Chapter One

"Squad 51, woman advises her hand is stuck in an ice machine located on the second floor. Squad 51 is proceeding, time out 0204."

There was a pregnant pause in the cab of the ambulance while the two digested the information.

"I don't get it. I mean, how do you get your hand stuck in an ice maker? It just doesn't make sense Roy." Johnny complained, "Why don't people just call maintenance, or, not get ice at 2AM!" Johnny threw his hands up in the air while Roy smirked from the driver's seat. He knew better than to interrupt his partner, in hopes that the rant would be shorter, theoretically. "It's this one." Johnny said changing tone while pointing at a two-story inn.

"Let's get this over with." Roy said while he statused them on the scene, picking up the portable radio. "At least they left the lights on for us." He deadpanned.

"Ha Ha." Johnny replied rolling his eyes. The pair walked up the stairs and began wandering the hallways looking for the dreaded ice machine. Roy came to a door frame, he looked in and stopped in his tracks. There was a lady hunched over an ice machine. This lady had the exact same profile of his partner. Hearing the noise, the stuck woman turned her head around.

Roy shook himself and cleared his throat, "Ma'am, did you call paramedics?"

A very anxious voice replied, "I did, my hand's stuck in this damn thing."

Roy's 'paramedic' voice answered the lady, "Don't worry, we'll get you out, let me grab my partner." Roy walked back out hunting for his partner, not wanting to yell down the hallway at 2 am. Roy spotted him and waved him over.

Johnny walked into the ice room and looked at the patient, his jaw dropped. He quickly closed his mouth and put on his 'professional' face after he heard Roy politely clear his throat and ask the woman her name. "Jane Maddox." she replied. Johnny walked over to the lady and looked at her hand, which was stuck up to the wrist in the ice machine.

"My name's John, what happened ma'am?" Johnny asked.

"It sounds stupid, but when I pressed the button, nothing came out. I looked up and saw the ice all frozen together, so I thought that I could break it up. Obviously, I couldn't…" Both medics refrained from rolling their eyes and got right to business.

"Any jewelry or any recent injuries to your hand?" Roy asked.

The lady answered no to both questions and added, "Call me Jane."

After much finagling and lubrication, the hand was removed from the ice machine. It was swollen and bleeding slightly from some abrasions. The pair had to work hard to convince Jane to go to the hospital to make sure it wasn't broken. In the hospital, Johnny wrote the call report. He paused for a moment and asked, "Jane, what's your address?" She rattled off an answer. He diligently wrote it down, vowing to remember all her demographics.

Patient care transferred, the two drove back to the station. Johnny piped up while they were driving, "Roy?" he said questioningly, "Did she look like me or was it just me?"

"Oh, she looked like you. You're nearly identical, she could've been your twin."

Johnny bit his lip, "I thought so." The rest of the shift he was uncharacteristically silent. Roy was concerned, but decided to wait for Johnny to come to him. There was one thing he learned about his partner. If you forced him to talk, he'd clam up, it's better to wait.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Jane sat in the waiting room of the Emergency room thinking about the medic who looked like her. A blond nurse called her name, bringing her out of her thoughts. She stood up, keeping the ice pack on her hand given to her two rescuers. "Jane Maddox?" the nurse confirmed. She nodded her head. The nurse led her out of the waiting room, "So what happened to your hand?" Jane bit her lip and repeated the story. The nurse smiled, "Same thing happened to me, except the culprit was a vending machine." she said with a smirk. "A doctor will be right in." The nurse closed the door behind her. Jane sat on the table in the treatment room and looked around. Her eyes wandered over the strange equipment, wondering how anyone could remember what all of it did. Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. A man in green scrubs walked in.

"Mrs. Maddox?" the man asked.

"Ms. but yes."

"Ah," the doctor stared at her for a moment then continued. "My name's Doctor Morton, so what happened to your hand?" he asked as he pulled a stool over, sitting down. Jane repeated the story. She decided that no matter how many times she repeated it, it didn't get less embarrassing. "We'll get some pictures, but I don't think it's broken." He said palpating it, having removed the bandage while she talked. "A nurse will be right in to re-bandage it, you've got some abrasions."

"Thanks" she replied halfheartedly. True to the doctor's words, the same nurse walked into her room carrying supplies a little while later.

"Here we go." she said, laying her supplies on a table next to the bed. "My name's Dixie by the way." Dixie methodically wrapped the bandage, "This shouldn't take too long, we'll try and get you outta here pretty quick."

"Thanks," Jane replied. She decided to take a chance, "Do you happen to know the men who brought me in?" Jane asked, hopeful at the answer.

Dixie smiled warmly, "As a matter of fact, I do. Paramedics John Gage and Roy DeSoto. The best two medics in LA County." Dixie couldn't help but dote on her favorite medics.

"Which one was the black haired one?" Jane asked.

"That would be John Gage, they're both at station 51." Dixie smirked when she thought about the chaos that was Johnny Gage.

"Thanks." Jane replied thoughtfully.

"All done, a tech should be in soon to get a picture of your hand." Dixie declared, throwing away all the trash and leaving the room with a smile.

Jane only just returned to the treatment room after X-rays when Dixie came rushing in. She was carrying a handful of supplies and a young woman was following her with more. Dixie spoke up, "I'm sorry Ms. Maddox, we're going to have to ask you to move. We have a critical case coming in." Jane stood up immediately, recognizing the tone of voice in which Dixie used, the tone of 'no nonsense'.

"I can wait in the waiting room." Jane said.

"Sharon, show her where to go." Dixie ordered with her back already turned. She was already cleaning the table and stretcher and beginning to set up the equipment. "I need you back in here right away, Doctor Brackett's going to need all the help he can get." The young nurse, named Sharon, showed Jane out. Not quick enough, as they were walking out, a stretcher was being wheeled in. Jane recognized her rescuers, now both soaking wet and leaving a muddy trail behind them. One was running behind it squeezing an oxygen mask, while the other straddled the stretcher giving CPR.

"Oh my." Jane whispered at the sight. Her and the black-haired medic locked eyes as he disappeared behind the door. A handful of people followed behind, putting on gloves or carrying more equipment.