Unwitnessed

By The Twits

Johnny watched ahead as he and Roy drove down the dirt road looking for the scene of an accident they had been dispatched to. The engine was close behind.

“We’re getting pretty far from the city. I wonder where it is?”

“There,” Roy pointed.

Up ahead they could now see a police squad car, its lights flashing where it was parked on the side of the road.

“But where’re the cars involved in the accident?” Johnny still wondered.

The squad and engine came to a stop behind the police car. As the men got out, Captain Stanley approached the officer, along with his paramedics.

“What’ve we got, Vince?”

“A woman lost control of her car and went over the edge of the embankment. She’s sitting in the squad car now.”

Johnny glanced over at the car. “She’s okay?”

“Well, she has some injuries you guys are going to need to take a look at, but here’s the problem. The accident happened yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” The two paramedics asked, confused.

Vince nodded. “That’s right. No one else was on the road at the time and Marjorie says she just remembers feeling tired. Next thing she knew, she was in the wrong lane. She panicked and over-corrected. Flew right over the embankment; the vehicle rolled and came to a stop in the deep grass at the bottom of the hill. It took her ‘til about an hour ago to crawl up to the road and flag down some help. Her little boy is still in the car. She couldn’t get him out.”

At that news, Captain Stanley got his men in motion.

“John, get Chet and the two of you go down to the wrecked car. Roy, get your equipment and check over the woman’s injuries.”

Both men hurried to the appropriate tasks, a new sense of urgency taking over.

~*~*~

Johnny and Chet had their ropes tied off on the engine. Marco and Mike manned the lines, as the other two made their way down to the car that was still hidden at the bottom of the grassy hill. When they reached the vehicle, they untied themselves and began their search for the little boy.

~*~*~

Roy got on the phone to Rampart and gave them the patient's history and vital signs, then began to set up the IV that was ordered. As much as he tried to calm her down, the mother was still distraught.

“What am I gonna do if Ronny didn’t make it through the night?” Marjorie sobbed. “ I’ll never forgive myself.”

“My partner and another fireman went down to get him. We’ll know soon, but in the meantime, try to tell yourself he did, until you know otherwise. It’s not doing you any good to be this upset.”

“I can’t help it. He’s only four years old.” She wiped at her teary eyes with her left hand.

Roy didn’t know what else to say. As a father he could imagine how awful this situation would feel. The not knowing would just about kill him if it was Chris or Jennifer in the same situation.

~*~*~

“There he is!” Johnny called out from inside the wrecked car. He had crawled in through the open driver’s side door and was looking over the back of the seat. “Looks like he curled up and went to sleep.” He could see the boy’s chest rise and fall with his deep breaths.

“I’ll try to get this passenger door open again,” Chet offered. He gave a few hard tugs, finally the dented in door gave way and creaked partially open. He reached in and gently shook the child’s shoulder to bring him around. Both men watched as Ronny’s tired eyes slowly opened.

“Good deal,” Johnny said with a smile. “I’m gonna call for some equipment and a stokes so we can get him out and up top.”

“Okay.”

~*~*~

Johnny and Chet carefully eased the little boy out of the car and onto a backboard. Gage had already placed a c-collar on him as a precaution. When Ronny was all set, they tied the stokes onto the rope it had come down on and Johnny called on the HT for the men up top to begin pulling them up. He and Chet held onto the sides of the stokes, as they took it up with them.

Kelly glanced over at Gage on the way up.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone luckier than this kid and his mom.”

Johnny nodded in agreement. “I know what you mean. They’re lucky neither one was hurt any worse than they were. Otherwise . . .” he trailed off, not wanting to frighten the kid between them.

~*~*~

Gage rode in with the victims while Roy brought in the squad. With the mother and son in safe hands, the two paramedics stopped by the base station for supplies.

“You two look happy,” Dixie said, smiling.

“Relieved is more like it,’ Johnny explained, handing the list of needed supplies to the nurse. “When we heard there was a little boy that had been trapped in the wrecked car all night, we had no idea what we’d find. I can’t begin to describe how it felt to find him just sleeping.”

“How are he and his mom doing?”

“Good,” Roy answered. “Luckily they were wearing seatbelts when the accident happened. Neither one has life-threatening injuries."

“Yeah, and it’s a good thing, too,” Gage added. “You know, it’s hard to believe a car could go over the edge like that and not one passerby notice. But apparently the car was airborne so soon, it only left faint tracks over the side and then with all that deep grass. . .” he looked at the floor and shook his head. “But even if someone had looked, the way the car was hidden, they’d never have seen it unless they knew for sure it was there and kept searching.”

“Marjorie’s and Ronny’s guardian angels were looking out for them yesterday, that's for sure,” Roy said.

Dixie handed the paramedics the supplies they had requested. “I’m sure they both would agree to that. This is one you won’t soon forget, huh?”

“Nope, and the best part is, we’ll remember it for the way it turned out good.”

Roy opened his mouth to agree with Johnny, when they were called by dispatch on the HT.

~*~*~

A steady stream of minor calls followed. The busy shift passed quickly for the men, and before they knew, it was time to go home. Each was looking forward to their break and a chance to relax after the past twenty-four hours.

~*~*~

The next shift found the men well rested and eager to begin their day. While changing into their uniforms, Chet was already finding ways to tease and torment Gage. Johnny was trying hard not to let it get the best of him, but Chet had a way of getting under his skin when nobody else could.

"Roll call in five," shouted Hank from the apparatus bay.

Mike and Marco hurried out, partly because they were dressed and partly so they didn't have to be witnesses if Gage snapped and got a hold of Kelly. Roy stuck close to be a referee and to keep his partner from getting suspended. Chet continued his verbal barrage about Johnny’s latest girlfriend while he tied his shoes. Finishing, he closed his locker door and with a last parting comment, he fled the room.

Johnny shook his head and closed his locker door. He was trying hard to ignore Chet and his remarks, but when he saw his partner laughing at those remarks, he became more irritated.

"What?" asked Roy.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing."

"You were laughing at what he said, weren't you?"

"Well, it was a little funny. You have to admit that."

"I didn't think it was funny."

"Lighten up, Johnny. He only said that to get you wound up and it seems to have worked."

"It's not funny, Roy. How would you like it if he said those things about your wife?"

Roy's grin faded and he had to admit, "I guess I wouldn't think it was so funny."

"No, you wouldn't. So why was it so funny when he said it about Sherry?"

"Probably because..." Roy knew that no matter how he phrased it, his partner would be upset with him for the rest of the shift. Thanks a lot, Chet, groused DeSoto.

"Because why?" Johnny insisted.

"Oh boy. Don't take this wrong, even though I know you will. Because she won't be around that long and then it won't matter what he said about her."

The hurt and angry look on his friend's face was all it took for Roy to be sorry he answered the question.

"You fellows coming to line-up or what?" Hank asked from the doorway.

Johnny sidestepped his partner and left the room. Roy was left standing with his hands in his pockets.

"Roy? Everything alright?"

"No, and it's going to be a long shift."

"Do I want to know?"

"I'll fill you in later. My partner probably won’t speak to me all shift." The older paramedic then left to join the rest of the crew in the bay.

Sighing, the captain left the locker room and proceeded to where his men were in line. He read the morning announcements and gave out the day's chores. The look on Gage's face convinced him that today would indeed be a long day if John and Roy did not make up.

~*~*~

Roy attempted to talk to Johnny after they did their supply check and daily calibration, but he hurried off to the dorm. Roy decided to leave him alone for now, but was determined to not let this go on for long.

The tones sounded and sent the engine out to a brushfire. The paramedics knew that they might be needed if it got out of control so they kept busy near the bay. A short time later the squad was dispatched to the brushfire location for a code I. One of the firefighters from 110's had minor burns that needed to be treated. They also treated another firefighter who had gotten dirt in his eyes. Both were taken to Rampart. Johnny rode in with the men and Roy followed in the squad.

At Rampart, Dixie noticed the tension between her two favorite paramedics. "Something wrong, guys?" she asked.

"No," answered Johnny while he gathered some of the supplies they needed.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Dixie looked at Roy. He shrugged and handed her the requisition. She took it and signed it. "Roy?"

"He's just a little mad at me right now." If looks could kill, Johnny would be up on charges. Roy looked back at the head nurse. "Chet was annoying him this morning, same as always, and I happened to laugh at what Kelly said. Now he's mad at me."

Dixie looked back at Gage. "That true?" she asked the dark haired man. He gave her a look that neither acknowledged the statement nor denied it.

"I'll be in the squad."

"He really is mad at you. Must have been some comment."

"Awww... Chet said some things about his latest female companion and I laughed. I didn't agree with what Chet said, but when I explained why I laughed, that really hurt Johnny’s feelings, I think."

"What did you say?"

"Just something about the fact that she wouldn't be around that long and it wouldn't matter what had been said then."

"That was cold, Roy. You know how he feels about his short-lived relationships. That comment should have been kept to yourself."

"I know that now. I tried to apologize, but he isn't ready to listen."

Dixie shook her head and gave Roy a small smile. "Keep after him. Don't let him think you really don't care about his feelings. Life's too short to let the little things get in the way of a valuable friendship."

