The Hitchhiker

by Nicki, Jill, Aquillea, Jenny, pally, Tim Grass

Johnny Gage whistled happily as he prepared to turn off from the main highway onto the small dirt road that would lead him straight to the Black Hills of Arizona.

"Am I ever glad I let Dwyer talk me into coming here." Johnny whistled appreciatively as he took in the beauty of the Arizona countryside.

It had been a tough couple of months for Johnny, working back to back shifts because of a dramatic injury list that had occurred, leaving very few firemen let alone paramedics. The shifts had all been tough, with too many runs and too many losses. Johnny had finally broke after the loss of one special friend and had been forced to take a month's leave of absence. Well meaning friends kept trying to get him to leave his apartment and join the world of the living again, but Johnny just hadn't been ready to step back into the world of friends. So when Tom Dwyer showed up and tossed him the keys to his Uncle's cabin up in the Black Hills of Arizona, Johnny had jumped at the chance to go.

Now he was more then thrilled he had let Dwyer push him into doing it. The air was so crisp and clean Johnny could taste the purity in it. The sky was as blue and unspoiled as a baby's eyes. The grass was greener then he could ever remember having seen grass. Inhaling deeply, Johnny enjoyed the smog-free, crisp air.

"Yep this is the life... No one to pressure you into talking when you don't want to... No one telling you that you're getting to skinny and need to start eating." Johnny sighed softly as he totally relaxed.

Spotting the turn off a few feet ahead of him, Johnny switched on his turn signal and prepared to make his turn. He could just taste the trout that he planned to catch from the stream that Dwyer said was just jumping with fish.

The sight of the petite blond woman with sparkling blue eyes to match the color of the sky standing by the side of the road stopped Johnny quickly. Jumping from the Rover even before it had stopped, Johnny rushed to her side.

"Miss what are you doing way out here on foot?" He asked, scanning the immediate area for a car.

Bonnie Weston looked the young man up and down. He was beyond handsome, more along the lines of gorgeous. His long lean frame leaning uneasily against the side of the Rover. Bonnie couldn't help but notice the deep, dark circles that outlined his beautiful eyes, the strain that pinched his lips together, or the fact that he was so skinny his jeans hung on his slim hips. None of this made a bit of difference to Bonnie anyhow, she needed someone and he was here.

"My car broke down about ten or so miles up that road." Bonnie lied easily as she pointed up the road Johnny had been preparing to turn down, "And I really need to get to Straigent Circle. Could you please take me there? It's an emergency."

"Ten miles?!" The frown on Johnny's face deepened. "Uhm... Miss... how about I take you to your car and give it the once over?" Johnny suggested hopefully.

Bonnie panicked, "I'm afraid it's a total loss. The thing was a piece of junk anyways. I really need to get there right away... Please, oh please," she begged, letting big tears fill her eyes.

The first tear falling from the baby blue eyes did Johnny in. Chet was right, he was a sucker for women who cried. "Alright I'll take you." He agreed as he pulled the passenger door open.

"Oh thank you, thank you." Bonnie's tears dried up instantly as she leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.

As Johnny climbed into the driver's seat, Bonnie looked at him from beneath her partially opened eyes. 'I sure hope we get through Netters Gulch unseen, handsome, because if Harry sees you with me you're not going to be so handsome,' Bonnie thought to herself as Johnny pulled back onto the road.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slowly the pair drove along in silence. It was an awkward moment for Johnny who was curious to know more about this woman but was aware that he felt on edge for some reason. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something wasn't right.

"Gage, you're gonna need a vacation after this vacation; you're not the suspicious type!' Johnny thought to himself. The vacationing paramedic forced a friendly smile then, just as quickly, it transformed into a look of genuine concern.

"What's the emergency?" he asked.

The young woman jerked her eyes toward him, startled, then she bowed her head and grimaced in barely restrained unhappiness. She turned to stare out the window as if the image of the great outdoors could, itself, provide her a measure of escape.

"It's... it's kinda personal," she whispered apologetically.

With a deep breath, Johnny leaned back for an introspective moment. "I know how that goes," he acknowledged.

Dissatisfied with the awkward silence that then descended, Johnny reached out a hand to flip on the radio. Karen Carpenter's soft lament seemed to lay the soul bare, "... and feelin' old. Sometimes I'd like to quit. Nothin' ever seems to fit..."

With a swiftness that belied her hesitant waffling, the blonde passenger swung around to 'face' the driver, her eyes locked shyly on the center console. Shrugging a little she allowed, "Maybe... I dunno. Maybe it *would* help to talk about it."

"I've heard that." Johnny had to fight off an irony laden smirk as he turned the radio back off.

Once again, his pretty companion turned to gaze out the window, presumably to summon her resolve and wrestle out the difficult words. The good-hearted Samaritan beside her couldn't see the woman's sly grin of relieved satisfaction. Bonnie let a heavy sigh escape before she embarked upon her tale.

"Well, ya see, it's... um... I mean it all goes back to... OK, I've got this, uh..."

"Boyfriend trouble?" Johnny asked knowingly.

"Ex..." his passenger replied emphatically. "Ex-boyfriend... Very ex... And, man, is he ever trouble."

"Ex?"

Johnny's interest doubled now that he knew the petite blond sitting beside him was available. There was no denying that Bonnie was easy on the eyes. He had noticed her hour glass figure, her long blond hair... those big, baby blue eyes and perfect white teeth even before the Rover had come to a stop. A smile touched the man's face. Maybe this little detour wouldn't be so bad after all. Bonnie could take care of her business then the two of them could enjoy the beauty of the Black Hills together. Oh yeah, she was just what he needed to make him relax.

Bonnie smiled almost evilly as she noticed the wheels turning behind Johnny's eyes. She could almost see the smoke raising now that he knew she was single. Maybe, just maybe she could get this guy to do everything she needed him to. Sitting back she let her eyes scan Johnny's lean body. He was very, very easy on the eyes. From the top of his dark wavy head... down to his deep, dark chocolate eyes that could make any women loose her soul... to that crooked grin of his.

"Yep Ex..." Bonnie grinned again,. She would tell him just enough to keep him off balance; there was no reason he had to know the WHOLE truth about Harry.

"See, the reason I need to get to Straigent Circle is that a friend of mine may be in trouble. Well, he's not even a friend of mine, really..." Bonnie crossed her arms so tightly it looked as if she were trying to make herself disappear. "Oh, man," she switched gears, shaking her head despondently, "you're gonna think this is, like, a bad episode of Dragnet or something."

