A. could answer, Hannibal walked around the corner. "Oh, hi B.A.," Hannibal said tiredly. "I'm going to visit Johnny now."

They all piled into the elevator and made their way to the fourth floor. They walked down the semi-deserted hallway and stopped at room 404. Hannibal knocked softly on the door. After a few moments of silence, the door opened, and Roy DeSoto stepped out. "Hi, Hannibal," he said softly as he shut the door behind him. "Is this the rest of your team?"

"Yes, this is B.A. Baracus and H.M. Murdock," Hannibal said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said as he shook their hands, "although I am sorry that it is under these circumstances." Murdock and B.A. nodded slowly.

"Johnny's asleep, but you can still come in and see him if you're quiet," Roy said as he opened the door and ushered them in. They walked in and gazed upon Face's little brother. He had darker skin with black hair and looked very peaceful. Although they didn't immediately see Face's smile or eyes, they could definitely see the resemblance.

Suddenly, B.A. sneezed loudly. As Roy handed him a Kleenex, Johnny stirred and grumpily said, "What's all the racket?" Slowly, he opened his eyes to see his best friend Roy and with him was the one who told him about his brother and two men of which he didn't know. "Roy? Who are they?" Johnny said gesturing towards Murdock and B.A.

"They're Hannibal's men, and some of your brother's best friends," Roy said.

"I'm Murdock," Murdock said as he reached out to shake Johnny's hand.

"And I'm B.A. Baracus. But you can call me B.A.," the big man said as he shook Johnny's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, also," Johnny said nodding at Murdock and B.A. "And you're the one who told me about Templeton...er...Face," Johnny said with some hesitation.

"Hannibal Smith at your service," Hannibal said with a grin.

"How is Face, Roy?" Johnny asked.

"They found a piece of metal lodged in his side. But the surgery went well. However, Face is comatose and unresponsive to anything," Roy said with a hint of sadness in his voice. On hearing this, Johnny sat back and seemed somewhat distant to the rest of the group.

At that moment, Dr. Early came in. "Looks like you got the whole group here. Huh, Johnny? Johnny?"

"What?" Johnny said suddenly aware that he was talking to him.

"Whole crew here?"

"Ya."

"How are you feeling?" Joe Early said as he moved to Johnny's side.

"The same."

"Not dizzy?"

"I haven't tried to walk, yet. But no."

Joe did a quick once over on Johnny's chart. "Looking good," he said before he checked Johnny's vital signs. "Vital signs are ok, too. Except your pulse is a little fast. Is something the matter, Johnny?"

"Can I go see Face?" Johnny asked.

"I guess, but you can't walk."

"That's fine."

"I'll call some orderlies, and they'll help you into a wheelchair," Joe said turning to leave.

Roy called out, "Dr. Early, we can help him into the wheelchair."

"Ok, just be careful," he said as he left the room.

"Here, help me out," Roy said as he pulled back Johnny's cover and pushed the wheelchair to the side of the bed. Hannibal gently helped Johnny to a sitting position and then helped the others lift him into the wheelchair. Before Johnny could start pushing himself, Roy grabbed his IV bag and plopped it on Johnny's lap and started to push him. "He's in room 238 in the ICU," Roy said as he pushed Johnny into the elevator.

Soon, they were entering the Intensive Care Unit. When they got to the door of room 238, Roy paused not knowing how Johnny would react to seeing his brother this way. "Johnny, I'll give you 5 minutes alone time with him," Roy said as he pushed Johnny into the room. Once Johnny was inside the room, Roy turned and shut the door behind him as he left.

Johnny pushed himself the rest of the way to the side of the bed. He looked at his brother and tried to take in every detail. Face was much lighter skinned than himself, and he had blonde hair. He couldn't see the man's face clearly because of the oxygen mask, but he knew that it was the same man that he had been treating when he passed out. He listened to the sound of the heart monitor and thought about his family life. Then he took hold of Face's hand and started to pray, "Dear God, please let him come out of the coma, and for there to be no brain damage. Please, I've lived my whole life thinking that my brother was dead. I don't want to lose him now that I know he's alive," Johnny said as tears started streaming down his face. "Thank you. In Your son, Jesus' name. Amen."

