Through the Flames

by xavionite

1984. Sequel to The Hard Road. As John Gage and Roy DeSoto move on from the upheaval of the previous year, they rely on a friendship forged in flame to bring them through life's fiery trials. Rated T for possible future content. No slash.

1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is the sequel to The Hard Road. If you haven't read that yet, I suggest you read it first in order to avoid confusion. Other than my humor story, Johnny Gage and the Great Big Book of Fanfiction, all my Emergency stories are interrelated and follow a specific timeline, though most can be read out of order without a problem. If you want to read them in chronological order, here is the proper sequence: The Gift (1976), Christmas Eve Gift (1976), Legends and Light (1979), Stirring the Ashes of Memory (1982), The Hard Road (1983), Through the Flames (1984). I will try to post one chapter a week, but I will also be working on my Hawaii Five-0 story, Invasion, at the same time, so that timeline might be stretched out a bit.

Those who have read my work already know that I am a language geek and I frequently pepper my writing with other languages in order to add some cultural flavor. Mostly, this involves Choctaw, as I imagine Johnny a member of the Choctaw tribe. Usually, I include a glossary at the beginning of the chapter, but this time I'm placing it at the end because it contains spoilers. I work hard to keep my language use accurate, frequently seeking help from friends who are fluent (even after four years of study, I consider myself a beginner), but there could be mistakes I have missed. Here are some pronunciation notes on the Choctaw language to help those who are interested (I doubt I'm the only language geek here). 1) The digraphs 'HL' and 'LH' represent a sound that is not found in English. It's sort of like a soft 'th' sound (as in 'thought') quickly followed by the 'L' sound. It's written 'HL' before a consonant and 'LH' before a vowel. 2) Because Choctaw does not have a sound like English 'V,' the letter V is used to represent the short U sound as in 'bus' or 'sub.' 3) You will notice occasional underlined vowels. The underline represents nasalization of the vowel.

Finally, many thanks are due to my beta readers, Piscean6724 and katbybee! Your encouragement over the years has meant so much to me, and your feedback has truly helped me grow as a writer. You are awesome!

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Nita finished folding D.J. DeSoto's shirt and placed it on top of the stack of clothes in the laundry basket. Tired as she was, she had insisted on helping Joanne instead of just sitting around and relaxing while her friend tackled her everyday chores. Joanne had protested at first, but finally brought Nita a basket of clean clothes, which she emptied out on the coffee table. "You sit there," she said, pointing at the sofa. "You can fold these and put them back in the basket for the kids to take upstairs when they get home. When you're done, prop your feet up and rest. You look exhausted."

She was only about halfway through the small pile, but already she felt her strength flagging. She reached to rub at her aching back, then placed a hand on her abdomen. "Halito, vm vllosi," she crooned. "Hachi hullo li." She winced at a twinge of pain in her right side. Her head ached and a wave of dizziness washed over her. Not again. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to talk herself out of worrying. This was normal, right?

If she weren't expecting, she would swallow a couple of aspirin for the headache, but she didn't want to take the risk. Her obstetrician would recommend Tylenol, but Nita preferred to avoid medications altogether. She wasn't entirely convinced that over-reliance on aspirin hadn't contributed to the problems that culminated in her mother's death when her little brother Billy was born. No, a nice walk would do her more good than a pill. She picked up the stack of folded clothes and bent over to place them in the basket on the floor. When she straightened up, her vision greyed around the edges and suddenly the dull throb in her head intensified. She swallowed hard, fighting back nausea. Headaches always made her feel as if she were about to throw up. It didn't help that the babies seemed to be pushing up against her lungs, making it hard to catch her breath.

"Are you all right, Nita?"

Nita wasn't sure when Jo had moved to the family room and sat down beside her, but she welcomed her friend's supportive touch. She nodded. "Yes... I mean... I will be. I... I think I just need some fresh air."

Jo's hands caught hold of hers and lifted them up. "Nita, your hands... how long have they been swelling up like this?"

Nita looked down at her hands with a frown of distaste. Lately, her fingers resembled puffy little sausages. "Started a few days ago, I guess. My ankles are worse."

"This doesn't look right to me, Nita. I'm going to call Johnny."

