Author’s Note: Preston Wood
wrote “Hang Up” which first aired April 18, 1972. His dialogue in this fanfic is
in italics.
I would like to express my
heartfelt thanks to Emergency! Universe for all the patience, encouragement and
assistance in producing this response to Challenge 9.
[I'd also like to thank my
parents for giving life! LOL]
Editors’ Note: This is
Marty P’s first effort for this site. We hope you enjoy it.
At the station, the crew sat
glued to the television set watching Adam-12. Johnny, unable to get the kitchen
done because of all the calls he and Roy had during the day, was stuck mopping
the floor while everyone else relaxed. He was, however, making little headway
because he constantly glanced at the television screen. Sometimes, he
out-and-out leaned on the mop, intently following the action. Finally, he worked
his way to the back of the guys and just stood there, transfixed.
Reed stood handcuffed on the
top of a hill flanked by two criminals. One of them yelled, “Hey cop! I wanna
talk a deal. Trade ya, Schenks for Reed…. How ‘bout it!”
Schenks, a prisoner in
Adam-12’s custody, pleaded, “You can’t do that! You gotta take care of me!
Hey Malloy, you gotta....”
The criminal on the hilltop
ordered, “You gotta minute to make up your mind!”
Just then, the tones sounded
and Sam Lanier announced, “Sheriff reports man stuck in an air-conditioning
duct....” The men of Station 51 dashed out of the kitchen/rec room, entered
their vehicles and sped to the scene.
And thus began Johnny’s quest
to unveil the ending to the cliffhanger.
“Roy, it never fails, when
you get hooked on a television show, you get on a run,” carped Johnny.
“It goes with the territory,”
replied Roy.
After much effort, the
firefighters freed the injured man and the paramedics took him to Rampart for
treatment. When they were no longer needed, the two paramedics made their
farewells and as they exited the entrance, Johnny turned to Roy, “Hey, maybe
we can go back and ask some of the patients in the hospital how the show came
out.”
“It’s not that important,
Johnny. After all, it’s only a television show,” said Roy, a little
exasperated. “Besides, visiting hours are over.”
“Yeah, I guess so,”
agreed Johnny, sorta.
“It’s just that I’m curious
how Reed and Malloy got out of it, that’s all,” Johnny remarked. “Nothing
wrong with that, is there?”
“I think it’s kinda
childish,” Roy retorted.
“Trouble with you, Roy, is
you’ve got no curiosity.”
“Look, it’s just a
television show,” said Roy really not wanting to get into it with Johnny. “I
know they got out of it okay. I know they’ll be back again next week with
another problem. Doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”
Later, back at the station, as
Johnny and Roy sat at the kitchen table, Johnny chewed on his pen, deep in
thought. Roy dutifully worked on improving his skills as a fireman and he was
getting more than a little annoyed with the non-help his partner was giving him.
Suddenly Johnny said, “You know what I figured happened? Reed got away and
ran for help. Now, I’ll tell why I figured that way....”
“Okay, I’m going to settle
this thing before you drive me crazy,” said Roy as he got up and dialed
home.
“Well, I just remembered
seeing an old Adam-12 once where he was a track star on the high school track
team....”
“Marvelous,” said Roy
sarcastically. “Maybe my wife watched it.” Roy waited for his wife to
pick up. “Hi, honey, it’s me. No. No, everything’s fine. Look, did you watch
the Adam-12 show tonight?” asked Roy. He nodded to Johnny that she watched
it.
“Oh, great,” said
Johnny eagerly.
“You know the place where
Reed and Malloy and the prisoner get pinned down in that ditch? Yeah, that’s the
place. Well, what happened after Reed was captured? He went to steal the crooks
car.... Malloy. The crooks fired a shot at him.... Uh, huh. Wha.... Are you
kidding? Did he get hurt?” asked Roy very concerned.
“Was he hurt? Was he hurt?”
repeatedly asked Johnny.