Then Roy came in and said, "I'm going to bring the others in now. Okay, Johnny?"

"Ya, okay," Johnny said as he wiped the tears from his face.

Hannibal and the others slowly entered behind Roy. Hannibal just stared. How did this all happen? He was fine this morning and now look at him! With tubes, needles, x-rays, heart monitors…not able to breath on his own. Not being able to support himself. It's all my fault. I should have gone to the hospital instead of him. I should have sent him to the fire station to find out. I've failed him.

"Hannibal," Roy said, "don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault that this happened. It wasn't your fault that a man decided to drink and drive."

"What? How did you know…?" Hannibal started.

"I've seen a lot of people blame themselves for accidents like this. You had 'the look'. But there was nothing that you could have done," Roy said. "Also, it might help if you talked to him."

"About what?"

"Anything. It can be stories or just you talking."

So Hannibal started telling Face the story of how they met. But Murdock wasn't paying attention. He was lost in his thoughts. He didn't know what all the tubes, needles, and equipment did, but he was glad that his buddy was still alive because of them. He silently prayed, "Dear Lord, please let Faceman get better. I don't want him to die. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen."

B.A. didn't know what to think either. He had never seen Face like this. He'd always been independent. He had survived being shot at, being taken hostage, conning dangerous men, and to think that he might die because of a drunk driver…..

All too soon, a nurse came in and said visiting time was over. B.A. offered to push Johnny back to his room. Roy agreed, and they silently went back to Johnny's room. The A-Team, with the exception of Face, had no place to go that night, and since they wanted to be close to Face, they camped out in the waiting room. Although they were all extremely tired, none of them could sleep.

At some point during the night, B.A. left the waiting room and went on a walk. He ended up in the ICU wing. The hallways were not very busy. So when no one was looking, he slipped into Face's room and softly shut the door behind him. To his surprise, he wasn't alone. Beside Face's bed, Johnny sat asleep in his wheelchair. B.A. didn't know what to do. Should he stay there with Johnny and Face, leave, or take Johnny back to his room? He decided that he would stay there with Johnny and Face. He quietly pulled up a chair and began to tell a story. Before he knew it, the minutes turned to hours, and soon, it had been a whole night. B.A. had fallen asleep in the chair halfway through the sixth story. And Johnny had amazingly slept through all of it.

When Dr. Brackett came in to check on Face the next morning, he found B.A. asleep in the chair and Johnny asleep in the wheelchair beside Face, who was still comatose. He immediately called an orderly to take Johnny back to his room, and then he woke up B.A.

"Hey, man what are ya doin'? I was..." B.A. started.

"What are you doing here? The sign said that the visiting hours were over. Did you bring Johnny down here, too? That could have been hazardous to his health as well as your friend," Dr. Brackett lectured.

"No, I didn't bring Johnny down. He was already here. And besides, he was asleep the whole time," B.A. said.

"Well, Hannibal and Murdock have been looking everywhere for you," Kel Brackett said. "Come on, I'll take you to them," he said leading the way.

"I don't know where he could have gone. It looked like he was going to take a quick walk and be right back," Murdock said to Hannibal.

"I'm sure he's here somewhere," Hannibal said. He heard someone clear their throat. He turned quickly. It was Dr. Brackett and B.A.

"I found him and Johnny in Face's room. He must have been there all night," Dr. Brackett said. "I admire his loyalty to Face, but could he demonstrate it during the posted visiting hours?"

Hannibal nodded. Then Dr. Brackett left. "B.A., why did you sneak off?"

"I'm sorry, Hannibal. But I just wanted to see him again. I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to try and get him to come around."

