Chapter 15

        

       Roy yawned and stretched, enjoying the feeling of still being in bed at nine o'clock on a Sunday morning. This relaxing weekend at home without the kids had been far more enjoyable than Roy could have imagined. He and Joanne had gone out to dinner and a movie the previous evening. They'd made love twice when they'd returned home around eleven o'clock, then fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms. Roy missed his children, but he had to admit after the busy three day shift he'd had the previous week this was just what the doctor ordered. He smirked as he thought of his partner.

        I wonder how Johnny's holding up? I hope the kids aren't running him ragged.

        Joanne entered the room fresh from the shower. She gathered her robe up and sat down on the edge of the bed.

        "What are you smiling about?"

        "Oh, nothing. Just thinking of how much I've enjoyed the time we've had without the kids. Last week's shift was murder. I hope Chris and Jennifer are taking it easy on their old Uncle Johnny."

        Joanne laughed. "I've never known 'old Uncle Johnny' to run low on energy. Usually it's the kids who collapse with exhaustion long before he's out of steam."

        "That's true." Roy laced his fingers behind his head. "So. what do you have planned for today, Mrs. DeSoto?"

        "Same thing I had planned for yesterday. Nothing specific. Though while I was in the shower I was thinking that it might be nice to go out for a leisurely anniversary brunch."

        "Sounds good to me. Just let me shower, shave and get dressed. I'll be ready to leave in half an hour."

        "No hurry. I need to make the bed, then get dressed, too."

        Roy grabbed his robe from the end of the bed and wrapped it around himself as he stood. Joanne began making the bed while Roy rummaged through his closet. He reappeared with a pair of casual navy cotton trousers and a shortsleeved Oxford shirt striped in navy and white. He moved to his dresser to get underwear and socks.

        "Roy, why don't we drive over to Johnny's after we finish eating."

        "To Johnny's?" Roy shut his dresser drawer and turned around. "Why?"

        "I was just thinking that it would save him a trip over here. After all, he did do us a favor by taking the kids for the weekend. And he picked them up from school on Friday which meant he had to drive two hours round trip. Despite that endless Gage energy he'll no doubt be tired by six o'clock tonight. If we're waiting at his place when he and the kids get back then we can help him do his chores, give him and the kids time to hit the showers, and then take everyone out to dinner. Johnny likes that steak house that's not too far from his place. We could got there. The kids can get hamburgers, you and John can get T-bones, and I can get shrimp."

        "That's fine with me."

        "What time do you think they'll be back?"

        "Oh, I suppose anywhere between one and three. No later than that I'm sure."

        "Great. We can put the Sunday paper in the car for you, and I'll take the novel I've been reading, and we can sit out on Johnny's deck until they get there."

        "You mean I can nap on Johnny's deck until they get there?"

        "Nap? Roy, you just woke up!"

        "Can I help it if I'm tired?" Roy smiled and waggled his eyebrows. "You've been keeping me mighty busy this weekend, Mrs. DeSoto."

        Joanne crossed the room. She wrapped her arms around her husband's neck.

        "So I take it you like this kind of busy better than my Honey-do lists?"

        "You could say that."
        
        Joanne stood on her tiptoes until her lips met Roy's. They exchanged a long kiss right before he picked her up and carried her to the bed.

        "What about that brunch?" the woman asked.

        Roy chuckled as he untied the belt on his wife's robe. "We'll grab some doughnuts on the way to Johnny's."

        Joanne didn't have time to protest her husband's teasing before she was lost in a wave of passion.

Chapter 16

        
        Chris clung to Cody's reins as the horse made his way down the mountain trail. The horse was as sure-footed as Chris had told his sister, but he was also high-spirited like Jennifer said. The boy had all he could do to handle the gelding. Chris was glad now that he'd slipped into the woods before saddling Cody and emptied his bladder. He didn't want to dismount the horse until he got to Uncle Johnny's. He was afraid if he did Cody would take off on him.
        
        Chris managed to take a sip of water from the canteen, then recapped it and hung it back over the saddle horn. It was a good thing he was too upset to eat. He'd never be able to turn around and get a sandwich out of the saddlebags without being dumped from Cody's back.
        
        The boy kept his eyes on the trail like John had taught him. He glanced to his left and right every few seconds just to make sure he was alone. He tried not to think of the man who had attempted to kidnap Jennifer. Chris wasn't nearly as confident of his ability to stay on Cody's back as he'd led Jennifer to believe should he be forced to kick the horse into a gallop. The trail was so steep for the next two miles more than likely Chris would slide forward and tumble head first over the horse's neck.
        
        Chris thought of John's threat to tan his hide for disobeying him. He prayed he was doing the right thing as he and Cody made steady progress forward. If he should fall off the horse, or if Cody stepped in a hole and ended up lame, then what good would Chris do Johnny? Maybe he should have listened to John and stayed at the campsite.
        
        No, I couldn't. I had no choice. I could tell by looking in Uncle Johnny's eyes that he knew he'd never live until my dad figured out something was wrong. It would have been late tonight before Dad got to our camp, or maybe not until tomorrow morning even.
        
        For the first time in all his eleven years Christopher DeSoto knew what it was like to be an adult. Uncle Johnny had risked his life to keep that man from taking Jennifer. By trying to stop Chris from going for help, Uncle Johnny was willing to risk his life again in order to keep his best friend's children free from harm. Now Chris fully understood the legend of He Who Dances With Rattlesnakes. It wasn't easy being brave. As a matter of fact you had to be scared before you could be brave. Chris had been scared ever since he saw that man clutching Jennifer and stabbing Uncle Johnny, but from that moment on he'd done what he had to in order to help first his sister, and then his father's partner. Now leaving Johnny and Jennifer behind was scary, too. Going for help on the back of a high-strung horse while traveling through woods where a kidnapper might be hiding was scary as well. But what frightened Chris even more was the thought that his Uncle Johnny might be dead before he could get him the assistance he needed. He recalled Johnny's words from the previous evening.
        
        You don't have to be the bravest, or the strongest, or the fastest, or the smartest, or the most handsome, to stand out in your tribe. All you have to be is good, and honorable, and decent, and help those who can't help themselves.
        
        "That's what you are, Uncle Johnny," the boy said aloud. "Good, and honorable, and decent. I wanna be just like you when I grow up. That's why I had to disobey you. I had to help you 'cause right now you can't help yourself. I hope I get the chance to explain that to you." The boy turned his eyes toward the vast blue sky. "Oh please give me the chance to explain that to him. Please give me that chance."

_________________________        

        
        Jennifer tried to squirm from her Uncle Johnny's grasp. He was holding her really tight now and mumbling words she couldn't understand. His eyes looked funny, glassy and vacant like the eyes of her dolls. His coughing had increased since Chris left which only seemed to cause him more pain.
        
        The girl reached for a dry towel. Wiping the beads of cold perspiration from Uncle Johnny's face seemed to help a little, but when his eyes roamed to her they were flat and unseeing. Jennifer could barely understand John's urgent words.
        
        "Stay with me, Jen. Don't leave. Don't go...don't go near him."
        
        "I won't, Uncle Johnny."
        
        "I...I'll keep you...keep you safe. I will. I prom...promise."
        
        "I know. I'm not afraid."
        
        John looked around, confusion furrowing his dark eyebrows. "Jenny? Jennifer?"
        
        "I'm right here, Uncle Johnny. You're hugging me. I'm right here."
        
        "Tell your dad...tell him I did...did my best. Tell him...tell him I'm sorry."
        
        Jennifer bit back her tears. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, Uncle Johnny. Daddy will know that. He won't be mad at you. I'm gonna tell him you're as brave as He Who Dances With Rattlesnakes. I'm gonna tell him all about it, Uncle Johnny."
        
         Jennifer's voice slowly brought John a bit more alert. He smiled up at his nurse as though he was just now realizing she was wrapped in the crook of his arm.
        
        "Hey, Jenny...Bean."
        
        "Hi, Uncle Johnny."
        
        The paramedic's eyes traveled the campsite. "Did Chris...come back?"
        
        "No. Not yet. But he hasn't been gone very long."
        
        "He...he shouldn't have left. I don't know what...what I'll tell your dad...if something happens to him."
        
        "I'll tell Daddy you told Chris not to go. If he gets mad I'll tell him Chris disobeyed you."
        
        "No, no. Don't you go bein' a tattle...tale. You know I don't...like tattle...tales."
        
        Jennifer said the only other thing she could think of in an attempt to ease Johnny's mind. "Chris will be okay, Uncle Johnny. He'll be careful."
        
        Johnny merely nodded. If nothing else he knew he'd taught Chris well when it came to the rules of the outdoors and horsemanship. Overall the boy shouldn't have any problems getting back to the ranch provided Cody behaved himself, and that man didn't show up anywhere along the way. That's what had Johnny worried, that the man would get Chris, or come back for Jennifer, and there'd be nothing he could do to stop him.
        
        "Peanut, don't leave, okay?" John whispered between coughs. "You stay right here with me."
        
        "I will."
        
        "No matter what happens...I'll take care of you, Jen."
        
        "I know. But nothing's going to happen. Or at least not anything until Daddy gets here. Then Chet will probably show up, too, and start making bad jokes."
        
        Johnny couldn't help but smile. "Probably. Juz...juz tell your dad...to give me...give me lots of morphine...'fore that happens."
        
        "What's morphine?"
        
        "A pain killer. And if you get...enough of it...the world could blow up and that thought wouldn't...cause you any worry. So see...if I have some...'fore Chet gets here...I won't even care 'bout his dumb ole' jokes. They won't...bother me...a bit."
        
        John coughed again. Jennifer didn't know what was wrong, but she thought he was having a hard time getting a deep breath.
        
        "Uncle Johnny, is there anything I can do for you? Do you want something to eat? Chris left sandwiches and cookies with us."
        
        John gave a tiny, negative shake of his head. "No. Don't need...anything. Juz you. You stay...right here...by me."
        
        Once again Jennifer assured John she wouldn't leave his side. After Johnny's eyes slid shut the girl dropped her weary head to her knees. The sun was warm, but not so warm that she wanted to take off her jacket. Joe still sat a few feet from her keeping watch over the campsite. She was glad Chris left the dog behind. She wasn't so scared with him here. She would be scared if it got dark before her dad arrived, but Jennifer refused to consider that possibility. Chris would get to Uncle Johnny's house around lunchtime and call Daddy. If their parents weren't home then Chris would call fire department. He had already told Jennifer those things so that she knew, one way or another, help would be arriving before the sun set.
        
        Jennifer allowed her tired body to slump sideways. She reached for her blanket with her right hand and covered her legs. Without moving from the crook of Johnny's arm she curled up next to him and fell asleep.
        

_________________________        

        Roy and Joanne arrived at Johnny's ranch a few minutes after twelve. Roy patted his full stomach as he got out of the pale green Impala that was the DeSoto family car.

        "It feels good to stand."

        "Eat too much?" his wife teased.

        "Of course. With all that food just sitting there for the taking who wouldn't?"

        The woman nodded. "We'll have to take Johnny there some Sunday morning. He'd definitely get his money's worth from the kind of spread Hoolihan's puts on."

        "I'll say. I never saw anyone who can eat as much Johnny and not gain an ounce."

        "That's because he's got what they now call a 'high metabolism'. I bet when he was in school he drove his teachers crazy. You know, one of those kids who just couldn't sit still."

        Roy snorted. "Not much has changed, believe me."

        Joanne opened the back passenger door and started to reach for the book and Sunday paper she'd brought along.

        "Leave those there for now. Let's take a little stroll. Maybe walk some of that food off."

        Joanne did as her husband requested. It was perfect walking weather. The sun was shining and the temperature hovered at seventy degrees.

        Roy held his hand out to his wife. The couple strolled toward the barn with palms firmly clasped. Roy unlatched the barn door and they stepped inside the cool structure. Yuma's soulful eyes seemed to plead with them to let him into the corral.

        "Hey, Yuma," Joanne greeted as she rubbed a hand up and down the horse's nose. "Johnny and the kids will be back soon along with your horsy friends."

        "Horsy friends?" Roy asked with a hint of amusement.

        "Well, sure. Don't you think a horse gets lonely and misses his stall mates when they're gone?"

        "I don't know. I never really thought about it. Guess you'll have to ask Johnny that."

        "I don't need to. I can tell just by looking at this guy's sad face."

        The woman bent and petted the cat who had come to rub against her legs. "Hi, Mrs. Gage. Are you taking good care of your kittens?"

        "If I ever wondered where Jennifer gets her love of animals from I don't need to any longer."

        "Oh, you," Joanne playfully poked her husband in the stomach. "It wouldn't do a bit of harm to let her have one of Mrs. Gage's kittens, you know. A little cat hair in the house never hurt anyone."

        "Don't even think it. I'm sure Jen's already asked Johnny for one and I'm sure he's already said yes. Which means I'm going to have to be the mean old daddy who breaks his little girl's heart by telling her no. The least you can do is back me up."

        "Roy..."

        "No," the man shook his head. "No cat. They jump on countertops. They shed. They knead your bare legs with their claws and they have fleas."

        "A flea collar will take care of the latter, and as far as the former goes we could have it declawed."

        "No."

        "All right," Joanne sighed. "But don't be surprised if Jen throws a tantrum and once again threatens to run away and live with Uncle Johnny."

        "I won't be. Besides, she's never made good on that threat yet."

        "There's always a first time."

        The couple exited the barn, leaving Yuma and Mrs. Gage to their own devices. They walked around John's property for another twenty minutes, then headed for the house. Joanne went to the car to retrieve their reading material while Roy pulled his key ring from a pant pocket. He plucked up the key that would let him into John's house, entering through the side door. He walked through the laundry room, heading for the bathroom next door. After making use of the facilities the man entered the main part of the house. He unlocked the sliding glass doors that opened from the dining area and talked to his wife through the screen.

        "You want anything to drink?"

        Joanne looked up from the chaise lounge she had claimed. "No, I'm fine."

        Roy grabbed a Coke from the refrigerator for himself. He looked around the house, still somewhat amazed at how neat and clean Johnny kept it. John had never been this good of a housekeeper when he'd had his apartment. Roy didn't know what had caused his partner to change his ways, other than to assume it was a combination of pride in ownership and some added maturity.

        The paramedic smiled when he thought back to the first few months he and Johnny had begun working together. Although there had never been a time when the two men didn't like one another, Roy would have never imagined all those years ago there would come a day when he and Johnny would grow so close that he would feel comfortable walking into his partner's house when John was absent and grab a drink from the fridge. But then Johnny felt that comfortable in Roy's home as well. Roy knew the bond they shared as friends and co-workers
went beyond what many people had with their own siblings.

        The blond man walked out to the deck, sliding the screen door shut behind him. He sat in the padded lounger next to Joanne's and stretched his legs out in front of him. Joanne pointed to the newspaper she had laying on the deck between the two chairs.

        "There's your paper."

        "I'll look at it later." Roy drained the last of the Coke from his can. "The sun feels good. Think I'll take a little nap. Wake me up if I'm still sleeping when Johnny and the kids get here."

        "Oh, I'm sure Johnny and the kids will do that quite well without my assistance."

        Roy set his empty soda can under his chair, then laid back against the cushion and closed his eyes. "Just don't let them wake me up Johnny Gage style."

        "And what exactly does that mean?"

        "Oh, you know. Like throwing a bucket of water over me, or stuffing ice cubes down my shirt, or smearing my face with Vaseline."

        "Aw, come on, Roy. You're no fun."

        Roy opened one eye and pointed a stern finger at his wife. "I'm counting on you to make sure our children behave. And that your third child behaves as well."

        "Goodness, but it's that overgrown third child of mine who seems to cause us the most problems."

        "You're right, Mrs. DeSoto, and I really wish you'd take that matter in hand."

        The last thing Roy heard before he drifted off to sleep was the sound of his wife's soft laughter.

        

        
        Chris's arms ached from gripping Cody's reins for so long, and his butt was sore from his three hour trip in the saddle. The boy gritted his teeth as the horse continued to make his way down the steep incline. Just when Chris thought he couldn't hang on one more minute he saw the flat clearing of land below that meant he was just a quarter of a mile from Uncle Johnny's house. Cody saw the clearing, too. As soon as his hooves hit level ground he broke into an all out run, ready to get some well deserved exercise after the tedious trip down the mountain.

        Chris hung on for dear life. He pulled back on the reins, shouting, "Whoa, Cody! Whoa!," but to no avail. Cody was used to Johnny allowing him this freedom each time they came off the mountain trail, and no half grown boy was going to keep this fun from him.

