The Kidnapping

by NitaPotter

Johnny is kidnapped and brutally tortured by a disgruntled exparamedic. Roy is angsty as usual. Will our beloved dark haired wonder survive his entrapment, or will he succumb to his injuries before help arrives?

The Kidnapping

by: Nita

"How could this have happened?" thought Roy as he stood looking at the empty squad. "Johnny", he called silently, "where are you?"

Earlier that morning

"Hey, Roy, let's go to Rampart and pick up some supplies!" Johnny's yell was tinged with a touch of nervousness. He just couldn't stand being left alone these days, not after last week's incident.

"Okay, Johnny, be right there!" Roy yelled back. He knew Johnny was scared, so he dropped what he was doing and told Captain Stanley where they were going.

"All right, Roy. Hey, how's Johnny doing?" Cap's question was on everyone's lips today.

"Oh, you know Gage. He'll survive." Roy wasn't sure whom he was trying to convince, the captain or himself. Just then, the klaxons sounded.

"Squad 51, man down, 34th Street and Staveley. 34th and Staveley. Cross street Hummingbird Lane. Time out 8:46."

"Squad 51, KMG365," replied Captain Stanley. He shook his head as he watched the squad pull out of the station. Something just plain didn't feel right.

As the squad arrived on the scene, Johnny and Roy saw a woman frantically shaking a man who was lying on the ground. Johnny jumped out of the squad unaware that he was being watched from the bushes. Roy joined him at the side of the squad as he grabbed the biophone and drug box.

"Hurry, please hurry! I think he's having a heart attack!" The woman was now in hysterics.

Johnny replied with a soothing tone, "Okay, ma'am, just let us get in here and take a look." Roy was getting the vitals while Johnny opened the biophone and called Rampart.

"Rampart, this is Squad 51. How do you read?"

Dixie's voice crooned back, "Squad 51, this is Rampart. We read you loud and clear."

"Rampart, we have a male victim, age approximately 38. He appears to be having a heart attack. Stand by for vital signs."

"Johnny, vitals are BP 140/90, pulse 120, respiration 26 and rapid. Pupils are equal and reactive. Skin is cold and clammy. Victim is cyanotic and diaphoretic."

Johnny repeated the vitals as he wrote them down in his note pad. Dr. Brackett's voice barked back.

"51, start IV D5W TKO with 5mg MS IV. Can you send me a strip?"

"10-4 Rampart, this will be lead 2." The scope showed sinus tachycardia with multiple PVC's. Suddenly, the scope changed its story.

"V-fib!" Johnny alerted as he grabbed the defibrillator and shocked the victim.

"No conversion, hit him again!" Roy stated.

After the victim was stable, Roy got in the ambulance and told Johnny it was his turn to bring in the squad. Johnny looked at the squad and sighed, "Okay."

As the ambulance took off, Johnny got into the squad. He was about to crank the engine when he saw a figure leap out of the bush right next to him.

"Oh, God," Johnny groaned as he felt the cold hardness of a gun in his throat. As Johnny tried to clear his head and comprehend what had happened, he heard the man growl in his ear.

"Come on, fireboy, get out of the truck." Johnny looked over at the person who was holding the gun. The sudden realization made him feel faint.

"Kevin- Kevin Shriver? What the hell do you think you're doing, man?"

Kevin sneered back, "Just what I said I was gonna do. Now get out of the truck!"

"No!" Johnny yelled, as he pushed the gun out of his face and tried to crank the squad.

He never made it. Just as his hand touched the key, Kevin swung the gun at Johnny and connected with his left temple. Johnny grunted weakly as he slumped over in the cab. Blood was pouring from the wound. Johnny reached up to touch his head, only to look down at a bloody hand. His vision was starting to clear when Kevin opened the door and started to drag him out of the truck. Johnny reached out with his bloody hand and smeared blood on the seat, the steering wheel, everywhere he could while trying to keep Kevin from pulling him from the squad. By this time, he could hear Roy's voice on the radio.

"Squad 51, HT 51. What's your ETA? Johnny, where are you, partner?"

Johnny looked at Kevin and said, "I need to answer that or he'll know something is wrong."

Kevin replied sourly, "That's the whole idea, fireboy."

Johnny decided he had to try to reach Roy, who was still calling for him on the radio. He leaped into the truck and grabbed the mike, but before he could depress the switch, Kevin hit him on the back of the head. Johnny screamed in pain as Kevin dragged him out of the cab again. This time Johnny knew he couldn't get away.