“Yeah, I see. Well, give
him a kiss for me and tell him to go to sleep. Yeah, honey. Bye-bye,” said
Roy.
“...Kiss for me?” said
Johnny, now thoroughly confused.
“No, it went like this....
After Reed was captured, Malloy went to steal the crooks’ car. Then, the crooks
fired a shot at him…and then, right then, Chris fell out of bed. I mean he’s all
right…he just had a bad dream. Anne missed the rest of the show.”
Roy walked back over to the
table and sat down followed by Johnny.
“Well, now, I wish you
hadn’ta called. Makes it even worse,” bemoaned Johnny.
“Yeah, the crook’s
handcuffed Reed with this own handcuffs,” said Roy cheerfully, almost to
himself. Then, in thoughtful seriousness he said, “I’m beginning to wish we’d
watched the entire show.”
“Well, wait a minute. I
thought you said it didn’t bother you,” accused Johnny.
“It doesn’t.... Well, not
really. I just, ah...,” stammered Roy not wanting to admit to anything. Then
he gave in and asked, ”I wonder if there’s anyone else we can call?”
Several hours later, everyone
was trying to fall asleep except for Johnny. He sat at the captain’s desk on the
phone calling friends who might have watched the show. After his third call with
no results, he hung up the phone.
Captain Hammer asked
impatiently, “Gage?”
“Yes?”
“Are you through?”
“Yeah, right, Cap.”
“Well, let’s get some
sleep. Huh?”
“Right.”
Johnny went to his bed, still
deep in thought and started talking to Roy even though Roy was asleep -- not
that Johnny noticed this, “He was at a movie. He didn’t see it. You know,
maybe it was a two-parter…. You know, I could call the television station. Now,
why didn’t I think of that before?”
“Hey, Gage!” Chet
called from his bunk.
“Yeah?”
“Forget about calling ‘em,
I’ll give you the ending,” said Chet. “I’m gonna strangle you!”
“We’ll hold him for you!”
Marco added.
Finally realizing with chagrin
that he was keeping his fellow crewmates from sleep, Johnny settled into bed.
Soon, both he and the captain were fast asleep. Not so for the other men as each
tried in vain to catch some shut-eye. Roy finally admitted defeat and quietly
donned his turnouts and went into the kitchen. As he sat there trying to decide
what to do Chet appeared, tangled up in his suspenders. Amused, Roy got up and
gave him a hand in untangling himself. A moment later, Marco walked in. Just as
Marco plopped into a chair, Mike showed up.
“Can’t you guys sleep either?”
Roy asked them.
“No,” Marco said in
frustration, “I wanna know what happened to Reed, too!”
Mike nodded, joining them at
the table.
“C’mon guys, we can probably
guess what happened,” Chet suggested.
“Okay, the last thing we know
is Malloy and Schenks went to the crooks’ car, right?” began Chet.
“Don’t forget, Joanne said the
crooks fired shots at them,” Roy reminded them.
“Well, I bet Reed faked an
injury and when the crooks wanted him to get up, he kicked ‘em and fled,”
proposed Chet.
“Chet, how can Reed kick both
of them at the same time? One of them would catch him. Man, you’re no help,
amigo,” Marco argued.
“Okay Marco, ya shot down my
idea. So, what’s yours, buddy?” Chet reposted.
“I think Malloy handcuffed his
prisoner to the crooks’ car and found a way to sneak up the hill. Reed saw him
and the two of them read each other’s thoughts. Reed distracted the crooks and
he and Malloy took away their guns and marched ‘em back to their car,”
pronounced Marco.
“Anybody want coffee?” asked
Mike as he was just starting to push himself up away from the table.
“Sure, that’ll help us get to
sleep! No way, Mike!” groaned Chet.
Thinking better of the coffee
suggestion, Mike settled back into his chair.
