John rang the doorbell while Chris and Jen fidgeted on the porch.

"Mom! They're here!"

The door flew open revealing an excited Ben Stoker. Mike's youngest son was Jen's age and had been waiting anxiously for the DeSoto children to arrive.

"Hey, Benny!" John said, reaching out to muss the child's hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Mike's wife, Amy, rush to the door.

"Ben, let them in!" She chided the little boy. John and his charges entered the house. "Dinner's nearly ready and you are joining us, John!"

He grinned. "I smell your husband's spaghetti sauce! Believe me, Amy, you don't have to ask me twice."

The adults chatted as the children ran off to play. John followed Amy into the kitchen. Mike stood at the stove, putting the finishing touches on his pasta dinner. Johnny helped Amy set the table and then the whole group sat down for dinner.

Over his second helping, John told the Stokers that he planned to spend his time off catching up on much needed rest. Plus, he'd been working some overtime lately. Things at his house were demanding his attention.

Their last shift had been a nightmare. During the night, the station had responded to a deadly fire at a large apartment building. There had been several casualties, many of them children. John had given his fellow crewmates a scare. After being ordered out of the burning building, they had been unable to account for him. A short time later he barely escaped, running out just before a huge explosion. He carried the limp body of a small child in his arms. They desperately attempted to resuscitate the little girl, but she had been pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Rampart.

John had been uncharacteristically quiet and sullen, for the remainder of the shift. The rest of the crew understood that he was having a rough time; they had been there themselves. His partner, Roy, was hoping that spending some time with his children, might be just the medicine Johnny needed. From what Mike Stoker could tell, it seemed to have worked.

Mike laughed. "I know that feeling! Be glad you don't have a 'Honey-do' list waiting for you." Amy smiled as she poked her husband in the ribs.

"Laugh now, mister. Wait until you see the next list I put together for you!"

John grinned. After Joanne and Roy, Mike and Amy were his favorite couple. Amy Stoker was bubbly and chatty. Johnny figured that Mike was so quiet because Amy didn't give him a chance to talk. All in all, though, she was a great lady.

John stayed for another hour before he called it a night. He said his good-byes and left, eager to get back home. Amy and Mike stood at the door as John climbed into his Land Rover. They exchanged a final wave and watched as the vehicle drove off into the night.

It was a beautiful night, warm and clear. Johnny decided to take the long way home, turning off of the highway and down an old winding road. He noticed that there were few signs of civilization on this small expanse of land. This would be a great place to go riding; maybe I'll bring Smokey out here tomorrow before I get started on working around the house.

Johnny returned home from his drive and went straight to bed. He slept soundly, awaking in the late morning. He climbed out of bed and stretched. I really need to straighten up this place. It's overdue for a good cleaning. First, though, he wanted to go for a ride. A short ride will do me good. I can always clean up later on. He showered and dressed, grabbed a quick breakfast and headed for the stable. He'd load Smokey into his trailer and head out towards the area he'd observed the night before. As he left his house, he thought he heard the ringing of the phone, but decided to let it ring.

Shortly after, he arrived at his destination. He parked the car near the side of the road and unloaded his Appaloosa. This is going to be great! "Isn't it beautiful out here Smokey, ol' boy?"

He took in the scenery all around him. The land looked like something from an old western movie. I can't believe I've never noticed how incredible it is out here!

Johnny carefully maneuvered the horse through the craggy expanse of land. He was going slower than usual, keeping a close eye on the path that they were taking. Soon, however, the path disappeared under brush. Gage was barely able to distinguish that the trail he was on led into a wooded area. The trees and brush had almost taken the trail completely over.

"Wow, I wonder where that leads to?" he asked out loud. He looked up, taking a guess at the time, from the position of the sun and decided his house cleaning could wait a couple more hours. "We've got nothing better to do...huh, boy?" He gave the horse a pat and proceeded on the path.

Not too far into the woods it became difficult to continue riding. Enough branches hung down that it became annoying to dodge them all. He dismounted, tethering the horse to a tree, and decided to explore ahead on foot.

He had only gone a short distance when he had stepped on what appeared to be ground, but was a layer of dirt covering a large, wooden board. Johnny heard the creak and felt the boards beneath him give way. He cried out as he felt himself dropping down into a deep hole. He hit the bottom and felt a sharp pain go through his left leg, his head banged against the earthen wall. Then everything went black.

Mid-morning the same day, Joanne and Roy knocked on the Stokers' door. Chris and Jen eagerly greeted their parents as Mike opened the door, then they ran off after the two Stoker boys.

"Come on in." Mike held the door for the DeSotos. "Amy has coffee on."

