The Search Continues

Doctors Brackett and Early along with the two detectives stepped out into the hall where they could talk without John hearing.

"Is there any chance he's faking it?" was the lead detective's first question.

"Not likely," Dr. Brackett answered in a controlled manner. "There is a high incidence of similar reports resulting from the use of the drug he was given. That's why it's not widely prescribed. I would suspect that the women who gave it to him has been taking those pills for several years and has only had them continued because they work for her and she doesn't need them very often."

"What are the chances that he'll remember where he left the children under hypnosis?"

"I'm not sure," Dr. Brackett responded then looked to Dr. Early to see if he had something more to add, Dr. Early just shook his head negatively. "This is totally out of our area of expertise we're going to have to call in a psychiatrist to take over in that area."

"Do you have a psychiatrist in mind?"

"Not really, I'm about to see whose on call." Dr. Brackett responded.

"Do you mind if we call someone in that works with the police department?"

Dr. Brackett took in a breath and held it then turned to have a silent consultation with Dr. Early. Joe Early gave a barely noticeable shrug putting the ball back in Dr. Brackett's court.

"Would it be possible to get someone who works with both the Police Department and the Fire Department?" Dr. Brackett requested, he knew that the person who would be called in didn't really work for the police department at least not full time but would be a professional that was respected and had been cleared to help with police situations. There were several such psychiatrists out there who were approved by both the police and the fire departments.

"It's a given that he's going to need further treatment after this case is resolved. It would be nice if he didn't have to change doctors in mid stride if you can understand that." Dr. Brackett further explained.

"Yeah I do understand what you're saying," the detective looked at the floor in thought thrusting his hands in his pants pockets. "I guess that's a fair request. Can you direct me to the nearest phone so I can make the call?"

Just then Dr. Morton stepped up to the group, "Was he able to tell you where to find the children?"

"No," two in the group spoke at the same time while the other two just shook their heads.

"I was afraid of that." Dr. Morton tapped his hand with a chart held in his other hand, "I don't know if this will help but when John was rolled in here, he had some minor cuts and scrapes on the bottom of his feet. Nothing serious mind you but they did need to be cleaned up and dressed. I noticed fresh road tar and the kind of gravel they put down when they resurface a road, I thought I'd mention it in case it might give you some idea where he might have ran. There was also a slight cut that still had a piece of glass in it. It was from a broken beer bottle. I know it's not much, but it might be something to go on."

"Yeah it is, Joe, while I'm on the phone to the precinct you get on the radio and give that information to the guys out there looking for those girls. It definitely can't hurt."

-0-

Out on the streets three fire stations had joined in on the search along with over thirty police and sheriff officers. There was a large area to search but there was little in the area that looked like a place where children could be hidden. A lot of businesses long closed for the evening and apartment buildings along with single family dwellings.

When the word came out to look for streets that had been newly resurfaced, Roy felt for sure they were missing something. With the police and Captain Stanley's approval Roy drove the squad back to Dwyer's apartment and got out to look around.

"Can you tell me again what the witnesses said," Roy questioned the police officer that was with them.

"According to the Miss Johnson and the children's mother he ran out the door and into the street before heading in that direction," the police officer pointed north.

"But we found him at a burger joint in that direction." Roy pointed in a south westerly direction.

"So he changed directions," The police officer responded.

Roy rubbed his face in confusion, knowing more than ever that they were missing something. Roy then walked out into the street, and stood in the middle of the road looking in the direction he was told that his partner had run. Suddenly he knew there was one place they had definitely missed.

-0-

At Rampart the police had brought Mr. and Mrs. Kingston to the emergency room because Mrs. Kingston was complaining of a headache with dizziness. When Dr. Early heard that she'd been diagnosed with a concussion less than a week ago, he was quick to get her into a treatment room.

Dixie noticed Mr. Kingston standing outside the treatment room, he had made no attempt to follow his wife through the door and he was mesmerized by the police officer standing outside the treatment room down the hall.

"Mr. Kingston I wonder if you can help me get the paperwork started for your wife." Dixie found a reason to engage the man that was behaving other than she thought he should be.

"Can't you just get the paperwork from when she was brought here a week ago?" The man snapped at Dixie. Then he turned to face the police officer again. "That's where you have him right; the son of a bitch who ran off with my daughters?"

"Sir, I think you should wait in the waiting room, the doctor will come and tell you about your wife as soon as he's finished with his examination."