Johnny felt that nervous tingling again but it merely amused him. Obviously the lovely hitchhiker was overreacting to her situation, whatever it was. With a chuckle, he teased, "If that was supposed to be a come-on line, well, it sure is original!"

Smiling, seemingly in spite of herself, the young woman inquired, "But is it effective?" Johnny opened his mouth to reply but never got a word out as he watched his companion bury her face in her hands. The gesture was clearly inspired by self-reproach rather than sorrow.

"What am I doing? Isn't it bad enough I've already gotten one guy into trouble?"

"That's a switch."

"Huh?"

"The girl getting the guy into trouble."

"Funny," the blonde replied in a tone that made it abundantly clear she was not amused.

"Sorry."

Bonnie cocked her head apologetically. "No, I'm sorry. It's just... That sounded like the kind of thing Harry would say."

"Your friend?" Johnny asked.

"No, my ex."

The way the conversation had doubled back on itself put the driver off balance for a few moments, then the lightbulb went on in his mind. "Your old boyfriend's the jealous type?" It was almost more of a statement than a question.

Bonnie nodded. "And see, the thing is, Harry just got out of jail."

"What was he in for?"

With a mirthless laugh the woman answered, "What wasn't he?"

Now the nervous tingling was back in full force. "Sounds like an interesting character," Johnny said somewhat under his breath, while wondering how he always managed to attract trouble even on a seemingly innocent road trip.

Bonnie laughed, "Interesting? That's the first time I've heard Harry described that way."

"So how did the two of you get tangled up, if you don't mind my asking?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Captain Hank Stanley led the hungry crew of Station 51 back into the kitchen. Heaping yellow mounds of macaroni and cheese sat cold and congealing on the dining table where they'd been left when the boys were called out on a garage fire. As per his nature, Hank gave directions as he walked toward the stove.

"Ya know, mac and cheese is better the second time around... and we didn't even have to pay our dues on this one," he said with a grin. "Mike, grab those plates for me, will ya pal? Marco, I'll need milk and butter from the fridge."

"Sure thing, Cap."

"Hey, Chet," said firefighter-paramedic Roy DeSoto as he paused in front of his co-worker and friend, "you've got a bit of soot on your face."

"Here?" Kelly asked and Roy shook his head. "OK," Chet acknowledged as he slid his hand across the opposite cheek. The smallish dark speck spread a comical streak up under his eye.

"Yeah, that's better," Lopez deadpanned then ducked his head back into the refrigerator to hide his grin.

Dwyer, who was half a step behind his temporary partner, DeSoto, frowned. "Actually, you made it worse," he observed.

"Oh... thanks." Ordinarily the impish hose-hauler might have shot a few dirty looks at his buddies for not saying anything, but instead he walked to the sink and washed up with quiet uncertainty.

Silence was out of character for Chester B and Roy knew, instinctively, what was on the man's mind. 'Johnny would have gone along with the gag.'

"When's Gage getting back?" Chet inquired.

There was confusion in Dwyer's eyes but Roy just smiled and looked at his watch. "I'm not sure he's even *there* yet."

"Yeah? Well, he's been gone nearly a month now. And, frankly, I'm getting a little tired of his slacking off."

Stanley looked about to say something but a still puzzled Dwyer beat him to it. "You're the one who suggested the cabin in the first place." Stunned eyes turned to Kelly from every corner. Everyone had wondered what prompted Dwyer to offer Johnny his Arizona cabin. Now they knew.

"He needed to get away from here... away from the job..."

"He's had that." Chet interrupted. "He's had plenty of time. I suggested the cabin, like, what... a couple weeks ago? If he was gonna go, he should have gone then."

Hank walked away from the stove to put a comforting hand on Chet's shoulder. "Come on, pal," Cap said softly. "What happened last month hit us all pretty hard..." Wise and somewhat sad eyes darted over to DeSoto for a moment before he found his voice again. "But it may have been harder on John than the rest of us."

"I know that."

It was Roy's turn to speak. "I know you do, Chet... The cabin was a good idea. Wish I'da thought of it... Anyway, for any of us to keep going, to keep doing what we do, we have to find a way to distance ourselves from what happened... Sometimes time is enough."

"And sometimes it's not," whispered Stoker.

The A-shift crew needed a beacon of hope, Dwyer could see that. "And when time's not 'distance' enough, then you give a person some space. And believe me, Gage'll find plenty of that in the Black Hills."

"Yeah, you're right. I know you're right," Chet agreed sullenly. "It's just... what good is a Phantom when his pigeon flies the coup?"

Marco noted, "It's just a vacation, Chet."

Without skipping a beat, Hank added, "It's not like he's gonna get lost out there. He may be a pigeon, but he's a homing pigeon. He'll find his way back."

Roy couldn't help mulling over his captain's words. Not lost? Johnny was already lost which is what prompted the 'vacation' in the first place. 'Please, Junior... please find your way back,' he thought, almost in prayer.

As the fellas continued dinner preparations, Roy meandered over to Chet's side and commiserated, under his breath. "I miss him too."

"I didn't say I missed him... exactly..." Chet replied coyly.

But it was too late. All the men knew how Chet felt and all had a desire to see their tight-knit unit back together again, whole.

"Wherever he is right now, I'm sure he's healing and thinking about returning home," Roy added, although his voice betrayed a shade of doubt. The paramedic couldn't put a finger on it but he felt on edge, a bit, discussing his partner.

"Go wash up Roy, we're almost ready to try for this meal....again!" Cap said.

With his thoughts occupying him, Roy made his way to the bathroom to wash his face. It was times like this that Roy wished he had a crystal ball just so he could see what his partner was doing. But knowing that wasn't going to happen, all he could do was hope that Johnny was fine and just running behind. What had sent Johnny off on his own to come to terms with was so bad it still pained Roy think about it, even now. Lost in thought, he hadn't noticed Chet come. So when the Irishman placed his hand on Roy's shoulder it startled him.

"Sorry Roy, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok Chet. I guess I had my mind on other things."

"Like Johnny?

Roy sighed his confirmation, "Yeah I guess."

"You don't think something has happened do you?" Chet inquired, concerned.

"No, I think he's just got a lot going on at the moment. I'll bet he stopped to get some food and hasn't had a chance to call and tell us he's gotten there."

"Come to think of it, there's no phone there. How's he gonna call?"

The abandoned partner did his best not to sound worried. "Ahh, he'll probably call from a diner or a grocery store anytime." Looking at his watch he added, "If we don't hurry, our dinner's gonna get cold... again."

Chet smiled a bit as he replied, "You got something against re-reheated mac and cheese?."