Kevin put the gun in his pants and turned around. For a second, Johnny thought maybe Kevin was going to leave. He was shocked when Kevin turned back around with a two-by-four in his hands. He hit Johnny in the ribs with full force.

As Kevin continued the merciless assault, Johnny felt his ribs starting to crack, even though he tried to keep his arms close to his body for protection. Then, like a kid swinging a bat at a baseball, Kevin swung at Johnny's head again, connecting with a resounding crack. Johnny fell to the ground without even a moan.

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Back at Rampart, Roy was pacing the floor in the doctor's lounge. Johnny was never late like this. Roy thought he had heard a terrible sound on the radio just before it went dead. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had heard Johnny calling for help and then a loud smack, then silence. Roy decided to call the station. Marco answered and promptly gave the phone to the captain.

"Cap," said Roy, with urgency, but trying not to lose his composure. "I think something's happened to Johnny. He never showed up here at Rampart, so I called on the radio. After several tries, I think I heard him trying to call for help, and then a smack or bang or something. Then the radio went dead," Roy paused, as a chilling thought screamed though his mind. With great effort to control his fear, he spoke in a clear and deliberate manner. "Oh, God, Cap, what if Kevin made good on his threat and went after Johnny? I just have a real bad feeling that he's done something to Johnny!" Roy was using all his strength to maintain control, for without a cool head, he knew he would be no help to his best friend.

All the while, Kevin's last words to him that day rang loudly in his ears, "I'll get you Gage. I'll make you pay for this!"

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Two weeks ago...

When Kevin first got to Station 51, it was very apparent that he didn't like Johnny. When Roy introduced Kevin to Johnny on the first day, Kevin almost broke Johnny's hand while shaking it. Of course Johnny didn't say anything to Roy; after all, he and Kevin seemed to getting along so well.

Later that day, Kevin found Johnny in the locker room, rearranging his locker. Kevin snuck up behind him and shoved him head first into his locker. Johnny never knew what happened. His head hit on impact. As Johnny was losing consciousness, he heard a sinister voice echo his worst nightmare, "I ain't working with no Indian, especially a half-breed like you."

After about an hour, Roy noticed that his partner was still in the locker room. He decided to go hurry him up so they could go to Rampart and pick up some supplies. He walked into the locker room and quickly saw no Johnny. He was about to turn and go when he noticed a trickle of blood dripping out of Johnny's locker.

"What the hell…" thought Roy, and he grabbed the handle to pull the door open. Out fell Johnny's unconscious body, his head bleeding from the cut he sustained when Kevin shoved him into his locker.

"Johnny, what happened? Johnny can you hear me? Cap, Marco, Guys, I need some help in here now! Johnny's hurt."

Marco came in first and immediately turned around to get the gear off the squad. He ran into Cap and told him that they needed an ambulance for Johnny.

Johnny's eyes fluttered open. "R-Roy? What happened?"

"I was kind of hoping you could tell me. Who did this to you?"

"I don't know Roy. I was cleaning up my locker and then someone pushed me and I fell into my locker and hit my head. I don't remember anything else."

Johnny looked around and saw Kevin sneering behind Roy. He then remembered the words he heard as he was passing out. It made him shudder.

"Johnny, you ok? Are you dizzy, nauseous, anything?"

"Roy, I'm ok. Maybe I just tripped and fell. You know me…"

"Well, we're gonna take you to Rampart just to make sure."

"Yea, Ok."

Johnny noticed that Kevin had walked away. He reached up and grabbed Roy's hand.

"Roy, I…never mind."

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After Dr. Brackett finished examining Johnny, he sighed and replied, "You know Gage, you've got to have the hardest head in the world. I can't find anything wrong with you that a good night's sleep wouldn't cure."

"Great Doc. Can I go now? Are you going to pull me off duty?"

"Whoa there Johnny. I still want to know how this happened."

"Doc, if I told you, well, I think I fell into my locker, that's all."

"Well, since you seem to be all right, I'm letting you go back to work. But, if you notice any symptoms of head injury, get back here on the double."

"Wow, thanks Doc." Roy was a happy man. He came in at the end of the discussion and heard the good news. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets back at the first sign of trouble."

The ride back to the station was a quiet one. Johnny looked like he was a million miles away.

