The Lady in White
By

Pally

Some Adult language and mild violence.


It was a rare night for Johnny Gage. He found himself driving the squad around 2 a.m. while his partner, Roy DeSoto was asleep in the passenger's seat. They were just returning from an all day fire that was finally under control. Leaving the others behind for the clean-up, the two paramedics were relieved to be given the order to return to the station and try to get some rest. Seeing how tired Roy was, Johnny volunteered to drive and Roy let him. Johnny needed something to distract him and he thought that driving would do just that very thing. The last four weeks had taken their toll on him. A rescue had gone bad and he refused to talk about what had happened.

Even Roy tried to get him to talk about what had happened but Johnny pushed him away. Capt. Stanley even tried, but to no avail. Johnny would do his job, but deep down he thought he was a failure for what had happened. Roy would sometimes catch him looking at the story in the paper about the rescue, but when he tried to get Johnny to talk about it, Johnny would toss it in his locker and tell Roy it was nothing. He then told Roy to leave the locker room. As Johnny drove, the exhaustion took a toll on him. His eyes started to droop and he shook his head to keep awake. But he couldn't keep his tired eyes open. Everything went dark. What seemed like only a second later, Johnny opened his eyes. He's surprised to find that he's no longer tired and the exhaustion is gone. Sitting up in the driver's seat he ran a hand threw his hair and started talking to Roy.

"Man, I feel like I just got a charge to the system. I'm not tired anymore, Johnny said, looking over at Roy. Shocked, he's alarmed to find the seat empty. "Roy! Where is he? Roy!" he cries out, seeing someone standing in the middle of the road.

Hitting the brakes, the squad skids to a stop. Slamming the gearshift into park, Johnny unbuckled his seatbelt and quickly ran to the front of the squad.

"Ma'am! Are you ok? I didn't see you till the last second," he cried out.

The woman turned, smiling. Johnny stared, smiling back at her. He noticed that she was wearing a long, white off-the-shoulder gown with a matching scarf around her shoulders. Small white flowers adorned her long blonde hair, which hung loosely to her waist.

"Hello, my name is Kyrie and I'm fine," she smiled softly. " I guess I should watch where I'm walking. Once I start I tune everything out."

"Let me take a look at you and make sure you're ok," Johnny said, reaching out to gently grasp her wrist. Astonished, he watched her pulling away.

"That won't be necessary, I wasn't hurt" Kyrie replied, looking at him.

"Umm. well. ok, if you say so, Johnny shrugged. "Can I give you a ride somewhere?"

He looked around the area, seeing that he wasn't on the highway anymore. Baffled, he turned back to the strange woman. "Something's not right here. This isn't the road I was on and my partner isn't here. I gotta find him. I gotta find out where I am," Johnny panicked. "Look, I don't wanna leave you here by yourself; wherever here is at the moment. Let me take you with me that way I won't have to worry about you out here."

"No thanks, Johnny. I'll be fine," she said, smiling.

She turned to walk away when Johnny suddenly realized that he never said who he was. He ran to catch up with her.

"Wait a second! I didn't tell you my name."

"You didn't have to. I already knew," she replied.

"There's no way you could have known," Johnny said, shaking his head.

"No that's where you're wrong. I know everything about you. You're a firefighter/paramedic with Station 51 and you've been there for 8 years now. You're 30 years old and you have a long list of injuries," she said, smiling at him at that little tidbit of information, making Johnny feel slightly uncomfortable. "You love camping, hiking, fishing and your best friend is Roy DeSoto, your partner of 8 years. The list goes on. Do you want me to continue?"

Feeling suddenly vulnerable and a little fearful of this woman, Johnny started backing away from her. She knew too much, especially for someone he'd never met before in his life. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, all Johnny could do was stare mutely at her.

**

Johnny stood looking around, watching to see of someone was going to jump out at him from the darkness. Kyrie sensed his fear.

"No one is going to jump out at you. You are safe here."

"Well, I don't feel safe at the moment. I'm here in the middle of the night on an old country road that I wasn't on before talking to a woman I don't know. My partner is God knows where. Look if we've been kidnapped, I ask that you let Roy go; he has a wife and 2 kids. I don't care what you do to me, just let him go. Please!"

"You and Roy haven't been kidnapped. He still asleep in the squad," Kyrie replied.

Johnny took a step closer to her, "No, he's not he's gone!"

