Fools Rush In

Chapter One

"This just in..."

Joanne DeSoto reached over to turn off the radio in the bedroom when she heard...

"A paramedic from Station Fifty-One was injured today when his safety equipment failed, and he fell 300 feet down a ravine..."

Joanne drew in a sharp breath as she listened for details.

"The paramedic, Jonathan Soto, was taken to Rampart Emergency hospital, where he is listed in critical condition."

Joanne grabbed her purse and ran for the car. As she shakily inserted the key in the ignition, she thought, "'Jonathan Soto,' or 'Raymond Gage.' What is so hard about 'John Gage' or 'Roy DeSoto?'"

As Joanne negotiated the drive to Rampart, she became aware that she was chanting, "Don't let it be Roy, don't let it be Roy," which of course meant, "Let it be Johnny, let it be Johnny." She grimaced as she realized she didn't care...as long as Roy was all right. Given Johnny's habit of diving into dangerous situations ahead of Roy, most likely that was the outcome here. And she uttered a silent prayer for forgiveness in hoping Johnny was hurt instead of her husband, and gratitude Roy had such a partner.

Chapter Two

Joanne pulled her car to a screeching halt in a parking space near the entrance to the Emergency Department at Rampart General Hospital. Her mind blanked with panic as she ran inside. The first person she saw was Dixie. She grabbed her and spun her around.

"Dix - "

Dix grabbed her arms. "He's okay, hon. He's over there." Dixie pointed to the waiting area, where Roy sat, drinking a cup of coffee, looking calm, cool, and collected. Then again, he usually looked that way, even when he was worried.

Roy looked up and spotted her. He gave her a 'thumbs up' sign, which meant that he was okay, and Johnny's injuries, whatever they were, weren't too bad.

Joanne stood, shaking, in front of Roy. "The radio said - "

"Yeah, Jonathan Soto." Roy patted the seat next to himself. Joanne dropped into it, nestled in the crook of his arm, and caught her breath. Then she punched him. Hard.

"OUCH! What was THAT for?"

"For not calling me!"

"Hon, I tried five times! You must have already left."

"Oh." Joanne drew back, embarrassed. Roy put an arm back around her and pulled her close. He laughed.

"Now, if you had an HT, the County could radio you..."

Joanne laughed. Then she sat up and stared at Roy. "How is - "

"He's fine. Broke his arm, not too bad, and wrenched his back. He's in Treatment Three, getting a cast.

"The radio said his safety equipment failed."

"Yeah. That's the story Cap gave the reporter." Roy shook his head. "Truth is...he barely buckled the first couple of buckles of his safety belt. I yelled at him to slow down, but you know Johnny."

Joanne looked incredulous. "Roy, he may be fast, but he's careful about equipment. You're always telling me that. He's just...fast."

They both laughed at the images the word "fast" conjured up.

When the laughter died down, Joanne asked, "So, what happened this time?"

"I dunno." Roy's mouth set in a grim line. "But I mean to find out."

Chapter Three

Kelly Brackett smiled down at Johnny Gage, who lay on an exam table in Treatment Room Three, full of morphine and valium. He nodded at the nurse, who held Johnny's elbow.

"Okay, John. You've been through this before. Your job is to hold still. My job is to reduce the fracture and cast your arm into position. Move and I'll - "

"Have to call in someone bigger and ugly, yeah you've made that joke before." Johnny tried to wink at the nurse, but only succeeded in grimacing.

"Okay, take a deep breath and hold it - " Brackett twisted the wrist into proper position, Johnny gritting his teeth, listening to the 'pop, pop, pop,' as the bones of his wrist snapped into place. Finally, Brackett let up on the pressure, balancing the wrist gently into position as he began wrapping it. He glanced down at Johnny.

"How ya doing?"

"Oh, great..." Johnny smiled at the nurse, wiping tears of pain with his free hand. "So, haven't seen you here before. Almost makes getting injured worth the trouble." She rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Seems you haven't been properly introduced. Johnny Gage, this is Mrs. Shaw."

Johnny gulped. "Uh...oh...Mrs. Shaw. Sorry. Didn't know."

She finally smiled. "Don't worry about it. Happens all the time. I was warned about you. You're a big flirt, Mr. Gage."

"Me? I'm not a...a flirt...it's just that I'm single, and the...uh...the hospital is, uh...a good place to pick up - I mean, meet, ya know - " He looked at Brackett in exasperation. "Well, how was I supposed to know? You could warn a guy, ya know..."