"Don't worry. I'll get him to listen if I have to sit on him to do it." He waved and left the ER.

Roy found his partner sitting in the squad staring out the passenger window. He started the vehicle and slowly drove it back to the station.

~*~*~

The tones sounded right after lunch, sending the station to a fire in an old warehouse. The structure was fully involved before they arrived. The sounds of the glass shattering from the intense heat could be heard upon their arrival.

Hank quickly assessed the situation and dispersed his men accordingly. Before the paramedics could get their line off the truck and charged up, a security guard staggered forward from one of the outlying buildings.

"Help! You gotta help me. Manny is still in there," he coughed and dropped to his knees.

"John! Roy! We’ve got someone still in there!"

The two men ran over to their captain for instructions. Once Hank ascertained the probable location of the missing man, he sent his medics into the building. "Make it quick. You don't have time to spare."

Both men acknowledged their captain's orders and the unspoken thought that it was most likely too late for the missing man. Once they had their masks on, the men entered the inferno and started a hurried search. It was very hard to see through all the smoke and flames. The upper level was engulfed and unreachable.

They hurried along the ground level of the building and were just about to give up, when they saw the man lying on the floor, partly obscured by a pallet. Johnny grabbed the man and hoisted him over his shoulder. Roy helped guide him towards the entrance.

Despite the roar of the fire, Johnny heard a strange noise that indicated that something was about to collapse. He turned quickly and pushed Roy out of the way as part of the upper level collapsed around them. Roy kicked the materials out of the way and helped right his partner, who was still clutching the unconscious man. They raced for the entrance and the safety of the outdoors.

Several more engine companies had arrived to assist 51's in battling the blaze. Johnny and Roy immediately started to work on the man who was not breathing on his own. Once they had him stabilized, they transported him to Rampart.

~*~*~

Dixie looked at the weary firefighters standing before her, slumped against the counter. "You guys look beat."

"Yeah, that was a rough one," observed Roy. "It was close."

"Way too close," added Johnny.

"Why don't you hit the lounge for a cup of coffee before you head out?"

"Sounds great," said Roy. He pulled himself up from the desk and walked slowly towards the doctors’ lounge.

Johnny followed him. Dixie smiled when she realized the tension that had been there earlier seemed to have eased up a little. She hated to see her friends argue, especially over something that probably wasn't very important.

~*~*~

The medics arrived back at the station a few minutes before the engine. The exhausted men decided to forego showers in favor of some much-needed rest. Dropping down into chairs at the table they sat silently, each man lost in his own thoughts.

Roy was glad that Johnny was at least speaking to him, even though he was still upset. He would accept that for now. I wish he would just listen to me. He can be so stubborn sometimes.

Johnny, for his part, was still wondering why his best friend had sided with Chet. That had hurt his feelings, and he wasn't about to just 'forgive and forget' like everyone expected. He was tired of always being the forgiving one. He didn't plan to make his partner suffer or feel worse, but he did want him to understand that this time it had really hurt.

~*~*~

The tones sounded, sending the station to an alarm at an apartment building that mainly housed senior citizens. Fortunately, there was no fire and no one had to be evacuated. One of the residents had burned something on his stove and set off the building's smoke alarm.

Everyone being exhausted, they ordered pizzas for dinner so nobody had to cook or clean up. Each man silently prayed for a calm, quiet night, and for once their prayers were answered.

~*~*~

In the morning, B-shift arrived, freeing A-shift to go home. Roy hated to leave with his partner still not having forgiven him.

Johnny went camping for the duration of his break to clear his head and just plain relax. Roy stewed a bit over unintentionally hurting Johnny's feelings, and since he was unable to talk to him, he hoped that all would be back to normal when they returned to duty.

~*~*~

The beginning of next shift had gone okay for the paramedics. Johnny acted like everything was back to normal, but it was already past noon and Roy could sense there was still a bit of an edge between them. He was about to pull his partner aside to try to clear the air between them completely, when the tones sounded.

“Station 51, man trapped, North Topanga Canyon Road, time out 12:37.”

~*~*~

After what seemed like too long of a drive through the canyon, the firemen arrived at the scene. They brought the trucks to a stop on the edge of the road behind a small green pickup truck. Two teenage boys about seventeen years old came running to the men as they got out of the vehicles.

“He's down there! He's down the side!” Yelled one of the youths.

Captain Stanley quieted the young men as the crew assembled to hear what had happened.

“Alright now. Suppose you tell us what happened and who is down there so we can get on with helping him.”

“Our friend Eddie! We were hiking down there and we found some cool rocks to climb on,” one youth began to explain. “He slipped off one and he got stuck in the rocks. He’s having trouble breathin', man! You gotta help him!”

Johnny and Roy ran to the squad for their safety belts and ropes. They knew they would be repelling down to the rocks below.

“I wonder how far he fell to get himself wedged?” Johnny said.

“We'll see if they can guesstimate it for us. Ready?” Roy was fastening his belt around his waist.

“Yeah. Man, it'll be tough getting him back up if he's in too bad of shape.” Johnny followed Roy over to the rest of the crew and the two boys.

“Cap, we have any idea how far he fell when he slipped?” Roy asked.

Captain Stanley looked at the two boys. “Well, how about it? Do you know?”

This time the other boy answered, his brown eyes filled with fear. “About 10 feet maybe. He landed in a crevice sideways.”

Johnny and Roy exchanged worried glances.

“How long ago?” Johnny wondered.

“About an hour and a half ago. It took us awhile to get up here and to the truck. Then we had to drive to a phone.” The brown eyed boy was very distraught, his dark hair sweaty from the exertion of the incident. “I was just down there yelling to him. He can barely talk.”

“We’d better get down there fast.” Johnny was tying a rope on his belt, Roy following suit. Johnny stuck the HT in a pack to take down with them, since they would be calling up for supplies as needed. Within minutes they were on their way down to Eddie, Marco and Chet manning the lines that were tied off on the engine.

~*~*~

As they approached the rocks, Johnny could see part of the boy's red shirt below.

“Hey, Roy! Look, he's right there!”

They had repelled down about thrity feet now and had fifteen more to go before they would be to the rocks.

When Johnny and Roy finally reached Eddie, the boy was conscious, but was obviously in pain. “He…hel….p.” Every breath seemed like a struggle.

“Alright now, Eddie, we're going to get you out of here.” Johnny reached for the boy's wrist, checking his pulse. He looked over at Roy, who was checking as best he could for injuries. "His pulse is weak and thready. Any sign of broken bones?"

Roy nodded. “I think his left arm may be broken. Hard to tell with him on it, but it's at a funny angle. I'd imagine he broke some ribs, but his lungs may be okay. We need to get him out to see if he can breathe better once he's free.”

Johnny pulled out the HT. “Engine 51, HT 51.”

Cap's voice could be heard over the radio “Go ahead, HT 51.”

“Yeah, we're gonna need the stokes. Also need the splint box, backboard, c-collar and oxygen. Can you contact Rampart on the biophone? That way we can relay his vitals to them from here. Right now we really just need to get him out and up, though.”

“10-4, HT 51. You need anymore man power?”

“Uh…not that we know of. Let us try to pull him out first, but we need to put a collar on his neck before we do that.”

“10-4”

Marco and Chet secured the equipment in the stokes, tied the stokes to a rope and lowered it down. Captain Stanley was already on the horn to Rampart, filling them in on the situation.

Johnny stood up on the rocks and guided the stokes into place, untying it. He then squatted down, helping Roy with Eddie. Roy fastened the collar around Eddie's neck. “Ready?”

“Yep. Hang in there, Eddie, you're going to be okay. We're going to get you out of here now.” Johnny straddled across the crevice on one end, holding his hands under Eddie's shoulder. Roy was leaning over, ready to pull him out by his hips. The two paramedics lifted him up on the second try. He hadn't been in as tight as they had thought, which came as a relief. As soon as he was freed and laid on the backboard in the stokes, his breathing seemed to improve. Roy got the oxygen on him, and together he and Johnny got the vitals. Johnny relayed them up to Cap.

Soon Eddie was on his way up in the stokes, Roy being pulled up beside him. Johnny stayed at the bottom, guiding the stokes from there.

Once Roy and Eddie reached the top, the stokes was laid down. Roy got to work once again on the victim. Johnny tied the rope on his safety belt, and was soon pulled.

~*~*~

The police that had arrived at the scene were talking to the other youths. Johnny climbed in the back of the ambulance, as Eddie was loaded in.

“See you at Rampart,” Roy said as he closed the doors. He gave them two slaps and headed for the squad. A yell from one of the officers caught his attention. One of the youths had passed out and was lying on the ground. Roy ran over to the group to check out the kid, as the ambulance took off, lights and siren blaring.

~*~*~

The canyon road was curvy, making it a tricky ride in the back of the ambulance. Johnny and Gary, the ambulance attendant riding in the back, braced themselves on each curve. Rounding one tight corner, Jim, the driver, was caught off guard as he suddenly spotted a red Jeep heading directly for them. There was no time for him to react except to pull sharply to the left, losing control as he tried to over-correct.

Yelling “Hang on!” to Johnny and Gary, Jim tried to brake, but it was useless. He knew it was a losing battle. As the ambulance sailed over the edge, it was airborne as soon as it left the road, leaving barely a mark anywhere that would indicate an accident had just occurred.

