Chapter 23

The cool, moisture saturated air tickled his cheeks as he leapt, trusting that his captain had a firm hold on the snaking, perilously thin line between life and death trailing behind him. He felt his body leave the roof, plunge downwards, and halt abruptly as his harness tightened and yanked him upwards. Arms swinging wildly, his hands connected with flesh and cloth. He grabbed and clutched, hoping it was his partner he was dragging upwards with him and not a stupid pigeon blinded by the dazzle of sunlight on miles of glass.

Gasping for breath as he was pulled slowly but securely to safety, Johnny blinked the sweat out of his eyes and realized with a sharp pang of relief that it was indeed Roy's leg that his hands were gripping. Marco and Chet were already on either side of him lifting and pulling the older paramedic onto the roof in a silent and impressive display of teamwork.

Gage grinned his thanks at another team of rescuers, Drew and Scotty, as they released their hold on him. Shaking his hands to get the circulation flowing, he bent over Roy as he was deposited onto the slick surface of the roof.

"You okay?" He asked as his partner stared up at him in disbelief and wonder.

"Yeah, I think so; give me a minute to check the inventory…." He rasped, slowly raising limbs and feeling down the length of his body.

Johnny stood up and nodded, smile still in place. "You do that while I take care of…well I'll be, look at that!"

With a grunt, Roy raised himself to his elbows and watched in equal surprise as their young climber appeared at the low parapet and clambered over. Ropes clanking and slithering, he bounced over to them, his temporary paralysis forgotten.

"That was so cool, man, the way you dudes went over the edge! Can you teach me that stunt?"

A helping hand extended to help his partner off the damp roof, Johnny tried hard to suppress his grin but failed. "Believe me when I say that is definitely not a move they teach anywhere. Are you hurt?"

"Aw, man, just my pride, you know what I mean? I can't believe I froze up like that, just like a stupid amateur…" He dropped his head and shuffled his feet as Drew and Scott came up beside him.

"We're going to need some information from you, starting with you name and age." They flanked him and propelled him away from the edge, guiding the subdued teenage towards the roof door. Drew turned his head and winked at the paramedics before disappearing from view; they heard the frustrated climber's voice rise as he unwillingly accompanied the deputies.

"I know it was a stupid stunt! Do you really have to call my parents?"

"It sure was a stupid stunt," Roy muttered, picking up a foot and peering at the bottom of his shoe. "I think I need to pick up a couple pairs of new shoes."

John shrugged as he answered the tug on his rope and untied it from his belt, dropping the end to let Chet finish coiling the hemp into a loop. "Wouldn't have helped much with the way they make these boots, slick soles and all."

"I suppose so," he agreed, gingerly placing both feet flat on the black surface. He brushed a hand across his face and glanced towards the edge of the building, feeling a surge of bitter bile in his throat as he fought back a sudden flash of fear. Taking a hasty step backwards, he whirled around to block the sight of his near demise and nearly knocked John on to his rear with a flying elbow.

"Ughh!" Gage exclaimed, staggering sideways before righting himself and fixing a perplexed look on his new partner. "What's the hurry?"

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized even as he moved quickly towards the stairs, Johnny trailing behind him. He ignored the engine crew, brushing past the gathered group without acknowledgement; he disappeared down the stairs leaving confused coworkers in his wake.

"Gage?" Hammer queried, the one word summing up his concern.

Johnny shrugged and focused on releasing his safety belt, purposely avoiding the sharp eyes of their captain. "He's okay, just a little shook up."

He didn't think it wise to add his thoughts to the reply as he had caught that expression on Roy's face before he turned and fled. A look he knew all too well, having seen it before in his previous station. There was going to have to be some deep discussion with his fellow paramedic before he had any further conversations about him with Dick Hammer.

"Thanks for the save on the rope, Cap," he said instead, deflecting the next question on Hammer's lips. "Those were some quick reflexes."

