The rising sun was basking the city in warm, amber hue as the crew of Station 51's 'A-shift' had begun to arrive to begin the day anew.
As per usual, Captain Hank Stanley was the first to arrive, followed shortly by Mike Stoker. Both men made a quick habit of changing into their uniforms before the other men even arrived. It wasn't long before Marco Lopez walked into the station, then Chet Kelley and Roy DeSoto arrived roughly at the same moment. It wasn't uncommon for these first five men to arrive at the Station before their sixth man, Johnny Gage.
"Mornin' guys!" Roy greeted his Captain and Mike as he walked past his opened office door to the locker room. Stoker was checking the engine for any possible maintenance.
"Hey Roy." Captain Stanley was too preoccupied with the stack of papers on his desk to get up or to even look up from his task at hand.
"Hey Marco, Roy."
As Roy opened up his locker to change into his uniform, Chet Kelley walked in while Marco walked out, dressed and ready for roll call. Marco nodded to his colleague and exited into the bay where Stoker was still examining the engine.
"Where's Gage?" Chet noticed that Johnny wasn't in the locker room as he began to change into his uniform as well.
"Haven't seen him yet." Roy was tying his shoe laces.
"I'm right here." Johnny walked slowly through the doorway and to his locker. He looked tired, dark circles were forming under his eyes and his face was a little pale.
"There you are. What took you so long?"
"What?" Johnny sat down on the bench in front of his locker and ran his hand through his dark hair. "Oh, nothing. I just couldn't get going this morning. I didn't sleep too well last night."
"Insomnia again?" Chet almost laughed as he walked past Johnny and Roy as he too finished dressing.
"No Chet, not insomnia again." Johnny's tone showed that he was clearly irritated by the remark.
"You're not getting sick, are you?" Roy looked at his partner with concern.
"No, I'm not getting sick either." Johnny finally opened his locker and started to swap out his clothes for his uniform. "I just couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. That final call last shift really did a number on me."
"What happened?" Roy sat down on the bench next to his partner.
"You remember our last run the other night? The heart attack victim?"
Roy thought for a moment then immediately understood the connection Johnny was trying to make. "You mean Mr. Hanson. All six-hundred pounds of him!"
"That's him. I think lifting him onto the gurney strained a muscle in my back."
"Why didn't you see a doctor after we dropped him off at Rampart?"
"Because it didn't start bothering me until yesterday afternoon." He finished buttoning his uniform shirt and tucked it into his pants. When his hand brushed near his back he cringed a little from the pain.
Roy saw that Johnny was clearly in pain and knew that he would only try to deny it later on.
"So why didn't you go see a doctor yesterday after the pain started? It's clearly bothering you."
"I'm fine Roy; it's just a little tender."
"Tender? You aggravated it by tucking in your shirt."
"Yeah well, it's tender, like I said and it will get better later on after I have a chance to stretch out my back a little."
Roy had been working with Johnny far too long to believe that his partner wasn't in as much pain as he was claiming. He also knew Johnny wouldn't willingly see a doctor while on duty.
"You're sure you're okay? If you need to take the day off-"
"Roy, I said I'm fine." Johnny closed his locker with a little more force that he needed. "Let's get to roll call before we get in trouble."
"Okay pal."
Roy watched as his partner slowly walked out of the locker room to the bay, fighting the urge to use a hand to support his own back. More concerned than annoyed, Roy just shook his head and followed Johnny into the bay.
Johnny did his best to stand up straight as Captain Stanley exited his office to address his men. Roy could see how uncomfortable Johnny was, he wanted to say something but before he could get a single world the alarms went off and dispatch sounded the call.
"Squad 51: Child trapped, 227 Wentworth; 227 Wentworth. Time out: 07:02."
Roy and Johnny were in the Squad before the dispatcher finished his call, Captain Stanley had taken the liberty of writing down the address and handed it to Roy through the window and called in the acknowledgement.
"Station 51: KMG-365."
As the Squad drove off to the scene, Roy couldn't help but bring up the possible injury Johnny was hiding. Especially since Johnny seemed to have grown a shade paler within a few minutes of changing his clothes.
"Do you think you can handle this? Or should I lead the way?"