Johnny and Gary felt the ambulance jerk hard to the left. They grabbed on to what ever they could to keep themselves somewhat steady. When they heard Jim yell the warning for them to hang on, Johnny gave Gary a bewildered look. Suddenly the two men found themselves thrown about as the ambulance hit the ground again farther down the incline. It roughly bounced about as it was out of control as it traveled down the steep embankment. Johnny had quickly thrown himself over the stretcher, trying to protect Eddie as well as he could, but he had no way to hang on to anything himself.

The ambulance continued its swift descent down the steep embankment, the driver trying to maintain control. It was hopeless however, and as the tires blew out, and the scenery rushed past, all Jim could do was hold on to the steering wheel. Hitting a large rock, the vehicle went into a roll. It finally came to rest against a tree trunk in the brush at the bottom of the hill, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.

~*~*~

The driver of red Jeep momentarily lost control as well, swerving to his right on the other end of the corner. Frank Miller hit the brakes hard, and his vehicle spun around, coming to rest with the rear tires setting on the edge of the bank, the front now pointing in the opposite direction the man had been traveling. Frank sat in stunned silence. What was he going to do? He had just caused and ambulance to go over the side of the road. If it wrecked bad enough, chances were whoever was inside wouldn’t have survived. It was only after a few minutes of sitting that Miller realized he had hardly taken a breath, his hands still grasping the steering wheel. He released his grip, his hands shaking.

After taking a few deep breaths, Frank gave more thought to his situation. No one had seen the accident occur. And since he had decided to take a drive into the hills on a whim, no one knew that he was on this road today. It was in his hands. He could contact authorities and let them know what happened, possibly facing vehicular manslaughter charges, or he could flee the scene and no one would be the wiser. He pulled the Jeep down the road a few feet and climbed out on wobbly legs. The skid marks from his Jeep in the gravel road were obvious. More reaction than thought, he kicked and scuffed at the marks, destroying as much evidence of his involvement in the accident as possible. Satisfied, the man got back into his Jeep and drove down the road and around the corner. He stopped and looked for signs of the ambulance going over the side. An overwhelming feeling of relief came . . .there weren’t any noticeable signs. Maybe it hadn’t gone over after all. Looking closer he noticed slight marks in the dirt.

It really did happen.

He quickly put his Jeep in ‘park’ and got out, trotting across the road to the edge of the shoulder. Once again, he kicked at the dirt until any signs of tire marks were unrecognizable at all. It was then Frank made his final decision. He was not going to let anyone know about the ambulance.

~*~*~

Roy was working on the youth that had passed out. Although the kid had come to shortly after the episode, and he had assured Roy that he was okay, the paramedic was reluctant to just let him go. DeSoto was sure the adrenalin rush from the fall and rescue of the youth’s friend had finally caught up with him. After all, these boys had made a run up a steep hill, driven miles to call for help and had been back down the hill and up again by the time help arrived. Chance were they could both be slightly dehydrated from the exertion. Roy took the youth’s vitals again to be sure they were stabilizing. As he hoped, they were just about normal again.

The boys watched Roy talk to Captain Stanley, impatiently waiting for the okay to leave and meet up with Eddie at the hospital.

“You think the kid’ll be all right?” Hank asked, his eyebrows raised. He glanced over at the youths.

"Yeah, I do. But it probably wouldn’t hurt to get them some water first. And when I see Dix at Rampart, I’ll make sure she sees they get some drinks and a snack while they’re waiting for word on their buddy.”

Hank nodded. The policeman had been standing nearby and overheard the conversation.

“I have a thermos of water in the squad car. They can have that.”

“Thanks,” Roy said, smiling. He walked over to the boys while the policeman walked to his car.

“We’re going to get some fluid in you guys. Then you’ll be free to go.”

“But Eddie. . .” the brown haired youth started.

“It’ll be awhile before you'd be able to see Eddie, anyway" Roy warned, as he began to gather the rest of the equipment and return it to the side compartment of the squad.

Seeing that they had no choice, the boys accepted the help.

~*~*~

Frank Miller continued on his way out of the canyon. He kept thinking about the ambulance that had wrecked. . .wondering if the occupants had survived. . .was he doing the wrong thing? Instinct to keep himself out of trouble overrode any guilt he was feeling. He knew if he did tell anyone and someone had died, life as he knew it would never be the same.

~*~*~

Down at the bottom of the canyon, buried in the brush and trees, the ambulance lay on its right side. Jim, the driver, was still in the cab, lying in a heap on the passenger side window. His body was twisted awkwardly, both arms in an impossible position, his face bloodied and his chest smashed from the first impact with the steering wheel.

The back doors had come open near the end of the crash, and Gary was thrown out. He lay unconscious in the deep brush, his legs pinned by the damaged vehicle. Eddie remained strapped on the stretcher. He was barely aware of pain radiating throughout his entire body, as he lapsed in and out of awareness. After a brief period of time, he succumbed to the darkness that had been beckoning him.

Johnny was pinned by the stretcher against the interior of the ambulance where the right wall and roof joined. Although the stretcher had probably saved him from being thrown out, it also had done its damage as it hit against the man. Johnny tried to shift his position as he slowly came to, but it was useless. He was pinned tight, just one hand and his head able to move. He could feel something trickling down the side of his face.

What the hell happened?

Taking short, steady breaths, the dark-haired man fought to stay conscious.

~*~*~

The youths had gotten the water they needed and were looking much better. Roy contacted Rampart through dispatch to let Doctor Brackett know the situation and to get his clearance for the boys to be released from care. With an agreement to see a doctor when they arrived included, the two were soon free to go.

“Thanks," they both said as pulled the truck away. The two boys headed down the road, following where the ambulance had gone awhile before.

~*~*~

“Well, we’d better call ourselves in as available,” Stanley said, as he keyed the mic on his HT. Afterwards the engine crew climbed into their truck and followed not far behind the boys.

Roy handed the thermos to the policeman. “My partner is probably chomping at the bit waiting for me to pick him up.”

The officer laughed. “Not the Gage I know. He’s probably working on a date with a nurse, and checking his watch to see if he has much time before you should be showing up, counting his blessings that you haven’t. After all, he hasn’t called on your radio to look for you.”

Roy grinned and nodded. “You’re probably right.” He gave a slight wave. “Well, see ya around. Thanks for the water.”

“Sure!”

~*~*~

All the vehicles were on their way out of the canyon. No one noticed anything out of the ordinary as they drove past where the accident had taken place not long before. Roy glanced out his window as he drove down the winding road. It was a beautiful drive. Too bad he was in a hurry to get to Rampart, although the urgency wasn’t so great he needed to speed or use his lights and siren. He smiled again at the police officer’s assessment of his partner. Johnny had a reputation for flirting with nurses that carried outside the fire department. He thought about ribbing him about it when they met up. Maybe that wouldn't be the best idea right now, though. The air was tense enough between them as it was.

~*~*~

Frank Miller pulled up in his driveway. He took a deep breath, then got out of his Jeep and walked into the house as casually as he could. The vehicle wasn’t damaged. His wife would never know he had an accident.

The boys arrived at Rampart General in the midst of a crisis. A school bus accident had the ER jumping with excitement. Nurses and doctors rushed from one treatment room to the next trying to take care of the frightened children. The arrival of the nervous and worried parents only compounded the situation. Fortunately, most of the children's injuries were relatively minor.

"Can I help you?" asked a pretty blond nurse named was Karen. She was looking directly at the two young men standing in front of the admissions desk. She couldn't help noticing how dirty and disheveled they were.

Billy looked back at her. "Ummm, we're looking for our friend."

"You wouldn't happen to be the friends of the boy who fell in the mountains would you?"

"Uh...yeah. I mean yes, Ma'am."

"I have a note here from Dr. Brackett to have you taken to one of the treatment rooms as soon as you arrive. You do remember the paramedic telling you that you'd have to be checked out by the doctor when you got here, don't you?"

"Yes. He told us that, but - "

"C'mon. Let's go and get you ready for the doctor. The sooner you're seen, the sooner you can see about your friend."

They solemnly followed her to one of the treatment rooms on the far end of the corridor. There was still plenty of activity in the hallway.

"Have a seat and one of the doctors will be with you as soon as possible. Please be patient though. There was a school bus accident and we're a little short-handed right now." Before leaving she made sure they each had some water to drink. "In the meantime, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to hit the call buzzer. Okay?"

Karen left the room and returned to the desk in time to find two more parents waiting for her. She sighed, remembering how nice and quiet it had been on her last shift.

~*~*~

Unfortunately, a little more than an hour had passed before a doctor was finally released from the accident victims to see other patients. A very tired Dr. Mike Morton entered the treatment room.

"Okay, fellas. Sorry to have kept you waiting. How're you feeling?"

"Tired, but okay," replied Billy.

"Yeah, me too," answered Jim.

The doctor checked them over thoroughly and found them to be in good shape despite what they had been through earlier that afternoon. He released them with the customary warning that if they should feel badly later on to come back in.

~*~*~

"Thanks for your help, Roy,” Doctor Early said, smiling. “We really appreciate you being able to give us a hand. That accident really threw us for a loop."

