Preface

A lot changed from the time Johnny and Roy were promoted to captains to August 20, 1980. Johnny and Roy wound up going back to the paramedic program, and by random chance, go to work with each other again at Station 51. Dr. Brackett and Dixie had gotten married and had twins, while Chet and Marco had gotten married and became fathers. Chet's wife had a girl, while Marco's wife had a . Early,Dr. Morton, Captain Stanley, Mike, and Roy were pretty much the same, just living the life with their wives and kids. Johnny, however, was the shocker of them all. He started dating a new nurse that had arrived at Rampart, Beth. They dated close to 4 months before he proposed to her. They wounded up getting married, and sometime in September 1980, he was going to be a father.

From the Beginning (Part 1)
August 20, 1980

It was hard to distinguish which pounding was harder, the rain that fell on the roof of Station 51, or Johnny's fist as it slammed against the table to one of Chet Kelly's comments.

"No need to get upset Johnny boy....I was just saying, it'd be funny.."

"Chet, I don't see how dropping your own kid is funny" Marco sternly replied.

"I'm just joking..."

"Chet this is a big change he's going through. He's nervous, he's going to rant to us ...he's Johnny for crying out loud!!! Matter of fact weren't you this nervous when Kim was pregnant?" Roy calmly stated.

"Well yeah, but this is different..."

"Roy, Marco, I appreciate you trying, but you know you're not going to get through to him"

Johnny went to get another sip of his coffee when the klaxon went off and sent the men scurring.

"Station 51, truck 127, engine and truck 116...motor vehicle accident with injuries...Harbor Freeway on the W Carson onramp...Harbor Freeway on the W Carson onramp. Time out 20:35"

Captain Stanley responded to dispatch with the usual code KMG365. He passed a copy of the callslip to Roy, who was geared up and ready to go in the squad. As soon as Captain Stanley was in the engine, the squad and engine made their way to their onramp. They finally made their way to the scene in the heavy downpour. However, after station 51 stepped out of their vehicles, the paramedics and Captain Stanley looked and knew immediately that this callout wasn't going to turn out good at all.

"John, Roy, go see how many survivors we have. Marco, Chet, I want you two to start watering down this ground. Try to disconnect the batteries in these cars as well. Even though it's raining, we still have a possibilty that this place can blow anytime."

The men wasted no time getting to work. Johnny and Roy grabbed the necessary equipment out of the squad, while Marco and Chet got some hoses. Johnny and Roy had split up and checked out different cars.

"YOU HAVE ANYTHING JOHNNY?"

"I HAVE 2 INVALIDS HERE. WHAT ABOUT YOU?"

"WEAK PULSE, DIFFICULTY BREATHING. I'LL GET ON THE LINE TO RAMPART."

"OK, I'M GOING TO CHECK THE NEXT CAR"

Johnny went over to the next car. "WE GOT ANOTHER ONE ROY. WEAK PULSE, RESPIRATION SHALLOW. CAP WHAT'S THE STATUS ON THE AMBULANCES?"

Captain Stanley called into dispatch.

" LA this is engine 51. We have a 5 car pileup at our location with injuries and unknown number of causalities. What's the status of the ambulances?"

"Engine 51, one ambulance has been dispatched to your location. Be advised there has been another accident on the San Diego Freeway. All ambulances have been sent to that location."

"Engine 51 10-4."

Captain Stanley went up to Johnny to tell him personally. "John, all the ambulances are tied up. They've only sent 1."

"1?!? CAP, We're going to need more than 1!"

"Hey I'm sorry pal. All I can say is do whatever you and Roy can. Rampart's not that far down the street. If we have to, we'll take these people in by squad and engine."

"Fine."

"What are we looking at with victims?"

"Right now we have 2 survivors and 2 fatalities."

"Ok I'm going to go see..."

The handradio cut off Captain Stanley. "Engine 51"

"Engine 51 go ahead LA"

"Engine 51, be advised truck 116 has been involved in an accident. Engine and Truck 116 will not be responding to your location"

"Engine 51 10-4"

"Anyway, I'm going to go see if we have any more victims."