"Mmmm, my favorite... We better go before it's all gone," Roy advised. But as left the locker room, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong concerning his partner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The memory of that rescue, the one that would never go forgotten, entered Roy's mind. He could hardly blame Johnny for needing to get away, but really, he just needed to *go*. That fire was the one that all firemen dreaded, that life-altering fire that all the men heard about happening elsewhere, but prayed it never happened to them. Well it did, and it hit Johnny hard.

The day of that fire was just like any other, a sunny, beautiful day, even by California's standards. The temperature was warm and the guys were planning a lunch in the back of the station, on the picnic tables, when the klaxons went off.

Arriving at the fire, Captain Stanley was almost relieved to see that he was not the first one there, and he was grateful that command was calling the shots, not him. Sometimes he wanted the control, sometimes he hated it because he knew that his calls meant the well-being of the men.

"Grab your gear men, we have to get involved. Let me talk to command and see where we begin," shouted Captain Stanley as he ran to the command post, leaving his men to watch the shopping mall fully engulfed in flames.

It was just shy of noon; the men knew there would be many shoppers in there, especially teenagers, because it was a Saturday afternoon. The battle was a difficult one, many casualties, fatalities and just plain old fear were anticipated. No one seemed untouched by the feelings of grief and shock as they did their work, but as professionals, they worked as quickly and expertly as possible, getting as many to safety for treatment as possible. Thankfully, the cooperation of Rampart General Hospital and surrounding smaller hospitals offered a large triage staff and area to work on victims, so the firemen could work on saving victims, rather than treating them. It was difficult on Johnny and Roy, who were trained to participate in both capacities, but clearly their talents were needed elsewhere.

"Johnny, come on, lets go," shouted Roy to his partner who seemed to be mesmerized by the sheer magnitude of the task at hand. It was difficult to know where to begin and he knew how his partner felt. It was overwhelming.

"Right Roy, lets get on top and start working down; let the teams working on the first level continue." suggested Johnny.

"No, you heard command, we can't be accounted for if we don't do it their way. We have to use the systematic approach," calmed the senior paramedic.

"But Roy!"

"I know Junior, but this is the way it is... Lets go!"

Together the men entered the mall and worked on the ground floor, entering stores filled with people and helping them outside. Thankfully, most were just scared and hiding in areas of the stores where the smoke hadn't reached yet. Getting them out was easy, but where Johnny really wanted to be was near the actual collapse and fire. That was where he felt he could do some real work. In some ways, he felt useless. Then with a beckoning from the battalion chief, Phase I ended and Phase II was launched.

"OK men, the main areas have been cleared of victims and we've have had no fatalities so far. Triage reports they're mostly dealing with smoke inhalation and minor burns... It's time to get close to the collapse and rescue anyone there. Are you up to the task?" the chief asked the members of station 51. The answer was obvious.

"Off you go then... relieve 10's. They've been at it all this time."

With renewed effort, all the men nodded and felt a new surge of adrenaline.

Gage and DeSoto had spent a lot of overtime hours at Station 10 the month before the mall fire. Los Angeles had suffered its worst earthquake in 35 years and it had taxed the fire department to its limits and beyond. Initially, all firefighters had to put in extra hours to get the city back on its feet and conditions were, as a matter of course, less than ideal. There were power outages, broken water mains and buckled roads which, in addition to creating problems of their own, hampered efforts to attend to collapsed buildings, damaged gas lines and structure fires.

Miraculously, the department hadn't lost any men, permanently, as a result of the quake. But the already overburdened firefighters who got through that first week, physically unscathed, had to pick up the slack for the unlucky ones who were temporarily felled by injuries and smoke inhalation. The Rampart staff had started a betting pool, of sorts, as to how long it would be before Station 51's accident-prone paramedic, Johnny Gage, would take up residence for a spell. But he had surprised them all by logging in more hours on the job than any other firefighter in LA County.

Although both of 51's A-shift paramedics had pulled a great deal of overtime duty at the beleaguered Station 10, for Johnny, in particular, the place had become like a second home. He'd always had a special place in his heart for the firehouse where he'd undergone his rookie rites of passage, hauling hose. So, as the stressful days melted into exhausting weeks, and it became harder and harder to face extra tours of duty, John increasingly expressed his desire to put in those hours at Station 10. Being with comrades who were like family always seemed to lighten the load.

As a result, it just felt 'right' to the paramedic team that they'd be going in to relieve the guys from 10's. It felt right, that is, until it all went so very, very wrong.

Weighted down by full gear, Gage and DeSoto followed the directions they were given, entering a partially engulfed and unstable, anchor department store. Although much of the mall was single storied, Yardley's was one of the establishments that warranted a second floor. Smoke, black as night, unseen obstacles and debris, not to mention spotty and roaring fires made it difficult for the duo to even reach the stalled escalator. Somewhere at the top, Captain Sam Jenkins, firefighter Cael Perry and paramedic Martin Horgas were conducting a sweep for possible victims.

"See anything?" Johnny had shouted when the pair got to the top.

"No. You?"

"Na... Argh!"

Roy turned to his left and squinted. For a second he felt like he'd entered the Twilight Zone. There was a man stooped over next to him, all right. But, even with all the equipment to camouflage him, it just didn't look like Johnny. The shadowy figure reached down a hand and another one appeared from the blackness below him. The standing firefighter pulled a second one up off the floor and it was Johnny's voice that Roy associated with the one who had taken the tumble.

"Cael! I was hoping to bump into you."

"Well, I'm sorry you're taking such drastic measures to do it," young Perry said with a grin, "You ok?"

"I'm fine... what about you?"

"Man - of - steel - has - no - dents."

"In your dreams, Cael," Gage teased.

"Hey, if it had happened the other way around we'd be taking you to Rampart, code I."

Johnny's sense of humor wavered at that. "Now wait just one second..."

Capt. Jenkins had been waiting for the new arrivals at the top of the escalator. "Perry are you ok?"

"I'm fine, and so is Johnny."

"Glad to hear it."

Just then a radio transmission from Capt. Stanley came through. "Ht 51, this is engine 51. We just got a report of a 3 year old girl who was separated from her mother on the bottom level. Her name is Taylor. She was seen at the wishing fountain looking at the pennies in it."

Roy had already maneuvered past the Jenkins to assist whomever else from 10's was battling the flames on level 2. The Captain looked at the two junior personnel before him. "Alright Perry, Gage... go ahead and assist 51 in looking for the child. We have it covered up here."

Cael grabbed his radio from his coat as he turned to his buddy saying, "Well... I'm all yours." Then, as he and Johnny headed back down the escalator, he called engine 51,."We may need some extra men; it's getting hard to see down here... Oh, and what's Taylor look like and what is she wearing?"

