Visions

Visions

Jane Royce

Pain shot down Johnny's leg as he slowly came awake and tried to move. "Uhhhnnnn, oh" was all Johnny's achy body could muster. The hot sun was beating down on him, and with no shelter, his skin had been badly burned, he was dehydrated and uncomfortable lying on the floor of the hot desert.

*****

"I can't believe that you are spending your vacation going across the desert Gage, only you would do something so dumb on your day off" Chet laughed.

"It's a wonderful world out there Chet, you should try seeing it once in awhile! It just so happens that the desert is a great place to spend your vacation. It's quiet, full of natures creatures and amazing sites to see" pointed out Gage in his defense.

"Well it may be that partner, but it is also dry, tough to survive in and miles away from civilization" pointed out Roy.

"Yeah, but it's an adventure and test of my survival skills. Once in awhile, I have to get away from the city and just rely on my wits" said Gage.

"Your wits! Your wits? What wits Gage, your wits are dull now that you have lived in the city for so long!" laughed Chet.

Roy and Johnny rolled their eyes and breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of the tones which gave them their last call of the day.

*****

Johnny woke from a restful night of sleep, after a long shift the day before and was happy to focus on the day's travel plans. In anticipation of his desire to get an early start, his truck had been packed with all of his gear.

Johnny showered and ate a good breakfast before starting out. It was going to be a good day!

*****

"I have been to the desert on a horse with no name....." Johnny sang as he entered the dry climate of the desert in Nevada. It has been a uneventful couple of days of driving camping in the woods and he was anxious to get into the desert and see for himself what made this place so special.

"This is beautiful" exclaimed Johnny as he got our of his truck and begun to hike the area around him. "It's so dry and hot, but there is so much life here too" he thought aloud.

His hiking took him further than he anticipated, but he was equipped with water canteens and a extra shirt in his pack, so he enjoyed his confident trail.

After hiking for an hour, Johnny found a rock to sit on and decided that this would be a good place to rest and enjoy some water. He opened his pack and found a bandana and soaked it with water from his canteen to wash his face with. The refreshing water revived him and let him refocus on the hike, so onward he traveled. The sun was beginning to hang low, so the direction of his hike went toward his truck.

"Better start making my way back before it gets dark, the desert is no place to be at night" Johnny thought as he made his way.

*****

"I am definitely lost, what an idiot I am. Chet is gonna love this!" muttered Johnny as he roamed aimlessly. 'Think Gage, think.....where is the truck, what was around you when you started out?" Reasoned Johnny.

"I can't be too far from it.....what am I saying? I am in the desert, it could be miles away for all I know!"

*****

Johnny hiked a great deal, and the sun was beginning to set. The reality of the situation was becoming more and more clear to him and he was painfully aware that he did not have the equipment he needed with him - it was all in his truck.

He quickened his pace a bit in a last ditch effort to get to his gear and leave the desert safely.

*****

"Arrrgh" grunted Johnny as he tripped over something and landed unceremoniously on his stomach. "Dammit, it's too dark to see now, this just can't be happening."

"I am going to have to set up camp, I just hope I have enough to get me through the night in my pack." Johnny opened the pack and took out all of the items. He could barely make out the items due to the darkness but his matches would help him make enough light and warmth for the night he hoped. He was surrounded by dry brush and weeds, and worked to gather them into a contained area to light a fire.

The warmth of the newly lit fire was welcome and Johnny was pleased that he was able to accomplish this task with little light to help. He settled a bit and took in his immediate surroundings. It was a flat and dry area, not much in the way of plants or rocks, just dry, hot ground. Johnny knew that he was there for the night and took a closer look at the contents of his pack. Among the items he had carefully packed, he found a flannel shirt, a small empty flask, and four granola bars.

"Well, this is enough for tonight, but tomorrow I have to find my way back and get out of here" said Johnny to no one but the night sky.

Johnny struggled to make that flannel shirt cover his whole body as he settled in for a night under the stars in the desert which was fast becoming cold.

*****

Johnny awoke with a start, as a desert creature ran close to his makeshift camp. He was aware of how little sleep he managed to get last night and how sore his body was due to the long cold night.

"Oh man, this is too much, I have to get up and moving to warm up" Johnny observed. "What I wouldn't give to have a cup of Marco's coffee right about now" he grumbled as he walked a few steps to get the muscles in his body working again.

