Sailing Away

Rosalind, Katy, Kathy, Pat, KC, Cin, Sheryl, Susan, Alice, Robin, Cassandra, Corey,

Tammy #2, Jo, & Teresita

Dr. Brackett was in the process of cooling Captain Stanley down when Dixie entered the room with an armload of supplies. She looked at the ailing Captain, who was now asleep. She took over for Dr. Brackett, and began to squeeze the excess cold water out of the rags as she lay them on Hank’s burning forehead. Kel removed the thermometer.

"His temp is high, 104. Start an IV Saline on him, give him 1000 units of penicillin, and do the same with Chet. I’ll check on Roy, and give him a shot. Then I’ll run over and check on Mike, to see how he’s holding up. He’s sitting with Johnny right now." Dr. Brackett picked up a syringe of penicillin, and went across the hall to Roy’s room. Knocking on the door, he heard Roy say come in. When he entered the room, he saw Roy is sitting up in bed, fully dressed, reading a book. Roy sighed, setting the book on the night stand.

"Well, I guess it’s my turn to be stuck, huh?"

"Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?" Brackett asked, smiling.

"The nightmares the guys are having when they go to sleep are kinda helping my insomnia." He smiled back at his friend. Brackett nodded in understanding. He stepped over to the chair beside the bed, and sat down. "How's Johnny?" Roy asked.

"He'll be sore, but I think he’ll be okay. He’s sleeping for now."

"Good," Roy said, when there was a knock at the door. "Come in." Roy announced. The two men were surprised when Mike stepped into the room.

"Roy, Doctor Brackett," he nodded at both men, "I think Johnny needs a sedative or something. He's having another nightmare!"

"Again?" both Roy and Dr. Brackett responded, together. The three men hurried out the door to the ‘infirmary suite’.

Mike turned to Roy and asked, "Did you manage to get any sleep?"

"Well, for a little while, but I heard the door to the cabin slam, and it woke me up. Maybe I was dreaming."

"That was probably Cap," Mike said. "He came down here to check on you, and that's when he had the nightmare."

"Nightmare?" Roy asked. "You mean like the Johnny/Chet nightmare?"

"One and the same," Mike told him. Roy looked uneasy.

"That's a scary thought...the Cap having the same nightmare as those two?"

"Yeah, tell me about it!" Stoker replied. To their amazement, the bedroom was in complete disarray, like a tornado had hit.

Roy sighed, "This is getting old...fast!"

"I know what you mean," said Brackett. The men searched the room and the adjoining bathroom. Mike opened the door to Marco's room, and saw Johnny curled into a ball in the corner, moaning and mumbling incoherently.

"Found him," Mike announced. The three men stepped into the room, afraid to approach him, for fear he would take off again. Roy carefully stepped over to Johnny, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Junior…" As he talked, Johnny jumped up and begin screaming,

"Roy, keep her away from me!" His eyes were glazed over.

"It's okay..." Roy said, calmly. "Johnny, relax. We won’t let her get you." Johnny looked around wildly, picked up the alarm clock, and threw it at Mike hitting him in the head.

"Owe… That's it!" Stoker had had enough. He wrapped his arms around Johnny’s waist, pinning Johnny’s arms to his side. Dr. Brackett quickly injected Johnny with a sedative. Johnny struggled for a few minutes, then went limp.

"Roy, we're gonna have to find something to keep him down!" said Brackett. "I don't think Bellingham's belt will do the trick this time. Do you have any other suggestions?"

"Hey," said Stoker, "where's Marco?" The other two men looked at the empty bed. In all the commotion, Marco must have escaped. Both groaned aloud at the thought of another firefighter with hallucinations, loose on board a ship of this size.

"Okay," Brackett said, trying to gain control over the situation. "Let's get this one back to the suite with the others and then we'll get some help finding Marco."

"You got it, Doc." Stoker bent over and with Roy's help hoisted the limp paramedic across his shoulders. They headed back to the suite. Stoker was thinking about how much time he'd actually get for tossing his load over board. He'd never really go through with it - but just the thought made him smile. "You know Roy, I've been thinking," he smiled at the older paramedic. "If we just throw him over board now, we wouldn't have to worry about killing him, later!" Roy's worried expression broke into a smile, and he looked over at Mike, raising his eyebrows, nodding,

"Yeah...it's tempting!" They walked into the suite that was relatively quiet. Mike lay Johnny next to Chet, who was mumbling.

"Fill me in?" Dixie asked as she walked over to them.

"His fever is up again… he beaned Mike here, with an alarm clock," Brackett replied. "I have him sedated."

"So is Chet, here," Dixie informed them. "This nightmare thing is really getting out of hand! It's strange. I've never seen anything like it, Kel."

"Yeah, me neither," Bracket agreed.

"We’re going to look for Marco, Doc." Roy stated as he and Mike left the room. Brackett nodded his approval.

~*~

Stoker mumbled, as he and Roy wondered the halls looking for Marco. Roy was in his own world.

"You know, I've never seen Johnny get sick like this. This is bizarre! He's never had a relapse that I've known of -" He stopped when Mike elbowed him in the ribs. They were in front of their cabins, and one of them was open.

"Marco?" Roy led the way in. He missed getting beaned with a pillow.

"Stay away!" Marco yelled. He was curled up on the bed. Roy went over to reassure him. Another clock went flying in Mike’s direction, luckily he was ready and was able to dodge the aimed missile.

"Why don't they throw soft stuff at me?" Mike pushed past Roy, hauling Marco to his feet, throwing the panicked firefighter over his shoulder. Roy watched in surprise, then ran after them.

