**EDITOR’S NOTE: I have had a blast doing the ‘joining’ of parts and this one has been the most fun to put together! I hope it’s as much fun to read as it was putting it together.**

"Sir? Where exactly does it hurt?" Roy finished adhering the data scope leads to the man's chest and turned to the scope's screen.

"My chest...my left arm...oh, God, it hurts," the man gasped. Johnny glanced up from the biophone, watching as the man's wife knelt next to her husband, almost knocking Roy off of his knees onto the floor.

"Ma'am," Gage started, reaching over and gently, but firmly, grabbing her arm. "You need to stay out of his way so he can help your husband."

"But look at him!" she shrieked. "He's dying! Do something!" Johnny guided her over to a nearby chair and then returned to the biophone, ready to re-establish contact with Rampart.

"Take it easy...we're doing everything we can..."

"V-FIB!" yelled Roy, grabbing the man's torso and quickly moving him onto the floor next to the couch. Johnny grabbed the discarded defibrillator paddles and squirted the thick conducive gel onto them, handing them back to Roy, and then leaning back out of the way.

"Help him. Help him," the wife screamed, as she stumbled over to the three men.

"CLEAR!" Roy yelled. As he administered the counter shock, the wife pushed Johnny toward her husband. The dark-haired paramedic couldn't recover his balance in time to avoid a glancing blow of the discharging paddles. Johnny's body twitched as the electrical current flooded his system.

"Johnny!" Roy yelled, as he pulled the paddles away from the man's chest. He rolled his partner off of the first patient and checked the data scope. "Damn," Roy muttered, "no conversion." He hit the reset and picked up the paddles, placing them on the man's chest. He watched the wattage build, "CLEAR!" he yelled, as he administered the counter shock treatment. He watched as the man's heart began to have a regular rhythm. He placed the paddles down beside him, and placed his fingers on Johnny's neck. "Strong, but irregular," speaking to himself. He tried to keep his anger in check when the woman's hysterical screaming caught his attention. "WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP, AND SIT DOWN!" he yelled in his best authoritative voice. She was startled by his voice. She slowly sat down as he picked up the bio-phone. "Rampart, patient went into v-tac, counter shocked twice. Regular sinus rhythm has been achieved. We now have a second patient Rampart."

"Repeat, 51."

"The husband's wife panicked when his heart stopped and shoved Johnny onto the patient on the first counter shock. Will send vitals en-route. Ambulance has arrived and we will be leaving a.s.a.p."

"10-4, 51."

"Hang on, partner," Roy whispered as he put the BP cuff around Johnny's upper arm. Roy pulled out his H.T. "LA, this is Squad 51. We have a code I at this location. Respond Engine 51."

"Squad 51, 10-4." Roy glanced at the cardiac monitor, then inflated the blood pressure cuff. He swore under his breath and felt Johnny's pulse. Johnny’s arms twitched and he moaned slightly.

"Is there anything I can I do, Roy?" asked Vince Howard, as he stepped into the living room of the small house.

"Let the ambulance crew in," he said as he picked up the biophone. "Tell them we'll need the portable stretcher."

"Right," said Vince. He opened the front door and went outside.

"Rampart, this is Squad 51. We have vitals on patient number two. Pulse is 130 and irregular, respiration’s are rapid and shallow, BP is 90 over 60."

"Ten-four, 51. Start an IV with Lactated Ringer's; give a 250-cc bolus and a second one with D5W. Can you send us a strip?" Before he answered, Roy looked over at the equipment on the original patient. Unfortunately, the sight of the monitor made his own heartbeat quicken. "Negative Rampart, the other patient can not be taken off the heart monitor at this time." Seeing the paramedic's expression and hearing his words, the wife leapt up from her seat.

"Why is it doing that!" she demanded, approaching her prostrate husband.

Meanwhile...

Johnny's eyes opened, and he sat up. Feeling a bit shaken, he looked around to get his bearings. When did I leave that hysterical woman's house? "This doesn't look like Kansas," he smiled. Everything around him was stark white. No land marks, no trees, no grass, no buildings, nothing. "Where am I?" He stood shakily to his feet. "ROY!" He yelled. There wasn't any response from his partner. Where was he anyway? "ROY!" He took a step forward. His knees buckled, and he fell to them, jarring his teeth. He dropped his hands to the ground and sat there on all fours shaking.

