Roy watched from the doorway of his new office as Josh backed the squad into the bay. The paramedics weren't speaking. Pat was looking out the passenger window. Roy watched as they both stepped out and started to go in separate directions. "Pat, Josh, can I see you in my office," Roy called out.

Pat and Josh turned around and headed toward the Captain's office. Neither looked at the other. Roy knew that the few times he and Johnny had been called into Captain Stanley's office, they'd always exchanged glances. Silently asking each other what they'd done, offering unspoken support, giving each other the "oh crap" look. The fact Pat and Josh didn't look at each other; told Roy a lot more than they could've possibly guessed.

Roy closed the door, after the men walked past him into the office. "Have a seat," Roy said, moving behind the desk and sitting down, so he would be eye level with his men.

He watched as Pat and Josh did a dance over who was going to sit in the chair closest to the door. Roy sighed and dropped his head.

Pat moved to the chair furthest from the door and both men sat down.

"What I saw in the field today, caring for that patient, was completely unacceptable. Your jobs are to take care of the patient, and provide them some comfort; not further injure them. It appears you both have the necessary medical skills; but you haven't learned how to work together at all. You don't have a system for equipment and supply checks at the start of shift, you don't communicate with each other as you arrive on scene, you don't communicate as you prepare to transfer a patient; regardless of your medical skills, your inefficient, unproductive, and actually dangerous to your patients," Roy paused giving his words time to sink in.

"I hardly think you can accurately judge our performance based on one call," Josh argued.

"A performance that should've been the best you could give; considering you knew your new Captain was watching," Roy clarified. "Not to mention, I have two reviews from Captain Montgomery and an independent evaluation from Captain Hookraider, who covered a shift last month."

Josh scoffed. "I'd hardly consider Captain Hookraider a fair evaluator. The man's a tyrant."

"His evaluation was in line with the other evaluations, and what I personally witnessed today." Roy said.

"I don't really think…"

"Enough," Roy cut off Josh. Roy took a deep breath. "I didn't call you in here to have an argument with you. I wanted to let you know we need to start working on your communication and how you work together," Roy took another deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He wanted this to be a constructive, helpful meeting, not disciplinary, but Josh was making it difficult.

"The first thing I want you to do, immediately, is have a discussion on how you're gonna determine who rides in with the patient. Is the person who's communicating with Rampart accompanying the patient in the ambulance, or is it gonna be the person who has initial contact with the patient? Every call, you will follow that protocol. Second, I want you to work out a system for supply and equipment checks at the beginning of your shift. Are you gonna do the same thing every shift, or alternate responsibilities. It doesn't matter, but figure it out. Third, you need to work on speaking to each other when you're on a call. You may eventually get to a point where you just know what your partner is gonna do, but you're not there yet." Roy paused, giving the men a chance to speak.

Neither one said anything, or made eye contact with him.

"Do you have any questions, thoughts, comments?" Roy asked.

"No, sir," Pat mumbled.

"Not at this time, Captain DeSoto," Josh said, his tone belligerent.

"You're dismissed," Roy said. The men stood up and left his office.

Roy took a moment to run his hands over his face and then headed toward the kitchen for coffee.

The remainder of his first 24 hours shift consisted of several more runs, some with just the engine and a couple more with the full station. Roy kept an eye on his two paramedics, who had obviously figured out who would be riding in with the patient; but that seemed to be the only change from the first call. Roy reasoned that he'd just spoken with them and maybe they'd get together on their days off to work out their system. He was concerned though when he noticed, that other than eating, the two men were never in the same room, at the same time.

The rest of his crew seemed to have their acts together. His engineer was good. Roy was willing to admit Mike Stoker was better, but Andy Bongers definitely had his act together. He shared many of Mike's qualities, observant and patient; but he definitely had the gift of gab. Jeff and Chuck had worked together over ten years, and they worked together as efficiently as Marco and Chet. They both seemed friendly enough.

Several times during the day, Roy missed having Johnny with him. He would've appreciated being able to bounce some things off his partner and been able to relax watching Gage just enjoy the day, or even go off on some tangent. The day had a seriousness that hadn't existed at 51s. Maybe it was just due to it being the first day of a new Captain, maybe it was the combination of personalities in the crew, but Roy worried, that maybe it was him. He knew he'd been the more serious, reserved one, compared to Johnny. Maybe the levity he'd enjoyed for the last 7 years, was because of Johnny, and he was too serious to have that without him.