"I understand, but I can't have one of my men sneaking around a hospital and violating rules. The last thing we need right now is to be kicked out of here."

"Ok, Hannibal."

After lunch, they went to visit Johnny again. "How are you feeling, Johnny?" Hannibal asked.

"I'm feeling good. Dr. Early even told me that I would be discharged within the hour," Johnny said excitedly. "The only thing is," Johnny paused, "I have to stay in a wheelchair for a week to insure that I won't pass out again. They said it was 'a safety precaution'."

"By the way, how'd you sleep last night?" Hannibal asked. "Did B.A. keep you up with his story-telling?"

"Surprisingly not, because I slept well, and I slept through all of them," Johnny said. "Are you going to go visit Face, now?"

"Yes, we are. Do you want to come?" Murdock asked.

"I wish I could, but they said they wouldn't discharge me if I left my room again. Also, Roy's going to come over in a few minutes," Johnny said.

"Ok. See you later then," Murdock said as the threesome left the room.

It was Nurse Dixie McCall's turn to check on Templeton Peck AKA Face, whom she had recently found out was Johnny's older brother. When she went into his room, he was still unconscious and on life support. But he was definitely not any worse than the last time he was checked on. She made a new IV and checked his vital signs. His BP was a little low, and his respirations and pulse were not as they should be, but she wasn't that worried, because most people who were comatose had similar vital signs. When she was just about ready to leave, someone knocked on the door. She went over to the door and opened it. "Yes?"

"Hi, we were told that it is visiting time," Murdock said.

"Yes, it is. I was just finishing up," Dixie said as she hooked up the new IV. "So, Templeton is your friend?"

"Yes, he's part of our team as well," Hannibal said. "We call him Face, and I don't think he'd mind if you did, too."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said with a smile. "See you around," she said as she walked out.

"Hannibal, I was thinking," B.A. said, "telling stories doesn't seem to be working very well. Maybe we should try talking directly to him."

"Ok, B.A. You first," Hannibal said with a grin.

B.A. moved closer to Face and started to talk to him. "Face, can you hear me? Face, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for being rough and mean to you at times. And I'm sorry for eating all the sugar cookies your nun friend at the orphanage sent on your birthday last year. I'm also sorry for the scratch I made on your 'vette (Corvette) that I blamed on Murdock. And…" B.A. started.

"B.A., I didn't mean a full confession," Hannibal said. "Here, let me have a try," Hannibal said as he switched seats with B.A. "Face, I know I never told you this, but I care and worry about you. I have loved you like a son all these years that you've been with the team. And even though I get mad at you sometimes and act like I don't care, I really do care. When I first met you, I thought you were a lazy, girl crazy young boy. I know that you aren't lazy…at least not all the time. And you're a young man now, no longer a boy. But I have to admit, you are still girl crazy, but you'll never lose your boyish charm. Please come back to us, Face."

"Hey, Hannibal," Murdock interrupted. "Can I have a try?" Without another word, Hannibal moved aside to let Murdock by. "Faceman, before I knew you, I didn't have any friends, everyone thought that I was a crazy nobody. No one cared. I went to war because I figured that if no one cared about me, they wouldn't mind if I died in the war. And at least I could make a difference and help people before I had a chance to die. But then I met you and the rest of the team. You guys cared about me and treated me as if I were a normal person, and more importantly, you treated me like a part of your family." Murdock grasped Face's hand and continued, "You were my first best friend, and I need you, Face. What would I do without you? Who would keep me in line? Who would be the conman who would rescue me from the VA (mental institution)? Who would I confide in and joke around with? Who would be my best buddy?" At that moment, Murdock broke down and started to cry. "Face, come back! Please! Don't leave me! Face!" Murdock started to sob uncontrollably.

"Murdock, now there's no need to get upset," Hannibal said.