"Hey, no problem, Doc." Roy looked around the ER corridor. "Have you seen Johnny?"

"No, now that you mention it, I don't remember seeing him at all. Surely he's around somewhere. Why don't you check the lounge? Better yet, we have a new face in admitting. He just might be over there," laughed the grey haired doctor.

Roy rolled his eyes. "I'll check the squad, too. He was a little sore at me last shift. Could be he's waiting for me outside."

"Johnny? Mad at you? I can't see him holding a grudge that long, especially against you."

"I don't know. Maybe he's still in the treatment room with the patient. Things have been a little crazy and the patient wasn't seriously injured."

"Okay, but let me know when you find him. It's not like Johnny to not be on hand."

Roy picked up the box of supplies and went outside. He had a fleeting feeling that something wasn't right but, couldn't put his finger on it. Drawing in a breath of fresh air, he let it out slowly.

He didn't mind helping out in the ER. The constant activity helped the time pass quickly. Roy enjoyed the fresh air until he noticed that his absent partner was not in the squad like he hoped. Sighing, he put the box of supplies in the side compartment and returned to the emergency room waiting area.

The tired and slightly irritated senior paramedic walked up to the admissions desk. He couldn't help notice ‘the new face,’ as Dr. Early had so aptly described her. Johnny's gonna like you! He thought.

"Can I help you?" she asked sweetly.

"I sure hope so. I'm one of the paramedics with Squad 51. You wouldn't by any chance happen to have seen my partner hanging around, have you?"

"Your partner? No, sorry. It's been a little crazy here, but I think I would have noticed the uniform."

DeSoto returned the polite smile. Oh, you'd have noticed him alright. He'd have been rooted to this very spot.' "Thanks anyway."

"Hope you find him."

"Yeah, me too." Roy walked slowly towards the doctors’ lounge and that tiny nagging doubt returned, however brief. Peering inside he failed to find his partner. That's odd. Wonder where he got off to? Well, I'll just have to call him on the HT.

He went back out to the squad. Climbing in, he picked up the mic and keyed it.

"HT 51, this is Squad 51." When he got no response he tried again. "HT 51, this is Squad 51. Do you read?"

Roy sat puzzling over his partner not answering. Johnny, what is with you? His small nagging doubt was quickly growing. He rested his chin on his closed fist, his elbow on the steering wheel. Roy decided to give it another try.

"HT 51, this is Squad 51. Please respond." Stony silence was the only reply.

~*~*~

The eerie stillness was shattered by the unnatural burst of electronic static. Somewhere in the brush, approximately thirty feet from Gary's still form, was the HT. It crackled with static again, but none of the ill-fated ambulance's occupants heard it.

~*~*~

Roy remained seated in the squad, hoping for either an answer, or his wayward partner to show up. He was startled from his thoughts when the radio came to life.

"Squad 51, this is Engine 51. Please call the station on the landline."

"10-4, Engine 51."

Roy DeSoto then returned to the base station and placed the call to his captain. Maybe he knows what is going on.

"Roy? What's going on? We heard you calling the HT."

"I can't find my partner."

"What do you mean you can't find Gage?" he asked, running his long fingers through his wavy dark hair.

"It's hard to explain, Cap. He's nowhere to be seen, and hasn't answered the HT."

"Have you checked with the doctor who examined the kid John brought in? Maybe that doctor knows what's going on."

"Will do, Cap."

"Call me when you locate him - so I can knock some sense into him."

"Okay, Cap," Roy answered. After I get through with him.

He hung up and turned around to see Dixie staring at him oddly. "You still here?"

"I haven't been able to find Johnny anywhere. He's not answering the HT either. Can we find out which Doc saw the kid he brought in? Maybe he can shed some light on this situation."

"Let me check, because I honestly don't know who saw the boy. I think Mike saw the friends. It was so hectic."

"I understand that. What I don't understand is what happened to my partner." He stood staring at the fire department scanner behind the desk while Dixie went to get the information.

~*~*~

"What's going on, Cap?" asked Stoker.

"Gage is missing."

"Missing?" repeated Marco.

"Roy can't find him anywhere."

"Awww...he's probably making time with some new nurse and lost track of time," said Chet.

Marco gave Chet a disapproving glance.

Catching the look, Chet defended his words. "Hey! This is Gage we're talking about. A sucker for a pretty face - " A harsh look from his captain shut him up. "Okay...maybe he got lost?"

"At Rampart?" Mike Stoker gave him a look of disbelief.

"Why is everyone around here so grumpy all of a sudden? Gage is gonna turn up. You’ll see." Chet stalked off and flopped down on the sofa by Henry. "Sure hope you're not grumpy too," he whispered to the sleeping dog. Henry continued his nap without comment.

~*~*~

"Dix?" Roy asked with concern upon seeing the head nurse's bewildered expression.

"We have no record of your patient."

Fear began to take a hold of Roy. "What does that mean?"

"It means there is no record of the patient. Either the paperwork is missing - all of it - or he hasn't been seen here yet."

"What do you mean 'he hasn't been seen here yet'?"

"Exactly that. Could they have changed course and headed for Pavilion instead?"

"Not likely, Dix. Johnny would have called me...or you, before doing that."

"I'll call and check with their ER."

Moments later she hung up. "No such name, ambulance or set of symptoms."

"Dix...where could they be?"

"I don't know, Roy. I'm really worried." She could see by the expression on his face that she wasn't the only one.

~*~*~

A groan was heard coming from the back of the ambulance. Johnny fought once again to open his eyes, but wasn't able to do so. He was vaguely aware of the incredible pain in his head, his back and his stomach. He could feel the heavy weight crushing his chest, making it increasingly difficult to take a deep breath. The silence was deafening, and what little awareness he had regained was quickly lost.

Eddie's eyes opened to a disorienting sight. He had no idea where he was, nor the reason for being unable to move. A groan from underneath him startled him. Where am I? What happened? The young man was very confused, and the fact that he was unable to move scared him. A sharp pain from his side caused him to flinch, which made the pain worse. It was getting harder to breath and he began to panic.

"Help..." he moaned. "Somebody help...me..." his cries for help never reached the rear doors of the vehicle. He passed out once again, and his breathing became less and less productive.

~*~*~

His mouth felt dry and pasty and his head pounded. For some reason he found it hard to breathe. As he tried to shift his position, Gage became dimly aware that he was some how trapped. The thoughts filtered slowly though his mind as he became more aware of his surroundings.

Opening his eyes, he realized that he was in the ambulance, but everything was all wrong. One of the back doors was open and the other hung loosely closed. Johnny was lying pinned where one of the sides joined the ceiling of the ambulance. What in the hell had happened? One moment they were transporting the boy, and the next he ended up like this.

The boy! Was he okay?

"Eddie?"

Gage tried moving, only to quickly stop as a sharp pain lanced through his chest. As he stilled, he listened to the ragged breaths coming from the stretcher that had him pinned down.

"Eddie, can you hear me?"

Eddie answered him, his voice heavily laden with pain, mingled with fear.

"I can't...I...breathe...I can...oh God...help..."

The wheezing sounds became louder and were now joined by a choking, gurgling noise.

"Eddie?"

Gage tried again to free himself from beneath the stretcher, but the pain was too great. It was only when he heard Eddie's strangled cry that he wrenched part of his body free.

"Mmmom..."

The stretcher shifted and Gage screamed as a searing pain stabbed through his chest and shoulder. When he opened his eyes, the stretcher now lay at an angle across his hips and legs. There were no sounds coming from Eddie.

"Eddie? Come on, answer me."

There was only silence.

Straining to reach a hand out to the boy, Gage grabbed one of Eddie’s wrists, knowing what he would find. No heartbeat thrummed beneath his fingertips. He was dead.

Taking shallow breaths, Gage tried to force back the bile that rose in his throat. Here he was a highly trained paramedic in an ambulance full of supplies and someone still died. The logical part of his brain argued that there was nothing he could have done given the circumstance, but his heart took full responsibility for the now dead teenager.

Ignoring the pain that seemed to encompass his entire body, Gage looked around the ambulance. Gary wasn't in the vehicle. Looking at the open door, there were several possible reasons for his disappearance. Had he been thrown out during the crash? Maybe he had survived and went to get help, or maybe Gary was dead...just like Eddie.

Dead. Maybe they were all dead and he was the only survivor. Gary wouldn't have run off if he knew someone needed his help, unless Jim could have stayed and watched over him and Eddie. The same would have gone for Jim. Both men were professionals, and valued the life of others over themselves.

Johnny’s head now throbbed in time to his heartbeat. Each movement sent spikes of pain through his chest. He had to get help soon or he'd be joining them. Looking around the jumbled mess that was thrown around during their tumble down the cliff, Gage tried to find the biophone. It wasn't anywhere in the ambulance. It must have been thrown out during the crash.

Lying slowly back, he tried to think of a way to get himself free of the stretcher. If he could somehow make it to the front cab, he'd be able to call for help. Maybe Jim or Gary were still alive, and if they were, it would be up to him to make sure they stayed that way. He had failed Eddie; he wasn't about to do the same with Gary and Jim.

