The Boot

Chapter Sixteen

By GCS

DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.

The haze that had settled in around him as he drifted in slumber suddenly dissipated as he felt the blankets pull away from the snug warm place he had held them in, next to his chin.

"I'm sorry Mr. Gage, but Dr. Early has requested another blood test. I need your arm." He pulled the covers back trying to put them where they were before she pulled them away. She spoke softly to him. "Come on now, it will only take a sec. I promise." His eyes slowly blinked open revealing the most gorgeous deep brown eyes. She smiled at him and pulled the blanket down again. "Now I just need your arm."

Johnny could not suppress the cough that tickled his throat and made his achy chest hurt again. Sleep was the only thing that seemed to hold the coughing at bay, and the pretty nurse had stolen that from him. 'Go away…I wanna sleep.' His mind screamed. He weakly pulled at the covers again. Pretty or not he didn't care. He wanted to be left alone to sleep.

The nurse made some clicking noises, "Tsk, tsk." She pulled the blanket down once again. "Now behave yourself and this will go quicker." She pulled his arm free of the tangle of blankets he had made around himself. 'What are you doing? It's cold.' He shivered at the cold air that the shifting covers allowed to waft across his overheated skin. "You're a little warm. Maybe we need to check your temperature too." She turned to the tray she had placed on the bedside table and produced a thermometer. Making quick work of removing the oxygen and sliding the thermometer beneath his tongue she turned back to the task of taking a blood sample. "My name is Darcy. I'll be your nurse for the rest of the day. Then I think Belinda will be here for the night shift. If there is anything you need all you have to do is press that little button there to call us."

Johnny's eyes drifted to the button she referred to. He felt very woozy and sick to his stomach. The prick in his arm didn't help. He didn't have the energy to talk and had the thermometer beneath his tongue so he just nodded. Then he turned his glassy eyes back toward Darcy. He hated needles and right now she was stabbing his arm with what he thought was largest one he'd ever seen. It seemed that way anyway by the way it felt sliding into his arm. He frowned.

"You really are feeling bad aren't you?" Darcy continued her one sided conversation. She finished taking his blood and taped some gauze over the needle site. She pulled the thermometer from his mouth, furrowing her brow at the reading. "I'll call Dr. Early and give him a report. I think he may want to adjust your medications. We'll have you feeling better in no time." She smiled again as she put the oxygen back in place. Johnny blinked a few times, each time leaving his eyes closed a little longer. He just couldn't fight the exhaustion that had taken over his body. Darcy tucked the covers back the way he had them before she broke into his cocoon. He was once again asleep before she finished. "My, you are a cute thing aren't you?" She fussed with his blankets a little more than necessary. "When you're feeling better, maybe we can get to know each other." She turned to retrieve her try full of supplies and his blood samples. "Rest easy Mr. Gage. I'll be back after I speak with Dr. Early." He was oblivious to her words and never knew she had gone.

Johnny fell into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning. He couldn't seem to find the snug place he'd been in when the nurse disturbed him. Instead he woke up repeatedly; then slipped back into the troubled sleep before ending up staring at the window in the corner wishing he was back at his apartment where no one would disturb him.

Down in the ER Cody had undergone the same blood test. He now had an antibiotic IV in his arm and lay on the hard treatment room table awaiting admission. Someone knocked lightly on the door and pushed it open, "Hey Cody, mind if I come in?" Captain Jones peeked around the partially open door.

"Sure Cap."

"I wanted to let you know that I called Jim's place, but I didn't get an answer. Should I call you mother?"

Cody abruptly sat up, "No! Don't call my mom. She'd freak out." His sentence came out in a strangled cough.

Captain Jones quickly moved over and pushed Cody back down. "Hold on Cody. I won't call her if you don't want me to, but you need to calm down. Now lay back down. I'll find Jim."

He cleared his throat and continued in a gravelly voice, "He went down to McGill's to meet Scotty and the guys," ending in another cough.

