Coming of Age

by khollie

When Johnny finds himself in trouble, it is not his partner who comes to his rescue.

"Coming of Age"
by

Deanna Jordon

"This is great Uncle Johnny!" Chris called from on top of the horse he was riding. Chris DeSoto was spending two days of his summer vacation with Johnny Gage. Right now, Johnny was watching as Chris finished jumping his horse over a series of short hurdles.

"You're doing great! Just wait till your Dad gets here and sees you," Johnny called back. He used both hands to push the sweat off his forehead and through his shaggy mane of black hair.

"How come you got the day off but Dad still had to work?" Chris asked. Dismounting, he led the grey gelding, Stormy, over to the corral railing.

Johnny took the reins and looped them around the rail. "I had some time coming and your Dad didn't. He told me about how thrilled you were about your sister's sleepover party, so I just figured I'd invite you out here to the ranch." He waved his arm in a broad sweep, taking in the corral, the barn, and the cedar-framed house. The ranch, as Johnny called it, was only a few acres of scrub brush on the outskirts of LA. Getting to work at Station 51 was a forty-five minute drive on a good day, but Johnny didn't care. He was thankful that the station was in Carson on the edge of LA and not in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. He had scrimped and saved for five years to be able to buy a bit of land for him and his horse. While he loved the city and his job, the Native American boy from Montana still loved the great outdoors more. He had bought the ranch and moved his horse down from Montana the previous year. Roy's two children, Chris, 10, and Jennifer, 12, had spent many happy hours taking riding lessons on the smoky gray gelding.

Now Johnny slipped through the railing and headed for the barn with Chris right behind him. "Let's get Stormy his feed and then you can groom him while I do the tack. When your Dad gets here later, I think he wants to do a little fishing over on Bear Creek." Johnny checked his watch. "It's 7:30 now. He should be here by nine. Wait till I tell him you've been up and riding since 6:30. According to him, you don't wake up until noon during the summer." He grinned down at the blond boy at his side.

Chris returned the grin as they entered the barn. "If I had a horse at home, I'd be up early every morning!"

"I bet you would." Johnny gave Chris a small push toward the right hand wall to collect the grooming tools while he went to the back of the barn to collect the can of oats. The interior of the barn was open and roomy with work space on the right and two stalls on the left hand side. A hay loft stretched across the back half of the barn. Johnny looked at the support pole in the middle and made a mental note to have the beam replaced soon. He could see a few patches of dry rot beginning to show and he didn't want to have the whole loft falling down under the weight of the hay he planned to store for the winter.

John had just opened the feed sack when he became aware of a low rumbling sound. He looked around quickly then looked up as a sharp crack sounded overhead.

"Chris RUN! Earthquake!" Johnny dropped the feedsack and started for the door. He felt the air pressure first as the support pole for the loft gave way and sent the front half of the loft crashing down on top of him.

Chris made it to the door and looked back as he heard the crash. He stared in disbelief as Johnny disappeared under a cloud of dust and debris.

"Uncle Johnny!" Chris' voice was drowned out by the continued roar of the earthquake.

Emergency! Emergency! Emergency!

Roy DeSoto sat at the table in the day room of Station 51, drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. His partner for the shift, Charlie Dwyer, was likewise occupied. The engine crew was out on a run to a non-injury trash fire. Roy glanced at the wall clock as he reached for the coffee pot. Seven-thirty. The men from "B" shift would soon be rolling in and he could leave. The past twenty-four hours had been relatively quiet and he was feeling relaxed. He had been glad when Johnny had offered to take Chris for his day off. Roy himself wasn't looking forward to going home to a house full of pre-teen aged girls. He had already called Joanne and told her he was going straight out to Johnny's to get in a little fishing. His wife had laughed at him, knowing full well the reason behind the excuse.

Charlie looked up from his paper as a low rumble filled the air and the cups of coffee on the table began to shake. He and Roy both sat still and waited for the earthquake to pass. Roy kept his eyes on the clock as he timed the disturbance. When it finally ended, Roy looked at Charlie and smiled. "Forty-five seconds. Couldn't have been more than a 4.5 or 4.8."