Nita pulled her hands free. "No, Jo. Please don't. I'm fine. I just need to slow down. And I... I don't want to worry him while he's working."

Jo frowned at her. "You know exactly what he would say to that."

"Please, Jo." Nita drew in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to pull herself together. She really did want her husband there with her just now, but she also didn't want to appear weak or incapable of taking care of herself. "I think if I just sit down on the back porch for a bit, maybe have something to drink, I'll feel better. If I don't, then you can call Nashoba."

Jo's eyes narrowed, and she seemed about to say something else, but then her face softened and she relented. "I'll give you fifteen minutes," she said. "You sit down on the back patio and I'll bring you a drink of water, and if you aren't feeling better then, I'm calling Johnny."

Nita nodded her agreement. Joanne helped her up and walked her toward the back door. As she stepped across the threshold, another wave of dizziness hit, and Nita saw flashes of light that she knew weren't really there. She felt as if her knees were about to buckle under her. She squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed Joanne's arm to steady herself. "Jo."

"Nita... tell me what's wrong."

"I... I don't know. My head hurts and… and I'm dizzy." Nita swallowed hard. She opened her eyes, then blinked a couple of times. Fear wrapped like a cold hand around her heart, squeezing it till she felt she could hardly breathe. "Jo... I... I can't see."

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A figure moved between Roy and the window he'd been staring out for the last... well... he wasn't sure how long.

"Roy? You OK?"

"Oh... hi, Johnny." Roy shook his head to clear the cobwebs, then swiveled his chair so he could look at the stack of papers on his desk instead. He yawned and stretched. He liked his new job, but he would never like doing desk work, and he did have more of it than he used to. "I'm fine. Just looking through these applications. Ed Jarvis wants into the paramedic program, if you can believe it." He passed the application to Johnny, who was now leaning against the window sill. "What do you think of that?"

Johnny's eyes widened as he read the first page and he gave a scoffing laugh. "Jarvis shouldn't have any job that involves close interaction with other human beings. I'm surprised he's made it as long as he has in the fire department."

"I agree. But his aptitude scores are high, and he's got a decent record. Based on that, we have to recommend him for the program."

Johnny handed the folder back. "Listen, Roy. The whole reason they asked for our feedback on these applications is that we know a lot of these guys. You know as well as anyone that high test scores aren't enough to make someone a good paramedic. You've got to have the ability to interact with people in a positive way, especially in a crisis. Jarvis may be a smart guy, but he lacks that crucial skill. Heck, he makes Craig Brice look like a teddy bear. He'll breeze through training and then crash and burn the first day on the job. I don't know why he's even bothering to apply."

Roy sighed. He glanced at the clock and pushed the stack of papers away. "You're right. And I need a break — I worked through lunch. Want to go down to the cafeteria with me?"

"Sure. I haven't eaten yet either — let me grab my lunch from the fridge and then I'll go down with you." He crossed the room in a few long strides to the small refrigerator Roy had brought from home and pulled out his sack lunch and a can of soda. By the time he closed the fridge and turned toward the door, Roy was already there, balancing on his forearm crutches.

Before they could step out of the office, the phone on Johnny's desk rang. "Hang on a sec... I'd better get that." Johnny moved back to the desk and lifted the handset. "Hello?" A few seconds later, he dropped the phone and was moving at top speed past his friend. "Gotta go... ambulance... bringing Nita... ER..."

"Go, Johnny! I'm right behind you." After a couple months of intense physical therapy, Roy was quick on his crutches, but there was no outpacing the Galloping Greyhound when he had reason to move quickly, and Nita was all the reason he needed. Johnny and Nita had been childhood sweethearts but had lost track of each other until a couple of years ago. Once reunited, their old flame had quickly rekindled, and they had married last May. Nita was due to give birth to their twins sometime a little over a month from now. Roy was glad she'd come down from the ranch to spend the day with Joanne. The Gages' ranch hand, Tex, was out of town for a horse auction, and Johnny hadn't wanted her to be home alone.

Roy hurried down the hall to the elevator and pressed the down button. He guessed Johnny had taken the stairs — two at a time, no doubt. When the doors opened, Roy stepped in and punched the button for the first floor.