        "Cody, stop!" Chris yelled. "Stop!"

        He didn't know what was worse, his sore butt being bounced up and down in the saddle, or the fear of falling from the galloping horse. The boy grabbed a handful of Cody's mane and prayed that somehow, the steed would know to stop when he came to Johnny's barn.

_________________________

        
        Roy had no more than gotten to sleep when he heard his son shouts. He opened one eye and turned to look at Joanne.

        "Here they come now."

        The man pushed himself to his feet and moved to stand by the deck railing. From this vantage point he'd be able to see the campers when they first made their appearance a few hundred yards from the barn. Joanne marked her place in her book, set it on the lounge, then stood as well. She crossed the deck to where Roy was standing.

        "Chris sounds like he's having fun," the woman commented.

        "Only John Gage would bring our kids back from a camping trip wound up instead of dead tired," Roy lamented with mock long suffering.

        It wasn't until Chris came into view that Roy realized something was drastically wrong.

        "What the--why the hell is Johnny letting him ride Cody? That horse is too wild for Chris." Roy started down the steps. "And where is Johnny anyway?"

        "Whoa!" Chris screamed, pulling back on the reins with all the strength he had left. "Whoa, Cody! Stop!"

        The horse ran straight for the corral gates. For a few terror-filled seconds both Roy and Chris were sure the animal was going to plow right through those iron barriers.

        "Whoa, Cody! Whoa!"

        Roy raced across the ranch yard, Joanne at his heels. He had no idea how he'd stop the horse, and all he could think of was when he got a hold of Johnny he'd break his neck for allowing Chris to ride an animal he wasn't experienced enough to handle.

        Gage had better be praying right this very minute that this idiot horse doesn't hurt my boy.

        By no means was Cody the fool Roy took him for. He knew exactly what he was doing and found it amusing that everyone was making such a fuss. When he got within twenty feet of the corral gate he slowed to a comfortable gallop. Within ten feet he was trotting. Within five he was walking. When he arrived at the corral he stopped, waiting for the boy on his back to open the gates and allow him entrance.

        Chris whimpered when he lifted his right leg over Cody's back. He clung to the saddle horn as he slid to the ground. It took a moment for his aching legs to remember how to support his weight. He turned around and saw his father running to him. It was then that Chris released the emotions he'd held in tight restrain ever since he'd been forced to flee into the night as his sister's protector.

        Tears spilled from Chris's eyes as he hobbled toward Roy. He held out his arms and sobbed a word he hadn't used in years. "Daddy! Daddy!"

        Roy engulfed the dirty, crying boy. He pulled Chris to his chest and held him tight while rubbing a hand over the trembling child's back.

        "Shhh. Don't cry. You're okay. You're fine. Don't cry, son. Don't cry."

        "Daddy. Oh, Daddy."

        Roy crouched down and gently grasped his son's shoulders. He was vaguely aware of Joanne kneeling beside him and heard her question, "Chris,...honey?" as she took in their son's disheveled appearance. The woman's heart skipped a beat.

        He hasn't called Roy 'Daddy' in years now. And I don't remember when the last time was he cried in front of either one of us.

        Roy could see no signs of injury other than the scratches that dotted Chris's pale face from chin to forehead. Paint was streaked on his cheeks in a mass of indistinguishable colors and mixed now with dirt churned up by Cody's hooves.

Roy could barely speak around his clenched jaw. Fury gleamed from his blue eyes.

        "Where the hell is your Uncle Johnny?" Roy looked over Chris's shoulder toward the clearing the boy had just appeared from. "And Jennifer? Where is she at? Is Johnny letting her race around on the back of a horse she has no business riding, too? What's that fool trying to do, get you both killed? When I get a hold of Gage I swear I'll..."

        "Daddy! Dad, please. You gotta hurry!" Chris grabbed Roy's hand and started pulling him toward the trail. "We gotta get back up there now!"

        "Up where?" Roy held tight, preventing his son from taking him anywhere. The blond man tried to quell the panic that was once again rising inside him. "Chris, calm down. What is it? Where's Jennifer? Has she been hurt?"

        "She's fine. She's with Uncle Johnny. I had no choice! I didn't want to leave her. Honest I didn't! But I had to. I had to get help!"

        Now that Roy knew both his children were all right he was able to rein in his own emotions. His many years of paramedic experience told him he had to calm Chris down in order to get a coherent story from him.

        Roy turned Chris so he could once again put his hands on his son's upper arms while looking into his eyes. This time he spoke in his normal tone of voice.

        "Why do you have to get help, Chris? What's happened?"

        Sobs overtook the boy again, preventing him from doing more than stuttering over a few meaningless syllables.

        Though Joanne's panic was increasing with each second that passed without any signs of Jennifer or Johnny, the woman followed her husband's lead and kept her emotions in check when she spoke to her son.

        "Chris, you've got to calm down, sweetie. Take a deep breath and then tell Daddy what's wrong."

        The boy did as his mother told him. He was surprised to find that deep breath really helped.

        "A man...a man came into our camp last night after we'd gone to bed. We were sleeping. He took Jennifer and..."

        Roy exclaimed, "What!" while Joanne gave a strangled gasp.

        "He tried to run away with Jen but Uncle Johnny stopped him. He...he knocked the man to the ground, but he wouldn't let go of Jen. Uncle Johnny was tugging at Jen, trying to get her away from the man, and then the man stabbed him. I ran over to Uncle Johnny and helped him. The man...he stabbed Uncle Johnny again, but somehow we got Jen away from him. Uncle Johnny yelled for me to take Jen to the Pow Wow. I knew he meant the cave and that he wanted me and Jen to hide there. So I did. I grabbed Jen's hand and we ran as fast as we could until we got to the cave. A couple hours passed and when Uncle Johnny didn't come for us I knew something was wrong. Me and Jen snuck back to the camp. The man was gone, but Uncle Johnny was layin' on the ground." Tears started running down Chris's face again, but he ignored them in an effort to finish his story. "The man stabbed him three more times after Jen and I got away."

        "Oh my God," Roy mumbled, now even paler than his distraught son. "Chris, is he still..."

        Chris knew what his father was trying to ask. The boy nodded his head.

        "Uncle Johnny told us how to help. Me and Jen did the best we could to stop the bleeding using the towels and sheets Mom sent along. Then we covered him up with blankets. But he kept getting worse. He...he kept losing consciousness and when he was awake sometimes he didn't know where he was. He was throwing up blood this morning, and then he had two convulsions I think. That's when I knew I had to get help. Uncle Johnny was mad at me for leaving. He told me not to. But I had to, Dad. He needs help. So I saddled Cody 'cause he's the fastest and I left Joe with Jennifer and Uncle Johnny 'cause I know he'll protect them."

        Roy pulled his boy to him and gave him a quick, firm hug. "You did the right thing, son."

        Roy released Chris and ran for the house. Joanne took her son by the hand. They ran along behind Roy knowing he was headed for the phone.

        Joanne and Chris listened as Roy called L.A. dispatch. He identified himself to Sam Lanier, then explained the situation with the detached professionalism he needed to rely on now in order to get help to Johnny. Without asking Roy knew the dispatcher would be sending out the paramedics from Station 17. They'd have to pass right by John's ranch on their way to the scene.

        "Tell them I'll be waiting at the end of Gage's driveway. I'll direct them to the campsite. And we'll need a Flight For Life chopper on stand by. If Gage is as bad as my son says we'll have to fly him out of there."

        Roy also requested that dispatch notify the police of an attempted abduction and attempted homicide. He thought of the wounds Chris had said Johnny suffered and hoped the word 'attempted' when it was attached to 'homicide' still held true.

        Roy's instructions were acknowledged on the other end. He hung up the phone and headed for the door, talking to Joanne as he walked at a rapid clip.

       "The only way to get up to the campsite is by the old fire road off highway 65. It'll take us within four miles of where Johnny and Jennifer are. I'll ride with the guys from 17's, then hike the rest of the way in with them. Call Rampart and ask for Dixie. If she's not there ask for Brackett or Early. One of them's bound to be on duty. Tell them what's going on. Because of the mountains I don't think we'll be able to contact them until we're in the chopper and off the ground. I want them to be as prepared for Johnny's arrival as they can be. Then call Hank Stanley. He'll want to know what's happening."

        "Okay," Joanne acknowledged.

        As the family stepped outside they could hear Squad 17's siren in the distance. Roy took off running for the end of the driveway with Joanne calling after him, "Chris and I will meet you at Rampart!"

        The paramedic waved a hand in the air in acknowledgment of his wife's words. The red squad barely came to a stop before Roy was opening the passenger door and climbing in.

        Chris and Joanne watched as the squad backed out of Johnny's driveway, then headed east with its lights flashing and siren blaring. A few seconds later two police cars flew by the ranch, their lights and sirens going as well.

        Chris looked up at his mother. "I wanted to go back up there with Dad. Maybe I could have helped."

        "Honey, your dad will have all the help he needs." Joanne looked toward the corral fence where Cody still stood, munching on grass. "Besides, Cody, Yuma, and Mrs. Gage have to be fed and given fresh water, then you can get a hot shower while I call the hospital and Captain Stanley."

        Joanne placed a hand on her son's back as they walked together toward the barn.

        "But what about Cheyenne and Niabi? Someone's got to bring them back here. And Joe, too."

        "I'll call Mr. Emery. I'm sure he'll go up and get the horses. As far as Joe goes, your father will see to it that he gets down somehow."

        Chris gave a reluctant nod as he mother opened the barn door. He grabbed a hold of Cody's reins and led the horse to his stall. Mr. Emery was a retired fireman who had a ranch near Uncle Johnny's. He owned horses, too, and was a good friend of John's. Chris knew his mother was right. Mr. Emery would bring the horses down the mountain along with anything else that was left behind like backpacks and saddle bags, but still, Chris wanted to be up there.

        Joanne gave her son an understanding smile while they scurried around the barn getting the chores taken care of.

        "I know you're worried, Chris. I know you want to be with Johnny and Jennifer just as much as I want to be with them. But right now we're doing other things that have to be accomplished like feeding the animals and calling the people Daddy asked us to. These things are just as important."

        "I suppose. But still, I'd rather be with Dad."

        Joanne pulled her son into a hug. She kissed the top of his head while running a hand up and down his back. "I know," she whispered as she thought of her daughter and Johnny alone on that mountain with the possibility of their attacker lurking somewhere nearby. Joanne did the only thing she could, offered up a silent prayer asking God to keep Jennifer and Johnny safe until Roy arrived.

        Hurry, Roy. Hurry.

Chapter 17

        Jennifer slept peacefully wrapped in Johnny's right arm. The long, terrifying night had worn the child out.

        As the morning passed Johnny continued to drift in and out of consciousness. He was so thirsty, and now had a severe headache to go along with the rest of his maladies, not to mention that blood speckled his lips and the skin surrounding his mouth each time he coughed. Because of that, and because of the difficulty he was having drawing a deep breath, Johnny suspected the knife had hit one of his lungs. John knew his thirst and the headache were indications of both shock and dehydration. If it wasn't that he had to take care of Jennifer, to keep her safe from the man who had invaded their campsite the night before, Johnny was certain he would have allowed his body to shut down completely like it seemed to be begging him to do. But the thought of Jennifer left alone to fend for herself until help arrived is what gave the paramedic the incentive to go on breathing no matter how painful it was. Despite all he'd been through, he kept his mind focused on one thing.

        I gotta take care of Jen. Can't let anyone hurt her. Could never face Roy if something happened to her.

_________________________

        
        Evan Crammer crept through the woods without making a sound. Once he'd crossed the stream he'd slowed his pace considerably. The last thing he wanted to do was alert the dog of his presence near the campsite.

        The man used his right hand to push aside bramble and brush, while keeping his eyes on the ground. He stepped over logs and around bushes, not desiring to have even the smallest mishap.

        Evan wondered what he would find when the camp finally came into view. Perhaps this hike would have been for nothing. The children might be long gone by now, having fled down the mountain to safety hours earlier. But for some reason Evan's gut instinct told him that wasn't the case. It had been apparent to him that those kids loved their Uncle Johnny with a type of undying devotion he'd never felt toward anyone in his life. Unless Uncle Johnny was dead, Evan had a feeling the children came back sometime during the night from wherever it was they'd run to, and were no doubt tending to the redskin at this very moment.

        Evan fantasized about what he'd do when he found the campers. The boy. He'd choke the life right out of that pesky boy. He'd wrap his hands around the kid's throat and squeeze until the blood vessels popped in his eyes. After what the kid had done, coming to his uncle's aid and running off with Jennifer, he deserved to die the slow, terrifying death that came from being choked by another human being.

        Then there was the man. Uncle Johnny. The thought of killing him brought Evan pure joy. He hadn't quite decided yet how he was going to finish the Indian off, though the thought of finding his knife and literally scalping the son of a bitch was an appealing one. Appealing and amusing.

        Just what his kind deserves. That will teach the bastard to interfere with my plans.

        After Chris and Johnny were disposed of that left little Jennifer. Evan had no doubts about what he'd do with her. He'd done it with so many other angels he didn't even have to think about it any longer. Didn't have to consciously go over his actions before carrying them out.

        Soon Jennifer, Evan smiled as he came within a quarter of a mile of the camp site. Soon you'll be mine, sweetheart, just like you should have been last night.

_________________________

        It was Joe's barking that woke Jennifer from a sound sleep. She had no idea how long Chris had been gone, but by the way her stomach was growling Jen knew it was well after lunch time. She sat up, but couldn't wiggle out of Johnny's grasp. Joe's barking unnerved the little girl.

        What if that man is back! I can't run to the Pow Wow cave and leave Uncle Johnny here by himself.

        "Uncle Johnny! Uncle Johnny, please! Let me go! Joe's barking! Uncle Johnny!"

        Johnny was vaguely aware of his dog barking and Jennifer's frantic pleas. He pulled her even closer, pinning her to his chest.

        "Uncle Johnny! Uncle Johnny, please!" Jennifer's heart hammered in her chest as Joe ran to the edge of the woods where the man had been hiding the night before. "Please! I think the man's back! Tell me what to do! Please!"

        "No...no," Johnny mumbled without opening his eyes. "I...I'll take care...you. No. No. Stay...me. Stay."

        Jennifer tried to break Johnny's hold by prying her fingers between his hand and her arm. Her shouts had now changed to terrified whispers as Joe began to growl deep in his throat and creep toward the woods with shoulders hunched like a rabid wolf ready to go on the attack.

        "Uncle Johnny! Oh, please! Please, Uncle Johnny!"

        Jennifer's terror broke through the paramedic's semi-conscious state. His eyes popped open. He had no more than a few available seconds to assess what was happening. He stifled a scream as he shot his body off the ground and did the only thing he could in order to protect Roy's daughter.

Chapter 18

        Squad 17 came to a halt behind a white Chevy pickup. The two Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff's cars did the same. While the paramedics gathered equipment from the squad's compartments the four sheriff's deputies that had emerged from the two cars began combing the area. The oldest amongst, a red headed sergeant Roy guessed to be in his late thirties, ignored the need for a search warrant when he opened the driver's side door of the pickup. He stretched his body across the front seat and rifled through the glove compartment.

        As Roy helped 17's paramedics put the drug box, trauma box, bio-phone, backboard, oxygen tank, and two blanket packs in the Stokes, he heard the sergeant say to one of his men, "There's no registration papers."

        Roy didn't think too much of the truck one way or another. He knew it was possible that it belonged to whoever had attacked Johnny and tried to run off with Jennifer, but it could just as easily belong to another camper, or a guy out for a day of fishing. Or at least those were Roy's conclusions until Sergeant Garret pulled a roll of duct tape and several lengths of rope from beneath the truck's front seat. Roy saw the look that passed between the sergeant and his men. The youngest amongst them simply shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "So what? It's not a crime to have duct tape and rope in your vehicle." But the other three, who were evidently far more experienced in the ways of child molesters, wore expressions that told Roy the Chevrolet just might belong to more than a Sunday afternoon fisherman.

        Roy didn't know Station 17's B-shift paramedics, Tom Ketchum and Archer Doyle other than by reputation. At the present time Archer was the only black paramedic in L.A. County. He was built like the middle-weight boxer he was in his off-time. He had a reputation for being highly skilled and efficient, while at the same time possessing a gentle, bed-side manner that often came as a surprise to those who took notice of the beefy hands that always possessed a twisted knuckle or two, and the nose that had been broken so many times Archer had lost count.