Charlie got up and flipped on the radio. "...has just occurred. According to the officials at CalTech, the earthquake seemed to be centered just north of LA in the Bear Creek region. We have no word on injures or damage at this time. Stay tuned to this station for further updates." Music began to play softly as Charlie turned the radio off.

"Doesn't sound bad. We may not even get toned out." the dark-haired paramedic said as he picked up his coffee cup. He was reaching for the pot when he noticed the reflective look on Roy's face. "What's wrong Roy?" he asked with concern.

"Johnny's ranch is out by Bear Creek. Chris is staying out there with him for a couple of days. I wonder how strong it got out there?"

"Why don't you give him a call?" Charlie suggested.

"Good idea." Roy headed for the pay phone on the far wall. He put in his dime and dialed. Seconds later, he hung up frowning. "The line's dead. Must have lost a few poles out that way."

"That's 110s area. Sounds like they'll be busy today. I wonder..." Charlie stopped speaking as the station's tones rang out.

"Squad 51, Station110. Multiple vehicle accident with injuries. Bear Creek Road four miles east of Creek Park turnoff. Time out 07:41"

"Squad 51, KMG 365" Roy responded before climbing into the driver's seat of the squad and pulling out into traffic.

Twenty minutes later, the squad pulled up to the accident scene. Roy and Charlie climbed out as 110s captain walked up to them.

"My men are working on the car that went down into the ravine. We've got another two cars across the way. Everyone's alive but I don't know how badly they're injured. We've got three ambulances coming. The chopper is out looking for downed poles and other damage due to the quake." With that, he left to assist his crew as Roy and Charlie began pulling equipment from the squad.

Emergency! Emergency! Emergency!

"Uncle Johnny? Please wake up. Johnny!" Chris' voice sounded far away. Johnny fought the pain in his head as he slowly opened his eyes. He realized he was lying face down on the barn floor.

"What happened?" he asked weakly.

"There was an earthquake. The loft fell down on you. Can you move?" Chris' blue eyes were large and his face was wet with tears.

Johnny lay still and tried to assess his injuries. He was aware of pressure on his back and legs as well as a sharp pain in his left arm. His head was throbbing and it hurt to breathe.

"Can you get the weight off my legs?" he asked slowly.

"No. I tried but the beam is too heavy." Panic was beginning to creep into the youngster's voice.

"Chris, calm down. Go into the house and call for help."

"I did but the phone's out of order. I've been waiting for you to wake up."

"How long...was I out?" Johnny tried to stifle a cough and grimaced in pain as fire shot through his chest. He knew he had broken one or more ribs and hoped that he hadn't punctured a lung.

"About ten minutes. I moved the stuff from around your head. What else can I do?"

"Just keep calm and let me think. Are you hurt?" At Chris' negative answer, he continued. "You can't drive the jeep but, say, how is Stormy?" It was becoming harder to keep his eyes open.

"Stormy's fine."

"I want you to ride down and find help. Call your dad or the dispatcher. Hurry. I..." Johnny stopped speaking and tried to concentrate on his breathing.

"I'm not leaving you," Chris stated. "Dad says you never leave a partner."

"You...have...to. Need help..." Johnny's strength ran out and he sank back into unconsciousness.

Chris stood slowly and looked at the pile of debris. He had moved the four bales of hay and as much of the other debris as he could but he hadn't been able to move the broad support beam that held Johnny down. There was blood on the paramedic's face and one arm was obviously broken. His jeans covered any injuries to his legs, but even to Chris' untrained eye, his left leg was lying at an unnatural angle. Chris chewed on his lower lip as he tried to remember what his father had taught him about first aid.

Rule one, check breathing.

Johnny was breathing, even if it did sound awful.

Rule two, heartbeat.

He felt Johnny's neck and was rewarded by the thumping of a pulse right where his dad had shown him.

Rule three, control bleeding.