Brackett grinned. "And take all the fun out of it? I doubt it." He nodded at the nurse. "Thank you." She left the room.

Brackett washed his hands and smiled at Johnny. "How you feeling?"

Johnny tried to sit up, gasped at the pain in his back, and laid back down. "Okay, I guess." Brackett nodded.

"X-ray'll be back, then Dixie will get your admission underway."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Aw, come on, Doc. I can take care of myself. Just let me - " He tried to sit up again, gasped again, and laid back down. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Okay. But just for a day, got it?"

Brackett laughed, shook his head, and left the room.

Chapter Four

"He's fine. On muscle relaxers, pain killers, his back and arm hurt. I'm going to admit him for a couple of days."

Brackett sat with Roy and Joanne.

Roy grimaced. "Can I see him?"

"Sure." Brackett rose, walked a few steps, then turned back. "Roy...go easy on him. He's been through a lot."

"And I haven't?" Roy brushed past Brackett and disappeared into Treatment Three. Brackett threw Joanne a significant look. She sighed and followed Roy.

Chapter Five

Johnny was sleeping, his broken arm resting on a pillow by his side. Roy paced, waiting for him to stir. Joanne leaned over Johnny and removed a few twigs from his hair. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Hey. Bet you're glad it's me and not Roy."

Joanne flinched inwardly. "No. I hate it when either of my favorite men is hurt." She was aware of Roy behind her, pacing faster and faster. "Roy is here, John."

Johnny laughed, then winced in pain. "Yeah, I can hear him." He raised his head. "Okay Pally, let me have it."

Roy gently moved Joanne away from the table. He leaned over Johnny. "I'm not gonna let you have it, Junior. I just want an explanation."

Johnny glanced at Joanne. "Well, the thing is - "

"I don't care WHAT 'the thing is!'" Roy exploded. "you've done some pretty stupid things in your career, Johnny. But you've always used proper precautions. How could you skip something as simple as buckling your belt all the way?"

Johnny raised his good hand in a vain attempt to calm Roy. "You're absolutely right. It was stupid. And I ignored - "

"You're damn right you ignored! You ignored every bit of safety training you've had, you ignored me, your instincts, everything!" Roy grabbed Johnny's shoulders and shook him. "Do you know how much you scared me?" Johnny yelped in pain.

"I'm gettin' a pretty good idea. And it's time I explained - "

But Roy released him and stormed out of the room.

Johnny lay in silence, staring at the ceiling. Joanne pulled a chair up to his exam table and sat down.

"You okay?"

He shrugged. "Sure. I'm okay." He eyed Joanne. "Shouldn't you go after him? Make sure HE'S okay?"

Joanne smiled. He's okay. He just needs to cool down." She paused. "He really loves you, you know."

Johnny nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I know."

"So...how about you tell me what happened, and I'll tell him?"

Chapter Six

Joanne found Roy in the hospital cafeteria, gulping coffee and a sandwich. She sat down next to him.

"So. Eating your anger?"

Roy didn't look at her. "No. I'm eating lunch."

Joanne sighed. "Honey, I talked to John. He won't tell me what happened. Says he needs to talk with you."

"I know what happened," was the surprising answer. "It's the same thing that almost always happens, ever since we started working together."

"And what's that?"

Roy sighed. "Johnny...he's a show-off. He doesn't mean to be, I know. But he's too into his job, into the whole 'hero' thing. Sometime it clouds his ability to think clearly, like when he dove into that cave to save the homeless man. He could have been killed! Or when he - "

"When he sawed the rod off that construction worker's leg, to save you from having to amputate it," Joanne reminded him. Roy fell silent for a moment.

"That doesn't count. We were working together. How about when he shimmied down into that lion's den at the zoo? I could have done that!"

Joanne laughed. "Did you want to?"

"Well...yeah, in a way. I mean...I could have." He grew increasingly embarrassed under Joanne's gaze. "I COULD have, that's the point. I could have done all the things he keeps leaping in ahead of me to do."

"Except the things you're not skinny enough to do," Joanne responded, patting his tummy.

Roy laughed. "And on that note, your slightly fat husband's gotta get back to work."

"You're not gonna talk to Johnny?"

Roy shook his head. "Gotta get back to work."

They stood and hugged. Joanne whispered in Roy's ear, "Be careful, please," and he responded, "I always am." He kissed her and left.