The adults headed for the kitchen. Joanne and Roy had spent the night at a quaint bed and breakfast and Joanne eagerly shared the details with Amy. An hour later, Amy glanced at the clock.

"You know, it's nearly lunchtime. Mike, why don't we grill those burgers and hot dogs we have?" Amy turned to Joanne and Roy. "You two are staying, right? You aren't in a hurry."

"Are you sure we're not imposing?" Joanne frowned. "You've already had our children for hours!"

Mike grinned. "They were great. Distracted my boys so I didn't have to yell as much!" The DeSotos grinned at the thought of soft-spoken Mike raising his voice. Mike continued.

"Hey, you know what Amy? We have enough food to feed an army. Why don't we call the other guys from the Station and make it a little party?"

Amy shrugged. "Fine by me, Hon."

Roy glanced at Mike. "Sounds like fun, but are you sure? That's a lot of work. But, Joanne and I are willing to chip in here and do whatever you need."

Mike picked up the phone, handing it to Roy. "Why don't you make some phone calls while I light the grill? Oh, and tell Gage and Kelly to bring some beer."

Roy grinned and started dialing. A half-hour later, he had reached everyone but Johnny. The women had run to the grocery store to pick up some odds and ends. Mike walked into the kitchen as Roy hung up the phone.

"Did you reach Gage yet?"

Roy shook his head. "No answer."

"Strange. He said he'd be home." Mike shrugged. "Oh well, must have changed his mind."

Roy frowned. "I guess. Oh well, I'll try him again later."

A few hours later, Johnny slowly drifted back to consciousness. He felt cold. He moved and was rewarded by pain…in his head and in his body. I feel so stiff, must be getting old. The ground below him felt hard and damp. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Johnny looked around and found himself trapped in a small circular dirt hole about twenty feet deep. Looking up, he saw a small shaft of sunlight streaming through the rotted boards above. This must be an old well. He panicked a little, realizing the distance between him and the opening above. Gage groaned as he remembered the fall. He slowly rose to his feet, but sunk down again as pain shot up his leg. Shit! This is just great, Gage! What have you gotten yourself into this time?

He could tell that his left ankle was swollen to about twice its normal size. Tentatively, he flexed it, wincing at the pain. He swore softly. He knew he had most likely fractured his lower leg, possibly his tibia and fibula also. He hadn't broken the skin, so he could be thankful the fracture wasn't compound. But still… A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he leaned his head back until it passed. He reached up and felt a small lump on the back of his head. Great! I bet I can add a concussion to the list! He wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious. I guess that's the least of your problems at the moment, Johnnyboy! He sighed, frustrated and punched at the ground. Then, he continued assessing his current situation.

Even if my leg wasn't killing me, there's no way I could climb out of here! Oh god, nobody even knows where I am! Hell, I don't even know how long I've been down here!

"Damn! Smokey!" I hope you're okay up there, Boy! Looks like you're on your own!
Gage, you do manage to get yourself in the worst situations!

He tried to shake away the negative thoughts. Panicking would definitely not help. But he couldn't rid himself of the knot that was forming in the pit of his stomach. Right now, Johnny couldn't dream up a worse scenario if he tried. Suddenly, he felt drained. He knew he should stay awake, but just couldn't manage to fight the overwhelming fatigue. He closed his eyes. I just need to rest for a minute.

Three hours later, the Stokers' small gathering was in full swing. Only Roy seemed unable to relax. All further attempts to reach John had proved unsuccessful.

"Relax, Roy," Hank Stanley handed him a beer. "Maybe Gage went camping."

"He's probably on a hot date," added Marco Lopez.

"With what?" smirked Chet. "Is there a woman in the county that hasn't already dumped him?"

The others laughed. Roy smiled also. I hope you guys are right. Why would he tell Mike he was staying home? He gave himself a mental shake. Johnny's a big boy, so quit being so paranoid! Just then, Chris and Robby Stoker approached with a football. All the men joined the boys in a game of touch football. Soon, even Roy relaxed. The impromptu party had been a rousing success.

John woke up, shivering. He propped himself up carefully, feeling the walls around him. The light was fading rapidly and he really didn't relish the thought of spending the night in this hole. He was so cold; his head and his ankle were throbbing…and he was scared. I've cheated death a few ways, and I'd have believed that one day a fire would do me in… but I never imagined dying alone in a hole.

He pulled himself up and looked around once again, for some way of escape. He tried grabbing hold of some protruding rocks on the side of the walls, but was unable to maintain his grasp. Frustrated, he soon abandoned that futile effort. Johnny leaned against the wall, in desperation.