He looked at her; she looks as if she's listing to something he can't hear. Kyrie looked up to the sky then back towards Johnny again. She faces him smiling.

"Just what are you smiling about?" Johnny asked, beginning to grow annoyed.

"He's dreaming about his wife and how he can't wait to get home to her and the kids. He wont get much time to rest over the weekend, she has her "honey do" list all made out," Kyrie replied with a smile.

Johnny grinned, chuckling for just a second. He then stopped and turned to face Kyrie again, "Wait a second how do you know about that?"

"I know a lot of things about Roy and his family, but this isn't about them. It's about you and what you're going through," she answered.

"I'm not going through anything other than this nightmare," Johnny said, growing impatient. "I don't need anyone worrying about me and something that isn't going on."

"But that is where you are wrong. There is something going on. If there weren't, I wouldn't be here now. Lets go back 6 months," she replied softly.

"What? Six months!" Johnny exclaimed. "Nothing happened six months ago!"

"You can't deny what happened six months ago. After all, that day in October changed your life," she said, raising her hand as a white light shines brilliantly.

**

Six months earlier on October 18, Johnny and Roy are polishing the squad and talking about Johnny's latest date. Chet was hiding on the other side of the engine, eavesdropping and hoping to get something on Johnny's date to use against his favorite pigeon at a later date.

"So how did your date go with, ahh ummm," Roy asked, forgetting the name of Johnny's latest conquest.

"Jill," Johnny said resignedly.

"Yeah, Jill?" Roy then quipped.

"Ok I guess," Johnny answered.

" Just ok? Is that all? She's not the love of your life?"

"Nope. We just didn't click," Johnny replied.

"Why do you think you didn't click?"

"I don't know. I guess I just wasn't in the mood," Johnny shrugged.

Chet took this chance to walk out from behind the engine, "That's gotta be a first! John Gage not in the mood for a girl!" he teased, touching Johnny's forehead to see if he was feeling alright.

Annoyed, Johnny slapped the hand away.

"You don't feel hot," Chet grinned.

"Chet shut up would ya!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Come on Gage! You can tell me!" he pleaded.

"There's nothing to talk about. And even if there was you would be the last person on earth I'd tell," Johnny replied.

"Ahh Johnny I'm hurt you can't confide in me," Chet whined.

"Not can't! WON'T!" Johnny declared.

"I got it! She wouldn't let you kiss her good night!"

"Chet, how many times do I have to tell you shut up and leave me alone?"

"You forgot your breath mint," Chet teased, fanning his hand in front of his face.

"CHET!" Johnny yelled, taking a step closer towards Chet, waving a rag full of wax in his face.

"See ya!" Chet cried out, quickly leaving.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Johnny started starts waxing the hood again.

"So what really happened?" Roy then asked.

"Like I told Chet nothing happened, Johnny shrugged.

"I know what you told Chet. So tell me what really happened."

"We kissed and there wasn't any sparks. It was like kissing my sister."

"You don't have a sister," Roy reminded him.

"I know that! But if I had one, that's what it would have felt like," Johnny shrugged.

Cap came out of his office, holding the clipboard in his hand. "John, Roy, do you know what time it is?" he asked, seeing Johnny looking at his watch.

"Yeah Cap, it's 8:45," he answered.

"That was a rhetorical question Gage," Cap frowned at him.

"Oh! Sorry Cap," Johnny grinned.

"It's fire prevention week and you two get to go to the schools and tell the kids all about it. The first will be the high school at 9.30."

"Ok Cap," Johnny says, tossing the rag in a bucket as Cap leaves. "Wonderful, 99% of those kids won't even listen to what we have to say."

"Yeah, but it's that 1% that will and that's what counts," Roy replied.

A couple of hours later, the assembly is over and Johnny and Roy are putting the equipment back into the squad. Two girls walk up to Johnny, giggling to themselves.

"Hi fireman Gage," the one called Abby smiled at him, nudging her friend Sara.

"Hi," Sara said.

"Hello ladies! How are you? Did you take notes on what we talked about?" Johnny asked, smiling.

"We sure did," Abby replied. They're all right here in our notebooks!" she said, proudly holding them up so that he could see them.

"That's good. You never know when they may come in handy," Johnny smiles at the girls.

Just then, the principal walks over to Roy. "Excuse me, Fireman DeSoto, can I speak to you?"

"Sure," Roy replies, shrugging.