"Roy…" Johnny was doing his best not to snap at his friend. "I'm fine. I can handle whatever it is that needs to be handled."
"Okay, but just so you know you look like you're not feeling well at all."
Johnny's brows furrowed at the accusation, but looking in the side mirror was something that he couldn't pass up. After glimpsing his own reflection he knew that Roy was right, he did look unwell. His eyes were darker and his complexion paler than when he first woke up. There was even a sheen of sweat appearing on his forehead.
The stubborn medic looked back in his partner's direction.
"I'm fine." He managed to muster up a confident, stern tone.
"Alright."
The Squad pulled to a stop in front of the addressed location. A young woman ran frantically to the parked Squad and started yelling at the two medics through Johnny's open window.
"Please, you gotta' help! It's my little brother, he's stuck! I can't get him out!"
"Okay, calm down. Where is your brother?"
The young woman turned around and pointed up to a tree house nestled amongst some thick tree branches and hidden behind some leaves.
Johnny and Roy just looked up in disbelief at the incredible height of the tree and how high the tree house was perched. There was a tall wooden ladder nailed to the largest branch that was supporting most of the houses weight.
"You're sure he's up there?" Johnny addressed the frantic woman and while pointing at the tree house.
"Yes. I heard him calling for me earlier. I think he's too scared to come down."
"Right." Roy approached the tree. "What's your brother's name?"
"Timmy."
"Okay. Timmy?" Roy started yelling up to the tree house. "Timmy, are you up there?"
A faint voice answered from above. "I'm stuck!"
"It's okay son, we'll get you down. Are you hurt at all?"
The faint voice answered again. "No. I'm just stuck."
"Alright, hold on a moment."
Roy turned around to see Johnny already wearing a safety belt with a second safety belt draped over his shoulder.
"I'll get him Johnny, don't worry about it."
"I can get him Roy; he's just a kid after all."
"Just don't push yourself, alright?"
"Will you stop worrying, I'm fine." Johnny used the back of his hand to wipe some of the pre-existing sweat from his brow before he began his climb up the ladder.
Roy turned his attention to the woman who was staring anxiously up at the tree, her knuckles white from clenching her hands together so tightly.
"Don't worry; my partner will get your brother. Why don't wait by the Squad?" Roy put his hand reassuringly on her shoulder and guided her away.
Johnny made it to the half-way point on the ladder before he called out for the little boy.
"Timmy? Timmy, can you hear me?"
The little voice wasn't as faint anymore. "Yeah."
"I'm going to get you down, alright? My name is Johnny and I'm a firefighter."
Timmy's voice sounded out in fear. "Please get me down, I'm scared."
Johnny wasn't almost panting as he finally reached the doorway to the tree house. He pulled himself up and sat on his knees in the tree house. Timmy, a small boy no more than six years old, was sitting in the corner with his own knees drawn up to his chin. He looked at Johnny scared and a little confused.
"It's okay son. Give me your hand I'll get you down." Johnny extended his hand for Timmy to take.
Timmy walked over to Johnny and grabbed his hand.
"Good boy. See this belt? I'm going to wrap it around you and then I'm going to hook it my belt."
With the boy secured Johnny backed out of the door and down until his feet were back on the ladder's top rung. His back pain started to intensify at the physical exertion being used. He took in a deep breath and let it out, silently hoping the pain would pass and he'd be able to get back to the ground without needing to be rescued too.
"Okay Timmy, now I want you to lean over my shoulder and old on real tight, okay?"
Timmy looked at Johnny and then down at the ground that seemed so far away. Johnny could see the fear in Timmy's eyes.
"If you close your eyes really tight, it doesn't seem as scary. Think you can do that?"
"I'll try." Timmy closed his eyes really tight like Johnny suggested and then leaned over Johnny's shoulder and clung to his rescuer with all his strength.
"Good boy. Here we go."
As Johnny began the descent back down the ladder, he could feel the boy's weight pressing down uncomfortably against his aching back. Each step down the rungs caused the pain to sting sharply against him, making the climb even more challenging.
From the below at the Squad, Roy could see that Johnny was moving much slower than usual and he seemed to be slowing down a little more each time he stepped down on the rungs. Roy desperately wanted to call out to his partner but knew that in doing so, he might accidentally panic the woman or worse, the boy. Instead he chose to wait at the bottom of the tree for Johnny and insist again on him going to the hospital.