"Johnny, you ok?"

"What? Oh I'm sorry Roy. What were you saying?"

"I just wondered how you tripped and fell into your locker. I know you tend to get into trouble sometimes, but even that is out of character for you."

"Roy, I think I was pushed by someone who doesn't like Indians."

The statement was made. Roy looked over at Johnny.

"Well, if someone came into the station and did that to you, we'll just have to find out who and have them arrested."

Roy backed the squad into the station and started to get out. Johnny grabbed his arm and begged his partner.

"Roy, please don't say anything yet. I'm not even sure what happened. All I remember is someone saying something about not working with a half-breed Indian like me, or something like that. Maybe I dreamed it..."

Kevin rounded the corner and paused whiled he listened in on Johnny and Roy's conversation. He then realized he would have to take more drastic measures to get what he wanted.

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Last week

Things started out fairly normal this particular morning, except for the new trainee that Johnny and Roy were working with. He seemed to lack interest in the program and was actually causing more harm than good when it came to treating the victims.

On three separate occasions since his arrival at the station, he had upset an old man with angina to the point he had a real heart attack. Then, he frightened a young girl so badly while her foot was still trapped in a drain hole that she hyperventilated and fainted. Then on that fateful day, he had caused the death of a victim simply because he wasn't paying attention.

Not to mention that he had sent Johnny back into that burning building by concocting a lie. He told Johnny that the victim came to briefly to say that someone else was still in the building. Johnny told Roy that he was going in to check it out. About the time he went into the building, Cap came looking for Johnny.

Roy looked up and replied, "There was another victim inside. Johnny went in to get him."

Cap had an angry look on his face as he got on the handy talkie to Marco and Chet. "You guys go in after Gage and get out quick. This building is unsafe!"

Roy saw the look on Cap's face and asked, "What's wrong, Cap?"

He replied, "Roy, everyone has been accounted for. Gage went in there for nothing, and the building is about to collapse."

Roy barely heard Cap's words; he was looking at the smug expression on Kevin's face. It was then that Roy realized how truly evil Kevin really was. He was about to confront Kevin when he noticed the victim they had brought out earlier. His eyes were wide open and bulged, but lacked any life force. His face was a strange blue color, caused by the absence of oxygen in his lungs.

That did it! Roy felt a surge of towering rage. "What happened to the victim Shriver? Oh my God, this isn't the right IV. How did you get D5W confused with saline?"

Kevin sneered back, "Rampart authorized an IV with normal saline and 5 mg of epinephrine. See, Gage wrote it all down."

Roy looked at the slip of paper and immediately saw that it wasn't Johnny's handwriting.

"Kevin, that was .5mg of eppi. Here help me…"

Roy tried desperately to get the victim breathing again, but he had been without assistance for too long. He lunged at Kevin, pinning him against the side of the squad. Roy hissed through clenched teeth, "If ANYTHING happens to Johnny, I'll tear you apart with my bare hands! Do you hear me Shriver?

Kevin replied with an evil grin, "You know, Roy, I only did this for you. You don't need a goofball like Gage. I was trying to help you out so I could be your partner."

Roy couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could this man have been placed in the program? Why hadn't anyone seen how psychotic Shriver was?

Roy bellowed back, "You bastard! You deliberately tried to kill my partner! I wouldn't work with you now or ever!"

Kevin casually glanced over at the body of the victim and back at Roy. He sneered with conviction, "Why Roy, whatever do you mean? Me, hurt someone? Why, I could never do that. This was a simple case of a misunderstanding."

With that, Kevin calmly turned around to go stand by the engine. As Roy looked down at the victim, an explosion rent the air. Three figures were running out of the building just as it blew. Now they were on the ground, being knocked down by the blast.

Roy shouted, "Johnny, JOHNNY!" As he got to Johnny's side, Marco and Chet got up slowly, only having the wind knocked out of them. Johnny laid still, his unconscious form lying on the hard pavement.

"Help me get him over by the squad," Roy barked out, his paramedic training now taking over. "Chet, help me get his gear off. Marco, contact Rampart on the biophone."

As Chet was pulling off Johnny's turnout coat, his eyes fluttered open. He started coughing and groaned.

"Oh my head! What happened?"

Roy replied anxiously, "Welcome back, Junior. How about telling ME what happened."

