Adam took a drink of his coffee as he jotted down a few notes, glancing over at Isaac.

He seemed comfortable now, laying back in the recliner after a long night. They had tried sleeping in their bed, just as they usually did, but Isaac's regular coughing fits did nothing but keep them both awake.

At least one of them would get some rest today. Oh well.

A knock on the door pulled Adam out of his thoughts as he crossed the room to answer. "You're late."

"And you're testy." Joseph responded, giving Adam a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Adam glanced over at Isaac, who was dozing in the recliner. "Someone kept me up half the damn night."

Joseph frowned in concern. "I thought he was doing better."

"Well enough to go home." Adam replied tiredly. "Honestly, there wasn't much else they could do for him."

Joseph sighed softly. "So they sent him home to die."

"Better here than there." Adam replied, crossing back to the counter where he'd been writing his notes, handing the note pad to Joseph. "I wrote down a few things. He's still on the antibiotic, so make sure he takes that every four hours. We're all stocked up on that godawful chicken noodle soup he likes, so make sure he has some of that before he takes the antibiotic, otherwise he gets nauseous. And make sure he gets up out of that damn chair every so often. Oh yeah, I did arrange for a nurse to come check in on him this afternoon. And there will be an aide coming in to relieve you this evening. Her name's Shelly and she's the sweetest girl."

Joseph looked equally amused and sympathetic. "Okay, got it. Now go save the good people of this county. We'll be fine."

Adam finished off his coffee and set his mug in the sink. "And if anything changes…"

"I'll call." Joseph assured him. "Now get out of here."

"Okay." Adam slung his bag over his shoulder, leaning down to kiss Isaac's forehead. The other man stirred, opening his eyes.

"Heading out?" He murmured.

"Yes." Adam replied. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow. Joseph's going to stay here with you, so behave yourself."

Isaac managed a smile at that. "M'kay. Go save the world. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Adam hated leaving him, even as he knew he'd be in good hands with Joseph. Between that and the assistance he'd been able to arrange thanks to the social worker, Isaac would be fine.

But that didn't mean Adam wasn't still going to worry.

"Go." Joseph told him firmly, all but pushing him toward the door.

Adam huffed. "Fine, I'm going, I'm going."

He tried to push his worries out of his mind as he drove to the station, pulling in and parking right between Johnny's Rover and Sam's truck. After shutting off the car, he sat for a long moment, trying to clear his head.

Finally, he gave up and climbed out of his car, heading toward the station and into the locker room, listening as the others chatted about how they'd spent their time off.

"…and so we get to the end of the trail right?" Chet was telling Johnny and Mike. "It's beautiful, it's perfect. Sun coming through the trees, birds singing, the whole thing."

Both Johnny and Mike seemed to be hanging on his every word. "So…?" Mike encouraged him.

"Well, you see…" Chet started.

"You chickened out, didn't you?" Johnny looked greatly amused.

"Again." Mike chimed in.

"I…" Chet huffed in exasperation. "I didn't chicken out. It…just wasn't the right time, that's all. You see, just as I was leading up to it, this family of, like, ten people came traipsing through and ruined the whole mood."

Johnny and Mike gave each other a knowing look. "He definitely chickened out." Johnny told Mike.

Mike nodded in agreement, and Johnny shook his head. "I don't know what the hell you're so scared of. Unless you think she's gonna say no."

"Say no to what?" Adam asked innocently. He was secretly pleased when Chet nearly jumped a mile.

Johnny held up his hand and tapped his own ring. "Chester here has marriage on the brain."

"Ah, I see." Adam nodded as he changed. "Now, if only there was someone willing to marry him."

Chet rolled his eyes and slammed his locker closed. "All of you can go to hell."

Sam soon appeared, pulling her hair back into a tight ponytail. "Morning, guys."

"Oh, hey there, Sam." Johnny greeted her cheerfully. "Heard you and Chet here had a nice little hike."

Sam seemed to eye Johnny curiously. "We did. Perfect day for it. Until that horde came thundering through. Kind of killed the mood, you know?"

"That's what I was telling them, babe." Chet straightened up a little bit.

"But…" Sam shot Chet a look that made him fall silent. "It was still a lot of fun. Can't wait to go again."

She gave Chet a quick kiss and started toward the day room. Adam finished dressing and clapped Chet on the shoulder. "You'd better get your shit together and marry that girl. She might be the only one that'll put up with you."

"You know what, Adam…" Chet started in on Adam as Johnny and Mike both exploded in laughter.

They were all still cracking up when they entered the day room, and Cap looked at them all as if they were nuts before shaking his head and starting the daily briefing.

Once the briefing was over, Adam and Johnny headed out to the squad to start their equipment checks and go over inventory. "How's Isaac doing?" Johnny asked.