"HELLO?" he screamed. "HELLO? HELP ME…Someone… anyone?"

His throat was parched from lack of water and his earlier attempts to cry for help. A tickle aggravated the dryness, bringing on a coughing fit. Finally, he stopped coughing. Despondent, he leaned back against the wall. He closed his eyes, allowing a small moan to escape his lips. I can't die in this hole... I can't! I can't…

Early the next morning, the A-Shift men drifted into the locker room. Roy ran in a little later than he usually did and he changed clothes quickly. He wanted to get that first cup of coffee before roll call. He looked at Chet.

"Johnny here?"

Kelly shook his head. "Didn't see him yet. Guess he'll run in with his usual five minutes to spare."

Roy nodded, figuring he'd catch up to his partner over coffee. But twenty minutes later, when Captain Stanley called the men for line-up, Johnny still hadn't arrived.

Stanley frowned and looked at his watch, then back at his crew. "Where the hell is Gage?"

All of the men shook their heads, looking at Roy. One glance at DeSoto's anxious face and the crew knew he was mystified also. Stanley sighed. "Okay, he's probably stuck in traffic. Let's go over the duty roster. I guess I'll switch Kelly to kitchen duty, Gage to Latrine. Do you mind staying Tom?" he asked Dwyer, who was patiently waiting for Gage to arrive.

The tall, sandy haired paramedic shook his head. "No problem, Cap."

Kelly smirked, glad to be off that assignment. Stanley continued with the morning business, glancing at the doorway every few minutes for his missing paramedic. As time passed, his initial annoyance turned to concern. It wasn't like John to miss roll call altogether. Hank glanced at Roy. He could see an equal measure of concern on the blonde man's face. Stanley sighed.

"Ok, Roy, go call Gage. Maybe he overslept." Roy nodded and went to make the call. A few minutes later, he sought out his Captain.

"Cap, there's no answer at Johnny's." DeSoto was clearly upset.

Hank frowned. "I'm going to have to call in a replacement, unless Dwyer feel's like pulling another shift." The captain eyed the c-shift paramedic standing behind Roy.

"No problem, Cap. I'll stay 'til you find Gage."

Roy nodded. "This isn't like Johnny. I'm a little concerned."

Hank held up a hand. "Look, he could be stuck in traffic or maybe he had car trouble. He probably hasn't had an opportunity to call us, yet. Let's not jump to any conclusions." He headed to his office. "If Gage does show up, send him into my office, okay?"

Roy watched Stanley enter his office and shut the door. Chet slid up beside Roy.

"Man, I'd hate to be in Gage's shoes when he gets here."

Roy glanced at Chet. "I just hope he does get here… in one piece."

"Come on, Roy," said Marco. "Cap has a point. Maybe he has some car trouble and isn't near a phone. He'll turn up. You'll see."

"Yeah," joked Chet. "Bad pennies always turn up."

Roy frowned. "Not funny, Chet." He headed to the phone to try his friend's number once again.

Johnny slowly drifted awake. For a moment, he panicked, disoriented. Then, he remembered. The well! He felt stiff. Slowly, he moved his arms and his good leg, trying to recover the circulation in his body. His injured foot felt heavy and tingled as if it were asleep. He moved his neck from side to side, groaning. He had a huge headache, no doubt aggravated by his awkward sleeping position and lack of food and water. My tongue feels like it's wearing a wool coat!

Sunlight streamed in from the hole in the boards. It was bright. He'd guess it was nearing noon, but without a watch, he couldn't be sure. My shift! Johnny sat up, hope filling him. I must have missed my shift! Surely, they realized he was missing by now. Thank God Roy's the type that worries! With any hope, they'd come looking for him soon. He frowned. Of course, they have no idea where to look! Man! Why do I do these things? I should never have come out here without letting somebody know! I can just imagine what Roy will say to this one! Then he laughed. Yep, I'd do just about anything for a good stern lecture from that partner of mine, right about now!

He leaned his throbbing head back against the wall of his small prison. A wave of pessimism washed over him. Johnny closed his eyes again. There was nothing to do but…wait.

As the morning hours passed with no word from Gage, the men of station 51 grew more concerned. Even Kelly stopped joking. He knew that John would have called if he could. Furthermore, who could relax with DeSoto pacing back and forth like an expectant father? Finally, Chet couldn't stand it.

"This is ridiculous. We should be doing…something!"

Captain Stanley looked up, surprised. "He's a grown man, Chet. The police won't even look for you until you're missing for twenty-four hours!"

Roy stopped. "But he hasn't been seen for over twenty-four hours. Nobody's seen him since he ate dinner at Mike's."