"Well, my name is Johnny Gage, it's Wednesday, and I think the building exploded as me and Chet and Marco were running out." Johnny's face paled. "They made it out okay, right? Was anyone else hurt?"

Johnny looked up at Roy with his brown eyes filled with sudden panic and concern for his crewmates. "No, Johnny, no one was in the building. Chet and Marco are fine. See, here they are, worried about you. You gave us quite a scare ya know."

Johnny breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, Pally," Johnny flashed a weak version of his trademark grin, "I gotta keep you on your toes!"

Everyone visibly relaxed. Roy said a silent thank you and glanced up. Johnny turned his head and realized the man they had brought out earlier was lying next to him with a sheet covering his body and head. Johnny knew he was a Code F. He scooted himself into a sitting position, looked at the body, then at Shriver, then back at Roy.

He took a ragged breath and asked, "What happened? He was breathing on his own when I went back into the building."

Roy took up a protective stance between Kevin and Johnny and told him how Kevin had set him up and how he just sat there and let the victim die. When Roy was finished, Johnny hung his head for a moment. Roy kept a firm hand on his shoulder to keep Johnny from jumping up.

Johnny looked over at Kevin in disbelief. He said, with a hitch in his voice, "Is this true? You just let this man die? How…how could you do that?"

Kevin glared at Johnny and Roy and the rest of the crew. He yelled back, "You can't prove anything. I did nothing wrong. Why is it that Gage here is accusing me of killing that man? You people are insane!"

Roy turned to face Johnny and whispered; "Don't worry about this right now. We'll go to the hospital, get you checked out, and help Kevin pack his stuff. His career is finished."

Cap was already ordering Marco and Chet to escort Shriver to Big Red for the ride back to the station. Roy informed Cap that he was taking Johnny to Rampart.

Cap replied, "Okay, Roy. Hopefully by the time ya'll get back, we'll have the trash taken out!" Cap looked over at Johnny and said, "Hurry back, pal. And, don't you ever scare me like that again! That's an order!"

"Yes sir, Cap," Johnny smiled warmly. He added, "Don't worry about me, Cap. I'm ok, just a bump on the head."

As Roy helped Johnny into the squad, he noticed Kevin looking out of the window of Big Red. The look on his face made Roy shudder. He had a bad feeling about this.

After Dr. Brackett gave Johnny a clean bill of health, he and Roy returned to the station. As Johnny was getting out of the squad, he noticed Hank and Mike escorting Kevin out of the station. When Kevin saw Johnny, he suddenly broke free and lunged at him, knocking Johnny hard against the wall. As Johnny slumped to the floor, Roy rushed to his side, while Chet and Marco grabbed Kevin and held him back.

Cap yelled, "Get the hell out of my station before I call the cops on you! Get outta here! Now!"

Johnny was trying to get to his feet when he heard Kevin yell, "I'll get you Gage! You ruined my career and I'll get even with you!"

Cap shoved him out of the door. He had heard enough of this! Roy looked at Johnny who was pale and shaking. "Johnny, you okay?"

"Yeah, Roy, I guess so. I just got the wind knocked out of me, that's all." Everyone in the room was quiet. They all knew this was not the end.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Back to the present

As Roy rode on the engine back to the squad's last known location, he couldn't help hearing Kevin's last words echoing in his mind. He shuddered at the memory. Had Kevin really made good on his threat and harmed Johnny in some way? Roy looked up and saw the squad still sitting where he had left it two hours ago. He jumped off the engine just as Stoker passed the squad.

Roy ran to the door and threw it open; he then wished he hadn't. The seat, dash, and steering wheel were covered in blood. "Johnny's blood," thought Roy as he took a deep breath, trying to hold off the sudden wave of nausea gripping his guts. Even the mike had traces of blood where Johnny had tried to call for help.

It was then that Roy saw the sheet of paper on the floor of the cab. He picked it up and read it just as the rest of 51's crew ran up to meet him. Roy's face paled and he swayed a little, prompting Marco and Chet to grab him by the arms and sit him down on the side of the squad. Cap took the note from Roy's shaking hands and read it out loud to the rest of his crew.

'This will be the only communication you will receive from me. Yes, this is Kevin Shiver. And like I said when you shoved me out the door that night, I was gonna get Gage and get even. I now have your precious paramedic. When I'm done with him, I'll let him go. Oh, I forgot to mention, I plan to kill him. Don't bother to look for him. You'd never find him, even if he was right under your noses. And Roy, say goodbye to your best friend. This is all your fault!'

