Title: Soul Searching – Pt. 10
By: FanofRandy
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Emergency! is owned by Universal and Mark VII Productions. I make no profit from my imagination—only a personal joy and peace.
Summary: One of the crew is "lost" on a rescue gone wrong. (short summary! Sorry) Set between Season 3 and 4. The next few chapters are LOOSLY based on the book by Mitch Albom called, The Five People You Meet in Heaven WARNING: SUBJECT MATTER ALERT—CHILD DEATH; SUICIDE; CRIME SCENE DETAILS…A LITTLE GORY, BUT NOT TOO GRAPHIC. Not anything they have not shown on television this decade!
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The alarm clock went off and Roy got up to go to work. He showered and grabbed a bite to eat before heading to the station. He wondered how Johnny was doing. He hoped that Johnny was resting well and eating. The last time he saw his friend, he looked very tired. Roy was having trouble sleeping, too. He was feeling guilty that Johnny had to endure the horrible tragedy that befell the Taylor family. Roy had heard from the guys what they knew, but Johnny had yet to share with anyone except Cap and the police what truly happened in that house. And, after Johnny left Cap's office, Roy thought that his leader looked pretty green around the gills.
He remembered back to that Friday evening…
Roy followed Johnny to the Dorms after he made his report to Cap. The Station was stood down for the rest of the shift, so Cap and the police could get everyone's statements. B-shift was coming in early, but they would have to stay until their arrival. Johnny sank onto his bunk and Roy walked up and sat on his own. "How you doin', Junior?" Roy asked.
Johnny looked like a kicked puppy. His big brown eyes gave away his emotion. Johnny hated that his eyes made him so transparent. He turned away from Roy and put his left arm over his eyes, "I just want to get some sleep before B-shift comes, Roy." Johnny dismissed Roy with his words. Roy understood. Johnny did not want to discuss it. The other guys had told Roy what they knew while Johnny was in Cap's office. Roy hated that he was at Rampart during the whole ordeal. He heard what happened when Squad 38 called in a Code I at the base station.
Earlier that Friday evening…
Roy's heart fell when they reported that the Code I was Johnny Gage. "What the hell happened?" Roy called out to Dr. Brackett. He had been in the doctor's lounge waiting for Johnny to arrive with the Squad. He got on the phone with JoAnne and just lost track of time. He assumed Johnny was hanging out at the nurse's station talking with Dixie while he talked with JoAnn. When he came out, about 20 minutes later to tell Johnny that his "nephew" had nearly set the garage on fire, he heard the Code I call.
Dr. Brackett quickly explained what he knew. Roy was beside himself. "The guy was in the house the whole time?" Roy wondered aloud. How could they not have known? Roy was at the ambulance bay when Johnny was brought in. He was covered in blood, not his own. He was semi-coherent and agitated. He kept saying "My fault. It's my fault." Over and over again. No one understood what he meant, but he would not be consoled by Roy, Brackett or Dixie. He was given some meds to calm him down. He was still saying, "I told him to do it. It's my fault. It's all my fault." Everyone wondered what he meant.
Dr. Brackett finally got Johnny to calm down and he went to sleep for a while before Roy collected him to return to the station. Brackett wanted to keep Johnny for observation, and a pscyh consult, but Johnny refused to stay saying that he had not been hurt or injured and would be fine after a good night's sleep.
When they pulled into the station, Johnny sighed as he saw Detective Crockett sitting with Cap in the office. "Oh, shit." Johnny cursed. Roy asked him what was wrong. Johnny shrugged it off saying that he hoped they would wait till morning to take his statement and that he was tired. But, Roy knew his Partner well enough to know that was not all there was to it.
After hearing Cap's report, the Chief made the decision to put their crew on "forced sick leave" and ensure they were all cleared mentally and physcially before returning for their next shift. All the men knew that Johnny would definitely have a problem with that...
Roy drove up to the Station and parked his car. He noticed Johnny's spot was empty. Gil had parked all the way over on the other side of the lot to avoid filling Johnny's spot. Roy was grateful to the man for respecting that slight boundary. He jumped out of the car and started his work day.
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Johnny felt moisture on his face. He thought at first it might be raining, but when he became fully aware, he looked up to see Abby licking his face and neck. "Abby, girl. You found a way down." Johnny whispered. His throat was dry and he found it hard to talk. He vaguely remembered throwing his canteen over his shoulder the day before. He hoped that it was still with him, or at least very close. He moved slightly and was reminded, once again, of his widespread injuries. He moved his right hand around and located the blessed item. He pulled it around in front of him and then took a deep breath and prepared for the pain he was about to inflict upon himself.
He cried out, scaring Abby, as he lifted his head and neck to dislodge the canteen from his shoulder. "Shit, Shit, Shit!" He strung out the curses under his breath. The pain was enough to send him back into oblivion, but he fought it. He carefully tucked the canteen into the crook of his left arm and turned the cap with his right hand. Freeing the cap, he slowly pulled the container to his lips. He felt as though he was in heaven as the cool water washed over his parched lips and soothed his sore throat. He returned the cap and put the canteen down beside him.
"How are we gonna get out of here, Abby?" He looked at the dog. She was sitting next to him, staring down at him. She tiled her head as though she was thinking. He offered her a weak smile. He wished she had been with him more over the years. She might have been able to make it to Big J's if she had made the trip more than just a couple times. He damned himself for coming alone and then he remembered talking to Jesus.
"Was He really here?" Johnny wondered. But, then he quickly brushed it off and blamed the concussion. Head injuries could cause delusions of all sorts, and that is what Johnny determined happened to him. Since he now had daylight, he decided to try to sit up so he could see the rest of his injuries and make a determination to whether he could get himself out of this place.
He took his left arm and placed it in the waistband of his jeans. He hoped that would secure it so it would not move as he moved. He untied the shirt he had tied around his waist the day before and was grateful he had not left it with his pack—which he remembered sometime the night before was 15 feet above him on the ledge. He slid the shirt from underneath him as gently as he could. He knew that trying to sit up was not a smart move. If he had neck or back injuries, he would certainly make them worse by what he was about to do.
"How else am I gonna get out of here. I will die here if I don't do something." He decided. With great care, he positioned his right hand on the firm ground beside him. With a deep breath and short prayer, he pushed himself up. He cried out in pain as he paused half way and noticed that his right leg incredible swollen. The knee was either broken or horrible wrenched. He pushed harder and came to a full, upright sitting position. As painful as it was, he knew that it would have been much more painful, and perhaps impossible, with extensive back and neck fractures. He was grateful he could likely rule those out of the list of injuries he was compiling.
His looked at his right knee again…it could be broken. His other leg appeared to be intact as he ran his right hand down it deftly. He pulled up suddenly when he heard some grating in his chest. "Broken ribs, most-likely." He stated. When he was done, the list of injuries included several broken ribs, a concussion he concluded was severe due to the auditory delusion he had, a dislocated shoulder, and a possibility of internal injuries…there was extensive bruising on his abdomen, but it was still soft right now. He was also certain that he had dehydration since he found no urgency to urinate. His stomach, which had been pretty empty for days, had stopped growling and relegated to a slight ache.
He crudely splinted his knee. As he did so, he realized that it would not be able to bear his weight and he would not be able to maneuver the rough terrain on his own.
"Well, I could make it, Abby. As long as someone finds me soon." He told his dog optimistically. "But, what are the chances of that?" Negatively reared its ugly head.
"Just hang on, Son. You are gonna be okay." He heard a familiar voice.
"Dad, is that you?" Johnny cried out.
TBC