While there seemed to be a lot of blood, Chris couldn't find any major cuts. He ran inside the house and returned with Johnny's first aid kit. He applied bandages to the cuts he could see.

Rule four, keep warm.

He looked around the barn and found the extra saddle blanket. Gingerly, he laid it over Johnny as best he could.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised as he laid a hand on the still figure.

Chris left the barn and walked over to where Stormy was still tied up. Never before had the horse looked so big. He had never mounted by himself before. He climbed up on the fence railing and drew the reins over the horse's head. Slowly and steadily, he climbed on and made his way to the gate. Opening the latch with his foot, Chris rode as quickly as he could down the dirt road.

At the scene of the accident, Roy and Charlie had just finished with their two victims. Neither was badly hurt and the decision was made to transport both of them only as a precaution. Both of 110s paramedics had ridden in with their patients and one of their shift mates would drive their squad in. Charlie finished repacking the last of the equipment while Roy secured permission from 110s captain to return to available status.

As they climbed in the squad, Charlie asked, "Doesn't Gage live around here somewhere?

"Yea, about 5 miles up this road. I'm going over there as soon as I get back to the station and change." Roy started the engine and backed up to turn around. He was just about to pull onto the road again when he saw a figure on horseback riding towards him at full gallop while waving one arm wildly. With a shock, Roy recognized his son on top of the horse.

"Dad! Dad! You've gotta help! Johnny's hurt bad! You've gotta come now!" Chris was yelling as he reined in to a stop and jumped off. Roy cut the engine and jumped out to hold his son.

"Slow down. What's wrong?" Roy listened in growing concern as Chris outlined the accident and what he knew of Johnny's injuries. Charlie ran back to Engine 110 to give them a report as Roy called the still alarm into LA dispatch.

"You ride back slow, Chris," Roy began, then he saw the look in his son's eyes. "OK, tie him up in that field and climb in." Chris beamed and hurried to tie Stormy to a low hanging branch. He then hurried back to the squad and climbed in. Roy hit the siren and took off back up the road.

Minutes later, the squad pulled up to the barn. Roy jumped out and ran inside. Charlie hung back just long enough to grab the bio-phone and the drug box.

By the time Charlie got inside, Roy was already checking Johnny's pulse. "Pulse is 130, respirations are 30 and labored," Roy reported. He began to feel for further injuries as Charlie took a blood pressure reading.

Finishing the initial exam, Roy set up the bio-phone and contacted Rampart Hospital. "Rampart Base, this is Squad 51. How do you read?" Charlie nodded at Roy as he went back to the squad for more equipment.

"Go ahead 51." Dr. Brackett's voice came over the receiver.

"Rampart, we have a male aged 28 who has been injured in a building collapse. Pulse is 130, respirations are 30 and labored, B/P is 110/70. Patient is unconscious and has not been extricated yet. Be advised, the patient is John Gage."

"Ten-four 51. Start him on O2, 6 liters, IV with D5W/TKO. Repeat vitals in three minutes."

"Ten-four, Rampart." Roy put the phone down as Charlie re-entered the barm with the hydraulic jack. Chris was behind him with the oxygen and the splint kit.

Working quickly, the two paramedics eased the jack under the beam beside Johnny's hip. Charlie slowly pumped the handle to raise the beam. As soon as it cleared his partner's back, Roy and Chris gently pulled Johnny clear. Roy grabbed the stethoscope and listened to Johnny's lungs again as Charlie lowered the support beam.

"Chris, do you know where the backboard is on the squad?" Roy asked his son.

"I remember. I'll get it." Chris left at a run and returned moments later with the backboard. He helped the two paramedics roll Johnny onto the board then watched as they applied splints, a cervical collar, and the medications.

At the hospital, Dr. Brackett hovered by the radio. He suspected that Johnny had a punctured lung as well as a possibly severe head injury. He had treated Johnny so many times in the past that he knew what was and wasn't normal for John. He stabbed the call button again. "Squad 51, do you have a new set of vitals for me?"

