Dr. Brackett took the penlight from his coat pocket and carefully examined Johnny's pupils. "Johnny? Squeeze Roy's hand again."

Slowly but surely Roy felt Johnny's fingers tighten their grip around his hand again. Roy wrapped his second hand over top of Johnny's. "He's awake."

Brackett replaced his penlight and stepped back as Johnny's eyes finally fluttered open. It took him a moment to recognize his surroundings and realize that both Roy and Dr. Brackett were hovering over him. He licked at his dried lips and swallowed trying to get the sore feeling out of his throat before speaking in a low hoarse voice.

"Roy... What happened?" His eyes weakly focused on his partner.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Roy wasn't ready to talk about the bomb just yet.

"We... We were called to a... heart attack. Right?"

"Right. Then what happened?"

Johnny paused a moment as he tried to focus on the days events.

Dixie had entered the room to see if Brackett had gone home yet, and when she saw that Johnny was finally awake she couldn't help but smile and stand beside Brackett at his bedside.

"Uhh..." Johnny blinked a few times before continuing. "The heart attack victim was... That was a junk call!" His throat was raw from being intubated and was starting to ache the more he spoke.

"Right again. Do you remember anything else?" Roy wanted to know if Johnny was aware of what happened to him at all.

"You took the supplies back down to the Squad." Johnny clumsily tried to sit up but immediately laid back down as a sharp pain shot through his abdomen. His hand clutched at the heavy bandage covering his surgically repaired injury. "That hurts..."

Brackett chuckled a little. "It's going to for a while. Dr. Early and Dr. Morton had to remove quite a bit of debris, but you're going to make a full recovery. Now, keep going, what else do you remember?"

"Debris?" It took Johnny a moment to absorb everything that Dr. Brackett just told him. But he continued after realizing that he was going to be okay. "After Roy took the supplies back to the Squad, I stayed behind to ask about that jerk who faked a heart attack." He paused to swallow and try to ease the pain in his throat. "There was a young man... He was putting desks back in their places, and I started talking with him. That's it. That's all I can remember before waking up here."

Brackett patted Johnny's shoulder. "You don't remember running into me on your way out of the building?"

Johnny focused on Brackett's face as he struggled to remember. "You were in the building, too?"

"Yes. I was walking onto the same floor as you were leaving. You don't remember that at all?"

Johnny closed his eyes as he tried to force the memory to the surface. "No, I don't."

"That's okay. I'm just glad your memory wasn't completely destroyed."

"Roy." Johnny looked back at his partner, his eyes were feeling heavy.

"Yeah?"

"Will you please tell me everything that happened?" He began pulling at the nasal tube that was resting uncomfortably against his face.

Dixie stopped Johnny from fidgeting with the tubing. "Don't do that, you know better."

Johnny consented and laid his hand back down on the bed. "Roy? Please. What happened?"

Roy patted Johnny's hand again. "Well, you were in the building when a... a bomb... exploded."

"A bomb?!" Johnny's eyes widened at this revelation. "Was anyone else hurt? Are you okay?"

"Me?!" Roy couldn't believe it. He was standing next to Johnny, who was laying in a hospital bed, and Johnny was asking about him? "Yeah, I'm okay. Not a scratch. You were the one who was caught up in the blast!"

"And you said Dr. Brackett was in the building with me?" He returned his focus back to Brackett. "Your arm." He fixed his eyes on the sling.

"Just a hairline fracture in the collarbone and a few stitches. That's all. I'm fine."

"Good..." Johnny sighed and closed his eyes. "Anyone... killed?"

Roy swallowed nervously. "Just one person. He was the one that found the bomb and he tried to disarm it."

"Poor guy." Johnny's voice began to trail off as fatigue began to set in.

Dixie gently laid her hand on Brackett's arm and motioned with her eyes for him to leave with her. He didn't try to resist. "Right Dix. Look Johnny you're going to be fine. I'll see you in two days. Get some rest."

"Okay." Johnny sounded completely exhausted.

Dixie and Brackett left the room together leaving Roy alone with his partner. Roy sat down in the chair and finally let go of Johnny's hand.

"Hey Roy?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Roy just smiled while stifling a laugh. "I'm sure. At least I am now."

"Now? What's so special about now?"

"You woke up."

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me." Roy lied.

"Yes I did. You told me so."

"When did I-" He suddenly remembered talking to Johnny while Johnny was still unconscious. "Wow... You heard me?"

"A little. It's kind of like... Kind of like when you're talking to someone in a dream. I don't remember everything you said, only bits and pieces."

Roy was a little bewildered by this thought. "So that's the big secret, huh?"

"What secret?"

"In order to get you to listen to me, you have to be blown up first!" He teased warm heartedly.

Johnny couldn't help but laugh, his free hand holding his tender abdomen so the pain wouldn't ruin the joke. "Roy?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to be alone. Think you could stay?"

"For as long as you want me to, partner."

"Thanks Roy."


Dixie escorted Brackett to a taxi cab sitting in the hospital parking lot. "Okay Kel, it's time for you to go home and rest."

"A taxi? I think I can drive, Dix."

"Oh, I know you can. That's why I hailed a cab, because I know you can drive home for the night and drive right back tomorrow. Even though it's your day off. A mandatory day off."

Brackett just smiled as he climbed into the backseat of the cab. "You know me all too well."

"And never forget it." She shut the door and playfully waved goodbye.

She walked back toward the hospital as the cab pulled out of the parking lot. Glancing down at her watch she saw that it was nearly 10pm. As she stepped into the hospital's bay station she bumped into Dr. Morton, who looked just as tired as Johnny. "Long night, huh Dixie?"

"You have no idea."

"Oh yes I do! I have the back cramps to prove it." He smiled as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "How's Johnny?"

"Well, he finally woke up."

"That's great! I wish I could do the same."

"Tell me about it..." Dixie was checking a stack of files on the counter.

"Was he in any pain?" He gingerly sipped at his coffee.

"A little, but he didn't say anything. I think he was trying to put on a brave face so Roy wouldn't worry as much."

"There was no impairment in his memory or verbal responses?"

"He remembered being in the building but not the bomb going off. Frankly I think that's the best case scenario. Who wants to remember getting blown up?"

"Not me." A page rang out over the intercom asking Dr. Morton to assist in another room. He put his coffee down and looked at Dixie. "Duty calls!"

Dixie finished checking and organizing the stack of charts. With her shift coming to an end she decided to check on Johnny one last time before she headed home as well. She entered room '312' quietly and wasn't surprised to see Roy still sitting with Johnny, they were both asleep. She gently checked Johnny's pulse and looked at the other monitors. Satisfied that Johnny was still stable she turned her focus toward Roy.

Roy sat in the chair, sleeping peacefully. Even though it was against regulations Dixie couldn't bring herself to wake the exhausted paramedic, or ask him to leave simply because visiting hours were over. Instead she retrieved a blanket from the small closet in the room and draped it over Roy.

As she exited the room she looked back at the two men and smiled as she thought to herself. 'Too bad everyone doesn't have a best friend like that.'

...to be continued...