The young woman followed Roy back to the tree but her focus was on Timmy, not Johnny.
Johnny was audibly panting as reached the final rung; sweat was dripping from his face. As his foot reached the ground he let himself fall from the ladder and hell collapsed on the ground onto his knees. Roy immediately unhooked Timmy from Johnny's belt and lifted the boy off his partners shoulder.
The young woman took Timmy from Roy's arms and hugged him. "Thank you! Thank you for helping my brother!"
Roy was kneeling on the ground in front of Johnny, he didn't like the way Johnny had become so exhausted so quickly. With Johnny's heavy breathing and perspiration his concern only mounted.
Roy finally noticed the woman speaking to him and he quickly responded.
"You're welcome. Just glad he's okay."
"Yes, he's fine. I'm going to make sure that ladder is taken down." She called back over her shoulder as she carried her little brother back into their house.
"Good idea…" Johnny panted out the comment in between deep breaths.
"Johnny you look terrible."
Roy placed his fingers against Johnny's neck to check his pulse, but Johnny pushed Roy's hand away.
"I'm okay. I just need to catch my breath."
"That's what worries me."
Johnny just looked at Roy feeling vexed from all the worrying he was doing. He took in another breath and rose back to his feet, using his hand against the tree as leverage.
"Can we just call in and go back to the station now, please?"
"Johnny I think-"
"Look, when we stop at the hospital for supplies or a run, I'll see a doctor if it'll make you feel better. Okay?"
"Okay, it's deal. Let's go then."
Johnny carried the two safety belts back to the Squad and slipped them back into the cabinet where they belong. Roy was already in the cab; he picked up the mic to the radio and reported in.
"Squad 51 available."
Dispatch promptly responded. "Squad 51."
Johnny climbed into the Squad and sat down heavily. He was breathing easier but he was still sweating and looked absolutely exhausted.
"You sure you don't want to go right to the hospital?"
"I'm sure. Let's go."
The drive back to the station was uncommonly quiet. All Roy could think about was Johnny's health and all Johnny could think about was how tired he felt.
The Squad pulled back into the station only to find that the engine crew had been called out to a separate rescue while they were gone.
The two paramedics climbed out of the Squad and walked to the kitchen. Johnny slowly laid himself down on the leather couch while Roy poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Hey Johnny, you need some coffee too?"
Johnny didn't respond. Roy looked back to see his partner dozing on the couch.
"Guess not."
From across the kitchen Roy couldn't help but notice how much paler Johnny had become since the run. He was drenched in sweat and seemed to be shivering a little. With his paramedic instincts kicking in, knew he couldn't just take Johnny's word about how much pain or possibly sick he actually was.
Roy put down his mug, walked over to his sleeping partner and put a hand to Johnny's forehead. The man was burning up! Roy put his hand on Johnny's neck once more and checked his pulse: too fast. As his hand moved over to Johnny's chest to check his respirations Johnny flinched away in pain but remained asleep.
As Roy heard the distinct sound of the engine pulling back into the station, he kneeled down beside Johnny and gently shook his partner's shoulder trying to rouse him.
"Johnny? Johnny, wake up."
Johnny didn't respond, his eyes remained closed and he seemed to be in a deep sleep.
Captain Stanley was the first to enter the kitchen from the bay, when he saw one of his paramedic's tending to the other he immediately became concerned.
"Roy? What happened to Johnny?"
"I don't know yet Cap, but he's burning up. I need to call Rampart."
Captain Stanley leaned back out the doorway into the bay. "Someone bring the bio-phone and drug box, Gage is down."
Roy tried again to wake up Johnny. "Johnny? Johnny, can you hear me?"
Johnny remained unresponsive.
Chet entered the kitchen with the requested boxes in his hands. He placed the items on the ground next to Roy.
"Cap, Mike called in the 'still-alarm' and ambulance for you."
"Thanks pal."
Reluctantly Roy opened Johnny's uniform shirt and rubbed his knuckles against Johnny's sternum, hoping the painful stimuli would be enough to finally wake him up. Johnny barely let out a groan but his eyes fluttered open. He looked at Roy in a daze; his vision was blurred from the sleep while his eyes looked glassy from the fever.