"Affirmative, Rampart. BP is 110/65, pulse is 130, respirations are 30. We have applied splints to his left leg and arm. Patient has multiple broken ribs on the left side as well. There is a large laceration over the left eye. Pupils are equal but sluggish. There is no reaction to any stimuli," Roy's voice answered.

"Squad 51. Monitor breathing and be prepared to insert an oral airway. Continue O2 and transport immediately."

Roy looked up as the sound of a siren filled the air. He breathed a sigh of relief as the ambulance pulled into the driveway.

"Ten-four, Rampart. Ambulance has just arrived. ETA is 25 minutes." Roy put down the phone as the ambulance attendants pulled up the gurney. Johnny was lifted up, still on the backboard, and safety belted to the narrow cot. Roy collected the bio-phone and drug box and climbed into the back of the ambulance after Johnny was loaded. He motioned for Chris to climb up too. Charlie shut and locked the doors, giving the signal for the ambulance to pull away.

Inside the ambulance, Roy looked at Chris. "Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked as he took Johnny's pulse.

"No, Dad. Is Johnny gonna die?" The fear was plainly written on the young man's face.

"I don't think so. You did a good job of bandaging up his cuts and keeping him warm. He was sure lucky you were there. No telling how long he might have been there before he was found." Roy clapped his son on the shoulder. "I'm really proud of the way you handled yourself." A comfortable silence settled between them as Roy turned his attention back to the injured man. Chris closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat to rest.

A rasping noise brought his attention back to his dad. Johnny was gasping for breath. Expertly, Roy inserted the oral airway and attached the green balloon-like ambu bag. He began to rhythmically squeeze the bag to help Johnny breathe. With one hand, he picked up the bio-phone.

"Rampart, Squad 51,"

"Go ahead, 51." Again, it was Brackett.

"Rampart, patient went into respiratory arrest. I've inserted the oral airway and respirations are now 20 assisted. ETA is now 15 minutes."

"Ten-four. We're standing by." Brackett turned to the nurse standing behind him.

"Dix, set up for a chest tube and a respirator. Have x-ray ready for full chest series, skull, lateral C-spine, pelvis, left leg and left arm. Have 2 units of blood ready and put the OR on alert."

"Right away, Kel." Dixie was the head nurse for the emergency department. She knew all of the paramedics by name and felt for them when one was injured. As hard as she tried not to play favorites, she worried most about John Gage. He just seemed to attract trouble. She had once told him that he was responsible for the wealth of grey hairs peeking through her honey brown hair. Johnny had laughed, but he hadn't denied the charge. Dixie knew she would be adding more grey to the collection as she carried out the instructions.

Dixie, Brackett, and Dr. Morton, were waiting at the entrance when the ambulance finally arrived. Morton, a very intense and serious black man, took control of the ambu-bag and kept up the steady rhythm while the team rolled Johnny into the treatment room. Roy motioned with his hand for Chris to wait in the hall.

Chris sank down on the floor opposite the treatment room and put his arms and head on his knees. He could feel his heart beating and the fear he had kept inside for so long came in silent tears. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up into the smiling eyes of Dixie McCall.

"How are you doing Chris? What'cha say we go have a seat somewhere more comfortable?"

Nodding wordlessly, Chris followed Dixie to the doctor's lounge. Dixie rummaged in the small refrigerator and pulled out an orange soda which she sat on the table in front of the boy. Gently, she pried the tale of the earthquake out of him.

When he had finished, Chris looked her squarely in the eye and asked, "Is Johnny gonna die?"

Dixie considered her answer before speaking. She decided to give Chris the truth. "No, Chris. He isn't going to die. He's hurt very badly though. His arm and leg are broken, he has some broken ribs, one of his lungs was punctured and collapsed, and he has a bad concussion. He's going to surgery now to re-inflate his lung and set the broken bones. Your dad will be here shortly to fill you in on the rest. He's calling your mom, and Charlie had to go back to the station." Dixie broke off as the door opened and Roy walked in.