It took one of the police officers, that brought them in, gesturing toward the waiting area before Mr. Kingston moved and even then he kept his attention over his shoulder at the police officer standing guard down the hall.

-0-

In the treatment room down the hall with a police officer standing outside and another standing inside, John was sipping on the coffee he had been given to help him wake up. Since John was doing his best to be cooperative the police officer removed the cuffs from around the bed post to allow John to use both of his shaky hands to control the warm coffee. Half way through the second cup of coffee a nurse entered the treatment room, "Dr. Early said you can have you tubing removed," the nurse smiled knowing that Johnny like most men would be very willing to part with the tubing between his legs as well and the needles in his arm. The police officer in the room was just a little squeamish about watching so he joined the other officer in the hall planning to return as soon as the nurse left the room.

The doctor had also instructed the nurse to help John into some hospital issue pajama bottoms. He knew there was a chance that they would just take John to jail from the hospital and he wanted him to be covered if that were to happen. The shelf that held the pajamas in the treatment room John was in didn't have anything remotely his size so she stepped into the next room through a bathroom that connected the two treatment rooms. To save her some steps she brought two pair and unaware that the police were waiting for her to come out as a sign that they could come back in the nurse exited through the other treatment room so she could put the second pair of bottoms back where she got them.

As a result of those innocent actions Johnny was left alone fighting with his own thoughts and memories, fighting with all he could find in him to remember where he would have taken two little girls and why, even though all his efforts did was open up the horror of what he did remember and wanted so desperately to forget.

-0-

Dixie sat at the nurse's desk; still in her street clothes having never gotten into uniform for the emergency she was called in for. She should go home and get a few hours sleep before she needed to report to work but the dire situation her friend found himself in weighted heavy on her mind, as did the welfare of two little girls she had never met. She knew any attempt at sleep would be a wasted effort.

Kell Brackett exited his office with the police detective and the two went their separate ways with Kell soon standing face to face with Dixie with his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you Okay?"

Dixie remained quiet far too long, "I don't know Kell. How could any of this happen? What's going to happen to Johnny now?"

"Well the police have called in one of their psychiatrists; he should be here within the hour. As soon as it's business hours I'm going to suggest to Johnny that he gets a good lawyer. I'm afraid he's going to need one, but I don't want him to have anything more to think about until there is actually something he can do about it."

"Do you think the psychiatrist will be able to help Johnny remember where he took the children?"

Kell Brackett blew out a deep breath, "It's a long shot Dix, given the drug he was on at the time, I'm sure there was no conscious thought to what he was doing, he was just reacting to what he was hearing and what he'd been through earlier."

"Excuse me," their conversation was interrupted by a doctor from the pediatric ward, "Can you tell me where I can find a woman who was brought in by," he stopped to look through a medical chart he was holding in his hands, "By a man named John Gage."

"Pardon me," Dr, Brackett turned his full interest to the doctor.

"Did a Mr. John Gage bring a woman in here for treatment?" the Doctor questioned.

"He's one of our paramedics," Dixie responded in full confusion. "He's brought in a lot of patients can you be more specific?"

"Oh, of course," the doctor then opened up his file again and started looking for the specifics they were asking for. "According to this, two girls were brought in to the pediatric outpatient department around ten minutes after ten last night, the nurses at receiving were told to take care of them while he went to get their mother.

"When asked the three year old, who says her name is Lisa, said that her mother was hurt, I assumed he must have brought her here."

Before the doctor looked up from his charts Dixie was half crying and half laughing, "he brought them here, where he knew they'd be safe, heaven knows how many people are out there combing the streets looking under every bush looking for them and he brought them here!"

"Trust Johnny to do something so sensible, even when he's so drugged he can't even see straight," Kell added his elation.

"Um," the doctor from Peds got their attention again. "I'm sure I'm missing something here but the older of the two girls has an ear infection and we need parental consent to treat her."

"Of course," Dixie was still half laughing and half crying, "The father should be—" Dixie pointed to the waiting room but as she scanned the place she couldn't see him. "He was in the waiting room a few minutes ago."

"Joe's working on the children's mother in one of the treatment rooms. I'll go find the detective." Kell instructed then nearly ran in the direction he had last seen the detective.

Dixie turned to her paperwork but she didn't know the couple's last name so she led the doctor in question to Dr. Early whom she could see standing in the hall looking at a patients chart.

"Joe do you know where we can find the parents involved with Johnny's case?" Dixie asked somewhat cryptically.