Hank nodded and pursed his lips in thought. "When you put it like that… I'll call Vince. Ask him to keep an eye out for him." He hurried out of the room, heading for his office.

"Should we check with hospitals?" Marco asked.

Roy spoke up. "I talked to Dixie. They haven't seen him there. She said she'd check with some of the neighboring hospitals. She'd call us back if she knew anything."

Stoker added. "What about his ranch? Maybe he's there…hurt or sick?"

Roy shook his head. "I called his neighbor. He said Johnny's truck is gone. He went over to check out the ranch. Said it looked like no one was home."

The men grew silent again, feeling helpless. Hank returned from making his call. The men looked up expectantly.

"Vince said he'd keep his eyes open. That's about all he could promise, right now."

The men nodded. Roy sighed in frustration. Where the hell are you, partner?

Chet spoke up. "Well, I hope he's having a good time with a pretty girl somewhere…so we can kill him for worrying us!"

His attempt at humor fell flat.

Sun looks high. Must be noon. Johnny stared at the hole above him, desperate for some contact with the outside world. He shivered uncontrollably, but was thankful his body was still fighting the cold. He felt as if he were slowly going crazy. At this point, I'd welcome a visit from the Phantom. He had tried meditating, taking deep relaxing breaths. He had tried to exercise his arms and his leg as much as possible, wishing to avoid the pins and needles associated with his cramped position. He reviewed old TV shows in his head. Anything to pass the time.

He imagined his co-workers' reaction to his absence. Guess Cap is pretty mad. I'd bet Roy is worryin' …probably calling my house every ten minutes. Chet's probably sorry I ain't there to torture. Johnny leaned his head back, sighing. Please guys, please come find me!

More time passed with no word from Johnny. Frustrated, Roy slammed the phone down.

"Still no answer?" Hank asked worriedly.

Roy shook his head, clearly frustrated.
.
"Alright. Why don't you and Dwyer take the squad and go poke around Gage's house? Stay available, though."

Roy nodded, relief apparent on his face. At least I'll be doing something! I'll go crazy if I just sit here!

He and Dwyer headed to the apparatus bay. Captain Stanley followed the two paramedics, grabbing Roy's arm before he climbed in to the squad. "Roy? Keep us informed, okay?"

"Sure, Cap," Roy promised.

Hank stood there with his hands in his pockets and watched the squad pull away. Then he shook his head and turned and walked back to the kitchen.

"Junior, how do you manage to get yourself into these situations?"

"Roy?" Johnny looked up into the face of his partner.

"Haven't I told you, that one of these times your going to find yourself in trouble and nobody's going to be able to get you out of it?"

Johnny could only nod, not quite sure what to make of his partner's attitude.

"Well, it looks like this is one of those times, doesn't it?" Roy admonished.

John closed his eyes, too tired to argue or even try to figure out what his partner meant.


Johnny awoke, startled. "Roy?" He looked around but nobody was there. Must have been dreaming. He was shivering, but didn't feel as cold as before. For a moment he hoped that maybe it was all just a bad dream, but reality quickly set in. No such luck!

I've really outdone myself this time. Nobody is ever going to find me. He closed his eyes and gave into the blackness.

Roy and Tom pulled into the driveway of John's house. "Well, his truck is definitely not here," Tom commented.

Roy got out and stood in front of the squad, looking around. "His horse trailer's gone too. He must have taken one of his horses out riding...somewhere." He made his way over to the stable, walking inside and noting that Smokey was gone. Chloe and Copper were there.

Roy felt as if a knot had formed in his stomach. He wouldn't miss work! God, Johnny, where could you be? He looked at Dwyer. "Any suggestions on where to start looking?"

"You've got a key to his house, right?" Dwyer asked.

"Yeah, yeah I do."

"Well, let's take a look inside. Maybe there's something that might give us a clue to where he could have gone," Tom offered.

"Okay, good idea," responded Roy hopefully.

They found the door unlocked, immediately setting off another alarm in Roy's mind. "He must not have expected to be gone for very long," he said grimly.

The two paramedics walked slowly around the house, trying to spot anything at all that would clue them in on where John might be. Johnny's house is a pit, Roy observed. There were several piles of dirty clothes in the hallway and papers scattered all over the sofa table in the living room. A carton of orange juice sat out on the counter; dirty dishes filled the sink. This place definitely needs to be aired out! I think you should have stayed home to clean!

There were three empty glasses and a plate full of cookies sitting on the table. Dwyer picked up a cookie.

"I wouldn't do that..." Roy started to warn him.

"YUCK!" Dwyer exclaimed. "Man, these are awful!"