        Tom Ketchum was a fair as his partner was dark. At five-foot six inches tall he just met the height requirements for the fire department. With his white hair, sky blue eyes, and slender frame he looked like he was still in high school as opposed to being a twenty-seven year old father of three. Like his partner, Tom was devoted to the paramedic program. Though Roy had been wishing he knew the two men better when they first picked him up at Johnny's, by the time the three of them were carrying the stokes across the stream he had no doubts John would be in good hands.

        One cop stayed behind to search the area around the pickup while Sergeant Garret and the two remaining officers followed the paramedics. Roy was glad he'd left his dress shoes at home that morning, and instead wore thick-soled brown 'Earth shoes' as was the popular phrase for his footwear. If nothing else they were as easy to walk in as a tennis shoe, though admittedly not waterproof when one was forced to wade through shin deep water in a wide stream.

        Until now Roy hadn't time to think about the possible danger still threatening his little girl. The story Chris had relayed about a man sneaking into the campsite in the middle of the night and snatching Jennifer from her bed seemed more like a nightmare than reality. But just one look at Chris's face had told Roy this tale was not the product of an overactive imagination, but was indeed the truth. As the paramedic now led the way to the peaceful place he'd camped at least half a dozen times with his partner and children, he wondered what he would find. If Johnny was dead and Jennifer gone...

        Roy tried not to dwell on those possibilities as he forged ahead carrying the front end of the loaded stokes.

        They'll be okay. They'll both be okay, Roy repeated over and over with each step he took in the cold water. He tried not to pay attention to the three cops who walked to various sides of the stokes and were on alert for anyone they might come across, nor to the quiet words being exchanged behind him between Archer and Tom as they discussed the course of action they'd take should they find Johnny in the condition Chris described.

        They'll be okay. They'll both be okay.

        It was the rhythm of those words that kept Roy DeSoto trudging toward the distant woods.
        

Chapter 19

        

        Evan Crammer burst from the trees so overcome with rage that he took scant notice of the dog leaping toward his chest. One violent swing of the billy club sent Joe sailing across the campsite. The Malamute landed against a tree with a solid thud. He lay dazed and whimpering, unable now to help his master.

        Johnny was on his knees curled in a ball. The blankets Chris and Jennifer had laid over him were still in place, their hems now dragging the ground.

        He heard Evan's roar, then Joe's cries. The ground seemed to shake as the large man thundered toward him.

        "Where is she? Where's the girl goddammit! Where's the girl?"

John couldn't have answered the man if he'd wanted to. The first blow from the billy club landed across the center of his arched spine. The second blow popped his right shoulder from its socket. The third blow reopened the knife wounds on his back. The paramedic's limbs were trembling as he tried to hold his body in place. He'd take however many blows were necessary. Surely the man would soon tire of his game and leave.

        Johnny cried out when a forth blow crashed against his lower back. The pain almost caused his knees to fly out from under him, but he held his ground, and the precious bundle he was hiding underneath the blankets.

        Jennifer had no idea what was happening. She felt Uncle Johnny's body slamming against her and could only imagine that the man was beating Johnny with his fists. Her mouth was covered by Johnny's right hand. As tears streamed down her face Jennifer tried so hard to be quiet as Uncle Johnny had told her she must. Her heart attempted to escape from her chest as she remained hidden beneath the stuffy blankets, certain that Uncle Johnny's lifeless body would soon collapse on top of her.
        
        

_________________________

        
        The men were only a few feet into the woods when they heard the shouts.

        "Where is she? Where's the girl? Damn you! You tell me where the girl is! Where is she?"

        Roy dropped the front of the Stokes and raced ahead of the three deputies. He ignored Doug Garret's shouts of, "DeSoto, wait! Stop!"

        Tom scampered to take Roy's place. He and Archer followed after Roy and the running deputies at a trot. Despite their own sense of urgency the last thing they wanted to do was trip over a log and dump their expensive equipment on the ground.

        When Roy first burst into the campsite he could only guess at what he was seeing. A man well beyond six feet in height stood over a bundle of blankets swinging a billy club. It was the repeated sickening 'thuds' the club made that indicated to Roy it was striking a person.

        Evan Crammer turned when he heard Roy crash through the brush. For a brief moment he seemed to be weighing his options. The sound of more running footsteps caused him to abandon his quest and take off for the opposite side of the woods. He fled down the same path Jennifer and Chris had taken to the Pow Wow Cave.

        Roy barely paid attention to the deputies who flew by him. In what seemed like slow motion, the person under the blankets rolled to his side as his body slumped to the ground. Johnny's arms went slack, allowing Jennifer to wiggle out from her hiding place. She gave a tear-filled cry of joy at the first face she saw.

        "Daddy! Daddy!"

        Jennifer pushed herself off the ground and ran into her father's open arms. Roy scooped his daughter up. He felt her wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist in a near death grip. He held her, and kissed her, and swayed side to side with her, while running one hand through her tangled hair as she sobbed into the collar of his shirt.

        Tom and Archer were at Johnny's side within seconds of Jennifer bursting from her cocoon. Behind them they heard Jennifer's murmured, "Daddy. Oh, Daddy," repeated over and over again as they quickly assessed Johnny's condition.

        Like Roy had suspected, contact with Rampart was impossible. The bio-phone proved useless, but Archer was prepared for that. Using his Handie Talkie he contacted the Flight For Life Helicopter that was on stand-by. When he cut the transmission he looked back at Roy.

        "The chopper's ETA is ten minutes, Roy. He'll hover over the stream. That's the clearest spot we've got that's close. We're gonna have to wrap and run."

        Roy understood what the man meant. Until they could make contact with Rampart use of any drugs was prohibited. The aid they could give Johnny now didn't go much beyond what Chris and Jennifer had already done.

        Roy watched as Archer and Tom took Johnny's blood pressure, pulse, and counted respirations then slipped the oxygen mask over Johnny's mouth and nose. None of the information they exchanged was good. As Roy held his daughter he wondered if Johnny would still be alive when the helicopter arrived.

        When the paramedics began to carefully remove the dressings the children had put on Roy spoke quietly into Jennifer's ear.

        "Honey, can Daddy put you down so he can help Uncle Johnny?"

        As much as Jennifer wanted to stay within the safety of her father's arms, she knew Uncle Johnny needed him more right now than she did. Jennifer squeezed Roy's neck one last time, then replied, "Help the paramedics make Uncle Johnny better. He was so brave, Daddy. He saved my life twice. He got hurt when he kept that man from taking me last night, and again just now."

        Roy's eyes misted over as he caught sight of the paper-white face of his best friend. The only color Johnny possessed was from the paint Jennifer had smeared across his cheekbones the day before, the bright green, purple and orange an absurd contrast to John's death-like pallor.

        "I know, Jenny. I know."

        Roy placed Jennifer on her feet. The girl followed her father to Johnny's side, but stayed out of the way of the three men who worked to keep the dark headed paramedic alive.

        Johnny was semi-conscious. His eyes roamed in lazy fashion to each of the faces above him, not seeming to recognize any of them. He responded to Archer's questions in a way that made Roy think of someone coming out of heavy anesthesia.

        "John, can you tell me where you hurt?" Archer asked as he and Tom replaced the towels on Johnny's arm and leg with pressure bandages.

        "Hu...hurt?"

        "Where do you hurt, John? Help me pinpoint your injuries."

        Roy knelt by Johnny's head, placing his hands on either side of his partner's face. Tom had put a C-collar around Johnny's neck meaning Roy couldn't force his partner to look up at him. Because of that Roy crouched lower to the ground so he and Johnny were eye level with one another.

        "Johnny? Johnny, it's Roy. Come on, Junior, help us out now. Tom Ketchum and Archer Doyle from 17 are here with me. We're going to load you on Flight For Life in a few minutes, but we need to know a few things before we do that."

        Johnny took in Roy's face, but didn't seem to understand that his partner was there with him.

        "Jennifer? Jenny!" John's voice was weak, but even through the oxygen mask his panic was plain to hear. "Jenny! Jen, where are you?"

        "Jennifer's right here, Johnny. She's safe. She's right here beside me. You don't need to worry about her anymore."

        "Jen! Jenny!"

        Roy swiveled, motioning for his daughter to come closer. "Talk to Uncle Johnny. Let him know you're okay."

        Jennifer nodded. Like the pro she'd become ever since she and Chris first offered aid to Johnny, she knelt by his chest and took his right hand in hers.

        "I'm here, Uncle Johnny. I'm okay. Daddy's here, too. Please just do what Daddy says so you'll get better."

        John was having a difficult time focusing. Jennifer's face swam in front of him. He lifted his eyes until he came to blurry features he thought he recognized as being those of his best friend. Jennifer's voice seemed to come from far away when she said again, "I'm okay, Uncle Johnny. My daddy's here now, too."

        "Ro...Roy?"

        "Yeah, partner, it's Roy. I'm right here. Jennifer's fine."

        "Chris?"

        "Chris is okay, too. He made it back to your place safe and sound. Both the kids are fine. They're just fine."

        Without breaking the steady stride or quiet reassuring tone of his conversation, Roy watched Archer and Tom work. The black paramedic carefully cut Johnny's T-shirt away. Roy swallowed a gasp when the bare skin of John's back was revealed. The white towels the children had tied in place were soaked with blood. The skin surrounding them was raised with angry, red welts from the beating John had just endured. When the towels were removed two gaping, jagged knife wounds appeared. Once again pressure bandages were quickly applied.

        Tom poised his pen over a spiral pocket notebook he'd been using to record Johnny's vital signs. "Okay, what have we got?" The blond man asked his partner.

        "In addition to the stab wounds to the right biceps and right calf, he's been stabbed on the upper right portion of his back approximately an inch below the scapula. Based on his respirations and the blood around his mouth I suspect a lung has been hit. There's also a stab wound to the right CVA. His right shoulder has been dislocated as well."

        Tom recorded the information that would be relayed to Rampart as soon as they got Johnny on the chopper. Archer stood and straddled John's body. He cut the front of the T-shirt away from Johnny's chest and continued his exam.

        "He's been stabbed just above his right clavicle. This wound isn't very deep and it's quit bleeding."

        Roy kept one hand on the side of Johnny's face while resting the other in his tangled hair. John moaned when Archer touched his left wrist. The black man looked at his partner and nodded.

        "Broken. Let's splint it as well as immobilize that shoulder."

        One of the cops returned as the paramedics worked. Roy looked up.

        "Did you find him?"

        "No. But Garrett and Conley are still looking. Doug called for blockades of all area roads and a police chopper to search from the air. Every available deputy will be combing this mountain within the next twenty minutes." The young man looked down at Johnny. "How is he?"

        Before Roy could answer Archer simply shook his head. Roy had been a paramedic long enough to know Archer was telling the deputy Johnny wasn't good, but at the same time the black man didn't want his words to be absorbed by the semi-conscious patient.

        "He'll be fine," Roy said for the benefit of Johnny, Jennifer, and himself. "The doctors at Rampart will have him on his feet in no time."

        Roy chose to ignore the skeptical looks that Archer and Tom exchanged at his words. He was well aware of Johnny's condition, but he was far from ready to acknowledge the seriousness of it out loud.

        Roy turned to his daughter as the paramedics and deputy got ready to roll
Johnny onto the backboard.

        "Let go of his hand, Jen, and stand out of the way."

        The little girl gave Johnny's hand a final squeeze then did as her father requested. She turned away and started crying when Johnny wasn't able to contain a strangled scream. The men stopped the movement.

        "No, no," Johnny moaned. "Please."

        Roy knelt by his partner's head. "What, Johnny? Tell me."

        John's eyes were squeezed shut against the pain. "Not,....not on,.....my back. Please."

        Though paramedic training taught the men to transport a patient on their back as often as possible because of the easy monitoring of vital signs it allowed for, they did make exceptions when the situation warranted. Although Johnny was technically Archer and Tom's patient, they looked to Roy, as the senior paramedic amongst them, to make the call.

        "You didn't find evidence of any injuries to his spine or vertebrae when you examined him?" Roy asked.

        "No," Archer responded. "None. I checked twice. And he was able to move all his extremities on command."

        "In that case if he's more comfortable on his left side then let's transport him in that position. If he loses consciousness, or his airway is being compromised, we can put him on his back at that time if we need to." Roy pointed to the now discarded blankets the kids had used to cover Johnny. "Roll those up and line one side of the Stokes with them. We'll rest Johnny against them so he stays off his back."

        Archer, Tom, and the deputy, Don Ferguson, did as Roy instructed. When they were ready to place John in the Stokes Roy spoke to his partner.

        "Johnny, we're going to move you. We'll be as careful and quick as we can. You let us do all the work, okay?"

        John gave a weak nod. He dreaded what was to come, but his only response was a hoarse, "Kay."

        As hard as he tried not to, John cried out again when he was lifted from the ground and placed in the Stokes. He was barely cognizant of the blankets the paramedics had brought along being placed over him, or the oxygen tank that was gently rested against his left thigh. Every nerve ending in his body seemed to be on fire, and his thirst was beginning to drive him to distraction.

        "Water?"

        Roy hated denying his friend of the only thing Johnny had asked for so far, but he had no choice.

        "I'm sorry, Johnny, but no. Not right now. As soon as we get you on the chopper we'll see what Rampart authorizes."

        Roy knew John was beyond processing what he was saying because he kept mumbling, "Water, water," in a raspy voice.

        They heard the chopper overhead. Archer got on his Handie Talkie and spoke with the pilot. When he broke off communication he hung the Handie Talkie from his utility belt and spoke to the men.

        "He'll be waiting when we get there. Let's go."

        Don Ferguson took one end of the Stokes while Archer took the other. Tom picked up the remaining equipment while Roy swung Jennifer to his hip. As they headed for the stream Jennifer pointed at the dog that still sat whimpering by the tree.

        "Joe, Daddy. What about Joe? He's hurt, too."

        Before Roy could answer Deputy Ferguson spoke from his place at the foot of John's Stokes. "My wife works for a vet. I'll take the dog there."

        "Thanks," Roy said. "I'll pay for whatever he needs. Just see that he gets the best care available."

        "I will."

        "You can reach me at Station 51 when he's ready to come home."

        "Can Joe stay at our house when he gets out of the hospital?" Jennifer asked her father as they made their way toward the helicopter. "I mean until Uncle Johnny is back at his ranch."

        "Sure, honey. Joe can stay with us as long as necessary."

        Jennifer gave her father's neck a firm squeeze. She knew he didn't like animals in the house. "That will make Uncle Johnny happy. He'll feel better just knowing someone who loves Joe is taking care of him."

        "You're right, Princess. That will make Uncle Johnny feel better."

        "Make sure you tell him, Daddy."

        "I will," Roy promised as they came to a halt twenty feet from the hovering chopper.

        They waited while the pilot brought the chopper down until it almost touched the water. Roy turned and bent his body in order to protect Jennifer from the mist being sprayed on them. At the same time Archer reached down and brought the blankets over Johnny's face.

        It took less than thirty seconds to get John and the equipment loaded on the medical helicopter. Archer climbed in, then took the notebook Tom handed him and slipped it inside his shirt pocket. The black man reached out for Jennifer. She went willingly from her father's arms to Archer's. He pointed to a plastic bench seat at the rear of the chopper. "Put the belt on!" he shouted in her ear so he could be heard over the noise of the rotating blades. Jennifer did as the man instructed, sitting on the bench and latching the seat belt around her thin waist.

        Roy was the last passenger in. There wasn't enough room for anyone else. Don Ferguson would report back to Sergeant Garrett and take charge of getting Joe to the vet's office. Tom Ketchum would drive Squad 17 to Rampart in order to pick up his partner.
        
        Roy glanced to the rear of the chopper to make certain his daughter was seated and strapped in tight. When he saw this was the case he gave her a smile and thumbs up. She returned the gesture, understanding that his attention would now be focused on Uncle Johnny until the doctors took over his care at Rampart Hospital.

        Jen gripped the edge of her seat so hard her knuckles turned white as the chopper's nose dipped forward and it rose into the air. The girl had never even been on an airplane. She wasn't too certain she liked this means of transportation as they flew high above the tree tops, especially sitting all by herself ten feet from her father. But like Katori, Jennifer knew she had to be brave. Her dad didn't have time to worry about her right now. Uncle Johnny needed him.

        Roy and Archer worked like a well-rehearsed team. Archer didn't bother with the bio-phone. He contacted Rampart using the chopper's direct line to the hospital.

        Joanne had reached Dixie McCall like Roy requested. Dixie and Kelly Brackett were waiting when Archer's call came in. Roy gave the black man updated vital signs. Archer relayed them to Doctor Brackett along with the array of injuries Johnny had suffered.