"Do you need any help?" Roy asked, trying to assist Stoker with his burden.

"No, I’m too angry to let you help," was his response. He didn't stop until they reached the original VIP suite. He lay Marco on the bed and turned to leave the room.

"I'm going to throw myself overboard!" Mike joked back over his shoulder. As Mike left, two men of the triage team carried Johnny in.

"Why are you moving him back here?" Roy was astonished.

"Chet's mumbling was setting him off," Brackett explained, as he came through the door. He looked exasperated. Dixie followed close behind.

"If he would just stay still and get some rest, he would do much better. He was already half-way there when this foolishness began," Dixie commented. Brackett grunted in reply.

"We've got to find a way to keep him in one spot." Roy came over and looked as his partner.

"I've got an idea about that..." Meanwhile, Mike Stoker stomped through the halls, headed for the deck. He noticed a black-haired woman in a flowing dress in front of him.

~*~

"Hey you!" shouted Stoker as he tapped the woman on the shoulder. The woman turned around and flashed a dazzling smile at the engineer.

"I've been waiting for you, handsome."

"I'll bet," said Stoker, "and I assume your name is Jo, right?"

"Why yes, honey," said the black robed figure. "It is." She reached with her hand to caress Stoker's face.

"Well you can just forget it, sister!" before she could do or say anything, he screamed at her, grabbed her wrist and twisted it sharply against her back. "I'm sick and tired of you tormenting my friends." He held Jo in a tight squeeze. "Get the HELL off this ship, now!" Mike turned around not feeling very well. He made it back to the VIP suite.

"Uh, guys, I don’t feel very well." Mike said as he collapsed into a chair, falling mercifully into unconsciousness. Brackett stepped over to Mike, placing a hand on his forehead

"It was just a matter of time, I suppose." Mike began to mumble incoherently.

"She won’t hurt them now, I got rid of her..." Brackett exchanged looks with Roy. Was Mike seeing this mysterious Jo, too?

"Help me get him into a bed, Roy." Roy and Dr. Brackett took Mike into Captain Stanley’s room, stretching him out on the bed that Johnny had vacated. Roy, Dixie, and Dr. Brackett took a moment to discuss what was going on.

"Maybe the cause is on this ship," Dixie suggested. "That might explain the continuing cases as well as Johnny's relapse."

"Maybe," Brackett responded with a frown that said he wasn't convinced. "But why is it just firefighters that are being affected?"

"LA firefighters," Roy pointed out. "So far no one from any of the other cities has gotten ill."

"It makes absolutely no sense." Roy started to speak then hesitated. "Go ahead." Brackett said to him. "Anything you've got to add would be welcome."

"It's stupid," the paramedic replied. "But maybe it makes as much sense as anything else that's been happening."

"Come on, Roy, tell us," Dixie encouraged.

"Well, what if the cause is on this ship but it's not exactly a virus."

"What else could it be?" Brackett asked unbelievingly.

"I know this is far fetched, and you'll probably think I'm having delusions too, but I can't help feeling this all has to do with this 'JO' everyone keeps seeing."

"What do you mean?" Brackett's question was cut short by a thump in the other room. They didn’t restrain Johnny, while taking care of Stoker. All three rushed into the room to find Gage sitting in a heap on the floor by the side of the bed. Roy was the first to reach his partner. Johnny looked up at him.

"I gotta go," he said directing the comment at no one in particular. "She says I gotta go..." he paused, "...get the others." Roy carefully approaches his partner,

"Okay, Junior, I'm going help you but, you have to tell me, why do we need to get the others, and who is Jo?"

"Jo has beautiful lavender eyes, and a voice like warm honey. She's the most beautiful woman you will ever see."

"Where do I find her?"

"You can't see her, Roy?"

"I haven't seen her yet," Roy told him.

"Everyone can see her, Roy, why can't you?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, Johnny. I want to know why I can't see her."

"She was at that fire last week."

"Which one?"

"You know the one..." Johnny passed out.

"I don't know," Roy commented to the others. "Chet said the same thing, something about a fire last week at a warehouse. We go to warehouse fires all the time. I don't remember anything specific from last week." Roy looked up from his partner. There in the corner stood the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. Dixie and Kel stared at him confused by the sudden stop in his conversation. Roy stepped past the two medical professionals. "What are you doing here, and why do you want my friends?"

"Come with me Roy," she held her arms out to him. "I've come to take you away." Her voice flowed around him like a warm bath.

"Why?"

"I love you, Roy," Roy put his hands over his eyes and rubbed them.

"What do you want with my friends?" he asked again, a little more forcefully.

"I love them, and I want to take care of them."

"Where did you come from?"

"I've been here the whole time, Roy, you just haven't seen me. You're eyes weren't open yet. It wasn't time." Meanwhile, Dr. Brackett and Nurse McCall were very confused.

"What's he doing, Kel?" Dixie asked.

"Looks like he's having a conversation with someone."

"But who? There's no one there." Dr. Brackett stepped around Roy to look into his eyes. The glazed over distant look of fever had consumed Roy. Brackett waved his hand in front of Roy's face and got no response. He snapped his fingers in front of his eyes, still nothing. Roy suddenly blinked his eyes, panic written all over his face, screamed, and bolted for the cabin door. He was gone before anyone even knew what was happening.

"He's got it now," Kel replied, following behind the deranged paramedic.

Dixie turned back and grabbed a syringe filled with a sedative.

"Charlie, Tom...we could use your help," she called to the two paramedics. She hurried off after Dr. Brackett, followed by the other two men. They caught up with Brackett and Roy down the hall. Brackett had him pinned against a corner, trying to reason with him, to convince him that there wasn’t any woman. Roy had a look on his face that Dixie had never witnessed before; his eyes were wild. He looked...manic.