Roy laughed, forgetting for a moment the reason they were there. "Johnny, Chris and Jen made those," he said knowingly.

"I knew Gage was a terrible cook, but...these go beyond terrible!"

Roy chuckled quietly. But the sight of the three cups and the plate of "cookies gone wrong" made Roy more determined than ever to find John. "I'm going to call the station," he informed Dwyer as he picked up the phone and dialed.

Roy updated Captain Stanley on their findings. "I don't think he planned on being gone for too long," he surmised to the captain. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll let you know as soon as we come up with anything." He hung up the phone and headed for the door.

"Come on, Tom."

He carefully locked Johnny's door and the two men hurried toward the squad.

"I say we drive around and try to spot his truck," suggested Dwyer.

"Yeah, I was thinking that myself. Like I said to Cap, I don't think he planned on being gone for very long, so I don't think he would have gone too far."

John lived on the edge of the city limits. The "Angeles National Forest" was his "his backyard". He loved to ride through the miles of forest trails and protected wilderness.

"Even if we knew he were only 10 miles away...that's a lot of land to cover," Roy said glumly.

"Yeah, but one thing we have going for us...that Rover of his sticks out like a sore thumb!"

They drove down several different roads, not finding any sign of John. After about an hour, Tom nudged Roy and pointed across a field. "There...see it?" he asked.

Roy looked hard and spotted the white Land Rover and trailer parked off to the side of the road. "I can't believe it!" A wave of relief washed over him. "That has to be it!" Both paramedics hopped out of the squad, rushing over to the vehicle. "This is it!" Roy joyfully slapped the hood when he spotted the "IAFF" sticker on windshield. "Better call it in."

"Gotcha," Dwyer responded, turning back toward the squad. He opened the door reached in for the microphone. "LA, this is Squad 51..."

While Dwyer was calling in, Roy looked around for any signs of hoof marks or footprints, indicating which direction Johnny may have gone off in. He easily spotted the marks he was looking for. "Tom!" he called out, excitedly.

Tom jogged up behind Roy. "LA says to sit tight. They're sending out "the troops"". Dwyer smiled and gave Roy a friendly pat on the back.

"Johnny, you just gonna lay around all day?"

Johnny opened his eyes, "R-Roy?"

"It looks to me like your not even trying to get yourself out of this mess!"

"I c-can't, there's no way to get out," Johnny answered weakly.

"So, you just expect me to show up and save the day, again, huh?"

"No." He closed his eyes again, then quickly opened them. "Roy?"

"Gotta go. My new partner's waiting for me in the squad."

"New…new partner?" He tried to focus on Roy's face. Suddenly, it was gone.

"Tom, do me a favor and wait here," Roy said, grabbing one of the H.T.'s. "I'm just going to check out what's on the other side of that hill. It like these hoof prints lead that way."

"Sure thing Roy, be careful though. We don't want to end up sending another search party out after you!"

"Tell me about it," he mumbled as he set out following the tracks. "I'll keep in touch."

Within 15 minutes, a number of firefighters and policemen had showed up at the scene. Dwyer updated them and showed them the tracks DeSoto followed. A number of men headed off that way, while some stayed behind.

Roy had walked much farther than he had planned, but he couldn't seem to stop. "H.T. 1 to DeSoto..." came Dwyer's voice through his H.T.

"Go ahead, Dwyer," Roy answered.

"You turned up anything, yet?" Dwyer asked.

"Nah, not yet. These tracks lead into a wooded area. I'm just gonna keep following them as long as I can."

"10-4, oh...and Roy, there's a team not too far behind you. Can you see them?"

Roy stopped and looked back. "I don't see anyone, but it's kinda hard to tell."

"Keep in touch."

"10-4." DeSoto looked back again, not sure whether he should enter the woods, or
wait for the team to catch up to him. He felt compelled to keep going no matter where the tracks led. He followed the trail into the thicket. After a short distance, he noticed that there were now footprints along with the hoof prints. Johnny must have decided to walk. Then he spotted the horse, tethered to a tree. Smokey? His heart skipped a beat and he quickly made his way over to the horse.

"Hey there, Smokey," he said gently. "Where's Johnny?"

He almost expected Smokey to answer, instead the horse nuzzled up to Roy. He scanned the area, but there was no sign of Johnny. "What are you doing here, fella?" Roy rubbed the horse neck.

He glanced around again. He's got to be around here, somewhere. "Johnny!" he called out. "Johnny...can you hear me?" Nothing.

Johnny opened his eyes again. It took most of his energy just for that small task. Is that Roy? I wonder if he's still angry with me? Or was that a dream?

"DeSoto to H.T. 1," Roy spoke into his H.T.