Capt. Stanley responded, "10-4 HT 10. I'll see who I can scrounge up. The child is wearing a pink dress and white sandals. She has dark brown hair and eyes."

"Thanks Cap," Cael transmitted then placed his HT in his coat. Looking at Johnny he observed, "We don't have time to loose... Oh, and be careful would ya."

"Always"

When Cael discovered the little girl hiding under a display table, Johnny had felt certain luck was really starting to go their way. The child was scared but, remarkably, none the worse for wear. Young Taylor had bonded instantly with her rescuer and Johnny saw no need to split the pair up. "Cael, why don't you take your new little friend here to find her mommy. I'm gonna give the guys a hand on the second floor."

Cael nodded and started to give the paramedic his handy-talkie, but Johnny shook his head. "Roy's got the squad's HT. Just let'm know I'm on my way up."

"Okay," the firefighter assented, uncertainty rimming his voice like a halo. He looked toward the now invisible escalator, then made his point in as lighthearted a way as possible. "But if you get lost, we're gonna start making you wear a bell around your neck."

With a smile, Gage gave his buddy a good natured shove in the direction he believed to be the exit. "Anytime you wanna offer up your bell, I'll be glad to ring it for ya."

Rolling his eyes, Cael began carrying the toddler, now wearing his oxygen mask, to safety, while at the same time keying the mic to report in to... "Command, this is HT 10. We've recovered the child and she's safe. Gage is continuing to the second floor to assist in the sweep there."

Before Johnny reached the escalator, however, he caught sight of a cascade of fire off to his left. A flaming section of ceiling panels with what had probably once been a hanging display fell to the floor, directly on top of a couple of hose jockeys. The paramedic immediately veered his course to attend to his fallen comrades. As it happened, the pair were none other than his station mates, Lopez and Kelly. The firefighters had been hosed down and helped to their feet by the time Johnny reached them, but he decided to escort them out and check them over just to be on the safe side. It never occurred to him to ask someone to radio in about his change in destination. Sadly, the firefighter who reported the incident didn't volunteer the paramedic's station designation, which was illegible anyway, and he wasn't prompted for the information.

While 51's A-shift paramedic conducted a quick examination in the parking lot, the blaze in the department store began to get away from the local heroes who were fighting it. DeSoto and his cohort from 10's, Martin Horgas, were instructed by Capt. Jenkins to abandon the increasingly unstable second floor. The two paramedics were slightly delayed in reaching the escalator... then, halfway down, Marty paused. In the dense smoke, Roy hadn't noticed and descended several more steps before his companion caught at his turnout coat. Briefly removing his air mask, Marty communicated all he needed to with a single utterance.

"Johnny!" he shouted with a jerk of his head back toward the second floor.

Roy stared, wide-eyed, for a brief moment, at the quickly fading figure before him. It was both numbing and disconcerting that he, of all people, could have forgotten that his partner had been on his way up to join the second story sweep. Somehow, they'd missed each other, and Johnny didn't have a radio on him. He wouldn't know about the floor's imminent threat of collapse. With only Horgas' elbow still visible in the swirling darkness, Roy heard an inhuman groaning and felt a vibration under his feet. Several instincts tried to possess him simultaneously. He should find Johnny. He should grab Marty and retreat. He should radio command. The conflicting impulses caused a second's hesitation, maybe only a half second, before Roy was reaching for the radio. Simultaneously, he took his first step up the escalator, but one step was all that Fate would afford. The mechanical stairway gave way beneath him, accompanied by a full third of the second floor.

When the rescuers found DeSoto, he'd miraculously suffered only a moderate concussion and some bruising. Horgas, however, was in about as bad a shape as a body could be when it was pulled out from under burning rubble, semi-conscious. Johnny rode in the ambulance with his colleague and friend from Station 10, but he hadn't been able to save him.

Firefighter-paramedic Martin Horgas died en route to Rampart Hospital.

Later, in the hospital lounge, Cael found Johnny having a cup a coffee even though it didn't even look like he had touched it at all. Johnny looked up at him.

"I just checked on Roy," Cael said, subdued. "Looks like he'll be OK," he added as he took a seat.

"Yeah I know," came the quiet, somewhat hoarse reply. Then Johnny returned to staring at his coffee. Cael could tell his friend was holding things in.

"What happened wasn't your fault. You know that don't you? ...What happened, you had no control over."

"I could have been where Roy was... or Marty."

Cael had just lost a station-mate and friend, himself, so he couldn't prevent a trace of tension from surfacing in his voice. "Ahh yeah, you could have but you weren't. Don't get on this 'it should have been you' crap, Gage. You're not Superman... or a mind reader... You couldn't have known things were going to happen like this."

Johnny's voice was brimming with sarcasm. "Gee glad to see your here to make me feel better."

"Look, pally... you need to get over the fact that things happen that you personally can't control. You take it like it should have been you so many times that it gets old. Ya you should have seen it happen and pushed Roy outta the way or been in his place. Do you think Marty is wishing you were in his place? Not that it matters... you weren't and neither was I. You're here now; you're here to make a difference in what ever happens next. Maybe you need to take break and figure out what you should do."

"You know Cael, you're right. I do need a break. I need to get away from all of this... and You!" And with that, John Gage angrily rose to his feet and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Cael froze, unblinking, for a moment then reached over and took a drink of Johnny's luke warm coffee. He made a face then muttered, "Man, Gage... no sugar." 6 packets of sugar were ripped open a little too emphatically. As Cael stirred the coffee, nurse Dixie McCall walked in.

"Didn't I just see Johnny leave?"

"Yep."

"He seemed mad."

"He was," Perry confirmed then he took a drink.

"At who?"

Cael only met her eyes briefly before he answered. "Me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A blindingly golden sun was beginning to sink low in the cloudless, western sky. It didn't help... the way the light reflected off the desert landscape and the ribbon of pavement stretched out before the Land Rover with the California plates. John Gage had reached into his shirt pocket and slipped out a pair of aviator sunglasses to fight the glare as he backtracked toward sunset and the town of Thatcher. And although the man behind the wheel looked even more dashing, in a romance novel hero sort of way, Bonnie wasn't entirely pleased. She relied a lot on reading people and the eyes really were the gateway to the soul. Then again, maybe she didn't want to get to know this guy's soul too well. That could be 6 kinds of trouble.

She told him the truth about her hooking up with Harry, at least as much as she was comfortable telling. It was more than she'd ever told anyone and on some level she was already starting to regret it.

