A/N – Please be kind as I have no medical background,

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

An Act of Friendship

by: CLR

'Johnny, you about ready to go?' Johnny heard through the bathroom door. "Yeah, be out in a minute," he replied as he finished drying his face. He looked closely in the mirror and noticed the rings under his eyes and the pale complexion. He hated to admit it, but he really wasn't feeling well. 'Hope I'm not getting sick,' he thought as he hobbled over and opened the bathroom door, finding Joanne waiting patiently with the wheelchair…

Three weeks ago he had been caught up in an explosion at a warehouse fire. At the end of the day the tally was a broken arm and leg, some bruised ribs, and of course, a concussion. He had spent a week at Rampart and had been staying with the DeSotos ever since. Brackett had not given him a choice. If he was honest with himself, he knew he was in no shape to be at home alone yet.

He gingerly sat in the wheelchair as Joanne asked, "All set?" He nodded as she slowly turned the wheelchair and pushed him down the hall. Joanne was taking him for a checkup with Brackett.

"Jenny, I'm taking Uncle Johnny now, you be good for Mrs. Harrison." Joanne said as they passed through the living room. Jenny had been home with a bad cold the last few days and Mrs. Harrison, the next door neighbor, had come over to watch her while Joanne took Johnny to Rampart.

"She'll be fine." Mrs. Harrison replied as she opened the door to the garage for them.

Joanne loaded Johnny into the station wagon and put the wheelchair in back.

As she got in the car and belted up, she looked over at Johnny. "Are you feeling okay? You look tired," she said as she noted how pale he looked and the circles under his eyes. She started to reach over to feel Johnny's forehead, but he turned toward her and said, "I'm just tired, didn't sleep well last night." Joanne dropped her hand as she contemplated Johnny's admission. 'Oh well, if there's anything else going on, I'm sure Dr. Brackett will catch it,' she thought as she started the car.

The drive to Rampart was quiet. Neither of them saying a word; Johnny because he wasn't feeling well and Joanne because she was busy watching the rain soaked roads. Southern California had been hit with a number of heavy rainfalls over the last week and a half and the roads were slick.

They were driving on a narrow road when Joanne thought she heard the faint sound of a siren. She looked around but didn't see anything. As they approached a bridge, the sound started to get louder. When she caught a glimpse of flashing lights in her rearview mirror, she pulled over. Knowing how narrow the road was, she pulled completely off the road. The tires of the station wagon sunk into the shoulder, which was soft from all the rain. Joanne had just recognized the shape of a squad coming up behind them, when the car shifted to the right and started to roll down the embankment. She screamed.

When he felt the car start to roll, Johnny tried to brace himself. Little moans escaped him as his body jerked from side to side. He felt like they were on a bad carnival ride as they continued to flip. When his ribs hit the door, he grunted. He heard Joanne cry out and saw stars when his cast hit the dashboard. He caught a glimpse of water as the car violently stopped and his head cracked against the side window. He felt the car begin to slide as he lost consciousness.

XXXXXXX

Roy and his temporary partner, Brice, were in the squad on their way to a structure fire, the engine following close behind. In the distance, Roy saw a car pull over to the side of the road. It sat for a moment then tilted to the right and rolled over the embankment. As Brice called it in to dispatch, Roy pulled the squad over, being careful not to go onto the soft shoulder. He exited the squad as Mike pulled the engine in behind them.

Cap was out of his seat before the engine stopped. They ran to the edge of the embankment. As they peered down, they saw a station wagon slide into the water. It bobbed for a few moments then slowly started to sink. Cap called dispatch to request an additional engine. They were going to need the manpower.

Roy looked more closely as water lapped over the roof. He thought, 'that looks like…no, it can't be…' His eyes widened at the realization as he turned to his superior. "Cap, that's Joanne's car! She had to take Johnny to Rampart today." Roy said stunned. Cap's brows rose as he lifted the HT up and requested an additional ambulance. He dropped the HT into his pocket and started barking out orders.

XXXXXXX

He slowly opened his eyes. 'Where am I?' He thought as he tried to clear the fuzzy feeling from his head. He heard water running and realized his feet were wet. The water was cold and sent a shiver down him. This caused a host of pains to make themselves known. His head felt like it was going to explode and his leg felt like it had a white hot poker in it. The rest of his body felt like he had been the punching bag for the heavyweight champion… but other than that, he was okay. 'Well at least I still have my sense of humor,' flitted through his brain as he tried to control the pain. He looked around trying to get his bearings. He saw a dashboard…'a dashboard?' And then it all came crashing back. 'The car rolled! Oh my God! Joanne…' he turned and looked, trying to focus his eyes.

