A/N Part of the chapter has been updated and corrected, but the main content is the same.

Chapter 1

"Joann!" Roy yelled from the back patio after getting his emotions under control. Joann came running, she didn't like his tone. She found Roy on the ground in a tangle, holding his left knee with a grimace on his face and a wild look in his eyes.

She ran down the three steps onto the concrete patio. She looked at him, making sure it was okay to touch him. Only when he nodded did she put her hand on his shoulder to ground him. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Do I look alright?" he snapped, his head popped up to look at her. He stopped, "Sorry Jo, I just fell down the damn steps and landed on the knee."

"I'll get some ice, don't go anywhere." Joann responded with a smirk.

"Ya think?" he said with a sarcastic air. When she turned around he winced and tried to shake the sound of explosions and cries for help out of his head. He shifted his position, untangling himself. Giving himself a job to keep focused, he tried rolling up his jeans to get a better look. "This isn't going to work." he muttered, his knee already swelling to the size of a softball.

Joann returned with a bag of frozen corn. "This was all I could find." she said, kneeling on the ground. She delicately placed the kernels on his knee.

Roy stared at the corn for a minute before saying, "I know I've said it before, but I'm building a porch."

"Probably a good idea." she paused, "Although, I thought it was Chris and Jenny we were worried about falling." she rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. Roy scowled, glaring at the steps. "I know." she said, trying to calm him. "Hurt anywhere else?" she asked, looking him over. She smirked suddenly, "Usually it's you doing all this huh?" Roy just nodded, letting her look. He knew she would feel better afterwards. "Really is just the knee I guess."

"Would I lie to you?" he asked sweetly. She looked at him pointedly. "I guess don't answer that…" he trailed off. They both chuckled. "The corns pretty much melted, not a very good ice pack I suppose."

Joann poked the damp bag, "I guess not." She took them off and threw them on a deck chair. "Can you stand?" she asked.

"I think so." he pushed himself up on his good leg. "Bring that chair over here." he directed. "I don't think you can lift me."

"Good idea." she said, throwing the corn off and sliding the chair over to her husband. He pulled himself up to a standing position and balanced on his good leg, testing it. After a second, he sat down, keeping the left leg straight.

"Hey Jo," he said. "Do we still have that cane…?" he asked, trailing off, not really wanting to revisit those memories.

"I can look, but it might've gone to the yard sale, it was a while ago." Roy nodded. "Do you think you can get up the steps?" she asked. Roy pondered the question.

"I don't know." he rubbed his face with his hand. Joann walked over to him, kneeling on the ground, she put one hand on his face and another on his shoulder.

She looked him in the eyes, silently calming him. Roy stared back, thankful for something to focus on. "I'll call Johnny." she said after a moment.

"Can't, he's up a mountain." Roy said sourly.

"Any of the other guys?" she asked, giving him the choice of which one.

"Cap I guess." he reluctantly replied. "Probably hafta' call Brackett too."

"I figured, let's get you inside first." Roy nodded and leaned back in the chair, sighing.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

"Emily?" Joann asked on the phone, "This is Joann, is Hank around?" There was a pause as Emily yelled on the other end. "Thanks." Joann said after a moment. She stood leaning against the kitchen counter, looking out the sliding door to the patio.

"Hello?" a baritone voice said.

"Hey Hank, it's Joann."

"Everything alright?" Hank asked, sounding concerned. It was generally never good when you got a call from a firefighter's spouse.

"We've been better." she paused a moment, twirling the phone cord around her fingers. "Do you have a couple hours to spare? Roy took a tumble, Johnny's out of town and we need some help."

There was an immediate reply. "Of course, I'll be right over. Do you need anything?"

Joann looked at the clock and considered the question. "Um, the kids come home in an hour, if we're at Rampart, we might need someone to watch them."

"That bad huh?" Hank said, concern lacing his voice.

"Yeah, it's his bad knee." Jo said, as if that answered every question.

"His bad knee?" the Captain replied, clearly not understanding her statement.

"He's never-?" she cut herself off, "Of course he hasn't, why would he do that." she muttered under her breath. "Sorry, do you mind getting some ice too…?" she asked, pulling herself together.

"Ice and babysitting. We'll be right over."

"Thanks Hank." she said sincerely, hanging up the phone. She wandered back out to her husband with a glass of water and two pills in her hand. "Water and ibuprofen, hopefully we can get some swelling down."

"Thanks Nurse DeSoto." he said smiling, taking the glass and pills with no complaint. "I'm going to get some shorts, those jeans look uncomfortable." she said, pointing at his knee. She left him with the water and climbed up to their second story bedroom.

She brought down a pair of Roy's shorts along with a small backpack, always prepared for the worst. Back at the phone, she dialed the disgustingly familiar number of Rampart Emergency Room.

"Rampart Emergency, this is Nurse Walters speaking, how can I help you?" a polite female voice answered.

"Hello, this is Joann DeSoto," Joann tried, unsure if the nurse would recognize their last name. She didn't.

"Can I help you Mrs. DeSoto?" the uniformed friendly voice replied.

"Is Dix working today?" she asked. Joann knew that if she asked for Doctor Brackett, the Chief of Emergency Medicine, she wasn't going to get him. Using Dixie's nickname might get her through the system a bit quicker.

"She is, hold please." Joann replied and started the waiting game.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Dixie sat at her counter in the middle of the ER. She was scowling as she looked at two nurses schedules that contradicted each other. Suddenly, her phone beeped. She answered it promptly, thankful for the respite.

"Ms. McCall?" Sharon Walters said through the headset, "I have a 'Joann DeSoto' on the line asking for you. She called you Dix. Should I put her through?"

"Put her through Sharon, that's Roy's wife." Dixie waited nervously for the line to connect. Joann DeSoto never called Rampart without a reason. The phone rang as the call transferred. "Joann?" Dixie asked, "What happened?"

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

There was a knock on the door. Joann realized she was still holding the phone, the words of a message on the tip of her tongue. She scoffed at herself, hung up the phone and answered the front door. Hank and Emily Stanley were on the other side. "Thanks for coming." she said. They carried a bag, filled with more than just ice. "You didn't have too." Joann said, pointing at the bag, obviously holding supplies for dinner.

"Where is he?" Hank asked, before Joann could protest more than she already had.

"In a chair out back. Hank, do you mind helping me get him into shorts? I'm sorry to ask."

"Don't be, it's fine." he replied. The three made their way through the house.

"Have a nice trip?" Stanley said in greeting.

"You won't see me next fall." Roy responded appropriately, completing the dad joke.

Hank smirked, "Glad to see your fall didn't knock the humor outta you. Your knee looks pretty angry there." Hank pointed out. "Think we can slide your leg out?"

"Don't really know to be honest, haven't tried yet." Roy replied, sitting up in the chair. "Sorry to bring you out Cap, I just, I don't know if Joann could help me up the steps, or into the car."

"It's alright pal. Let's get you standing for starters."