"Go ahead Roy," Dwyer's voice crackled.

"I found Gage's horse, but there's no sign of him." Roy searched for footprints, but found none. "Wait a minute, stand by..." What the... He stopped quick, balancing precipitously on the side of the hole. Oh damn!

"Johnny," he shouted down into the hole. "Johnny...are you down there?" He carefully knelt down, leaning over the boards as far as he dared, until he was able to see into the hole.

"Dwyer!" Roy shouted into the H.T. "I found him! He's fallen into...an old well, or something."

"Is he okay?" Dwyer questioned. "Can you get to him?"

"Negative. I'm going to need some help here, stand by." Where the hell is that team?

"10-4, standing by."

"Johnny?" Roy shouted down into the hole. "Hey partner! Can you hear me?" I can't tell if he's even alive. "We're gonna get you outta there, Johnny! Just hang on!"

Roy? Sounds so real. John cracked open an eye and peered up to the opening.

"Roy," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. His throat was so dry, it burned and he began coughing.

Thank God! "Hang on partner!" Roy called down to him, then stood up to backtrack and find the search team. He ran into them about a quarter of a mile from the hole.

"We're gonna need a rope, and a harness with a safety belt. It's going to be a pretty tight fit."

Ben Wilson, a firefighter with 35 nodded, picking up his H-T. He barked some orders and then turned to Roy. "Lead the way, DeSoto. We'll have everything we need here in five minutes."

Roy nodded and led the team back to the hole.

Johnny opened his eyes and squinted at the light coming in above. Another dream! He would have sworn that Roy was just here. God, I'm cold. He began to shiver violently. He closed his eyes, no longer caring if Roy was there or not.

Roy knelt down carefully beside the rotted wood. "Johnny! Hey Partner! Come on! We're gonna get you out, but we need your help. Johnny! Answer me. Johnny."

Johnny slowly rolled his head and peeled open his eyes. "Leave me 'lone, Roy," he muttered. Above, Roy grinned, relieved. For a minute, he thought… well, better not to go there... But, it doesn't sound like he'll be much help to us.

Roy turned to the rest of the rescue team. "I was hoping we could lower a rope with a safety belt and have him fasten it around himself, but he sounds pretty out of it. You'll have to lower me down, so I can get the belt on him. Then, we can pull him out."

Ben Wilson nodded. Roy quickly donned a life belt. Another team member set about tying a line to the second safety belt. "Should we send it down to you, DeSoto?" he asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." Roy headed over to the hole. Ben Wilson and another member of his team were busy prying off the rotted wood, enlarging the hole's entrance for Roy's descent. Roy waited until they finished, then carefully got into position. With Ben anchoring him, he began to climb down.

In a few minutes, he had reached Johnny. "Hold up!" he yelled to Ben. There really wasn't much room in the well for him to check his partner out at the bottom. Straddling Johnny, he reached down to check his partner's carotid pulse. Weak, but steady. "Johnny?" Roy patted John on the cheek, trying to solicit a response. "Johnny?"

Slowly, John's eyes opened but remained unfocused. Roy patted his cheek again. "Come on, buddy. It's me."

Johnny tried hard to concentrate. Someone was shaking him and calling to him. He forced his eyes to focus. "Roy?" He blinked a few times and then his eyes drifted shut again. "You aren't really there."

Roy grinned. "Yeah, I'm really here, partner. Come on; it's time to get out of here. Okay?"

Johnny's eyes opened and he blinked, again. Roy could tell John hadn't comprehended everything. He struggled to reach down and put the belt around Johnny, yelling up to Ben. "I need more slack!" Slowly he felt his line give. Finally, he was able to attach the belt around John. He yelled again. "Okay, take him up, slowly!" Roy lifted Johnny underneath his arms, into a standing position. "Come on partner, help me out here." John cried out in pain as he attempted to put weight on his leg.

Roy quickly reached to support his partner, shouting. "Okay. Wait a second." He looked at Johnny, who was still fighting to stay conscious. "Johnny, they're gonna pull you up, now. Do you understand?"

Johnny looked at him confused. "Okay."

"We'll have you out of here, in a minute." Roy nodded and shouted upwards. "Take him up."

Slowly, John started to ascend. A short way up he became agitated. "Roy…Roy, where are you?"

Roy sighed, looking up. "Johnny, just take it easy." He watched as Johnny was pulled up and finally over the edge, to safety. Then he checked his own belt, again.

Ben called down "Okay, Roy. It's your turn. Just hold on. We'll have you out in a sec."