Adam paused as he closed the bio-phone and slid it into its compartment. "Okay, I think. Still not great, just not bad off enough to justify him staying in the hospital."

Johnny's brows knitted in concern. "You got all the help you need?"

"Oh, probably not." Adam let out a short laugh. "But I'm not sure that's possible. It's just…there's so much to think about. I've got to make sure he's got the right medications and make sure someone can stay with him while I'm here and…all of this just to keep him with me a little longer."

Johnny nodded sympathetically. "'Course you want to keep him around. I'd move heaven and earth for my family. Imagine you'd do the same for Isaac."

"I'm trying." Adam replied quietly. "But goddamn. It's hard. There just isn't a lot of help available because no one wants to touch…you know, us."

"That's for sure." Johnny started counting items in the drug box, writing them down in his memo book. He seemed to be moving a little better today, though it was obvious to Adam that he was shifting his weight off the bad side.

"Did you ever get yourself checked out?" Adam asked him casually.

Johnny glanced over at him, clicking his pen and sticking it in his shirt pocket along with the memo pad. "Can't get in for a month."

"Jesus."

"Yeah." Johnny closed the drug box and stuck it back in its compartment, closing and locking it. "Diane tried to get me to go to the ER, but this isn't an emergency. Just bugs the hell out of me occasionally."

"Sure, you say that now." Adam countered. "You won't be saying that in a few hours when you can barely fucking walk."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "If I want a lecture, I'll just go home."

Adam merely snorted in response. "You might want to add cold packs to that little list of yours."

"Already on there." Johnny told him with a smirk.

They headed toward the day room. As they passed Cap's office, Cap called out to him. "Adam, got a minute?"

"Sure." Adam entered Cap's office and closed the door behind him. "Something wrong?"

"No, no. Nothing's wrong." Cap assured him. "Wanted to thank you, actually."

Adam leaned against the door, folding his arms over his chest. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Cap leaned back in his chair. "Talked to Chris yesterday. It went okay. Better than I expected, really. Although he did say he likes both boys and girls and…I really didn't know what to say to that."

Adam couldn't help laughing at that. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll figure himself out."

Cap shook his head. "Definitely going to take some getting used to."

Adam reached in his back pocket for the pamphlet he'd picked up, handing it out to Cap. "Here, you might find this helpful. It's a support group for parents and friends. Picked it up while I was working on getting some help taking care of Isaac."

Cap took it with a nod, opening it up and scanning it briefly. "Thanks. We'll have to look into that. How is Isaac doing?"

Adam was reluctant to unload on Cap, but he supposed he had a duty to warn him of what was likely to come. "Okay, for now. Holding his own."

"But not likely to stay that way." Cap responded quietly.

Adam shook his head. "Just a matter of time before I get a call, just so you know."

"I don't want you to worry about that." Cap told him firmly. "If need be, we'll find a way to get hold of you.

"That's all well and good, Cap, until it actually happens." Adam pointed out. "What if we're out on a call? And not just me and Johnny, but all of us?"

That's when it finally hit Adam that it was possible he might not get to be with Isaac in his final moments. The thought made his stomach lurch. "Shit."

"Adam?" Cap's concern was obvious.

"No, nothing." Adam assured him, recovering quickly. "Just thinking out loud. Sorry."

Cap nodded, though he still looked concerned. "Well, listen, just keep me posted. And if you need something, don't hesitate to ask."

"Sure, Cap."

Adam left the office and returned to the day room. Mike was at the table reading his newspaper, Chet was washing up a few dishes, and Johnny and Sam were at the chalkboard.

Johnny was writing on the board, explaining something in great detail while Sam took down notes. Adam poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table, taking a section of the paper to read while listening in.

His partner was remarkably good at this. Johnny had a knack for breaking down some of these difficult concepts into simpler pieces. Sam didn't get stuck often, but when she did, Johnny was inevitably the first one she went to for advice.

It was funny, when Adam thought about it, considering Johnny's initial attitude toward Sam. He wasn't sure women belonged in the department, certainly not a little thing like Sam. It had been a regular source of debate between he and Adam.

But Sam had proven herself to be tough, smart, and capable, and when Sam decided to sign up for paramedic training, Johnny had taken her under his wing.

Adam would hate to lose Johnny as a partner, but the program could use instructors like him. But he knew it would take a lot for Johnny to make that move, if he ever did.

The tones went off, the lesson suddenly over as everyone took off toward their respective positions. Cap handed off the address slip and they were on their way.

"You know, I think I actually learned something from you today." Adam told Johnny casually. "Right at the light."

Johnny huffed as he whipped the squad into the turn. "Sam just got a little stuck, that's all. She's a smart girl. She figured it out in no time."

"Thanks to you." Adam pointed out. "You really do have a knack for it."

Johnny shot him a sideways look. "You trying to get rid of me?"