Joanne returned to Treatment Three. Johnny was being transferred to a gurney so he could be admitted.

"Ow, ow, careful, let me do it, ouch, ouch, careful..."

She walked with the gurney to Johnny's room and helped settle him. He leaned back in bed and closed his eyes in relief.

"I don't wanna move for a year."

"John...how are you gonna manage at home?"

He eyed her. "No. I'm not staying with you."

"You'll have the den all to yourself. You know how comfortable the sofa bed is."

"Nope."

"The kids will love to see you."

"Joanne, that's not fair - "

"Homecooking."

"Aw, come on..."

"As much as you can eat..."

He began laughing, despite the pain. "That's REALLY not fair."

"You can talk to Roy."

Johnny stopped laughing.

"Honey...he has to listen. There's a greater chance of him listening with you there."

"But - "

"You won't tell me what happened. I know you want to talk with him. Please?"

"Joanne..." Johnny tried to look threatening, and failed utterly.

She laughed and made her 'mother face.' "Johnny..."

He laughed. "Yeah, okay. I'll come."

Joanne smiled. "Good." She kissed his cheek, and left.

Chapter Seven

Two days later, Roy strode into Johnny's room with a change of clothes and a suitcase. He laid the clothes on Johnny's bed.

"Come on, Junior. Let's go."

Johnny slowly sat up and grabbed the shirt. "Listen, before we go...can we talk?"

Roy shrugged. "Sure. Whadaya want to talk about?"

Johnny slowly and carefully shed his hospital gown. "Come on Roy, we need to talk about the other day. I don't think you - "

"Understand? Okay, talk."

Johnny blanched under Roy's angry stare. "Could you, um...cool it with the angry looks?" He gasped with pain as he tried to slip his broken arm through the sleeve of the shirt Roy had brought. Roy gently helped him on with the shirt, wincing as he saw the muscles in Johnny's back spasm.

"Hurts, huh?"

"Well yeah, but I deserve it. I didn't buckle my belt all the way." Johnny waited while Roy buttoned his shirt for him. "I'm sorry I scared ya, Roy. That wasn't my intention."

Roy gathered the right leg of Johnny's jeans and eased it on. He kept Johnny seated while he repeated the procedure with the left leg, stood him, and held him up while Johnny zipped and buttoned the jeans. He then sat Johnny back down and got to work on his socks and shoes. "So, what WAS your intention, John?"

"It's hard to explain. It's just that you - and I - well, you're less - "

"Capable? Is that what you're saying?" Roy looked up from the floor as he slipped Johnny's shoes on.

Johnny shook his head. "No! Would ya just wait while I find the right words?"

They both fell silent. Roy tied Johnny's shoes and stood.

"Well? It can't be that hard to find the right words."

"It is when you're angry at me." Johnny pushed himself to his feet. "Let's go."

Chapter Eight

"Uncle Johnny!"

Six year old Jenny DeSoto bounded down the stairs, strawberry blonde hair flying, and threw herself into Johnny's good arm. Johnny staggered back, winced and hugged her. "Careful, Jen, my back hurts."

She looked up at him. "Mommy said you got hurt saving a little boy."

Johnny glanced at Roy, who had entered the house and was closing the door. "I got hurt because I wasn't careful, hon. It was your Daddy who saved the little boy. And me." He released Jenny and walked carefully toward the den, murmuring, "Man, I gotta lie down."

Roy followed Johnny into the den and helped him change. As he turned to leave, he gazed back at Johnny, a faint glimmer of understanding starting in his eyes.

"John..."

Johnny looked up from the sofa bed, his broken arm propped on a pillow, cushions under his knees.

"Yeah?"

"You been hustling in ahead of me on rescues because of my..." He shook his head. "I wish you had talked about it with me instead of - "

"Uncle Johnny!"

Eight year old Chris DeSoto came charging into the den, flew up into the air, aiming for the sofa bed. Roy caught him in mid air.

"Hey, watch it! Uncle Johnny has a broken arm and a hurt back! Go gentle!" He placed Chris on his feet. Chris gingerly leaned over the sofa bed.

"Uncle Johnny? You okay?"

Johnny smiled and reached out his good arm. "Come 'ere, Sprout."

