Title: I Will Remember You

By: FanofRandy

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Emergency! is owned by Universal and Mark VII Productions

Summary: After a daring bus rescue, Johnny tries to help Roy through a personal loss. Can their friendship survive this tragedy? NOTE: lyrics from Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You" are used throughout

It was 4:30am…Johnny had made his way to the day room and began brewing coffee. He did not make the best coffee, but it was strong and that is what he needed right now. He sat down at the table and waited for the coffee to brew. He had tossed and turned all night…dreams, again. He could not remember all of the dream, but he knew that Roy was in the dream. He was trying to remember when he heard the coffee pot…

"Roy, Roy…" Johnny could not find Roy. Where was he? It was so dark and Johnny just could not get his eyes to adjust to the darkness all around him. Roy had just been by his side. Johnny continued to search. "Roy," he called again into the darkness. But, there was no answer. He thought he felt someone grab the back of his turnout coat, but then…" He woke…

Johnny was still sitting thinking about the dream when the morning tones sounded waking up the rest of the men in the station. Johnny continued drinking his coffee as the men slowly filed in to the dayroom. Stoker was first. He was almost always the first one awake. "You okay, Johnny?" Mike asked with his usual, gentle tone. "You are up early, huh?" Johnny thought how to respond and quickly replied with his basic answer to almost all questions regarding his well-being, "I'm fine, Mike."

Marco, Chet and Cap followed closely behind…all going right to the stove for coffee. This morning would end a rough 24 hour shift. They had been busy all day and the engine had been called out three times last night. The men all sat at the table, Mike went to the get the morning paper and they settled into a companionable silence. Johnny continued to ruminate on his dream…

"Something up, Pal?" It was Cap this time. Johnny thought he must be very tired or his burden was showing on his face. He quickly smiled his 'crooked Gage smile' and said, "No, Cap, everything's fine." All four men looked at him and he just looked down as he continued his coffee; he was on his fourth cup already. Roy came in and walked over to the stove to pour himself a cup of coffee, too. He looked at the men at the table and smiled softly…he went to sit next to his partner and picked up part of the morning paper. "Just talked to Jo and the kids…" he began, "…got to tell the kids to have a good day at school and Jo has a long 'honey-do' list for me today."

Johnny knew what he was doing…he was trying to wrangle Johnny into helping with the list. Johnny would love to help, but had other plans…"I'm working overtime at 110's today. Sorry, Pally, can't help you." Roy shrugged and continued with his paper. Soon, the men of B-Shift began to arrive and Chet, Marco, and Roy went to change in the locker room. Johnny continued to stare at the table, still thinking of the dream he had…

"You gonna stay here all day, Gage?" Dwyer broke through the fog. "Huh…oh, no, I gotta get to 100's. Doing OT today." "Wish you were here with me. Bellingham is subbing today! I almost wish it were Brice!" Johnny gave Charlie a crooked grin and nodded his good-bye as he got up from the table to go get dressed so he could get to 110's.

Roy and Johnny said their good-byes in the parking lot and Roy invited Johnny to dinner the next day, "Call me if you have a rough shift, and I will just bring over some leftovers for you if you're not up to company." Johnny appreciated Roy's offer of dinner and company. He was also glad that Roy understood that he may not be up to it when his overtime shift was complete. They understood each other so well…"But, why can't I remember my dream and why can't I find Roy in the darkness…" Johnny thought as he got into his Rover to head out to 110's.

He made good time and parked his Rover and ran into the Station just in time for morning roll call. "And, Johnny Gage. You made it by the skin of your teeth, Mr. Gage." Johnny looked up and saw his friend, Stoney—well, Captain Stone. Stoney used to be a paramedic and was now the Captain at Station 8. "What are you doing here, Sto…er' Captain Stone?" "The same as you, I guess…putting in some overtime." Johnny smiled…maybe this would not be such a bad shift after all. Station 110 did not have a Rescue Squad, but he now had someone who he could commiserate with on this shift.

After roll call, Johnny put his helmet and turnout coat on the seat in the engine and went to the day room. All the guys were busying themselves with the morning chores and he grabbed another cup of coffee. "What is this…my eighth cup?" Johnny thought to himself. He chatted with the guys and helped them with their chores…the dream became a distant memory.

It was nearly noon before they got their first run. It was a minor traffic accident. A car slid into a telephone pole. No one was seriously injured. They were out maybe an hour. A slow shift at 110's can be grueling. The station was "off the beaten path" and there was not a lot to do. Johnny played a game of basketball before going back in to read more of the morning paper. Captain Stone was busy with paperwork, or he would have talked with him. Johnny remembered back to his days as a "hose-jockey", as Dr. Brackett still referred to him at times…

His memories were soon interrupted as the klaxons sounded…"Station 110, Station 8, Station 38, Station 51 respond to mile marker 176 on Canyon Hills Road—repeat mile marker 1-7-6 on Canyon Hills Road. A bus over the cliff. Time out 1:17." "10-4, Station 110 KMX-518"