The day promised to be a hot one as the sun grew higher in the sky. The dry heat made it difficult to breathe and Johnny was aware that he was sweating too much.

"I have to get some water, I don't have enough with me" noted Johnny to himself.

He weighed the option of quickening his pace in hopes if coming across his truck with slowing down to prevent himself from overheating.

"Slow and steady I go I guess, I just hope I get out of here soon!" Johnny moaned.

*****

Johnny walked for two straight hours and the heat was getting to him.

"I am so tired and hot, it must be 100 degrees out here!" Johnny observed, "I can't keep going this way, I have to rest and eat something."

Johnny sat on the hot ground of the desert and opened a granola bar. "I have to make these last" he mused.

Johnny slowly got up to begin his walk again when a wave of dizziness passed over him.

"I gotta find some water, I am dehydrating quickly out here" he observed.

Slowly, he continued, willing the darkening peripheral vision away as he struggled against the dizziness that refused to go away. He wandered some more but was painfully aware that his travels were aimless and he had no idea where he was going. The desert was working quickly to claim him and he did not have the tools to fight this battle.

Johnny sat down again, just to rest for a few moments and try to catch his bearings. With a sense of desperation, he swiveled around to see where he was when he noticed the granola wrapper he must have discarded when he had his last break.

"Oh man, it can't be. I have been walking in a circle!"

Johnny sat down again as a strong wave of dizziness passed through him again. He was feeling nauseous and knew he needed to eat something, but his stomach refused to entertain the idea of food. He decided that he would walk for another hour and then set camp again.

Gingerly Johnny got to his feet, being careful to move slowly and preserve energy and let his body adjust to his upright position. He was sweating profusely with the heat of the desert and the scorching sun and knew that he needed to find shelter.....fast.

Slowly, he started in a direction moving west by the sun and made a mental note to go in a straight line of travel this time.

"I can't believe this happened, my sense of direction has never failed me."

Johnny was completely lost in thought and anger toward himself that he didn't see the burrow in the ground that he awkwardly stepped into. With a cry of pain and a loud 'thump' Johnny fell to the ground and saw his world go gray.

"Uhnnn" Johnny moaned as a pain in his leg brought him back to consciousness. "Oh man, what happened?" he asked no one in particular as he struggled to sit up.

Within moments, Johnny assessed his injuries and found his leg to be broken. It was too painful to move his ankle and he knew he needed to brace it somehow. His immediate surroundings were barren save for a few bushes and weeds, so he had to make the best of it.

"Dammit, I should have put the first-aid kit in my pack before setting out, another dumb move" admonished Johnny to himself..

Opening his pack, Johnny realized that his flannel shirt would make a good tie for a splint, and he set out to look for strong branches that he could use to offer support to the leg with the ties of the shirt. Reaching around him was easy and offered minimal pain, and he was grateful when he found a strong bush with strong stems and branches. With difficulty, he broke off some of the branches of the bush and applied the to the sides of his leg.

"No blood and no broken skin - no compound fracture, a small favor I suppose" muttered Johnny. His anxiety increasing a she worried about his ability to get out of the desert and wondered how far his truck really was at this point.

"I gotta get out of here, now!" flustered Johnny as he attempted to stand.

Between the lack of support for his leg and the white hot pain that lanced through him, Johnny fell to the ground again, hitting his head on a sharp rock. Instantly he lost consciousness as he slipped into an oblivion where pain did not exist.

*****

Two hours later found John Gage still unconscious from his fall. His body had been in the unrelenting sun with no protection and blisters were beginning to form on unprotected skin.

"Uhnn" moaned Johnny as he began to drift into the realm of consciousness again. A slight movement of his leg brought his world painfully into focus again, something he wished he could reverse.

"Aw man, it hurts" Johnny slurred as he tried to turn around to get a better idea of where he was. "What happened" Johnny wondered as he drifted into the unnatural sleep again.

*****

Johnny awoke with a start as the sun went down. "Where am I, what happened" he asked just as the memories of his fall flooded back to him.

"Oh god, I have to get outta here, I need help" Johnny thought to himself.

Johnny drifted back to sleep again, and this sleep was disturbing as visions of Roy entered his sleep vision.

"Roy, man Roy - its so good to see you, I need your help. I can't do this alone, I need your help getting out of here. I'm hurt." Johnny's mind spoke.

