The tones sounded in the middle of the night, sending the crew tumbling out of their bunks and toward their respective positions.

"Christ, I was hoping to catch a little more sleep." Johnny grumbled.

"You're telling me." Roy answered as he put the squad in gear and drove out of the bay. "Jenny has a dance recital in the morning. Was kind of hoping not to sleep through it."

Johnny managed a brief laugh. "Don't worry, Joanne will nudge you awake if you start snoring."

They soon arrived at the scene of the fire, each of them readying their gear for the impending rescue operation. Cap hopped down from the engine to meet them. "Ladder is setting up on the west side. We've got at least a couple people trapped on the fourth floor. We'll knock it down from here."

Both men nodded, readying their gear for the climb up the ladder. Roy led the way, with Johnny following close behind. Soon they were climbing through a window, the smoke making it almost impossible to see.

"Watch your step." Roy told Johnny through the SCBA mask.

"You too." Johnny responded, shining his light on the floor as they slowly made their way along the hallway, checking doors and marking them off as they went.

Roy felt along one door before knocking. "Fire department! Anyone in there!?"

Johnny thought he heard a muffled response. Roy must have heard the same response, carefully opening the door, stepping aside as he did so. He turned to Johnny with a nod, and both men entered the space.

"Fire department!" Roy called out again.

"Over here!" A panicked voice called out, and both men followed the sound. The smoke was even more intense here, and Johnny could feel the heat building the closer they got to the sound.

Johnny could make out a desk with two figures huddled underneath. It was only then he spotted the flames licking at the curtains. "Come on out. We'll get you out of here."

The two figures climbed out from under the desk, a young woman and an older man, and Johnny started to guide them out of the room and into the hallway. "Is there anyone else in here?"

The man shook his head. "Just us as far as I know."

"I'll go check just to be sure." Roy called out. "You get those two down the ladder."

Johnny didn't like leaving Roy on his own, but nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

The two men went their separate ways, and Johnny guided the others down the hallway and on to the ladder. "Go ahead and climb down. Someone will be waiting for you at the bottom."

He pulled up the antenna on the handy-talkie and hit the button. "Engine Fifty-One, Ladder Twenty-Two, we have two victims out and coming down the ladder. Going back in to meet up with DeSoto now."

"Copy, HT Fifty-One." Cap responded.

Johnny put the antenna back down and shoved the handy-talkie back into the pocket of his turnout coat, once again starting down the hallway. The smoke and the heat had intensified in the short time since he'd left Roy to search the remainder of the floor. The sooner he was able to find Roy and get them both out of here, the better.

"Roy?!" Johnny called out, unsure if the other man could hear him.

"Here!" Roy answered. It sounded as if he weren't far away at all.

"Did you find anyone?"

"Not yet." Roy responded. "Thinking we've cleared the floor."

Johnny finally caught up to Roy just as the other man was opening the door to another room. Smoke came billowing out, the heat hitting them with such intensity that they both had to take a step back before entering the room.

"Fire department!" Roy called out. "Christ, I can't see a damn thing."

Johnny shone the light around the room, but with the way the light reflected off the smoke, it wasn't helping. It was impossible to tell where they were going. "We've gotta go back, Roy."

Roy nodded in agreement, and both men started back the way they came, or so Johnny thought. He was getting turned around in the smoke and was quickly losing his sense of direction. "Roy?"

"Right behind you." Roy answered. "Go forward."

"Are you sure?" Johnny asked.

There was a brief silence. "Yes. Go."

Johnny was doubtful, but now wasn't the time to argue. They could have that argument later, when they got out of here and Johnny could give Roy a hard time for getting them lost in this damn building.

He moved forward a few steps, feeling the heat intensifying. "This doesn't feel right, Roy."

"You got a better idea?"

Johnny was definitely going to give Roy hell once they got out of here.

He pulled the handy-talkie out of his pocket and pulled up the antenna. "HT Fifty-One to Engine Fifty-One, do you read me?"

"This is Engine Fifty-One, we read you."

"Engine Fifty-One, we require assistance on the fourth floor." Johnny continued. "All victims are out, but the smoke's getting intense up here. We're having trouble finding our way out."