        Brackett spoke into the microphone. "Does the patient have any signs of head trauma, 17?"

        "That's negative, Rampart. We haven't found any evidence that such trauma occurred. The patient has been semi-conscious since our arrival on the scene and relatively cognizant of his surroundings. He is severely dehydrated. As well, Rampart, the patient is in pain and most certainly has been for quite a length of time. Request 2 milligrams MS to start."

        "Go ahead with the MS, 17, as well as two IV's Lactated Ringers wide open. I also want updated vitals at three minute intervals."

        "10-4, Rampart. That's 2 milligrams MS, two Ringers wide, and updated vitals at three minute intervals."

        "Affirmative, 17."

        Roy swabbed John's right arm with an alcohol wipe then started the IVs while Archer administered the morphine. They continued to monitor Johnny's vital signs and relay them to Rampart. The noise of the chopper made it difficult to be heard without shouting. In light of this Roy didn't try to talk to his friend, but every chance he got he rested a hand on John's right forearm. If nothing else Johnny would know he was still there with him.

        Even with the morphine, John refused to allow his eyes to completely close. His vision was limited by the fact he was resting on his left side, but every so often he'd catch a glimpse of Roy. He tried to find Jennifer, but each time he struggled to move his head within the confines of the C-collar Roy would discourage him by firmly grasping each side of his face. Finally Roy must have realized what was agitating him because the man crouched close to Johnny's ear and said over the sound of the chopper blades, "Jen's fine, Johnny. She's here. She's sitting on the bench behind us. Thanks to you, Junior, she's just fine."

        Upon hearing his partner's words Johnny calmed down, relieved to know Jennifer was safe. He finally gave in to the morphine's beckoning. As his eyes closed Johnny blocked out everything around him until even the thump, thump, thump of the chopper blades was so distant the noise could have been coming from miles away.

        The kids are safe. That's all that matters. Roy's kids are safe. I don't care about myself, just the kids. I'm just so glad the kids are okay. I don't have to fight any more. I don't have to hang on.

        Roy was bent over Johnny with his ear right next to his partner's mouth as he laid a light hand on Johnny's chest and counted respirations. The blond man paled when the mumbled words drifted to him through the oxygen mask.

        "The kids...okay. Roy says...kids fine. Don't have to fight...anymore. Don't have to...hang on."

        "Johnny!" Roy shouted into his partner's ear. "Johnny, yes you do have to hang on! Dammit, John Gage, you'd better hang on, do you hear me? Don't you dare give up on me, Junior! John, don't you dare give up!"

        Archer's eyes caught Roy's as he finished taking Johnny's blood pressure. The black man gave a slight shake of his head, then leaned forward to speak to the pilot.

        "If this thing can fly any faster now's the time to crank her up!" Archer saw the pilot's nod and thought he detected a slight increase in speed as he picked up the mike that would connect him to Kelly Brackett.
        

        _________________________

        
        The latest set of vitals that came to Rampart caused Doctor Brackett's brows to furrow. He turned to Dixie.

        "He's losing ground fast. We're not going to waste time bringing him down here. As soon as we get him off the chopper we'll go right to OR. Have someone make certain the stand-by room next to OR 2 is prepared for complete trauma care and get a portable X-ray unit up there. The less we have to move Johnny the better."

        Dixie nodded her head. OR 2 was already reserved for John Gage with six units of his blood type waiting. A medical team was also on standby, waiting for the chopper to land. The nurse got on the phone and relayed Brackett's newest set of instructions. As soon as Archer indicated the chopper was within two minutes of landing Kelly and Dixie ran for the elevator. A nurse slipped behind the counter, taking Dixie's place for as long as necessary.

Chapter 20

        
        Evan's natural instincts made up for his lack of speed. Long ago he'd discovered he had a knack for knowing exactly what the police would be doing in an effort to locate him. Road blocks were the first thing they'd order, followed by a helicopter. Evan knew it would only be a matter of time before the mountain was crawling with cops, which was why he kept running.

        The man had no idea what highway he'd come to when he emerged from the woods. By looking at the sun he knew he was west of where he'd started from. He took a few deep breaths, rolled his shirtsleeves down and buttoned them so the wounds on his arms weren't apparent, and swiped his bangs back into place. When he heard the eighteen-wheeler rounding the bend he stepped onto the shoulder and stuck out his thumb.

        The trucker slowed his rig. Evan opened the passenger side door and swung himself into the cab.

        "Where you headed?" The trucker asked.

        "Wherever you're going is fine with me."

        "Got several stops to make all the way up to Eureka."

        "Great."

        The trucker eyed his passenger. He briefly wondered why the man wasn't carrying at least a duffel bag of clothing, but he didn't question this oddity either. He enjoyed the company of hitchhikers. Each one of them had a different story to tell. He'd learned long ago not to ask questions that were none of his business. All he was really looking for anyway was a little company to break up the monotony of a long run.

        "My name's Keith," the trucker introduced as he pulled the rig back onto the highway.

        "Tim," the passenger replied. Though he'd never had reason to use a false name in the past, after the kind of day he'd just had he thought a pseudonym was a wise move.

        "Nice to meet you, Tim. So, you a native Californian?"

        "Nope. I was born and raised in Illinois."

        "Really? So what brings you all the way out here?"

        Evan watched as two squad cars passed them going in the opposite direction. "My job," Evan replied with a tiny smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "It's my job that brings me all the way out here."

        "I see. Gonna be in the Sunshine state for a while then, huh?"

        "Yep. I've got some work left to do before I move on." Evan thought about the map folded up in the back pocket of his blue jeans, and the gold star he still wanted to place somewhere in the state of California. "I've still got some work left to do."

Chapter 21

 

        Within seconds of the chopper landing on the roof extension outside the eighth floor operating rooms the Stokes was placed on a gurney. Roy took in the jumble of concerned faces surrounding Johnny. He recognized some while others he didn't know at all. He allowed Archer to relay the latest set of vitals to Doctor Brackett, and to run along side the gurney with the medical team as they entered the building. Had Jennifer not been in the chopper Roy would have been running with one hand clinging to the Stokes, too. But now that they were at the hospital and Johnny was in the best hands available, Roy's obligation was to his young daughter who had gone through so much in the past fourteen hours.

        Roy climbed back in the chopper just as Jennifer was standing. He took her hand and helped her out onto solid ground. He lifted her to his hip once again, moved away from the helicopter, and gave the pilot a wave to let the man know the area was clear. He crouched low and ran with his daughter to the automatic double doors as the blades began to pick up speed.

        Jennifer spotted her mother first.

        "Mom!"

        Joanne took the girl from Roy's arms and hugged her as tight as she dared. Mother and daughter clung to one another a long minute, both of them crying.
Joanne finally allowed Jennifer to slide to her feet. She continued to hold her daughter's hand as she hugged Roy's neck with one arm. Through her tears she whispered, "Chris and I just saw them wheel Johnny through. Oh, Roy, he looks so bad. He's not good, is he?"

        It took Roy a moment to find his voice. Like Joanne, he kept his tone pitched low so Jennifer wouldn't overhear his words.

        "No, he's not. He...he's critical. Be prepared..." Roy had to swallow the lump in his throat, "be prepared for the worst. I just don't...I just don't know if he'll survive surgery."

        Joanne took the news as stoically as possible for the sake of her children. Chris was seated a few feet away in an alcove that consisted of a long couch, two chairs, a coffee table filled with magazines, a soda machine, a snack machine, and a pay phone. The boy jumped up as his father approached.

        "Dad! How's Uncle Johnny? Mom and I saw him for just a second and he looked real sick."

        "I know, son."

        Roy put a hand on Chris's back and encouraged him to sit back down on the couch. Roy sat next to the eleven year old, then pulled Jennifer into his lap. He didn't want to dash his children's hopes, but neither did he want to lie to them and leave them unprepared for what might come. Joanne sat down on the other side of Chris and took his hand. Fourteen years of marriage to Roy left her no doubts as to what he was going to say to the kids.

        Roy's eyes took in both his offspring. "Chris, Jen,.....Uncle Johnny's in critical condition."

        "What's that mean?" Jennifer asked, though deep inside she suspected she knew.

        "It means that because of his injuries his body is having to fight very hard to keep him alive. Sometimes, when a person is hurt as bad as Uncle Johnny is, the body just...gives out. It can't fight any longer. The injuries are too serious for the body to be able to heal itself."

        "But won't the doctors and nurses help Uncle Johnny's body fight now that we got him here?"

        Roy gave his daughter a soft smile. "Yes, Princess, they will. They'll help Uncle Johnny in every way they can. But sometimes...well sometimes even the doctors and nurses can't make a person better no matter how hard they try. You understand that, don't you?"

        Jennifer laid her head against Roy's chest and started to cry. "But I don't want Uncle Johnny to die. I want the doctors and nurses to make him all better."

        Roy ran a hand over his daughter's head. "So do the rest of us, Jenny," he whispered while kissing Jennifer's temple. "Believe me, so do the rest of us."

        Joanne extended her free hand and grasped Jennifer's. Now that she was physically connected to both her children she said, "Let's bow our heads and say a prayer for Uncle Johnny."

        The kids did as their mother suggested. Even Roy found himself following suit. Because of his work schedule he didn't often attend the Congregational Church Joanne took the kids to on Sunday mornings. And he had to admit that even when he was off on a Sunday he usually bypassed Sunday School and then the church service in favor of enjoying a few hours of a quiet house after Joanne and the kids left.

        Joanne led the prayer as the kids squeezed their eyes shut. Both Chris and Jennifer were sure if they concentrated enough on their mother's words, if they showed enough respect to her prayer, that there was no way God would take Uncle Johnny from them.

        "Dear Lord," Joanne prayed in a soft voice, "please watch over Johnny and extend Your mercy to him. We don't understand why someone was allowed to hurt such a good man, but we trust this matter is in Your hands. Please protect John in the same way he protected my daughter. We ask that You give the doctors wisdom as they work now to heal Johnny's body. Please let Johnny feel the love that surrounds him. Please give him the strength he'll need to get better. Lay Your healing hand upon him, Lord. In this we pray, Amen."

        Roy looked up when he heard a soft "Amen," echo Joanne's. He saw Marco standing there with his head bowed. The Hispanic man made the sign of the cross, then moved to sit in the chair next to Roy.

        "Marco?" Joanne questioned. "When did you get here?"

        "Just now. Cap called Mike with the news and asked him to contact me and Chet."

        Before Joanne or Roy could say anything further they saw Hank Stanley striding down the corridor. He joined the group, sitting on the couch next to Joanne.

        "How's John?"

        Roy was about to relay what he knew when Archer Doyle rounded the
corner. He'd heard Captain Stanley's question and answered for Roy.

        "They're taking him into surgery now. The knife hit his right lung and right kidney."

        "Can they repair the damage?" Hank asked.

        "Brackett thinks so. The problem is..." Archer stopped there, mindful of Roy's children.

        Roy nodded his head, indicating for the man to proceed.

        "The problem is he's very weak as be would expected considering it's now been almost fifteen hours since the injuries occurred. Brackett's concerned that the surgery will be too much for him."

        Roy was concerned about that as well, but he made no comment. Still holding onto his daughter Roy stood. He extended a hand to the black man.

        "Archer, thanks. And tell Tom I said thank you as well. The two of you make a great team."

        "Well, you know how it is when you just 'click' with the right partner. There's really no way to explain the chemistry to someone else. It just exists without you ever really giving it conscious thought."

        Roy nodded. "Yeah," he said softly, "I know how it is."

        "I know you do, Roy." Archer squeezed Roy's hand, feeling a little guilty to find himself glad he wasn't in DeSoto's position. "I know you do."

        The black man promised he'd call later to get an update on Johnny's condition, then headed down the corridor toward the elevator.

        Over the course of the next thirty minutes three more people drifted into the waiting area. Mike Stoker arrived followed closely by Chet Kelly, who was still dressed in the ragged cut off shorts and wet sneakers he'd been wearing when he got the call about Johnny while in the midst of washing his car. Dixie McCall stopped by, but didn't have much more information to share other than what Archer had already told Roy. She went down to the ER to finish out what little time was left of her shift, then returned an hour later with a man in tow.

        "Roy, Joanne, this is Detective Mark Bellmen. He stopped in the ER asking for directions on how to find you just as I was going off duty."

        Dixie stepped aside as Roy stood. Jennifer was now seated next to her brother. During the course of their wait she'd been taken to the bathroom by her mother and cleaned up. Though she was still wearing her dirty clothes, her face and hands had been washed and her hair brushed out so it hung long and straight against her back.

        Roy guessed the stocky detective to be in his late forties. His dark hair was trimmed short around his head, and just beginning to gray at the temples. Jennifer stared at him, fascinated by the handlebar mustache that was curled up on the ends with the aid of gel. She thought he looked like a big, friendly barber who had stepped right out of the pages of another century. Like the picture she'd once seen of her maternal great great grandfather who had owned a barber shop in Ohio.

        Roy and the detective shook hands. Roy turned, introducing the man to his wife and co-workers.

        When the introductions came to an end the detective said, "Mr. DeSoto, I hear your children have quite an adventure to tell me."

        "Yes. I would say they do."

        The man looked at Dixie. "Is there a room I can use in order to speak to the children privately?"

        "I'm sure I can find you an empty office."

        Despite the detective's friendly appearance Jennifer had no desire to go anywhere with a strange man considering her recent experiences. She grabbed for her father's hand.

        "No, Daddy. Please. I don't wanna go anywhere."

        No one else was in the waiting area but Roy and his co-workers prompting the paramedic to say, "Why can't your questions be asked right here?"

        "Well..." the men looked at the faces of those surrounding him. Based on Roy's introductions he knew everyone present save for Dixie and Joanne was a city firefighter.

        "I promise you that anything my kids tell you won't leave this group. Besides, I think they'd be more comfortable and willing to talk if they can stay here amongst the people they know."

        The detective thought a moment, then gave a reluctant nod of his head. "I'm trusting your judgment on this, Mr. DeSoto. The last thing we want is any one of you talking to the press about the details of the investigation."

        Hank Stanley spoke up. "I can assure you, Detective, that my men are extremely loyal to one another and understand the delicate nature of this situation. No one here will repeat a word of what they hear to anyone."

        Mike, Chet and Marco nodded their heads in confirmation of their Captain's promise.

        Dixie didn't feel Hank Stanley's words included her so she started to leave, only to be stopped by Roy.

        "Wait, Dix, I'd like you to stay, too."

        Dixie looked at Roy. She knew him well enough to pick up on his unspoken thoughts. If either Chris or Jennifer got too upset by the detective's line of questioning Roy was counting on her to intervene with a medical opinion regarding the emotional harm the children might be incurring. Though Dixie felt she was a bit out of her league and would have preferred a pediatric psychologist be present, she knew on a Sunday afternoon she was about the only off duty medical person Roy was going to find to sit in on this session. She nodded her head, honored that he thought so much of her.

        Chet vacated the chair he was seated in so Detective Bellmen could sit down. Marco did the same, offering his seat to Dixie. The two firemen stood together, leaning on either side of the soda machine.

        Jennifer climbed in her father's lap while Chris remained seated between his parents. The detective smiled at the children, acknowledging each of them by name.

        "Hi, Chris. Hi, Jennifer."

        "Hi," Chris replied without hesitation.

        Jennifer's "Hi," was quiet and with an uncharacteristic shyness to it.

        "There's nothing difficult about what I'm going to ask both of you to do for me. I simply want you to tell me all about your camping trip, from the moment you left Mr. Gage's ranch until..."

        "You mean left Uncle Johnny's?" Jennifer clarified.

        "Yes," Mark smiled. "From the moment you left your Uncle Johnny's ranch until your father found you in the woods."

        When the children didn't immediately begin, Joanne helped them.

        "Kids, you need to tell Detective Bellmen about your camping trip exactly like you would have told Daddy and me about it this evening when Uncle Johnny brought you home. Don't leave out any details."

        "That's right," Detective Bellmen said. "Even the smallest thing that seems insignificant might prove to be important." The man reached into the pocket of his brown suit coat and pulled out a small spiral notebook and a pen. "I'm going to write down much of what you say. You just ignore what I'm doing and keep talking. And every so often I might interrupt one of you to ask a question. Okay?"

        "Okay," Chris agreed while Jennifer nodded her head.

        "All right. Let's begin. Start with yesterday morning when you left your uncle's ranch."

        Chris looked to Roy for guidance.

        "Go ahead, son," Roy nodded. "It's all right."