Everyone stood silent for several minutes, shock setting in only to turn into anger. Roy was stunned, as the reality of the situation sunk in. He stared blankly at the ground, unresponsive to the scene around him. How could that bastard have taken Johnny? Why did he take him? As deep shock took control, Roy's mind screamed out, "Why did I leave my best friend here all alone?"

Cap finally broke the silence. "Guys, I'm going to call this in. We need the police here on the double. Marco, stay with Roy. Chet, you and Mike look around the squad and see if you can find anything that might help us find John."

"Right Cap," replied everyone in unison.

Mike started checking the bushes while Chet looked on the ground surrounding the squad. Roy sat in stunned silence, an occasional tear sliding down his face. He looked down at his feet and saw a small metal object. He reached down and picked up Johnny's name badge. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Roy turned around and looked at the empty squad and called out silently; "Johnny, where are you?"

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Johnny slowly opened his eyes. At first he was confused. Why couldn't he move? Why did his arms feel so stiff? Where was he? After several minutes, his vision cleared up and he became painfully aware of how tightly he had been tied down the table.

Upon looking around somewhat, he realized he was in big trouble. Johnny found himself tied spread eagle on a narrow table plus an extra bonus: there was a rope wrapped around his neck and a rope wrapped tightly around his chest. He was also miserably aware of a large cloth shoved deeply into his mouth as a gag. It was tied tightly around his head so it couldn't be dislodged.

Johnny felt like his chest was being constricted and that he was being strangled. To make matters worse, he was having trouble breathing because of that cruel gag. He felt a terrifying sense of panic setting in as realized the predicament he was in.

"Oh God, how I'm I gonna get out of this?" he thought. Johnny suddenly felt a presence in the room. "Kevin," he guessed. As if on cue, Kevin walked over to gloat over his prisoner.

"Well, well, fireboy. How do you like your new bed? What? Hey, speak up! I can't understand you!"

Kevin started laughing the most sinister laugh that Johnny had ever heard. It made him shiver with sheer terror. As Kevin walked away, Johnny closed his eyes and prayed that Roy was safe and that maybe somehow, he would find him and make this nightmare go away.

Johnny heard Kevin come back over to him, so he opened his eyes and looked up. Kevin slapped him across the face and was delighted to hear the muffled groan that came from his trussed up prisoner. He decided to torture Johnny a little before carrying out his plans.

Kevin leaned over the table and tightened the rope around his neck and then, if that weren't enough, he tightened the rope around Johnny's chest. Johnny made a desperate sound as he tried to keep breathing. He suddenly felt like he was smothering. He began to struggle weakly while he heard Kevin still laughing that sinister laugh.

Then, as Johnny was about to give up, Kevin gave him his reward for being so entertaining: he whacked Johnny's head again with the same two-by-four. Mercifully, Johnny lapsed into unconsciousness.

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As Roy was looking down at his feet, he noticed a trail of blood that led off through the bushes in the direction of an abandoned warehouse. Roy finally found his voice.

"Hey, Cap, Vince, EVERYBODY, look at this!" He excitedly pointed to the trail of blood on the ground. "Cap, that's gotta be Johnny's blood. I bet they're in that old warehouse. We've gotta go get Johnny out of there. Come on, let's GO!"

Roy started over to the trail that led to the front door, but Cap and Vince grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Roy, we can't just go busting in there. Kevin might kill Gage before we can stop him. I've got my team here staking the place out. As soon as we think it's safe, we'll go in and take him down."

Vince paused for a moment and looked at the crew of Station 51. He knew that they wanted to be a part of the rescue team. He especially knew that Roy wanted to be there for his best friend. Cap stepped forward and spoke for his crew.

"Vince, I've got the whole crew here. Let us help. We NEED to do this. Gage is one of us." The rest of the guys all nodded in agreement. They were all huddled together now, mostly to keep Roy from running into that warehouse.

Vince sighed and firmly replied, "No, I can't protect all of you. This guy is extremely dangerous. He's already assaulted Gage and God knows what else. Just be ready to treat Johnny when we bring him out." Cap looked at his crew, gave Roy a firm pat on the shoulder, and reluctantly agreed to wait.

Roy looked upward and said a quick prayer as he watched Vince and his men headed toward the warehouse. Roy looked on, breathless, desperately hoping that they would find Johnny safe and unharmed. He knew that would not be the case.