Dick nodded and said no more, but Gage knew there would be more about this later. Belt swinging in his hand, he trotted down the stairs, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as he thought about Roy. The elevators were both in use when he reached them; he forced himself to wait patiently between them and schooled his features into a bland expression as everyone else caught up to him.

Letting the idle chatter swirl around him, Johnny was the first one into the car when it finally opened. He leaned against the back wall and watched the floor indicator drop steadily until it reached the ground floor. By the time he reached the squad, Roy was already seated inside with the door open and legs stretched out on the pavement, presenting a figure of calmness.

Johnny stowed his belt and shelved the boxes, handed to him by Marco and Chet, into the compartments. He nodded his thanks and noted that both Scotty and Drew had departed in their vehicles, taking the wannabe young climber along with them. Taking a deep breath, he climbed into the truck and gently closed the door.

"Hey, how are ya doing?" He asked softy.

Roy slowly swung his legs in and closed his door before turning his head to look at him. "I'm fine, just like I said up on the roof."

"I don't know Roy, if that had been me I'd be questioning my choice of careers right now, as well as wondering if I could ever get on a roof that high again…." the younger man said slowly, watching Desoto' facial expressions carefully.

Blue eyes regarded him without blinking as the words were processed, rejected, and then contemplated again. Roy swallowed hard and, stalling for time, reached out a hand to the mic. Hammer, however, beat him to it as he reported them available and heading back to quarters. Both paramedics raised a hand to their captain as the engine rolled past them.

"I guess you're right, if I'm being honest with both you and myself," DeSoto admitted slowly. "At least the part about being up high…."

Johnny smiled and nodded in agreement. "Probably be just like getting up on a horse after you've been thrown, you know what I mean? You just do it and think about it all later."

Roy allowed a smile of his own to escape and felt his stomach settle a bit. "Probably not a good comparison for me since I've only ridden once before, but I suppose you could substitute a bicycle for the horse and have the same comparison."

"Sure, sure, the whole point is you just tackle it head long and do the job, and you won't have a thing to worry about!" He exclaimed, not really wanting to argue the point that a horse was a lot more dangerous than a bicycle any old day; after all, he was trying to forcibly push Roy over that fear hump before it consumed him.

John tapped the dashboard and shot his counterpart a sly look. "You wanna go back up on the roof and try out that theory right now?"

"No….not right now anyways." Roy started the squad and drove towards the exit, casting a last look at the very tall building that might yet prove to be his undoing. He straightened up in the seat and threw his shoulders back, grim determination squaring his jaw. "But absolutely, the next rescue involving heights, I will take the lead on."

"Good deal, good deal, you'll do just fine," Gage enthused with confidence and settled back in his seat, hoping that the words were true. Throwing all caution to the winds, he decided to engage Roy in a topic that would take his mind completely off that building that was still visible in their mirrors; he took the chance the new subject wouldn't get him into some serious hot water.

"So now good old Ruth is coming for the visit, right?"

Roy made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snarl before muttering his reply through gritted teeth. "Not just a visit, but possibly an extended stay. From what she told Jo, she had a big fight with Jo's dad and is planning on camping out at our place for an "indefinite" period of time."

"Oh boy, you're in for it now! Where in the world will you put her? Don't you have a two bedroom house and two kids?"

"She used to commandeer our bedroom when she visited, but since we've had Lisa and have her crib in our bedroom…., well, the old bat takes over Chris's small room and makes the poor kid sleep on the couch."

Johnny raised a hand up to his mouth to shield the smirk he couldn't contain – mission accomplished. "How come you just don't tell her to stay at a hotel or sleep on the couch herself?"

"Junior, how many years have you been married?"

"Uh, I'm not married, you know that….oh, wait a minute, I get it!"

"Exactly! I love my wife dearly, and unless I want to spend the next six months bunking with my son, I try not to sweat the small stuff."