Chris climbed gently onto the sofa bed and looked at Johnny. "Mommy says you got hurt trying to save a little boy - "

"Who looked..." Johnny broke down in tears, pulled Chris to himself, and cried. As the tears lessened, he let go of Chris, who looked anxiously at him, then at Roy.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Roy shook his head, his voice shaking. "No, son. The boy we saved...reminded Uncle Johnny...us...of you."

Chris looked confused. "So? Why did Uncle Johnny cry?"

Johnny laughed, then winced. "Because Uncle Johnny is stupid, that's why."

Roy lifted Chris off the sofa bed and took him to the door of the den. "Let me talk to Uncle Johnny, then I'll come talk to you." Chris looked confused, then shrugged, and left. Roy closed the door behind him. He turned to Johnny. "So. You're not a show-off."

"Huh?"

"I thought you do all those dangerous saves instead of me because you're a show-off. That's not it at all, is it?"

Johnny sighed. "No. I been tryin' to keep the DeSoto husband and father alive."

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that, now."

"I didn't realize it myself until I was falling down that ravine after my belt went flying off. Ya know how everything slows down and things flash in front of ya?"

"Oh, yeah."

"It was the kind of thing I didn't really think about, ya know, I just started doin' it. I been doin' it more and more, the better I got to know and love your family. Roy...if they lost ya, they'd lose...everything...husband, father...everything." He shrugged. "If I bought it...no family, no wife, no kids, no one to...ya know..."

"Miss you?"

Johnny took a deep tremulous breath. "Something like that, yeah."

There was a short silence.

Finally, Roy sighed. "Junior, if you think no one would miss you...no one needs you, really needs you...we have some hard talking to do."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Oh, great."

Roy laughed. "Get some rest." He walked to the den door, opened it, then turned back and regarded Johnny thoughtfully. "Yeah...we got some talking to do. Get some rest, Junior."

After the door was closed, Johnny stared at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the DeSoto household. He sighed and fell asleep.

Chapter Nine

The next morning, after Chris and Jenny left for school, Roy and Joanne brought breakfast in to Johnny. He grinned, started to hike himself up into a sitting position, and gasped as the muscles in his back spasmed. Roy laughed softly as Joanne helped Johnny into an upright position and adjusted the pillows behind his back. Johnny threw Roy a resentful look as Roy placed the bed-tray over his lap.

"The least you coulda done is help me instead of makin' yer wife do it." Roy laughed again. Joanne leaned over him.

"And just who do you think helps Roy when HE gets hurt? Chris?"

"Uh...oh. I hadn't thought of that."

"According to Roy, there's a lot you haven't thought of."

Johnny paused, his mouth full of food. He stared at Roy, shoved the food in his cheek and sputtered out, "That was a private conversation."

Roy shook his head. "You didn't say it was private. And I felt Joanne should know."

"But - "

"Junior, shaddup."

Johnny nodded angrily and shoved more food into his mouth.

Joanne spoke gently. "Johnny, don't think we don't appreciate - "

"I just wanna say one thing - "

Joanne and Roy exchanged glances. Roy shrugged. Joanne nodded. "What's the one thing, hon?"

Johnny swallowed his food and took a gulp of milk. He wiped his mouth on a napkin and tossed it down. "First of all, I didn't even realize what I been doin' until I was fallin' down that ravine, ya know? It just sorta came to me."

They nodded.

"Plus, I don't think it's a bad thing, takin' care of yer partner and wanting to watch out for his family, keepin' 'em safe and all that because - "

Roy raised a hand. "Johnny, there's a big difference - "

"I really care about y'all, ya know? I really, uh...love ya, and the thought of Roy not bein' here for ya when I coulda done something and didn't, well...just don't come down on me too hard...because what I done, I done for all the right reasons, and I never, ever ONCE implied, I mean I didn't MEAN to imply that Roy here isn't competent or capable of doin' his job, because he's a great rescue man. He's just...great. Number One. Better 'n me." Johnny took another bite of food. "Well, at most things, anyway."

Roy and Joanne exchanged another glance. Johnny finished the food, gulped rest of the milk, wiped his mouth again, and looked at them.

"You two...wanna say something?"

"Roy shrugged. "Yeah...buckle your safety belt all the way." Johnny smiled and reached out his good hand. They shook.

Joanne leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I love you, little stinker. Get some rest." She handed Roy the tray and helped Johnny lie down. Joanne and Roy left the den.

Johnny heard the door close, then Joanne and Roy's soft laughter. He scowled in annoyance, then joined them with a chuckle of his own.

THE END