Johnny put on his turnout coat and helmet and climbed into the jump seat. "A bus," he thought, "what kind of bus?" With the number of stations and squads called, he knew that they should expect the worst. Station 110 was the first on scene. There was a broken guardrail, an 18-wheeler tipped over and an ominous path going over the side of the cliff…Johnny raced to the cliff edge as some other men ran toward the semi. Johnny gasped when he saw it…

He ran over to the engine, grabbing a safety belt and some rope. "Cap, there is a school bus down there. Looks pretty bad. I am going to repel down there to see what I can do until the Squads arrive." Johnny nearly commanded. Captain Stone new that Johnny was the best man, besides himself, to send down that cliff. He would know what care to provide until the medical equipment and other paramedics arrived at the scene. "Okay, Johnny, let's get you tied off to the engine. Once you get down there…contact me on the HT and let me know what else you will need down there." There was urgency, but calmness in the Captain's voice. It served to calm Johnny's nerves a bit. Johnny began his decent.

Johnny could smell gasoline and he could hear the whimpering and crying of those on the bus. He called down…"Help is coming. My name is John Gage. I am a fireman and I am here to help. We are gonna get you all out." Johnny did not know what to expect when he arrived at the bus, but he had taken a deep breath before he took his first look. And, what he saw made his stomach turn over.

There were about 15 kids in the bus. They were all piled on top of each other and he could not see the driver. "HT 110 to Engine 110, Cap, can you read me?" Captain Stone knew Johnny—not as well as Roy did—but, he could hear the slight din of desperation in the man's voice. "Engine 110 to HT 110—what have you got John?" Cap replied. "Cap, we have maybe about 15 or 20 kids. They are all piled on top of one another, so I can't tell exactly. I cannot see the driver right now and I don't see any other adults. Cap, the bus is teetering on the edge of another overhang. Too, much weight one way or the other and this bus is going to crash into the canyon." "Okay, Johnny…you are the skinniest one in the department"—"How could that be with all that Gage eats" Cap allowed the fleeting thought to pass—"can you get on that bus and get those kids out?"

Johnny had no choice. "Yeah, Cap. Can you send a few guys down to help with the kids once they are evacuated?" "I'm sending them down now, John. And, John…be careful." The last statement was not needed, but Captain Stone felt the need to say it anyway. Gage had always seemed to be a magnet for disaster and he did not want Gage to be added to the victim list—not on HIS watch. Johnny maneuvered around the bus to find the best entry way. Some of the children were waking up and beginning to move. The bus moved with them…"Hey, my name is John Gage. I am with the Fire Department. We are going to get you all out, but you HAVE to stay still. DON'T MOVE!" Johnny practically yelled.

All the windows in the bus had been broken out, but the bus was now laying on its roof, so the emergency door and windows were all crushed. The front of the bus, where the driver would be, was the part hanging over the edge. Johnny found an opening big enough for him to get through…he took off his turnout coat and passed it through the opening as he saw three more men coming down the side of the cliff. "Help is coming, kids. Just hang on." Johnny almost whispered. When he got into the bus, he coughed at some smoke and then allowed his eyes to adjust. Though it was the middle of the day, there was little light since most of the windows had been crushed.

Johnny moved forward very slowly. He heard some children crying and he gently spoke, to no one in particular, "It's gonna be okay. We will get you out. Just stay calm and don't move, okay?" He heard a couple kids actually answer him and thought that was a good sign. He wanted to help the children first…but he slowly moved toward the front of the bus. Since the kids were toward the back of the bus, he would have to get the driver out first, or the bus would go over the edge when the weight of the children was released…common rules of simple machines.

When he got to the front of the bus, he felt it shift slightly. He lost his balance and fell against something. "Son-of-a…" he stopped himself when he saw some of the children looking at him. "Are you okay?" one of the children asked. "I am okay. I am just gonna see about this guy and then we will start to get you kids out. Alright?" The question was not answered and he did not expect one. He up righted himself and felt blood trickling down his back. "Oh, great Gage. You will never hear the end of this…" he thought. The guys teased him incessantly about his history of injuries and illness. He shrugged it off to check the driver. He felt for a carotid pulse that was not there. He glanced around and saw another adult and did the same. She, too, was dead.

Johnny turned his attention toward the children. He could see that quite a few of them were conscious and aware of their dire circumstances. They were frightened…and, if the truth be told…he was, too. But, he kept a smile on his face the whole time while soothing the children with his calm voice and promises of safety. "Gage," he heard one of the guys call from outside the bus, "we tied off the bus to the engine and the first Squad arrived. What do you want us to do now." "Let me call the Cap on the HT and I will let you know" came Johnny's reply. The men stood back away from the bus…even though it had been tethered, it still was very unsteady.

"HT 110 to Engine 110, Cap?" "Johnny what have you got?" came Captain Stone's reply. Johnny was grateful for the lack of protocol. It gave him a sense of comfort somehow. "Cap, we have at least two Code F's and about 10 children. There may be more, but I cannot tell until we start to evacuate." Johnny stared at the wide eyes of the children in front of him. He was unable to stand straight up due to the seats and the crushed roof of the bus. He was eye-to-eye with some very frightened children and the tension and fear was palpable.