"You've got a point there; I'll remember that nugget of wisdom if I ever succumb to the lure of ball and chain." He laughed and Roy groaned at his partner's humor. The height thing was still bothering him but in some ways John was right – he wouldn't know for sure how much it would affect him until he got back up on a high structure. He had a feeling though, that he would always have a strong aversion to heights of any kind.

They bantered back and forth for a few more minutes, ending the light hearted conversation when the radio came to life summoning them to another call. Helmets in place and lights and sirens heralding their presence, they made good time through the busy streets to the given address, a restaurant placed at the edge of a half full parking lot. Beyond the tarred expanse of asphalt, a narrow beach and water was just barely visible. Roy pulled up next to the engine and had just stepped out when Hammer waved at him. They saw why when a young woman followed him; Chet ran up behind her and solicitously draped a blanket over her bikini clad figure as they all approached the squad.

Their captain wasted no time. He guided the now completely blanket wrapped lady into the front seat, speaking to them over his shoulder as he did so. "Her boyfriend is caught under the pier straight across the parking lot. We'll follow you over."

The paramedics jumped back in and wove the squad down the aisles, parking as close to the edge of the sand as they could. After they questioned their passenger, they had determined that the woman's friend had, for as of yet an unexplained reason, been messing about under the pier. He had got caught on something and even with her help, had been unable to extract himself.

"Matt is getting tired, he's mad, and the water is really gross under there, so please hurry," she implored, clutching the edges of the blanket about her like a small child. Johnny, standing next to her as he fumbled in the compartment for their belts, glanced down at her blanket shrouded head.

"Is he hurt at all?" He questioned, and got his first look at her face as she tilted her head back and gazed up at him. He frowned, and accepted her head shake with a nod of his own. "Which side is he on?"

She pointed to the left. "At the end, he's at the end."

"Okay, Miss, we'll get him; you stay here and wait with our engineer." He motioned towards Mike, who was gazing out at the water. Stoker turned around and caught the quick hand motion Johnny made.

"Come over here and sit on the step, Miss," he said, guiding her carefully towards the engine with a light touch on the arm.

With the woman safely in Mike's capable hands, Johnny tossed Roy his safety belt and followed him at a fast trot across the sand. Drawing abreast of him, he shot him a quick look. "You know, she's high as a kite."

"Yeah, I caught that little interaction between you and Stoker. You know what that probably means don't you?" DeSoto asked as he pushed the strap to the Burnside buoy (1), already fastened around his chest, sideways to buckle the safety belt.

"Yeah, that her boyfriend is in the same condition," John muttered in disgust. "God, that water looks cold."

"And moving pretty fast too, I guess from all the rain. Glad you brought the belts and line; this might get a little tricky between the higher water and our "happy" victim."

"Well, I'm glad we were trained on how to use that thing; let's see how it goes," John said, pointing at the rescue can with his chin. "You kinda look like a lifeguard with that thing, albeit a fully clothed one. I guess this patch of beach isn't big enough to have a lifeguard."

"Nope, more like a pier for fishing," Roy agreed, eyes scanning the area.

They fell into silence as they secured ropes to their belts and tossed the remainder to the waiting engine crew. Stoker was loping towards them to add a pair of hands to the ropes; beyond him they could see the flashing lights of a sheriff's car. The paramedics looked at each other, split apart so that there would be no tangling of their lines, and waded resolutely into the frigid water.

Johnny's sharp, loud intake of breath as the water immediately began chilling his skin and reached chest level reached Roy's ears as both were forced into swimming only a few yards in. The murky water was indeed higher than usual and strange things, some unidentifiable, floated past them as they neared the end of the pier. They swam unerringly towards a bobbing object that every few minutes disappeared and then bobbed up seconds later, mimicking the flow of the waves.

As they grew nearer, curses and splashing water told them it was indeed the boyfriend they were headed towards. His swearing turned to shouts for help as he spied his rescuers closing in; they flanked him, mindful of his flailing arms and their trailing ropes.