"No Hannibal! Everything's wrong! Face! Face! Come back! Face! Don't leave me! Don't….leave…me…Please…don't ….leave…me!" Murdock sobbed. After a few minutes of crying, Murdock finally settled down. He felt someone holding his hand, and he thought it was Hannibal. But when he looked up, Hannibal was still on the other side of the room. He looked down at his hand and saw that Face was moving his fingers over Murdock's hand as if trying to comfort him. "Hannibal! His hand is moving! Quick, call the doctors! Face? Can you hear me?" Murdock questioned hovering over Face. His baby blue eyes flickered open for a second and then closed again. "Hannibal, B.A., he opened his eyes!" Murdock shot a glance over to the other two who were talking on the intercom to a doctor. When they had delivered the message, they hurried over to Face.

"Face, can you hear me?" Hannibal asked suddenly full of energy.

"Face?" B.A. asked.

Face lifted his heavy eyelids once again and looked at them and then closed his eyes again. Then Dr. Brackett, Dr. Early, and Nurse Dixie McCall burst into the room. "You said he was moving his fingers and opening his eyes?" Dr. Brackett asked.

"Yes, he was," Murdock said.

"Face, if you can hear me, move your pointer finger on your right hand," Dr. Brackett said as everyone watched Face's right hand. Nothing happened for a second, but then it shakily pointed and moved up and down.

"That's good. But Face, can you open your eyes?" Dr. Early questioned. Face struggled to open his eyes, but he did it. After taking a quick glance at all of them, he closed them again.

"Why does he keep closing his eyes?" Murdock asked slightly concerned.

"It is highly probable that he is very tired and with all the shock and trauma that he's gone through, it sometimes makes simple things hard to do at first. For example, he might have had trouble with opening his eyes. Also, he probably will not be able to talk or move any other part of his body for a bit.

Dixie moved to his bedside and began to check out his vitals. "Now, Face, I'm just going to check your vitals real quick. Ok?" she said as she started to wrap the BP cuff around his arm. "His BP's good." Then she checked out his respirations and pulse. "His respirations aren't exactly as they should be, but that's because he's on O2. And his pulse is as it should be."

"So there's no permanent damage, Doc?" B.A. asked.

"We won't know for sure until we take some more x-rays and tests. But so far he looks good other than his side. That's going to be very sore for a while."

Hannibal quickly replied, "I'll go tell Johnny and Roy." Then he left the room and got on the elevator.

When he arrived at Johnny's door, an orderly answered it. "Yes?" the orderly asked.

"Is Johnny here? I have some news for him."

"Sure, come in," the orderly said as he opened the door.

"Johnny?" Hannibal asked. He hadn't yet realized that Roy was there. "Sorry to interrupt, but Face was moving his fingers and opening his eyes! I think he's coming out of it!"

"That's great!" Johnny exclaimed. "Are you coming, Roy?"

"Sure, I'd be glad to," Roy said as he pushed Johnny from the room.

When they arrived at Face's door, they were stopped. "Johnny, what are you doing out of bed?" Dixie asked firmly.

"Dixie, he's my brother. I have to see him. And besides I am going to be discharged in a few minutes anyway."

"Ok, I'll let you off the hook this time," Dixie said with a smile.

Roy pushed Johnny right up beside the bed. "Have you told him yet?" Johnny asked.

"No, I'll tell him now," Hannibal said. "Face, we found Johnny's brother. After further research, we found that YOU are his long-lost brother."

Johnny took a hold of Face's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. When Face felt that, he vaguely remembered his mother doing the same thing when he was a baby. He gave Johnny's hand a gentle squeeze in return. "He remembered. He remembered!" Johnny exclaimed excitedly.

"What are you talking about?" Hannibal asked.

"My mother used to squeeze my hands like that when I was a child, and when I asked her about it once, she said that she did it with all my siblings, too and that it was an old Native American tradition," Johnny explained. He was so happy that he was beaming from ear to ear.