        With that final bit of encouragement from his father Chris turned his attention to the detective. He told of the trip up the mountain on the horses. Chris saw a slight smile dance on Chet's lips when he mentioned them stopping to rest the horses and how Uncle Johnny looked around for snakes before they sat down.

        "Chris," Jennifer scolded. "Uncle Johnny said we weren't supposed to tell anyone that. Especially not Chet."

        Roy shushed his daughter. "It's okay, Jen. This is the kind of special circumstance where sometimes we're forced to break a promise to a friend." Roy gave Chet a pointed look. "I'm sure Chet will work hard at resisting the urge to tease Uncle Johnny about any of this situation."

        Captain Stanley added his own confirmation to that. "Yes, I'm sure he will."

        The detective got the children back on track with their story.

        "Chris, Jennifer, did either of you see or hear anything unusual when you stopped to rest the horses?"

        "What do you mean?" Chris asked.

        "Oh, a noise that would indicate there was a person nearby. Or perhaps you saw another person walking the trail or on horseback."

        "No," Chris shook his head. "We didn't see anyone."

        "Or hear anything either," Jennifer said, "other than birds and squirrels, and the kinda stuff we see every time we go camping with Uncle Johnny."

        Chris took over the tale again at this point. He told of how they'd collected leaves and rocks for Jennifer's science project before mounting their horses again. He told of the uneventful trip up the mountain, then how they'd worked together to make camp.

        "After we ate lunch Uncle Johnny and I fished while Jen and Joe played by us in the stream."

        "Joe?" Detective Bellmen asked.

        "Uncle Johnny's dog," Jennifer explained. "We gave him to Uncle Johnny for his birthday a couple years ago."

        "Nice gift," Mark responded before questioning Chris again.

        "Chris, did anything unusual happen while you were fishing? Did anyone come into your campsite?"

        "No. No one. We didn't see anyone. When we'd caught twelve fish we stopped. Uncle Johnny taught us that you never take more from nature than you're going to use. So since he figured we'd caught enough for supper and breakfast we put 'em in a bucket of cold water and then took a hike to the Pow Wow Cave."

        "The Pow Wow Cave?"

        Chris explained about the hidden cave they'd found the previous year. Together he and Jennifer told of their afternoon spent there with Johnny. Now Dixie understood why John had arrived with streaks of what looked like paint on his face. She hadn't been sure if this was some bizarre thing his attacker had done to him, or if it was some bizarre thing he'd done to himself for reasons only known to Johnny Gage.

        After Chris told of their hike back to the campsite and the supper they'd eaten the detective asked again, "And you didn't see or hear anything suspicious?"

        Before the boy or his sister could answer Roy intervened.

        "Detective, I can assure you that if John Gage had seen or heard anything that would have caused him to fear for my children's safety he would have broken camp, loaded everyone on their horses, and headed back for his ranch. If need be he would have scooped my kids up, left everything behind, and ran down that mountain while carrying both of them in his arms."

        "I realize that, Mr. DeSoto. Please believe me when I say I'm not trying to insinuate that Mr. Gage ignored warning signs of impending trouble. Quite the contrary. But it's possible that he or the children saw or heard something that at the time they didn't associate with danger. I hope you understand that if we're going to catch this guy I have to be thorough."

        There was a moment of silence before Roy heaved a weary sigh.

        I do understand that. I'm sorry if my comments were out of line. It's just been a...a very long afternoon."

        "I'm sure it has been. And I know you're worried about your partner. When I was a patrol officer I spent eight years sharing my squad car with a man I grew to be closer to than I am to my own brother. Had anyone made even the slightest unsavory remark about him I would have been the first person to come to his defense."

        Roy nodded his thanks at Bellmen's understanding of his bond with Johnny.

        Knowing that he now had Roy back on his side, Bellmen returned his attention to the children.

        "All right, Chris, you said you had supper after your hike. Then what did you do?"

        "After we cleaned up our camp,...you know, threw our paper plates and stuff into a garbage bag Uncle Johnny brought along, we sat around the fire until the sun set."

        "Uncle Johnny braided my hair for me," Jennifer interjected.

        Detective Bellmen didn't react to this information one way or another, but for some reason it brought a lump to Dixie McCall's throat. She thought of the injuries she had seen on John Gage's body an hour earlier, and the grave condition he was in that meant his chances of making it through surgery were no better than fifty/fifty.

        How can anyone hurt a person with as gentle of a soul as Johnny Gage possesses? What goes wrong inside someone that causes them to do such violence?

        Dixie had been an ER nurse for twenty years. She'd seen the physical effects of random acts of violence on innocent victims before. She'd always thought that eventually she'd become immune to it. That eventually she could look at woman who'd been beaten by her husband, or a man who'd been stabbed by a stranger, and not feel anything but detached professionalism. Some years ago Dixie had finally learned that would never happen. At least not where she was concerned. Kelly Brackett had once told her that's what made her such a good nurse. That might be so, but when the victim was a friend, and she was surrounded by the people who loved him and thought of him as family, she felt that both her compassion and her medical knowledge was a curse.

        Dixie tuned back into the conversation when she heard Chris say, "We told ghost stories after that. After Uncle Johnny had braided Jen's hair and the sun went down. I told my story first. Then Jen told hers. Uncle Johnny went last, only his wasn't a ghost story 'cause he's not too good at those."

        "He's not?" Detective Bellmen asked in an effort to get a better feel for John Gage's personality than he already had.

        "No," Chris shook his head. "He couldn't scare a two year old if he tried. But his legends...those are the best. So he told us a legend."

        "Legend?

        "Yeah. An Indian legend. Uncle Johnny's half Waupun Indian, you know."

        "No, I didn't know that."

        "Well, he is. And he knows lots of cool stories that his grandfather, Gray Wolf, told Uncle Johnny when he was a kid."

        "I see. That does sound interesting."

        "Yep," Chris agreed while Jennifer nodded her head.

        "When the stories were over what did you do?"

        "We went to bed," Chris responded.

        "Do you know approximately what time that was?"

        "Ten o'clock."

        "You're certain?" The detective questioned as he recorded the time on his note pad.

        "Yeah. We always go to bed at ten o'clock when we go camping with Uncle Johnny. When my dad's along sometimes him and Uncle Johnny stay up later, talking around the campfire, but me and Jen always go to bed at ten."

        "And Mr. Gage...your Uncle Johnny, went to bed when you kids did?"

        "Yeah."

        "How soon after going to bed would you say you fell asleep, Chris?"

        "Not very long 'cause I was tired. Maybe five minutes."

        "And you, Jennifer? Did you fall asleep right away?"

        "Yes."

        "And neither of you woke up between then and when the man came to your camp site?"

        "I didn't," Chris said.

        "I did," Jennifer responded.

        "Do you know what woke you, Jennifer?"

        "One of the horses. I think it was Cody. I heard him whinny."

        "Did you go back to sleep?"

        "Not really. I turned on my side to face Uncle Johnny."

        "Was he sleeping?"

        "Yeah. Or at least I'm pretty sure he was. He had his arm over his eyes." Jennifer leaned back against Roy's chest so she was half reclining. She put her left arm over her eyes. "Like this. This is how Uncle Johnny always sleeps."

        "So you didn't say anything to him? You didn't let him know you were awake?"

        "No." The girl returned to an upright position in her father's lap. " I just rolled over, saw him sleeping, and closed my eyes."

        "Did you fall back to sleep?"

        "I was almost asleep again when I...when I..."

        Jennifer's eyes welled up with tears. Roy wrapped his arms around and whispered into her ear.

        "It's okay, sweetheart, I'm right here. No one can hurt you."

        Jennifer nodded at the words of encouragement her father offered her. She swallowed hard in an effort to keep her tears from falling.

        "I was almost asleep when I felt someone lift me out of my bedroll and start to run with me."

        The detective kept his voice quiet and calm. "What did you do then?"

        "I yelled, 'Uncle Johnny! Uncle Johnny! It's the Stone Ridge Killer! Help me! Help me!' "

        All the adults exchanged glances at Jennifer's words.

        "The Stone Ridge Killer?" Mark asked, wondering if Jennifer had just given him a lead to her assailant's identity. His hopes were quickly dashed, however, as the little girl explained further.

        "The Stone Ridge Killer from Chris's ghost story before we went to bed. He snatches girls right out of their beds in the middle of the night."

        "I see," Detective Bellmen nodded his understanding. He had three younger sisters himself. He well remembered the enjoyment he got out of scaring them when he was Chris DeSoto's age. "So the Stone Ridge Killer was just a made up person from Chris's ghost story?"

        "Yeah. But that's all I could think of when I felt the man lift me up."

        "That's understandable," Mark said while Joanne made a silent vow to have a talk with her son at a future date about the subject matter of his ghost stories.

        "What happened after you called for your uncle to help you?"

        "Uncle Johnny jumped up from his bed. The man turned and started to run away with me towards the woods. Uncle Johnny was running after us yelling at the man to put me down. After that I'm not sure what happened. I think Uncle Johnny must have tackled him 'cause the next thing I knew we were on the ground."

        "On the ground? Did you come out of the man's arms when he fell?"

        "No. He was still holding onto me."

        "Like this," Chris said as he leaned over and wrapped an arm around Jennifer's chest. "The man was laying on the ground on his back, but he had Jennifer held against him real tight."

        "At what point in all this did you wake up, Chris?"

        "I heard Uncle Johnny yell, 'Put her down!' That's what woke me up. I saw the man running away with Jennifer, and then saw Uncle Johnny fly through the air and tackle him around his knees."

        "So that's when the man fell?"

        "Yeah."

        Mark stood. "Mr. DeSoto, can I get you to assist your children with a little demonstration here?"

        "Certainly."

        The detective looked at the group of firemen who had remained silent but attentive throughout the children's story. He motioned to Chet.

        "Sir, can I also have you assist us please?"

        "Sure," Chet agreed while pushing himself away from the soda machine.

        Mark Bellmen looked down the corridor, making certain they were still alone on this quiet Sunday afternoon at Rampart. Seeing no one, he moved away from the furniture and indicated for Roy and Chet to follow him. Roy stood and put Jennifer on her feet, then walked out beyond the coffee table.

        "Mr. DeSoto--"

        "You can call me Roy."

        "Thank you, Roy. Roy, would you please lay right here on your back?"

        Roy did as the detective requested. Mark looked to Jennifer.
        "Okay, Jennifer, can you lay down with your dad and have him hold you just like that man was holding you last night?"

        Jennifer nodded her head. Dixie kept a close eye on the girl, making certain that the act of reliving exactly what had happened didn't upset her. It didn't seem to bother Jennifer to lay on top of Roy's chest and allow him to put his right arm around her. The nurse knew this was a good sign. At least Jennifer wasn't associating her father with her assailant simply because Roy was holding her in the same position the kidnapper had.

        "Okay, Chris. I'm going to need you to tell me how the rest of this unfolded. Pretend that...." Mark looked at Chet. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I didn't get your name."

        "Chet. Chet Kelly."

        "Chris, pretend that Mr. Kelly is your Uncle Johnny. After John tackled the man, the man was laying on the ground with Jennifer just like your dad and Jennifer are laying now, am I correct?"

        "Yes, Sir."

        "And where was Johnny?"

        "He jumped to his feet and stood over the man."

        "Show Mr. Kelly what you mean."

        Chris demonstrated to Chet how Johnny had stood with his feet on either side of the man's waist. Chet took up that position.

        "All right. Then what happened?"

        "Uncle Johnny was tugging at Jennifer, trying to pull her free from the man's arm."

        "Mr. Kelly, can you do that for us please. You don't have to use any force, this is just so I can get a better picture of what occurred."

        "Okay." Chet did as Chris described.

        "What happened next, Chris?"

        "Uncle Johnny," the boy paused there and looked back at his mother. He didn't want to get Johnny in trouble.

        "What, Chris?" Mark asked.

        Joanne smiled at her son. She had no idea what he was concerned about revealing, but knew the look on his face well enough to conclude he was trying not to snitch on a friend for some wrong-doing.

        "Go ahead, Chris. Tell Detective Bellmen what happened. No one will get in trouble, I promise."

        Chris nodded. He turned back to the detective. "Uncle Johnny started swearing then. I've never heard him say that kinda stuff before. Not even little swear words. You know, like the ones that aren't as bad as some others."

        Mark's mustache twitched at the boy's choice of words, but he held his smile at bay. "You mean he was swearing at the man while trying to free your sister?"

        "Yeah. Except I don't think he started swearing until the man had stabbed
him for the first time."

        "Well now, I can understand how that could cause a man to let a few words fly he doesn't normally go around saying," Mark said. "Chris, using Chet and your dad, show me how the man stabbed Johnny."

        Chris bent over and brought his father's left hand up. "He had the knife in this hand. He stabbed it into Uncle Johnny's arm, right about here." Chris pointed to Chet's right biceps muscle.

        The detective looked over at Dixie. "Is this the approximate location of one of Mr. Gage's stab wounds?"

        "Yes, it is."

        Mark smiled at Chris. "Good job. Continue please."

        "It was when I saw the blood on Uncle Johnny's shirt that I ran over to help him. I started tugging on Jennifer with him. I'm pretty sure the man stabbed Uncle Johnny again 'cause I heard Uncle Johnny cry out like he was in pain, but I didn't see where the knife went in. Uncle Johnny really started to swear after that and kept yelling at the man to let Jen go. Then I saw the knife stab him here," the boy bent down and touched Chet just above his right calf muscle.

        Mark Bellmen looked back at Dixie who nodded her confirmation of a matching stab wound on John's body.

        "Uncle Johnny got even madder then. He grabbed the man by the hair with one hand and started pounding his head into the ground while trying to get Jennifer free with his other hand. I was still helping him. I'm not really sure how we did it, but we finally pulled her away from the man. Jen stumbled to her feet and I grabbed her hand. Uncle Johnny yelled at me to run for the Pow Wow. I knew he meant the cave so I held onto Jen and did what Uncle Johnny said."

        "The Pow Wow? You mean the cave you mentioned earlier?"

        "Yeah."

        Roy spoke from the floor. "It's secluded in an overgrown hillside. The entrance is covered with a thick layer of moss."

        "So you and Jennifer ran to the cave, Chris?"

        "Yeah. Uncle Johnny always told us that if we got lost, or if there was some kind of trouble, we should go to the cave and wait for him to come for us. So as soon as he told me to go to the Pow Wow I knew what he meant I was supposed to do."

        "You didn't see anything more of the fight that took place between the assailant and your Uncle Johnny then?"

        "No, Sir."

        At Chris's words Mark looked at Roy and Chet. "Okay, gentlemen, you can get up now. Thank you."

        Chet stepped over Roy and Jennifer, resuming his former position by the soda machine. Roy waited until Jennifer stood, then got on his own feet. He led his children back to the couch. They sat between him and Joanne while Detective Bellmen reclaimed his chair.

        "How about the dog, kids? Joe? Where was he?"

        Jennifer shrugged her shoulders while Chris replied, "I don't know. We didn't see him until we came back. He was sitting by Uncle Johnny then."

        "All right, we'll put that thought on hold for now. Chris, do you know what time this attack happened?"

        "Around midnight or a little after. I looked at my watch when me and Jen got to the cave and it was almost twelve-thirty."

        The man smiled as he recorded this information. "Chris, you've got a wonderful mind for details. You'll make a great police detective some day."

        "Naw," Chris shook his head. "I'm gonna be a paramedic like my dad and Uncle Johnny."

        Roy reached out a hand and ran it over his son's back. "When you hear what my children did next, you'll know why my son said that, Detective."

        "All right," Mark nodded. "Let's keep going then. What did you do next, Chris?"

        Chris told about staying in the cave for two hours with Jennifer sleeping against his chest. "That's when I knew something was wrong. Uncle Johnny would have come for us by then if he could have. That's when I knew he was hurt real bad."

        The boy went on to explain how he and his sister crept back to the camp site.

        "You didn't see the man at all during this time?"

        "No, Sir. If we had of, we would have ran back to the cave. But we didn't see him, and when we got to the woods just outside our campfire we saw Uncle Johnny laying on his side with Joe sitting next to him. There was blood everywhere. All over him and in a big puddle on the ground. That's when we ran over to him. It took us a minute to wake him up. He was unconscious. But once he was awake and knew we were okay he told me what we had to do in order to help him."

        Prompted by further questions the police detective asked, Chris relayed how the rest of the night passed.

        "I tried not to fall asleep. I knew I needed to stay awake in order to help Uncle Johnny, but I was so tired. Jen had fallen asleep about an hour earlier. Around three-thirty. Neither one of us woke up again until Uncle Johnny started screaming."

        "Had the man returned?"

