"Chet Kelly?" asked Joe as he scratched his head. "Are you sure he wasn't pulling your leg?"

"No," replied Kel, "he got quite agitated when we examined him. What do you think?"

"Well," replied Joe, "he has had a head injury, so I expect he'll be confused and disoriented for a couple of days. There's still some edema, but it's improving since we evacuated the blood. If he doesn't snap out of it in a couple of days, then I'd worry."

"So, what do we tell Roy?" asked Kel.

"The truth," said Dixie. "The problem is, is how do we tell Chet? He and the guys are here, and they'll want to see Johnny."

"Well, I don't know what else we could do," Joe Early said.

Brackett spoke up, "Then I guess we'll have to forbid visitors." He put up his hand to stop Dixie, as she was about to protest. "I know, I don't like it either. But if the others get upset that might agitate him, and he needs his rest." Dixie was going to protest when Dr. Early stopped her.

"Kel's right. He needs his rest."

"I know that!" Dixie spoke softly. "I don’t think his friends are going to accept that."

"Hmmm," Dr. Brackett thought, out loud. "We’ll have to tell them that Johnny is having delusions, and that it would be better to wait a couple of days to see him."

"Well, if the guys find out the delusion is that he’s Chet," Joe commented, nodding to Johnny lying on the bed, "They’ll never let him live it down."

"Tell Roy first," Dixie suggested, "He’ll be able to determine whether or not to tell the others."

"That sounds good to me," Joe agreed.

"Only John Gage!" Brackett chuckled.

"Only John Gage - what?" Dixie asked.

"I think what he means, Dix...is that this is the kind of thing that only happens to 'our Johnny'!" Joe laughed.

"Joe, that isn't even funny!" Dixie scolded, trying hard not to smile. Kel Brackett sighed. He glanced back at the hospital bed. Johnny's eyes were shut, and the rhythmic breathing indicated he had fallen asleep. Kel turned back to Dixie and Joe.

"Look, it's getting late. Everyone's tired. Johnny's still running a fever. Let's send them home for the night, and hopefully, in the morning we'll have 'John Gage' back.

Joe Early grinned, "I'm not sure the world is ready for two Chet Kelly's."

The three made their way back to the surgery waiting room where the anxious group of friends awaited word. Dr. Early reported, "Well, the good news is Johnny's regained consciousness-" A collective sigh of relief and chorus of ‘Thank God's’ interrupted him. He continued, "However, he's still experiencing some ...disorientation. And he's running a low-grade fever. So, we think it would be best to hold off on any visitors for the night."

"Please, Dr. Early," said Joanne, "maybe just a two minute visit? I won't feel right until I can see for myself that he's okay!"

"We won't stay long," added Roy. Behind him, Johnny's Aunt Dory was nodding her head in agreement. Kel and Joe exchanged looks. Kel spoke up,

"I'm sorry everyone, we know you're anxious to see Johnny, but I'm afraid that we're going to have to insist. After all, Johnny is recovering from a severe head trauma, not to mention surgery. Believe me, it's for the best."

"Doc," said Roy, "I get the feeling there's something you're not telling us." The two doctors exchanged an ‘it’s now or never’ look.

"Now Roy," Dixie said. "He’s had major trauma to the head, he wouldn’t know who you are." She looked into his blue eye. "For that fact he doesn’t know who he is." She couldn’t lie to the man that she worked side by side with. This revelation stunned everyone in the room. Joanne sank to the couch.

Roy blinked, then asked, "He's got amnesia?"

"After what he’s been through, we can expect this type of disorientation. It’s only temporary. We need you to go home tonight and get some rest. You can see him tomorrow. No visitors, we're sorry." The group was not happy, but they knew that the doctors were looking out for Johnny’s best interest. As everyone was heading for the parking lot, Roy managed to slip away and sneak into the ICU. He had to see his partner before he left for home, if only to let the kids know that he was doing fine.

"Johnny," he whispered to the sleeping man. "Johnny..." John blinked, turning his head slowly to the sound of the voice. He winced at the movement and squinted against the light.
"Cap?" he said to Roy. Roy’s eyebrows rose into his hairline. He knew there had been head trauma, but he didn’t realize it was this bad. His mouth dropped open.

"I’m Roy," he touched Johnny’s shoulder.

"Oh Cap, quit kidding around!" Johnny smiled, "I'm not really up to it right now!" he yawned. "Man, my head hurts," he reached an IV’ed hand up to touch the bandage.