A minute later, he stepped out again into a busy Emergency Department. At the end of the long hall, he spotted Johnny, heading out into the ambulance bay, Dixie at his side. Roy moved in that direction. He knew that Joanne wouldn't be far behind the ambulance, and she would probably be upset. Jo had a good head on her shoulders and would not have called for an ambulance if there weren't a need for it. Something really bad must have happened. As the thought flitted through his mind, his forehead creased with concern.

Kel Brackett fell into step next to Roy and opened the door when they reached it. "After you, Roy." The low pitch of his voice and the shadow in his eyes told the former paramedic that Rampart's chief of Emergency was worried.

"What happened to Nita, Doc?"

Brackett sighed. "All I can tell you is what Carter said when he called it in. Elevated blood pressure, dizziness, edema in the hands and face, nausea, severe headache, and sudden onset blindness."

"Toxemia." Roy spit the word out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. He had seen the condition before.

"That's what it sounds like." Brackett took his place beside Dixie and watched the ambulance pull in.

Roy moved past Brackett to stand with his friend as the ambulance backed into the bay. He could see the tension in the tight set of Johnny's jaw and the way he clenched his fists. Dixie had an arm around him, and Roy got the feeling she was physically restraining him from leaping forward and trying to take matters into his own hands.

"She's strong, Junior," he said softly. "She'll get through this."

"Will she, Roy?" The words exploded out of Johnny. "Her mom died when Billy was born, you know."

Roy didn't take his friend's hostile tone personally. He'd been there himself — he understood. Supporting himself on one crutch, he rested a hand on Johnny's arm. "I know. I also know Nita has Brackett and Dixie ready to fight for her, and I figure that fact alone puts the odds in her favor."

The orderly opened the back of the ambulance and helped paramedic Matthew Carter pull the gurney out. Roy was surprised at how pale Nita looked, her dusky rose complexion faded to a sickly pallor. An IV line ran into her arm and an oxygen mask obscured her face. She looked as if she were asleep.

"Get her in Exam One!" Dixie ordered, stepping from Johnny's side to Nita's. Johnny pulled away from Roy to follow his wife's gurney into the hospital.

Just then, Jo came hurrying from the parking lot. She looked ghostly pale herself. Roy met her when she stepped up onto the curb and wrapped his arm around her. "Tell me what happened, honey."

"Oh Roy, it was terrible. And it all happened so fast!" Her words tumbled out breathlessly.

"Slow down, Jo." Roy instinctively grasped her wrist. Her pulse was racing. "Let's go sit in the nurse's lounge, get you something to drink. Then you can tell me everything."

Jo just nodded, and together they went inside.

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Johnny paced the hallway outside Exam One, glancing every so often at the door. He was pretty sure it had been at least an hour since Nita had been taken into the room and Dixie had turned to him and put her hand on his chest and told him in that no-nonsense tone of hers to wait here. The nerve! He'd been in that exam room hundreds of times over the years, maybe thousands. He knew how to stay out of the way! Nita needed him! He had half a mind to barge through the door in spite of Dixie. Before he could, though, it finally opened and the nurse stepped out.

Johnny glared at her. "Well?"

"C'mon, Johnny. Let me buy you a cup of coffee while we talk." She put an arm around him and tried to guide him in the direction of the nurse's lounge, but Johnny dug his heels in.

"I don't want coffee, Dix! I just want to know about my wife and children, and then I want to go in and sit with her!"

"She's sleeping now, Johnny."

Dixie's blue eyes locked with his, and he felt himself crumbling under her intense gaze. He wasn't sure how much longer his legs would hold him up. "Please, Dixie."

At last she relented. "All right. But come sit down while we talk. You don't look very steady at the moment." She guided him to a row of chairs just down the hall and nudged him into one, then sat next to him. "Johnny, Nita's blood pressure is dangerously high. It's a condition called toxemia."

He ducked his head and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I know what it is, Dix. Doc Brackett got her on a magnesium sulfate drip?"