A large hand wrapped around his bicep and lifted him to his feet. Fear clutched his intestines and he felt like he was gonna puke. He looked up. The man that held his arm was huge. He looked like a Mr. Universe type dressed in leather. The large man looked down at Johnny.

"Follow me," the deep voice commanded. Was Johnny mistaken, or did he have a slight German accent? The large man pulled on Johnny's arm, forcing him forward.

"Where are we going?"

"Trust me," the man instructed him.

"Who are you?"

"I'll tell you when it's time, just trust, and follow me," he told the frightened paramedic. Johnny followed, reluctantly. The man hadn't released his grip on his bicep, and he was pulling him behind.

"You're hurting my arm," Johnny said.

"Sorry," the man's grip loosened, but didn't leave his arm.

"Where are we going?"

"Some place safe. They're after you, and I must get you home." That didn't sound good.

"Who's after me?" I don't remember any of the girls I've dated having any larger, angrier brothers or uncles.

"Roy will know what to do," the bigger man said. "I need to get you to him."

"Roy? You know Roy?" John asked the man. "Gee, I thought I knew all of Roy's friends," he added, sounding hurt. He was silent for a few moments as the large man dragged him along, then he spoke up again, "How do you know Roy DeSoto?" The man didn't respond, so Gage continued, "Are we talking about the same Roy?" The man still didn't answer, and Johnny was getting tired of being dragged along. He was trying to think of a way to escape, but the man's grip was too tight.

"I have to warn you...I'm a black belt in Karate," Gage bluffed. The man didn't seem concerned and didn't slow his pace. "Oh come on," he whined, "let go of my arm!" The man stopped and turned to face Johnny.

"Please Junior, you have to come with me, the future of mankind is depending on you! Once you talk to Roy, you’ll understand." He continued walking again, with Johnny in tow. Junior? Did he just call me Junior? Geez! I'm gonna kill Roy!

Vince returned, followed by the ambulance attendants. Noting the trouble the distraught wife was causing the usually unflappable Roy DeSoto, Vince took the woman outside to calm her, and get her out of his way. Captain Stanley stepped into the house with Marco and Chet behind him.
"What the hell happened?" asked Captain Stanley, incredulously.

"John was shoved onto the patient when I counter-shocked," said Roy shortly. "Can you get more oxygen?"

"Marco," Cap turned towards his man. Marco nodded, hurrying out the door. "Anything else you need, Roy?" He shook his head no, as he started a lidocaine IV on the first patient. He quickly finished, directing Cap to grab the Lactated Ringers, D5W with 3 ampoules of sodium Bicarbonate that the doctors had ordered for John. He was getting the IV line ready when Chet yelled his name. He turned to look at Johnny, then quickly grabbed the Bio-phone

"Rampart, second victim is seizing!"

Johnny continued following the large stranger through the vast whiteness as he tried to make some sense out of what was happening. "You still haven't told me where we're going." he reminded the giant. Again, he didn’t receive an answer. Finally, his bullheadedness overcame the fear and confusion that coursed through his body. Johnny planted his feet, refusing to go any farther until he got some answers.

"We must go!" the man insisted urgently. "They are coming."

"Go where?" Johnny demanded. "And who are they?" He searched the man’s eyes. He looked genuine. "Who are you, and how do you know Roy?" Johnny noticed that although the man was looking at him, he was constantly aware of everything around him. In a way, he was envious. "And what did you mean the future of mankind depends on me? What kind of drugs are you taking man?"

"There isn’t time now. All will be explained to you later. Now hurry, we must reach Roy before it's too late." The man jerked Johnny forward, causing him to stagger several steps before he dug his heels in again.

"I'm not going anywhere until I... until I..." Suddenly the world around Johnny begin to swirl. Dizziness swept over him in waves. Unable to maintain his balance the bewildered paramedic sank to his knees. What was happening?