Cap looked at Roy and then at the rest of the crew. He shuddered; things just couldn't get any worse, could they? How would they deal with the pain of losing Johnny, if it came to that? As he stared at the blood smeared inside the squad, he said a silent prayer for John and Roy. No one saw Cap turn his back and wipe away a tear. Everyone was dealing with his own personal grief.

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It had now been eight hours since the brutal attack, but Johnny had lost all sense of time. All he knew was that his head hurt, his vision was doubled, he was choking, and he was very, very thirsty. He turned his head and was rewarded with another wave of dizziness. He groaned softly behind his gag. Kevin heard this and quickly jumped to Johnny's side.

"Well, fireboy, you finally decided to wake up?" Johnny blinked several times in a vain attempt to focus in on Kevin. It seemed like there was three or four of him. Johnny groaned again, causing Kevin to gloat even more. Suddenly, Johnny started coughing and gagging. His face turned red, then started turning blue. Kevin thought, "Oh no you don't! Not this easy." He ripped the gag out of Johnny's mouth and stared excitedly at the bright red blood that dripped from it. "Wow, I guess I did more damage than I thought." Kevin pondered this new development briefly. "If I keep him here like this, he'll suffer miserably and then die. How poetic."

Kevin looked down at Johnny again, who was starting to pink up a little. His breathing seemed to be a little less labored now that the gag had been removed. Kevin looked down at Johnny with disgust and hatred, and then walked away to see if anyone had found them yet.

As soon as he heard Kevin walk away, Johnny opened his eyes and looked around. He was still tied to that table just a cruelly as before, only now the gag was gone. "Well," Johnny thought, "at least I won't choke to death on my own vomit." He shuddered at the thought. He knew he had a concussion, at least a couple of broken ribs, maybe more, and worse still, probably some internal bleeding. He could barely feel his hands and feet; the circulation had been cut off hours ago. He began struggling to free himself when he heard Kevin start cursing angrily.

"Damn, they found us too soon. Well, fireboy, now your precious Roy is gonna find out what it means to lose something valuable."

Johnny looked up at Kevin and croaked out. "Please Kevin, I'll do what ever you want, but, please, don't hurt Roy. He's got a wife and two kids. They need him!"

Kevin spun around and slapped Johnny across the face. "I don't intend to kill him, you idiot. I'm gonna kill you while he watches. That will be enough to tear him apart. You'll see; Oh, I forgot, you'll be dead! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Kevin's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the warehouse. Johnny realized he was helpless to defend Roy or save himself. Johnny choked back a terrified sob and almost succumbed to his grief when he caught a glimpse of Vince waving at him through a window. Johnny felt a sudden rush of hope surge through his battered and broken body. "I've got to keep Kevin busy so Vince can get in here. Man, I sure hope Roy is safe."

Johnny started coughing again, hoping to get Kevin to come and stand over him. It worked. Like a moth to a flame, Kevin rushed over to gloat again over his prisoner. Unfortunately, he noticed the rescue team entering the warehouse. As Johnny continued to cough weakly, Kevin bent over and picked up the gag he had tossed away earlier. Johnny opened his eyes to see Kevin standing over him glaring at him with an evil expression. Kevin smiled sickly and gave the rope around Johnny's neck a hard yank, causing poor Johnny to start coughing violently. Kevin had his opportunity; when Johnny opened his mouth to draw another breath, Kevin shoved the bloody gag deep into Johnny's mouth, making him gag and shake uncontrollably.

"Having trouble breathing, fireboy? Don't worry, it'll be over soon enough!"

Kevin finished tightening the ropes that bound Johnny so tightly to the table, thus cutting off his airway. Johnny was suffocating and he knew he was going to die before anyone could get to him. At first Johnny heard a loud roar in his ears and his face turned red. Then his vision started to dim, and as the blackness came to claim him, his last thoughts were, "I'm so sorry, Roy, my brother…" He never heard the terrific shootout that claimed his captor's life.

As soon as 51's crew heard the first shot, they quickly ran to the front door of the warehouse. Roy jerked open the door and was inside before anyone could stop him. He burst through the maze of boxes and shelves to find several policemen looking around the room, while Vince was bending over Kevin' lifeless body. Roy barely noticed what was happening in the room; his eyes were on the still figure that was still tied to that table, with that cruel gag shoved down his throat.