"Hey, calm down, ok?" Johnny ordered, ducking and gaining a mouthful of foul water just in time to avoid a fist to the jaw. He spat the dubious liquid out, wondering if his breakfast donuts were going to come up with it. "What's caught, your leg, foot, what?"

"Foot, foot, it's my foot, feels like a shark has me! Get it off, get it off!" he screamed in reply, panicky fingers out of sight in the water grasping at the paramedic's blue jacket and gaining a hold on the hem. "I can't swim?"

Uncharitable thoughts flooded through Johnny's mind as the odd question confirmed their earlier suspicion about drug use; that, as well as Matt's demeanor, his appearance, and paranoid behavior - he was definitely not operating on all cylinders. Treading water and trying to position himself to go under, Johnny grunted in annoyance. He splashed backwards attempting to disengage the strong grip on the material and fending off the other hand that was reaching for his hair. Seconds later Roy broke the grip by sliding his arms under the man's armpits and pulling him towards his chest, tilting his own head to the side to avoid a broken nose or worse.

Johnny slid the rescue can against Matt's chest and instructed him to grab it and hold on. He waited a few seconds to see if their victim would understand; when amazingly Matt did he backstroked towards the pier and peered down.

"I'll check it out," he said, inwardly cursing his voice which had changed at least an octave from the piercing cold of the ocean. He patted his pocket, double checking that his knife and the squad's wire cutters were still there. "You okay with him?"

DeSoto nodded, too busy keeping the man against his chest and holding his arms firmly on the plastic to reply with words. Taking a deep breath, John dived, following the line of Matt's body downwards but taking care to avoid the one wildly kicking leg. The other was caught in something that danced out from the pier's wooden pillar; a misshapen rope like object that for some reason reminded Gage of an octopus trailing one odd shaped tentacle.

Lungs beginning to burn, he grasped the unknown thing a short distance away from Matt's bare foot and sliced the spongy material apart with his knife. Shooting upwards, he inhaled deeply and squinted towards his partner.

"He's loose!" He yelled, only his usually strong voice came out like a waterlogged croak from a bullfrog. A shout from above caught his attention and he looked up. Hammer was standing on the pier along with two burly men. He waved a rope from which a belt dangled.

"You want us to pull him up?" He asked, leaning over.

Johnny shook his head vehemently, feeling water trickle out of his ears as he did so. "No! We'd need to get a rope harness around him also and he's too….tired."

He hesitated, unsure of how to get the words across that the victim was high and combative. He hoped their captain would understand the unspoken message. "We'll tow him back to shore with the can."

A wave of acknowledgement and Dick retreated from the edge. Johnny did a sloppy crawl towards Roy through the ten foot high water, admiring his new partner's outward show of steadiness and unflappable calm. He was fairly sure if he was the one floating the guy on the water he wouldn't be able to display that kind of professionalism, especially since his teeth were starting to chatter, there was still water sloshing in his ears, and he could feel something scratching against his back, no doubt some kind of rat like mutant creature trying to crawl up between his jacket and shirt. And after the last couple of shifts where he had seemed to be constantly in wet stuff, he was realizing he didn't really like water rescues at all.

Sneezing, Gage stopped and treaded water four feet away from Roy; he ignored the raised eyebrows directed in his direction and instead focused on Matt's panicked intakes of breath and the furtive way the man's eyes kept darting back and forth. Roy was continuously talking in Matt's ear, trying to hold his attention and keep him distracted.

"It's okay, it's okay, we're going to get you out of the water. You don't even have to do anything but just let me steady you…we're going to swim you to shore….easy now," Roy crooned softly as John motioned towards the shore.

Matt, who had thankfully remained silent for a few minutes, let out an ear splitting shriek, tried to lunge forward without success, and then smacked his head back hard against Roy. The movement and the hard thud that followed shot a rush of adrenaline through Gage as he shot his arms out and tried to grab Matt's arms, missing as the man began thrashing wildly about with both arms and legs while filling the air with unearthly howls.