        "No," Chris shook his head. "Uncle Johnny was having a nightmare I guess. He was yelling Jen's name and telling her to get away. I figured he meant that he wanted her to get away from the man. We tried to calm him down. He got real sick then. He threw up blood a couple of times. Not long after that he had two convulsions. That's when I knew I had to get help. I saddled Cody,..."

        "One of the horses?"

        "Yeah. Uncle Johnny's. He won't let me ride Cody 'cause he says I'm not strong enough to handle him. But I knew Cody was the fastest horse we had. Jen helped me saddle him. I didn't want to leave her and Uncle Johnny alone, but Uncle Johnny looked so bad,....he was so sick and in so much pain, that I knew he wouldn't live until my dad realized something was wrong."

        Mark looked at Roy. "What time were you expecting Mr. Gage and the children back?"

        "Six o'clock tonight."

        Mark gave a slight nod. "Sounds to me like you did the only thing you could, Chris."

        "That's what my dad said, too."

        "So you left Jennifer and your uncle at what time?"

        "Around nine. Maybe a few minutes after. Uncle Johnny woke up just as I was gonna climb on Cody. He called me over to him and asked me what I was doing. When I told him he tried to get me to stay. He said my dad would come for us and that he'd be okay until then. I knew he wouldn't be okay though, and I told him so, but he still said I had to stay. I told him I couldn't, that he needed help. When I left...when I left he was real mad at me. He told me he was gonna tan my hide for disobeying him when he got his hands on me. I felt bad for making him mad at me and all. Uncle Johnny never gets mad at me. But it was just something I had to do. I hope he understands that."

        Before any of the adults could assure the boy that Johnny wouldn't be angry with him for leaving the campsite, Jennifer said quietly, "Uncle Johnny understands, Chris. He cried after you left. He felt bad because he didn't know the man was hiding in the woods."

        "Did he tell you that?" Roy asked his daughter.

        "Yeah. He said he was sorry because our camping trip didn't go like he planned. When I told him it wasn't his fault, that he didn't know the man was there, he said he should have. He kept saying that, Daddy. How come?"

        "Because he felt responsible for you and Chris, sweetheart. And even though, as you say, nothing that happened was Uncle Johnny's fault, Johnny loves you and Chris as much as he would love children of his own. That means he hurts when the two of you hurt."

        "But Chris and I weren't hurt. It was Uncle Johnny who was hurt."

        Joanne placed a hand on top of Jennifer's head.

        "In this case, Jen, Daddy means that Uncle Johnny knew you and Chris were frightened and upset by what had taken place during the night. He didn't want to see either one of you burdened with further responsibilities. He felt it was his place to keep both of you safe. I imagine that when Chris rode away on Cody Uncle Johnny felt pretty helpless. He couldn't stop Chris from disobeying him, he couldn't make certain Chris got back to the ranch free from harm, and he was probably pretty scared at the thought of having to protect you. With as badly injured as he was I'm sure he was afraid if the man returned he wouldn't be able to fight him off."

        "But he did, Mom! The man came back and Uncle Johnny did fight him off! He's so brave. Just like Katori in the legend. Just like Uncle Johnny's Indian name means."

        Joanne looked at her daughter with total puzzlement. Roy hadn't had the opportunity to tell her what had happened after Chris left the mountain. This wasn't exactly how he wanted her to hear the news of the second attack by the kidnapper, but he couldn't do much more than nod his head at his wife before looking at the detective.

        "I think we'd better keep going. There's a...few things my wife isn't aware of yet."

        "It sounds like there's a few things none of us are aware of but you and Jennifer," Mark replied. He turned his attention back to Chris. "Chris, why don't you continue."

        Chris's portion of the story came to a fairly quick end. He told of his trip down the mountain and his surprise at discovering his parents at Johnny's ranch.

        Roy took over here and relayed what he had done upon Chris telling him what had occurred on the mountain.

        Bellmen looked at Jennifer. "All right, little lady, now it's your turn. I need you to tell me what happened after your brother left."

        "Mostly I just tried to help Uncle Johnny. I made sure he stayed covered and I wiped his face and mouth with a washcloth. He wanted me to stay by him. He made me promise I wouldn't leave. He pulled me close to his chest and held me there. After a while he fell asleep, and pretty soon I did, too. I didn't wake up until I heard Joe growling."

        "What was he growling at?"

        "I never saw, but I was afraid it was the man. I was afraid he'd come back. Joe was acting really funny. Scary like. His ears were laying back against his head, and he was showing his teeth while he crept toward the woods. He looked like a wolf."

        "What did you do?"

        "I started yelling for Uncle Johnny to let me go. I was so scared I started crying. Uncle Johnny was holding me real tight and I couldn't get away from him. He was kind of awake but kind of not. I couldn't get him to understand that we had to run and hide. Joe was barking and growling, and I was crying and telling Uncle Johnny I thought the man was back. Then all of a sudden Uncle Johnny jumped up and flipped me under him. He held me against his chest and tummy. Because of the way the blankets were hanging it was like I was in a tent. He put his hand over my mouth and whispered that no matter what happened, I couldn't make a sound. That I had to be quiet and not cry or say a word. Pretty soon I heard the man yelling, 'Where is she? Where's the girl?', but Uncle Johnny never answered him. He just kept holding onto me real tight, hiding me underneath his body and the blankets."

        Tears were running down Joanne's face by the time Jennifer's story came to an end. Dixie felt tears spring to her eyes, too. Johnny's co-workers exchanged looks that were mixtures of disbelief at all he and the children had endured, as well as admiration over what lengths he'd gone to in order to keep Jennifer safe.

        Roy cleared his throat and finished the story by telling what he witnessed upon his arrival.

        "Joe was huddled up by a tree whimpering in pain. The man was beating Johnny on the back with a billy club. Like Jennifer said, he was yelling, 'Where is she? Where's the girl?' At that point I could only guess it was Johnny the man was hitting. The way Johnny had his body positioned, combined with the blankets covering him, made it impossible for me to see his face. I had no idea where Jennifer was. The guy must have heard me running through the woods. He looked up, caught my eye for a brief second, then took off in the opposite direction. Johnny toppled to his side. It was then that his face was clearly revealed, and it was then that my daughter crawled out from under the blankets. The deputies that had come with us took off after the guy. I comforted Jennifer while Archer and Tom,...the paramedics from Station 17, began treating Johnny. Once I got Jennifer calmed down I assisted them."

        "Was John able to give you any further information about his assailant or what had happened?"

        "No. He was never more than semi-conscious from the time I first knelt by him in the woods until the medical team took over here. He got upset several times, looking for Jennifer and asking where she was. Whenever that happened I assured him she was fine. That seemed to be what he needed to hear because he'd always calm down. But overall he was in no condition to tell us what had happened, and in no condition to be questioned about what had happened."

        Mark looked at Dixie. "To the best of your knowledge, Nurse McCall, did Mr. Gage pass any information about his ordeal on to anyone after he arrived here?"

        "Detective, Mr. Gage was barely conscious when he was wheeled through our doors. His condition was critical. He was far from able to tell us anything about what happened up on that mountain, and we certainly weren't asking. We had a few other concerns on our minds...such as keeping him alive long enough to get him to surgery."

        "I understand. I don't mean to sound insensitive, but as I told Roy earlier, it's important that I be as thorough as possible." Mark wrote in his notebook for another full minute, then looked at Dixie again. "Do you have any idea as to when I might question Mr. Gage?"

        Dixie didn't immediately answer the man. Instead she looked at Roy with a raised eyebrow. Roy nodded his head, letting her know he had been truthful with his children regarding Johnny's condition.

        "No, Detective, I don't know when you can question Johnny. Ultimately that decision will be Doctor Brackett's. He's Johnny's physician. If Johnny..."

        Dixie paused a moment before continuing. Her eyes flicked to the faces of Johnny's friends before refocusing on Mark's.

        "If Johnny makes it through surgery he's got a long recovery ahead of him. I'm certain it will be several days before he's able to answer any questions for you. If complications should arise, as they sometimes do after a person has experienced the type of physical trauma Johnny has, well in that event it might be quite a while before you can talk to him."

        Jennifer squirmed out from between her brother and father. She walked over to Dixie and put her arms around the woman's neck.

        "Uncle Johnny will get better, Nurse Dixie. We prayed for him. We prayed real hard."

        Dixie had to bite back her tears as she returned Jennifer's hug. "I'm sure you did, sweetie. And right now that's the best thing you can do for Uncle Johnny."

        "Are you gonna pray for him, too?"

        "I already have, Jen. Several times. But yes, I'll keep praying for Johnny until I see that mischievous grin and catch him chasing one of my nurses."

        "Yeah," Jennifer giggled. "I'll keep praying for him until those things happen, too."

        When their hug ended Jennifer turned around to face the group but remained standing next to Dixie's chair. Detective Bellmen reached into a deep side pocket of suit coat. He unfolded a sturdy piece of paper eight by ten inches in size. He turned the paper around so Roy, Chris, and finally Jennifer could see the face drawn in pencil on the front.

        "Does this man look familiar to any of you?"

        "That's him!" Jennifer cried before her father or brother could say anything. "That's the man who tried to take me and who hurt Uncle Johnny!"

        Mark looked to Roy and Chris.

        "That's him," Roy confirmed.

        "Yeah," Chris agreed. "That's the man who came into our camp and tried to take my sister."

        The detective didn't offer any details on how he got a sketch of the man's face as he returned the picture to his pocket. A dozen questions sprang to Roy's mind regarding that issue, but for now he kept them to himself. He assumed Bellmen would eventually offer him an explanation. If not, Roy would make certain to get one from him before the man departed.

        Mark pulled two business cards from his pocket next. He stood and bridged the small area between him and Dixie while handing her one of the cards.

        "I'll want to speak to Doctor Brackett as soon as possible. There's a number of questions I'll need to ask him regarding Mr. Gage's injuries. And we'll need pictures of his injuries, as well, just as soon as we can take them."

        Dixie knew this request wasn't unusual. If they caught the man who stabbed Johnny pictures of the paramedic's injuries would be used in court as evidence of the violence he'd been subjected to.

        "I'll give Kel...Doctor Brackett, the message."

        "My office number is on that card, as well as my home number. If he can't reach me at one location he'll find me at the other."

        "I'll be sure to tell him that."

        "Thank you."

        Mark passed a business card to Roy as he retook his seat. "Roy, if you or your children think of anything else please give me a call. Otherwise, I'll be in touch."

        "What are your chances of finding this guy?"

        By the look on the detective's face, and his reluctance to answer Roy, the adults realized he didn't want to speak in front of the children.

        Chet looked from Chris to Jennifer. "Hey, guys, I haven't had lunch yet. Whatta ya' say the three of us and Marco take a walk to the McDonald's down the street."

        "Only if you're buying," Marco wise-cracked in an attempt to lighten the somber mood hanging over the waiting area.

        Joanne pulled her wallet out of her purse. "No, no. I'll send along money for all four of you."

        "That's not necessary," Chet argued.

        "It doesn't matter anyway," Chris said. "I'm not going. I wanna wait here until we know how Uncle Johnny is."

        "I wanna wait, too," Jennifer echoed.

        Neither Joanne nor Roy believed in allowing their children to overrule an adult's decision. Despite the ordeal they'd been through Joanne remained firm.

        "Daddy and I need to talk to the detective about things that don't concern either one of you. Jennifer, have you had anything to eat since you and Chris had granola bars this morning for breakfast?"

        "No."

        "And, Chris, you didn't eat more than two bites of the sandwich I made for you at Uncle Johnny's before we came here. I have no idea what time we'll leave to go home or when we'll eat supper. Therefore, I think you'd both better take Chet up on his generous offer."

        It was four o'clock now and the kids had to admit they were hungry. Dixie gave them the final incentive they needed to walk to McDonald's with Chet and Marco.

        "Johnny won't be out of surgery for several hours yet. You'll be back long before Doctor Brackett brings us any news."

        Joanne put ten dollars in Chris's hand. She leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Go with Chet and Marco please, and don't let Chet pay. You buy for everyone."

        Chris nodded his head as he stood. Jennifer let Marco take her hand, but she looked over her shoulder at her father as they walked toward the elevator. Roy gave her an encouraging smile.

        "You'll be fine, Princess. Marco and Chet will take good care of you."

        "I know. But what about Uncle Johnny?"

        "You heard what Nurse Dixie said. We won't have any news for a while yet. Go on now. Uncle Johnny would be upset if he knew you didn't eat because of him."

        Jennifer gave a quiet, "Okay," right before she entered the elevator with her brother and the two firemen. After the doors closed Roy looked at Bellmen.

        "That was about the most difficult thing I've ever done."

        "Pardon?"

        "Letting her out of my sight. Letting either of them out of my sight."

        "I'm sure it was. And it will continue to be for a while yet I imagine."

        "At least until the guy is caught," Roy said. "So like I asked earlier, what are the chances of that?"

        "We've had an all points bulletin out for almost two hours now. Based on the identity confirmation you and your children have given me, I'm certain this is the same man who tried to kidnap a ten year old girl as she walked home from school on Friday."

        "Tried?" Hank Stanley questioned.

        "Much like Jennifer, Tracy Nichols had a guardian angel in the form of a neighbor who saw what was happening. He chased the man off."

        "Was he attacked like Johnny?" Roy asked.

        "No. This attempted kidnapping took place in broad daylight in a residential park. The girl's screams not only drew her neighbor's attention, who was arriving at the park with his young sons, but also the attention of a driver passing by and the woman who lived across the street. I imagine the assailant simply wanted to get the 'hell out of Dodge' as the expression goes."

"I suppose," Roy agreed.

        "The girl--Tracy--she wasn't harmed either?" Joanne asked.

        "No. Like your Jennifer, shaken up. Frightened. But like I said, lucky."

        "Yeah," Roy agreed, thinking of Jennifer's guardian angel in the form of John Gage. "Lucky."

        "As soon as Mr. Gage is settled in a room I'll be putting a guard on his door."

        "Does that mean you think the man might come after him?" Joanne asked. "Or after Jennifer or Chris?"

        "It means that, although I think the possibility is a remote one, I want to take every precaution possible. Neither your children's names nor Mr. Gage's name will be released to the press."

        "What about Chris and Jen?" Joanne asked. "How do we keep them safe?"

        "I'll order increased squad patrols in your neighborhood. I also advise you not to allow your children to go to and from school alone, or to walk or ride their bikes anywhere alone for the time being. You'll want to keep a close eye on them while at the same time not scaring them or making them feel confined."

        "Easier said than done," Roy mumbled, knowing it would be a long time before he and Joanne would allow either of the kids to go anywhere unattended by an adult.

        "I have three children of my own, Roy, so I know how you must be feeling. But believe me when I say the odds of this guy tracking down your kids, or John, are pretty low. Usually these guys get out of town as fast as they can when they've come as close to being caught as he has."

        "Maybe so," Roy acknowledged, "but he sure hung around those woods long enough after his first attack on Johnny."

        "You're right, he did. And that is unusual. However, I have several theories regarding that event. First of all he was angry because of his thwarted attempt on Tracy Nichols. When John interfered with his attempt to kidnap Jennifer the guy went into a mindless frenzy as exhibited by the injuries John sustained. He was enraged that someone was keeping him from his victim once again. I believe he returned this afternoon for several reasons. One; to see if John was dead. Two; to see if Jennifer was still in the area. And three; depending on what he found, to attempt to finish what he started."

        "Kidnapping my daughter," Roy concluded.

        "Exactly. When he found John alive, and couldn't find Jennifer, he was once again enraged which prompted his final attack. There's no doubt in my mind he would have beaten John to death with that billy club had you not arrived on the scene when you did. Assailants like the type who tried to kidnap your daughter have a strong need to be in control of their environment at all times. John took that control away from the moment he tackled the guy last night right up until the moment he hid Jennifer under his body this afternoon. Even while John was being beaten he was still, in a strong sense, in control of the situation. As long as he didn't reveal where Jennifer was the guy couldn't get what he was after. And if he'd killed John without John ever revealing where Jennifer was then even in death John would have, in essence, been controlling the man. Or at least that's the way the assailant would always view this incident."

        When no one said anything further the detective stood. Roy copied the man's movement and held out his hand.

        "Detective, thank you for everything."

        The man shook Roy's hand as his eyes took in both the DeSotos.

        "Roy, Joanne, thank you. And again, if you or the children think of anything else please contact me no matter what time of the day or night. Otherwise I'll be in touch with you when we get a break in this case. The FBI will be involved as well. We'll get this guy. I promise."