"I had the kind of home life that... well..." the young woman paused and decided to address her discussion to her own reflection in the window. "It wasn't the kind of thing you talk about to strangers... And you certainly don't talk about it to family and friends."

The seemingly vulnerable hitchhiker was quiet for a few minutes and Johnny gave her an opportunity to compose herself before gently prompting, "And Harry?"

Bonnie's laughter caught her companion off guard. "I needed to get away from my fath... family. I needed to be needed. Harry seemed to fill the bill. I was basically a good kid, but a little screwed up I suppose."

"And Harry was your Prince Charming?" Johnny asked in a tone that allowed Bonnie to see his eyebrows arching in her mind's eye.

"Well, he wasn't exactly a fairy tale come true," the woman admitted. But the next instant she was defending her ex, "But you know, no matter what he did, I was still a damn sight better off than I had been."

Before she could enlighten Johnny further, the speed limit dropped as they hit the edge of the three gas station town of Thatcher.

"Straigent Road is the intersection after next," Bonnie noted. You'll want to turn right at the post office."

Gage nodded and tooled his Rover down Straigent as instructed. He was proceeding very slowly but, nonetheless, wasn't expecting Straigent Circle to pop up so fast. "How far down..." he began only to get a glimpse of the street sign in his peripheral vision. "Wait!" exclaimed Johnny as he slowed down still further. "Wasn't that it?"

"Ya know what," Bonnie said forcing a leisurely rhythm, "don't worry about it. I just remembered, the guy's not there." Bonnie had a number of things to worry about, but having displayed her brief flash of panic just then was not one of them. She'd covered it like a royal thespian.

Confused, the raven haired man neither sped up nor stopped, but just sort of coasted through the intersection. "How do you..."

"I ah, I just remembered, he's been spending a lot of time working on... The Shaft. It's a tavern just outside of Safford." The truth was, there was an unfamiliar vehicle parked in front of Bonnie's place, and she was afraid it might be an unmarked police car.

"Safford?!" the driver exclaimed and his mouth twisted up into a grin. "You realize that's where I was heading in the first place?"

"Really?"

"Well, the Old Safford-Clifton Road, actually. My friend's got a cabin up there."

"You don't say," Bonnie responded, gazing at Johnny a little more intently. Then she looked down with a pleasant smile and added, "We'll be passing by there on the way to The Shaft. I'll point it out to you." At the same time she was thinking, 'We'll be passing by the State Prison road too. I'd better make sure you keep the radio off by clueing you in to a little of Harry's checkered past. It won't do for you to be clued into his present.'

"This should work out well for both of us then," Johnny declared, good-naturedly, as he rounded the block. Then he was once again making his way east on route 70, heading for Safford, only this time he had a very attractive tour guide sitting next to him.

"Yeah," Bonnie replied with a sphinx-like smile. "I sure lucked out when you happened by... You're my hero."

Johnny drove swiftly, definitely appreciating the diversion that his pretty passenger gave him. But he wanted to get to the cabin soon as well. His mind drifted to his recent departure from LA, and he shook off the sense of pressure those feelings left in him. 'I am here to relax and think,' he scolded himself. He smiled kindly to his passenger all the while wondering why he felt a sort of danger in his midst. Somehow, something just wasn't right. A man like John Gage relied upon his senses and for some reason, he was beginning to feel uneasy. 'It must be the stress of my leave, I need to shake this.' Johnny thought as he refocused on the road ahead.

Meanwhile, Bonnie regaled her chauffeur with tales of her bad boy beau. He'd been a delinquent before they'd hooked up and he was already turning into a small time hood when she'd cast her lot with him. He'd graduated from drunk and disorderlies ,and petty theft, to robbery and misdemeanor assaults.

"Assault?"

"Yeah. One of the last times, his boss at the garage pressed charges after they got into a scuffle. When Harry got out he started a fire... as payback." Sensing her companion's deep disapproval she added, "It was only a little fire. It's not like he set off a bomb or something... And he made sure it was after hours."

"So no one would get hurt, or so he wouldn't get caught?"

The hitchhiker shifted uneasily in her seat and offered no reply. At least they had driven past the well marked turnoff for the state prison without the driver seeming to notice. That had been her plan after all. Bonnie should have felt triumphant about that, but she didn't.

"You said 'assaults'. Plural," Johnny probed a little further. "'*One* of the last times'. You wanna tell me about the *last* time?"

Johnny could feel the heat rising in his companion's cheeks, the tension in her body. Was it anger? Embarrassment? He had known when he posed the question that the woman wouldn't answer it. The instinctive sense of danger that served him so well as a rescue-man turned up another notch and, oddly, in some way it actually settled his spirit. It was reassuring to know he wasn't entirely paranoid, and it was easier to counter a threat if you could identify it.

It never occurred to the protective heart that maybe it wasn't his place to interfere. His only concern was time. And it wasn't so much a need to reach the mysterious friend swiftly; he was already thinking beyond that. This Harry guy was definitely a danger, and Bonnie almost certainly needed saving. But in reality, she needed saving from herself. She knew the guy was trouble. She couldn't have conveyed that characterization so quickly and so clearly if she were truly ignorant of the fact. But her intermittent defense of the man showed that something still bound her to him. Perhaps love... loyalty... need... He'd seen just this kind of destructive relationship too many times on the job and Johnny knew how frustratingly difficult it could be to derail such a runaway train. But he also knew he had to try, with only a few miles of highway at his disposal, to get this life back on track.

And with that realization the paramedic let out a little chuckle.

"What?"

Here he was, miles from home, with the plan being to seriously consider getting out of the business of helping people. He could almost see Chet shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"You can't seriously be thinking about quitting, Gage. I mean, come on. You can't just stop caring... any more than I can stop playing devilishly funny practical jokes... It's in our blood, man."

His problems were not something the 'vacationing' fireman cared to discuss, making it easy to rationalize that there wasn't enough time at hand. Instead he replied somewhat offhandedly, "Do you believe in destiny?"

Gage didn't have to imagine rolling eyes this time. "Oh, puhlease! Don't tell me you're one of 'those' types," Bonnie exclaimed. "I'm supposed to feel like it was my *destiny* to meet you?"

"Yeah, well... it wasn't *your* destiny I was talking about... Ya know, not everything revolves around you... or me either, for that matter." With a sudden pang of conscience, Johnny remembered he was supposed to check in with Roy and the guys back at the station.

'Maybe there'll be a phone, I could use, at the tavern,' he thought.

"Well then, what do you mean by destiny?" Bonnie asked, not really sure that she wanted an answer. But if it meant she could divert the dialogue, she was grateful for it.

