Disclaimer: The characters of Emergency! don’t belong to me. I’m borrowing them for a little fun.

This picks up immediately after Captain Stanley and Roy find the victim and exit the lab moments before it explodes. My thanks to the Preston Wood for writing this episode. His dialogue from the show is in bold.

Consequences

An Alternate Ending for the episode “Gossip”

By Vanessa Sgroi

“We got him!”

Johnny swiveled around at the sound of Roy’s yell and reached toward the two firemen carrying the victim between them. At that moment, the lab that they’d just vacated exploded sending a tongue of flame shooting through the door.

The blast knocked Roy and Hank off their feet for a moment and pushed Johnny backward, and to the side. Off balance, he felt the sore muscles in both legs protest. His left knee twisted painfully. Then his head impacted with the counter, the corner catching him just below his helmet.

The two firemen taking care of the victim quickly regained their balance and hoisted the man between them.

“Let’s get the hell outta here!” Captain Stanley shouted.

With as much haste as possible they headed for the exit, not realizing that Gage was in trouble.

Johnny heard the yell and stood up to follow the order. He shuffled forward a few steps and was suddenly overcome with dizziness. By the time the room stopped spinning, the other two men from A-shift were out of sight. Holding tightly to the counter, he limped forward, eventually coming to the doorway. Completely disoriented because of the ever-increasing smoke and persistent vertigo, Gage turned the wrong way heading deeper into the building instead of toward the exit.

* * * *

DeSoto and Captain Stanley rushed away from the building, splashing through the myriad puddles, and found a safe spot to place the victim. As they laid the man down, Roy glanced to his right to say something to his partner.

“Where’s Johnny?”

“I don’t know. Didn’t he come out?”

“I’m gonna go in after him.”

“Yep.” At his Captain’s assent, Roy took off at a run for the building. A cold feeling rapidly settled in his gut.

The senior paramedic pulled his mask over his face as he tore through the door. He immediately headed up the stairs to the lab where he’d last seen his partner. Upon reaching the room, he pushed his mask aside and yelled Johnny’s name. Hope gave way to dismay when he found no trace of his partner in the lab. Time was running out.

“JOHNNY? CAN YOU HEAR ME?”

Nothing.

The paramedic replaced his mask and left the lab, turning the opposite direction from the exit. Halfway down the hall, he stopped and again called his partner’s name.

For a moment no other sounds were heard above the roar of the fire. Suddenly Roy heard the harsh sound of coughing coming from somewhere just ahead of him.

“JOHNNY?”

“YEAH! OVER HERE!” More coughing followed the shout.

DeSoto hurried forward and finally found his partner just around the corner at the end of the hallway. Gage was hunched over, still coughing despite the mask he wore.

“C’mon, let’s get outta here. What happened?”

“I made a wrong turn.”

Roy had a feeling there was more to it. He reached for his partner’s arm to help guide him toward the exit. The senior paramedic’s suspicion grew when he noticed Gage was limping rather markedly.

“You’re limping. Can you make it out okay? We don’t have much time.”

Not wanting to worry Roy further by mentioning how dizzy he was, Johnny waved his hand dismissively and replied, “Yeah. Yeah. Let’s go.”

Holding the dark-haired paramedic’s arm firmly, Roy helped him down the hallway and then down the steps. He was hyper aware of the seconds ticking by as he and Johnny finally broke through to daylight.

Like his partner, Gage sensed the impending danger and used sheer adrenalin to ignore the pain in his knee and head to sprint away from the building before it blew. The two dived to the pavement just as a fireball tore through the structure.

After several seconds, Roy rolled to his side and glanced over his shoulder at the doomed edifice behind him. Sighing with relief, he pushed to his feet expecting Johnny to do the same. When his partner didn’t make an effort to get up, the senior paramedic’s relief turned to concern. I knew something was up. Squatting down, he laid a hand on Gage’s shoulder.

“Johnny?”

“Y-y-yeah.” A bout of coughing followed.

“Are you hurt somewhere else? Other than your knee?”

“No.”

“You’re coughing.”

“Just took in a little smoke. I’m okay. Just help me up.” With the blond-haired paramedic’s assistance, Johnny slowly stood.

“See . . . I’m . . .” His vision grayed and his knees buckled. Roy caught him just in time to keep him from a hard return to the ground.

“I need some help over here!”

Roy supported Johnny’s dead weight until Stoker and Captain Stanley arrived.

“Mike, get his air tank off.”

Stoker quickly did as asked and the two of them laid their fallen friend gently on the ground.

Roy inspected his partner, cataloging the extent of his injuries. His assessment revealed a swollen left knee and a large knot behind his right ear. A closer listen to his lungs told him that Johnny had breathed in a moderate amount of smoke.

Captain Stanley couldn’t contain his concern any longer.

“DeSoto, how is he?”

“Looks like he took a pretty good hit on the head, Cap. Mike, get Rampart on the horn for me.”