She injected him with the sedative before he even knew it. Dwyer and his partner caught the ailing paramedic as he crumpled.

"We better find out more about this fire they were talking about," Kel said to Dixie, as they made their way back to the room. "I'm wondering what it could possibly have to do with this vision they all seem to be having." Dixie nodded thoughtfully, in agreement.

"I just don't get it though..." she puzzled. "I realize chemicals can have strange effects on a persons mind, Kel, like these hallucinations...but for everyone to have the same hallucination...I've never heard of such a thing!"

"I know what you mean, Dix," Brackett told her, "but right now, it's all we have to go on! Tom," Brackett turned towards Dwyer. "Roy mumbled something about a warehouse fire from last week before he bolted from the room. Was there something special about that fire?"

"Well," Tom replied as he pulled a blanket over Roy. "It all depends on which warehouse fire you’re referring to. We were at several last week. Did he mention anything that might help pin point which warehouse?"

"No," Brackett replied. Dwyer thought a moment then snapped his fingers.

"There was a warehouse fire last week that I do remember vividly, though. There was an electrical short in this one warehouse. The sparks caught some shipping cartons, and it went up pretty fast." Tom sighed. "Typical fire situation. But why I remember it was because this one secretary went back in after a dog named Spike. She died for no reason. The dog had been brought out by one of the other secretaries. Nobody knew she was missing until it was too late. I think Gage found her body."

"Maybe that would explain why he got hit with this first?" Brackett conjectured.

"Ah...but I'm afraid there is one problem with that theory," Dixie stated, "if it were some type of contagion...I believe there would be more people infected."

"Well, you know Doc," Charlie cut in, "we weren't working that shift, if you want anymore details about that warehouse, you're going to have to ask one of these guys." He offered apologetically, mindful of the condition that the men of the A shift were in.

"Wait a minute...Charlie, remember that woman that came in a few days after the fire?" Dwyer asked.

"Yeah... boy, was she was strange!" Charlie answered. "I forgot about her until you brought it up."

"What do you mean?" Kel asked.

"Well," Dwyer continued," she said, that she was the sister of the woman that died in the fire, that she wanted to thank us for all we had done."

"Why is that so strange?" Dix asked.

"Well... it was so soon afterwards... I mean, I guess I could understand if her sister had been saved...but...I don't know...she kinda gave me the creeps, it's hard to explain."

"I seem to remember you telling me that she was 'hot'," Charlie teased.

"Well she was!" Tom admitted, "she was still strange, though!"

"Anyway..." Charlie began, picking up the story, " when we told her we weren't the shift that responded to that fire...she really wanted to know who was... and their names and everything. A very tenacious woman."

"Hmmm. Well, gentlemen," Brackett commented, "I'm not sure what that could possibly have to do with our situation now, but to be honest...nothing would surprise me anymore."

~*~

This was too easy, she thought. She quickly tied back her loose, black hair and rolled in a knot. Now, how to get off this ship, without being seen, she wondered. It was quite satisfying to watch the last one fall. He kept fighting it, but she knew it wouldn't be long. She actually felt a thrill every time the paramedic, Roy, was in distress over his partner. She was pleased to see him worry and agonize. This was better than she had anticipated.

Let them wonder . . . because before long, they'll suffer even more. She laughed, but caught herself. She had to be careful that no one heard her. She had kept herself unnoticed this long and she was too close to freedom for her to ruin it with her own happiness! Ah, Sis, are you watching this? Are you in peace, now, my sister? She crouched lower in the pantry when she heard heavy footsteps.

"Doc, we stored the extra IV bags in the closet," said the stocky, crewman as he led the ship's doctor into the pantry area. "I don't remember which one we put them in."

"Well," sighed the doctor, "we'll have to search all of them." He opened a large door and reached inside. His hand touched something soft and yielding. "Bob!" he yelled as he grabbed the woman's arm and struggled to haul the cloaked figure from the closet. Bob ran over and grabbed the figure's other arm. Bob pushed the hood from her head to reveal the woman's attractive features. It was all they could do to hold on to her.

"Whoa there, Missy," said Bob. "And what do you think you're doing, hiding in here?" The woman struggled in the men's grasp. "I've got her, Doc," said Bob as he grabbed the woman's other arm and pinned them behind her back. "You go call security."

"What's this?" asked the doctor as he felt the pocket of the woman's cloak. He reached in and pulled out several vials. "I think we've found the answers we've been looking for".

"NO!" She screamed, "Give those back!" the woman hissed. "Let me go! You don't understand!" The doctor looked at her and shook his head.

"No, ma'am! I don't understand. But you are gonna get a chance to explain this to a bunch of fireman, and a shipload of angry passengers." The two men escort her up to the VIP infirmary. Doctor Ross went directly to the phone to call for the captain. "Captain Kurk is on his way. Oh...and I think that he, along with the authorities, will find whatever is in these vials, to be very interesting." Kurk and two security guards entered the room in front of Dr. Brackett, Charlie, and Dwyer, each carrying several IV bags. Dr. Brackett almost dropped his IV bags when he saw the beautiful woman standing between the ship doctor and the crewman. The doctor walked over to Kel and handed him the vials that he had found on the woman.