Roy ran over to Johnny. "Here's an IV for your patient...by the way, where's the ambulance?"

"Roy, they only responded 1"

"1?!?"

"You heard me right...1!"

After that being said, truck 127 arrived at the scene. The captain of 127 jumped out of the engine and went to talk to Captain Stanley.

"Hank, what do we have?"

"5 cars involved, not too sure how long ago this happened. Whoever called it in didn't stick around either. So far we have 2 injured, 2 fatalities, unknown total of how many more, and only one ambulance responding"

"1 AMBULANCE?"

"You heard right. 116 got into an accident, so they're not responding."

"What about more..."

"No way man. I'm guessing all the firetrucks are with the ambulances on the San Diego Freeway at this moment"

The captain from 127 stood there and shook his head before he instructed his crew to help Station 51. One of the men from 127 grabbed some of their lines and started helping to water down the ground. Another grabbed some crowbars and set off with Captain Stanley to the unchecked cars to find victims. They checked two more cars only to find more fatalities. They moved on to the next car. Captain Stanley looked inside and found the victim to still be alive, but got sick to his stomach when he saw who it was.

"JOHNNY GET OVER HERE"

"CAP I CAN'T"

"JOHNNY I THINK YOU NEED TO GET OVER HERE NOW"

Johnny carefully placed down the IV bag and ran over to Captain Stanley.

"I'm here cap, but can someone go over...?"

"Yes, you go over to Johnny's patient. Johnny, we have a live one but...you're not going to like this"

Johnny looked inside the car and started feeling sick to his looked inside,to see a lady. She had a slim built, brown hair, brown eyes, and a light complexion. He realized that the driver was his wife Beth. He quickly shook his head before he started talking to her calmly.

"Beth, honey, you ok?!?"

"uhh..uhhh...Johnny?"

"Yeah baby I'm here. How are you doing?"

"uhh God my head and my chest hurts. Boy do I feel weak right now"

"What about the baby?"

"baby...baby....baby's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure...I just felt a kick and I'm not cramping"

"Ok, you just take it easy and I'll be right back"

"Oh believe me... I'm not going anywhere"

Johnny stepped away from the car. "Cap, we got to get her out of there now"

"Ok buddy. Go tell Roy....MIKE, WE'RE GOING TO NEED A BACKBOARD OVER HERE AND SOME MORE MANPOWER!"

Johnny ran over to Roy, who managed to get his patient out of their vehicle. "Hey, what's going...."

"Roy, Beth's in there"

"Oh my God, Johnny, is she??"

"She's having difficulity breathing, I think she has a collapsed lung."

"What about the baby?"

"She says the baby is fine"

"Good. Go get her out, then we'll get her right over to Rampart.I'll let Early know now"

Johnny ran back over to the car where the two men from Truck 127 and Chet were waiting with Captain Stanley. "Ready to get her out?"

"Hold on Cap." Johnny turned to Beth "Beth, listen, we're getting ready to get you out..."

"Don't...say more. I can feel my arms...and legs. I won't move...my neck. Just get me out...please!"

Johnny gave a nod to Captain Stanley. The firefighter from 127 opened up the car door. Johnny gently reached over and unbuckled Beth from her seat. He carefully picked her up under her arms while Captain Stanley gently grabbed on to her legs. They slowly and carefully moved her out of the car and onto the backboard. After they strapped her to the backboard, Captain Stanley, the firefighter from 127, Chet, and Johnny carried her over by Roy. By the time they placed her down, the ambulance arrived. Roy got back on the bio phone to Rampart.

"Rampart, this is squad 51. The ambulance has arrived at our location"

"10-4 51. Have you reached Beth yet?"

"She's right here"

"10-4 51. Go ahead and bring her on in into treatment room 3"

"10-4 Rampart" Roy closed the bio phone and started to load the equipment into the ambulance. "Roy, I think there's only 3 people that made it out of this alive. I'm going back for the third"

"Go ahead. I think we can fit a third person in back here as well"

Johnny looked down at Beth before he left. "I'll be right back sweetheart. You just keep calm and don't worry about anything here except the baby."

"You got it honey....Johnny?"