"I know Johnny, but I am not able to help you. I can only guide you, you can do this. You are a brother to me and I know you have the strength to do this." Roys vision answered.

Visions of Roys two children, Jenny and Chris entered Johnny's fevered dream.

"Uncle Johnny, please come back to us, we love you and miss you!" they urged in unison.

Johnny's dream turned to the station and his crewmates - brothers in arms.

"Guys, I have let you down. I don't think I can make it this time, I am tried, weak and have no way to help myself." Johnny resigned.

"Get up John" instructed Cap. "Get up and look around at your surroundings again. Get your bearings." He continued. "You are not as far as you think."

Johnny stirred fitfully in his sleep and Chet and Marco entered his vision.

"Come on Gage, I only tease you about being a loser, I don't expect you to actually be one! Chet scolded. "Shut up Chet, he needs our help. He can do this, he can" admonished Marco.

Stoker entered Johnny's vision just as Johnny's body began to shudder as his fever rose.

"John, wake up. Roy needs you. The Phantom needs you, we all need you. It is not like you to give up, you have to fight." Stated the usually quiet engineer.

Johnny continued to give into the fever that wracked his tired and broken body. His sleep was fitful and full of dreams and visions.

*****

"Oh god it hurts" cried Johnny, his body trembling with pain.

Johnny struggled to bring himself to a greater awareness of his surroundings and pushed himself into a sitting position while battling the nausea that threatened to overtake him.

"Cap said to look around more, he promised me that I wasn't too far from my truck" Johnny reasoned. "I have to try" he cried.

Painfully, Johnny crawled and dragged himself along the ground of the hot desert.

"I have to keep going, I can't let the guys down" Johnny told himself.

"Keep it up Johnny, you can do it, you have to do it. Show us what you're made of." Urged the crew in Johnny's mind.

Visions of the crew danced in Johnny's mind as he found himself able to crawl further and further away.

*****

After an hour, but what seemed like days to Johnny, some progress had been made. Darkness was encroaching upon Johnny's vision and he had to stop. His leg was mercifully numb, but he knew this was an ominous sign. He needed help, but he was unable to continue.

His last thoughts as he gave into the darkness were that he let his mates down.

*****

"Johnny, wake up. You can't lie here anymore, you have to keep moving. You are badly dehydrated and your leg needs care. Wake up John, get moving!" the vision of the crew chanted together "wake up now John" they urged.

Johnny's eyes fluttered as he struggled to wake up. Every muscle in his body was aching and screaming in pain.

"OK Gage, you can do this. After all that you have gone through in life, this should be a piece of cake" said Johnny as he tried to motivate himself. "I will have to thank the guys when I get out of this, I owe them all."

Johnny stopped to look at his hands, they were deeply abraded from his crawling. They were caked in blood and dirt. He was worried about infection and feared that he was too late as he felt the pain pulsing in his hands.

With renewed effort, he pushed his pain down deep in his soul and continued.

*****

Tink, tink, tink....rain began to pour in the desert, to quench the endless thirst of the dry ground. Johnny could not believe his luck, the rain would be a welcome thing to his overheated and dry body. He lay on the ground and enjoyed the pelting of the welcome rain.

Tink, tink, tink.....Johnny's senses were refreshed and alert and he listened carefully. "Oh man, it can't be?" Johnny tried to stand and collapsed under the sharp knife of pain that lanced through his leg. "Is is possible?" he grunted through clenched teeth? Was that the sound of rain hitting metal?

With renewed effort, Johnny dragged himself toward the hollow noise in hopes that he was right. The adrenaline coursing through his body propelled him to go further and his efforts were rewarded.

"Oh my god, I can't believe this" Johnny whispered and his tears rolled incredulously down his cheeks. "My truck, I can't believe it. I am going to make it."

As Johnny dragged himself closer to his truck, he realized that he was in no condition to drive.

"Oh man, I am here, but can't go anywhere." Said Johnny defeated.

"I am so tired, I just need to rest more. Someone's gotta be looking for me." Johnny thought as he contemplated how to get into his truck.

Johnny knew that he had to get into the back of his truck, this was the best place to lie down and be sheltered from the hot sun later and the rain now. There was only one way to do this and that was to empty the back of the truck.