"We found this woman hiding in the pantry and those were in her pocket. I think she has been the cause of this whole problem! We need to get these to a lab and have them analyzed." The captain looked directly at the woman,

"Ma'am, Can you tell me your name?" She could only glare at him with those dazzling lavender eyes, pursing her lips tightly together. The Captain paused for a moment, giving her every opportunity to reply. "Okay...if you're not going to help me out here..." He then turned to his crew members, "We'll need to get her down to the brig, and have Sam stand guard outside the door. Get me Frank, I want to know who let this woman on board my ship, and why her bags were not searched," he turned and walked toward the door.

"Gentlemen, follow me." Meanwhile, Dixie had entered the room. She walked over to Dr. Brackett, and glanced at the vials in his hand. Dixie entered the room with a syringe for one of her patients. She looked at the woman stunned by her lavender eye color. She saw that Kel held in his hands several vials of liquid.

"What’s in the vials?" she asked.

"We think she’s been giving it to the fellas." Dwyer stated.

"You’ve been injecting them with poison?" Dixie questioned.

"I didn't inject them with anything." the woman protested loudly as she struggled to get away from her captors. Dixie walked over to the squirming woman, and looked into her eyes,

"I thought so." she whispered aloud.

"What is it?" Dr. Brackett questioned. Dixie continued looking directly at the woman with a little trace of a smile,

"Belladonna." Dr. Brackett stood there with the rest of the small group. He had an astonished look on his face.

"How did you know that?" he stammered. Dixie ignored the question as she began to address the woman in front of her. Her face reflected the utter hate she had for this woman. She spoke in a low, threatening voice,

"I don't know who you are, or why you are doing this...but it all ends here."

"It will never end," yelled the woman, "until I see them all in their graves! No one can stop me!" Dixie crossed her arms and proclaimed,

"I can." The woman's face grew dark and angry. She threw her head back and spit in Dixie’s face. Dixie was livid, as she wiped the spit from her face. This was the final straw. She composed herself and turned back around to the small crowd. "I will not lower myself. Captain, if you do not remove her from this room, I may do her bodily harm." Dr. Ross was the first to speak,

"Explain to me, how you know Belladonna is in these vials." he asked. Dixie crossed her arms, and looked at the ship doctor.

"It's in her eyes."

"What is in her eyes?"

"If you'll look carefully," Dixie explained, "you'll see her pupils are dilated. During the Renaissance, young women would use Belladonna drops in their eyes so they would be more attractive to men. Men just couldn't resist the 'doe-eyed' beauties." Dixie glanced back at the woman, and then went on, "The name Belladonna means 'beautiful woman' in Italian." Captain Kurk spoke up,

"I fail to see how this has anything to do with all these sick people." Dixie turned to Captain Kurk and continued,

"Belladonna is also known as Deadly Nightshade. If you'll look in your history books, sir, you'll find that the soldiers of MacBeth used it to poison the Danes." Kurk was stunned by this information, regaining his composure, he instructed his men,

"Take this woman down to the brig, and stand guard. I'll be down later to talk to her." Dr. Ross had been putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"It all makes sense now! This explains everything." Dr. Brackett agreed,

"It certainly does. The lack of coordination, the dry, sore throats, the difficulties in breathing and swallowing, the high temperature, and especially the convulsions and delusions."

"What is the best way to treat it?" Captain Kurk asked quietly.

"First, I need your men to go down to the galley. We're going to need all the vinegar and mustard you have."

"Right away. I will be radioing shore, and telling them we're coming in." Kurk left the room. Dr. Brackett turned to the rest of the group,

"Okay, can I have everyone’s attention?" The room became quiet. "Good, I'll need a lot of help to treat these men. Dixie, I want you to prepare those who are the weakest for a stomach lavage. Charlie and Tom, I need both of you to enlist some volunteers to give some enemas." Charlie and Tom’s eyebrows both shot up into their hairlines. Both a bit startled by the request.

"Ah Doc...."Charlie began, "how are we gonna get anybody to volunteer for that job?" Doctor Brackett looked at them and raised one eyebrow. Kel didn’t have to say any more. Charlie and Tom quickly left the room before their assignments got any worse. Kel, satisfied, turned and looked at his medical staff, continuing his orders,

"Dr. Ross, I think the best treatment will be small doses of morphine for pain and amyl nitrite for breathing. The vinegar and mustard mix should help stop the poison from doing any more harm." The medical staff rapidly got down to business. Dr. Brackett turned to the nearest patient, which happened to be Johnny. He bent down to take Johnny's vitals. As he did, he allowed a small smile to form. He quietly whispered to Johnny, "Hey John, I think we've turned the corner. Maybe now we can all go home."

There was a commotion in the main living area of the suite. Everyone exited the room to see what the noise was all about. There lying on the floor were the two 'guards' of the prisoner. She was gone. One of the men sat up and shook his head. Brackett and Ross stepped over to him.

"You okay? What happened, Robbie?" Dr. Ross asked.

"I don't know, Doc. I reached for the door and bang, I was hit from behind by something. Hey, is Herb, okay?" He looked around the floor for his partner. Brackett stepped over to his partner putting his fingers on the man's jugular vein. There wasn't a pulse under his fingertips. Kel wasn't given to emotion, but this was just a senseless act. Robbie saw the look in his eyes and yelled. "There wasn't any reason for her to kill him!"

When Dixie had heard the commotion, she quickly went to check on Johnny. Something told her that Jo wasn’t finished with the dark haired paramedic, and now that she'd killed, there was little doubt she would complete what she came aboard to do.

Without waiting for Brackett or any of the other men Dixie exited through the adjoining bedroom and headed for the deck. She had nothing to indicate this was the proper direction but women's intuition. It had served her well before. Reaching the doors, Dixie pushed through and stepped into the gathering twilight. Up ahead, near the bow, she saw what she feared she would see. Jo was leading Johnny right to the edge!