He lay still for a few more minutes, trying to gather his strength and prepare himself for the pain that he knew would be coming when he tried to get out from under the stretcher. Slowly sitting up, he grasped one of the bars on the stretcher. Taking a few shallow breaths, he shoved it with all his strength.

The pain that flashed through his body was too much. As the stretcher rolled to the side, he fell back unconscious.

~*~*~

Frank Miller tried to act like nothing was wrong. He had turned on the television in an effort to avoid having to talk with his wife. In the past two hours, the man had heard sirens off in the distance a few times. With each one, he was sure it was the police coming to get him. Not being able to stand it any longer, Frank got up and walked over to the TV, turning it off. He grabbed the keys to his Jeep.

“I’ll be back later! I’m gonna go shoot some pool with the guys!”

Frank’s wife came into the livingroom, drying her hands on a kitchen towel.

“You okay? You’ve been awfully quiet since you got home.”

“Yeah. Just don’t wait for me for dinner. I’ll probably be home late.”

The woman nodded. She was used to her husband skipping meals at home in exchange for an afternoon and evening with his buddies at a local bar.

~*~*~

Frank backed the Jeep out into the street and drove away, going nowhere in particular. He just needed to get away from the house. If he happened to end up at the accident scene, he decided he’d climb down and see if the people in the ambulance were alive or dead. He had mixed emotions on what was the best thing to do. The man didn’t want to be caught with the ambulance. He hoped no one had discovered it yet. For the moment, curiosity was getting the best of him.

~*~*~

Gary lay barely conscious in the deep grass. He hadn’t felt much pain at first, but with the shock of what happened wearing off, the man began to feel excruciating pain radiating through his pinned legs. The ambulance attendant had no idea how much time had transpired since the accident. But his fear of losing his legs grew with each passing minute.

The attendant gained some hope when he heard the sound of Gage’s voice from inside the ambulance. When it suddenly stopped, Gary feared the worst. He closed his eyes and prayed someone would find them soon.

~*~*~

Roy chewed his lower lip, lost in thought as he headed back to the station. Various scenarios of what could’ve happened to the ambulance with his partner inside, raced through his mind. The distance between the original rescue scene with the boys and Rampart was many miles of road, much of it with deep brush and steep ravines to the side.

The police had been notified about the missing vehicle and its occupants. As a search team was being sent out, it became a matter of waiting for a call to the fire department for assistance in the search. Roy hoped he would have a temporary partner by the time he was at the station so that he could possibly be in on the potential rescue. But, for now, the squad had been stood down.

~*~*~

Dixie McCall looked up from her desk to find two very worried people standing before her. "Can I help you?"

"Yes...please... We're the Robinsons - Eddie's parents. We'd like to see him."

Dixie had dreaded this moment. She knew that Dr. Brackett wanted to break the news to them and hoped that he was tactful when he did. Sometimes he had no clue when it came to distraught parents.

"Sure. Dr. Brackett would like to speak to you first. Follow me please."

Knocking on the door, she opened it and stepped inside. "Kel? This is Mr. and Mrs. Robinson. Eddie's parents. They just arrived and would like to see him."

"Thanks, Dix," he replied as she closed the door behind her. "Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Kelly Brackett." He shook hands with the two anxious parents. “Please, have a seat,” he said, indicating the two chairs in front of his desk.

The couple complied.

"Good afternoon, Doctor,” Mrs. Robinson began, “when can we see Eddie?"

Brackett sighed as he evaded answering the question. "Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, I have something to tell you and it isn't going to be easy to hear."

The mother drew in a sharp breath and clutched at her husband's arm. "What is it doctor? Is it Eddie? The police didn't say he was seriously injured."

Brackett sat twisting a pencil between his fingers and carefully contemplated his next statement. His stomach and throat tightened and his mouth twitched involuntarily. "That's just it. We don't know the extent of Eddie's injuries at this time."

The nearly hysterical mother sat forward and squeezed her husband's arm tighter. "What do you mean?"

"The ambulance never arrived."

"Oh my G...," replied the father. "What do you mean it never arrived?"

"We're not sure exactly what happened, but the ambulance is missing."

"Missing? Come on now, Doctor! How can something the size of an ambulance just disappear?"

"Mr. Robinson, please calm down."

"Calm down? How can we calm down? Our son is injured out in the middle of nowhere, no doubt because of his goofy friends, and now he's missing? And you want me to calm down? You tell me how! Could you calm down if it were you?"

Kel Brackett looked at the man. Mr. Robinson’s face was red and he was perspiring heavily. It was obvious that they were extremely upset and worried over their missing son.

"Mr. Robinson. . .” the doctor paused, then quietly replied, “no, I don't think that I could. I am sorry. This has never happened before."

The frustrated father got up and began pacing. "Just where do you get these drivers? So help me...if they're out joyriding with my son in back -" He kept running his hand through his thinning hair.

"I assure you that wouldn't happen. We screen our drivers very carefully, and Jim is one of our most experienced drivers."

"Then tell me how this could happen. Tell me how an ambulance could just disappear."

"That's what we're trying to find out. The police are out searching the route, and they have a helicopter on the way to help out."

"So you think it was in an accident?"

"It's a possibility. We want to find your son Mr. Robinson. We also need to find the ambulance and the crew inside."

The pacing came to an abrupt halt. He looked directly at Dr. Brackett. "Maybe I need to call my lawyer. This whole situation is intolerable, Doctor." He began pacing again. "This is utterly ridiculous! I - "

"I don't think you - " the doctor replied starting to get up from his chair. He stopped when the red-faced man interrupted.

"No! You don't understand. My son is hurt and he's out there, God knows where, and all you can say is 'I'm sorry?’ I don't care about your people! I want my son and you better find him fast!" The middle-aged man dropped down in his seat and placed his head in his hands. His wife wrapped her arms around his shoulders and sobbed.

Dr. Kelly Brackett was at a loss for words. The boy's parents were hysterical and angry. They had every right to be. He also knew something terrible had happened to the ambulance, its crew, and the boy. There could be no other logical explanation. His stomach knotted up again. 'Where on earth could they be? What happened to them?' He knew the Robinsons couldn't understand, but this was just as hard on him as it was on them. They were too consumed with their own agony.

If there was one thing Kel Brackett hated more than a lawsuit, it was losing. "We're trying, Mr. Robinson. Believe me, we're trying. I want to know as badly as you do where they are and what happened. And remember, we do have a search underway. As soon as we know something, you'll know."

The two overwrought people sitting in front of his desk nodded their heads.

"Why don't you get some coffee in the cafeteria, or maybe even something to eat. Tell them to charge it to me."

The weary man looked up at the doctor. Sighing he helped his wife to stand. "Thank you. I..I think I could use a cup of coffee right now. You'll call us - "

"The minute I hear anything. Anything at all."

Brackett dropped uncharacteristically into his chair when the door closed behind the Robinsons. His elbows rested on the desk, his hands covering his face. His stomach was still twitching along with the corner of his mouth. A minute later, he heard his door open slowly.

"Kel?"

"Yeah, Dix?" he asked without looking up.

"Just wanted to see how things went."

"Great. Just great! He wants to sue us. Can't say that I blame him. If it were me, I would. It just really gets to me, that's all. Any word?"

"Nothing. They have the helicopter on the scene now. Once it gets dark - "

"I know. It'll be morning before they can search by air again.”

“You okay?"

"No, but that's beside the point."

"They'll find them, Kel."

"Yeah, but will it be in time? I have a bad feeling -"

He stopped and looked at his friend. He knew she was hurting just like he was. Hell, probably even more. She worked closely with the ambulance crews and paramedics on a daily basis. And of all the paramedics to be missing, it had to be John Gage. He knew how fond of the young man she was.

"Sorry, Dix."

~*~*~

Frank Miller found himself driving towards Topanga Canyon. When he noticed a helicopter flying over the area, he pulled to the side of the road and stopped.

I can’t let them see me there. I’ll either draw them to the ambulance, or they’ll figure out I know about it if they find it.

He decided to turn the Jeep around and check out a local bar he frequented, to see if any of his buddies were there. Frank hoped shooting a couple of games of pool would relieve some of the tension he was feeling.

~*~*~

As he figured, Frank hooked up with two of his friends, Chuck and Mike, at the bar. After having a beer and talking about who was going to be the team to watch closely in the newly started baseball season, the men began to play a round of pool.

As much as he tried to forget about the ambulance and the helicopter now in the Topanga Canyon area, Frank couldn’t do it. He was noticeably distracted throughout the game.

“What’s the matter, Frank?” Chuck asked. “You’ve been acting strange all afternoon. . .have a fight with the old lady or somethin’?”

Miller gave his friend a glare, then quickly forced a brighter expression. “No, I didn’t have a fight with my wife. Look, I just. . .I have some stuff on my mind. An unfinished project I want to get to.” Frank handed his pool cue to Mike. “I gotta go. I’ll see you guys tomorrow sometime.” The man headed for the front of the bar.

“Well, whataya make of that?” Mike questioned, his eyes on Frank’s retreating back.

Chuck shrugged. “Beats me,” he said as he watched their friend go out the front door. “I guess it’s like the guy said. . .he has an unfinished project. But he’s still acting strange for him, if you ask me.”