"Hold your position, HT Fifty-One." Cap responded. "Additional assistance coming."

"Copy, Engine Fifty-One." Johnny answered. "Holding for further assistance."

He pushed down the antenna and shoved it back in his pocket. There was nothing left to do now but stay put and wait.

"Chet's going to have a field day with this one." Roy commented.

"Yeah, especially when I tell him you're the one that got us lost."

Roy merely shook his head at that.

It wasn't long before a familiar voice rang out. "Roy?! Johnny?!"

"In here!" Roy called out.

Johnny could just make out Chet's figure in the smoke. "About damn time."

"Not my fault you two got lost." Chet answered. "Come on."

Johnny and Roy started to follow Chet, away from the heat and the smoke, and Johnny breathed out a sigh of relief. It wouldn't be much farther now.

He heard a crackling sound behind him and turned around. "Roy?"

"Right behind you." Roy answered patiently.

The crackling sound grew louder, and it was then Johnny realized they were in trouble. He looked up to see the ceiling overhead start to give way, and he reached for Roy to pull him out of the way.

Before he could do so, the ceiling rained down on them, covering them in ash and embers. Johnny managed to brush most of the debris off himself and reached out for Roy.

There was a gaping hole in the floor where Roy should have been. It took a moment for Johnny to realize what had happened. "Oh no. No no no no no. ROY?!"

"Johnny, what happened?!" Chet asked. "Where's Roy?!"

Johnny got on his belly and peered through the hole in the floor. Roy was flat on his back, not moving. "Down below, Chet. Lower me down."

"Are you nuts?!" Chet shouted.

"I can't leave him down there!" Johnny shot back.

"We don't have the equipment." Chet argued. "What the hell are you going to do for him down there?"

"I don't know." Johnny reluctantly admitted. He pulled out the handy-talkie and hit the button. "Engine Fifty-One, this is HT Fifty-One, do you read me?"

"HT Fifty-One, I read you."

"Engine Fifty-One, we need the stokes and a backboard. Roy fell through to the third floor and he's not moving."

There was a long pause. "HT Fifty-One, stokes and a backboard are on their way. Hold your position."

"Ten-four, Engine Fifty-One." Johnny pushed down the antenna and stuck the handy-talkie back in the pocket of his turnout coat.

"You're not going to hold your position, are you?" Chet asked.

"Nope." Johnny calculated the distance to the third floor. "Lower me down. Should be able to make it."

Chet got on his belly, grabbing hold of Johnny's arms while Johnny dangled over the edge of the hole in the floor. "Okay, now."

Johnny felt as if his arms were about to be torn from his sockets, and it wasn't exactly a graceful landing, but he landed on his feet without incident. So far, so good. He could at least start looking Roy over and have some idea what he was dealing with.

He carefully made his way over to where Roy lay, his heart in his throat as he kneeled beside him. Johnny took off his gloves and felt along Roy's neck for a pulse. It was weak, but steady. A good sign.

"Roy?" Johnny didn't get a response, but then again, Johnny hadn't really expected one. He laid a hand on Roy's chest, counting respirations. Rapid and shallow, again, not unexpected. Roy had probably busted a few ribs upon impact, and even if Roy wasn't aware of the pain he was in, his body was doing its best to protect itself from further damage.

Johnny found his penlight and turned it on, opening each of Roy's eyelids. Unequal and barely reactive. Still, barely reactive was better than non-reactive. He turned it off and slipped it back in his pocket, laying his hand on Roy's chest once more. "Just hang in there. We'll have you out of here before you know it."

"Johnny!" Marco's voice rang out. "Stokes coming down! You need another hand?"

"Yeah!" Johnny called back. "Roy's unconscious."

Two ropes snaked over the edge of the hole, and soon Chet had made his way down. Johnny had already grabbed the backboard and was crossing back over to Roy. Between the two of them, they managed to get Roy loaded on to the backboard and then on to the stokes.

"Okay, take him up!" Johnny called out.

Johnny and Chet steadied the stokes as it slowly rose, and the two men soon followed, climbing the ropes out of the hole and back to the fourth floor. From there, they were able to finally get down the hallway and out to the window where they had entered the building, coordinating with the ladder truck to get the stokes down to the ground.