"Yes, the mother is in room six, I just took the father in there a few minutes ago. He's still pretty upset, have they found the children yet?"

"They've been here at Rampart all along," Dixie was again crying, "He brought them straight to the Peds outpatient department."

"A, Dix, have you told the police yet?" Joe questioned, in listening to the conversations between the mother and father and what the mother told him when they were alone Dr. Joe Early felt the police needed to be involved and that John may have done those two little girls a big favor by getting them out of that apartment.

"Kell's telling them now; Dr. Milner here needs parental consent to treat one of the girls for an ear infection."

"I'll take you to them," Dr. Early offered, "Dix could you go tell Johnny, he's really worried about those girls."

"You bet I will," Dixie responded and quickly hurried toward the treatment room where Johnny was supposed to be resting. She was intercepted by Roy DeSoto who rushed into the Emergency department and hurried toward Dixie when he saw her knowing she could access all patients' files.

"Dix," Roy took her by the arm and turned her toward him. "There's one place we haven't looked is there any chance Johnny would have brought the girls here, to Rampart.

She smiled at the paramedic looking at her franticly, "yes, there's every chance he would have brought them here, in fact he did, he brought them straight to the Peds department, they're just getting parental consent to treat one of them for an ear infections now and I'm just going to tell Johnny. You want to come with me?"

Dixie looked up to see the rest of the station 51 crew spilling into the emergency room along with Charlie Dwyer in his street clothes and officer Charles, all of them looking worriedly after Roy.

"They found them," Roy called out to his shift mates and you could see the weight of the world slide off their shoulders as Roy turned to follow Dixie.

-0-

Dr. Early led Dr. Milner into the treatment room where Mrs. Kingston was resting with the aid of a sedative and pain meds to help her with her headache. Before Joe could introduce the children's mother to the doctor though there was something else he needed to know.

"Mrs. Kingston, Where is your husband?"

"He went to the bathroom in that little room right there. She pointed to the passage between two treatment rooms. This one didn't have a bathroom but held other supplies and a shower for decontaminating patients who had been exposed to chemicals or other such stuff that needed to be washed off in a hurry. But on the other side of that room was another door that led to the next treatment room and Joe had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. Leaving the other doctor to introduce himself Joe hurried through the wash room into the next treatment room were Dr. Morton was looking over some x-rays.

"Did a man just come through here?" Joe questioned.

"Yeah," Dr. Morton turned away from his x-rays for just a moment, "Just a few minutes ago. Said he was looking for the bathroom. I gave him directions and he went out that door." Mike pointed to the door that opened up into the main hall.

Joe exited through the same door but once he was in the main hall he didn't look toward the bathrooms.

-0-

Dixie and Roy were stopped at Johnny's door by the two police officers standing guard there. Since Dixie was out of uniform she needed to show her credentials that were luckily just in her pocket. They were then told that a nurse was in there taking out some tubing, the hum ha of the officer doing the talking was all Dixie needed to know they were removing John's catheter. They allowed Dix to go in first to make sure it was clear for Roy to enter, although Roy had seen that done to Johnny before so he didn't understand the fuss.

When Dixie opened the door she found the gurney in the center of the room empty. Before she could alert the guards to that fact there was a scream from the next room and the police officers were directed to the door that connected the two rooms.

Roy was right behind the police officers who entered the next room with their guns drawn, John was in the clutches of Mr. Kingston one arm around his neck the other holding a scalpel to Johnny's throat, while on the table was a young women half undressed holding a hospital gown up to cover herself.

"Don't shoot him." Johnny pleaded as the police entered, "Please don't shoot him, he just wants his babies back, please don't shoot him."

Whether it was Johnny's pleads or just the fact that they were in a hospital with lots of potential victims, they weren't shooting. Instead Roy followed helplessly as he watched the man, drag Johnny out into the hall and into a service elevator just a short distance away.

As the elevator doors closed the two police officers ran for the stairs.

Captain Stanley and the rest of the men saw what happened once they were in the hall way and hurried to Roy's side. "Radio us when you see what floor he stops on" Cap instructed Roy and he and the rest of the crew followed the police officers up the stair well, Dwyer and Officer Charles falling in line to run up the stairs as well.

Dixie figured she knew where they were heading and stepped into the treatment room to call security, she was sure they were headed for the top floor which just so happened to be where the lock up unit was located. There were always security officers on duty there and she made sure they knew the person they were watching for was armed, had a hostage and was considered dangerous.