"I'm not Cap, Johnny!" Roy told him.

"Why are you calling me Johnny? Do I LOOK like a pigeon?" John asked.

"Oh Brother!" Roy said, running a hand through his hair. "Now I understand why they won't let anyone in here!" He whispered, turning to look at the door. Roy thought for a moment and decided he should make a quick exit. "Okay...uh...Chet, I guess I better be going," he smiled, backing up towards the door. "I'll see you later, you...uh, better get some sleep!"

"Okay Cap, thanks for stopping by, tell the guys I said hi!" Johnny called after him, then yawned again, "oh yeah, and tell Gage not to get too comfortable, the Phantom still lurks!" Roy backed out of the room, shaking his head. As he reached the junction of the two halls from ICU, a cold hand grabbed his elbow. He jumped turning to face, Dixie, Dr. Brackett, and Dr. Early.

"I'd have expected that behavior from Johnny, but Roy DeSoto, you surprise me!"

"I had to see 'Chet' for myself!" he explained. Dixie sighed, heading down the hallway to check on her ‘star paramedic’.

Dr. Brackett spoke up, "We were going to tell you about it. But we thought it would be best for Johnny if this was kept private."

Roy grinned, "I can see why. He thinks I'm Captain Stanley."

Well, hopefully, by tomorrow he'll be back to being John Gage," said Dr. Early.

Roy's smile faded, "What if he's not?"

"Well, then we’ll deal with it," Brackett told him, as he crossed his arms in front of him.

Dixie stared down at Johnny. His temperature hadn’t dropped at all. She shook her head and turned to leave. She heard him groan and she turned back.

"John...Chet?" she asked.

"Hmmm… hurts," he whimpered.

"What hurts?" she asked.

"Head... stomach..." said Johnny. "Gonna be sick."

"Okay," said Dixie as she grabbed an emesis bowl. She held it under his chin, while he emptied what was left in his stomach.

"I'm gonna kill Gage," said Johnny.

"Why?" asked Dixie.

"Cause it's his fault I'm here," said Johnny. Then he stopped and stared at Dixie. "Hey sweetheart, are you new here? Cause I'm just the guy to show you around...normally that is." Dixie thought, obviously some of the old John Gage is still intact. She went over to the sink and soaked a washcloth in cold water. Ringing it out, she went back over to the bed, lying the cool cloth on his forehead.

"What’s wrong?" Johnny looked up at her, and tried to smile through the pain in his middle.

"He says his head and stomach hurt. What do you think about Phenergan?" Dr. Brackett nods,

"Yeah, give him 12.5 milligrams of Phenergan." Dr. Brackett pulled his penlight from his pocket. "Johnny?" Dr. Brackett turned his attention to Gage, who had closed his eyes.
Johnny turned his head towards the voice and opened his eyes.

"Huh?" said John, his speech slightly slurred. "The name’s..." he turned his head and closed his eyes.

"I've got to check your eyes a minute," said Dr. Brackett. He opened Johnny's eyes, and flashed the light into them. "Equal and reactive, but the left is slightly larger than the right." He looked at Dr. Early. "What do you think, Joe?" Dr. Early checked John's pupils.

"They don't look any different than before." He pulled the sheet down to expose John's abdomen. "Although the headache and nausea could be signs of increased intracranial pressure, it could be post op pain, and a reaction to the anesthesia." He examined Johnny's abdomen. He noticed John wince as he palpated the upper right quadrant. Dr. Early looked at Kel. "Where does your stomach hurt?" Johnny’s eyes fluttered open.

"All over, Doc." Joe looked at the monitor.

"His heart rate is up a bit, and his blood pressure is down a little. I think we may have missed something." He pointed out a bruise on John's side, that extended around his back. "I don't remember that." Brackett leaned closer.
 
 

"That bruise wasn't there when I first examined him. We may need to take him back to the OR for an exploratory lap. It could be a liver laceration we didn't see." Emily, John's nurse, walked into the room and stood beside Dixie.
 

"Emily, Dix," said Dr. Early. "After you give the Phenergan, let's get a hematocrit, coagulation studies, a DIC panel, and a set of electrolytes. I'll call the OR and see if they have a room available. Let's transfuse him with two units of packed red blood cells."

"Right," replied Dixie. She gave John's arm an affectionate squeeze before she left the room, to follow Brackett’s orders.