E

Michael stood as Dixie wheeled Katrina down the hall in a wheelchair. Katrina didn't look happy.

"If you'll show me where your car is, I can follow you out," Dixie suggested.

"I can walk just fine," Katrina objected. "You just said I had to stay in this thing to the door."

"It wouldn't hurt you to let her give you a ride to the car," Michael suggested.

"It's not necessary, thank you," Katrina said curtly.

Dixie just rolled her eyes and shrugged.

Michael walked next to Dixie until the exit. Dixie stopped just past the doors and set the brakes on the wheelchair. Katrina slowly rose, and made a small grunting sound as she placed weight on her bruised hip.

"Why don't you just let her wheel you to the car," Michael said again.

Katrina just looked at him.

He held up his hands. "Okay, okay."

Dixie watched for several seconds as Katrina and Michael moved slowly across the parking lot to Michael's car.

"I appreciate you waiting to give me a ride. I could've called a cab," Katrina said, as Michael opened the passenger door for her.

Michael let her get situated and closed the door. He didn't say anything until he had rounded the car and got into the driver's seat. He put the key in the ignition, and started the car. He placed his hands on the steering wheel, but didn't put the car into gear. "Why didn't you tell me?" He continued facing forward, not looking at Katrina.

Katrina was quiet for a long time and he thought perhaps she wasn't going to answer him. "What was I supposed to say, someone's picking on me? I'm a grown-up. I'm not a tattletale. I knew there were gonna be obstacles, that some people weren't going to be okay with a female firefighter. I didn't expect it to be quite this bad, but I expected problems," Katrina finally said.

"Who's doing it?"

"I don't know," Katrina said quietly, looking down at her hands.

Michael looked over at her. She looked up and met his eyes. "Honestly, I don't. I have my suspicions; but I've never actually seen him. He's always behind me, or it's dark."

"Who do you think it is?" Michael asked. He was angry at her for not telling him. But, he knew his anger was more from the guilt he felt for not seeing it himself. No, if he was honest with himself, he'd seen it, he just hadn't done anything about it. But, he hadn't known it was this bad.

"Did I fail this last exercise?" Katrina asked, turning to look out the window. She didn't want him to see the tears that threatened to fall. She'd worked so hard and endured so much, to fail this close to the finish line would be torture.

"What?" Michael asked, confused by her question.

"I didn't complete the task; I was injured. Did I fail the exercise?" Katrina continued to look out the passenger window.

Michael pulled the bandana out of his pocket and handed it to her. "You aced it," he said quietly.

Katrina dropped her head and looked at the bandana. She bit her lip, trying desperately to stop the tears she now felt stinging her eyes.

"Who do you think is doing this, Katrina?" Michael asked again.

Katrina shook her head.

"I have to know," he insisted.

"No. It's just suspicions, I can't prove anything and I won't speculate. It isn't fair," Katrina said, shaking her head.

"Katrina…"

"No, sir. I won't make guesses, what if I'm wrong," Katrina insisted. After a few second pause, she asked, "What happens now?"

"I want you taking tomorrow off. Then we have a couple of classroom days, two days are exams; next Thursday is your final physical challenge and then that Friday, you'll be a full-fledged fireman/paramedic. Fire fighter/Paramedic," Michael corrected himself.

"So we can just forget about today?" Katrina asked hopefully.

Michael shook his head. "No. No, I can't do that. Whoever did this, they can't be allowed to go out and represent the fire department. Our job is to help others, not try to hurt them, or worse."

"But, how are you gonna…"

"You let me worry about how things play out going forward. You just watch your back," Michael gave her a small smile.

Michael put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. She was staying at the fire academy, but in the old nurse's quarters, instead of the dorm with the male recruits. They drove for a few minutes before another thought hit Katrina.

"You don't have to put this in my file do you?"

Michael was quiet, knowing she wasn't going to like the answer.

"What's my new Captain gonna think?" Katrina asked, understanding Michael's silence for an affirmative answer.

"That you endured really horrible treatment and still came out at the top of your class, meaning you're tenacious."

"He's gonna think I'm trouble, and a snitch," Katrina felt sick to her stomach.