"Yeah Beth?"

"I love you." Johnny leaned down towards her and gave her a kiss.

"I love you too Beth. I'll be right back"

"I know you will"

Johnny ran back to his original patient. The two from station 127 followed Johnny. They worked on getting the patient out, and finally got the patient on a backboard when Chet started screaming.

"CAP THIS CAR HERE IS SPARKING" "EVERYONE WATCH OUT"

Johnny and the two from station 127 started running when there was finally a loud explosion. The blast blew the three down to the ground, sending the patient directly into the ground. Roy and Marco ran over to pick up the patient, while Chet, Captain Stanley, and the captain from 127 ran over to check on the firefighters and Johnny. The two firefighters were shaken up a bit but for Johnny....

"ROY GET OVER HERE. JOHNNY'S DOWN!"

Beth could hear Captain Stanley and began getting frantic. Roy calmed her down before he went over to Johnny.

"ROY...IS He..."

"Beth don't you worry. They say that half the time and it's nothing serious"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm more than sure. You let me worry about Johnny. You, you just keep calm and worry about that little bundle of joy"

Roy ran over to Johnny. He checked him out and found out Johnny had gotten hit from flying debris from the explosion.

"Cap do we have one more backboard?" The captain from 127 answered. "We have one more....SMITH GRAB OUR BACKBOARD!...is he going to be ok?"

"Looks like he a concussion. I'm sure he'll be fine. His thick head is probably going to hurt in the morning though"

"Do you need anything?"

"Well I just got to get him loaded up and I'll need some help to get them in at the hospital"

The firefighters loaded Johnny up on a backboard and loaded him into ambulance. The ambulance took off with Engine 51 less of a minute, they arrived at Rampart. , Early, and Morton were already waiting by the entrance when station 51 started storming in.

"Kel, Mike, I got this one. Chet, bring him into 1."

"I have this one Kel. Marco, room 3 now"

"Roy bring Beth into room 4."

"Ok. What about Johnny?"

"What do you mean?"

"We didn't have time to call it in, but he got knocked out"

"Hum. Just typical. Put him in 2. Find Dixie and let her know"

With that, Roy found himself standing by himself in the hallway. He started heading over to the nurse's desk, where Captain Stanley and Mike were talking to Dixie.

"Roy, Hank and Mike here just told me what happened. I have a doctor on the way down. What room is Johnny in?"

"He's in 2."

"2 is where I'll be."

With that she left.

"Hey Cap.."

"Look don't worry about it pal. Squad is going to be out of service for a couple of hours while dispatch tries to find a replacement anyway. Listen, we're going to go. If you need anything..."

"I know where to find you."

"Exactly. Oh and Roy, could I ask you for one thing?"

"Sure, what is it Cap?"

"Stay with Beth...for Johnny"

"You read my mind cap"

Roy watched as Captain Stanley and Mike regrouped with Marco and Chet and exited the hospital. He went over to treatment room 4 where was helping Beth. Beth was the first one to greet Roy.

"Hey Roy. Don't mind me..."

"Hey it's ok. You just keep quiet before Brackett here chews my head off." She gave him a faint smile.

Roy asked "So Doc, what the prognosis on Beth?"

"Well Roy..."

"Doc,just come straight out with it"

"Well for one, I don't like her blood pressure being so low. First thing I would like to do is to bring it up. I want to run chest x-ray and some blood , I'd like to have a sonogram done right away."

"Kel, is my baby ok?"

"I don't know. I want to be safe than sorry and just make sure."

"Well Kel, just shut up already and make sure"

Dr. Brackett called in for an orderly to take Beth up to radiology. The orderly arrived and took Beth up to radiology. Before could leave the room, Roy stopped him.

"Look Doc, I know you told her everything, but I have a feeling you didn't tell her everything."

"You're right Roy, I didn't."

"Doc, what's the problem?"

"Roy, I'm sure about this...she's got a collapsed lung. But there's a bigger problem"

"What's that?"

"We can go in to fix it, but it might impose complications on the fetus. Then if we don't go in..."

"Beth won't make it.I know it's early, but couldn't you deliver the baby and then go in?"