Roy nodded and the team pulled him up from the hole.
.
He immediately placed a cervical collar on the injured man. With Ben's help, he carefully rolled John forward and then placed the backboard under him. They strapped him into the stokes. Roy did a quick assessment and noted Johnny's probable broken leg. Then, he covered him with a blanket as Johnny shivered uncontrollably. "Let's get him out of here."

They carefully carried the stokes to the edge of the clearing where Dwyer waited. As he saw them approach, Dwyer quickly contacted Rampart. The sounds of the ambulance siren could be heard in the background.

"Rampart this is squad 51." Dixie heard Dwyer's disembodied voice from the base station speaker. "Go ahead 51," she answered, motioning for Kelly Brackett.

"Rampart we have a 27 year old firefighter, injured in an apparent fall. Stand by..."

"Standing by, 51." Dix turned to Kel, "Do you think it's Johnny?"

Dwyer put down the phone and hurried over to get a look at Gage. "How's he doing Roy?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to say right now, but I think he's pretty dehydrated, as well as hypothermic. It looks like he has a broken leg. I felt a lump on the back of his head. I don't think there's any other broken bones." They set the stokes down next to the squad. Roy began taking John's vitals and Dwyer relayed the information.

"…. pulse is 130 respiration 24 and labored, BP is 85/40. He's dehydrated and shocky. Rampart, be advised, patient is John Gage."

"10-4, 51," Brackett responded. "Start an IV with Ringer's, give him a 500cc bolus, then run it at 200cc an hour. Administer oxygen, splint his leg and transport as soon as possible."

Dwyer applied the splint, while Roy started the I.V. "How ya doing, Junior?" Roy smiled, when he noticed his partner watching him.

Johnny frowned and closed his eyes again. Roy? Roy patted his shoulder, reassuringly as the ambulance attendants wheeled the gurney over to them.

Once inside the ambulance, Johnny regained consciousness, opening his eyes. No hole. This can't be a dream. "Roy?" He tried hard to focus on the face above him.

"Hey, Johnny," Roy answered softly. "We're on our way to Rampart; just relax."

Johnny tried to say something else, but his throat was killing him. How'd I get out of that hole? How'd you find me? "Thirsty," was all he managed to get out.

"I'll bet you are," Roy said, with a hint of concern in his voice. "Sorry. You know they don't keep these ambulances stocked very well in the beverage department," he teased. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until we get to Rampart."

Johnny had already closed his eyes again. "Mmm hmm."

Roy studied his friend closely. Must've drifted off again. John slept the rest of the way into Rampart, not regaining consciousness until a flurry of activity in the treatment room roused him.

"Johnny? Are you with us?"

Johnny opened his eyes to see Kelly Brackett shining a penlight into his eyes. He groaned, trying to roll his head away from the offending light.

"Sorry about that." Brackett said. "Just another second…okay." The light was removed and Johnny squeezed his eyes shut again. "Come on, Johnny. Stay with me."

Reluctantly, Johnny opened his eyes. Brackett was holding two fingers in front of him.

"Follow my finger."

Johnny grinned. "Both of them?" He asked drowsily.

Brackett frowned. "Do you see two?" He held another finger up. "How many am I holding up now."

Johnny glanced at his hand disinterestedly. He was too tired to count.

"Stay with me, Johnny. How many fingers do you see?"

"Come on, John Gage!" Dixie McCall admonished. "Answer the question."

"Four…'m hot."

"Dix, let's get a full skull series, also spine, chest and that leg. Also, get hold of the lab. I'm going need a full work up, blood count, urine, arterial blood gases. Stat." Brackett looked at his patient, then turned to Roy. "Well, he's definitely concussed. We'll get the x-rays and other tests and hopefully rule out anything worse. That leg is probably broken. Like I said before, we'll know more when we get the x-rays. You were right about the hypothermia and the dehydration. We'll get him warmed up and get some fluids in him. He'll probably be with us for awhile, but I don't see anything that could be life threatening, at this moment."

"Well, that's good!" Roy let out a sigh. "I guess, I better go call the station and let the guys know."

As the door closed behind Roy, Brackett turned to Dixie and shook his head. "The perils of Johnny Gage. Stuff like this could only happen to him."

Dixie grinned. "And he always lands on his feet. Like my cat!"

Brackett laughed as the door opened. The x-ray technician pushed the portable machine into the room. The doctor and nurse left the room, giving the technician room to work.

The shrill ringing of the phone startled the men at Station 51. Captain Stanley jumped up and grabbed the receiver.

"L.A. County Fire department, Station 51."

"Cap?" Roy's voice filtered through the phone.

"Hey, Roy. Any word?"