"Stop right there!" Dixie shouted rushing after the pair. Jo whispered something to Johnny who gripped the railing, about to step over. The dark-haired woman turned to face her pursuer.

"You can't stop me now!" she laughed maniacally. "I may not be able to get them all but I will take this one. The one who had the best chance to save my sister but only came out with her DEAD BODY!" Jo turned back to Johnny, grabbing his arm.
 
 

"Johnny, NO!" Dixie yelled. Gage paused, the familiar voice momentarily breaking through the fog clouding his brain. He pulled slightly away from the woman giving Dixie the opportunity she needed. With a sudden burst of speed fueled by her anger, the Rampart nurse rushed forward snagging Jo by the collar and yanking her away from the railing. Jo spun around with a screech and the fight was on.

Jo was younger, and fighting with the strength of the mentally deranged, but Dixie was furious, and fought for her friend's safety with the ferocity of a mother grizzly. They kicked, gouged, scratched, bit, and used every dirty trick in the book. When the dust finally settled Dixie was on top, straddling the face down Jo with both the other woman's arms pulled behind her and pushed up to almost the breaking point. Taking a moment to catch her breath Dixie turned to where Gage now sat slumped perilously close to the opening at the bottom of the railing.

"Johnny... JOHNNY!"

"Huh?" came his groggy response as Dixie's voice once more registered in his brain.

"Go get the rope attached to that life preserver over there." It took a bit more coaxing but, finally, the paramedic produced the requested item. Dixie tied Jo's wrists together, pulling the rope tight around her body a couple times for good measure. With her quarry trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey Dix pulled her to her feet and pushed her none too gently towards the doors. Johnny followed groggily behind her. Before the trio reached the doors, they burst open. Dr. Brackett, Captain Kurk, Dr. Ross, and several of the able-bodied crew members poured onto the deck. All stopped to stare at the sight before them

"Everything all right?" asked Captain Kurk. Before Dixie could muster a response, Jo gave a loud shriek and tore away from her captor. She flew at Johnny before anyone could react. Several of the men jumped into the melee, all falling on the deck. A loud crack stopped all the activity. It became apparent what had happened. Lay out on the deck, the woman's head hung at a strange angle, while several men hung onto Robbie.

He kept saying, "She shouldn't have done it. Not to Herb..." Kurk sighed and went over to him. Meanwhile, Kel went over and pulled Johnny out from underneath the woman's body.
"I think you've had enough excitement to last a lifetime." he muttered. Dixie stepped over to help.

"Come on, Johnny. You have an appointment to keep."

~*~

Dwyer sat in a chair with a look of disgust on his face. He was staring at a short straw in his right hand.

"What's the matter?" asked Dr. Ross.

"I don't want to talk about it." Dwyer responded.

"It can't be all that bad." Dr. Ross prodded.

"Oh yes it can." Dwyer argued. He shrugged his shoulders and stood up. "I guess its better to just get it over with. I drew the shortest straw,"

"What’s that mean?" Dr. Ross asked.

"Chet," was all that was said. Dr. Ross watched the defeated paramedic walk down the hall,

"Hey, Dwyer! Do want to borrow a surgical mask? It might make your job a little easier."

"That would be great, Doc," he commented with a weak smile.

Johnny may not have been very lucid, but even he couldn't miss the muffled screams as he was helped down the hall.

"What was that?" he asked. Neither Dixie nor Brackett answered. They helped him down the hall a little faster. As Dixie opened the door of the suite, Dwyer came down the hall and opened the door of another suite.

"I am NEVER doing this again!" he declared, before stomping into the room, slamming the door shut.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Johnny, only to be rudely shoved in the door. Dixie and Brackett helped him into the bedroom and sat him down on the bed.

"Don't get too comfortable," Dixie warned. She went out of the room for supplies. By now, even the half-conscious Johnny was beginning to get suspicious.

"What's going on?" he asked, this time with an edge in his voice. He was interrupted by the commotion from the hall. A blur ran by, pursued by several medical personnel and one upset paramedic.

"Come back here, Chet! The longer you wait, the worse its gonna be!" could be heard echoing down the corridor. Johnny got up and was halfway out the door before Brackett caught him.

"Oh no you don't, hose jockey!" Brackett said, as he remanded his increasingly apprehensive 'prisoner' back into the room. "You'd better hurry up, Dix!" he called to her. Dix entered the room, smiling sweetly at John, holding the dreaded 'supplies' in her hands.

"Uh, Dix...w-what's that for?" the nervous paramedic asked.

"Oh this?" she replied innocently, "this is nothing, don't you worry about a thing Johnny."

"I KNOW what that is!" he pointed wide-eyed at her hands. "Y-you’re not?" She started walking slowly toward the young man, smiling. At that point Johnny's eyes rolled back and his knees buckled.

"Well, I guess this won't be so difficult after all!" Kel stated, holding up the now unconscious Gage.

"Lucky him!" Dix replied.

Down in the morgue of the ship, the two men lifted the beautiful dead body onto the slab, and proceeded to slide her into her temporary resting-place until they reached port. The one man touched her face, moving her hair away from her lavender unseeing eyes.

"Man, she is some beauty."

"Yeah, but from what I hear she was pretty ugly on the inside." They stared at the beautiful face a little longer.

"What I wouldn't have given..."

"Be careful what you say," he looked up at his friend. "You may get what you want!"

"I want her," he grinned. As he watched her eyes closed and reopened. "Did you see that?" he asked.

"See what?"

"She blinked."

"It's just a normal response from a dead body. The muscles are contracting. Don't worry she's not gonna wake up and give you a kiss."

