Outside the smoldering structure that was once a magnificent old hotel Captain Hank Stanley sat on the rear bumper of the Squad with Captain Stone hovering nearby. With his H.T. still in hand Hank continued to try and make contact with his men still inside the labyrinthine ruins of the burning hotel. "Station 51, Squad 51; what is your current status?"

Still no answer from the other end of the radio, only static.

"I repeat: Station 51, Squad 51; what is your current status?" More static. "Damn..." He put the H.T. in his coat pocket and sighed heavily.

Captain Stone was pressing a white bandage to the bloody bump on the back of Hank's head. "Take it easy Hank, they'll find their way out. You have a great crew under you."

"Yeah, I know." Hank reached for the bandage pressing against his head. "I just hate having to wait outside, not knowing what's going on."

"Well, it's better that you stay out here," Stone pushed Hank's hand back as he removed the now bloody bandage and carefully began looking through Hank's matted down hair to find the source of the bleeding. "if that blast concussed you then you'd be in twice as much trouble."

Hank looked up at the burning hotel. The windows on the lower floors had been broken out from the extreme heat of the fire, or from the escaping guests. Smoke poured through the shattered openings and billowed upward into the painfully beautiful blue sky above. Flames crawled through the opened windows and through the roof of the building, causing embers and ash to snow down to the street below. A fine layer of soot covered the pavement nearby emergency vehicles in a somber gray powder.

Chief McConike approached the Squad and put his hand on Hank's shoulder. "How ya' holdin' up, Hank?"

"I'm alright, Chief. Just a little bruised." Hank tried to sound alert.

Stone added in his own opinion on the matter. "More like a little bloody and dazed."

McConike trusted Stone's assessment on Hank, seeing as Stone himself was once a paramedic. "Concussion?"

"Looks likely. I won't know for sure unless Hank here cooperates and let's me examine him, or until Brice and Bellingham are are available."

Hank had his own option he wanted to throw in. "Or I wait until my paramedics clear the building. Then I'll relax."

"Stone," McConike continued. "there was an interior collapse about two minutes ago. It was on the ninth or tenth floor."

"Any confirmed casualties?" Stone hated himself for asking the very necessary question, knowing that Hank was already on edge.

"Not yet. The hotel manager confirmed the entire building had been successfully evacuated. All guests accounted for, those who were injured are being treated."

"And I take it all employees escaped as well?"

"Yeah, looks like the only people left inside the hotel are the very people who're trained to deal with this kind of situation."

"That's good. Want me to send in a small party to locate 51?"

"Negative. The building is too unstable to salvage. No one goes in." McConike could see the worry in Hank's tired eyes. "And I know everyone will get out."

Stone put his hand on Hank's arm. "C'mon Hank, let's get you patched up. The last thing you need is a bunch of ash giving you an infection."

Hank tried to resist. "No, I'm not going-"

"You're not going to do anyone any good if you work yourself into exhaustion or collapse. You're hurt, let us help you." Stone empathized with Hank's concern but his previous training as a paramedic was kicking into overdrive.

"What would you do if your men were stuck inside an inferno?"

"Honestly?" Stone continued to pull Hank up from the bumper of the Squad and lead him to where Brice and Bellingham were still treating a few smoke inhalation victims. "I'd probably be just as worried and stubborn as you. Probably."

"Thanks Stone." Hank understood what his fellow captain was trying to do and appreciated the effort. "But that doesn't make it..."

"Hank?" Stone felt Hank's body suddenly get heavy as the injured man stumbled forward clumsily. "Hank, you still with me?" He stopped walking and put his other hand on Hank's other arm to hold the injured man steady.

"Yeah... Yeah, I just got a little... dizzy." He pressed a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. His words were beginning to slur. "Must've gotten up too fast."

"Uh-huh. Concussions tend to make you feel dizzy and lightheaded. Not to mention the rather impressive blood loss thanks to that nasty gash on the back of your head."

"Gash?" Hank suddenly remembered the bleeding wound on the back of his own head and put his hand near the wound. "Oh, right. Think it'll need stitches?"

Stone didn't like the way Hank was starting to sound. "More like sutures..." He pulled Hank's hand away from the injury site. "Hank, do you remember how you hit your head?"

"I, uh... fell? Didn't I?"

McConike saw Stone standing with his hands holding Hank steady and interjected. "Stone? Something wrong?"

"I'm not sure just yet. Looks like we can confirm the concussion, but right now I'm worried about possible memory impairment."

McConike took one of Hank's arms motioned for Stone to keep walking. "Well, let's get him over to the paramedics, let them look him over."

"Right, Chief." Stone took Hank's other arm. "Let's go Hank, you've been demoted from Captain to patient."

"But..." Hank was struggling to remember the events of the day through the heavy fog that was setting in. "What about my men?"

"They'll be fine." Stone encouraged sincerely. "You, on the other hand, are a different story."

...to be continued...