“Roy, what do ya think?” asked
Chet leaning back in his chair not quite tipping back to two legs.
“I think one of the crooks on
the hill was actually an undercover cop. When the criminal tried to shoot Reed,
the policeman pointed his rifle at the crook, revealed who he was and forced the
crook to surrender. Then he released Reed and the two of them handcuffed the
crook and led him to Malloy and his prisoner,” Roy said after deliberating for a
moment.
While Roy spoke, Marco got up
from the table and opened several cupboards peering into them one by one. Then
he wandered over to the refrigerator, threw open the door and stood there gazing
at the contents.
“Yeah, maybe,” Chet
acknowledged. “Marco, what are ya doing?”
“I was just lookin’ for
something to munch on, is that a crime?” an aggravated Marco answered.
“Well, since you’re up, would
ya give me the cookies and get me a glass of milk?” asked Chet.
“What am I, a waiter?” Marco
complained. “Anything else, guys?”
A bunch of no’s came from the
table. Marco grabbed a plate and dumped a bunch of cookies on it and handed it
to Chet. He then went back to the refrigerator, pulled out the milk and poured
two glasses full.
“Mike, you haven’t said
anything yet. Wanna give your two cents’ worth?” inquired Chet around a mouthful
of cookie as he handed him the plate of cookies.
Passing the plate to Marco,
Mike replied, “I think Schenks realized Reed was gonna be killed and decided to
give himself up. He was probably not going to survive prison anyway....”
“That’s good, Mike!” Chet
interrupted, “as the two hostages walked past each other, Reed shoved Schenks to
the ground and Malloy and Reed attacked the two crooks. Once they were captured
everyone piled into the crooks’ car and they went to headquarters. I bet that’s
it!” Chet’s voice rose in excitement, his chair toppled over and he crashed to
the floor.
“Chet, Shhh!!! Man!! Why’d ya
have to do that!” Marco moaned, wiping crumbs off his mouth.
“Boy, I sure hope you didn’t
wake up Johnny or the cap!” Roy exclaimed.
Mike crept into the bunk area
and peeked in. He then returned to the kitchen. “Johnny’s tossing and turning,
but still asleep. So’s the cap,” reported Mike.
“No one say a word about this
to Johnny…,” began Roy.
“Are you kidding, Roy?” said
Chet interrupting. “Johnny would never let us hear the end of this if he found
out about it!”
“I’m sure not gonna say
anything!” stated Marco emphatically.
“I can keep my mouth shut,”
added Mike.
“We’re agreed, right?” Roy
said, eyeing everyone in the room. The guys nodded in agreement and tiptoed back
to the barracks to try to catch some sleep.
In a very short time, the
klaxons went off. Everyone quickly donned their turnout gear as they heard the
announcement, “Station 51... industrial fire 130 Haldane, time out 0107.”
After rescuing their victim,
Dr. Duncan, Roy DeSoto and John Gage followed him into the specially prepared
isolation area of Rampart. He suffered from radiation poisoning caused by his
exposure to radioactive materials at the fire. After Dr. Brackett gave Dr.
Duncan a cursory examination he turned to the two paramedics and asked, “How
much radiation did you two take in?”
While Roy’s was about 25,
Johnny’s reading was....
“Over 100,” said Dr.
Brackett as he eyed the gauge. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay
overnight for observation, Johnny. You’re liable to be sick.”
Johnny soon found himself in
one of the quarantined rooms. As he settled in for his stay, Roy entered
Johnny’s room, “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“I thought I’d take off,”
said Roy.
“Okay.”
“Is there anything I can do
for you? Books, magazines, whatever you want,” asked Roy.
“Nah, nothing. Thanks.”
“All right, well..., I’ll
call up the tv station in the morning and check on Adam-12 for ya,” said Roy
winking at Johnny just as he was stepping out of the room.
“Adam-12? What about it?”
Johnny asked, puzzled.