Too far away and at an awkward angle, Johnny was unable to stop the victim from thumping DeSoto backwards. As he swam towards him with quick, slicing strokes, he watched in horror as Matt arched up and over the stunned paramedic, smashing him under with his body. Letting out his own yell of outrage, Johnny ducked underwater, his hands and eyes probing blindly through the murky liquid.

It took only several seconds to find his partner and propel him upwards towards air and light. Roy coughed and sputtered but he was alert and appeared to be okay. He nodded in response to Gage's unspoken question and Johnny went after Matt, snagging the rescue can as he went by and feeling the tension release on the attached rope as DeSoto released the harness from around his chest.

The man wasn't too hard to locate; he was splashing about under the pier dead center. Johnny approached him warily, pushing the buoy in front of him and wondering how Matt had managed to make it this far. Apparently he had remembered how to swim, or float, or something…

"Hey Matt," he called, staying at an angle and not approaching head on. "You want some help getting back to your friend on shore?"

"Of course I do, man! I can't swim!" he screeched in reply, kicking his way to the far right pillar across from the one he had been caught on and hooking an arm about it.

Johnny reached behind him and tugged on his rope, signaling that he needed more slack as it appeared that their non-swimmer seemed intent on heading out to open sea. Two sharp tugs back told him that he was at the end of the rope, literally and absolutely figuratively, he thought to himself with a disgusted grimace. Sighing, he unclipped the now useless tether and tossed it behind him, making sure it fell clear of DeSoto who had shaken off his dunking and was close behind. Roy copied his movement and they continued forward.

Matt was still clinging one armed to the wood, peeking at them through a clump of blond, dripping hair hanging in his eyes. Trying to still his chattering teeth, John started talking to him, well aware that the words and tone he was using were almost identical to the dialog he had had with a colt he had trained years ago.

"Easy now, nobody's gonna hurt ya…..let us help you, okay? There's nothing to be afraid of, everything's good….take hold of the board and we'll float you back to your friend," he crooned, pushing the can towards Matt's chest while staying at an angle off to the side. "Go ahead, grab it with both hands, you can let go of the pole now, come on Matt, you can do it."

Letting out a series of whimpers, the shaggy haired man slowly uncurled his arm and snatched at the rescue buoy with one hand, keeping the other out of sight in the water. Frowning, Gage flicked a glance at his partner, who mouthed "be careful".

"Matt, grab hold with your other hand too, okay? You need to have a hand on both sides of the board so we can tow you back."

He blew out his breath in a relieved sigh, not realizing he had been holding it, as their victim curled a lip in derision but smacked the plastic with the hidden hand and grabbed the right handle. His relief was short lived, however, when he turned to begin towing their victim with a sidestroke. Matt propelled himself forward, kicking his feet in an explosive fountain of water to close the distance to his rescuer. He swung the board with both hands towards Johnny, who shot up an arm in defense. The move deflected the hard plastic nose from his forehead but caught his jawbone with the torpedo shaped side of the can on its downward plunge and finished its damage by bouncing off his already numb forearm.

Johnny felt a harsh wave of pain enveloping him and fought against the resulting graying of his vision. His body had made its own decision on how to fight the stress, however; as he sank below the frothing water, his last conscious thought was that he most definitely did not like water rescues.

~TBC~

Using some literary license here, as rescue trucks probably did not have the rescue cans on them. (If anyone knows for sure, would you let me know?) The rescue can, around since 1897, was redesigned in 1970 by Captain Bob Burnside, hence the name "Burnside Buoy".

A/N – Sorry, readers, I know it has been a long time since I've posted anything. I was moving along pretty good back in November until right before Thanksgiving I lost a parent - I lost all creativity at that point. Our last German shepherd then died 2 days after Christmas and after that I didn't have any desire to read fan fiction, let alone write it. I didn't start writing again until March, and was again derailed when my sibling died unexpectedly early April. Thanks to my overseas E! Friends for their kind words, and hopefully I can get back on track and stay there!