"Absolutely not." Adam replied firmly. "Take a left at the next cross street."

They pulled up in front of the house, the engine not far behind. Smoke was already billowing from the garage, and both men threw on their turnout coats while Cap directed the engine crew.

Fortunately, the fire turned out to be relatively small, but the fumes were intense. Johnny and Adam managed to get their male victim out and laid down on the grass to start evaluating him.

Before they could, the man started coming around, muttering something Adam couldn't quite make out. "Sir, could you repeat that?"

"Peaches." The man murmured. "Gotta get peaches."

Adam was baffled, and Johnny seemed equally so. "Sir, what peaches?"

"Peaches." The man spoke again. "She was in there with me."

Adam looked over at Johnny. "I'll go look around again."

Johnny nodded, and Adam put his SCBA mask back on to go back into the garage. "Peaches?" He called out. "Peaches, if you're in here, come out!"

Mrow? Adam thought he heard a sound. He called out one more time. "Peaches, come on!"

Suddenly he felt something rub up against his leg, and he looked down to see an orange and white longhaired cat. "Mrow?"

Adam huffed as he picked up the creature. "You little shit. Come on."

He carried the cat outside, managing to take his helmet and his mask off, and the man's eyes lit up. "Peaches! You naughty girl."

Johnny was barely holding back his laughter as he called into Rampart. "Rampart, this is County Fifty-One. How do you read?"

Adam kneeled down, and the man reached out to pet Peaches. "She loves hanging out with me in the garage. I think she knocked over the lantern I had on in there. Must have started the fire."

"You're both very lucky." Adam told him. "Is there someone who can watch her while we take you in?"

"Marty, what on earth is going on?" A woman came running up the driveway. "What happened?"

"Ma'am…" Adam started.

"It's okay." Marty told him. "She's my girlfriend. Eileen, baby, it's okay. Peaches and I just had a little accident, that's all."

Eileen sighed and took Peaches from Adam. "Oh, Peaches, you are nothing but trouble. Let's get you inside."

The ambulance arrived to take Marty to the hospital, and he was soon loaded up. "I'll go in with him." Adam offered.

Johnny nodded as he packed up equipment to carry to the ambulance. "Maybe I'll see if Brackett's around when I get there. Kinda wanna pick his brain."

"I'll take my time, then." Adam was secretly pleased. It meant Johnny was at least thinking about things.

Johnny shot him a glare. "I'm not quitting."

"I know." Adam answered. "See you at Rampart."

Adam smiled to himself a little as Johnny closed the doors behind him. While he wasn't ready to lose Johnny as a partner just yet, at least he was considering options.

# # #

Johnny slammed the doors of the ambulance shut and returned to the squad to follow the ambulance into Rampart. It was probably a wise decision to have Adam ride in. The man looked like he hadn't slept his entire time off.

Likely Adam's time off hadn't been exactly restful, and Johnny knew he was only getting half the story out of him. But Johnny was used to reading between the lines. It just came with the territory.

And it likely meant that Isaac was far worse off than Adam let on.

Johnny could scarcely imagine how Adam was holding it all together. As close as Johnny had come to losing Diane, it paled in comparison to what Adam was going through.

This virus was sparing no one, destroying everyone in its path. And it wasn't just men like Adam and Isaac that were at risk. There were new protocols being developed almost daily, it seemed, all of it a feeble attempt at keeping all of them safe, from paramedics all the way up to doctors.

The thought often crossed Johnny's mind that Adam could well be next. He hated to even think about it, but he would be foolish to deny the possibility.

He pushed the thought aside as he backed in next to the ambulance and made his way inside. Time to worry about his own future, rather than his partner's. The twinge that went through his hip with each stride was reminder enough of what was likely ahead for him.

"Hey, Dix." Johnny stopped by the desk, leaning on it for a moment. "Brackett around?"

"In his office." Dixie told him. "You're not going to tear into him again, are you? He was impossible to work with the last time you two butted heads."

"No, no, nothing like that." Johnny replied. "Just wanna pick his brain."

Dixie arched an eyebrow but otherwise didn't respond, and Johnny pushed himself off the desk to head toward Brackett's office, knocking on the door,

"Come in." Brackett's voice came through the door.

Johnny entered, closing the door behind him, and Brackett greeted him with a curious look. "Come to rip my head off again?"

"I come in peace." Johnny raised his hands as he sat down in a chair in front of Brackett's desk. "Wanted to talk to you. Kinda considering a career change."

Brackett smiled a little at that. "What kind of career change?"

Johnny took a deep breath, threading his fingers together. "Well, I keep hearing that you guys need more paramedic instructors. I'm not saying I want to quit what I'm doing, but…it's getting a little hard on me, you know? I'm not exactly a kid anymore. I don't bounce like I used to."