"Roy? What's up?" Johnny was beginning to shiver harder.
"You! Finally anyway." There was relief in Roy's voice.
"Me?"
"Yeah pal. You're sick."
"Sick?"
"I'm going to contact Rampart."
Johnny tried to sit up out of stubbornness but the pain in his back had radiated into his side. He laid himself back down on the couch and folded his arms across his chest to try and warm himself.
"Rampart, this is Squad 51: How do you read?"
"Squad 51, this is Rampart. Go ahead." Dr. Brackett's voice answered back over the line.
"Rampart we have a 'Code-I' at the Station. The victim is paramedic John Gage. Victim presented with lower back pain but has now developed a fever accompanied with chills, heavy perspiration and heavy breathing. Probably dehydration also present."
"Squad 51, do you have the vitals?"
"Vitals coming up Rampart."
Roy set the phone down, he opened up the drug box and took out the thermometer and placed it in Johnny's mouth before he placed his fingers to Johnny's wrist and began to count the beats. A look of worry marked Roy's face he moved his fingers from Johnny's radial pulse to his carotid.
"Something wrong Roy?" Captain Stanley was watching from the doorframe, seeing Roy's concern and then seeing Roy double-check Johnny's pulse rate was unusual.
After confirming the pulse rate Roy took the stethoscope from the drug box and used it to listen to Johnny's heart beat. Just as Roy feared, Johnny's heart was racing. Johnny flinched in pain again as Roy moved the bell of the stethoscope down to listen to his partners lungs, which thankfully were clear.
Roy casually hung the stethoscope around his neck as he took out the BP cuff and wrapped around Johnny's arm.
"Roy? How's he doing?" Captain Stanley asked about Johnny's condition again.
The paramedic looked at his captain over his shoulder. "He's not 100%. that's for sure." Roy took down Johnny's BP and released the cuff from his arm.
Mike walked into the kitchen. "Cap, the ambulance is here." Marco was directing the attendants into the kitchen with the gurney in their grip.
With the vitals known, Roy picked up the phone and reported to Brackett.
"Rampart vitals are as follows: BP is 110 / 90, respirations are 16 temperature is…" Roy took the thermometer from Johnny's mouth. "Temperature is 102.3 and heart rate is 92."
Johnny gave a shocked look to Roy. "Did you say '92'?"
Roy nodded to his partner. He heard Brackett's voice over the line again, ready to give orders.
"51, is there any tenderness on the flanks immediately below the lowest ribs?"
"Standby Rampart."
Carefully Roy placed his hands on Johnny's torso. Johnny reacted negatively to his partner's touch, he tried to retract away but the couch limited his movements. Roy sighed and addressed Dr. Brackett again.
"That's affirmative Rampart."
"51, sounds like a kidney infection. Start an I.V., ringers lactate and bring him in."
"I.V. ringer's lactate, 10-4." Roy turned to Marco. "Hey could you get the I.V. kit from the Squad?"
"You got it pal." Marco exited the kitchen while the other members of the crew stayed put and watched as Roy continued to monitor Johnny.
"Hey Roy." Johnny's voice was now sounding tired. "I guess you were right. Sorry about being to stubborn."
Roy patted Johnny on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, besides if you didn't fight me about going to the hospital then I would've been really worried.
Johnny smiled and Marco returned with the I.V. kit and set the box next to Roy. With expert precision, Roy found a vein in Johnny's wrist and inserted the needle, taped down the canula and adjusted the I.V. drip.
"Alright, let's get you out of here."
Johnny let out a fatigued sigh as Roy motioned for the gurney to be brought over to the couch, while Mike and Marco pulled the medical kits out of the way. Roy held the I.V. bag in his teeth as he placed his arms under Johnny's and lifted him up. Johnny tensed up as the pain in his back began to sting from the movement of his body. Chet grabbed onto Johnny's legs and working together the two men placed their downed colleague onto the gurney.
Captain Stanley watched quietly as Johnny was wheeled out of the kitchen and through the bay to the awaiting ambulance. It seemed like Johnny was always the one man on the crew to end up being carted away to the hospital, for one reason or another. It never got any easier for him to see his youngest firefighter in pain or ill.