"You must get-" The man halted his orders causing Johnny to look up. Everything continued to spin, but he thought he detected new movement in his peripheral vision. "We're too late." the man told him, his voice thick with the tone of defeat. From all sides’ black, unformed shapes were moving closer. Johnny felt the stab of icy fear shoot through his veins, as he helplessly watched the forms close in.

He fought the black figures, but there were too many...they covered him like a blanket, and for a short while everything faded. When he came to, he found himself in a small dank stone room...like a cell in a medieval castle. He was still racking his brain trying to figure out how he'd gotten from a suburban LA house to this cross between the middle ages and future world… and where was Roy's friend?

"I died," he said, out loud… but he couldn't remember how he died. Or maybe he didn't die...maybe Chet drugged him and this was all one big elaborate ruse from the Phantom. I'll kill him, he thought. While that made him feel a little better, another part of his brain told him he had a real problem. The one constant was he had to find his way back to Roy. Roy would help him. Determined to play his part for now, he stood up and examined the room. There didn't appear to be a way out, and claustrophobia quickly set in. Panic raced through out his system. He was breathing in short, quick, gasps. He had to will himself to breathe normally. The door opened, and in walked a beautiful woman, dressed in a beautiful flowing robe. She placed a dish in front of him.

"Hello," he said. "Can you help me?" She looked at him mutely, then turned to leave. He rushed to grab her wrist. "Please don't leave," he said. "I really need help... can you get me out of here? I have to find my friend." She shook her head, glancing fearfully behind her. She tried to break away, but fear made him tighten his grasp.

"Is there a problem, Josephina?" A huge man dressed in black, with an executioner's hood, stood in the doorway. He made Roy's friend look scrawny. Johnny dropped her wrist; his mouth hung open. I'm in trouble, he thought as the man pushed him with one hand, sending him reeling into the wall. Everything went black.

Roy sighed as he watched Johnny being loaded into the ambulance. The seizure had lasted one minute, subsiding on its own. Brackett wanted a strip, but the first victim wasn't stable enough to remove from the data scope. Roy felt caught between a rock and a hard place. He knew they wanted that strip before ordering definitive treatment for Johnny, and it took all his professional sense not to rip the electrodes from the heart attack victim.

Cap knew this was a bad call for Roy. He'd definitely need another set of hands in that ambulance. Cap looked around, "Chet..." He stopped when he noticed how ghostly white his man was. That's what Roy needs, a third victim. "Marco, ride in with Roy, pal..." Marco nodded, and climbed into the ambulance behind Roy. Cap shut the doors, rapped on them twice, and watched as the ambulance pulled away.

The first victim remained stable en route to the hospital. Johnny however, became agitated. Roy noted that there were burns on the palms of his hands, where the current had entered his body. He also seemed to be having frequent muscle spasms. When they reached the emergency entrance at Rampart General, two medical teams were awaiting. Dr. Brackett and his team rushed the first man into treatment 2, while Dr.'s Early and Morton rushed John into treatment room 4.

They quickly hooked him up to the EKG monitor. His heart had a regular rhythm to it. Dr. Early adjusted the lidocaine drip.

Johnny started swinging his arms wildly, "Roy, help!" he screamed. Roy was fully aware of how delicate this situation was. He had struggled to keep his emotions in check throughout the whole ordeal at the house, and in the ambulance. At that moment, Johnny's scream broke down what little self-control Roy had left. "Roy, help!" Johnny's plea was heart wrenching. Roy rushed to Johnny's side. He grabbed his hand, and leaned down beside Johnny's ear.

"Johnny! I’m here," he said. "We're trying to help you." Roy reassured his partner in a subdued, comforting tone, "You need to calm down and let the doctors do their job." Dixie noted that the usually composed paramedic was highly distressed at his partner's condition. She quickly moved over to Roy and put her arm around him. Then, whispered in his ear,

"Come on, Roy. Let's go get a cup of coffee." For the first time ever, Roy jerked his arm away. He turned to face Dixie,

"I'm not leaving. He needs me," he whispered to her. Dixie patted him on the back.