With Herculean effort, Johnny managed to get himself into a semi-standing position while leaning heavily on his truck. A guttural cry of pain erupted from his dry throat as pain shit through his body.

"Aaarghhh, oh man, this is too much!" Johnny grunted. "I have to get inside the truck, it's my only hope."

The measure of a man is said to be measured by what he can do in times of stress and this was Johnny's moment. With his jaw set, he half threw himself and half levered against his truck to get himself into his truck. With a resounding thump, he managed to get himself into the drivers side of his truck.

He took a moment to enjoy the feel of the familiar seat he thought he'd never see again. "I can't believe I made it." Johnny whispered.

The next task was a huge one, he had to get himself to the back of the truck and clear a path for himself to lie down. Without much thought, he flung himself onto the floor of the truck and began to drag himself again. The trip was a short one as he encountered a cooler of food. With desperate fevered movements he pulled the lid off the cooler and dipped his hands into the now-melted ice water. The water was warm now, but provided a world of relief and comfort. Johnny moved his hand in the water and was rewarded with a can of coke. He ripped the tab off it and gulped down the warn liquid. Despite the burning of the carbonated liquid, Johnny managed to gulp is down in what seemed like one breath.

Johnny felt rejuvenated now that he was in his truck, and looked around the back of his truck to see what he could toss outside. Only one open window was available and Johnny set to take advantage of it. He gingerly began the task of throwing out things he did not need, and opted to keep a blanket, a pillow and his cooler with him. Everything else went out the window to provide more room.

Johnny finished his task and was satisfied with the results. He had a small area to lie down, but he would be comfortable. He needed to rest and vowed to figure out how to get out of the desert when he woke up.

"OK, I have come this far, just a bit further to go now" Johnny mused.

Johnny laid down on his makeshift bed in his truck and felt darkness claiming him quickly.

*****

"John..." Cap whispered in Johnny's dream. "John, you have to wake up now. You can not sleep. You have to keep yourself awake, there is more that you need to do."

Johnny's fevered body resisted the urge to wake up, the pain was great and this sleep was protecting Johnny.

"I can't Cap, it hurts....it hurts too much. I need to sleep, I can't do anymore." Johnny replied in his dream-state.

Johnny slipped deeper into a sleep that held no visions.

*****

"Copter 12 to command, come in command, do you read me" the pilot asked.

"Copter 12, we read you loud and clear, what do you have?" the disembodied voice of ground command requested.

"I think I've found him. I see a truck on the side of the road and several items on the ground around it. I'm gonna land and take a look" informed the pilot.

"10-4 copter 12, be careful and keep us appraised" ground command instructed.

"10-4, copter 12 out" the pilot finalized.

Gently, the pilot set the helicopter down near the truck and unconsciously grabbed a water bottle and portable radio to take with him as he set out to see if the passenger of the truck could be found.

He was not prepared to find the passenger and was shocked at the sight before him.

*****

Johnny was aware of the sound of the chopper blades circling and prayed that this was help on the way and not just another dream. His eyes refused to cooperate and open, so Johnny could only wait and pray.

"Hey man" the pilot whispered, not sure if Johnny was alive or not.

"Hey man, people are looking for you! Are you John Gage" he asked.

The response he was looking for did not happen, all the man in the truck was able to do was moan softly, almost imperceptibly. The pilot tried to find a greater sign of life and placed his hand on the man's chest to see if he was breathing.

*****

With a gasp of pain, Johnny was aware that someone was touching his sunburned skin. He struggled to open his eyes and was met with no success at all. He let out a loud moan, and then slid back into the darkness that permitted no pain.

*****

"Command, this is Copter 12, do you read me?" the pilot desperately barked. "I found your man and he is in bad shape. He needs medical attention immediately"

"10-4 copter 12, give us your location" the voice instructed.

As the pilot gave his coordinates and description of his surroundings, Johnny shuddered from fever, pain and exhaustion. This was not lost on the pilot and his final words to command came as a plea for rapid assistance "hurry command, I am not sure this fella can hang on, he's in bad shape."

*****

Johnny's awakening came as a painful one, as many hands seem to control his movements. He was aware of himself being lifted and settled onto something soft and cool fluids dripping into his veins in both arms. His eyes were swollen shut with sunburn, so he had to rely upon his rescuers for his bearings.

"What's happening?" Johnny managed to croak to no one in particular.