Johnny saw that Joanne was slumped against the steering wheel. He reached for his seatbelt, fumbling until he found the clasp. He opened it and started scooting over, gasping as the pain flared. He started running his hands over her, assessing her condition. "Joanne. Joanne, wake up!" He called, but she didn't respond. He found a lump over her left ear and a small laceration on her left temple. As he continued his assessment, he continued to try to rouse her. His hands traveled down and he noted some tenderness to the left side of her ribcage. He panted as he checked her arms. There was swelling at her left wrist and Johnny thought it was probably broken. As he traveled down, he noted some tenderness where her seatbelt hit her hips. When he ran his hands down her legs, he realized the water was rising; it was now up to mid-calf. 'Where is all this water coming from?' he wondered. He straightened up and looked out the windshield and realized that all he could see was murky water.

XXXXXXX

Roy stood there, trying to control his emotions. Thoughts were tumbling through his head as a sudden realization hit him. "Oh my God! Jenny!" he said aloud without even realizing it.

Cap looked at him quizzically.

"Jenny has been home sick the last couple days. Joanne was going to try to make other arrangements…but if she couldn't, she was going to take Jenny with her."

Cap grabbed his HT and called in to dispatch. He requested they call Roy's house to see if anyone answered. A few moments later, dispatch reported the neighbor was there with Jenny. There was a collective sigh of relief.

Cap and Roy stood at the edge, assessing the situation. The embankment was steep with a small area at the bottom; they could stage the second part of the rescue from there. "This bank doesn't look too stable. We'll have to run lines down." Cap said as he ordered Mike to pull the engine closer.

Marco and Chet readied the lines while Roy and Brice ran to the squad to get their belts and other equipment they would need. Roy struggled to remain calm, his fingers fumbled with the buckles. Brice put his hand on top of Roy's and bent his head to make eye contact. "We'll get them out, don't worry DeSoto." Roy gave Brice a small smile and said, "Thanks Craig." He buckled up, pulled out a pry bar and looked at Brice. They nodded to each other and went over to the engine.

Marco and Chet helped them hook on to the lines then rechecked the rigging. When everything was ready, Cap gave them a nod to proceed and said, "As soon as the other engine company arrives, we'll be down." Roy acknowledged his captain. With equipment in hand, they started down the embankment.

XXXXXXX

Johnny tried to control the panic that was threatening to overwhelm him as he contemplated what to do. He knew that a rescue was under way, but he did not know if there would be enough time. Water rescues generally took a long time to set up. Once the water inside rose above the windows, he was not sure if he would have enough strength to break them. The water was rising fast; it was already just below his knees. He knew that they would have to get out of the car, and soon. He slid closer to Joanne and tried to rouse her. Gently taking her face between his hands, he slapped her lightly on the cheek. "C'mon Joanne. Joanne!" Her eyelids fluttered and then she opened her eyes.

"Wha…what happened?" She asked confused.

"We rolled over the side of the road. We're gonna be okay." Johnny said as soothingly as he could. He didn't want to tell her about the water until she was better oriented. "How do you feel?" He watched carefully for her reaction. He saw her brows knit as she thought about his question.

"Mmm. My head hurts." Joanne responded as she closed her eyes. Her head felt like it had cotton in it. She started to raise her left hand towards her head, she winced and said, "My arm hurts…and my side is sore."

"I need you to stay awake, Joanne." Johnny said forcefully as he squeezed her shoulders. Joanne reluctantly opened her eyes. Johnny watched as her eyes started to wander. He tightened his grip in preparation for her reaction when she looked down at the water lapping over the seat. He saw her eyes widen as he said, "Its okay. We're gonna get out of here, but I'm gonna need your help. Can you do that?"

Joanne nodded hesitantly as she wondered how they would get out. Maybe they could just wait. After all, surely the squad had seen them roll. She started to shiver as the icy water continued to rise.

Johnny searched around looking for anything he could use to break the window. When he couldn't find anything, he looked over at Joanne to ask if she knew of anything they could use. Her eyes were half-closed and her body trembled with the cold. He reached over to shake her as he said, "Joanne! Joanne! Stay with me." When he saw that he had her attention, he asked, "Do you have anything I can use to break the window? A heavy flashlight or any sort of tools…uh…a wrench…or a screwdriver?"

Joanne still felt a little fuzzy but she concentrated on Johnny's question, trying to think of anything that might be in the car. She finally shook her head.

"Joanne, I'm gonna break the window. When I do that, the water is gonna rush in. We'll take a couple of deep breaths and then we'll climb out the window and swim to the surface. Do you understand?" he questioned.

"Y-yes. Y-yes I do. W-w-what are you going to use?"

As he contemplated what he was about to do Johnny took a deep breath and said, "Trust me, you don't want to know. You ready?"