Chris ran to his father and held on tightly. Roy returned the hug and Dixie could see the unshed tears in his eyes as he held his son. At length, the two separated and sat down at the table. Dixie put a cup of coffee in front of Roy and took a seat across from him.

"Did Chris tell you what all he did for Johnny?" Roy asked.

"He sure did. Sounds like he's going to make a top-notch paramedic himself one of these days." Dixie smiled as Chris ducked his head.

"Bye the way, Chris. Johnny came around briefly and looked for you. I told him we'd take care of Stormy for him. I don't know if he understood me or not though." Roy took another sip of his coffee.

"I'll take really good care of Stormy for him," Chris stated happily.

"I bet you will," a new voice answered back. All three of the room's occupants turned as Joanne DeSoto walked in the door. She came over to hug her son and assure herself that he was all right. Once again, Chris detailed the events of the earthquake and Johnny's rescue.

"Where is Stormy by the way?" Dixie asked.

Chris looked up guiltily. "He's still tied to the tree in that field."

"Let's go and take him home," Roy suggested. "We'll drive out to Johnny's and get his Land Rover and the horse trailer. He'll be in surgery for a couple of hours at least and then in recovery before we'll get to see him. That'll give us time to see Stormy safely home and get back here." Joanne agreed to stay and wait for news on Johnny as Chris and Roy left.

Later that afternoon, they were finally permitted to see Johnny in the ICU. He was still unconscious and he was hooked up to a respirator. Various machinery of other types also stood around his bed. They found Dr. Brackett in the ICU and asked about the injured man.

"He's very lucky you got to him as soon as you did. We were able to stabilize the lung before the second one collapsed. Now we wait. There's still a chance of pneumonia setting in. We've got him sedated to give his body a chance to heal. We don't want him fighting the respirator right now. Why don't you guys go home? I'll have more news for you in the morning." Dr. Brackett politely, but firmly, escorted the family out of the ICU and down to the entrance.

After dinner that night, Roy called the hospital to check on Johnny's progress. The nurse reported no change and repeated Brackett's promise to call if anything should happen. Roy had already called his captain and the rest of 51s "A" shift. He suspected that the ICU had been flooded with calls about Gage. Joanne finally persuaded Roy to retire for the night around ten.

The shrill jangling of the telephone broke the early morning stillness. Roy was instantly awake and grabbed the receiver, noting the time of 4:16 as he did so.

The caller was Dr. Brackett. "Roy, John's awake but very agitated. Could you come down here? Maybe seeing you will calm him down."

"I'll be right there," Roy promised. He hung up the phone and climbed out of bed. Chris appeared in the open doorway as Roy finished buttoning up his shirt.

"Was that the hospital? Is Johnny okay?"

"The doctor says he's awake but really agitated. He wants me to see if I can get him to calm down." Roy slipped on his shoes and walked towards the kitchen with Chris in his wake.

"Can I go too?" Chris asked.

Roy hesitated. He knew how fond Johnny was of the boy and vice-versa. Finally he agreed. Chris smiled his thanks as he ducked into the laundry room for clean clothes. Moments later, father and son were on their way to the hospital.

They were met in the ICU by Dr. Brackett. His usually neat black hair was rumpled and the dark circles under his eyes attested to the fact that he had not left the hospital since John had been admitted. "I don't know what to say. His BP is up, his temperature is up, and he's managed to pull out his IV twice. He can't talk because of the airway and he's not coherent enough to write. He won't let the sedative work and I'm afraid to give him anything else." Brackett led the way to Johnny's bedside.

Roy was shocked at his friend's appearance. Johnny was sweating and moving his head wildly back and forth. A nurse was trying to hold down his right arm as well as trying to protect herself from the cast on John's left arm. Roy jumped in to help by grasping the left arm and pushing it down to the bed.

"Johnny! Johnny calm down!" Roy cupped his partner's chin in his hand and forced Johnny to face him. Johnny's eyes were open but Roy couldn't be sure if the man recognized his friend or not. John was trying to raise up from the bed and making gurgling noises around the respirator tube. His movements became even more frantic. Roy tried talking to him again.