"He won't. If you want, I'll personally talk to the Captain of wherever you're assigned. Once the new squad is created. You're gonna work as a fill-in for a little bit, right?"

"That's worse, it'll look like I'm asking for special favors. Just please, document the bare minimum you have to. I'll deal with the rest, when I get there," Katrina said. She rested her head against the glass of the passenger window. She just wanted the 18th to get here. She knew once she got to a station, she could prove to the crew that she could be an asset to them.

Michael pulled up to the front of the building where Katrina was staying and put the car in park. "Do you think you're safe here?" It suddenly occurred to him, with graduation only a few days away, the person trying to hurt her may try during off hours. He'd already proven he was getting more violent.

"I'll be fine," Katrina said, hoping she sounded more sure than she felt. She slowly got out of the car and walked to the building. The outer door to the building was unlocked, but the room she was staying in did have a lock.

She was just opening the door when Michael joined her. "Let me check out the building before you go in," he said.

She started to object, but he merely moved passed her and started walking around the small building. He waited until she unlocked her door. He looked around her room, which was very neat and organized. He checked the closet and went into the adjoining bathroom, moving back the shower curtain. "Looks like you're set," Michael said, moving to stand near her.

"Thanks, dad," Katrina joked, trying to keep the mood light.

"You call me, if you have any problems," he met her eyes, to make sure she knew he was serious.

"I will."

"I mean it," he said sternly.

"Okay, thank you, sir," Katrina said.

"Lock the door behind me," he said, as he exited her room.

"I will," she said.

He waited outside the door until he heard the lock click into place and then made his way back to his car.

Katrina moved into the bathroom, carefully removing her clothing. She turned the shower on as hot as her skin could tolerate and stepped under the stinging spray, trying to get her muscles to relax. Dr. Brackett had given her pain medication, but she was hoping to avoid taking it.

She ran her towel across the full length mirror on the back of the bathroom door when she stepped out of the shower, wiping away the steam and stared at the dark purple bruises forming on her left side and hip. It's a good thing I don't have a boyfriend, she thought. He'd be totally grossed out by me, right now.

She moved slowly into her bedroom, slipping into a soft nightgown and sliding under her covers. It was a bit early for bed, but she was exhausted. After several minutes of trying to get comfortable she threw back the covers and walked over to her purse. She took out the bottle of pain pills, broke one in half and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and dipped her head down to get a mouthful of water. She swallowed half the pill and went back to bed. She fell asleep soon after the pill took effect, taking the sharp edge off the pain.

E

Johnny leaned back in his chair and let the silence of the station permeate his being. He'd recorded all of their runs in the log in explicit detail and reviewed them twice to make sure they were accurate. They had 9 runs for the engine and 12 runs for the paramedics and it was just after 11:30 PM. The men had all turned in, but Johnny wanted to make sure his log book was perfect.

He lifted the coffee cup to his lips and grimaced as he took a drink of the now cold brew. He pushed back in his chair and walked to the kitchen. He dumped his coffee and cleaned the mug, placing it in the cupboard.

He leaned back and looked over the kitchen area. The paint was peeling at the baseboards and the floor was dingy from years of wear. The Formica of the counter tops was scratched and lacked any shine. The men of the station were high caliber, and it was a busy station, but it was old and in serious need of some repairs. Mostly cosmetic, which is probably why they hadn't been done, but even a fresh coat of paint would help the place look less depressing.

Johnny rubbed his finger across his upper lip. Was it the building that was depressing, or just his mood. He missed the comradery of his former shift mates. Mike Stoker's calm demeanor, Marco's easy personality. Captain Stanley's firm, but friendly leadership style. He even missed Chet's hijinks, but he'd never admit that to anyone. Most of all, he missed Roy. The ease of which they worked together, the ability to know what the other one was thinking without saying a word. He could look at Roy and understand so much by just taking in the set of his mouth, and the look in his eyes. Johnny sighed and moved toward the locker room. His bunkers were already beside his bed, ready to be slipped on in a moment's notice. Johnny took off his shirt and dropped it into his bag. He did the same with his pants. He would put on a fresh uniform for the couple's hours of duty in the morning.

Johnny wandered into the dorm in his boxers and t-shirt and paused at the doorway to take in the sleeping men. Johnny noticed the different timber of the room. He'd never realized how much you got used to the sleeping sounds of your crew mates. The noises here at night were very different from what he was used to.