Within an hour, Face was in a deep sleep. And everyone was content enough that they all slept for the first time in a long time.

The next morning, everyone gathered around Face's bed. They all wanted to be there when he woke up. Murdock gently persuaded him that it was time to wake up. Everyone held their breath, wondering….

Face heard Murdock's voice and slowly opened his eyes. Everyone let out a sigh of relief and started hammering him with questions. Dr. Brackett raised his voice and said, "He won't be able to talk just yet. And don't everyone talk at once."

His eyes seemed somewhat frozen in place. Dr. Early pulled out his penlight and checked his reactivity to light. As soon as the light shone in his eyes, he blinked and looked away. "He's reactive."

Everyone was overjoyed. His vital signs were good, and soon he was able to move his arms. But he seemed like he was trying to tell them something. Finally Dixie figured it out. "He's wants the oxygen mask off. What do you think, Dr. Brackett? Dr. Early?"

"I say let him go for it," Kel Brackett said, and Joe Early nodded in response. Dixie made her way to Face and gently removed the oxygen mask from his face. Face tried to speak. It didn't really work out though. "Just wait a bit, Face. You'll be able to talk soon enough," Dr. Brackett said. Face nodded slowly.

Then Hannibal told the whole story and filled Face in on what he had missed. By the time he was finished, Face opened his mouth to speak and rasped, "B.A…I heard…what…you said…about the…sugar…cookies."

B.A. turned beet red and said, "I was hopin' ya didn't hear that part."

Face grinned and said, "Thanks…for what…you did…Roy…and…Johnny….I…" whatever Face was going to say, he didn't finish because he started having a coughing attack.

"It probably would be best not to talk now," Dr. Early said as he placed the oxygen mask back on Face. Face nodded and concentrated on sucking in the sweet oxygen to stop his coughing.

Three days later, Face was doing a lot better, and Johnny was ready to ditch the wheelchair. At about 10 o'clock that morning, Johnny knocked on Face's door. "Come in," a voice said.

Johnny entered pushing himself. "Hey, Face, how are you doing today?"

"Pretty good," Face said.

"When are you getting out?"

"In a few hours, but I have to have a wheelchair for a while because of my side…and leg."

"Are you going to stick around LA?"

"I think we are for a bit, but I don't know how long it will take Decker to find us."

"You'll come back to visit, won't you?"

"Sure I will, Johnny. Now that I have family, Hannibal will have to give me some more vacations."

A few hours later, Hannibal and B.A. came in to Face's room. "How ya feeling, kid?" Hannibal asked Face.

"I've been better, but I'm good…for the most part," Face said.

"Well kid, they said you were free to go now."

"Alright!" Face shouted with a smile.

"As long as you stay in a wheelchair for a few weeks."

"Aww, Hannibal," Face whined. "Do I have to?"

"How else are you going to get around? It's not like your side will magically be able to withstand crutches for more than a second," Hannibal said.

"B.A., help me lift him into the wheelchair," Hannibal said as he and B.A. lifted Face into the wheelchair.

"Careful, watch the side! Watch the side! Oww! My foot!" Face shrieked. Once Face was settled in the wheelchair, B.A. started to push him out to the hallway where Johnny was attempting to stand up out of the wheelchair.

Johnny was holding onto Roy to steady himself. Roy helped him to his feet, and the orderly pulled the wheelchair back so that it wouldn't be in the way. Johnny held onto Roy and the wall and walked towards Face. "What do ya think?"

"I think you shouldn't go back to work just yet," Face said with a grin.

"No, but I did want to visit with the nurses, if you catch my meaning," Johnny said flashing his legendary Johnny Gage smirk/grin.

"That sounds great, I think I'll come with you," Face said flashing his own trademark million-dollar grin.

Murdock remarked, "You weren't kidding when you said you both inherited your mother's smile."

"Of course not," Johnny and Face said as they smiled at each other. Little did they know that this was the beginning of a lifelong friendship and brotherhood.