"Johnny, calm down! You're okay." He turned to face Brackett. "What could be causing this?"

Just then, Johnny ripped his right hand free of the nurse's grasp and reached for the airtube in his mouth. Chris leaped forward to help the nurse recapture Johnny's arm before he could pull the tube free. Johnny kept his eyes locked on Roy's face, seemingly oblivious to Chris and the nurse.

"Uncle Johnny! Please! Listen to Dad. He's here to help," Chris pleaded. He was becoming scared by Johnny's actions.

At the sound of Chris' voice, Johnny turned his head sharply. He visibly relaxed as he stared at the boy. Both Roy and Dr. Brackett were amazed at the sudden change in demeanor. Suddenly, Roy understood.

"See, Johnny, Chris is fine. You don't have to worry. He's all right. Just calm down now. Chris is just fine. Talk to him, Chris," Roy encouraged his son.

"I'm okay, Uncle John. I didn't get hurt but you did. The doctors fixed you up and now you've got to rest and get better. I'm taking care of Stormy for you. Dad said he'd help too." Chris stopped, unsure of what to say next.

"Johnny must've thought that Chris was hurt as well. You know how protective he gets. He just needed to see that Chris was alive and well," Roy said in a soft undertone to Brackett.

"You're right." Brackett studied the monitors. "His heart rate is back down and his breathing is evening out. Carol, get me a new BP," Brackett instructed the nurse.

"BP is 130/90. That's down from earlier," the nurse reported.

"Good." Brackett turned to Chris. "This is the second time you've saved his life. Thank you."

Chris smiled uneasily as he held on to Johnny's good hand. Johnny was visibly relaxed and appeared to be drifting off to sleep. The group was quiet for a few moment, then Roy and Chris silently exited the room with Brackett on their heels.

"Will Johnny be okay now?" Chris asked.

"I'm sure he will. Between the injury and shock, he probably couldn't remember what happened except that you were supposed to be around. He was terrified that you had been injured as well. Now that he knows you're fine, he can concentrate on healing up. He may not even remember having this panic attack." Brackett checked his watch. "I'm due for some shut eye. I'll see both of you later." With that, Brackett walked off slowly.

Roy and Chris re-entered Johnny's room and sat in the hard chairs on either side of the bed. Chris was fascinated by the array of equipment so Roy explained the functioning of each piece. The two fell silent then, just watching Johnny's chest rise and fall with each breath.

Roy looked over at Chris and smiled softly as he noticed his son's head bent forward in slumber. He checked the time on his watch and was surprised to see that it was 5:30. He thought about getting some sleep himself but decided against it. What he wanted most was a cup of coffee. He rose and left the room. On his way to the lounge area, he told the duty nurse where he was going and let her know Chris was still in the room. She promised to keep an eye on him as well.

A noise from the bed woke Chris. He looked around sleepily and noticed his father's absence. He looked at Johnny and was surprised to see Johnny's eyes open and staring at him. Chris stood and leaned against the bed.

"Good morning, Uncle John. Do you feel better?" He put his hand on Johnny's. "The doctor says you can't talk right now because of the respirator. You're gonna be okay though. Dr. Brackett said so. Dad'll be back in a minute. Should I get the nurse?" Chris was talking fast, trying to keep Johnny awake. He felt the weak pressure on his hand as Johnny squeezed it. "I'll be right back." Chris said as he tried to pull his hand loose. Johnny held on tighter and shook his head slightly.

"Okay, I'll stay. You look like you feel better. Your barn needs a lot of work though. Dad and the rest of the guys are going to help fix it up and I'm taking care of Stormy for you. Dad says..."

"I said what?" Chris spun around at the sound of Roy's voice.

"Dad! Johnny's awake and he's okay!" Chris' eyes shone as he pulled his dad to the bedside with his free hand.