Johnny chuckled again. "It's nothing that I can explain really, it's just a feeling that I may have learned something by listening to you. Don't worry, I'm just thinking out loud." Johnny surmised. "And I remembered something I have to do. I need to call some friends, and touch base."

Bonnie felt a pang of desperation. She had to stop him from making that call, and she had to think fast. They were approaching the tavern quickly. It seemed that maybe a 'Plan B' was in order. "Hey how about if we just keep going. I'm not real hungry and it looks like we have plenty of gas." The young woman leaned over and looked at the gas gage. The man behind the wheel got a whiff of her perfume. He liked the smell of it but couldn't place the scent.

"Well, I really need to call my partner and tell him I'm alright. I made a promise."

"Yep, you look alright to me," Bonnie noted with a seductive smile that made Johnny blushes. "We can get gas in the next town."

"Uhhh... OK, but I definitely need to call him at the next stop."

Bonnie sighed in relief then struggled to find a way to continue distracting the darkly handsome driver. That's when she caught him craning his neck out the driver's side window.

"Not boring you, I hope."

Johnny let out a brief chuckle, emitted through a crooked grin. "No... Sorry... That was the Safford-Clifton Road, wasn't it?"

The woman nodded. "Uh huh... That where you're headed?"

"Yep. My friend's cabin should be somewhere down that road."

"Really?" the hitchhiker asked, making a mental note of the information. "It may not look like much from here, but once you get into the high country..."

Johnny picked up where she left off. "Ruggedly beautiful... and secluded... A good place to do some thinking... Or so my friend told me."

"I don't..." Bonnie began then hesitated. "I hope you won't take this the wrong way... but you don't strike me as the intellectual type... if you know what I mean."

Dark eyebrows arched in response, but the twinkle in the eyes below revealed no insult was taken. Then, in a blink, a quiet seriousness came over the man as he replied, "It's not that kind of thinking."

"Ah, I see." After a pause, Bonnie decided to try a little coquettish probing. "Sooo...this friend of yours... is she waiting there for you?"

The laughter was a bit more sustained this time. "No. HE is a friend of mine from work; and he offered the place up so I could have some time and space... to get my head together."

"Well, if you're looking to 'get away from it all'," Bonnie commented, knowingly, "the Black Hills Country is the perfect place for it."

"Yeah... and that's exactly what I came up here for... to get away from it all and just think about my future."

Something in his voice told Bonnie that whatever the handsome stranger needed to think so hard about was serious. "We seemed to have talked quite a bit about my problems and really not gotten into yours. I'm a good listener." She smiled at him but he just kept his eyes on the road.

He did, however, respond to her question. "Maybe later," he offered as he reached for the radio and turned it on. Deciding not to press him at the moment, Bonnie leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She didn't realize how tired she was. What turned out to a little cat nap turned in to a disturbing dream of what happened just days before she crossed paths with John Gage. The frightening images swirled into Bonnie's sleep state and threatened to pull her back into a maelstrom of painful memories she fought so hard to close the door on. As her mental struggle began, her body began to respond.

"No... no, I said no!" Bonnie shouted suddenly.

Johnny was not prepared for the sudden outburst and nearly drove the vehicle off the road. He worked to get control quickly and came to a full stop.

"Bonnie!" the paramedic shouted, trying to rouse her from her obvious nightmare. "Bonnie, come on, wake up. It's only a dream," Johnny coaxed calmly.

The lovely young woman left the realm of painful memories quickly and arrived back to reality with a jolt. "Oh my God, what happened?" She asked, somewhat embarrassed and disoriented.

"You tell me. You fell asleep and started screaming!" Johnny said, trying to hold back his concern and not get too involved.

"And here I said I was a good listener," Bonnie observed, apologetically, desperately hoping to turn the discussion back towards the charming driver.

"Aw, don't sweat it," Johnny reassured his passenger. "And really, if you..." he continued only to trail off. He hadn't noticed until just then that the occasional building was starting to pop up again. Now, however, it was clear that a major intersection was less than a mile down the highway.

"The end of the road?"

I sure hope not, my friend,' Bonnie thought to herself suddenly in a panic. Harry would love to get his hands on the good Samaritan's vehicle, not to mention his cash and secluded lodging. The troubled young woman decided she liked the guy too much to let that happen.

"Yep, looks like we're here," she replied as casually as she could muster. There's a gas station just before the intersection. The Shaft is right across the street. Since you wanted gas and to call your friends, why don't you pull in at the station? I'll just walk over to meet my friend."

Johnny might have agreed but, as they neared the intersection, he could see that the large gravel parking lot in front of the tavern was empty. "I dunno. Looks like your friend may not be there after all. And if not, you'll still be needing a ride."

"No, really. I've put you out too much as it is."

With a shrug, Johnny countered, "What's an extra five minutes?" And with that, he pulled into the tavern parking lot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonnie looked frantically around trying to see if Harry's car was maybe parked down the street but she couldn't see anything. All she could hope was he wasn't anywhere around. Gage got out of the car and walked inside the tavern. Bonnie got out of the car and followed the lanky Californian inside. She watched as Johnny found the phone and started dialing the station's phone number.

"Station 51, fireman DeSoto."

"Hey, Roy."

The sound of his partner's voice brought a smile to the senior paramedic's lips. "Hey yourself! I was starting to get worried."

"I know, I'm sorry. But I stopped to pick a stranded girl... her car broke down."

"I should have guessed a girl would need saving," Roy teased.

"Well she did..."

As the two men talked, Bonnie walked to the back where the restrooms were. Just as she passed a side door she was grabbed and forced inside. There was no time to scream before a large hand was placed over her mouth. Then the light was turned on... and she saw him... Harry.

"Well, hey doll, s'been a little while. Have I missed you!" Harry growled quietly. "What are you gonna do for me?"

"H-Harry, you scared the life right out of me!" Bonnie whispered in a panicked tone when the escaped con released the hold he had on her mouth. The stress of the past few days was working on Bonnie; she half wanted to scream and half wanted to just disappear. 'How did I get here?' she wondered quietly. 'And what did I do to Johnny?'

Meanwhile, despite the few hundred miles separating the partners, somehow the distance that had grown between them over the past several weeks seemed to dissipate. The friends teased one another and, for a moment, it felt like all was right with the world. Then Roy noticed an uncharacteristic silence at the other end of the line, and was unsettled all over again.

"Hey, Junior... what's up?" He could almost see the perplexed look on Johnny's face.

The California paramedic scanned the seemingly empty Arizona tavern, clearly ill at ease. "Aw, I'm sure it's nothing Roy... It's just... I think I better go."