He turns to speak with Johnny, only to find him deep in conversation with the girls. Roy and the principal walk over to the bleachers. As Abby flashed a seductive smile at Johnny he smiled back, then looked at Sara.

"So what's your name?" he asks.

"Sara Taylor," she smiled.

"It's nice to meet you Sara. I'm Johnny just in case you didn't hear it; the sound system kept going out on us."

"Nice to meet you too. That sound system is 20 years old if not older. They really need to update it."

"Ummmmm, excuse me," Abby cleared her throat. "I'm Abby. Nice to meet you, Johnny."

"Nice to meet you," Johnny smiled at her, then looked back at Sara. "So,what grade are you in?"

"I'm a Junior! Then it's one more year and I'm outta school," she said, sounding very excited.

"Don't be in such a rush. Enjoy school while ya can, cause once you're out, then you have to grow up. And that's when things get scary," Johnny said.

"You can protect me anytime, Johnny," Abby said, licking her lips.

He took a step backwards, "Well, let's hope that never has to happen. I don't want to see you two ever get into a situation where you need me," he grinned, loading the biophone into the squad and shutting the doors.

Abby took a step closer to him. Johnny quickly moved to the passenger door, "Ahh, we gotta go to the next school. ROY!" Johnny yelled over his shoulder. "We gotta go! We're running behind!"

"Ok! I'll be right there," Roy replied, finishing up his conversation with the principal. Looking over, he watched one of the girls walking away.

Sarah hesitated a moment, handing Johnny her book. "Johnny, could you sign my history book for me?" she asked.

"Sure," he grinned, taking his pen from his pocket. Talking out loud, he begins to write. "To Sara, don't grow up so fast. Stop and smell the roses, Johnny Gage," he finished, handing the book back to her.

"Thanks, Johnny," she said, running to catch up with Abby as Roy got into the cab of the squad.

"Johnny, we aren't running late. We're on time," he said, looking puzzled.

"I know that! I just wanted to get away from that girl, Abby. Man she's 16 going on 21. She was coming on to me in a big way and I wanted to just get outta here before things got outta hand," he explained.

"She probably just thought you were cute, Roy teased.

"Cute I can handle! 16 I don't wanna go near! Sara, on the other hand, was really nice and not pushy."

"Looks like you can add two more to the Gage fan club," Roy laughed.

"Ohh hahaha," Johnny grumbled.

"It's the Gage charm! No matter how old the girls are they fall for you!"

"I know it's a curse but it's mine," Johnny quipped.

They drove off, while Abby and Sara watched them go.

"I'm in love!" Abby sighed deeply.

Sarah scowled teasingly, looking at her watch. "Yeah, for the first time in three hours! He's out of your league!

"I know! But I can dream, can't I? He's a fox! Man I'd love to make out with him, Abby sighed dreamily.

"I don't think that would happen anytime soon. Besides, I don't think Jimmy would like you chasing an older man," Sarah replied.

"Jimmy's a boy," Abby complained. "But Johnny is a man!"

"Gee, Abby, thanks for enlightening me on that one, Sarah said, rolling her eyes.

"See ya in history class!" Abby cried out as the bell rang.

She turned to run out the door, leaving Sara a quiet moment to herself to look at her history book. She smiled as she read what Johnny wrote.

"Yeah, see you in history," she said absently. "Johnny," Sara whispered to herself. The bright light dims and Kyrie lowered her hands. She looked over at Johnny. "You did see her later in history, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did," Johnny finished quietly.

"At the grocery store, right?" Kyrie asks, laughing at the way Johnny looked at her as if she'd suddenly grown two heads.

"How did you know that?" he exclaimed, shocked. "Figures, you probably know all about my life."

Kyrie just grinned, shrugging her shoulders, "No, just what I need too. No more, no less. After the grocery store, you kept running into her at different places."

Yeah, we did. I was surprised we kept running in to each other. I thought that maybe she had a crush on me," Johnny said.

"Did she?" Kyrie asked of him.

"I think so. At first she did, but things changed," he replied.

"At the park after you had gotten done playing basketball with the guys, right?" Kyrie asked.

"Yeah, it was," he answered her.

Kyrie then raised her arm. Once again, a bright light shone from them. Johnny and Roy are the only two remaining, the guys had already left. Roy was talking quietly to Johnny.

"So, are you going to come over to dinner tonight?" he asked.