"Roy, he knows you're here, but you'll be helping him more, if you give the doctors room to work." She led the reluctant paramedic out into the hallway. Johnny began screaming for Roy at the top of his lungs. They heard a large crash from the treatment room. Roy broke away from Dixie and opened the door. Morton and Early were pinning Johnny down at the shoulders. Dr. Early spoke authoritatively, trying to calm his agitated patient. One IV was dangling from its pole, dripping onto the floor. A tray of instruments were scattered across the floor. Roy rushed to Johnny's side, while Dixie pulled out another instrument tray. She went to the drug cabinet, retrieved a sedative, and a needle. Slowly John relaxed, responding to Roy's voice, and Dr. Early was able to inject the sedative into the IV line. Dixie watched her friend, as the emotions swept over his face. She knew he would never leave John’s side now, so she went over to assist Dr. Early.

There was no telling how many other complications might set in. The doctor resumed his examination of the patient. "Roy, what was Johnny's condition in the ambulance?" he asked.

"Muscle tremors, mostly." Early continued with his exam. When Dr. Early was satisfied, that Johnny was stable enough to move they sent him up to a room in ICU.

Johnny sat himself up on the dirt floor. He looked around making sure no one else was there. Man, he thought, I can't believe that guy! He shook his head back and forth, trying to get rid of the dizziness. Damn it Roy! Where are you? He wondered. I'd even be happy to see that weird German guy right now!

He tried looking around the dark, musty room for a way out. It smells funny in here, wrinkling his nose. He tried to stand up, in spite of his dizziness. There has to be a door or window here somewhere, feeling up and down the moss covered, stone walls.

"Junior, hurry we have to get out of here!" an accented voice came through the darkness.

"I'd love to get out of here!" snapped Johnny, " But, I'm a little stuck."

"Use your powers," the voice said.

"What powers?" John asked. Who the hell is this guy? The German sighed exasperated.

"You're the chosen one... you have the power."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any powers!" Johnny shook his head. Sighing loudly he stated, "I wish I was anywhere but here!" A dense fog engulfed him. When the fog lifted, John found himself sitting in a field. The large German was sitting next to him grinning.

"See, you remembered!" he gloated.

"Remembered what?" Johnny asked, how the hell did that happen. The German shook his head.

"There's no time. When they find you missing, they'll send troops out looking for you. They'll stop at nothing to keep you from finding Roy."

"Troops? Look, I don't know who you think I am, but I'm just an LA county paramedic..." Johnny stated. The German looked him in the eye.

"The future of my people rests with you. I can't go any further now. You must finish the journey alone." John felt his heart race.

"Wait...I don't know what to do." The German smiled enigmatically,

"You will...you're the one." He grabbed Johnny's arms and pulled him across the field to the edge of what looked like a forest. "You must enter the labyrinth. Find the path. But beware… stay away from Kellyville...there the Phantom and his henchman are waiting for you."

"Kellyville!" John said, this had to be Chet's idea of a bad joke.

"Sh… " The German said, listening to a rumbling sound that was growing louder. "Junior, they're coming for you... Go, find Roy, before they find you..." And he pushed John into the labyrinth...

"Find him? That's easier said then done," John replied in annoyed tone. "How in the world do you propose I do that?" A familiar voice barked at him.

"Shut-up you twit! If you'd spend less time talking, and more time thinking, you'd have found Roy by now," John could see a lighted torch walking toward him but could not make out the person carrying it. He talked like Cap, but he didn't sound like him. "Cap, is that you? Please, tell me what I'm supposed to do?" The torch stopped in front of him. John stared into the face of Mike Stoker, or was it Captain Stanley? It was somebody who was a cross between Stoker and Stanley. It was difficult to tell beneath the dark brown hooded robe the figure wore.

"Mike?" Gage asked, as he backed away. "Cap?"

"It doesn't matter who I am." He handed the torch to John. "It only matters who you are. You must travel this path carefully, for your time is limited. You must choose carefully, or all will be lost."

"Huh?" asked John. He raised the torch so he could get a better look at the man. "C'mon, guys, would you at least give me a hint about what I'm supposed to do when I find Roy? Who are these people I'm supposed to be saving, anyway? Who do I look like, Luke Skywalker?" The figure sighed.