"Think it's bad Cap?" Chet had been standing next to Captain Stanley and finally broke his silence.
"Nah, you know Johnny. He'll back on his feet and in the station before we even realize he was released from the hospital." He patted his colleague reassuringly on the back before he walked into his own office to make a report.
Marco and Mike were placing the used medical kits back into the Squad's storage cabinets when they simultaneously noticed the gurney being lead away. The three remaining firefighters just watched from the distance of the bay as Johnny was lifted into the ambulance with Roy climbing in beside his friend. The ambulance doors shut and their friends were no longer visible. With flick of a switch, the red emergency lights of the vehicle flashed to life and the siren started to blare as the ambulance drove out of the station and out of sight to Rampart.
In the back of the ambulance Roy was again using the stethoscope to listen to Johnny's heart beat, while using Johnny's radial pulse as a confirmation of the rapid heart rate.
"Hey Roy?"
"Yeah."
"Why do you keep checking my heart? I know my pulse rate is high but, it's not serious, is it?"
Roy hung the stethoscope around his neck, and then gently placed his hand on Johnny's chest to check his respirations. Finding his vital signs unchanged, Roy finally answered his partner's question.
"I'm just making sure you're still stable, that's all."
"So you're not keeping anything from me?"
"No. Of course not. Just take it easy, Dr. Brackett thinks you have a kidney infection."
"A kidney infection? How did I get a kidney infection?"
"Well, pally, you know as much about infections as I do."
"Yeah, yeah."
The ambulance arrived at Rampart. The vehicle pulled into the parking lot then backed up toward the emergency room doors. The ambulance attendants opened the rear doors and pulled Johnny on the gurney out and into the hospital with Roy following, holding up Johnny's I.V. bag.
"Take him to Exam Room 1." Dixie McCall directed the gurney into the proper room where Dr. Brackett was already waiting.
Johnny was wheeled into the exam room and carefully lifted over to the exam table. Roy hung the I.V. bag on the metallic stand and stood back as Dr. Brackett proceeded to examine his patient.
"Johnny, do you feel nauseous at all or have a headache?" Dr. Brackett flicked his penlight in both of Johnny's eyes to check his pupils.
"No headache, but I am starting to feel a little nauseous."
Dr. Brackett put his hand to Johnny's forehead. "Roy, you said his temperature was at 102, how long has he been running the fever?"
"Well, he looked a little pale when he first came in around 7 but it wasn't until after our first run that he really started to sweat and got really pale."
"How long ago was that?"
Roy looked at his watch. "About 15 - 20 minutes ago."
"Okay." Dr. Brackett used his own stethoscope and listened to Johnny's heart. "Rapid heart beat."
Johnny sighed at Dr. Brackett's announcement. He knew his heart was racing but he hoped that it would pass and he'd be back to a normal, healthy rhythm.
"Johnny, where exactly do you hurt?"
He rolled slightly to his left side and motioned with his hand near his lower ribs, side and lower back. Dr. Brackett gently placed his own hands at the indicated areas and Johnny flinched hard.
"Sorry, I won't do that again. You my young paramedic friend seem to have every symptom of a kidney infection. I want to run some tests to confirm the diagnosis. But right now I want to get your fluids back up; you may very well be dehydrated as well."
"Great, thanks Doc." Johnny rolled over slowly onto his back, doing his best not to aggravate the pain.
"Roy get Dix for me, will ya'?"
"Sure."
"What kind of tests are you going to run, Doc?"
"Just a simple urine test but I'll have blood drawn just to be sure. Rest for a while and let the nurse do her work. Okay?"
"Yeah, okay. Thanks Doc."
Nurse McCall entered the room and gave a sympathetic smile to Johnny. "You need me Kel?"
"Yeah, let's run a blood and urine test. I want to know exactly what bacterial infection he has before we start any antibiotic treatment. Also, start an I.V. to replenish his fluids."
"You got it Kel."
Dr. Brackett left the exam to let Dixie tend to their most frequent patient. He saw Roy standing near the hospital's call station.
"Roy."
"Doc. How's he doing?"
"He's stable and in good spirits. I think an overnight stay will be necessary though."
"Is the infection that severe?"