Roy shouted, "Oh, God, NO! Johnny, JOHNNY!"

By this time, Cap and the rest of the crew were coming into the open area. They heard Roy's anguished outcry and knew that he had found Johnny. They found Roy desperately trying to get the gag off of Johnny's face; then Roy saw how blue his face was and all those bruises and lacerations. As Roy finally got the gag loose and pulled it out of Johnny's mouth, he couldn't help but grimace at the amount of blood saturated in it. Marco and Chet dumped off the paramedic gear and immediately started working on the ropes that bound poor Johnny so tightly to that table for nearly 8 hours now. Roy began mouth to mouth on Johnny, who was still blue even after having that gag removed.

Between breaths, Roy talked to Johnny and prayed, "Come on Johnny breathe, dammit breathe. Come on Junior don't do this to me. Breathe, please, breathe." Then, as if an answer to his prayer, Johnny suddenly gasped and started coughing. Roy's paramedic training in full swing, he began checking Johnny's vitals while instructing Marco to contact Rampart on the biophone.

"Rampart, this is Squad 51. How do you read?"

"This is Rampart. We read you loud and clear, 51."

"Rampart, we have a male victim here, age 27. Be advised the victim is John Gage. When we found him, he was cyanotic and not breathing. We began mouth to mouth and he's breathing on his own. Stand by for vitals."

"Standing by, 51."

"Vitals are: BP-90 over 40, pulse 130, respirations 12 and labored. There are several lacerations all over his face and some severe bruising on the left side of his head. There is also a large bump on the back of the head and severe bruising on both sides of the rib cage. Victim is still tied to a table. We are trying to free him now. Stand by."

"Standing by, 51." Dr. Brackett was now listening. He had been waiting for this call.

By now, Chet crawled out from under the table and announced proudly, "Finally! Let's get these ropes off him."

Roy cringed as he watched the crew pull those ropes out of Johnny's swollen skin. Even Cap had to turn away for a second. How could Kevin have done this to Johnny? Why? He was brought back to the scene before him when he heard Roy croak out, "V-fib! Paddles! PADDLES!" Marco was on the phone with Dr. Brackett as Roy worked quickly to save Johnny's life. He shocked Johnny at 400 watts but was stunned to see no conversion.

Brackett barked out, "100 mg epinephrine, IC. Defibrillate again, 400 watts." Roy administered the drug straight into Johnny's heart and shocked him again. Again the sight of a straight line showing on the scope stunned Roy.

He fought to maintain control as he shouted out, "Again, 400 watts. Clear!"

Again, no conversion. Marco looked over at Chet, who was looking more worried than her had ever seen. Everyone was in shock. Johnny couldn't be dead. This was wrong, really wrong. Roy stood over Johnny's body and gazed incredulously at his lifeless best friend. Roy's anger suddenly surged and took control. He gave Johnny a hard thrust in the chest and began CPR, praying the whole time it might do some good. As if by a miracle, the scope suddenly beeped once, startling everyone. Then there were more, as Johnny's heart started beating, a welcome sight to all. Roy grabbed the handset from Marco, who stood motionless, in stunned shock, when he thought Johnny was gone.

"Rampart," Roy reported, with noticeable relief in his voice, "we have sinus rhythm. Repeat, we now have sinus rhythm. Pulse is 100, BP is 100 over 60, and respirations are 18. Color is pinking."

"Great news, 51. I don't know how you did it, but great job! Get him in here stat!"

"10-4, Rampart. ETA is about 10 minutes."

Roy held on to Johnny's hand while he was loaded into the waiting ambulance. He hopped in and looked back at the rest of the crew. He nodded his thanks to Cap and turned his attention to his patient. At last it was finally over. Kevin was dead and couldn't hurt them anymore. He looked down at Johnny who was still unconscious and offered a silent prayer of thanks.

In the emergency room, Dr. Brackett looked at Johnny's bruises and then he noticed the rope marks ground into his neck and chest. He shuddered thinking how Johnny must have suffered. He turned to Dixie who had been cleaning Johnny's wounds.

"Let's get x-ray down here. I want a full skull series, and a full chest series. I also want a CBC, arterial blood gases, platelet count, and typed and cross-matched for one unit. Also, let's start him on a broad-spectrum antibiotic for infection. You know how susceptible Johnny is to pneumonia."