"Whew, I guess I've been watching to many B-movies."

"Is this your first time in the morgue?"

"First time on the open sea really." His partner pulled the sheet up over her face.

"No wait. I want to look at her one more time."

"You're sick, you know that?" He turned and headed for the door. "Make sure that you cover her face and shut the door when you leave. I have other things to do than stand around and stare at a dead body."

"Whatever." He heard the door to the hallway shut. Her beauty mesmerized him. He touched her cheek, surprised by the warmth beneath his fingers. "Are you still with us, Jo?" Her eyes opened in response to his question. He stepped back away from her. Panic crawled into his chest like a spider, as he watched her sit straight up. She turned her head and looked at him with her beautiful lavender eyes.

"Yes, I am still with you," she gave him a smile and climbed off of the bed. Fear filled every part of his being and he couldn't even scream as the woman walked over to him. "So what would you have given to kiss me?" She traced a finger down his jawbone, lifting his chin. She leaned forward and placed her ruby red lips onto his. She reached behind him picking up one of the scalpels. He couldn't return the kiss, he was to frightened to pull away. Her arm came up swiftly and severed his jugular causing instant death.

"Now for the firemen." She held the scalpel tightly in her fist as she checked the hallway. "He'll pay. I'll make sure he pays!"

~*~

Meanwhile in Johnny’s room, Dr. Brackett and Dixie lifted Johnny to his feet, and helped him into the bathroom. Johnny suddenly came to, screaming, "She's coming to kill me! She's coming Doc!" He tried to get away from them, but in his weakened condition, the two held him tightly.

"Johnny!" Dr. Brackett says, "she’s dead! She isn't going bother you again!"

Johnny took a deep breath and shook his head.

"Dr. Brackett, she came back to life in the morgue and she killed someone! It wasn't a dream!"

"Okay, Johnny, I’ll get some help," he calmly said, placating his patient. "Dix, why don’t you stay here and keep Johnny company, I’ll go check on Jo." Dr. Brackett smiled, closing the door behind him.

"Okay, Johnny, I have a drink to help you eliminate the poison from your system. I want you to take it with out complaining about the taste."

"Uh, Dix, I feel better! I don’t need anything to help me eliminate anything from my system," Johnny gave her a crooked grin, hoping to convince her that he really did feel better. She shook her head.

"It’s either the drink or an enema, which would you prefer?"

"Well, if you’re giving me a choice, I guess I’ll take the drink." She smiled as someone knocked at the door. "Come in," Johnny replied. Dr. Brackett entered, frowning.

"Apparently, Johnny, you were right. She did managed to kill another crew member, though, the ironic thing is as she was making her escape, she tripped on one of the bulkhead doors, and almost cut through her neck with the scalpel that she was carrying. They flew her in to Rampart and they’re repairing the damage. Is there a problem, Dix?" She gave him her best ‘no problem’ smile.

"No problems here, Kel, we’re doing just fine, aren’t we, Johnny?"

"Depends on what you mean by, ‘just fine’," he frowned. Dr. Brackett smiled,

"I guarantee you will feel a lot better when this is over with." Everyone working in the next room could hear Johnny’s muffled pleadings,

"Ah, come on, Dix, I’ll drink it when I’m ready. You can go tend to some of your other, sicker patients."

"I want to make sure that you drink it all," she told him. A loud, ‘ack’ came from behind the door. Dr. Brackett stepped up to the door and gave it a gentle rap.

"Dixie is everything alright in there?"

"Yes, Kel, everything's fine." she answered. Dr. Brackett turned back towards the medical staff.

"Let’s get back to work, people," he instructed. Dixie stepped from the room, turning back to comment to her patient sitting up on the bed.

"See that wasn't so bad, was it?" She told him. Johnny muttered something under his breath and threw his pillow in Dixie's direction. Dixie ducked, but Kel didn't. The pillow hit Dr. Brackett in the face, knocking him back several steps. Dixie looked up, into a pair of beautiful lavender eyes. Stepping back, she bumped into Johnny's bedroom door. Kel looked up at Dixie's horrified face. He turned to see what she was looking at, and a small noise escaped his throat. He too stepped away from the apparition.

"Jo, you're dead. Your throat was cut," Kel said.

Tears sprung to her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'm not Jo. Jo was my twin sister. I'm truly sorry for her behavior and actions. She shouldn't have done what she did. Sissy wouldn't have been proud of her at all." She began sobbing into her hands. "I knew something like this was going to happen. I knew it. They say twins have a sixth sense, but I didn't listen to mine, because I thought she was grieving." She looked into Brackett's eyes. "I didn't think she was capable of the things that she has done. I feel so responsible. Can you guys ever forgive me?"

"You didn't do it, your sister did," Kel said. It seemed like they were the only two in the room.

"I know, but I should have stopped her, or let someone know what she was thinking at least." Kel stepped over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Sometimes people do strange things when they're grieving, things that they wouldn't normally do. You had a lot of other things on your mind, please don't let it upset you." She looked at him with her lavender eyes and he felt the whole world come to a stop. Her beauty transfixed him. His heart skipped a beat. His mouth fell open and he couldn't take his eyes off of hers. He leaned down and she leaned up. Their lips touched in a passionate kiss. Panic set in and he couldn't pull away from her. He felt like his life was being sucked out of his mouth and he couldn't stop it. His mind could only repeat one word..."DIXIE." Dixie was standing against the door but the look of horror had suddenly transformed into a look of rage! 'Who does this woman think she is?' She squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and slapped Kel across the face!