Early the next morning Dixie was surprised to see Roy and Joanne walk into the emergency room. "Roy, Joanne," she called out to them.

"Hi Dixie." said Joanne. "Roy tried to leave me at home, but I had to see Johnny."

"Can he have visitors now?"

"Actually," Dixie said, "He's in the recovery room." Joanne gasped,

"More surgery?" Roy asked.

"Yes, but he's doing fine." Dixie assured them. "He had some bleeding in the liver, and they had to repair it." Joanne sighed in relief.

"Why didn't anybody call us?" Roy asked, with a tinge of anger.

"Roy, it was very late. There wasn’t time," Dixie told him.

"I'm sorry Dix." Dixie patted Roy's arm.

"I understand," she said. "I'll go check on him and then come let you know. In the meantime you can..."

"Wait in the lounge," the couple intoned together. Roy added, "I'm beginning to think I should be paying rent on this lounge." Dixie laughed then turned and headed for the elevator. When she reached the recovery area, she saw Brackett and Early.

"You know, sometimes, I feel like we're the only medical personnel in this whole hospital!" complained Kelly Brackett.

"We know what you mean," added Joe and Dixie.

"So, how's Johnny...or should I say Chet?" asked Dixie. Joe Early said,

"Groggy, not really conscious yet, and he has a low-grade fever. We have him on antibiotics."
"Let's hope they do the job," added Dr. Brackett, grimly. "I'm afraid that he may develop pneumonia. And in this weakened state…" Joe Early continued,

"Well, we're going to move him back to ICU this morning. The good news is the swelling behind his eye looks like it’s going down. Hopefully, we'll have Johnny back and not Chet," he smiled. Sharon, the recovery nurse, stepped into the hall.

"Doctors, Mr. Gage is waking up." The three friends followed the recovery room nurse. They looked down at Johnny. His eyes were fluttering, unable to remain fully open.

"Hey there," Joe Early said, cheerfully. "Can we get you to keep those eyes open, sleepyhead?"

"What happened?" Johnny managed to whisper.

"Do you know where you are?" Dr. Early asked.

"Um...Rampart?" he replied, uncertainly.

"That's pretty good!" Early told him with a smile. "Now for the million dollar question...can you tell me your name?"

Johnny frowned, thinking for a moment, then replied, "Um...yeah...my name is..." The name floating around in his head didn't sound right, but it was the only one that would come out of his mouth. "Roy, Doc, you know that." The four standing around his bed dropped their heads and gave a collective sigh. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Jo... er Roy. We're really worried about you that's all."

"Is Johnny okay?"

"Why do you ask about him?"

"Well, if I'm here, he must be here too."

"Why's that?"

"We're partner's remember? If one of us gets hurt the other is usually hurt, too!" He hesitated. "And you guys call yourselves doctors," he commented.

"We're gonna go so that you can get some sleep, okay, Roy?"

"Yeah, I'm really tired. My head hurts really, really bad."

"I'll bet you hit it hard."
 
 

"Sounds like something Johnny would do," he smiled.

"Yeah, it sure does." The two doctors and the nurse left the recovery area with grim looks.
"Now to tell Roy."
 

"Tell him what, the Chet is gone and Roy is now the one here?"
 

"Well, we can't have him walk into the room expecting Johnny to find that he's the one in the bed."

"True."

"He'll understand, it's a head injury and you can never predict what the brain will do," Joe Early told them. Dr. Brackett was paged to ER, leaving Dixie and Joe to seek out Roy and Joanne. They entered the Doctors Lounge. Roy stood up expectantly.

"How is he?" Roy asked.

Dr. Early answered, "Well, he's still running a low-grade fever, but his pressure's improved. He came around in recovery..."

"Can we see him?" asked Joanne.

"Does he still think he's Chet?" Roy asked.

"No," said Dixie. "Now he's you."

"ME?" Roy exclaimed.

"You," said Dr. Early. "So it might be better if you didn't see him yet. But it may not be a bad idea to see how he reacts to Joanne."

"Honey?" questioned Roy. Joanne nodded.

"Let's go then," said Joe. "They were getting ready to move him back to his room. He should be settled by the time we get there."

Johnny lay back in his ICU bed. God, his head hurt so badly. And he was confused. I'm Roy, turning the words over in his head. Aren't I? Mike, no. That’s not right. Chet? Please, he thought, I could never be sick enough to think I'm Chet. I'm Roy.... The door opened. A pretty lady walked in, followed by that nurse.