"Yes, he did." Dixie gave his left hand a comforting squeeze. Johnny appreciated that she remembered his right hand didn't have much sensation. He'd worked hard to regain most of the function and strength since his injury about four months ago, but permanent nerve damage had left him with very little feeling in that hand. "Kel wants to admit her. As a precaution, we'll start her off in ICU, but assuming we get her blood pressure under control, we'll move her to obstetrics in a day or two. Right now, we are focused on lowering her blood pressure and giving those babies a little more time to develop. But I'm sure you know what they say — the surest cure for toxemia is delivery. Which means if the magnesium doesn't have the effect we hope it will, Nita will need to deliver soon."

Johnny opened his mouth, but Dixie put up a hand to stop him from interrupting. "Those are Gage babies, and that means they're fighters like their daddy. Nita's far enough along that they should be all right with a little help for their lungs. I've seen younger babies survive and thrive. Now, before you go in to be with her, you need to know — the toxemia has affected her vision. She's blind, Johnny. It's temporary, and Kel explained that to her, but she was pretty shook up, so I'm not sure how much she took in of what he said. When she wakes up, she will need your reassurance. Once we get her blood pressure down to a safer level, we don't want stress pushing it up again."

Johnny's hands trembled as he absorbed the news. As a paramedic, he had responded to calls for women with toxemia several times. Not all of them had survived. He gave Dixie a curt nod. "Can I go to her now?"

"Sure. I'll go with you." They both stood and Dixie slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. "ICU should have Nita's bed ready by now, and she'll be be moved upstairs soon. I'll send Roy up to find you once you've had a chance to get her settled."

"Thanks, Dix." They reached the door to the exam room just as Kel Brackett was stepping out.

After a pointed look from Dixie, the doctor squeezed Johnny's arm. "She's quite a woman, Johnny. We'll do everything we can to pull her and the babies through this."

Johnny nodded, then steadied himself with a deep breath before stepping inside. The sight of his wife, looking so frail with all the monitors and the IV connected to her, just about broke his heart. He strode across the room, anxious to be close to her.

He gently stroked her raven-black hair with his left hand, then twined his fingers with hers as he bent to kiss her brow. "Nita," he whispered. "Atek, chi hullo li."

She blinked her eyes open. "Nashoba? Chi pisa hinla li kiyo. Katimma ish anta?" She clutched at his hand and the cardiac monitor beeped, registering her too-rapid heartbeat.

"Shh, aiukli. Cholusa. Okmocholi. Okhlili mvt mashelichi. Chi nishkin nihi vt falamachi." He'd lost his fluency in Choctaw years ago at boarding school, and though he had been speaking it more since he was reunited with Nita, he still felt as if his tongue frequently stumbled over the words. But he knew she would take comfort in hearing their native language, so he did his best. He pulled up a chair to sit beside her, all the while keeping his hand on hers while he murmured to her.

"Taloa, Nashoba," she whispered. "Vmi taloa."

"Sing for me," she'd said. He knew exactly the song she wanted, too. She'd sung it over him a couple of years ago when he was gravely ill and near death. Most of his memories of those days were hazy, but he clearly remembered hearing her voice, and he was convinced she had kept him from crossing the threshold by singing those words to him. His voice was rough and lacked her rich tone, but he hoped the old hymn might comfort her and give her strength. He squeezed her hand, cleared his throat, and began to sing.

Chitokaka ma! chi haksobish a

Et welit, chin tahpahanla li ka

Auet is sa haklo cha, nana ka

Chim asihilhha li ka et vma

Klaist a auet is svm ihissashke;

Keyukmvno, svlla he banoshke.

—

Tvli holisso, micha nanasi

Yakni 'lvppa asha, yohmi kvno

Is svmakbano, chi ahni la wa;

Klaist ak bano, ho sa bahannvshke

Klaist a auet is svm ihissvshke;

Keyukmvno, svlla he banoshke.*

As he sang, Nita's heart rate gradually slowed and she drifted into a more peaceful sleep. Johnny was only vaguely aware of Dixie moving around and checking the monitors until she came up behind him as the last haunting strains of the hymn faded away.

The nurse lay a soft hand on his shoulder and kissed the top of his head. A ghost of a smile flitted across Johnny's face as he clasped her hand and looked up at the woman who had become something of a big sister to him over the years. "The babies' heartbeats sound good," she said, "and Nita's doing better. Keep it up, Tiger. The orderly will be here soon to take her upstairs."

