As Cap, Mike, Marco and Chet entered Roy's room it felt like they were walking into a structure fire that was ready to flash. Roy was sitting up in his bed staring at the end of it and didn't even notice or look up when his friends entered the room.
"Roy, everything ok pal?" asked Cap. His normally very calm, reserved senior paramedic looked like he was ready to go fifteen rounds with Muhammad Ali.
It took a second for Roy to register that he was no longer alone in his room and not only were his friends standing next to his bed with concerned faces, but that his Cap had just asked him a question. "Sorry Cap, what was that?"
"I said are you ok pal?" answered Cap.
"Yeah ...sorry...I was lost in thought" Roy answered as he rubbed his hand over his face and then through his hair.
"Johnny's going to be ok Roy" Chet assured him.
"I know...I was just thinking about our last conversation...how worried Johnny was when Wheeler got hurt and how Wheeler hadn't given Johnny a second thought" said Roy as he gave a weak smile.
"Well as much as I hate to say it, it wasn't Wheeler's fault Johnny got hit by that truck and he's not his permanent partner...so..." Cap had run out of excuses and had not sounded that convincing even to him. He shrugged his shoulders "Look the main thing is that John gets better".
Dixie walked into the room with a look Roy will never forget. His heart skipped a beat and his stomach rolled. His friends turned their heads when Roy's demeanour changed; Dixie stood there looking at five very concerned faces.
"It's Johnny isn't it?" asked Roy over the heads of his friends.
"Yes I just came from the observation ward..." she stopped and took a breath, knowing this wasn't going to be easy to tell Johnny's friends "I didn't like a few of his readings from his last neuro check so I tried to wake him up to see for myself".
"You tried?" asked Roy immediately picking up on the trouble.
"Yes Roy I tried...We can't wake him, he's slipped into a coma. Kel's with him now and he's called in Joe. They think there is some swelling of the brain or there could be a small intracranial bleed. There running some tests" she blinked back the moisture that kept threatening, her stoic manner faltering.
Everyone was stunned by the news; it was like being on an emotional rollercoaster. Cap was the first to respond "When will we know for sure?"
"The tests will take a couple of hours, I'll let you all know as soon as the results are in" replied Dixie trying to smile with optimism but failing.
Johnny listened to the soul soothing humming. His body no longer felt heavy with the casts, but light like an eagle's feather. "Why are you here John?" the deep voice of Jay Blackcrow came from above the tunnel he was sitting on the edge of.
"It's peaceful here and I don't feel any pain" said Johnny smiling with contentment.
"You are being tempted by the evil spirit of Osceola, John. Do not be deceived by his singing. You must leave this place."
"I'm tired chief. I have tried to live the way you have taught me but I have failed and people have died and friends have been hurt when I have not been able to save them" said Johnny miserably.
"You are but one person; others are being tested where you have failed. Do not judge yourself harshly and listen to your partner and Captain. They would tell you if you had failed. You need to trust them as you trusted me. Those who died, it was their time. Those you failed to stop from being hurt were being tested" explained Blackcrow.
"I'll try to trust them...but I am tired...so very tired" said Johnny as he's eyes drifted closed.
"Then sleep my son, a healing sleep and when you wake up you will no longer be here but where you belong" called Blackcrow as Johnny felt himself being drawn away from the tunnel.
"There's no bleed Kel, I think it's the trauma. I think we have to give Johnny time to heal" reasoned Dr Early.
"What now then?" asked Dr Brackett as he continued to monitor Johnny's vitals.
"We test him again in a couple of hours and see if there is any improvement" answered Dr Early confidently. He honestly thought Johnny would somehow come back to them.
"Alright Joe, I trust your judgement" Brackett half smiled but wasn't feeling as optimistic as his colleague. "Excuse me Joe I have a nurse to speak with about allowing changes in patients to go by without informing their doctor." He left the room.
"You, my friend, need to come back to us. There are too many people who are counting on you to keep them young in spirit." Dr Early patted Johnny's shoulder and turned to leave the room. He didn't notice the slight turn of the head or the small turn up of the mouth.
"You what! You're incredible Tom...Johnny's almost killed and all you could worry about was some interview" yelled Kirk over the phone at his partner. He had called to find out what happened and how Johnny's condition was after hearing from Billy Hanks about the accident.
"Look it was the end of a long shift. Despatch told Dixie that 43s were handling it, what more could I do? There was no point in waiting, cause the squad was a wreck according to Hal" Wheeler said trying to explain away his actions. In the back of his mind he was thinking that he had acted a little callously, that John Gage did deserved better. "Look maybe I should have stuck around".
"Stuck around...you should have gone upstairs and at least let Roy know about his partner" said Kirk angrily. Sometimes his partner was the most selfish person, yet he was very good at his job, just a little too much into himself he thought.
"I forgot about Roy being in the hospital, honestly Kirk" said Tom feeling a little guilty. His partner had once again pointed out his short fallings in his character, as he so often did.
"Well if I were you I'd get my ass over to that hospital and do some explaining to Roy" instructed Kirk.
"I guess you're right, I do have some explaining to do...Hey do you think they'll be any news people there checking up on Gage's progress?"
Kirk sighed into the phone thinking how sometimes his partner could be so infuriating. "Gee, I don't know Tom; I really don't think you should be the one commenting if you know what's good for you. That whole shift is pretty tight. I don't think they would take too kindly to someone outside their shift making comments."
"Ok look, I'll go over to Rampart now, and I'll explain to Roy" but the idea of a TV crew was the motivation for him going.