~*~*~

Part of a white vehicle in the brush at the bottom of a ravine caught the helicopter crews’ attention.

“You think that could be our missing ambulance?” One crewman asked.

The pilot nodded. “It’s the only sign of a vehicle we’ve seen so far. And it looks like it could be a pretty large. Plus being white. . .”

“Call it in?”

“Let’s make one more pass over it to be sure.”

~*~*~

The crew of Station 51’s A-Shift was restless. Every time the tones sounded, they were up on their feet and ready to run. Only problem was, the calls were for other stations, and none sounded like they involved the missing ambulance.

Roy stood leaning against the counter near the sink. Oblivious to what his other shiftmates in the room were doing, he stared at the doorway that led out of the dayroom to the apparatus bay. He’d give anything to have his partner come in the door. No matter what the excuse for being MIA, Johnny would be a welcome sight.

DeSoto stepped away from the counter and walked over near the doorway, looking into the bay, then continued to walk over to the bulletin board. He desperately needed a distraction to keep his mind off all the ‘what ifs’ that were running through his mind.

~*~*~

Frank sat in his Jeep in the parking lot of the bar and stared ahead, lost in thought. He had to know if the accident victims were alive or dead. Especially the ambulance driver. That was the one person who could tell anyone what happened to cause the accident if he survived.

Miller put the Jeep in gear and drove closer to Topanga Canyon, pulling off in a parking lot of a minimart, where he could keep an eye on the helicopter’s movements and watch for any emergency vehicles going to or coming from the area.

~*~*~

The mood at the station house continued to be tense. Chet took over 'pacing' detail for his missing shift-mate to the discomfort of everyone else.

"Chet, would you sit down already?" It was a demand, not a question that came out of Mike's mouth.

Chet looked at the normally quiet member of the crew with disgust. "I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"Oh, and wearing a hole in the floor is doing something?" chided Marco. "Come on, Chet, give us all a break and sit your rear end down in a chair! You're making us all nuts." He looked pointedly over at Roy. "Chet, please."

Chet realized what Marco was trying to tell him; Roy was having a difficult enough time as it was waiting for word on his missing partner. Chet's frenetic movement wasn't helping the situation any, but his nervous energy was getting the best of him. He continued to pace.

"Kelly, damn it, sit down. Now."

The pacing stopped.

"Sorry, Cap. I just wish there was something we could do."

"I know; we all wish there was something more that we could do, but for now we've got to let the guys in the air do their job. As soon as they give us the word, we'll high tail it over to wherever they are. Okay?" Captain Stanley's tone was gentler now; he knew Chet Kelly was as worried as he was about Johnny. It was getting more and more difficult for all of them to sit tight.

Mercifully, the klaxons rang out. "Engine 51, Squad 36 in place of Squad 51,vehicle over the cliff. North Topanga Canyon Road, two miles south of the Jasper Lane crossing. Time out: 17:10."

Roy jumped from his seat and ran to pick up the microphone. Forgetting all protocol, he asked, "HQ, is there any description on the vehicle?"

"Affirmative, 51. White."

"Okay. Okay." Roy, without thinking dropped the microphone and ran to the squad.

"Roy, wait!" called out Hank, who'd been right behind him. "HQ, Engine 51 would like a repeat of the address and any details you have on this scene." He glanced sympathetically at DeSoto. “You don’t have a partner yet. You aren’t going.”

Roy leaned against the squad in defeat as headquarters gave the requested information to Captain Stanley.

"Engine 51, white vehicle over the cliff. North Topanga Canyon Road, two miles south of the Jasper Lane crossing. Time out: 17:10.

"Engine 51. KMG-365." Hank hurriedly copied the information down on the call slip. As he started for the engine, Johnny’s replacement, Craig Brice, came trotting towards the vehicles. Roy looked hopefully at Stanley.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Call in as available for the run in place of 36’s. They’re too far for my liking, anyway.”

The blonde paramedic nodded, a slight grin on his face. Captain Stanley knew and understood he and Johnny so well.

"Get in," gritted out Roy to his temporary partner as he climbed in the driver’s seat. Brice did so without saying a word. He'd been filled in by Headquarters about the situation and knew it was best to remain quiet at that moment.

The sirens were turned on, and the squad led the way for the engine to what they were sure would be Johnny's rescue.

~*~*~

Miller watched as the fire trucks raced past the minimart. He knew the helicopter must’ve found something. He could only hope this was all a coincidence, and that the emergency vehicles were for a different accident. No one could find the ambulance until he was sure the driver was dead. Frank decided then that after the helicopter and fire trucks cleared out later, he would check out the accident scene. . .climb down to the wrecked vehicle and see for himself what was up. For now he would settle for keeping his eyes on the copter hovering in the sky over a section of the canyon.

~*~*~

Dixie McCall hung up the phone near the base station and paged for Doctor Brackett. As he approached her a few minutes later, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“You look like you’re up to something,” Kel said.

“I’ve got good news. The helicopter found the missing ambulance.”

“Do they know the condition of any of the occupants yet?”

The smile quickly faded, as reality hit the nurse headstrong. There was a chance the rest of the news regarding the accident could be bad. “No. The fire department is on its way to the site now.”

The doctor sighed. “Well, I guess I can let the Robinsons know we’ve found their son. I’d wait until we know what shape he’s in, but as worried as they are, this’ll give them something to hang on to. I just hope the outcome is good.”

Dixie thought about the other occupants in the vehicle. There were three of her own friends she had to worry about. One young paramedic in particular she especially couldn’t get off her mind.

Please let them all be okay.

~*~*~

Frank Miller was in a quandary. His mind was telling him one thing and his conscience another. He had grown tired of watching the helicopter circling the hills from his lookout. There were too many people around and he didn't want to be noticed sitting in the Jeep for too long. Miller decided to go inside the minimart and look around. He knew he could still see the road through the large windows in the event the fire trucks were sent back from where they had gone. Once inside Frank grabbed a couple of sodas and a bag of chips. While paying for his purchase he listened to the clerks’ conversation.

"Wish I knew what all the fuss was over,” one girl said. “They've been flying around long enough."

"Yeah. One of the cops is sure to be in soon and we can get the scoop from him."

"Anything else, sir?" The clerk noticed how distracted the Frank was. "Sir?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. No, that will be all, thanks."

"Thank you and come again!" she smiled at him.

Frank picked up the bag and returned to his Jeep. He just had to know what was going on and if anyone was still alive. He started to worry again. If that driver is still alive. . .

His mind raced with the probabilities. "What are you going to do, Frank?" he asked himself. "Kill him if you find out he's still alive? You're in enough trouble already, bucko. Killing a man would not be a good idea. I can't get caught, and that guy most likely saw me. Or at least can identify my Jeep. What am I gonna do?”

He sat contemplating the days events a while longer, fingers nervously drumming on the steering wheel. Why did they have to get in my way? It's all their fault!

A police car pulled slowly into the lot. He slowed even more when he noticed the man sitting in the Jeep. Looks like he's talkin' to himself. Takes all kinds, The officer shrugged and got out of the car.

Frank watched the patrolman enter the store. He felt the need to follow and see if he could find out some information. He got out of the vehicle and headed back into the mini-mart.

The police officer was standing at the counter, talking and flirting with the clerks. Frank milled around before grabbing milk and a loaf of bread. He was trying to eavesdrop without looking obvious.

"C'mon Bill, tell us what's going on. What's the helicopter lookin' for?"

"An ambulance is missing. They think it may have gone over the side somewhere up in the mountains."

"How awful! I sure hope they find it before it gets to dark."

"Me, too, Sharon." He smiled and winked at the girls. "Thanks for the coffee."

"No problem, Bill. Let us know how it goes," stated the other clerk with a grin.

"Will do, Cathy. See you gals later!"

"Hi there. Forget something?" the young lady asked Frank, smiling. She remembered she had waited on him just a bit ago.

"Yeah, and the wife woulda had my head, too!," He lied. "I couldn't help overhearing what the officer said. Darn shame."

"Yeah, it is. I hope no one got hurt bad.” The girl frowned. “Well, thanks again!"

"Bye."

Miller hurried back to the car and pulled out onto the road. He didn't know where he was going just yet, but he knew he needed to find another place to wait.

~*~*~

Damn, Roy thought as he gazed over the side of the road. It was a long way down the gravel-covered slope. He could barely make out the top of the white roof of the vehicle; the rest was covered with brush and debris.

"Captain Stanley, I believe I should be the one to go down to ascertain the situation," suggested Brice in his clipped manner.

Roy looked over at Craig in surprise. "We both will,” he said firmly. “It’s my partner down there.” The normally even-tempered DeSoto was having none of Brice's suggestion.

"Hey, pal . . . maybe that's not such a bad idea," offered Hank.

"Cap, there is no way I'm not going down there." Roy was adamant, and Hank knew there was no way he'd be able to stop his colleague short of tying him down.

"Let Brice take the lead."

"Cap -"

"That's an order, Roy." When Roy looked as if he were going to argue, Hank made it even clearer. "Brice, you take the lead in this rescue. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. Let's go, DeSoto." Brice led the way to the squad, where he pulled out the ropes and safety belts. The two paramedics hooked the necessary equipment on to themselves and then walked over to Mike and Marco, who stood waiting near the engine.