Johnny slipped into his bunk and slung his arm over his face. He turned his head and instead of seeing Roy to his left, he saw a concrete wall, with an old desk leaning against it. Johnny closed his eyes and tried to stop the thoughts running through his head. He missed Station 51.

E

Dark eyes watched from the shadows as Michael Henry walked Katrina into the old nurse's office; presumably walking her to her room. Or was there something going on between the female recruit and the senior trainer, he wondered. That would explain why she was receiving such high scores.

The figure stepped back slightly as Michael exited the building just a few minutes later. He couldn't believe she was already back from the hospital. Someone had to get rid of her. There was one more shot; the last physical challenge. They did that test individually, only one person in the tower at a time. He thought through that obstacle. He could arrange an accident, but she'd have to be the first one through the course. He wasn't sure he could arrange that without raising suspicion when she got hurt. He had to make it seem like her idea to go first. He had two days to plant that seed in her head.

He smiled smugly, that wouldn't be hard; women could be so easy to manipulate.

He walked toward the fire tower, making sure to stay in the shadows. He needed to look around and see how best to create an accident. No woman could do this job, he was protecting all the firemen that would have had to work with her. Her lack of skills and strength would eventually get someone killed. Stopping her before she could do that was the most humane thing he could do.

He slipped into the tower and slowly made his way around each floor. On the top floor, he saw exactly what he needed. He could arrange to loosen this beam and rig it so when she opened the door, the beam would swing free and hit her directly in the chest. The force should push her into the window. Just a few turns of a nut, a crack in a wooden beam and a lose window frame and he would have the perfect accident. He made his way back to the dorm and slipped into bed. The other recruits were sound asleep, not that it mattered to much. If today was any indication they felt the same way he did and while some of them may be too chicken to take action, he knew at least one other person supported the action he was about to take. Several men had even participated in the beginning, making sure she felt the physical demands of this job. No one had voiced an objection when he'd made it very clear she couldn't be allowed to complete the academy.

E

Roy dropped his bag by the washing machine and entered the kitchen. He looked up at the clock. Joanne would be home soon from dropping the kids off at school. He wondered if he had time to call Johnny. He decided to wait, instead, he went up the stairs and got into the shower. He wasn't surprised when Joanne joined him a few minutes later. He let her slide under the spray of the water as he poured her shampoo into his palm and began to wash her hair, gathering her auburn hair up in his hands and letting his fingers massage her scalp. She lathered her hands up with soap and began to run them over his body. He groaned when she moved them below his waist. He pressed her against the wall, dropping his lips to her neck. He didn't bother letting her dry off before he picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom to their bed.

After they made love, they lay wrapped in each other's arms. "How was your first day as Captain?"

"Most of the crew seems really good. I like the Engineer, Andy, he reminds me a lot of Stoker. The linesmen, Jeff and Chuck, actually finish each other's sentences. But, my paramedic team is a mess. Their medical skills are fine, but they don't communicate, they trample all over each other, they almost fell on a patient their first run with me. I sat them down and had a talk with them, but one guy is so belligerent," Roy shook his head, recalling his meeting with Pat and Josh.

Joanne smiled.

"I know, it sounds funny, but it really isn't," Roy said.

"That wasn't why I smiled," she whispered as she nuzzled Roy's neck.

"They why are you smiling?"

"Because before, when I asked how your day was, you always just said, fine. No matter what happened, you just said fine, and that was all you said. You just said more about your job, then I've heard the last 7 years."

"Joanne…"

Joanne propped herself up on her elbow. "I know. You didn't want to burden me with bad things you saw day to day. But, that's why I'm so happy about this promotion. Don't get me wrong, I love that you'll be safer, and the extra money is nice. But, now I get a part of you that, you always kept from me before, that you only shared with Johnny and the rest of the guys."

"I was gonna call Johnny when I got home," Roy said.

"I don't mind you sharing with Johnny, I just want you to share with me too," Joanne said.

"Why don't you let me change our sheets and get the laundry started and we can go out. Let's go walk the beach," Joanne suggested, running her fingers through Roy's hair.

"I'll change the sheets and start the laundry. You go get ready," Roy said, dropping one more kiss on her lips and then rolling out of bed to find clothes.

