He sat in the driver's side of the squad with his temporary partner. Things were harder than they should have been on the last call, Gage had virtually worked on the victim alone while his partner had dissappeared. It was so touch and go he didn't have time to check up on his partner. It wasn't until he sat down in the ambulance and looked through his notes in the Bio Phone that he realised his partner had been gone twenty minutes before returning with the backboard. He was going to have it out with him when they got back to the station. John Gage backed the squad into the bay area and switched off the engine. His temporary partner was about to get out when Gage put his hand on his arm to grab his attention.

"Where did you go when I asked you to get the backboard?" asked Gage in his most professional voice.

"I went to get the backboard. Why?" replied Patrick Healy, defensively.

"You were gone twenty minutes."

"You're crazy, more like twenty seconds." Healy had hoped Gage didn't realise how long he had been gone because he knew he would have been very busy with the victim.

"I have a witness Patrick. You forget Vince was there?"

"Who? That black cop who stood around trying to look important in his cop uniform. What a joke."

"What did you just say? I don't believe you. How could you say that? He's my friend. He's saved mine and Roy's hide more than once" Gage started to open his door. "I'm reporting you to Captain Stanley, he will decide what happens from here." he opened the door to exit only to receive a push out the door. Gage hit his head on the concrete floor and saw stars.

Captain Stanley saw Gage fall from his office. He raced out to Gage's side. Healy reached Gage at the same time. "I don't know what's got into him Cap. He stumbled a few times at the last call. If I didn't know any better I'd say he's been drinking."

"What! That's crazy Healy, John doesn't even drink." retorted Stanley.

"I'll just get the drug box and get his vitals" Healy hastily raced around the squad and pulled out the drug box. He rummaged around in the box and asked Captain Stanley if he should stand down the squad?

Captain Stanley walked over to the alcove to call it in. Making sure he had his back to Stanley he pulled out a syringe and loaded it with diazepam. He quickly injected it into Gages underarm and pretended to be pushing his sleeve up to put the BP cuff on.

Gage was starting to come round but everything seemed fuzzy. "John can you hear me?" asked Stanley worriedly.

"Yeah I hear you. What happened?"

"You must have tripped when you got out of the squad. You bumped your head." explained Healy. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Um...driving back...backing in..." Gage rubbed his head. Everything seemed fuzzy in his brain. He got up and looked around, he felt really calm, even a bit sleepy. He rubbed his arm absently thinking he must of landed on his shoulder, as it was quite sore around and under the top of his arm. "I'm ok"

"Well, all your vitals are normal. Do you feel dizzy? Headache?" asked Healy.

"No I just feel a bit tired, that's all."

"You sure he's ok, maybe he should go to Rampart to get checked out?"

"I'm ok Cap, if I feel dizzy or nauseous; I'll get Healy to take me to Rampart. There was something I was going to see you about."

"It was about the police taking so long to get to the scene. They were really late getting there." quickly stated Healy.

"Yeah, something about being 20 minutes late, I think." Gage rubbed his head.

"You sure you're alright Gage?" asked Stanley.

"Yeah, I need some coffee." Answered Gage and he made his way to the kitchen.

Healy put away the drug box and went to his locker. He placed the used needle at the back of one of his drawers.

All through lunch Gage had a nagging feeling that all was not right on that last run. Healy could see Gage trying to remember something. He went to his locker and pulled out a capsule containing Prozac. As he came back into the kitchen he asked Gage if he needed a refill on his coffee.

"Thanks Healy." and handed his cup to his temporary partner. Healy emptied the capsule into the coffee. Gage only drank a third of the cup before the klaxons sounded for a man down.

"Maybe I should drive the rest of the shift just to be on the safe side" stated Healy.

"Yeah...alright" nodded Gage. To be honest he still felt a little fuzzy but not to the extent that he couldn't perform his job. Little did he know the drugs in his system were clouding his judgement.

It was a simple call for a hyperventilation case. They returned to the squad. Gage was very tired. "I left my helmet back there." Healy ran back to the house. Gage sat in the passenger seat and closed his eyes.

Healy had placed his helmet on top of the squad; he quickly made a left hand turn and snuck around the back of the house next door to their call. No one was home, as their patient had innocently told them. He quickly broke into the back door and ransacked the bedroom for money and jewellery. He had been gone ten minutes. Helmet in hand; he jumped into the driver's side. "Squad 51 available" he called in. Gage opened his eyes and straightened up in his seat. He was totally unaware of how long Healy had been gone.

When everyone had gone to bed, Healy got his stash out of the squad and put it into his locker for safe keeping. It had been a profitable day and no-one was the wiser. He chuckled to himself, Gage was a push over. He and his permanent partner would keep their eyes open for future OT with Gage. He grabbed the used needle and placed it into his jacket.

The squad had two calls and lucky for Healy one call required diazepam. He reused the needle and injected less than the ordered dosage, to make up for what he used on Gage. Gage was checking the pupils of the patient when Healy pulled the used needle. Gage was none the wiser.

Gage escorted the patient into Rampart, the patient was still agitated. He called it in. The doctor upped the dosage. It was a doctor who wasn't known to Gage, he was an intern on rotation working the night shift.

When shift was over Gage drove home and slept for six hours. He felt good after his sleep. Later that day he received a phone call from Dr Brackett, he asked him to see him next shift. Gage had no idea why.