“Have you forgotten how
hung up you’ve been all night?” Roy quickly replied.
“Oh yeah, I guess I was.
Wasn’t I?” Johnny admitted.
“That’s putting it mildly.”
Roy agreed. “I’ll find out for you how it turned out.”
“What for? It’ll just ruin
the re-run for me next summer.”
Roy, totally exasperated,
exited Johnny’s room.
As Roy was leaving, he ran
into Dr. Early, “Hey Doc, can I ask ya a question?”
“Sure Roy, shoot,” replied Dr.
Early.
“How sick is Johnny going to
get?” asked Roy.
“Well, Kel told me his
exposure was a little over 100 roentgens. He’ll probably experience some nausea
and fatigue in a couple of hours. We’ll want to do some blood tests because the
radiation can affect his blood cells. If everything checks out, he’ll probably
be released tomorrow afternoon.”
“Hm, well I hope he doesn’t
get too sick,” commented Roy almost to himself. He redirected his gaze back at
Dr. Early and said, “Thanks, Doc!” Roy said and headed back to the squad.
Finally A shift ended with the
arrival of next shift -- none too soon. Fighting an industrial fire then doing
the overhaul most of the night pretty much wiped out the men. The four men
quickly began to change back into their civilian clothes.
“Roy, how was Johnny doin’
when you left the hospital?” Marco asked, as he unbuttoned his shirt.
“He was pretty tired when I
left,” Roy told him.
“What was it ya said was wrong
with him?” Chet said, removing his work shoes.
“He has radiation poisoning,”
Roy answered, picking up his wallet.
“Why didn’t they keep you,
Roy?” Mike wanted to know.
“Johnny got a larger dosage of
radiation than I did when he freed Dr. Duncan in the lab,” replied Roy.
“How sick is he gonna get?”
asked Marco as he pulled up his trousers.
“I caught Doctor Early just
before I left. He said Johnny’ll get a little nauseous, but that’s about it.
They’ll do blood tests to check his white count and if everything checks out,
they’ll release him later today,” Roy informed them.
“But, he’ll be okay?” Mike
clarified.
“Johnny, okay? What’s that?”
Chet quipped, contemplating a “welcome back” surprise for him.
Ignoring Chet, Roy answered
Mike’s question, “Doctor Early seemed to think so.”
“Well, I’m glad he’s gonna be
all right,” Marco said, getting up from the bench.
“Me too,” Chet chimed in.
Mike nodded his agreement.
“Well, I better get goin’
amigos,” Marco remarked. “Catch ya all later!” he shouted as he walked out the
door. Mike followed, waving at Chet and Roy as he disappeared.
Chet and Roy glanced at each
other. “Big plans today?” asked Chet.
“Naw, not really. Wanna catch
up on some sleep,” Roy told him, slamming his locker shut. “And you?” he
reciprocated.
“I don’t have much goin’ on
either,” Chet replied quickly as he gathered his belongings and moved towards
the door.
“Bye, Roy!” he called over his
shoulder.
“Hey, Chet!” Roy shouted,
getting the other man’s attention. “I’m going to call the TV station and find
out what happened on Adam-12.”
“Oh man! I forgot all about
that!” Chet said, thunking his forehead with his hand. “Call me after you find
out, okay?”
“Sure, Chet,” Roy promised.
Roy finished tying his
shoelaces, and followed Chet out the door.
Several hours later, after
waking from blissful sleep (the kids were in school), Roy called the local
television station. When he explained the situation to them, they quickly gave
him the information he wanted.
After he hung up, he found
Chet’s phone number and dialed. When Chet answered he said, “Chet, got it!”
“Got what, Roy?” Chet replied.
After a moment’s silence, (I
don’t believe him…), Roy said, “I called the TV station. Remember our insomnia
over Adam-12?”
“Oh yeah, that!” said Chet a
little chastised.
“Well, here’s what happened…,”
informed Roy.