"Welcome back ,Junior. You gave us all quite a scare." Roy was smiling as he pushed the nurse call button. He wasn't really surprised to see Dixie enter the room.

"Well, how's my favorite patient this morning?" she asked Roy.

Roy nodded toward the bed. "Ask him yourself."

Dixie's face lit up when she realized that Johnny was awake and following her with his eyes. "Good morning. You look a bit better than the last time I saw you." Dixie began taking his pulse and BP as she talked. She wrote down the results on the clipboard at he end of the bed and turned to the three. "Johnny, you're doing just fine. Do you think you could stand me for company if Chris and Roy go get some breakfast?"

Johnny slowly blinked his eyes. He raised his right hand and pointed to the door while looking at his partner.

"I do believe he's telling you to go. Dr. Stevens will be doing rounds soon and you can come back after that." Gently, she ushered Roy and Chris out the door.

She walked back to Johnny and studied the machines again. He reached for her hand and lifted it to his head.

"Does your head still hurt?" Dixie asked softly. "Just blink to answer, once for yes and twice for no." Johnny blinked once, then gestured toward his body with a questioning look. "You want to know how bad?" Again, Johnny blinked. "Not too bad really. Moderate concussion, left radius and ulna, left tib-fib, four left ribs and the left lung collapsed. The doctor will decide today about when to take out the chest tube and the respirator. Right now, you need to sleep." Dixie smoothed Johnny's hair with her left hand. "You owe Chris a lot of thanks. He did a great job of getting help when you got hurt." Dixie looked up as the ICU nurse came in followed by a middle-aged, heavyset black man.

"Johnny, this is Dr. Stevens. He's new on staff but he's really good. I'll see you later." She gave him another grin and patted his arm as she left.

Emergency! Emergency! Emergency!

Two days later, Johnny was moved to a regular room. The headache had finally abated, although his throat was still sore from the oral airway. The pain medications worked their magic by letting him sleep for long stretches of time. He awoke from one of his naps to see Chris and Roy standing by the window. He tried to say hello, but ended up coughing instead.

Roy turned when he heard John's cough. He smiled at his friend as he and Chris approached the bed.

"Good afternoon, partner. How do you feel?"

John tried again to find his voice. "Better, I guess. All I do is sleep though."

"That's the pain medicine." Roy eyed the casts on John's arm and leg. "Looks like you're gonna have lots of time to sleep until those casts come off."

"Those and the bandages on my ribs. How are things out at the ranch?" Johnny looked at Chris now.

"Stormy's fine, Uncle John. He's staying at the Benson's down the road. Dad and the guys from the station are working on your barn. It's a real mess."

"I wondered about that. Dixie told me that, and that four bales of hay fell in on top of me." Johnny struggled to sit up more. Roy moved to the end of the bed and raised it up into a sitting position.

"Did she also tell you that Chris here was the one who rescued you?" Roy asked.

"No, she just said he was there but he wasn't hurt." Johnny wrinkled his brow in concentration. "I don't remember much of anything. I know Chris was practicing jumping hurdles...then nothing until I woke up in ICU with that tube down my throat and the worst headache I've ever had in my life." He looked over at Chris and raised his uninjured hand. Chris stepped forward and grasped it.

"Thanks for the rescue. I'm just glad you're okay. Your dad would've killed me if anything had happened to you!" He pulled Chris down to sit on the bed. "Now tell me exactly what happened."

When Chris had finished his story, with help and prompting from his father, Johnny whistled in amazement.

"Roy, I do believe this boy of yours has come of age. You think Cap would mind another paramedic around the station?"

Roy's grin matched his partner's. "Can't hurt to ask. Besides, it'll get me out of having to work with Brice."

All three laughed at the mention of Craig Brice, the walking rule book. Roy noticed Johnny's eyes starting to close so he and Chris made their goodbyes. After they had left, Johnny made himself comfortable on the pillow. As he drifted off to sleep, he gave a silent prayer of thanks for such good friends.

(Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Emergency, I just borrow them from time to time. I promise to return them after recess so please don't sue me.)