"Somebody!" Dix yelled, as Kel stumbled backwards. Dwyer stepped over and grabbed Kel around the chest. He dragged Dr. Brackett over to the bed. With one smooth move, they lifted Kel into the bed. Dwyer put his hand on Brackett's forehead.

"He's hot." Dixie looked over at Johnny.

"What?" he asked.

"You okay?" Dixie reached up and touched Johnny’s forehead.

"I’m freezing."

"Your fever’s back, with a vengeance," she told him. John looked at Dixie solemnly.

"It's me she wants, Dix. I didn't save her sister. She won't rest until I'm gone." John made a sweeping motion with his arm. "It's my fault all this has happened."

"He's right, Miss McCall," the dark figure materialized at the other end of the room. A bony finger emerged from beneath the sleeve of the black robe. "It's him I want. It was his fault I died."

"Oh, really?" asked Dix, stepping over to confront the specter. "Was it his fault that you were stupid enough to run back into that burning building?"

"No," said the figure.

"Was it his fault that your boss was storing chemicals illegally that ignited when those sparks set off their shipping containers?"

"No," admitted the spirit after a moment.

"Then you're haunting the wrong group of people," said Dixie. "Listen, these guys try their damnedest every day to save the lives of people like you who do their best to hurt themselves. You owe these people more than an apology!" Dixie shook her head in disgust. "It's the owner of that warehouse you should be haunting! If he hadn't been more concerned with making a buck than the safety of his employees, he deserves everything he gets, don't you think?" The ghost pondered the information for a moment.

"You're right." It approached Dr. Brackett and blew on his face. "You will now be...restored." The specter disappeared. Roy entered the suite and plopped down on the couch looking pale and sick.

"What’s wrong, Roy?" Dix asked.

"Man, I am puking my guts out! I heard you have some medicine that can help me," he weakly smiled at her. Dixie smiled, Johnny wanted to protect his partner.

"Run while you still can, Roy! If you don’t, you'll be sor--ry!"

"Johnny!" Dixie glared at him, "If YOU don't want more medicine, keep YOUR mouth shut. Come on with me back to your room, Roy." Dixie got the appropriate supplies, and followed Roy into his room.

"I’m so miserable," Roy stated as he flopped down on his bed.

~*~

Johnny heard Roy's cry. He smiled sickly.

"I tried to tell him." He settled into his covers, trying not to think about what had happened. That reminded him. He couldn't help wondering as he drifted off to sleep. I wonder if they ever caught Chet.

~*~

"Kelly!" yelled Dwyer as he sped down the corridor after the fleeing firefighter. "Get back here, now!"

"No way! You're not doing anything to me!" yelled Chet as he opened a door to the casino and held the door closed behind him.

"Come on, Chet!" pleaded Dwyer, as he pounded on the door. "I promise, once we get done..."

"Yeah?" asked Chet. "What?"

"I promise we can get even with Gage for getting us into this!" said Dwyer. "It's time for the Phantom to strike!" Chet’s attention was captured, even if his body wasn’t.

"Do you mean it?" asked Chet as he cracked open the door. "Cap forbid the Phantom to make an appearance this trip."

"He doesn't have to know anything about it, Chet," replied Dwyer. "I promise I won't tell, and we'll make sure Gage doesn't."

"Okay," Chet said as he opened the door. Dwyer escorted the wayward firefighter back to the stateroom. "What did you have in mind?"

~*~

Dr. Brackett and Dixie McCall looked around the cluttered suite. Everyone was resting quietly. Even the medical staff had found places to sit or lay down for a much-needed break. Dr. Brackett went behind the small bar, and pulled out a bottle of wine, pouring a glass for both Dixie and himself. "Well Dix, it looks like it's finally over!" he said with relief, handing her a glass. Dixie sat down on an overstuffed chair and kicked her shoes off.

"Ah, it feels so good to be able to sit down and relax!" In the other room, Johnny was almost asleep, he stirred a little when he heard his partner come through the door. Without opening his eyes, he asked, "You okay Roy?"

"I've been better," Roy stated, as he sat down on the other bed. He couldn't even begin to sort through the events of the last few days; he was so exhausted. "We better get some sleep, Junior." he said, falling back into the pillow. Johnny was already asleep.

"Man, after going through that, I owe Gage...BIG TIME!" Chet Kelly growled. Dwyer nodded his head and with a look of disgust added,

"You and me both, Kelly! So, have you thought of anything good?"

"The Phantom always has a plan!" Chet said, nodding his head and rubbing his hands together, expectantly. An hour later, Kelly, and Dwyer stole down the hall to the suite where Johnny and Roy lay sleeping. They held a collective breath as Chet tried the door. They were in luck. It was open. Dwyer waited at the door as a lookout with the materials they would need while Chet made sure the coast was clear. He tried to control his evil laughter as he sneaked past Brackett, who was sleeping soundly on the couch. He opened the door to the bedroom. Two silent forms lay in the beds. This is going to be great! Chet thought to himself. He motioned Dwyer to join him. They began to set up the joke. Dwyer couldn't keep his big mouth shut.

"This is gonna be great! I can't believe you got all this stuff together on such short notice!" As Roy stirred in the next bed, Chet hissed at the babbling paramedic.

"Shut up!" Although, this time even the phantom was impressed with his own resourcefulness. Unfortunately, Dwyer ignored Chet's whispered command. He just wouldn't stop talking.

"I mean, man! This is gonna go down in history! They'll be talking..." Chet reached over and put his hand over Dwyer's mouth.

"Can it, or Gage is going to wake up!" Kelly kept his hand there until Dwyer nodded understanding. Chet waited for a minute then went back to work. Dwyer waited until he couldn't stand it anymore.