"Joh… Hello?" said Joanne.

"Hi," said Johnny.

"How do you feel?"

"I think I've been better," said Johnny. "Do I know you?" Joanne and Dixie glanced at each other.

"Yes, I'm Joanne."

"Oh Roy's wife," said Johnny, "but wait...I'm Roy, aren't I? So, you’re my wife... Why can't I remember?" He was getting agitated.

"It's okay," said Dixie. "You've had a severe blow to your head. It'll all come back to you, relax."

"Unless I'm not Roy..." Johnny mused. He put his hand to his head; it hurt so badly. The movement hurt his side, and he groaned.

"Relax," said Dixie, "it's okay." She turned to Joanne. "I'm going to get Dr. Early."

Johnny looked at Joanne, "I'm scared."

"It's okay," she said, stroking his head softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Where's Roy, Joanne?" he asked. "I want Roy." Joanne looked up surprised.

"I'll get Roy for you. Can you tell me your name?"

"You know me," chided Johnny. "I'm Henry." Joanne looked at Roy’s partner for a minute, and shook her head.

"I'm gonna go get Roy. I'll be right back." As she opened the door and stepped out, she saw Joe and Dixie coming down the hall.

"Joanne, what’s wrong? What happened now?"

"Oh, Dixie! He knows his name is not Roy." She looked at Dr. Early, "he thinks his name is Henry. I’m going to get Roy." Joanne hurried off down the hall. They continued into the room. Johnny began to cry. Dixie hurried over to him.

"Johnny, what’s wrong?" Johnny looks up at Dixie with scared eyes, and replied softly.

"I'm scared. I don't know who I am and I don't feel good. My head hurts, my stomach hurts, and I want to go home!" Johnny looked up when the door opened and saw Roy enter. Johnny cried out, "DADDY! YOU CAME! Can I go home now! I don't feel good!" The four friends were in shock. Johnny tried to get out of bed.

"Woe there, Junior, you're in no shape to be going anywhere!" Roy told him, gently pushing him back into the bed.

"John, you've just been through major surgery," Dr. Early stated. "You'll be our guest here for awhile yet, anyway," he smiled.

Johnny looked at Dr. Early thoughtfully, then said, "John...you just called me John...is that who I am?" The others exchanged glances and then Dixie spoke up.

"Of course you are," she smiled, putting her hand on his. "You're Johnny Gage, one of my favorite paramedics!"

"Well...that would explain why I'm here," he said, looking a little less confused. "That would also explain this killer headache!"

"You have a head injury, John, it's only normal that you're confused," Dr. Early explained.

"Well, okay...I guess I'll have to take your word for it." He glanced up at Roy. "You're okay?" Roy stood next to the bed.

"Yeah Johnny, don't worry about me, why don't you try to get some rest now, you've been through a lot!"

"Okay, I am kind of tired," Johnny admitted. "Roy, please don't leave!" he pleaded.
Roy looked at Dr. Early, who nodded.

"Okay Junior, I'll stay here awhile, if you want."
 

"Thanks," he said, relaxing and closing his eyes. Roy waited until Johnny had been asleep ten minutes until he quietly joined the others out in the hall.

" --- don't understand. Why is he going through all of these personalities?" Joanne was saying.

"That certainly is the question of the hour," Dr. Early said, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry I can't give you an exact answer. Medicine can be an inexact science, and to tell you the truth, in all my years as a doctor, I've never seen anything remotely like this before."

"Will he be alright?" asked Joanne. "I mean, will he remember who he is anytime soon?"

As Roy gently took Joanne's hand, he said, "You know, what's really bizarre is that he knows who I am now, even if he doesn't know who he is."

Dixie chimed in, "That's right. You know this isn't the usual amnesia. Could it be... psychological?"

"It could be a part of it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Joanne.

"How do I explain this?" muttered Joe. "Well, you see, if some part of his brain remembers what happened, it could be blocking the memory for his own protection."

Joanne didn't know what he meant, until she saw the look in Roy's eyes.

"You mean he might remember that I was the one that hit him." she said mournfully. "This is still all my fault!"