"Ready to secure us?" asked Brice. Roy stood silently by, chomping at the bit to get down the cliff to his partner.

"Yeah...give us one second," Mike commented.

Some minutes passed as Roy began to grow anxious watching Mike and Marco secure the ropes.

"All ready, Roy," Mike declared, and then turned to their temporary replacement and acknowledged, "Brice."

Roy took off and Brice found himself trotting to keep up. "DeSoto, hold on!" he called out. "DeSoto!"

Roy turned to face his temporary partner.

"I recall distinctly that Captain Stanley gave the orders for me to take the lead in this rescue operation,” Craig explained. “You will allow me to descend first."

Roy was about to give the by-the-book paramedic an argument until he allowed himself to take a breath and realize what was going on. Craig Brice was actually watching out for him in case - the thought was something he refused to allow himself to even consider. Roy took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, Brice. You go down. I’ll be right behind you."

Brice nodded in accord, gave one more tug at the ropes to test for their security, and started his descent down the steep slope of the hillside. Roy followed as closely behind.

As they made their way down, all Roy could think of was the wrecked vehicle and hoping his partner was okay. It took them almost thirty minutes to make their way down the steep embankment. By the time they had traveled quite a distance, each man bore the brunt of several small skirmishes with bush and tree branches along the way. Brice took a moment to wipe his brow with his handkerchief as the sweat that now trickled down from his forehead obscured his vision. When he finished mopping his head, he noticed without too much surprise the smudges of blood that mixed in with perspiration.

"You okay?" asked Roy as they got almost level with the vehicle.

"No worse than you," replied Brice he noted the bleeding nicks and cuts on his colleague's face and hands.

Roy nodded and then looked from the paramedic to the vehicle. He still had a good four to six feet to climb down to get to the vehicle. It wasn't going to be easy, as it was deeply entrenched in rock and brush. He glanced around for any sign of a person that might have been thrown from the vehicle. Seeing none thus far came as a slight relief.

"How do you want to do this?" asked Brice. Though he knew he was supposed to be in the lead, he knew that Roy was going to demand to get up as close to the vehicle as possible to check on Gage. He didn't want any sudden surprises; DeSoto didn’t need to see Johnny lying in a stillness of death if that happened to be the outcome of this accident.

"I'm going to go over to the opposite side of the ambulance. I think I can get a good view inside that way.”

"Okay," Brice agreed, "I'll climb to the near side of the vehicle and we'll see what we've got."

Both men made their way over to their respective positions. Brice reached his place first, by virtue of the fact he was closer. He began to sweep his hand over the top of the vehicle in an attempt to get a better idea as to what kind if shape it was in.

As he cleaned as much debris as possible, Roy laboriously climbed above and over the vehicle. He managed to curse a time or two as the sharp branches of the pine brush pricked at him, causing him more discomfort.

"SHIT!"

"Brice, what’s wrong?" Roy called out at the sound of the very unprofessional expletive that came out of Brice's mouth.

"DeSoto, I'm sorry."

Roy was startled. Did Brice mean he’d found Johnny dead?

”Do you see him? Brice, is he dead?" Roy was beside himself. This was the scenario he had feared.

"No. He's not in here." Brice couldn't speak fast enough to explain the situation. “It's not them. It's not the ambulance!"

It took several seconds for Brice's words to sink in, but once they did, he had DeSoto’s attention 100 percent.

"What?" Roy's eyes went wide; he suddenly felt like he'd been gut-punched.

"It's not the ambulance. It's an old, abandoned Volkswagen van, Roy. Damn, I'm sorry."

Roy stood motionless for several seconds. He couldn’t believe they had wasted their last chance to search in daylight for a damned empty bus. "How could we. . .”

“We've got to go back and report to Captain Stanley." Brice said, knowing what Roy was thinking. They didn’t have time to search more.

The HT came to life and Captain Stanley's voice could be heard. "HT 51, Engine 51. How do you read?"

"Engine 51, HT 51. We read you loud and clear."

"Okay, Brice. How are they?"

"Unknown at this time, Captain. The vehicle is not the ambulance. I repeat, the vehicle is not the ambulance. It's an abandoned Volkswagen van."

"It's not the ambulance? " Stanley asked, a feeling of shock coming over him. The helicopter crew had been so sure. He looked up at the dimming sky. Continuing the search for the ambulance was going to be hampered by the dark for the rest of the night. Hank knew it would more than likely be early morning before they would get another chance.

"Affirmative, Engine 51. The vehicle in question is still missing." Brice then said, "Engine 51, we're ready to start our ascent up the embankment.”

"10-4, HT 51. We've got some helping hands ready to help pull you both up."

"Engine 51, HT 51. I believe DeSoto is ready to make the climb up first."

The men of Station 51 worked to pull up Roy first. It wasn't that Roy was being uncooperative; it's just that the man had trouble concentrating on doing what he needed to do to make the job easier. He couldn’t get his mind off the fact they had wasted time on an empty vehicle.

Pulling Brice up was a much quicker task, which proved for the better since the captain insisted that Brice check DeSoto out before they made the trip back to the station. He was concerned with the flushed appearance of the senior paramedic.

As the captain called into Headquarters and relayed the news that their missing paramedic and ambulance were still unaccounted for, Roy tried to talk Brice out of getting his vitals.

"I'm okay, Brice. I just got a little overheated, that's all."

"DeSoto, I understand that but the captain said I should check you over."

"I'm okay." His tone belied his words.

Brice looked at the forlorn paramedic sitting before him and said, "I know you are, DeSoto." He said it gently, and then added in a similar tone but with an added firmness, "But I have my orders, and the captain said I had to check you out. If the numbers are good, I won't call it in, okay?"

Roy smiled. "Isn't that breaking protocol, Craig?"

Brice returned the smile; it wasn't often he felt accepted enough for his colleagues to call him by his first name. "Let's just keep that between you and me, okay...Roy?"

As it turned out, the numbers were within normal range and, as promised, Brice did not call the check-up into Rampart. He told his temporary partner that he did, however, expect him to take it easy in between calls. "Or I will have to make an addendum to our log."

Roy nodded his acceptance of Brice's conditions; he was actually being reasonable and Roy couldn't argue with him. Besides, he was feeling drained, if not still a little shaky, and a little downtime would be welcomed.

Now, if only he could allow himself to take the needed respite, but he knew until word came as to exactly where his partner was any rest would be a long time in coming.

~*~*~

The helicopter made another sweep of the area, using its spotlight on the rough terrain of the canyon ravines. Unfortunately, the ambulance was missed in the limited search over the area. The helicopter pilot headed back, knowing another crew would be sent out at first sign of light in the morning.

~*~*~

Oh, no.” Dixie allowed the telephone receiver to slip from her ear onto her shoulder. Somehow she managed to place the receiver onto the base. “They were so sure…”

She involuntarily turned toward the waiting area, where Mr. and Mrs. Robinson had taken a seat to wait for the rescue of their son. “This can’t be happening,” Dixie said under her breath.

She knew that she needed to tell Kel, and for a moment she felt somewhat guilty that it would be someone else who would give the bad news to the Robinsons. Just as quickly she decided that it didn’t matter who passed on the news; it was bad for all of them. There were no winners yet.

Kel was with a patient; Dixie hovered outside the door, waiting with dread for Brackett’s exit. Surely there had to be an end to this nightmare. A positive end.

Brackett finally opened the door. He paused at sight of Dixie. “Dix, what’s up?”

She merely looked up at him, her expression conveying the necessary information.

Brackett swore under his breath. “What happened?” he asked brusquely.

“It wasn’t the ambulance,” Dixie replied. “Apparently they were mistaken.”

“It wasn’t the ambulance? How the hell could they make a mistake like that?”

Dixie held her finger before her lips and glanced significantly toward the waiting area. “I don’t know, Kel. All I know is that the ambulance is still missing.”

Kel sighed deeply. “All right. The Robinsons obviously need to be told.” Squaring his shoulders, he walked swiftly down the hall. Dixie watched him, knowing how difficult his task was, and also knowing that the sinking feeling in her gut wasn’t going to disappear anytime soon.

~*~*~

“Mr. and Mrs. Robinson?” Kel waited for the pair to stand. “Would you come to my office, please?”

“What is it?” Mrs. Robinson asked quickly, grasping her husband’s arm. “Has Eddie been rescued yet?”

“No, not yet.” Brackett gestured toward his office. “Please…”

The trio entered the office, and Kel closed the door. Mrs. Robinson plucked at Kel’s sleeve.

“Please tell me! Shouldn’t Eddie be here by now? What’s taking so long? You said the ambulance had been found!”

Kel folded his arms. “Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you.”

“Oh, no!” Mrs. Robinson collapsed into tears. “He’s dead, isn’t he! They found him and he’s dead!”

“No! We don’t know anything yet.” Kel looked to Mr. Robinson. “It was a mistake. The ambulance hasn’t been found yet.”

Mr. Robinson looked from his wife to the doctor. “But…but you said it had been found. I don’t understand.”

“I know what I said, and I’m sorry, but the vehicle that was found apparently was not the ambulance.”