“Hey thanks, pal!” Chet said
thankfully.
“Chet, would you give Marco a
call and tell him?” Roy asked. “I’ll call Mike.”
“Consider it done…. How’s
Johnny doin’?” Chet wanted to know.
“I was just getting ready to
call the hospital to find out,” Roy replied.
In the late afternoon, Roy
entered Johnny’s hospital room, “Hey Johnny, how are you feeling?”
“Ah, man. I had a miserable
night! Couldn’t get any sleep…. They kept checking me every hour and then they
made me take another shower! I swear they drew about a gallon of blood outta my
right arm…,” spouted Johnny as he exposed the offending limb for Roy to see.
Roy jumped in with, “But, you
feel okay?”
“Yeah, I’m feeling better
now,” admitted Johnny. “All I want to do is crawl into bed…. Doctor Early just
told me I can leave but he won’t let me drive until tomorrow. Guess I better
leave the Land Rover at the station,” said Johnny.
“You wanna ride home, Junior?”
Roy asked.
“Thanks, Roy. That’d be
great!” Johnny said gratefully.
Roy handed over the kitbag he
had picked up from Johnny’s on his way over. Johnny smiled gratefully at him and
then proceeded to get cleaned up and changed.
As the men left Rampart
Hospital, they ran into Dr. Brackett. “I’m glad I caught you before you left,
Johnny,” he told him. “All your blood tests are normal but I wanted to give you
a few instructions. You’ll still feel pretty tired today…so don’t overdo it.
And, if you experience any nausea or vomiting, get in here right away,
understood?”
“Yeah Doc, I read you loud and
clear,” Johnny acknowledged.
“I’ll keep an eye on him,
Doc,” Roy added.
“Good, Roy,” Dr. Brackett
said, nodding his head.
When they reached the car, Roy
turned to Johnny and told him, “The television station told me the ending to
Adam-12.”
“Huh?” Johnny replied, getting
into the front seat.
“What do ya mean, HUH?” Roy
said, frustrated. “Adam-12, the show we watched last night. Does that ring a
bell?” His voice rose as he opened his door.
“I don’t wanna know anymore,”
Johnny told him nonchalantly. “Hey Roy, when are ya gonna start the engine?”
“In a minute, when I’m good
and ready,” Roy answered shortly.
“Why are you getting all
upset, Roy? What’s the big deal?” Johnny asked innocently.
“What??? What’s the big
deal?!!! You kept bugging me about it all shift! And everyone else, too! You’re
not going back on duty and drive us crazy over this!” Roy said adamantly, trying
not to get angry.
“Oh, c’mon, I wasn’t THAT
bad,” Johnny said, looking out the window.
Roy gritted his teeth, “Well,
that’s what you think. I know at least five people who would strongly disagree!”
The two paramedics were now
headed toward Johnny’s home; both of them were totally oblivious to the scenery.
“All right, all right! Tell
me!” Johnny said, surrendering.
“You really wanna know?” Roy
asked doubtfully.
“Yeah, I really wanna know.”
Johnny answered slowly.
“Okay, well… here’s what they
said…Malloy and Schenks find the crooks’ white car. Schenks hot wires it and
they drive to a call box. The canyon starts crawling with lawmen. The hit man’s
buddy doesn’t wanna shoot Reed. When a police helicopter arrives, everyone runs
for the trees. Reed knocks down the hit man. When Malloy and all the other cops
arrive at the scene, Reed is sitting on a rock and the two crooks are cuffed
together at a tree and Reed has a gun pointed at them.” Roy concluded, glancing
at the stoplight.
“No way, Roy! I can’t believe
that’s the end! Ya gotta be kidding me!” Johnny said incredulously. “I was
positive Malloy rescued Reed! Now I’ve gotta watch the rerun this summer!”
“Why do I even bother?” Roy
muttered to himself as they arrived at Johnny’s apartment.