"Now, Joanne - " Roy began. A loud noise from Johnny's room sent him running through the door. The others quickly followed. They noticed the IV pump lying on the floor. Johnny was partially hanging out of the bed, writhing in agony. It was apparent; he had tried to climb out again, but was hindered by pain, as well as the cast on his leg. The antibiotic IV had pulled out of his arm. Roy and Dr. Early rushed over to help him. Dixie hurried to fix the IV.

"Calm down, Johnny," Roy said. "It's okay." Johnny was still gasping in pain. The ICU nurse came in to assist and Dr. Early sent her off for pain medication. John looked up at Roy.

"Gonna be sick," he rasped. Roy grabbed the nearby basin and held John's head. Since he hadn't eaten in a while, there wasn’t anything for him to throw up. Joanne watched with tears in her eyes.

"I hate to do this," said Dr. Early, "but we're gonna have to restrain him. We can't have him getting out of bed again." Dixie nodded and went to get the restraints. Johnny lay back against the pillow; beads of sweat dotting his forehead. He was breathing rapidly. He's so pale, thought Roy. Joanne handed Roy a cool cloth and he placed it on Johnny's head. Johnny's eyes opened and he stared vacantly around the room.

"Junior?" Roy said. Johnny didn't respond.

"Doc," Roy said. "I think you better look at him." Early moved in and checked Johnny's eyes with a penlight. He frowned.

"Not much change in this swelling," he sighed. "He's very warm, too. Dix, get a temp on him." Dixie nodded and placed a thermometer in Johnny's mouth. Johnny closed his eyes, whimpering.

"102.8," Dixie said, as the door to the room flew open.

"Hi. I came to see how Johnny's making out," said Chet. At the sound of Chet's voice, John's eyes flew open and he began to scream.

"No… Please Roy, don't let him take me," Johnny pleaded, grabbing Roy’s arm.
Dr. Early pushed the stunned Chet out of the room.

Trying to keep the delirious paramedic calm, Dixie used her voice of authority. "Johnny, calm down!"

"Johnny, listen to me...nobody is going to take you anywhere!" Roy assured him. He held John's shoulders firmly to the bed. "Come on Johnny, settle down!"

"But that's the Phantom! He's coming for me! He wants to take me to my judgment!" Johnny cried, in desperation.

"Your judgment?" Dixie asked, looking at Roy in disbelief. Johnny calmed down and was no longer struggling against them, he lay still in the bed , eyes fixed on the door, trembling.

"What are you talking about Johnny?" Roy wondered aloud, not really expecting a rational answer from his partner.

"Roy...the Phantom...You know!" Was all the response Johnny gave, never taking his terror-stricken eyes off of the door. Dixie administered the pain medication, hoping that it would work quickly to ease Johnny's pain.

"There now, you should feel better in a minute," she soothed.

"Johnny, I think we're going to let you get some rest, now," stated Dr. Early. He had stepped back into the room after explaining to Chet what was happening with Johnny. He motioned for Dixie and Joanne to follow him out, and gestured to Roy for him to stay with his partner. Roy nodded his understanding. He sat down beside his partner's bed and let out a tired sigh. There was so much happening in Johnny's confused mind, that Roy didn't understand how to keep up with all the twists and turns as that confusion surfaced in Johnny's actions. He hoped that Dr. Early was coming back with a treatment plan.

"Roy?" Johnny struggled to speak. "I . . . don't . . . "

"It's okay, Junior. Relax and get some sleep."

"I'm so confused." Johnny rubbed his head with his good hand, " . . . I can't seem to focus. Starting to . . . feel really . . weird . . " Roy placed a fresh, cool cloth across Johnny's brow.

"Maybe everything will clear up for you in a little while. We only want you to rest. Don't worry about anything." Roy wasn't sure he was saying that for Johnny's benefit or more for his own peace of mind.

"Roy . . ." Johnny whispered, the pain medication making it harder for him to think. "Tell . . . Joanne . . . trying to remember . . ."

"Shhh, now don't. I'll be right here. We'll talk after your nap." Roy reassured him.

Johnny couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He yielded to the black hole of silence that numbed all his senses and wondered why the fog was so thick, as he and Roy responded to the tones . . .

Chet had been standing outside the door cooling his heels. Logically, he knew Johnny was not responsible for what he was saying right now, but Chet couldn't help feeling insulted. He had gone out of his way to get here, and this was the thanks he got. Wait till the pigeon was better...then look out. As he was planning the Phantom's revenge, Cap and Mike got off the elevator and approached him.