Roy got dressed and stripped the sheets, quickly making the bed. He walked downstairs and put the sheets in the hamper for the next load, but for now he dropped his uniforms into the washing machine. He straightened up the kitchen, washing the few dishes in the sink from the kid's breakfast. Roy looked over at the phone. He wondered how Johnny's first shift as a Captain had gone. He'd just picked up the receiver and started dialing the familiar number when Joanne walked down the stairs.

"Ready?"

Roy looked at Joanne. He placed the receiver back on the hook. "Sure."

E

Johnny unlocked his apartment door and kicked off his shoes. He dropped his keys and wallet in the bowl by the door and carried his bag directly to the washing machine, dropping his uniforms into the machine. He stripped off the clothes he was wearing, adding them to the machine. He added detergent and started the machine.

Johnny padded naked down the hallway to the bathroom. He started the water and when it was hot, stepped in for a quick shower. He toweled off and walked into his bedroom to get dressed. After getting dressed, he walked into the kitchen to see what he needed to get from the grocery store. He figured Roy would want to spend the first few minutes he was home with Joanne. He would do his grocery shopping and then give Roy a call.

Johnny finished unloading his groceries and then picked up the phone, quickly dialing Roy's number. He listened to the phone ring and ring. Finally, he hung up and started doing the few chores around the apartment that needed to be done. He figured Roy would call him as soon as he was free. He wondered how he liked his new crew.

Johnny finished his chores and decided to make lunch. He fixed a sandwich and dumped some chips on the plate. He poured himself a large glass of milk and decided to see what was on the TV while he ate. Johnny watched a couple of programs, and then cleaned up lunch. It was almost 2:00 PM and Roy still hadn't called.

Johnny moved to the phone and dialed Roy's number again. The kids would be home from school soon and Johnny knew that Roy would be busy until he put them to bed. The phone continued to just ring. Johnny decided to give Jeannette a call and see if she wanted to grab dinner and a movie. Her phone also just rang and rang. Johnny tried a few more numbers, finally reaching Susie, who was free and agreed that dinner and a movie sounded nice. He left the apartment a few minutes later to pick her up.

Roy and Joanne picked up the kids on the way home from their beach adventure. Before Roy even knew it, it was time to put the kids to bed. Once he had tucked in both Chris and Jennifer, Roy finally got a chance to try to give Johnny a call. He listened as the phone rang and rang.

"Want to have movie night?" Joanne asked.

Roy hung up the receiver. "I'll make us some popcorn."

"I'll go dim the lights and find a blanket to snuggle under," Joanne smiled.

By the time Johnny got home from his date, he knew it was too late to call Roy. They'd definitely connect tomorrow.

E

Mike entered the back door of Station 51 and was surprised to see Chet sitting at the table, already dressed in uniform. "You're in early?"

"Yeah, I was awake so I'd figure I'd just come in," Chet said glumly. "Do you know who we're gonna have as a paramedic team today?"

Mike struggled to hide his smile. Chet was really missing Johnny and Roy; heck, they all were. Having temporary paramedics and unable to find a new pigeon was already wearing on him, and it had only been a few shifts. "Rogers and Maixner," Mike answered.

"When are we getting permanent people again?"

Mike shrugged. "Apparently, there are some issues with that. You know a few weeks ago, they had a paramedic injured over at 8s; well I guess his injuries are more severe than originally thought, so they needed to replace him. Jensen went there. It's closer to his home, but he was originally scheduled to be one of ours. Then, a paramedic at Gage's new station, just got promoted to Engineer. They have a class from the Fire Academy graduating next week with 4 new paramedics. One will go to Gage, and I guess we'll get two. Not sure what happens with the fourth, but another class will start soon, so maybe they'll make a new rescue squad somewhere."

"We're gonna have two new boots?" Mike groaned and the look of excitement on Chet's face.

"Chet," Mike said, his tone carrying a note of warning.

"Two new pigeons," Chet rubbed his hands together. "Oh, this is too good. When did you say they were gonna start?'

Mike rolled his eyes. "The class graduates on Friday, the 16th, so their first shift will probably be Saturday, the 17th."

"I've got to start making plans," Chet said, getting up and wandering toward the locker room.

Mike sighed. He hoped these guys were as good of sports as Gage had been, or Chet could find himself in some pretty hot water.