Long moments later, the senior paramedic had the IV started, oxygen in place, and the knee immobilized. He helped position Johnny on the gurney. While the attendants loaded Johnny into the back of the vehicle, Roy had a quick word with his Captain before he slipped in beside the stretcher for the ride to Rampart.

Johnny started to come around minutes into the ride. With a groan, he struggled to bring his surroundings into focus. Disoriented, he struggled against the straps holding him down.

“Take it easy, Johnny. You’re on your way to Rampart. Do you remember what happened?”

At the sound of the familiar voice, the dark-haired man’s agitation lessened, but he made no effort to answer the question.

“Can you tell me what day it is?”

The knot in Roy’s stomach grew a little bigger when Gage remained silent, blinking lazily. He pulled his pen light out to check his partner’s pupils.

The second the light hit his eye, Johnny moaned loudly behind the oxygen mask and tried to jerk his head to the side in an attempt to evade the exam. The gentle, but firm, hand on his forehead prevented the movement.

Roy completed his vitals check as the ambulance made the final turn and began to back up to the Emergency entrance. The back doors flew open revealing Dr. Brackett and Dixie.

“He’s out again, Doc. He was awake a few minutes ago but not oriented. Eyes are light sensitive.”

“Let’s get him in Treatment Two.”

It didn’t take long for the injured man to be smoothly transferred to the examination table. As Dr. Brackett began his exam, Dixie ushered the senior paramedic out of the room.

“Why don’t you go to the staff lounge? I’ll find you the moment I know anything.”

“But . . .” One look at Dixie’s expression and he knew he’d never win the argument.

Roy wearily nodded his head and made his way to the lounge. After filling a cup with coffee, he sat down at the table and dropped his head into his hands.

A couple of nurses at the next table gazed curiously at the tired, soot-covered fireman slumped dejectedly in his chair. He never noticed.

* * * *

Thirty-five minutes crawled by before he finally felt Dixie’s hand on his shoulder. Roy pushed aside his untouched coffee and shot an enquiring look at the head nurse as she sat in the seat opposite him.

“He’s gonna be fine, Roy. He has a moderate concussion and a sprained knee. His lungs are sounding much better. He’ll be with us at least through tomorrow. They’re moving him to a room now.”

The paramedic’s breath left his body in a rush.

“Dix, I can’t . . . I can’t tell you . . . when I looked around and realized he hadn’t come out of that building . . .”

“You didn’t leave him behind on purpose.”

“Yeah, but I should have realized he wasn’t following. That building was so close to going up.”

“But, you went back in for him and got him out. Roy, that’s all that matters.”

“I . . . I . . . didn’t even realize he was really hurt, other than his limp. Some paramedic I am. I let him sprint out of the building. I should have carried him out.”

“Would you have made it? If you did pick him up, would you have made it out of the building in time carrying his extra weight?”

The paramedic was silent for a moment. “No . . . no, probably not.”

“Then there’s your answer. You and Johnny are both alive.”

“Can I see him?”

“Sure. Let’s go find out what room he’s in.”

They both rose and headed out of the lounge. Nurse Anne Wilson’s speculative gaze remained on the door as it swung shut.

* * * *

Much later, Johnny came awake with a start. He lay for a moment trying to remember again what had happened and where he was. The pounding in his head had lessened but was far from gone. A slightly nauseous feeling still plagued his stomach. He vaguely remembered being sick earlier.

At the sound of voices, he turned his head. A stranger lay in the hospital bed across the room. A nurse, whose name Johnny just couldn’t place, made adjustments to the man’s IV’s before writing notes to his chart. She was talking to the patient non-stop. Suddenly, the paramedic realized he was the topic of conversation.

“. . . yeah, it’s a shame . . . his partner’s so devastated over leaving him behind. As a matter of fact, I think he’s quitting the paramedic program. Said he wasn’t much of a paramedic

. . . and that his partner would never trust him again.”

The nurse finally finished her duties and left the room, not knowing, or caring, that her comments had had a dramatic effect on the dark-haired paramedic.

He lay there hearing her words echo again and again in his head. Had he not been suffering the aftereffects of the concussion, he would have realized how ridiculous the nurse’s comments were. However, he processed and fixated on only two words. He’s quitting.

I can’t let him do it. It’s not his fault. It’s mine. Gotta find him.

Johnny sat up slowly and pulled the IV from his arm, ignoring the blood. Removing the nasal cannula, he slid his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. The pounding in his head grew violently as he struggled to stay on his feet. Though the dizziness was nearly overwhelming, it dissipated after a few moments. Bending his injured knee hurt, but he refused to let it keep him from finding Roy.

The patient in the other bed eyed Johnny’s activities warily.

“Hey, buddy, you don’t look so good. Should you be doing that?”

The paramedic paid no attention to the strange voice adding to the buzzing in his head. He shuffled to the door and peeked through. Not seeing anyone immediately in sight, Johnny slipped into the hallway and headed for the stairwell intent on finding his partner. The injured man made it down one flight of stairs before dizziness claimed him once again. Leaning against the wall in the landing, Johnny tried desperately to summon the strength and energy to continue on. Gotta find him. Can’t let him quit. His body, however, had other ideas. He slowly slid down the wall and slumped forward, unconscious.