Out of habit, Johnny kneeled down to evaluate Roy, but he was soon guided away by another paramedic. "Let's get you checked out, okay?"

"But Roy—"

"—is being taken care of." The other paramedic assured him as he started evaluating Johnny.

Johnny brushed him away and started to get up. "I'm fine."

A firm hand on his shoulder set him back down. "He's being taken care of."

It killed Johnny to not know what was going on, and he strained to hear the other paramedic relaying information to Rampart. "…BP eighty over forty and dropping…pupils unequal and unreactive…possible internal injuries…"

Something twisted deep inside Johnny. This couldn't be happening. If they could just get Roy to Rampart, he'd make it.

Wouldn't he?

Johnny heard the sirens as the ambulance approached, and he allowed himself to be hopeful. Everything was going to be fine. They just had to get Roy to Rampart alive.

"Looks like you're in pretty good shape." The paramedic's words penetrated Johnny's thoughts. "Do you want to go to Rampart?"

"Yeah, but I'll take the squad in." Johnny answered.

The paramedic nodded. "Hope your partner's okay."

"Me too."

Johnny rose from the ground and met up with Cap. Cap jerked his head toward the squad. "Go."

Johnny nodded and hopped into the squad, starting it up and following the ambulance, its lights flashing and sirens wailing all the way to Rampart. He backed the squad in next to the ambulance, almost as if it were any other run.

But this was no ordinary run. Roy's life hung in the balance.

The ambulance driver hopped out and opened the doors, and the other attendant climbed down with the paramedic right behind, working the bag as they rushed the gurney inside.

Johnny's stomach dropped. That meant that at some point, Roy had stopped breathing. He couldn't help but think the worst, as much as he wanted to hope for the best.

He dashed inside just in time to see the gurney disappear into a treatment room, and he pulled up short, taking a moment to catch his breath. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps behind him.

"How is he?" Chet's voice was first.

"Don't know." Johnny answered tersely. "They just took him in."

The whole crew had piled in now, taking up most of the waiting room space, and Johnny did his best to distract himself while waiting for word. Joanne certainly would have been contacted by now, and she probably would have had to drop the kids off before coming here.

If they lost Roy before she showed up…no, Johnny didn't want to think about that.

He spotted Joanne when she walked in and started toward her before Cap stopped him. "I'll go talk to her. You stay here."

Cap's instructions went against every single one of Johnny's instincts, but he nodded assent and sat down, watching as Cap intercepted Joanne. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, to assure her that everything was going to be okay, that he was here for whatever her and Roy would need as he recovered. God knows they'd done it often enough for him. He was more than willing to return the favor.

Finally, Brackett came out of the treatment room, heading toward Joanne and Cap. Johnny could only see Joanne's face as she listened intently to whatever Brackett was telling her.

Suddenly she closed her eyes, nodding furiously, bringing her hands to her face as Cap gently laid a hand on her shoulder, talking to her. Before long Cap left her, returning to join the rest of the crew.

"He's gone." Cap told them, the emotion in his voice obvious.

The entire crew fell silent, and Johnny could only go over the whole incident, from the moment Roy crashed through that floor until he had arrived at Rampart. He should have come in with him. There must have been something he would have been able to do, something that would have turned the odds in Roy's favor.

"That can't be right, Cap." Johnny was aware of how badly his voice shook. "That just can't be right."

"Johnny—"

"No, goddammit." Johnny cut Cap off sharply. "No, you see, he's got Jenny's dance recital to go to. Chris starts Little League next week. Roy's got to be there for that. He can't be gone, Cap."

He ignored Cap calling out to him as he crossed the room to meet Joanne, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her in close. No sooner had he done so than he could feel her body shaking, wracked with sobs as she buried herself in Johnny's turnout coat.

"I know." Johnny told her roughly, his own emotions starting to spill over. "I know."

Joanne had lost her husband and the father of her children. Johnny had lost his partner and best friend. Tonight, their lives had been irrevocably changed.

Johnny already knew that he would be ready to help out Joanne and the kids with whatever they needed. He considered it his final promise to Roy, one that he intended to keep, no matter what.