        "For the sake of every little girl who's walking home from school,......" Joanne paused, forced to swallow sudden tears before she could continue, "or camping in the woods with her favorite uncle, I hope you do."

        "I hope we do, too, Joanne. Believe me, I'll do everything in my power to see that happen."

        The detective turned and walked to the elevator with a briskness to his stride that said he had many bases to cover regarding this investigation prior to his day coming to an end.

        The group that remained behind settled back to wait. Captain Stanley shook his head in mixture of shock and awe.

        "That was quite a story."

        Mike Stoker nodded his head. "I'll say."

        "Yeah," Roy quietly agreed. "Who would have ever thought a simple camping trip a few miles from Johnny's ranch...something he and my kids have done a dozen times, would have turned out like this? All because some...some goddamn nut was wandering around up there and spotted my nine year old daughter. I don't know what's worse. The thought of what would have happened to Jennifer had that guy managed to kidnap her, or the thought of what happened to Johnny because he was able to stop the guy from kidnapping her."

        Roy's words hung heavy in the air. Although little was known about the assailant who had invaded John Gage's campsite, everyone present could easily imagine what his plans were for his nine year old victim. Roy wasn't a wealthy man. The guy wasn't kidnapping Jennifer for ransom. Most likely she would have been sexually assaulted and then murdered.

        Hank offered the only thing he could in an attempt to give Roy some peace of mind.

        "John wouldn't have wanted it any other way, Roy. You know that. He'd have never forgiven himself had that guy made off with Jenny."

        "I know. It just...it's just that I...it's tough, you know. I'm overjoyed that my little girl is safe, while at the same time the price of that safety has come high. I...I just..."

         Joanne took her husband's hand as Roy's voice trailed off.

        "You feel guilty," Dixie finished for the paramedic.

        Roy looked up at Dixie, trying to mask his surprise at how easily she'd read his thoughts.

        "You feel guilty because you're happy Jennifer's safe, while at the same time Johnny's fighting to survive. Life has a strange way of reminding us that we can't always have things both ways, Roy. Don't tear yourself apart because you feel like any father would in your situation. Remember what Hank said. Johnny wouldn't have wanted this to turn out any other way. I saw what that knife did to him. I saw the bruises that cover his back from that billy club. It's nothing short of a miracle that club didn't do more damage. You now as well as I do what the consequences would have been if Johnny had gotten one good whack on the skull, or if that beating would have broken his neck. Johnny surely knew that, too. But regardless of those facts he did what he had to in order to protect Jennifer. You said it yourself. Johnny loves your kids like they're his own. And he loves you and Joanne like he'd love a brother and sister. Rather than feel guilty about what Johnny's love drove him to do, rejoice in it. I know that sounds corny, but to do any less is disrespectful to the person John Gage is, and to the sacrifice he so willingly made."

        Roy didn't trust his voice. He merely nodded at Dixie's words, knowing how true they were.

        Though neither Roy nor Joanne outwardly showed it, they were both relieved when Chris and Jennifer reappeared thirty minutes later. They knew neither Marco nor Chet would let the children out of their sight; nonetheless like Roy had told Bellmen, it would be a long time before the terror of this day wasn't in the forefront of his mind.

        Jennifer ran from the elevator to the waiting area. "Have you heard anything about Uncle Johnny?"

        Roy lifted his daughter into his lap. "No, sweetie. Not yet."

        Chris sat between his parents while Chet took the seat Bellmen had occupied and Marco perched on the coffee table. Other than someone getting up to make use of the rest room, or to buy a soda, or the time Mike and then Hank, used the pay phone to call their wives, the group remained together waiting for word on Johnny. Roy didn't even attempt to tell the others to go home. The Station 51 A-shift had worked together for over six years now. The same length of time Johnny and Roy had been partners. Like any fire station family, they had their disagreements on occasion, but come hell or high water they were always there for one another. Whether it was to gather at Captain Stanley's house for the picnic held in honor of his youngest daughter's high school graduation, or spend a Saturday at Johnny's ranch helping him build the deck that was now on the back of his house, or come together to celebrate the christening of Mike's new son as they'd done in February, or wait at Rampart for word from a doctor when one of them had been injured on the job. It was this last scenario that Hank Stanley hated. Today, he hated more than he'd ever hated it in the past.

        Roy's right. This is so unfair. We put our lives on the line every time we go out on a call, every one of us is aware of the risks our job involves. So Johnny's doing nothing more than enjoying his days away from those risks by taking a camping trip with Roy's kids, and then some psycho with a knife shows up. Lord, let him pull through this. For someone who's so skinny a strong wind could blow him away, John Gage is one of the toughest guys I've ever run across. Talk about someone who's not afraid to go where angels fear to tread. You gotta help him hang on, Lord. Roy...it'll just kill Roy if Johnny doesn't make it. Especially considering the circumstances that brought us here to begin with.

        Chet must have been having similar thoughts.

        "I should have never teased him about it," the man muttered.

        "What?" Hank asked. "What'd you say, Kelly?"

        Chet looked up. "I said I shouldn't have teased him."

        "Teased who?"

        "Johnny."

        "About what?"

        "The other day. Thursday. When we were going off duty. I was teasing him about how accident-prone he is. Telling him to be careful around Roy's kids so his klutziness didn't rub off on them."

        "Chet, if you didn't tease Johnny at least twenty-three hours out of every twenty-four he'd think you were mad at him," Marco said. "Don't worry about it. Nothing you said caused this to happen. You know that."

        "Yeah. I know. It's just that..."

        "Uncle Johnny won't care if you him tease, Chet," Jennifer said from her father's lap. "As long as he has lots of morphine he says it doesn't matter."

        "Huh?"

        "When we were in the woods. Waiting for Daddy to come. I told Uncle
Johnny you'd come, too, and start telling bad jokes. Uncle Johnny said I was supposed to have Daddy give him morphine before that happened. He said then he wouldn't care about your jokes. That no matter how dumb they are they wouldn't bother him at all."

        The adults couldn't help but laugh at Jennifer's words. Chet simply shook his head.

        "You know, Jen, I think you spend way too much time with your Uncle Johnny. Me? Tell bad jokes?"

        "You do, Chet," Jennifer confirmed. "Really bad jokes."

        It was little conversations like this that occasionally broke the tension hanging over the group while they waited. Jennifer was dozing against Roy's chest when he saw a weary Kelly Brackett exit the elevator at seven thirty that evening. The paramedic set his daughter on the couch and stood. Jennifer's eyes popped open as everyone around her copied her father's movement. She stood and wormed her way in-between her mother and Chris.

        Roy tried to read Brackett's expression as he approached them. By the slump of Brackett's shoulders and the weariness that circled his eyes Roy could tell the doctor was exhausted, meaning the surgery had been long and eventful.
The man was no longer in scrubs, which indicated to Dixie the medical garb were in no condition to be seen by Johnny's friends. The doctor was dressed now in the gray slacks and white shirt he'd worn to the hospital. His tie was around his neck, though the first two buttons on his shirt collar was undone and the knot of his tie hung loose at the third button. He was rolling down his sleeves and buttoning the cuffs as he walked down the corridor.

        Brackett ignored Roy's, "Doc?" and Dixie's, "Kel?" to instead motion the group to reseat themselves. The doctor gave a grateful smile to Chet when the fireman offered him his chair. He'd arrived at the hospital at six-thirty that morning, and had been on his feet that entire time other than the thirty minute break he'd taken in the cafeteria at noon.

        Chet returned to leaning against the soda machine as he'd done when Bellmen was there. Joanne slipped an arm around her children. She wasn't sure what Doctor Brackett was going to say to them, but she had a feeling it wasn't going to be good.

        "Doc?" Roy prompted again. The paramedic hardly recognized his voice. The last time he remembered it sounding this high, and this scared, was when Johnny had been struck by the hit and run driver a few years back.

        Brackett started with what everyone wanted to hear. "Johnny made it through surgery."

        The doctor allowed everyone their smiles and sighs of relief. He heard someone say, "All right!" and pegged the exclamation to come from Chet Kelly.

        Brackett held up one hand before the celebration could go too far.

        "However; and this is a big however, the next forty-eight hours are going to be touch and go at best."

        "Touch and go?" Hank asked.

        "He's barely hanging on. If it was anyone but Johnny I'd have little hope of recovery. But all one hundred and fifty pounds of that skinny paramedic are made of steel. Or so I've come to think. He lost a lot of blood before he got here. The surgery was long and tedious. There was quite a bit of damage to repair. This entire ordeal has taken its toll on his system."

        "What is the extent of the damage, Doc?" Roy asked.

        "The knife hit his right lung and right kidney. Thanks to a well-placed rib the injury to the lung was minimal which is what kept it from completely collapsing on Johnny. As far as the wound to the kidney goes...well you know how a kidney bleeds, Roy. It took all my skill, and little help from the man above, to get the bleeding stopped. I'm amazed,...heck, I'm more than amazed, that he made it off that mountain alive." Doctor Brackett seemed to take notice of Roy's children for the first time. He smiled at them, trying to alleviate their fright. "And I hear you two are to thank for that."

        "We just did what Uncle Johnny told us to," Chris said.

        "That might be so, Chris, but that's exactly the point. You did what John told you to and you did it well. Both you and Jennifer."

        "Uncle Johnny couldn't die, Doctor Brackett," Jen said. "He had to take care of me. He told me so. He said he could never face Daddy if something happened to me."

        Brackett reached over and patted Jen's knee. "I'm sure the knowledge that your safety was in his hands did keep Johnny alive. It gave him something to cling to. It forced him to stay as alert as he could. I've learned that the human spirit will go to miraculous lengths when the need arises."

        The doctor turned his attention back to Roy. Though he was speaking to everyone, he maintained eye contact with the worried paramedic.

        "Aside from the internal injuries, blood loss and the stress of the surgery, John's right shoulder was dislocated and his left radius and ulna suffered nasty breaks. Doctor Taylor, the orthopedic surgeon, says that Johnny's wrist was twisted with more force than he's ever seen used. Between that and the force that was behind those knife wounds, I assume the assailant was a large man?"

        "Like a giant," Jennifer said.

        "Huge," Chris added.

        Roy smiled a little at his children's words while nodding. "At least six foot five. Maybe six six. He had to weigh three hundred pounds if he weighed an ounce."

        Brackett let out a low whistle. "That's twice Johnny's weight. How he ever managed to hold his own against the guy...well, I guess we can chalk that up to the old Gage stubbornness. In this case not knowing when to say 'uncle' has its good points. "

        "What about his other injuries?" Roy asked. "The stab wounds to his arm, leg, and clavicle...collar bone?" Roy quickly corrected his last term so everyone present would know what he was talking about in much the same way Doctor Brackett was using terms more commonly understood by those not in the medical field.

        "Overall they caused us the least worry. Nonetheless, they're just that much more Johnny has to deal with right now. We stopped the bleeding, then cleaned and stitched. He'll definitely need physical therapy to bring that biceps muscle and calf muscle back to full strength. As far as nerve damage goes, we'll just have to wait and see. Until John is up and mobile again we won't know what kind of long-term effects these injuries might bring him. His collarbone was nicked by the knife. Since we already have his arm in a sling because of the dislocated shoulder that takes care of immobilizing that entire area. More than likely he'll be forced to undergo physical therapy to bring that shoulder back up to full strength, too. He's also severely dehydrated from the blood loss and the hours that passed between when the injury first happened and when he arrived here. Because of that lung injury I've got him on a ventilator. I was hoping that wouldn't be necessary, but like I said, he's weak and he's been through a lot. For now we'll let the vent help him out. The other concern is secondary infection. Where that knife had been, or how dirty it was, is anyone's guess. I'm going to start John on broad-spectrum antibiotics as a precaution. Any potential problem we can prevent at this point will only benefit him."

        Brackett answered the various questions that were tossed at him from John's friends. When nothing further was forthcoming he said, "I think it would be wise to notify Johnny's family. Roy, do you have a phone number of someone I can contact?"

        Of all the things Roy knew about his partner, and there were plenty, his family was the one subject John rarely talked about.

        "Actually, I don't. But I'm sure I can find something at his house. I know his mother is deceased, but his father and paternal grandfather are still living."

        "If you can't find anything at his house there should be some sort of next of kin notification in his records with the department," Hank Stanley said. "Let me check there first."

"All right," Roy nodded. He turned to Brackett. "How soon can I see him?"

        "He's in Recovery right now. As soon as he wakes up we'll be taking him to ICU. You and the kids have had a long day. There's really no point in you waiting. I'll be keeping Johnny heavily sedated for the next few days. I don't want him to have to fight any pain or the ventilator. He's too weak for that."

        "No," Roy shook his head. "Even if I can only see him for a minute, it's important that he knows I'm here."

        Dixie spoke up before Doctor Brackett could veto that.

        "Kel, Roy's right. After everything Johnny's been through a short visit from his partner won't do him any harm. Granted, he might not even know Roy is with him, but if he does then that's only for the better."

        "Besides, Doctor Brackett," Jennifer said, "Daddy has to tell Uncle Johnny that Joe's okay. That the policeman was going to take Joe to a vet for us, and that when Joe's all better he'll stay at our house until you let Uncle Johnny go home."

        Though the doctor didn't know exactly what the girl was talking about, he did know Joe was John's dog.

        Brackett pursed his lips and acted like he was putting heavy weight on that statement.

        "Well, Jenny, now that you put it that way...all right. I guess you'd better stick around a little longer, Roy. Obviously you've got some important news to convey to your partner."

        "Yeah." Roy placed a hand on the top of his daughter's head while looking at both his children. "Yeah, I do. Several pieces of important news."

        The doctor stood.

        "I'm going to check on Johnny now. As soon as he starts coming out of the anesthesia I'll be back for you."

        "Thanks, Doc. For everything."

        "Don't thank me, thank Johnny," Brackett replied with a meaningful glance at Jennifer.

        Roy smiled. "Why do you think I have to see him before I go home tonight?"

        "I understand," the physician said. "Sometimes I get too caught up in the day to day drama of this place to remember how valuable a simple thank you can be."

        Roy pulled his daughter to him and squeezed her as tight as he dared.

        "In this case, Doc, it's more valuable than you can imagine."

         "I'm sure it is, Roy," Brackett agreed as he headed for the elevator. He thought of all the little girls who were the targets of sexual predators that didn't live to make it home to their fathers. "I'm sure it is," the doctor quietly repeated as he made his way to the Recovery Room.

        ____________________________

        An hour later Roy walked with Doctor Brackett into the large multi-bed ward that housed patients recovering from surgery. Because it was Sunday only emergency surgeries were performed, meaning the ward was almost empty. A teenage boy who'd sustained injuries in a car accident was sleeping off anesthesia in one bed, while a man who'd fallen from the roof of his house and broken both legs did the same in another. On Kelly Brackett's orders Johnny had been placed on the opposite wall from his two temporary roommates, and was in the bed closest to the nurse's station.

        Roy had known what to expect prior to entering the ward. Nonetheless, knowing what to expect and seeing your best friend bandaged, pale, and hooked up to more IV's and machines than a person could count on first glance, was two different things.

        The paramedic hesitated a moment before following Brackett to Johnny's bed. They still had Johnny laying a quarter of the way on his left side. Now instead of blankets propping him into that position pillows did. His left arm was a few inches from his body, the cast resting on a small pillow as well. A drainage tube sprouted from his chest, a stint lift and drainage tube were in place as a result of the surgery to his kidney. Though a blanket rose to the middle of Johnny's chest, he hadn't been dressed in a hospital gown yet making it easy for Roy to see every bruise and abrasion that dotted his upper body from rib cage to shoulders.

        Oh, Johnny, you fought so hard for my daughter. You fought so damn hard, partner. How can I ever repay you for that?

        Kelly bent over his patient.

        "John? Johnny? It's Kelly Brackett. John, can you open your eyes for me again like you did a few minutes ago?"

        When he got no response Kelly placed his hand on Johnny's right thigh just above his knee. Since John's right shoulder was injured he didn't want to give it a shake, so used the thigh in place of it.

        "Johnny? Come on now. Open your eyes for me. John, come on. You've got a visitor. Roy's going to be awfully disappointed if he can't speak with you before I make him gather up his family and go home."

        Whether it was the firm insistence in Kelly Brackett's tone, or the mention of Roy's name that finally brought Johnny around neither man knew. They watched as Johnny fought to open his eye lids. The doctor took a step back so Roy could take his place.

        For lack of any other unmarred spot to touch his partner, Roy put his hand where Doctor Brackett's had been resting.

        "Johnny? Johnny, it's Roy. Open your eyes, partner."