"How's John?" Cap inquired.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing he's still out of it. I barely got in the door and he freaked out on me." Chet rolled his eyes. "Then Early threw me out of the door like a bouncer at last Call. He said it was because of the blow to his head."

Mike laughed, "That sounds normal to me." Dr. Early, Dixie, and Joanne came out of the room. The looks on their faces wiped the grins of the small group of firefighters. Early rubbed his temples.

"Dix, let's get another CT scan. I want to make sure we aren't missing anything physically here." Dixie nodded, leaving the group to line up the CT room and the technician.

"How is he?" asked Cap.

"Not quite where we'd hope he'd be. He's still disoriented, feverish. There's still some swelling behind the eyes. We'll take another look at the CT scan, and we should know more. In the meantime, I'm sorry, but I'm restricting visitors to John's Aunt, and Roy."

The men frowned, but understood. Joanne promised to keep them informed, and they left the area. Dr. Early excused himself to his rounds, leaving Joanne alone. No matter what Jon Baker told her, she couldn't stop feeling responsible. What was she going to do if he didn’t get better?

Roy watched John sleep. Johnny’s sleep seemed restless to him. He couldn't believe that only 24-hours ago, they were putting together a grill. He felt a sense of guilt. If he hadn't asked Johnny to help... He shook his head. No use going there. Bad enough Joanne was. I only ask that you get better, Junior.

Johnny was in the squad, directing Roy to the scene. They had been toned out for a TA. Pedestrian hit by car. They pulled up to the scene. It looked so familiar... this neighborhood, the houses. He ran to the victim, a male, struck by a car...there was the woman who hit him, she looked in shock...she looked familiar. This was one of those deja vu things. He hurried to the victim, who was lying on his side. He carefully turned him over. There lying in the street...it was him! He looked at Roy...hey when did he take off his uniform? He was wearing street clothes and looking worried. John was confused. He looked back at the woman.

"Joanne?" he asked. Roy jumped at the sound of Johnny's voice. He leaned over. "It's okay."
"Joanne," Johnny opened his eyes. "Roy, I think Joanne hit me with her car." Roy swallowed hard. He knew this moment would come. Somehow, he'd never thought about it. For a fleeting moment, he wished Johnny were not himself, then banished that thought with shame. "Roy?" Johnny asked, weakly.

"Well," Roy squeaked. He continued in his normal voice. "Well," Roy swallowed and then continued, "she did hit you with her car." It was Johnny’s turn to swallow hard.

"I..." he didn't know what to say. He tried to lift up his hands, but found himself restrained. He struggled slightly and tried to sit up. "What’s going on?"

"Lay still, Johnny." Roy put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down on the bed. "Joanne hit you - "

"But it was all my fault!"

"...It wasn't Joanne or your fault." Roy explained.

"Don't you see, Roy, I'm always messing things up. They're right, I'm useless."

"Useless? Who told you that?" Roy asked. Johnny was fighting to get free of the restraints. Before Roy knew it, John was gasping for air. Roy quickly hit the call button, then looked around the room. He picked up the oxygen mask and placed it over John's face.
"Breathe, Johnny, breathe." He turned to the ICU nurse who entered the room. "He's hyperventilating. Couldn't find a paper bag, so I'm using the mask." She quickly paged Dr. Brackett, then came over to take Johnny's vitals. Hearing the page, Dr. Early and Dixie both entered the room, followed closely by Brackett.

"What have we got?" asked Brackett.

"Patient's agitated, hyperventilating. BP is 130 over 90. Respiration’s, rapid," said the ICU nurse, Sharon. Brackett ordered a mild sedative. The oxygen mask was doing the trick for the hyperventilation. Johnny’s eyes rolled back, and he went unconscious. Roy took the mask from his face.

"He remembered the car accident, but he kept saying it was his fault," said Roy.
Joe Early looked at Brackett.

"This trying to get out of bed isn’t going to help his sutures any."

Brackett nodded. "Did we get the CT scan results yet?"

"Not yet," said Dixie.

"Well, let's get that, STAT," said Brackett. "I'm beginning to worry about the story they'll tell us." Johnny's eyes fluttered and he began to moan.

"It's okay, Johnny," Dixie murmured.

"My head..." he cried softly, "my head... hurts...make it stop."

"We're trying, John," said Brackett, grimly.

"Hang in there, pal," said Roy.