"Yeah. He's got a concussion. They're doing x-rays to make sure there's not a more serious head injury and to check his leg, which looks broken. He's still a little disoriented and tired, but Dr. Brackett thinks he'll be okay."

Hank smiled. "Well, that's good news. Great job, Roy. Thanks."

"Thanks, Cap. We'll see you in a little bit. I'd like to hang out here, at least until they get him settled in a room."

"No problem, just keep yourselves available," Hank answered. "Listen, I'm gonna update the other guys. See ya, soon."

"Yeah." Roy hung up the phone. He smiled and shook his head. Then, he walked back to the treatment area.

Johnny was dreaming. He was lying on a beach. He could feel the warmth of the sun on his body. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Welcome back!"

Johnny squinted, trying to get his eyes to focus on the voice. "Dix?" he asked, finally getting his eyes cooperate. "I guess that mean's I'm not at the beach?"
.
She smiled. "Afraid not. You're at your home away from home, Rampart Hospital. You
have quite a few blankets on. I'll take some off now, since your body temperature's come up."

Johnny groaned. "What happened?"

Dixie looked at him. "What do you remember?"

Johnny frowned. "I had Roy's kids. Are they okay?" He started to panic.

Dixie put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "They're fine. You dropped them at the Stoker's house two days ago. Do you remember anything else?"

Johnny tried to concentrate. "Dark…a hole…did I fall?"

Dixie nodded. "You fell into an old well. Bumped your head and banged yourself up pretty good."

Johnny frowned. "How did I get here?"

"Roy and Tom Dwyer went looking for you. And as luck would have it, they found you."

Johnny shook his head. "Don't remember."

Dixie smiled. "It's no wonder. You have a nice concussion."

John tried to sit up, groaning at the pain in his head. Dixie patted his arm. "I'm gonna see about getting you something for your headache. Just lie back."

For once, Johnny complied, shutting his eyes as he heard the door shut. Roy went looking for me? Man! How'd I luck out and get such a great partner? He slowly drifted back to sleep.

Roy pulled into the parking lot, noticing immediately the absence of his partner's Land Rover. He wouldn't be late his first day back? Would he? He took a deep breath as he headed for the locker room. Nah, he'll be here soon. He looked at his watch. Hopefully REAL soon, Partner!

Chet Kelly, already dressed in his uniform, strolled into the locker room. "So...where's Johnny boy? Don't tell me he's misplaced himself, again?"

"That isn't funny, Chet," retorted the slightly paranoid paramedic as he tucked his shirt in. He better not have!

"DeSoto!" Captain Stanley called out, peering around the corner into the locker room. "Where is he?"

"Uh...Cap, I don't know. I'm sure he'll be here any minute."

"Well, he'd better hurry. Roll call is in 10 minutes."

Roy tied his shoe, glancing again at his watch. Johnny! Where the hell are you now?

A moment later, John rushed through the door, breezing past his partner and hurrying to his locker. "Man! You wouldn't believe it! I had to take a detour this morning and almost got lost!"

"Well, I wouldn't have been surprised!" Roy grinned, shaking his head slowly.

John looked up curiously, as he fumbled with the buttons on his uniform shirt. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind. You'd better hurry," warned Roy as he headed out to the bay.

John followed, still tucking his shirt in as ran to his place in line.

"Glad you decided to join us today," the captain remarked, with a touch of sarcasm and then proceeded to go over the daily briefing.

As soon as their duties had been assigned and the men were about to begin their routines, Captain Stanley spoke up again. "Oh, John...I almost forgot, we all got you a little something. Sort of a "welcome back" present." He smiled warmly and pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to Johnny.

"Well, thanks, Cap," John said, grinning, oblivious to the obvious chuckles and grins
of his fellow crewmates. "You guys didn't have to..."

"Ah, yes we did, buddy," commented Mike.

Johnny shot him a curious glance and began to open the present. "What's is this?" he asked, pulling out the red collar with small bells all around it and a large one dangling in the middle. "What's this for?"

"It's for you to wear, Pal," informed Hank, with the utmost sincerity. "That way, next time you wander off, we'll be able to find you a little sooner." Everyone burst out laughing, except John.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha!" Johnny retorted as the others walked away chuckling. Roy stood there with John, watching the others leave, then he held out his hand, taking the collar from his befuddled partner.

"Here, let me help you on with this, Johnny."

John batted Roy's hand away. "Oh very funny. VERY FUNNY! You guys are a regular barrel of laughs!" He stalked off indignantly.

Roy shook his head, then held up the collar and laughed. "Actually, it's not such a bad idea!" He grinned again as he stared at the collar.

"Nope, for you my friend, it's not a bad idea at all!"