* * * *

Back in Room 310, Dave Kendrick hit his call button again. He was worried about the young man who’d left the room minutes ago. He’d begun to hit the button repeatedly the moment the dark-haired young man had left the room. Frustrated that no one was coming to answer his call, he laid his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes. After a few moments, he heard the door finally open.

“Well, it’s about time!” he said opening his eyes. But it wasn’t the nurse as he was expecting. Instead, it was Dr. Brackett who entered.

“Oh, Doc, thank goodness. I was trying to get the nurse to come. That young man got up and left. He didn’t look so good either.”

“What do you mean he left? Did he say anything?”

“Nah. He was mumbling. He seemed really upset. The nurse was in here fiddling with these things here,” he pointed to his IV’s, “and she was talking to me about that man in the other bed. Then after she left, he looked really upset. He pulled out that needle, took off that nose thingy, and limped out.”

Brackett’s mouth twitched in worry as he absorbed this disturbing information.

“Well, he can’t have gotten far. Thank you, Mr. Kendrick.”

Brackett hurriedly left the room and grabbed a phone at the still-empty nurses’ station.

“Dix? Have you seen Johnny? No, he’s not in his room. Call Security. I’m gonna start looking up here.”

Kel surveyed the hallway from one end to the other, not finding a trace of the missing man. He had come up on the elevator so he knew his missing patient wasn’t there. If he was trying to leave the building, the only other option was the stairs. The doctor headed for the stairwell closest to the paramedic’s room. It didn’t take him long to discover the unconscious man.

He immediately summoned a couple of orderlies to help with getting Johnny resettled in his room. While they were accomplishing that, the doctor called Dixie to let her know the wayward paramedic had been found. Brackett located one of the nurses and returned to examine his patient.

Gage stirred restlessly as the doctor finished his exam and the nurse finished re-establishing his IV.

“Johnny? Johnny, c’mon open your eyes. That’s it. Now, can you tell me why I just found you unconscious in the stairwell?”

The young paramedic swallowed and tried to sit up.

“Oh, no you don’t. You’re not going anywhere.”

“Roy. I need to see Roy. Can’t let him quit.”

“Johnny, you’re not making sense. What’s this about Roy quitting?”

“It’s my fault. He’s gonna quit because of me. N-n-need to stop him.” Gage moaned as the throbbing in his head suddenly intensified.

“Roy’s not quitting. Where would you get an idea like that?”

Mr. Kendrick’s voice sounded from across the room. “It was that nurse. Anne something-or-other. She was telling me his partner was quitting out of guilt or something.”

Brackett’s mouth flattened into a thin line.

“Johnny, listen to me. Roy is not quitting. Do you understand? He’s not quitting.”

“Are . . . are . . . you sure, Doc?”

“I’m positive. If you need to hear it from him, I’ll get him down here. But in the meantime, I expect you to stay in that bed and rest. Attempt to pull a stunt like that again and I’ll have you restrained. Understand?”

“Y-y-yeah. Thanks, Doc. ” Somewhat relieved, Gage lay his had back and closed his eyes against the pain.

* * * *

It was a very angry Kelly Brackett who returned to the base station and spoke with Dixie McCall. When he was done filling her in on the events that had taken place upstairs, the head nurse was equally angry. With quick, abrupt movements she picked up the phone and called Roy. Following that, she requested the hospital operator to page Nurse Anne Wilson to Brackett’s office.

A good ten minutes passed before Nurse Wilson knocked on the door and entered the office. Dixie looked at her somberly for a few moments before she spoke.

“Anne, I spoke to you earlier about your penchant for gossip. I told you in no uncertain terms to knock it off. Apparently, you didn’t listen to me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You most certainly do. You were gossiping to Mr. Kendrick in Room 310 about the patient he was sharing the room with. John Gage heard the nasty rumors you were spreading and became very upset.”

“I can’t help it if he misinterpreted what I was saying.”

“Don’t you dare blame this on him. He didn’t misinterpret anything. What he overheard upset him so much that he disregarded his own health and tried to leave the hospital.”

“Well, I never . . .”

“Don’t say another word. I told you I wouldn’t tolerate your gossiping anymore. This time your gossip endangered the life of a patient. That is unacceptable. Therefore, you’re fired. Dr. Brackett is fully aware of and supports my decision.”

“But . . .”

“I expect you to clean out your locker immediately.”

Dixie waited until the door slammed behind the angry nurse before letting out a long sigh. Firing someone was never a pleasant duty, but in this instance, she felt justified. Dixie stood, preparing to leave the office herself. She needed to go make an apology to a certain patient in Room 310.

***The End***

Author’s Note: A big thank you to Audrey W., Peggy B., and Jill H. for the excellent beta read.

Stories By Vanessa Guest Dispatchers