Spoilers: Major spoilers for the ending of the season five episode, "The Girl on the Balance Beam."
Disclaimer: I don't own Johnny and Roy, though if someone is feeling particularly generous, I definitely won't object. :)
A/N: I just found Emergency and I've been delighted by it, partly because I have firemen on both sides of my family, so it's a topic that's close to my heart. Of course, I'm now being bombarded with ideas for fics, too. :D Something about the scene near the end of "The Girl on the Balance Beam" just begged for a tag especially.
As always, I thank my Lord Jesus Christ for his incredible mercy and grace and his many blessings. I would be utterly lost without him.
I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think!
Lucky
Roy was on the ground, and he didn't remember how he'd gotten there. He just remembered cutting the chain on the door of the burning train car, then…then nothing.
He knew what must have happened. At least, some part of his brain did. The rest was still busy trying to figure out what he was doing on the ground, and what it was that was laying on top of him.
He was getting wet too, really wet, and he could hear shouting…
A second later, the weight was being lifted off of him and familiar hands were reaching for him, pulling him to his feet. The world tilted on end, and he stumbled, almost falling over again, but those familiar hands didn't let go, pulling him along urgently.
"Come on! Come this way! Come on!"
Johnny's voice was in his ear, and Roy could feel his partner's arm around his back, his hands fisted in his turnout coat. Roy didn't resist as Johnny guided him away from the scene through the streams of water still working to douse the flames. He couldn't stop himself from looking around, though, trying to see if he'd done it - if he'd opened the door like he'd needed to so they could hit the fire head-on.
They had to keep that ammonium nitrate car from catching.
If that nitrate car went, they all went with it.
If he'd failed…
"Di' I get it? Di' I get the door?"
The words came out a little bit slurred, but Johnny understood him anyway.
"You got the door. Don't worry about the door. You got it." Johnny's hand tightened on his coat. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm okay."
Johnny didn't seem to believe him, probably because he was walking like a drunk as he tried to step over the charged hoses snaking the ground. That made him all the more determined to prove to Johnny that he really was alright, so he pulled away from his partner. Johnny didn't let him go far, though - Roy could still feel one hand at his back and Johnny's other hand had snagged the sleeve of his turnout again, keeping him steady as they headed for the squad.
"Alright, I know you're okay," Johnny placated, still guiding him along. "You're just gettin' a little old these days and I just wanna keep an eye on you, okay?"
"Yeah," Roy managed, which probably did nothing to assure Johnny since he hadn't disputed that "old" wisecrack. He felt old right now. The ache in his right leg had finally made itself known, and his back and neck were both stiff.
When they reached the squad, Johnny kept him on his feet but made sure he had his hands against the hood, like he was afraid Roy would topple over without the support.
He might have had a point.
"Stay right here," Johnny ordered, even as Roy tried to look around again.
That car…
Johnny must have known what he was thinking because he assured quickly, "It's okay. It's okay."
That was Johnny's "talking to a victim" voice. Roy had his own version of it. He never liked to be on the receiving end, but he found himself starting to respond to it anyway.
Still, he had to see what was going on.
When Johnny hurried off to grab the drug box, Roy braced himself on the squad's hood and glanced behind him. The burning train car was moving now, and the flames were less intense than they had been before. They weren't out by a long shot, but for every foot the train engine moved away from that nitrate, Roy felt the tension drain from his body a little more.
His leg picked that moment to protest loudly, and Roy looked down at it. There wasn't any obvious damage.
Johnny was beside him again an instant later, setting the drug box down on the hood and pulling off his helmet.
He didn't seem any less tense - Roy could see the worry in his eyes.
"You sure you're okay?" Johnny demanded.
"Yeah."
Roy knew Johnny would be less concerned if he could manage more than a one-word answer, but his mouth just didn't seem to want to cooperate yet. Roy blew out an annoyed breath. He hated concussions, and he was pretty sure he had one now.
"Is that the only place you're hurt?" Johnny asked, pointed at his head.
Roy suddenly realized that the skin on the right side of his face and neck was stinging. A burn maybe…or an abrasion. It wasn't bad.
"Yeah," he answered. Then added honestly, "My leg…"
"Your leg?" John repeated, frowning.
"Yeah."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Oh." He looked down and moved it experimentally. "It just hurts a little bit."
That wasn't really gonna tell Johnny anything, but at least it wasn't a one-word answer.
Still, Johnny was grimacing as he ripped open an alcohol swab, and Roy knew his response hadn't done anything to set his partner's mind at ease.
"Alright, here…let's clean you up," Johnny began, but Roy ignored him for a moment, glancing over his shoulder at the still-burning train car that could have cost him his life.
He was lucky.
"You know, uh…" He blew out another breath. "This job gets a little dangerous."
That was an understatement if there ever was one. They all knew how dangerous this job was, Johnny better than most. But the comment had the effect he wanted.
Johnny laughed.
It was a short-lived sound, but genuine amusement had finally replaced the worry in his partner's eyes.
"I don't know what you're gripin' about," Johnny said wryly. "It's not everybody that gets a paramedic with 'em every day."
He was grinning now, even as he pulled Roy towards him by his coat and turned down his collar so he could start swabbing his face.
Roy smiled back and just let his partner take care of him.
He was lucky in more ways than one.
Fin
A/N: All the spoken dialogue was taken from the episode. I hope you enjoyed this, and please let me know what you think!
Take care and God bless!
Ani-maniac494 :)