"Godzilla and The Smog Monster"

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Around seven, that same morning…

Johnny had finally succumbed to the mild sedative he'd been given.

Roy was standing beside his peacefully sleeping partner's hospital bed, contemplating what Special Agent Rousseau had told them. The agent's assurance, that John's assailant was being kept under 24-hour surveillance, just didn't set right with him. The deeply troubled paramedic was determined to pass his concerns on to their Captain—ASAP!

He heard footsteps out in the corridor and turned to see who was coming to visit them.

Chet Kelly stopped just outside John Gage's hospital room. He dug his wallet out of his back pocket and flashed his Los Angeles County Fire Department badge and I.D. to the guy with the gun, who was standing guard at the door.

The officer gave the badge and official photo I.D. a careful scrutinization and then motioned for the fireman to proceed into the room.

As Chet entered ICU's Room 604, he crooked his head toward its open door and incredulously inquired, "The cops still haven't caught the creep?"

Roy gave the policeman being pointed out a quick glance. Recalling that he and his Captain had been sworn to secrecy, he simply replied, "Apparently not."

Kelly stepped right up beside Gage's hospital bed. "Look, if you wanna go shower and shave, or grab some breakfast, or call your old lady, or somethin', I can stay with our boy, here…"

DeSoto flashed his fellow firefighter a grateful grin and eagerly took him up on his offer. "Thanks, Chet! I'll be back in two hours," the vertical paramedic promised and immediately made his departure from the room.

The recent arrival directed his full attention back to the body in the bed. 'Sheesh…'

Gage almost looked…dead.

Chet gazed glumly down at the thick white bandage that covered his extremely frail looking friend's forehead. "Hey, Chief…Interesting headband yah got…goin' there…" The last few words of his light comment got caught in his throat and he had to cough them the rest of the way out.

His paramedic pal's eyes failed to flutter open, and the rest of him remained perfectly still, as well.

Kelly's damp eyes suddenly filled with a profound sadness. 'Gawd…' What he wouldn't give to hear the 'Chief' make—er, attempt to make a witty comeback. "Look, you know I would never intentionally wish you any harm. Right?" The remorse-filled fireman gripped the sidebars on his badly injured buddy's hospital bed and forced himself to continue. "I didn't really mean to bet against you. Honest! When I said that only one of you would be left standing at the end of the shift, and it wasn't gonna be you, you know I was just joshin'…Ri-ight?"

Once again, his bed-ridden friend failed to reply.

Kelly closed his tear streaming eyes tightly and bowed his head. "I am so-o sorry this had to happen to you, Johnny…"

Johnny was currently engaged in a desperate battle with the drug that was coursing through his veins. He finally managed to fight its sedative effect off enough to make his mouth move—although it did so in slow motion. "No matter…how many...missiles…are launched…against him…Godzilla will…always…prevail."

Chet's eyes snapped open and his head snapped back up. "How long have you been listening?"

"Since you…called Joanne…an…'old lady'…I don't think…she's gonna…like that…She might even…smack you." Gage somehow got his sedated mouth to form a lopsided smile, but—try as he might—he still couldn't raise his eyelids.

"Crimony, Gage, why the hell didn't you say something?"

"They've…got me…se-sedated…Besides…I hear that…confession…is s'posed to be…good for…the soul." The sedated patient's lopsided smile put in another appearance.

"Oh yeah? Well then I got another confession to make. If you weren't already flat on your back, I'd be tempted to smack you."

Kelly's latest comment caused Gage to giggle outright. "Oh-oh…lighten up," he lightly urged. "I never took…what you said…that morning…in the parking lot…seriously, Chet…I knew…you were just…jokin'…arou—" The paramedic's mouth suddenly stopped moving and he was perfectly still, once more. The patient may have won a minor 'drug battle', but he'd definitely just lost the 'sedative war'.

Relief flooded through Chester B.'s body and he smiled down at his peacefully sleeping—sedated—chum. "Get well soon, will yah, Gage. I tell yah, it's just too damn quiet around the Station." That said, John's visitor backed away from the bed and plunked himself down in DeSoto's vacated seat…to assume his vigil.

TBC