"But Chet, what's Captain Stanley gonna say? I mean, he's probably not in a good mood after what he just went through..." The phantom could not work under these conditions! Chet turned to Dwyer.

"If you don't shut up, I swear your gonna find that stuff you used on me in your coffee some morning."

"You wouldn't!" hissed Dwyer.

"Bet me!" Chet hissed. "The Phantom doesn’t always have one pigeon!" Chet thought a moment. "The Phantom usually doesn’t have partners, if you get my drift."

"Okay, okay," whispered Dwyer. He looked at the Jell-O packets in his hand, then at Johnny. He grinned evilly at Chet. "This is gonna be good!" Chet grabbed the lime-green powdered gelatin from Dwyer and sprinkled it on one side of Johnny's body.

"Great, now hand me the orange." Dwyer handed Chet the other two packages, which Chet poured on Johnny's other side. "The way he's sweating, he's gonna look like a rainbow!"

"Now," said Chet, "for the piece d'resistance!" Chet and Dwyer went into the bathroom and unscrewed the shower head. "Now, when he rolls from side to side, the way he's sweating, you know what we'll have?"

"Yeah, Gage is gonna try to wash this stuff off, and then..."

"Yeah, his pickup lines won't be the only thing that's a little thick!" Dwyer snorted. "You know, I'm surprised the cook let us have this stuff," said Dwyer as he poured the small vial of Karo syrup in the showerhead. He screwed the shower head back on.

"I just told him Doctor Brackett wanted it," said Chet as he lifted the lid of the toilet tank. He lifted the small rubber hose that controlled the fill of the toilet and pointed it outward. He carefully set the tank lid on top of it, so it was exposed. He stood back and clapped his hands. "Now, when the pigeon wants to go to the bathroom!"

"He'll get another shower!" giggled Dwyer. "Man, I haven't had this much fun in a while! I need to work 'A' shift." Dwyer turned to check on things in the bedroom, and froze in his tracks. "Chet."

"Wait," Kelly hissed without looking.

"Uh, Chet, I really think you should…"

"You can’t wait!" Chet told him, turning to Dwyer only to find him staring wide-eyed at the door to the room. Chet followed the direction of his gaze… and his heart nearly stopped. There, standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and wearing the angriest expression he had ever seen, tapping an impatient toe, stood Dixie McCall.

"Care to explain this?" Dixie demanded.

"Uh… we were just… I mean, it’s only…" Chet could only stammer.

"Arrgh!" the scream floated in from the bedroom. "What the-?"

Dixie admirably controlled her laughter at the sight of an orange and green John Gage sitting up in the bed.

"Chet!" Gage yelled furiously throwing off the covers in an attempt to get at his tormentor. "I’m gonna kill you!" Johnny saw the ‘B’ shift paramedic standing in the bathroom next to Chet. "Dwyer? Not you too," His yells woke Roy. Dixie decided this was the right time to step in.

"Alright, everybody just stop where you are. Dwyer, you, go unbooby trap the bathroom. Johnny hit the showers, but I think you might want to use a different cabin. Roy, you go with him. And as for you Chester B…"

"It was only a joke," Chet whined as Roy led a fuming Johnny out of the suite. He then realized the implications of the premature discovery. "Cap is gonna kill me. Dixie debated a moment before replying.

"We might be able to avoid that if…"

"Anything," Chet promised.

"First, you clean up this mess, and this entire room. Dwyer will be more than happy to help. I can guarantee that… Second, there will be NO repeat of this after we get back to shore. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next year. Understood?"

"Yes, ma’am," Chet replied obediently.

"And third…" the time slowly ticked by as Chet stared at Dixie expectantly. A slow, mischievous smile spread over her face. "I’ll let you know when I think of it. Now, get to work. I’ll go talk to Johnny and Roy." Dixie left the room. Chet sighed.

"I almost think it would be better to tell Cap."

One week later...

A shift filed into the kitche of Station 51, ready to start a new day. It was the first shift they were all together since returning from the cruise. Cap hadn't found out about the prank. Chet was still waiting to see what Dixie's third condition would be. Mustard
and vinegar were not used since the return. Sea-going vessels in general were, by unspoken, mutual consent, discussed only if a call necessitated it. What was discussed was the strange demise of the owner of the business where the young woman, Jo, had worked. Johnny had a feeling he knew what had happened but he kept it to himself.

It was dinnertime. The men gathered around the table, when the doorbell rang. Mike graciously volunteered to see who it was, returning shortly with a perky, young blonde they all recognized as Johnny's neighbor, Valerie.

Johnny stood up to greet her. "Hey Val, when did you get back?'

"Actually," she answered in a breathless sounding voice. "I'm just on my way home now. Being up in the mountains like that for two whole weeks, I feel like I'm completely out of touch with the real world." No one said it, but most figured that it was a permanent condition. "Anyway, I just had to tell you what happened on the way home. Bill and I pulled into this new gas station over on Hyatt and they were having a contest. I decided to give it a try, and guess what?"

"You won," Johnny whispered.

"I won! Isn't that neat? Well, the reason I had to stop was that Bill said he wouldn't be available and I really don't want to do it alone so, I thought of you."

"Thought of me for what?" Johnny asked, not seeing where this was leading. Valerie reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. Johnny thought he spotted an all too familiar logo on the outside. Valerie squealed, waving the envelope in front of his face.

"I won a cruise!"

Johnny set a land speed record as he fled the kitchen.

"Johnny?" she asked, following behind him.

Back at the table, the rest of the men had suddenly lost their appetites, and began to clean the table.

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