He nodded, then turned back to his wife. Nita had relaxed now, her hand loosening its grip on his. He moved his hand to her abdomen and leaned over to talk to his unborn children. "Halito vm vllosi. Chiki vt hachi hullo. Be strong, little ones."

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Roy sat with Joanne on the couch in the nurse's lounge, his arms around her as she rested her head in his lap. He stroked her hair and gently massaged her neck. He knew she must have worked hard to keep her emotions in check when Nita needed her to be strong and when she was driving to the hospital, but she had broken down crying once he got her in here. At the moment, though, she was just quiet. She sniffled and shuddered slightly under his hand, and he reached over to grab a tissue from a box on the side table. "Here you go, Jo."

"Thank you, honey," she said, her voice just barely wavering. "Sorry I lost it like that. I just... wasn't sure what to do, and... well... I was afraid she might die right there in my arms." She sat up and dabbed at her face with the tissue, then reached across him for another one.

Roy stroked a finger down her cheek. "Jo, honey, you don't need to apologize... I know it must have been terrifying, but you did everything exactly right. Nita and the babies are in good hands right now, thanks to you."

She blew her nose and mustered a wan smile. "Thank you, Roy. I needed to hear that."

"He's right you know." They both looked up to see Dixie framed in the doorway. "Carter told me you did all the right things before they arrived. It could have been much worse if you hadn't been with her."

"How's Nita doin', Dix?" Roy asked.

"She's hanging in there. We're sending her up to ICU right now, but hopefully we'll be able to move her to obstetrics within a day or two. Johnny's up there with her, and I promised him I'd send you up."

Joanne patted Roy on the thigh. "Just let me wash my face," she said. "Then I'll be ready." She gave a rueful smile. "Thank you, Dixie."

While his wife freshened up, Roy took a moment to gather his emotions. The last time he'd been in ICU, he'd been a patient there himself. His right pants leg, specially tailored to end just below the knee, was a stark reminder of those traumatic days. His life had changed irrevocably in an instant. He had struggled to come to acceptance of those changes, but over the last four months, he'd discovered that life could still be good, and he was figuring out new ways to do all the things he used to take for granted.

Physically and emotionally, he was in a pretty good place right now. Still, the thought of going back up to ICU made him a little queasy. He sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. His best friend — the man who had been with him through flame and through flood and had always had his back — needed him, and Roy intended to be there for him.

"Are you OK, honey?" Jo's hand touched his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. "We should go up now."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Roy grabbed his crutches by the hand grips and used them to leverage himself into a standing position. "Let's go."

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Glossary:

Choctaw - English

Nashoba – wolf; Johnny's Choctaw name

Halito - Hello

Vm vllosi - My babies

Hachi hullo li - I love you (where 'you' is plural)

Atek - My wife

Chi pisa hinla li kiyo - I can't see you

Katimma ish anta? - Where are you?

Aiukli - Beautiful

Cholusa - Be still.

Okmocholi - Close your eyes.

Oklhili mvt mashelichi - This darkness will pass.

Chi nishkin nihi vt falamachi - Your sight will return.

Hachiki vt hachi hullo - Your daddy loves you (where 'your' and 'you' are plural)

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Note

*The hymn sung by Johnny in this chapter is number 53 in the Choctaw hymnal. The words are a translation of Give Me Christ or Else I Die, written by hymnist William Hammond in 1745. The tune that best fit the Choctaw words, however, is that of an old shape-note carol called Star in the East. (If you want to hear the tune, search for "Star in the East" and "The Rose Ensemble" on youtube to find my favorite rendition of it.) This hymn provided great comfort to the Choctaw people during times of sorrow, particularly during the Trail of Tears, when they were forced from their homelands in what is now Mississippi to a new home in Indian Territory. Some of my ancestors made this trek and no doubt took comfort in this hymn. It is still sung today; in fact, I had the privilege of singing it with a small choir at a Choctaw church service last Sunday. Here are the English lyrics; the Choctaw is a very close translation:

Gracious Lord, incline Thine ear;

My request vouchsafe to hear;

Hear my never-ceasing cry;

Give me Christ, or else I die.

—

Wealth and honor I disdain,

Earthly comforts, Lord, are vain;

These can never satisfy:

Give me Christ, or else I die.