"Not really, but you are a farm boy," he studied himself for a moment. "Now that I think about it, this cloak does make me look like Obi-Wan Kenobi. I think we have the same tailor." Johnny rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Great. A wise guy. I'll never get back at this rate. Now who's going to show up, the Wicked Witch of the West and Toto?" he asked sarcastically.

"Don't be stupid. That’s a different movie. You have a quest to complete." The figure cleared his throat. "All will be revealed to you in the proper time," replied the figure. "Watch everything around you carefully for signs. Get moving, Gage, people's lives are at stake. If you fail, nothing will ever be the same." The figure shoved Johnny farther into the labyrinth.

It was bending hospital rules more than a little, but Dr. Early let Roy sit with Johnny in the ICU long after visiting hours were over. Cap had gotten replacements.

Roy sat in the dimly lit room watching his partner. Every so often Johnny's body would jerk with another wave of muscle spasms, the cardiac monitor momentarily racing, before returning to its normal rhythm. Guilt was beginning to work its way into Roy's emotions though he knew, logically, he had done nothing wrong. He didn't even allow himself to think about the cardiac patient's wife, as that only served to raise his blood pressure.

Johnny's body spasmed again, and the dark-haired paramedic mumbled something incoherent. Roy put his hand over his friend's.

"Come on Johnny. You can beat this." Johnny's eyes fluttered. Roy gasped in horror as monitor began to go off.

"Johnny!" Roy immediately started CPR. He didn't stop when Dixie, Morton, and the other hospital personnel ran in. "Full arrest." The trauma team set up the crash cart. Roy stepped down and watched as the team began to work with his partner. Dixie held on to Roy's arm for a minute, afraid he would physically resist, if she pulled him from the room. When he didn't, she led him outside, then told him to stay put. She turned and went to help the trauma team.

It took what little control Roy had left to keep from following the nurse back inside. Instead, he sagged against the corridor wall and felt another wave of guilt wash over him. If only he had . . . But there was nothing he could have done. The guilt was replaced by rage as Roy allowed himself to re-live the day’s events for the first time since they had happened. The man, the paddles, his wife, every detail replayed itself in his mind. His thoughts were disturbed as another hospital door opened down the hall. Roy looked up and froze. The woman who had caused the incident was coming towards him.

John started down a dark path. He could barely see in front of him. Before long, he came to a fork in the road. A sign in front of him read, "CHOOSE WISELY." He stood still for a long time. Finally, he heard a voice say, "Come on, Pigeon! You ain't got all day!"

"Chet?" John asked, looking around.

"Choose Gage!" Chet said. "It's not like you'll make the right choice, anyway!"
John shot a dirty look up towards the sound of the voice.

"Which way would you go?" he asked.

"Me?" said the disembodied Chet voice. "I always pick the right way."

"Right, okay," said John as he walked to the right. He had only gone about 4 steps when he fell, screaming into an endless pit. The disembodied voice spoke up,

"What an idiot… everyone knows that the left path is the right way!"

Roy frowned as the wife approached him. He knew he just couldn't handle her now. She stopped in front of him.

"Young man," she began, "you are lucky my husband is alive. You were supposed to concentrate on him...not your friend." Roy stared at her, his mouth agape. "Don't think I don't know that you gave your friend special treatment!" Roy snapped,

"Lady, I wouldn't have had to treat my friend, if you had just listened to us, and stayed out of the way!" The woman's eyes blazed,

"How dare you speak to me that way! I'll have your badge..."

"You want it," Roy yelled, fumbling to remove his badge from his shirt. Frustrated, he ripped his shirt removing it, and threw it to the ground. The door to Johnny's room opened. Roy looked up into the defeated faces of Dixie and the Doctors he worked with everyday.

"We're sorry, Roy..."

"No…" whispered Roy.

"Well, I better check on my husband!" The woman started to walk away. Roy lunged at her.

"You!" he spat as his hands encircled her neck. "You killed my partner." He began to squeeze her throat, unable to stop himself. "You..." The stunned medical personnel began to pull him off her. They shook his shoulders. He could hear Brackett's voice yelling.

"Roy..."