"No, by all accounts he'll make a full recovery once he's re-hydrated and has a few courses of antibiotics. I just want to keep him overnight to be sure the antibiotics are working properly."
"Okay, guess I'll call the guys at the station and let them know he'll be okay."
"Right, you can use the phone in my office."
Dwyer from Station 51's 'C-shift' walked into the hospital looking for Roy, evident that Captain Stanley had called in a temporary replacement for Johnny. Now Dwyer was waiting for Roy to finish what he needed, before driving back to the Station together.
"Hey Doc."
"Dwyer. I suppose you're here for Roy."
"Yeah. I was called in to replace Johnny. How is he by the way? I heard he was in pretty rough shape."
"He'll be fine. He just needs some rest and some antibiotics."
"Good to hear."
Dixie left the exam room where Johnny still lay and approached Dr. Brackett. "Kel, the samples are on their way up the lab. The results should be back in about 15 minutes."
"Thanks Dix."
Just as Roy emerged from Dr. Brackett's office, a call was sounded over the HT.
"Squad 51, what's your status?"
Roy noticed Dwyer and opened up his HT to respond. "Squad 51, available."
"Squad 51; child trapped Child trapped, 227 Wentworth; 227 Wentworth. Time Out: 08:42"
Roy recognized the address and rolled his eyes as Dwyer approached.
"Something wrong Roy?"
"Yeah, that address was our first run today. Now it's our second."
Dwyer just chuckled and slapped Roy on the back as the two exited to hospital and headed for the Squad.
The setting sun was shrouding the hospital in a rose red essence. Johnny was woken from his sleep by Dixie gently shaking his arm; he blinked his eyes a few times, trying to focus his vision on the head nurse. When at last his eyes cleared he noticed that he was no longer in the exam room but laying in the bed of his own room in the hospital.
"Dix? What's going on?"
"Well, your tests came back positive and you, John Gage are the lucky recipient of a kidney infection." She smiled at Johnny with her usual good humor.
Less than thrilled, Johnny sighed and threw his arm over his eyes and tried to shut out the world.
Dixie patted his arm. "I knew you'd be excited."
"How long am I going to be staying Dix?"
"Oh, only for the night. Your fever broke about an hour ago while you were sleeping. Kel thinks the antibiotics will be enough to let you go home and rest for a few days, but odds are you'll have to mix your next shift."
Johnny sighed then lifted his arm away uncovering his eyes so he could focus on Dixie again. "How's Roy been doing?"
"Roy? He's fine. Dwyer came in to help out."
"Dwyer, huh? He's a good guy. And far more bearable than Brice!"
"So I've heard." Dixie squeezed Johnny's hand reassuringly before she made her way to the doorway. She pushed the door open before turning back to Johnny one more time. "Oh, by the way. Your first run today, the little boy who was stuck in the tree house…"
Johnny's eyes widened with concern, fearing that the boy may have been injured and that both he and Roy missed it. "Yeah, what about him? Is he okay?"
"Oh yeah, he's fine. It's just about an hour ½ later; Roy had to rescue him again."
"Again?" Johnny sat up a little in bed, relieved that his back pain didn't return.
"Uh-huh. And apparently, he was rescued from the same exact tree."
"You're kidding…"
"Nope. I guess when he found out that his sister wanted to have the ladder taken down; he wanted to climb back up one more time."
"And he got stuck again?"
"Uh-huh!"
Johnny was starting to laugh. "What did Roy say about it?"
"Well, apparently he and Dwyer informed the boy's father about the best tools that he could use to not only get rid of the ladder, but cut the tree down entirely."
Johnny laid back down and once again put his arm over his eyes. "Good ol' Roy."
Dixie smiled from the doorway as she dimmed down the lights in the room. "Goodnight Johnny."
"Night Dix."
With a more positive outlook and the unintentionally humorous rescue he could only imagine Roy participating in, Johnny managed to fall asleep and awaken the next morning without any sign that he had ever been ill. After four days of rest and recovery, as well as a few glasses of cranberry juice for good measure, Johnny was back in the Station and ready to begin the day anew, all over again.
-The End
Author's Note: Cranberry juice is a very effective and natural way to cleanse the body of toxins, prevent new infections, and overall aid in the treatment of kidney infections.