"What? Johnny... wait a minute."

There was a moment of dead silence as the handsome traveler put his hand over the mouthpiece and yelled, "Bonnie?" When there was no reply he hurriedly bid his partner goodbye saying, "Yeah, I gotta check on something, Roy. Say 'hi' to the fellas for me." When his friend tried to protest, Johnny added, "I'll call back right after breakfast tomorrow... Before even... Promise."

"Bye, pally."

Johnny couldn't explain it, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood up when he called out Bonnie's name. He just knew that something was wrong, he sensed trouble in the air and knew he had to be careful. Cautiously, he stepped away from the phone and took stock of his surroundings. 'How do I get myself into these situations? And I wanted some time to think and unwind a bit!' Johnny quietly chastised himself.

As he made his way to the back of the tavern Johnny thought he heard Bonnie's voice. Her tone was stressed and her fear made her unable to whisper. "Harry, listen to me, I can't go through with this, not anymore. I want this to end, it's too much for me. You don't know this guy, he's good people" Bonnie rasped.

"I don't give a damn about no one but me and you, and anyone who is in my way is gonna regret it... I need some of what he's got and you're gonna git it for me girl, if you know what's good for you! You know what happened the last time I got mad at you... now don't you forget it!" Harry spat. His anger elevated the temperature in the small enclave they were in.

Bonnie wanted to just run, but the memories of the last time she defied Harry flooded back to her. She could feel each punch and slap all over again, and it was just enough of a walk down memory lane to leave Bonnie weak and drained.

"H-Harry, please don't hurt me again... But please... please listen to me. This has to just stop. You don't wanna go back to jail again, do ya? C'mon Harry, there's a better way," Bonnie reasoned.

"I am not gonna go back to that hell, but you'll see - I am gonna get everything that I want and more. AND, you're gonna help me!" Harry sneered.

Johnny had heard enough. Obviously there was more to Bonnie than met the eye, but now she was in trouble. 'I can't just leave her, can I?' he reasoned. 'Nope, I have to help.' And with that, John Gage set his jaw and rushed toward Bonnie and Harry.

"Hey, what's going on?" Johnny asked the pair who were startled to see him. Bonnie knew that if she didn't get out of this situation, and fast, Johnny could get hurt... maybe killed. She looked at Harry as he started to pull his gun out of his waist band. She had to do something quick. So, taking a'hold of her wrist with her left hand Bonnie jabbed Harry hard in the in the chest with her elbow. When the dangerous escapee doubled over, she shoved him hard up against the wall and watched him slide down.

"Bonnie, what the hell is going on?"

The lovely but fearful blonde grabbed the rescue-man's hand saying, "We gotta get out of here Johnny! I'll explain everything soon as we get to the cabin... Come on, hurry!" Johnny and Bonnie ran out the tavern door and jumped in the Rover. Johnny turned the key and backed up quickly, throwing dirt all over. He then threw it in drive and the couple peeled out of the parking lot. Just as they hit the pavement, Bonnie looked back at the Shaft and saw Harry coming out, stumbling, with his gun drawn.

Johnny watched in his rear-view mirror, holding his breath as the scruffy looking criminal aimed his gun at the Land Rover. He blew at his bangs in relief as the fellow decided he couldn't afford to attract that sort of attention and tucked the gun into his belt, then took off sprinting, presumably to find a pursuit vehicle. Or perhaps an escape vehicle. At first, Bonnie didn't notice when the public servant slowed his pace.

"I'm betting that wasn't your friend," Johnny observed frowning. Bonnie bowed her head in silent guilt and the gesture spoke volumes. "Wait a minute! There never *was* a "friend" in the first place... was there? Well, that figures... Man, Chet's gonna have a field day..."

The fidgety passenger cut him off as she peered behind them to see distant a lime colored Ford LTD rapidly closing the gap.

"Can't this heap go any faster?" She was taken aback by the non sequitur of a reply.

"So, was anybody hurt when Harry the Hoodlum broke out of jail? Was anybody killed?"

"No! God no!... Um, well... not killed that is. Look, you don't understand about Harry..."

Once again, the grim faced paramedic glanced up in his rear-view mirror rather then over at the beautiful but mixed-up woman beside him. "Don't I?"

"No... No, you don't... you couldn't..." Bonnie stammered defensively, then stopped. She was having trouble finding the words to explain, finding an explanation that didn't sound childish and naive. Besides, she wasn't sure the driver was paying all that much attention to her now. He seemed to be keeping an even distance between themselves and Harry. He seemed to be doing it on purpose.

"That's your turn, there," Bonnie pointed out as they approached the Old Safford-Clifton Road. "Hey... hey did you... What are you doing?!" she exclaimed as they drove past the intersection. "Are you crazy?"

"I get that question a lot," the dark Californian responded wryly.

Bonnie began muttering to herself about her luck with men and whatnot, and Gage was torn as to whether to try to reassure the woman or lecture to her. But just then, he caught the break he'd been hoping for. Another, rare vehicle had appeared up ahead on the desolate stretch of desert highway, and he could just make out the extra glare of the sun reflecting off its roof. It was a patrol car of some sort.

Johnny started tapping out SOS with his high beams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the firehouse, Roy stared with concern at the telephone receiver, it's dial-tone sounding somehow ominous to him. Trying to shake off the 'bad vibe' he hung up then literally tripped over Chet Kelly who, unbeknownst to him, had become his shadow.

"Was that Gage? Well, was it? Common Roy, give. 's he OK. I mean, not that I care or anything, you understand, but the other guys..."

"Kelly," Captain Stanley interrupted with a smile in spite of the concern his paramedic's body language was causing, "Did it occur to you that... if you gave Roy the opportunity to get a word in..."

"Oh... Right, Cap... Sorry, Roy...

"Soooo...."

"It's hard to say Cap, it was a strange conversation," began Roy.

"Aren't all conversations with Gage strange?" chuckled Chet, never one to let a dig on his friend go unnoticed. Both the captain and Roy shot Chet a look of disgust.

"What do you mean pal? He's alright isn't he?"

"Well that's just it Cap, he sounded alright in the beginning, even said he met a girl.."

"A girl! A girl? Oh man, Gage will never change. He's always hooking up with a dame," Chet chided.

"As I was saying Cap, he said he met a girl and then had to get off the phone real quick. It sounded like the girl may be in trouble."

"Is he going to call back soon Roy? That is strange, even for John."

"Yeah Cap, he said he'd call back later, but if he's in trouble helping this girl, he may not call for awhile."

"Right Roy. Well all we can do is wait then."