"Hey buddy! Glad you're with us! My name is Rod Granby and this is my partner Rick Sterling. We are paramedics with the Nevada County Fire Department and we have been looking for you! You have a group of friends waiting for you who have not let us stop searching until we found you. You must be one important guy to have all of these people caring so much about you!" Rod exclaimed.

"I guess I am" whispered Johnny "I guess I am."

*****

Johnny's arrival at the hospital was heralded by the loud arrival of Rod and Rick as they burst into the ER with Johnny on their stretcher.

Cap, Mike, Marco, Chet and Roy all stood up as soon a the group entered, all bolting toward Johnny's form, all needing to see for themselves that their friend was all right.

"Hold it, just where do you think you are all going?" Asked the head ER nurse. "No one in there except the doctors, I should think could know better." She admonished with a smile, knowing that their enthusiasm was fed by the good news that their friend had been found and was being taken care of. She understood their need to see him, but also knew that social time now would prevent expedient care of the patient.

The men understood the nurses tone, but needed to know how Johnny was.

"Lets sit down fellas, and give them time to sort Johnny out" Cap offered.

Just as the crew was about to sit, Rick and Rod came out of Johnny's room. All quickly stood, firing questions at the pair.

"Where did you find him", "how badly was he hurt", "was he bitten by anything" Chet stuttered.

"Relax, relax, he is going to be all right I think. He was unconscious when we found him but did respond in the ambulance. He is in a good deal of pain and broke his left tibia and fibula, he is badly sunburned where the clothes were not covering him. He has a concussion, he is suffering from dehydration and exposure. His hands are badly scraped, he must have crawled! We inserted two large bore IV's into both arms to replenish his lost fluids. He is being treated for the burns and orthopedics is on their way to asses the leg. He is one lucky fella, and I don't know how he made it this far in the desert alone." Rod said.

"I'd still like to know how you came to think that there was trouble with him. He wasn't off his schedule according to all of you, how did you know he was in trouble?" Rod asked.

"I think I can answer that" Roy began. "We all felt that something was wrong, it's inexplicable really. One minute we were all running a drill in our dayroom, and the next moment we all felt a feeling of dread and foreboding. We just knew. He is our brother and we felt that he was in danger." Roy explained.

"The Phantom knew he'd be all right" began Chet, only to be met with the glaring eyes of Marco, Mike Roy and Cap.

A few minutes later, Dr. Jenkins came out to talk to the anxious team and reiterated the same news that Rod did. The group was reassured that Johnny would make a complete recovery but that he was weak.

"I understand that you all want to see him now, and you can do just that, but in pairs only please. Mr. Gage needs his rest. His recovery will be a long and painful one. I have started him on a wide spectrum antibiotic to help battle the abrasions he has on his hands. His hands have been cleaned and wrapped, he has a high fever and I believe that he may be in the beinning stages of pneumonia, so the antibiothic therapy is appropriate with all of this in mind." Dr. Jenkins elaborated.

Soon, Johnny was moved to a room on the general medicine floor of the hospital, with the understanding that he would be transferred to Rampart once he was fit to travel.

*****

"Johnny" Roy whispered, not really wanting to wake his friend but needing the reassurance that he was going to be okay all the same. "Johnny, can you hear me?" Roy asked again.

"Uhnn" Johnny moaned, moving his hand in search of Roys to grasp. Roy obliged and breathed a sigh of relief. Despite the fact that Johnny's road to recovery was a long one, he was going to recover.

Chet and Marco were next to visit Johnny and both offered their hands to squeeze and well wishes for recovery. Cap and Stoker were happy that they were able to participate in a whispered conversation of sorts with Johnny.

Johnny allowed himself to drift into a healing sleep.

*****

Two days later, the crew was pleased to find Johnny sitting up in bed with his casted leg propped up on pillows. He was obviously healing and his condition had improved a great deal.

"Guys, I am glad that you're here, I wanted to thank you." Johnny began. "You pulled me out of that situation in the desert, you are the reason why I am here now" Johnny choked.

"I don't understand" said Cap, wondering if Johnny's head injury was worse than originally thought.

"Cap, you all came to me in a vision and helped me get through this. Without your help, I would have given up." Johnny explained.

None of the guys really understood what Johnny was talking about, but one thing was certain - Johnny was getting better and their brother returned to them.

The End.