"That's right, I remember Scotty saying they were heading over there when they were here earlier."

"They were here?" Cody remembered Dr. Early saying that Gage had been admitted with pneumonia, but how did he suddenly become so popular that the guys had come down to see him at the hospital? 'This situation just kept getting better and better.'

Knowing he didn't have to explain, but wanting to help Cody settle down Captain Jones decided that talking to him about how his men had come down in support of one of their shift mates might help. "Scotty was at my place when I got the call about Gage being here. I have to file the reports so it's protocol to notify me as his Captain. We drove over together. He called the guys to tell them he would be late meeting them at McGill's. The next thing I know most of our shift was here in the waiting room." Captain Jones explained. "They really are a great group of guys. I'll just stop by and see if they're still there on my way home. Let me know if you need anything Cody, and take care of yourself. I'm heading out now. You have my number?"

"Yes sir." Cody looked away. A troubled expression crossed his face. "Um…Cap?" Captain Jones turned back and waited for Cody to continue. "I'm sorry this happened. I mean now you have two men out for…um who knows how long. I…I'm sorry, Sir."

"Don't worry about it kid. I'm sure you didn't plan on getting tossed into that water. But Cody…" He paused. He needed to be careful how he said what he needed to say to his new boot. "Son, don't ever disregard an order from your Captain. I don't think I have to remind you what can happen if you do. I give you those orders not only to protect you, but your crew mates too. I have years of experience, specialized training and knowledge that helps me know what needs to be done and who is best to do each task. You could have died out there that day, and if it hadn't been for John's quick action you might have."

"Yes sir." Cody couldn't believe it. In just short of an hour two people had put Gage up on a pedestal. 'What is it with that guy that everyone thinks he's the best thing to ever hit the fire department?' He closed his eyes as his Captain left the room. Thoughts of the fire scene panned through his mind like a movie reel.

They had been called out in the night to the boat repair shop.

The fire was well involved when they pulled up. Dark smoke mixed with the flames that shot high above the roof. Ash floated around them as they pulled the hose near the boat dock. A constant hum of noises filled the air. Everything, from the rocking boats to the water that lapped against the dock intermingled with the noise from the rushing water as it spewed from the charged hoses, seemed to create a kind of eerie tune that was accentuated by the taunting of the crackling fire as it ravaged the structure.

Captain Jones had instructed he and Gage to protect the perimeter, protect the boats in the dock and the buildings nearby. Cody had quickly become wrapped up in the thrill of the fight. He knew he was moving in closer than Cap had told him to, but he had wanted so badly to impress him. It was Gage who backed off, refusing to back him up on the hose. Gage had dropped his hand from his back and stepped away leaving him holding the charged hose. He had faltered a bit trying to regain control, but before he had time to completely get a handle on it an explosion rocked the building sending them both catapulting through the air. He had flown off the dock and into the water.

He remembered the sudden strong gust of air and debris that hit him sending him flying. He knew the second the hose slipped from his hands that he was in trouble. He'd been blown out into the water. He could feel the sudden cold as it enveloped him, knocking his air mask off and filling his turnouts.

As he thought about the night he had nearly drowned he could almost feel the weight of the SCBA and his water logged gear pulling him deeper. It was a surreal feeling: semi conscious, stunned and unable to fight the strong tow of the weighted gear, he had just let go and allowed himself to be pulled beneath the surface of the dark water.

Thinking about it now he could almost taste the foul water that had filled his mouth and lungs. His eyes were open but his brain and body were numb from the blast. As he sunk further and further into the abyss he could see the dimming lights that reflected on the surface like a kaleidoscope of colors. It was pretty watching the colors moving with the waves. Then something disrupted the gentle mixing of colors. Something dark plunged into his vision. He continued sinking, suffocating as his lungs filled with water. He still possessed awareness enough to know that suddenly his body felt lighter. He could feel himself being pulled upward. Then he remembered waking up in the ambulance.

'That dark shadow that plunged into the water that day must have been Gage.'