"Well, tomorrow's my day off. If I don't hear from him before my shift ends today, I might find out where this cabin is located and see about heading up there to check things out," Roy declared.

"He won't like you spying on him Roy!" Chet submitted, "he went up there to be alone, if he wanted us there, he would have asked."

"Well, he might have asked if he'd had more time on the phone. I don't know, I just feel that something is wrong. I know Johnny and this feels odd to me."

"OK Roy, let's wait it out until the end of the shift and if he calls, great. If not, then maybe you can go and find him and take along a volunteer or two?" Captain Stanley's voice rose at the last part of the comment, bringing the rest of the shift into the conversation.

With the attention of the rest of the crew, Roy filled the men in on the conversation he'd had with Johnny and outlined his plan if Johnny didn't call back by the end of the shift. He had ten hours to go, so a lot could happen during that time. To no one's surprise, all shift-mates volunteered to head out to assist Johnny if they were needed. They were... after all... a family.

While the rest of the guys were setting the table for dinner, Roy watched the minutes tick away.

"What's for dinner?" inquired a familiar voice causing Roy to look up at the young hose hauler, Cael Perry.

"Cael what are you doing here? Aren't you working somewhere today?"

" I don't have to cover anybody for a couple days."

Joining in the exchange, Chet teased, "Hey Cael why is it you always show up around dinner?"

"Well Chet," the firefighter from Station 10 replied, "it's cause I just miss seeing you so much."

The teasing came complete with a kiss on the cheek, a ruffling of hair and a big grin. Chet was clearly a bit flustered. "Cael!! I could report you for doing that. People could talk... don't you know that?!!"

"You could but you wont," Cael countered. "Chet people are already talking," he continued with a wink at Roy who tried not to laugh.

"No they're not," the Irishman argued. "there's nothing to be talking about."

"Oh yeah? Not from what Johnny said."

" What Gage said,' huh?"

Cael barely got out 4 words of a retort when then the tones sounded: "Engine 51 - Respond to a rubbish fire at Thompson and Topeka in back of the A&W. Time out: 18:22."

"Cael, you better be here when we get back," Chet demanded.

"I may be," taunted with a wave as Chet ran out the door. "Bye-bye."

As the engine pulled out of the bay Roy noted, "You don't have a single thing on Chet."

Cael sat down in the chair next to Roy and grinned like a Cheshire cat. "I know."

"Then why do you torment him so much?"

"Cause I can... just like he does to Johnny." And with that, Cael looked around and noted Johnny absence. When he saw Dwyer sitting next to Henry scratching the dogs ears and watching TV he asked, "Where is Johnny?"

"You better grab a cup of coffee. This may be a long story. And it may be getting longer by tomorrow," Roy instructed. Cael stared at Roy thinking the man was joking, but the look on Roy's face made it more than plain that he was serious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The landscape flashed past in the fading light. Johnny flashed the high beams and his mind raced, searching for a conclusion.

“Faster Johnny, he's gaining on us!” Bonnie pleaded.

Johnny could hear the fear in her voice. If anybody knew what Harry was capable of, it was Bonnie. Of this he was sure. “I can't make this heap go any faster!” he shouted as he checked the speedometer.

“You've missed the turn to the cabin.”

Johnny's fingers twisted tightly on the steering wheel, his index finger out-stretched tapping the lights. Behind them in the lime Ford, Harry was catching up fast. He was got to within striking distance of Johnny's bumper.

“Johnny, he's behind us,” yelled Bonnie.

Harry shunted the Rover and Johnny's face was illuminated with the glare from the rear mirror. “I know, I'm watching,” Johnny squinted as he stomped even harder on the accelerator. Ahead of them, the lights shone brighter, cleaner, closer. “Put your seatbelt on… hurry!”

“Do something…”

Harry slammed into the vehicle again.

“… Johnny?” Bonnie pleaded frantically. The combination of head lights had become blinding.

“I'm doin', I'm doin',” Johnny barked.

“What are you doing… are you crazy?” Bonnie shot back after catching an almost crazed look in the stranger's eyes.

“Left or right?” Johnny questioned himself.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Left… right?”

“Johnny... No!”

“Hang on!” Johnny instructed as he swerved the vehicle to the right, narrowly missing the headlights of the squad car. The shoulder of the road was loose; Johnny had struggle for control.

“Where's the LTD?”

Bonnie looked over her shoulder and couldn't make out the lights from Harry's vehicle. Then suddenly, her thoughts got twisted sideways as the Rover spun out of control... then tumbled through the desert sands. Firefighter, paramedic, good Samaritan, John Gage lost consciousness. His mind began to wander through the darkness, his body contorting with fitful torment...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the distance there are echoes, men yelling, breathing, gasping almost. Johnny's heavy breathing resounds inside the oxygen mask and he feels almost alone - but for a brief moment he is at ease, his breathing slow “This is what I needed, the guys were right. Take a break clear your head, get things sorted out… alone with myself."

Johnny jerks his head to the left. Instantly, he is back in a burning building - The sound is deafening. He squints through the smoke and flames, holding an arm to shield his face. The entire building is engulfed with angry flames, an impossible inferno. To his left, across the landing, he makes out the shadowy figures of other firemen doing battle with the angry beast.

“Johnny,” a voice calls out from the flames. A woman's? A man's?

Feeling confused and isolated, the rescue man spins around to his right, and listens. Nothing. Johnny then whirls around to check behind him. Where had he come from? To his surprise he is at the top of an endless escalator. “I must have…” He reaches for his radio… no radio. His breathing quickens as he checks the air gauge. The needle is below empty, already in reserve... a few minutes left.

“Johnny,” the voice calls out again.

“I know that voice." His usual calm professionalism has departed and this sinks deeply into the pit of Johnny's stomach. He stoops, almost doubling over… and he realizes he is also without his instincts and that further contorts his gut.

“Left… right?”

“Gage?” Horgas is by his side.

"Marty, what are you doing here?!" Johnny asks with confusion running rampant through his thoughts. He knows this can't be happening. Horgas is dead; his friend is dead.

'Oh my god, I've crossed, I must have crossed,' Johnny thinks, but feels strangely at peace. All he can do is stare at the face of his friend and feel the warmth emanating from him. A warmth that gently removes all feeling of panic and leaves Johnny with a feeling of comfort and understanding. Johnny knows what is happening, but begins to fear that he is not ready. He likes the warm feeling from seeing Horgas again but he's confused as to why he is there. If he died, he should be with the spirits. He looks at Horgas.

"I didn't think crossing over would be like this ...with you to meet me. I always expected my grandfather or someone else."

part II