"Roy...!" said Cap, shaking Roy's shoulders. "Wake up, pal." Stunned, Roy sat bolt upright in bed. He looked at the bunk next to him. Marco leaned over Johnny, who was obviously suffering a bad dream as well. Roy took a moment to get his breathing under control and then looked at Chet,

"Don't ever make that Casserole surprise, again!"

"Why are you blaming my casserole?" asked Chet testily. "It was an old family recipe my grandmother brought over with her from County Mayo. Maybe it was those burgers you guys got at that fast food place for lunch."

"Enough, guys," said Cap, sternly. He looked at Johnny, who moaned and writhed in bed. "Just for that, Kelly, you get to wake up Gage." He glared at Chet and padded back to his bunk.

Chet watched Johnny as he moaned and writhed in the bed. He cautiously went over to stand beside the bed. "You know, my grandmother always said it’s not a good idea to wake someone who’s having a bad dream," he turned towards his Captain, who gave him a stern look, crossing his arms. Well, that didn’t work. He didn’t want to arouse the dark haired paramedic’s ire. He gently shook his shoulder. He rolled over and promptly threw up on Chet. Everyone began laughing. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up into the face of Dixie McCall. Hum, what is she doing at the station? The station slowly melted away, and he began to recognize the ICU of Rampart General. He shook his head to clear it of the sleep cobwebs.

"I thought this whole mess was a bad dream." He yawned and stretched.

"I’m afraid not, "she said as she released his arm, "but he seems to have settled down a little. Why don't you go get something to eat? I'll sit with John. My shift just ended." He glanced over at his partner who seemed to be peacefully sleeping and back at Dixie.

"Go ahead, he's stable now, and you need a break from this uncomfortable chair."

Roy reluctantly got up and left. He wasn't hungry, but a walk in the night air might do him some good. He thought back to the weird dream he had. John will get a kick out of it; especially the part where he throws up on Chet, he smiled to himself. As he stepped outside he looked over and remembered the earlier part of his dream. The cause of John's present condition was standing there smoking a cigarette, Control yourself DeSoto,she was to upset to know what she was doing, walk away. But before he could walk away, she caught his eye, and sneered at him. Her white teeth gleaming in the parking lot lights.

"You will pay for what you've done!" She growled.

"What I've done?" He stopped in his tracks, gesturing at his chest with his finger. "What about what you've done?" She stepped over to him.

"My husband and I are best friends with Battalion Chief Johnston. You will fry. I'll see to it that you never see the light of day." She blew smoke into his face, tossed the finished cigarette to the ground, crushing it with her toe, turned, and left the stunned paramedic.

Roy coughed, trying to clear his lungs of the fowl smoke. Fear gripped his heart. Joanne, I'm so sorry. "I don't know how I'm going to explain this to her and the kids," he spoke out loud, not meaning to.

"What do you need to explain to us?" Joanne's voice floated into his ears. He turned and looked at the only woman that he had ever loved. Her beautiful green eyes glistening with tears. When he didn't respond right away, she tenderly took his hands and sweetly said his name, "Roy." he watched the tears roll down her cheeks. That tone had always touched the deepest part of him. He loved it when she said his name. He reached up with his hands, wiped the tears off of her smooth face, and kissed her lips. He pulled her close and felt her arms wrap around his waist in a hug so tight that he thought he would loose his breath.

"That woman wants to deprive me of my life."

"What do you mean?" He felt her tears on his shirt.

"She says that I favored Johnny's care over her husband's. She knows Battalion Chief Johnston."

"So," She looked up into his blue eyes.

"Honey, they will take me out of the program. They will take away something that I love to do."

"Your record precedes you Roy DeSoto. They won't do anything to you. You are the best paramedic they have, besides Johnny," She smiled, and he returned it. "Dixie told me what happened. That's why I'm here. She said, you needed me, and I can see she was right. You didn't do anything wrong, and the Chief will see that. If she is a best friend with him, he will know what she's like and consider that. Now, I want you to follow me to the cafeteria to get something to eat and a cup of coffee." She stepped back and held his hand tightly. They began walking quietly towards the cafeteria, when the woman stepped out of the bathroom and almost ran them over. Roy and Joanne stepped back and said, "Excuse me," at the same instant. When they looked at each other, the woman's eyes flashed red. Joanne saw what was coming and stepped in front of her husband. She stood nose to nose with the woman, staring her down, daring her to say something, anything, so that she could chew her up and spit her out. The woman took a step back.