Brackett leaned back in his chair, studying Johnny carefully. "Well, you certainly have the field experience. You'd have to take some extra classes to fully qualify, but nothing you wouldn't be able to handle."

That was exactly what Johnny had been afraid of. "Brackett, you know I'm not that smart. You remember."

"That's a crock and you know it." Brackett told him firmly. "I sure as hell remember it differently. You took in every bit of information you could get your hands on. More than you needed to get though paramedic training."

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago." Johnny argued. "Things have changed a lot since then."

"Things haven't changed nearly as much as you think." Brackett countered. "And all that real world experience would be a real asset."

Johnny turned that idea over in his mind. "Okay, let's say I took these classes. How much time am I looking at?"

"A few months, tops." Brackett told him. "There is an extra certification exam to take before you could apply to be an instructor, but you'll get through that without much difficulty, I'd imagine. And you know, you wouldn't be the first guy to make that change."

"Really?"

"Really." Brackett nodded. "I can pull together some information if you want. That way you can make a decision before your body makes it for you."

Johnny shifted a little. "Might be a little late for that."

Brackett visibly winced. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

Johnny rose from the chair, extending a hand across the desk. "Thanks, Brackett."

"Of course." Brackett did the same. "I'll have that information ready the next time you come through here."

He paused briefly. "I'm really glad you're considering this, Johnny. I think you'd be one hell of an instructor. Program would be lucky to have you."

Johnny shrugged, even as he was touched by Brackett's words. "Appreciate that. Not saying I'm ready to make that leap yet. Just trying to keep my options open."

"It's a smart thing to do." Brackett pointed out. "Most guys don't think that far ahead. They're the ones that have the hardest time once they can't do this anymore."

Johnny was feeling a little better about the possibility once he left Brackett's office. Even if whatever was bugging him turned out to be nothing, he would at least have this in his back pocket. And knowing Diane was behind him all the way encouraged him more.

"About time." Adam told him as he set a cup of coffee on the counter. "Thought you were going to be in there all day."

"Nah, just kicking around some ideas, that's all." Johnny picked up the cup and took a sip. "How's our cat guy doing?"

"Oh, he'll be fine." Adam answered. "I still can't believe I risked my life for a goddamn cat. I don't even like cats."

"Aw, Peaches was a cutie, though." Johnny replied. "She really liked you."

Adam merely huffed and rolled his eyes before finishing the remains of his coffee. "Let's go."

"Bye, guys." Dixie told them.

"See ya, Dix." Johnny responded cheerfully, following Adam out to the squad and climbing in.

"So, what were you talking to Brackett about?" Adam asked.

"About maybe working toward becoming an instructor." Johnny answered. "Not saying I'm completely sold on the idea, but…maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to start working toward. You know, just in case."

"Sure." Adam nodded in response. "I'd hate to lose you, but you'd be really good if you decided to go that route. And maybe getting a different partner wouldn't be so bad. Ten years plus with one guy is a long time."

"I knew it." Johnny scoffed. "You are trying to get rid of me."

Adam let out a short laugh. "I promise that I'm not. But…this job's tough on all of us. I feel it, too. I'm not exactly a kid myself anymore."

Johnny huffed as he backed the squad into the bay and shut it off. "Getting old sucks."

"Beats the alternative."

Johnny immediately thought of Isaac, who wasn't much older than the two of them. "Suppose you're right."

He paused briefly. "Isaac's worse off that you're letting on, isn't he?"

Adam sighed and closed his eyes, and Johnny was sure he was going to bite his head off again. Instead, he nodded. "He told me last night that he doesn't want to go back into the hospital. I'm just supposed to let him die. I don't know if I can do that."

He blinked and swallowed hard before continuing. "I'm not ready to lose him, Johnny. I'm just not. I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do without him. Whatever time I've had with him, it's not enough. And hell, if I hadn't fucked things up with him so badly the first time, we would have had more time together."

Johnny just let him unload, moving to rub Adam across his shoulders. He let out another short sigh. "We're all dying, and no one gives a shit. Just fags and junkies, who the fuck cares, right? Let them all die."

He glanced over at Johnny. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dump all this shit on you."

"It's okay." Johnny told him. "It's what we've done for a long time, right? No reason for it to change."

Adam managed a slight smile. "Right. And thanks."

"Right back at ya." Johnny told him. "And you know my offer still stands. Anything you need, let me know."

"I think you've done plenty." Adam replied.

The tones went off again before they could get out of the squad, and Johnny started it up again, taking the address slip from Cap and handing it off to Adam. Before they knew it they were on their way to another call.

Things would go on as they always did, at least for the time being, Johnny figured. He'd do this for as long as he could, hopefully with Adam at his side. And if there ever came a time when he had to make that change, Johnny figured he'd be ready for that, too. Nothing wrong with considering all the possibilities. Nothing wrong with that at all.