Chapter Text
Disclaimer: The E! characters do not belong to me. They have been borrowed strictly for fun and not for fortune.
"Freedom Is Just A State of Mind"
By Ross
Chapter One
Paramedics John Gage and Roy DeSoto exited Rampart General Hospital's Emergency Receiving, stowed their medical supplies away, and then climbed wearily back into their restocked rescue squad.
John pulled his passenger's door shut and then turned to face his partner. "Man! I'm glad we don't have to pull double-shifts very often."
"Yeah. They tend to be brutal all right," Roy conceded. "Think we'll make it back-this time?"
"I wouldn't bet on it," his partner gloomily predicted.
The two of them had been trying-unsuccessfully-to make it back to their fire station for the past eight hours.
Roy started the truck up and began easing it out of its designated parking slot.
They'd only moved forward about five feet, when their radios began emitting the dreaded *bleep* *bleep* sound.
The rescue vehicle's completely exhausted occupants exchanged a pair of exceedingly pained glances.
"Squad 51...What is your status?"
"Do I hafta answer that?" John deadpanned.
His partner was forced to smile. "I'm afraid so."
Gage grabbed their dash-mounted radio's mic' and thumbed its 'SEND' button. "L.A., Squad 51 is available at Rampart General on follow up..."
"10-4, 51...Standby for a response..."
Several seconds passed, then more bleeping *bleeps* sounded.
"Squad 51...Respond to a vehicle accident with injuries...at the intersection of Mullen Ave. and Cheshire Blvd...Cross-streets: Gary and Oneida...The intersection of Mullen and Cheshire...ambulances responding...Time out: 07:28."
"Roger that, L.A.," John wearily replied. "Squad 51 responding." He replaced the mic', reached back over his right shoulder, snatched his helmet from its hook, placed it upon his head and snugged up its chinstrap. "We've always said, we've been doing this for so long, that we could probably do it in our sleep. Guess THEY intend to test that theory out, huh," he lightly reasoned and flashed his equally exhausted friend a forced smile.
They reached the street entrance. Roy flipped their firetruck's lights and siren on. "Could be worse," he surmised, sounding equally insincere. "THEY could a' called us out-before we had a chance to restock."
Gage grimaced at the gruesome thought.
When it came to composing 'worse case' scenarios, no one could hold a candle to his partner.
Just as they were about to reach the accident site, their radios began emitting more annoying *bleep*s.
"Squad 51, cancel...Return directly to quarters..."
The rescue truck's occupants glanced at one another again, this time, looking stunned.
John snatched their radio's mic' back up. "L.A., Squad 51 is already on scene," he reported, as his buddy braked to a stop and jumped out. "We intend to follow through with the call." He saw a police officer, with blood-smeared hands, motioning for them to hurry over to one of the three wrecked vehicles that were scattered about the intersection. "We have badly injured people here-in need of immediate medical attention!"
"Negative, 51..."the dispatcher patiently came back. "Cancel and return directly to quarters...Squad 16 has been dispatched to your location..."
"Fine, L.A.," John responded, sounding equally cool and calm. "Squad 51 will return directly to quarters-just as soon as our back-up arrives."
"NEGATIVE, 51!" the dispatcher blurted back, much more assertively. "It is imperative that you cancel and return to quarters-immediately!"
The paramedic stared down at their truck's dash-mounted radio in both shock and disbelief. "Negative, L.A.! Whatever it is-can wait! These people-can't!" he practically shouted and started to replace the mic'.
"Squad 51, it is critical to the health and well-being of those people that you do NOT treat them!"
Roy was in the process of emptying their squad's side compartments. He caught that latest comment from headquarters and froze-right in mid-reach.
His partner re-thumbed the mic's 'SEND' button. "L.A., Squad 51. What the heck is that supposed to mean?" the paramedic demanded, sounding every bit as miffed as he now looked.
"Squad 51, cancel and return to quarters...and the 'situation' will be explained to you...Repeat, cancel and return to quarters-directly and immediately!"
Gage glanced up, as his partner suddenly appeared, just outside his door's open window.
"I'm beginning to think that we'd better do as THEY say," Roy regrettably announced.
John sighed in surrender and then thumbed the mic's 'SEND' button one last time. "10-4, L.A....Squad 51 canceling and returning-directly and immediately-to quarters."
"10-4, Squad 51," the dispatcher promptly came back, the relief evident in his voice.
John slammed the mic' back onto its clip and whipped his helmet off. The flustered paramedic stared off across the debris-strewn intersection at the accident victims so desperately in need of help-their help!
A look of disbelief, closely followed by one of profound confusion, filled the patrolman's face, as the firemen suddenly started driving off.
"We have to go!" the dark-haired paramedic called out to the completely overwhelmed officer. "But another squad is coming!"
The cop remained confused, but nodded his acknowledgement of the retreating rescuer's message.
Gage emitted an audible gasp of exasperation and slammed his left fist down-hard-on the back of their seat. "Da-amn!"
DeSoto shot his flustered friend a nervous glance. "What do you suppose it is?"
"I can't even begin to imagine!" his partner angrily replied. "How could THEY possibly figure that we would hurt those people back there more than we would help them?" The paramedic suddenly recalled his crack about the two of them working in their sleep. "Unle-ess..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless THEY think we're too tired to work."
"Do you think we're too tired to work?"
"No. We've both pulled double-shifts before...plenty of times. Heck. Once, we even worked 48 hours-straight, without any sleep, at all. At least, this time, we were able to get one or two hours in...that first night," John paused and turned to his partner. "Do you think we're too tired to be working right now?"
"If I thought-for an instant-that I was too tired to be working right now," DeSoto declared, "I wouldn't be working right now."
"I know," Gage whole-heartedly agreed. "Me, neither."
"You know that...and I know that," Roy solemnly surmised. "But do THEY know that?"
"If THEY don't, THEY will," John assured him. "Just as soon as we return-directly and immediately-to quarters," the peeved paramedic bitterly parroted.
The pair rode on in silence for a few blocks.
Until John suddenly had an even more horrifying thought. "Ro-oy?"
"Yeah?"
"What if that isn't it?"
The two fatigued firemen exchanged a couple of extremely anxious glances.
TBC
Author's note:
What can I say...I told yous that my muse was fickle. lol
It insists on working on two different E! fics at the same time. :)
Alas, I am but a humble, and obedient, slave of my E! muse. lol
Hope you guys will find both E! fics enjoyable! *fingers crossed*
:)Ross