Brackett noticed Roy was still at Johnny's side, holding his hand and talking softly to his partner. He gave Roy a pat on the shoulder.

"Why don't you wait outside for a while. You know we'll call when he wakes up."

Roy replied firmly, "Doc, I can't leave him. I left him this morning and that freak got him. This is all my fault. I just left him there all alone and that bastard got him! Oh, God, what if…"

Roy couldn't continue. He was overcome with painful emotions that even made Dr. Brackett wince. Just then, Roy felt a squeeze on his hand. He looked down to see Johnny looking up at him, smiling. He tried to talk but could only manage a weak-coughing fit. He just grasped Roy's hand tighter as if to say, "Don't leave me." His eyes begged where his voice could not.

"I'm right here, Junior. I'm right here. I'm not leaving you." Roy reached over and brushed the hair out of Johnny's eyes and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Johnny relaxed and then managed to croak out, "Thanks, Roy. Thanks for saving me. So tired…" Johnny closed his eyes and went to sleep.

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"Well, Roy, under the circumstances, he could have been hurt worse, but he seems to be doing great. He has 3 cracked ribs, massive bruising on both sides of the rib cage, a severe concussion, and severe bruising around his throat. It was a miracle his trachea wasn't crushed." Dr. Brackett's report was delivered to a room full of firemen. "Look guys, Johnny's going to be fine."

Roy jumped up and shook Kel's hand. "When can I see him?"

Kel smiled, "How about right now? He's in his room."

Roy turned to Cap and the rest of the crew. "Guy's, can you give us a few minutes?"

Chet piped up and said with a smile, "Sure Roy, but you tell Johnny as soon as he's well, the Phantom will be waiting."

Chet was pelted with every seat cushion in the room. Cap laughed and shooed Roy away. Maybe now things would get back to normal.

Roy entered Johnny's room. Johnny was sleeping but he seemed to be dreaming. He pulled up a chair so he could sit next to Johnny's bed. He watched Johnny closely, noting that he seemed somewhat restless. Johnny was moaning softly now and turning his head from side to side. He kept reaching with his hands but not quite raising them off the bed.

Suddenly, Johnny was screaming, "Please, don't hurt Roy. I'll do anything you want. Don't, DON'T, AHGGGGGG…!"

Roy leapt up to Johnny's bedside and took his hand, talking to him, trying to calm him down.

"Johnny, it's me, Roy. Can you hear me? Johnny, can you hear me? I'm right here. You're safe now. Johnny?"

"Roy?"

"I'm right here Johnny. You're safe now."

"Roy, I was so scared. He said, he…" Johnny couldn't talk. Tears were streaming down his face while his best friend held him. They both needed this moment to help them both heal.

"Roy?"

"Yea, Junior?"

"Where is he? Did they get him?"

"He's dead Johnny. He can't hurt you or anyone else ever again."

"Roy,…gettin'… sleepy."

"Rest now. I'll be here when you wake up."

" …'Kay"

Roy sat back and watched his partner sleep. He knew Johnny was going to be okay.

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One month later…

"Hey Gage, welcome back!" Marco clapped Johnny's back lightly as he waltzed into the kitchen for his ritual cup of coffee.

"Thanks Marco, it's great to be back."

Chet walked in with Mike and Cap. "Hey Johnny, welcome back pal. How're you doing?"

"I'm great, guys. Where's Roy? My first day back and he's late?" Johnny looked around nervously and for a brief second he thought the worst. Cap noticed the sudden look of fear that shadowed Johnny's face and reassured him quickly.

"Roy's here Johnny. Relax. He'll be in in a minute."

"Whew! Thanks, Cap. I guess I was…"

"Hey Johnny! Welcome back partner!"

Roy burst through the door carrying a cake with sparklers burning on top. Everyone gathered around as they welcomed back their friend, their crewmate.

Roy said to Johnny, "Here's to you, partner. Welcome back." Johnny hugged his partner warmly.

"Thanks, Roy, and everyone. You guys are the best, more than I could ever ask for," Johnny paused and took a deep breath. "Thanks for coming after me."

Cap observed his crew while they talked and ate cake and drank coffee. His crew. "Wow, how did I get this lucky," he thought and smiled to himself. Everything was in place again. All was right with the world, at least for this week.

The End

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Author's note: This is my first attempt at writing a fan fiction story. I hope you found it as enjoyable to read as I did in writing it. Anita K Cook (Nita)