        Johnny struggled, but was unable to open his eyes more than half way. They remained clouded by the after-effects of the anesthesia as they lethargically traveled the area around his bed.

        "Johnny? Johnny, look at me, okay? Junior, I'm right here with you. Look at me, pal. No, no, don't close your eyes again. Look at me, John. Look at me."

        It took another round of urging on Roy's part before Johnny was able to do as he ordered. Roy wasn't certain how much of what he was saying Johnny was taking in, but he didn't care. He just wanted to make certain John knew he was there with him.

        "Johnny, you're all right now. You're at Rampart. Doc Brackett says you'll be on your feet and causing trouble for Dixie in no time." Roy gave his partner's thigh a light squeeze. "Joanne and the kids say hi. Jennifer said to make sure I tell you Joe's okay. He'll be staying with us until you're ready to go home. And don't worry about the horses or Mrs. Gage and her tribe. Joanne called Bob Emery. He'll take care of everything around your place and keep an eye on the house while you're laid up."

        Kelly was carefully watching John during Roy's talk with him. First appearances would indicate that there was little of what Roy was saying that Johnny was assimilating. That fact didn't surprise the doctor. At this point Johnny would feel as though he'd been awakened from a deep sleep he wanted nothing other than to return to. Kelly doubted he'd recall any of this conversation within thirty seconds of them leaving the room. But at the mention of Jennifer's name Kelly saw the numbers on the heart monitor begin to rise. He observed the paramedic move three fingers on his casted left hand and try to lift it from the pillow as if he was trying to get Roy's attention. The doctor also thought Johnny's eyes were open a bit wider now. What he could see within them was no longer disinterested lethargy brought on by the drugs, but fear. Raw terror combined with unspeakable fright.

        "Roy,...Roy,...stop a minute," the doctor interrupted Roy's dialogue just as the paramedic was assuring Johnny that Joanne would get his mail for him on a daily basis. "Let him know Jennifer's all right."

        Roy turned to look at Brackett. "What?"

        "His heart rate's rising. As soon as you mentioned Jennifer it started going up. He's worried about her, Roy. Calm him down."

        Johnny was hooked up to too many machines to outwardly be able to show many signs of agitation, but when Roy turned back to him he could see the same things Brackett observed. And his eyes. Despite the drug induced haze that dulled those normally animated brown eyes, Roy could see the panic building as Johnny fought to somehow voice all the questions he so desperately needed answered.

        "It's okay, partner. Jennifer's fine. She's safe, Johnny. You kept her safe. Her and Chris both. They're fine. Chris and Jen are all right. They're with Joanne. They wanted to see you, but Doc Brackett told them they'd have to wait a few days for that. When you're feeling better I'll make sure they get to come and tell their favorite uncle hello."

        Roy moved his hand from John's thigh to his head. He leaned closer and spoke into his partner's ear while brushing a clump of tangled hair away from Johnny's face.

        "She's okay, John. Jenny's okay. You took care of her for me, Junior. Joanne and I will never be able to thank you enough for the way you took care of her for us."

        Roy's assurances did what Doctor Brackett hoped they would. Johnny's heart rate began to drop to a normal level as his eyes slowly closed.

        Roy didn't move from Johnny's side until he was certain his partner had slipped back to sleep. Brackett touched his arm, indicating to Roy it was time for him to leave. Quietly he said, "Come on, Roy. It's time for you to go home and get some rest yourself. Johnny will be moved to ICU in a little while."

        The blond paramedic gave his partner's foot a gentle squeeze as he walked toward the door with the doctor. "You'll do everything you can to keep him from feeling any pain, right?"

        "Yes. Although you know as well as I do that his recovery isn't going to be pain free, especially when he starts physical therapy. But until he's stronger I'll be keeping him heavily sedated like I said earlier."

        "I just...I just don't want him to have to go through any more than he already has."

        Kelly put a hand on Roy's shoulder as they headed for the elevator.

        "I know you don't. But hey, don't look so glum. Johnny's got more friends in this hospital than I do. There's going to be a lot of people looking out for him. Especially when they hear what brought him to us. Don't you worry, he'll be well taken care of. And thoroughly spoiled to boot."

Roy couldn't dispute Brackett's words. Johnny had a knack for making friends, and there was hardly an employee in the hospital he didn't know on a first name basis, right down to a part time custodian who only worked weekends. Regardless of that fact, it wasn't easy for Roy DeSoto to leave the hospital that night. He stood looking up at the Recovery Room windows from the parking lot until he heard Joanne beckon softly from the passenger seat of the car.

        "Hon, come on. Let's get these tired children of ours home. Doctor Brackett said he'd call us if there was any change."

        Roy slid behind the wheel. Any change Doctor Brackett had to report at this point regarding Johnny's condition would not be good. As he drove home through the dark streets Roy prayed the phone wouldn't ring all night.

____________________________

        John Gage climbed to the vaguest edges of consciousness as he felt hands touch his body.

        Run! Run! Run! His mind screamed. Run! Get away! Hide! Hide!

        A woman's voice spoke softly into his ear. He ignored the soothing tone and the words that told him he was all right. That he was safe.

        I know I'm safe! I know I'm all right! But where's Kim? Where's Jessie?
Kim! Jessie! Kim...oh, God, Kim! No! Jessie! Jess...oh no. No! Please, no!

        The woman's voice was back again along with her hands. One hand was on the side of his face and the other resting on his head. Her perfume smelled familiar. And her voice. He should know that husky voice. But who was she? Reah? Was Reah here with him? But where was here? And besides, Reah wouldn't come, would she? She'd been angry with him for a long time now. For years she'd been scolding him for running away. For not facing all that had happened that fateful night when he was just a kid of twenty years old. Easy for her to say. But then it was always easy to toss around an opinion when you were on the outside looking in, instead of the other way around.

        Disturbing dreams swirled through Johnny's mind in kaleidoscope fashion. Roy...he remembered hearing Roy's voice. Roy told him Jessie was okay. He promised him that Kim and Jessie were fine.

        Kim and Jessie are fine. They're fine. That's what Roy said, and Roy would never lie to me. Never.

        Those comforting thoughts lulled John Gage back into the heavy sleep inspired by sedation. His ICU nurse, Sue Latovich, looked across his bed at Dixie McCall.

        "His heart rate is dropping again."

        "He's going back to sleep," the veteran nurse said. "The move from Recovery to here no doubt disturbed him a bit."

        "Why don't you head on home, Dixie. You look beat. I can finish washing Johnny and get a gown on him."

        Yes, Dixie was beat. But like Roy, she needed to spend a few minutes with the gravely injured man she'd grown so close to over the past ten years.

        "I'll stay long enough to help you. You don't have a nurse's aid available at this hour, and cleaning Johnny up while working around all this equipment is no easy task."

        Sue didn't argue further. Dixie made a good point, and she was grateful for the assistance. She watched the older nurse through her lashes as they gently washed dirt and grime off the parts of John's body that hadn't already been cleaned prior to surgery. While Sue washed her patient's hair using a basin of warm water and sponge, Dixie wiped his face off with a wash cloth. There was something about the look in Dixie's eyes as she cared for John that made Sue ask something she'd wondered for over a year now.

        "Dixie, are you and Johnny..." As quickly as the dark headed woman had started to speak, she cut herself off. She couldn't believe what had just about come out her mouth.

        You let your guard down entirely too much when you work these night shifts, Sue. Just because the hospital is quiet, and there's no one around to overhear most conversations, doesn't give you the right to ask questions that are none of your business.

        Dixie raised an eyebrow. "Are Johnny and I what, Sue?"

        Damn.

        Sue gave the formidable nurse a half smile that broadcast her discomfort.

        "I'm sorry. I was about to ask a question that was none of my business."

        "I see. And was this a question other people have been wanting to ask me, too?"

        Sue's cheeks grew warm. She has no doubt she was blushing as she continued washing Johnny's hair.

        "Huh...yes. Yes, I suppose so. I mean...I've heard some talk, you know."

        "No, I don't know. Though I can probably take a good guess. After all, I am forty-seven years old, single, and keep my private life private. I suppose that is the fodder for gossip on occasion."

        The young nurse nodded her head.

        "So let me guess," Dixie said as she dabbed Johnny's face with a soft, dry towel before starting to wash his upper body. "You...and a number of other people, are wondering if John Gage and I are an item. Are having an affair. Am I correct?"

        By now Sue wished the floor would open up and swallow her. She had nothing but the utmost respect for Dixie McCall. And for John Gage. They both excelled in their chosen fields. If they did see each other in their off time, whose business was it anyway?

        "Sue?" Dixie pressed for an answer. "Am I correct?"

        The woman cleared her throat as she grabbed a clean towel and began to dry John's hair. "Yes. Um...yes, you're correct." Sue's hazel eyes finally met Dixie's blue ones. "Dixie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. I...I was just curious, that's all. Johnny...well, he's always flirting with you and--"

        Dixie laughed. "Johnny Gage flirts with every nurse in this hospital. Or at least every nurse with the exception of Bob Carlson and Pete Manfred."

        Sue chuckled at Dixie's reply. Bob and Pete were currently the only male nurses on Rampart's staff. "That's true, but..."

        "But what?"

        "I don't know. You two seem to have a special rapport. A bond that goes deeper than just the head nurse of the ER and a county paramedic."

        Dixie thought about this as she finished Johnny's sponge bath. She laid her cloth and towel on the nightstand and then walked over to the chair where Sue had set a hospital gown. She unfolded the gown and carried it back to the bed.

        "Let's get this on Johnny and get him settled in."

        What would have been a major undertaking for most people considering the IV's, heart monitor, ventilator, drainage tubes, cast, and sling, was a fairly mundane task for the two experienced nurses. As Dixie worked around the pillows against Johnny's back in order to tie the gown she finally made a reply to Sue regarding the subject of her relationship with the dark headed paramedic.

        "You're right, Sue."

        The younger nurse looked up from combing the tangles out of Johnny's damp hair. "Pardon me?" She squeaked, sure that the rumored May/December romance between Dixie and Johnny was about to be confirmed.

        "Johnny and I do have a special rapport. He was only twenty-one when I first met him. He was a rescue man then for the fire department. He had basic EMT training and often rode with patients in the ambulance. I was the one who encouraged him to check into the paramedic program upon its inception. As a matter of fact I was the one who gave him Roy DeSoto's name and phone number. Roy was in our first paramedic class of six men that year. It was his job to recruit other firemen into the program. John talked to him, and four months later graduated from our second class. Johnny and I have been friends a long time. Ten years now. But no, we're not having an affair and we never have had one. John...John reminds me a lot of my younger brother. One hundred watt charm that he knows how to use to get his way, off the wall sense of humor, limitless energy, an enthusiastic boy in a man's body, a royal pain in the butt when he chooses to be,....and yet deep down, mature, level headed, smart, ambitious...the kind of guy you'd want by your side in times of trouble. Like I said, a good friend. A very good friend." A tinge of sorrow touched Dixie's eyes as she finished tying Johnny's gown. Mindful of his injuries, she gave his right shoulder a gentle pat. "Sometimes he really makes me miss Thane."

        "Thane?"

        "My baby brother."

        "Don't you get to see him very often?"

        "No, I don't." Dixie raised her eyes so the two women were looking at each other. "He was killed in Vietnam in 1964. Most people had never even heard of the place then. He...he was a medic. Like John Gage, he put his life on the line every day in order to save others. Thane wanted to be a doctor when he got out of the service. I guess big sister's nursing career inspired his interest in the medical field. Or so he often told me. He was twenty when he died. I was fourteen years his senior. There was just the two of us. Despite our age difference we were close. So very close. I swear my heart broke in two the night my father called me with the news. I don't think it's ever quite mended. So like sometimes happens when we lose a loved one, fate brought someone else to me who looks upon me as a big sister."

        "Johnny," Sue stated.

        "He's never told me that in so many words, but yes, Johnny."

        "Have you ever told him about Thane?"

        "No, I haven't."

        "Why not?"

        "I don't know. I guess because our paths generally cross here at the hospital where there's usually half a dozen people standing next to us. If we see each other outside of work it's at the annual Firemen's picnic, or some other social function being hosted by mutual friends." Dixie arched an eyebrow at the woman. "Contrary to what's churning in the rumor mill, John Gage and I don't socialize privately." Dixie smiled a little as she brushed a hand through Johnny's damp hair. "I love this guy to death, but rest assured, he's not my type. I'd have to put a leash on him just to keep track of him. Johnny's got too much energy for this old broad."

        "Dixie! You aren't old."

        "Oh, to some I'm not I don't suppose, but to others I am. So the next time anyone asks, you can tell them that Johnny and I are just friends. Very good friends, but nothing more."

        Sue's eyes twinkled. "I bet if I have this same conversation with Johnny I'll get an entirely different story."

        Dixie chuckled. Yes, she could easily imagine Johnny weaving a tale of a torrid romance between them if given the slightest ounce of encouragement.

        As Sue left the room with the basin of water, wash cloths, and towels they'd been using, Dixie bent down by the paramedic's right ear and whispered, "You better not even think of starting such a rumor, John Gage, or you'll be in Nurse McCall's dog house."

        Dixie sobered as she looked at her critically ill friend. She placed a kiss on his right temple just like she'd have done had it been Thane lying here.

        "You rest easy tonight, Johnny. You're safe now. You're going to be fine. You're going to be just fine."

        The nurse checked Johnny's monitors one last time, pulled the blanket up to his chest, then exited the room. Dixie spoke with Sue before leaving the hospital, making the ICU nurse promise to call her at home if John's condition changed for the worse.

        "I will, Dixie. You can count on it."

        Johnny felt someone brush his hair back from his forehead, then kiss his temple. He wanted to tell Reah not to leave. He wanted her to stay with him. The last time she'd told him he'd be fine and she left, she brought bad news when she returned. He didn't want her to bring him bad news again. He wanted her to stay with him and promise him things really were okay. He tried to call her name, but something was in his throat. He wanted to rip it out, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't lift his arms.

        Reah! Reah, come back! Please come back!

        Within seconds the name Reah changed to Roy in John's mind. He had no idea why the thought of Roy upset him so much, he just knew he felt the same urgency to talk to Roy as he felt to talk to Reah. It was so confusing. He had no idea where he was or why he hurt so bad. He didn't know how much time had passed before he realized someone was with him again. It was a woman's voice, but she wasn't Reah. Soon a man's voice interrupted his frantic thoughts. It was a deep voice. Almost gravely in nature, and Johnny was sure he should be able to identify it. The man seemed to be trying to calm him down. Or at least Johnny heard "Calm down, John" and "You're okay" a couple of times. Then he heard the man mutter, "Damn," right before he felt hands on his back. But just like the woman wasn't Reah, the man wasn't Roy, so John really didn't care what he had to say.

        The paramedic wanted to scream and lash out with his fists when the man rolled him to the left, but the garden hose in his throat and the restraints he couldn't identify that held his right arm close to his body and weighted down the left, wouldn't allow it. Why was this man torturing him? What had he ever done to deserve this? But then he remembered. Kim. Jessie. Chris. Jennifer. The names pounded in his brain even thought he couldn't put a face to any of them, and was unable to decipher who they were or how he knew them.

        Doctor Brackett breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he finally stopped the flow of blood coming from the stitched knife wounds on Johnny's back. With Sue's help Kelly got John rebandaged. He grabbed Johnny's chart from the foot of the bed and changed his previous medication order while Sue tied the paramedic's gown and covered him once more. Kelly talked to the nurse while he wrote.

        "This is exactly why it's of the utmost importance that he remains calm and quiet for the next few days. If he keeps pulling stunts like this on me I'll have the entire fire department and most of this hospital staff waiting to tar and feather me. I want him monitored every ten minutes, Sue. Make sure the first shift nurse gets the same message. I'm heading home now, but if anything changes you call me, no matter what time it is."

        "I will, Doctor Brackett."

        "Doctor Sonnders is on duty this evening. I've briefed him regarding Johnny's condition. You can page him if necessary, too."

        "Yes, Doctor," Sue promised as she left the room to get the stronger sedative Brackett had ordered for his patient.

        Kelly hung the chart back on the end of the bed. Right before he headed home for the night he gave his paramedic's right foot a gentle squeeze.
     

"You hang in there, buddy. I know you hurt, and I know you're confused and scared right now, but just give yourself a few days to heal. Just give yourself that chance, Johnny. Just give yourself that chance."

        As Kelly walked out to the doctor's parking lot he didn't realize he was praying for the same thing Roy DeSoto had two hours earlier. That his phone wouldn't ring all night.
        

Part 3