Disclaimer: Emergency! and characters belong to Mark VII and Universal Studios
Sins of the Father - 1
The station was quiet except for the slight snoring of some of the men of "B" shift. Johnny was accustomed to the snores of his regular crew but he was filling in for another paramedic and just couldn't sleep now. He got up, pulled himself into his turnout gear and wandered to the kitchen. A tall glass of milk might help. He glanced at the clock. Damn, 4 am, he thought as he finished up his milk and placed the glass in the sink. He would wash it before shift change. He began to lumber back toward the dorm when the klaxons sounded.
Station 51, traffic accident with injuries at 8455 Telegraph Rd. That's 8455 Telegraph Rd. Cross Street, Manzanar Ave. Time out 0404.
"KMG365" came the captain's acknowledgement and with that the crew of Station 51 began their run.
They arrived at the scene quickly and the two paramedics rushed to the two vehicles. Johnny chose the pick-up truck while the other paramedic hurried to the sedan. The driver of the sedan had a few lacerations on his face but was otherwise uninjured. He was slow in his movements and there was an obvious scent of alcohol floating around in the car. The back floorboard confirmed the paramedic's suspicion. It was piled up with beer cans and a half empty vodka bottle. This victim would be taken to Rampart by way of patrol car. He then ran over to offer his assistance to John.
John had recognized the pick-up truck immediately. It was the blue Chevrolet belonging to his best friend and "A" shift partner, Roy DeSoto. Pally, what the hell were you two doing out here at this time of the night? He wondered to himself. He realized the steering column had been broken by the impact of Roy's left knee and knew that he probably had a broken leg. He was at least wearing his seatbelt but he'd still taken a jolt rendering him unconscious at the moment. Johnny then ran to the other side of the vehicle to check on Joanne but as he opened the door and used his flashlight to better illuminate the inside of the cab, he realized quickly that Roy's passenger was not Joanne. She was much younger than Joanne and her hair was longer. It was dark brown with auburn highlights pulled back into a loose ponytail tied with a white scarf. Her face was covered in blood from a large laceration just beyond her hairline. When he lifted her eyelids to check her pupils, he was staring into crystal blue eyes, not Joanne's clover green ones. He began to work on her taking her vitals and assessing what he'd need to get her out as his current partner had taken over with Roy. Johnny was numb; he was operating purely on his instincts as one of the best paramedics in the county. He couldn't believe the thoughts that were racing through his mind. Roy had obviously been making a left hand turn into the hotel parking lot when the driver of the sedan had rear-ended him; sending his pickup careening into a brick wall beside the hotel. Roy, I knew something was wrong with you but why didn't you talk to me. How could you do this to Joanne, Roy how?
His silent questions would not get answered tonight but he wouldn't let Roy do this to Joanne without a fight. Johnny loved Joanne like a sister and Roy was like a brother to him. He would NOT stand by and watch this happen to their marriage without doing what he could to intervene.
The ambulances arrived and Johnny told his partner that he'd prefer to ride in with Roy. The other paramedic understood and voiced what Johnny hoped the man was thinking.
"Um, John….I know how this looks and I promise you man, I won't breathe a word of it to anyone, alright?"
"Thanks, I…uh….I appreciate that," came John's reply. They each climbed into the back of the ambulance with their respective patient and headed off to Rampart.
During the brief ride, Roy began to mumble something about someone named Danielle. Johnny tried to keep him quiet but he was growing more and more agitated. Johnny did the only thing he could do at the moment. "Sshhh, Roy. Danielle will be fine. She's on her way to Rampart too." He felt like he was betraying Joanne by even saying those words but he had to keep Roy calm and as still as possible. He let out a huge sigh as the driver made the familiar turn into Rampart Emergency and backed up to the ER doors. What am I supposed to tell Joanne?" He thought to himself.
-x-
Johnny was sitting in the break room at Rampart waiting for news on Roy. The Captain of "B" shift had released him from duty after contacting one of the "C" shift paramedics and getting him to relieve John early. He was staring into his coffee when Dixie walked in.
"Hey Johnny, Roy's being moved to a room now," Dixie said while placing a sympathetic hand on the paramedic's shoulder.
"Oh, thanks, Dix" he responded.
"Have you gotten in touch with Joanne?"
"No Dix, I haven't." He really had tried to reach her by phone but there was no answer at Roy's residence. "Please Dix, let me contact her, ok?"
Dix nodded her agreement and led the two of them out and towards the elevator. The ride to the 3rd floor was silent. Only the sound of the opening doors broke the silence and snapped John back out of his thoughts. They walked quickly to room 312 which was a private room and walked in.
Roy was lying motionless with his eyes closed. John wasn't sure if he was asleep or just resting. He wanted to reach out and pat him on the shoulder as if to say "hey pal, everything's going to be ok" but John couldn't even do that much for his friend. His emotions were warring inside of him. He was angry at him and worried about him at the same time. Roy's injuries would heal. He had a broken left fibula and a slight concussion. He was sedated due to the fracture. John just sat there staring at the still form of his best friend; trying to remember how things had spiraled so out of control.