Mr. Robinson exploded. “I can’t take any more of this! First you lose an ambulance with my son in it, then you say you’ve found the ambulance, and now you say sorry, it was all a mistake! What kind of a hospital is this? How can you do this to people? Don’t you know what this is doing to my wife? And my son is still lying out there somewhere…” His voice broke, and he turned away, his shoulders shaking. Mrs. Robinson held him, her wet eyes fixed on Brackett, her expression one of agony.

Kel stood still, unable to break away from her stare.

~*~*~

Frank sat and stared at the television screen. He had managed to find his way home after driving around some more. The TV shows he watched weren't enough to distract him from what he was thinking. His wife had decided to spend some time at a friend's house so she wasn't there to bug him about his mood. Frank laughed at the thought. That's all I need right now...Margie pestering me about my mood.

~*~*~

Several hours passed before Johnny struggled once more to pull himself from the black cloud, which seemed to envelope him. The unbearable pain in his chest was second only to the white-hot pain in his head. As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, the young paramedic realized that the black void around him was comprised not only of the lingering effects of being unconscious, but that night had fallen since the last time he’d been awake. Suddenly, the memories of the accident and Eddie’s death hit Gage full force, and he strained to pull himself to a sitting position. The injured paramedic held his side carefully as he struggled to control his breathing, but there seemed to be no relief from the blinding pain. Not only did his head and chest hurt, the pain in his back was growing stronger with each passing minute.

“Jim? Jim, can you hear me? Gary?”

His feeble attempt to call out to the men was rewarded with silence, and Johnny briefly wondered if his voice even carried beyond the small space around him. There seemed to be a lack of air within the wrecked ambulance, but he knew that the real problem was inside his own body. His lung must’ve been damaged, either in the crash itself, or when he moved the stretcher off. . . the stretcher . . Eddie’s stretcher.

Once again, the memory of the teenager’s death overwhelmed Johnny. It almost seemed as if he could hear the strangled gasps of the boy as he took his final breaths. Closing his eyes against the memory, the dark haired paramedic brushed a tear away, grateful for the darkness, even though there was no one there to see him. It always hurt to lose a patient, but to lose one in this way . . Johnny didn’t know if he could handle the emotional pain that brought. The strange thing was, even as he recalled the victim’s loss, the sound of breathing, ragged but steady, continued to echo within the ambulance.

It took several minutes for the injured man’s brain to process and define the sounds, but slowly it became clear. In the quiet of the night he was able to hear another man’s breathing. There was someone else in the ambulance. Someone injured but definitely alive.

“Jim?”

Knowing that his voice wouldn’t carry, and finally aware that he needed to move again, Johnny pulled himself forward as best he could. He knew that his first priority would be to locate the biophone, HT or the ambulance radio, and call for help. But he also needed to reach the cab and check on Jim, then find some way to get outside and search for Gary. It was up to Johnny to take care of these men, and he vowed to do everything in his power to make sure they survived.

Regardless of the pain, Johnny continued to push himself, crawling over and around the debris. His progress was slow and hampered not only by his injuries, but also by the devastation within the ambulance. Medical supplies were scattered everywhere. Oxygen tank, drug box, scopes and instruments, all had been thrown about haphazardly. The only thing that Johnny couldn’t see as he continued his trek toward the front, was the HT and biophone.

It seemed as if he’d been crawling for hours, yet only minutes had passed before Johnny collapsed again.

The pain was overwhelming and waves of nausea assaulted him as he lay there. He longed to pull himself up and rush to the other man’s side, but no amount of wishing would make that dream come true. It was quickly becoming obvious that he’d be lucky to even last through the night, and he worried that the same might be true for the men he couldn’t reach. As his vision blurred then faded, a single plea escaped him.

“Roy . . .”

~*~*~

The late dinner Marco prepared sat mostly untouched on the table. Though each of the men had made an effort to eat, none of them had been able to swallow more than a few mouthfuls. Roy hadn’t even made it past the first bite before shoving himself away from the table and leaving the room. He’d wandered about the station, finally settling on his bunk where he lay staring at the ceiling. At least he was following Brice’s orders about taking it easy.

Captain Stanley found him there and made several attempts to talk to the worried man. Hank’s gentle words of encouragement were no help, but Roy appreciated the effort. Unfortunately, his mind was focused on his errant partner. Roy felt so helpless, and his hands held straight against his sides, were constantly clenching and unclenching in frustration. Not even the pain of the scrapes from his earlier climb stopped the incessant action.

After several minutes of watching his paramedic struggling for control, Hank stood up and left the dorm, deciding it was best to give the man a little privacy. He promised himself to watch the clock and check on Roy again in short order; he didn’t want to leave the paramedic alone for too long when it was obvious he needed the support of his friends.

It was only after the captain had been gone several minutes that Roy pulled himself off the bunk and stumbled toward the washroom. No matter where he was, he felt the urge to be moving about, as if searching in some way for his missing partner. Stopping briefly at the sink, Roy splashed cold water on his face. However, the effort unfortunately did not bring about the desired affect.

Mike stood outside the locker room door and briefly wondered if his presence in the room would help Roy or just make matters worse. The other guys had encouraged him to try, and only after Chet offered to make the attempt, did the engineer decide that he’d better give it a shot. No one was doing well with Chet’s pacing, least of all, Roy.

From inside, the sound of a door slamming shut seemed to reverberate through the locker room. The ensuing silence was interrupted again by the sound of a fist slammed against a door, followed by muttered cursing. After hearing the last expletive, the engineer decided anything was worth a try.

Pushing the door open, Mike was almost surprised at the quiet that prevailed. The station’s senior paramedic was sitting on a bench, elbows on his knees, head resting in his hands. The expression on his face was one of despair and the engineer stopped uncertainly at the doorway. He almost turned to go in search of Captain Stanley when a voice stopped him.

“It’s alright, Mike. You can come in.”

Stepping into the room, Mike dropped onto the bench next to Roy. He didn’t say anything at first, and maybe that was the best thing he could’ve done. Roy actually grinned slightly as he looked over at the uncomfortable engineer.

“So. . you were elected to come talk to me, huh?”

“Yeah, something like that. We’re just worried, you know.”

“I know. You care about Johnny too.”

No answer was necessary and Mike merely nodded in reply. The members of ‘A’ shift were not just co-workers, they were friends, and when something happened to one of them, it affected them all. The two men sat together in companionable silence for several minutes before Mike spoke again.

“They’ll find him, Roy. You just have to keep the faith.”

Roy’s head dropped further as Mike’s arm settled about his shoulder. Sadly, the engineer was unaware of the paramedic’s thoughts as Roy continued to berate himself for the comments he made to Johnny that morning. Not only was he consumed with worry over his partner; his mind was also full of regrets over the way he had acted towards his friend. No matter how comforting it was to have Mike’s support, Roy knew the only thing that would make him feel better would be to find Johnny, alive and well.

~*~*~

Once again, Johnny forced his eyes open to be met only by darkness. Having no idea how much time had passed; the paramedic felt an overwhelming need to hurry. He couldn’t bear to think that Jim might’ve died while he lay a few feet away. And what about Gary? Was he still alive, trapped somewhere outside the ambulance? And what could he do to help them in his present condition? How could he call for help if he couldn’t even reach the radio?

The biophone was nowhere in sight, which wasn’t surprising considering the shape the ambulance was in, but Johnny continued to hope that he’d find it somewhere in the chaos of the wreckage. Added to his pain and frustration, was his fear for the other men involved in the accident. The searing pain in his chest kept him from calling out with any force, and though he’d managed to call Jim and Gary’s names several times, he wasn’t surprised that his feeble attempts went unrewarded. After resting for several minutes, Johnny pulled himself up and began his trek once more.

Several hours had passed since Johnny first heard the ragged breathing from the front, but when he finally reached the cab, the weary man sighed in relief. Maneuvering his body as close to the opening as possible, the paramedic reached into the front compartment and checked the driver’s pulse. It wasn’t there. Jim was slumped against the passenger door, dead.

Johnny realized there was no way he could’ve helped the man if he had gotten to him earlier. The opening between the front and back of the ambulance was narrow, designed only for the occupants to see each other. Though the glass was now broken and an area opened large enough for Johnny to reach through, the paramedic knew that he wouldn’t have been able to crawl through to the other side

After admitting to himself that he was helpless in this situation, and realizing Gary may still need his help, Johnny looked toward the radio. Squinting in the dim light, he choked back a cry of frustration. The coveted radio was not only out of reach, it was obvious that the unit had been destroyed. He could make out the dangling cord still attached to the radio, but no longer attached to the microphone. That important piece was nowhere to be seen, thus confirming that there was no way Johnny would be able to call for help from inside the ambulance. Their only chance now was for him to find the biophone, and it could be anywhere.

With a strangled gasp, Johnny sat down weakly. He knew his injuries were serious; was aware that shock was setting in. But there was nothing he could do. Their only chance was to find the biophone, and find it fast if they were to be rescued. He knew that any search party would have a hard time finding the ambulance at the bottom of this steep hill, let alone find them at night. And Johnny wasn’t sure if he could make it until morning. As he tried to pull himself up again, another searing pain struck him. Moments later, an unconscious Gage slumped to the floor.

Part 2