"So, you need a woman to defend you now?" Joanne's mouth dropped open, and in anger stepped forward.

"My husband doesn't need me to defend himself, from the likes of stupid people, like you!" She stared the woman down for what seemed like hours. The woman backed up and ran into the wall. Roy gave Joanne's hand a gentle squeeze, and a small tug of her arm. She slowly turned and followed him towards the cafeteria.

"You'll pay," she shouted at their backs. "You'll see."

"Maybe I should call Cap, just to let him know what that woman's accusing me of," Roy said to his wife.

"Go ahead, honey if that will make you feel better," Joanne told him. She knew that Captain Stanley would stand behind her husband and hearing him say so, would ease Roy's mind. Roy walked over to the pay phone and dialed the station. Joanne watched as her husband talked into the phone for a few minutes. He hung up the phone, and came over to sit down with her.

"So...what did he say?" Joanne asked.

"He said not to get too worried about it," replied Roy. Relief was evident on his face. "Cap said that the Chief had already called him to see what had happened. I guess the Chief told him that this woman is demented and has had significant psychiatric problems in the past. Her husband was taking care of her." Roy sighed and leaned back into the chair. "I guess the Chief's a friend of the family, and now he's looking for someone to take care of her." Joanne patted Roy's arm.

"I told you, Roy. You have nothing to feel bad about. You took the appropriate actions." She sighed. "I wish we'd hear something about Johnny soon."

After grabbing something to eat, Roy and Joanne returned to John's room. Dixie informed them that John's spasms appeared to be easing. He was now off of oxygen and breathing normally. He was still sedated, but they were hopeful that he'd do well. As they were talking, a code Blue rang through the halls of the ICU unit. Dixie left Johnny’s room to assist in any way that she could. Roy and Joanne sat by John's bedside talking quietly. Twenty minutes later, Dixie returned.

"Roy," she said, "your first victim...the heart attack patient... I'm sorry, he died." Roy lowered his head and sighed. He couldn't help feeling guilty. Joanne realized what he was putting himself through and hugged him hard. At Dixie's urging, Joanne took Roy home. It had been a long day. She took a final look at Johnny, who was still sleeping. Then she too took her leave. A short while later, the wife of the heart attack patient slipped into John's room.

"You killed my husband!" she said to the sleeping paramedic, as she lit a cigarette. "You and your friend. I'm suffering because of both of you" She took a long drag of her cigarette and then continued. "...and now both of you can suffer because of me." She took one more puff, and then she tossed her lit cigarette onto the bottom of John's bed. She watched it smolder for a minute. Then she walked out and closed his door...

The hospital had called Chief Johnston when the heart attack victim died. The chief’s phone number had been the only one listed in the man's records. Assuming there were no other family, he was called. He had been looking around the hospital for the victim’s wife, knowing she was mentally unstable and fearing that she may try to take revenge on the paramedics from 51.

He inquired at the patient information desk to find the room number of John Gage and headed up to see if the woman was lurking around there. He was also hoping for a chance to apologize for the woman’s behavior. He was walking down the hallway about to turn the corner, toward the paramedic’s room when he ran right into the woman.

"Mary Jo, where’ve you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" he exclaimed.

The next morning, Roy quietly slipped into Johnny's room without anyone seeing him. He wasn't up to asking for anyone's permission and he wasn't sure if he would have listened to anyone who told him no. He had to see his friend.

Johnny lay still and peaceful on the bed. Roy would rather he had been awake, but at least he wasn't twitching. Roy sighed and felt some weight lifted off his shoulders. He reached over and put his hand on the railing.

Johnny's bandaged leg surprised him. Roy thought for a moment, trying to remember something from his training days. I guess the electricity had to go somewhere. He shook his head, again thinking of the previous day's events. It was then that he noticed the small hole in the blanket, right next to the discarded cigarette butt.

"After Shock" ©1999 Two Chickies Interactive Story. "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions. All rights reserved. No infringement on any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.