"Well Roy, we could, but to induce natural labor would take a while. By then she would be dead. C-section is out of the question. No way would she be able to handle that."

"Doc, what are you doing now?"

"Well I'm checking on the baby and getting confirmation on the lung before anything else"

"Then after that?"

"Well..we present Beth with the options and go from there."

An hour finally passed in the emergency department. Beth had gotten back from the tests had wanted and had gotten worse. Roy sat in the treatment room with her, holding her hand as she kept trying to breathe. Finally entered the room.

"Well Beth, I have the test results back. I'm going to be straight forward with this."

"Well doc....you can't afford...not to at...this point"

"Good news- you still have your sense of humor. Sonogram showed nothing wrong with the baby."

Roy asked "is there any bad news doc?"

"I'm afraid so Roy. Beth, you have a few fractured ribs. However, one was not a clean break. It punctured your lung. Now we can go in and fix it...but here comes the worse part" Beth closed her eyes and tried mumbling no.

"Kel...be straight forward....on this part too"

"Beth...I'm not sure"

"Kel....just....do...it" paused before he finally answered. "We can go in, and repair the damage. But if we do that..."

"The baby...gets harmed"

"And if we save the baby...."

"I die...no...more"

"Beth, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to do"

"Don't be...there's only.....one thing.....to do"

"Name it"

"You....take.....save this baby. Right...now!"

"But Beth.."

"Don't.....Beth me...do it.....damnit!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm 100% sure....you have....my consent."

"I'll go get an OR and OB ready."

With that, he left the room.

Roy tried talking to Beth.

"Beth, Johnny's not even conscience. Do you know what it's going to do to him when he wakes up?"

"Roy.....he'll survive...I'm not sure if he will....if the baby dies. He's too attached....to him....or her. Besides....I couldn't live with myself....if I saved myself. I love this baby......more than anything in the world."

"I can see that."

"Are you....going to keep....trying to....talk me out....of this?"

"No. No. It's your call, and you made it. You do know that Joanne and the kids are going to miss you?"

"Yeah....Roy?"

"Yeah Beth?"

"Could you....could you do some things....for me?"

"Name it"

"I need you... to tell Joanne....and all of them...back at the station....they were the greatest friends...anyone could ask for. Tell them...I said ...thank you for being such great friends"

"You got it!"

"And one...more thing..."

"Go for it"

"Tell Johnny....I'm sorry..and don't be mad..tell my baby....that Mommy loves him....or her...and could you....stay with me....a little bit longer?"

"Beth, Johnny would NEVER EVER get mad at you. He loves you too much to be mad at you. I can swear that this baby is going to know how muched you loved him....or her, and he or she is going to get a lot of love than you could ever imagine. And yeah Beth, I'll stay with you a little bit longer."

A half hour passed by when Dixie, Dr. Early, Dr. Morton, and Dr. Brackett entered Beth's room.

"Well it's time Beth. Are you ready?"

"Yeah...before we go...Dix?"

"Yes Beth?"

"I hope....I didn't drive you too crazy....working here"

"Nonsense. Actually, you were the best nurse I had working for me. Beth, you don't know how much I'm going to miss you."

"Joe?"

"Yes Beth?"

"Keep charming....those patients" He giggled. "You can count on it"

"Mike?"

"Yes?"

"You seriously.....need to work on that bedside manner.....before you wind up in the bed"

The hard core doctor even had to laugh at that.

"Kel?"

"Beth?"

"Thank you....for saving my baby..and for everything."

"I didn't save her...or him...you did. And you shouldn't be thanking me, I should be thanking you"

Joe cut in. "Actually, we all should be thanking you."

Beth gave a soft smile when announced. "Well are you ready?"

"Yeah"

"Ok let's go"

"Wait...Kel...I want Roy in there with me."

She looked over at Roy and asked "Roy...could you be there...with me? I'll feel better....with you there...and knowing my baby....didn't come in this world alone"

"Of course, but only if he says it's ok"

"Of course it is Roy" With that, , Roy, and Beth headed to the OR. Dixie, Dr. Early , and Dr. Morton went to the staff lounge, where they let their emotions out.