Using a towel to rub the sweat from h is body, Johnny turned to answer, "I just need to grab a shower and then I'll be there. Ahhhh, what time is dinner?" he then asked.

"Well it's 5 now, so how about 7?" Roy suggested.

"Sounds good to me. That'll give me plenty of time to grab a shower," Johnny replied.

"Ok, I'll see ya then. Do you want me to give you a lift to your place?" Roy offered.

"That's ok, I'll walk. I need to walk my knee off before it stiffens up on me. It's still hurting a little from colliding with Chet," Johnny winced, rubbing his leg.

"Sure you don't want me to look at it?" Roy worried.

"I'm fine, it's only a little swollen" Johnny argued back.

"Well, when you get home make sure you ice it down really good," Roy replied.

"Yes mom, as soon as I get home I'll put some ice on it," Johnny grinned.

"Ok son! I'll see at 7," Roy grinned back.

Johnny shook his head and sat back down on the bench, rubbing his knee. It was then that he heard voices.

You know your nothing but a tease, you know that!" Wade yelled angrily, hearing the unmistakable sound of a slap.

Johnny stood, walking over to the bushes. Once there he heard voices coming from the other side. He looked over, seeing Sara and a young man arguing. Sara was holding her cheek and tears as tears streamed down her face.

"Wade, stop it! Please don't hit me again," she pleaded. "I never meant to lead you on!" she said, wiping the tears away.

"Yeah, you sure did. The only difference between you and Abby is that she puts out. No one makes me look bad. No one!" he cried out, grabbing her by the arm.

She struggled to get away as he pulled her towards him. Digging her fingernails into Wade's face, Sara fought savagely. Crying out, Wade put his hand on his face, feeling the blood flowing from the wound.

"You bitch! You'll pay for that!" he sneered as Sara turned to run from him.

"Help me! Help!" she screamed.

Running as fast as she could, Sara could her Wade right behind her. Johnny suddenly stepped in front of her, placing her behind him. He shoved Wade to the ground, then stared coldly at him as he stood.

"You touch her again, you wont live to see 18," he warned.

"You're butting into something that's none of your business!" Wade yelled.

"She's my friend' she is my business," Johnny replied.

"You fucking him, Sara? Huh? You lying little bitch! You said that you were a virgin. Here you are fucking this asshole!" Wade cried out.

Johnny could feel his temper beginning to boil as he took a step closer to Wade, raising his hand. Sara intervened, grabbing his arm.

"Johnny! Please don't! You could loose your job. He's not worth it!" she said, looking between the two.

"You better get the hell outta here," Johnny hissed, his voice taking on a deadly tone.

Wade realized that he'd made a big mistake by tangling with Johnny and backed off.

"Ok man, you win. You want the tease, she's all yours," he said, backing off.

He then turned and ran before Johnny could physically hurt him. Sara just held tightly to Johnny's arm. He turned around to face her, seeing a bruise starting to form on her cheek.

"Sara, are you ok?" Johnny worried as he carefully touched her face, drawing back as she flinches. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok, really. I'm sorry you had to see this happen," she replied sadly.

"Who's Wade?" he asked.

Sighing, Sara explained. "I thought he was my boyfriend. We had been going out the last couple of weeks. He had been so nice taking me out to dinner, going to the movies and calling me all the time. Then over the last week he's been pressuring me to sleep with him. I kept telling him no, that I wouldn't. Then today he called and wanted to meet here to talk and." she broke down, crying as Johnny pulled her closer to him.

"It'll be ok," he soothed. "He won't hurt you again, I'll make sure of that. How about I walk you home and you can tell your folks what happened?" Johnny asked.

Sara looked up at him, "I can't go home right now looking like this. Please, can I come to your place?"

"Ok, but you'll have to tell them sooner or later," Johnny replied.

"I know but can't it be later?" she asked.

"Ok. I'll take you to my place, I want to look at that cheek and make sure that you're not hurt. I have an ice pack you can put on it it'll help bring the swelling down. Then I'll take you home and you will tell your mom and dad what happened. Deal?" he asked, brightening as she smiled at him.

"Deal!" Sara agreed.

Half an hour later Johnny and Sara were back at his place. She was sitting on his couch when she noticed that he was limping on his left leg as he came out of the kitchen with the ice pack. He handed it to her, watching as Sara placed it on her cheek.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"You're welcome," he answered, sitting down beside her.

She saw that his knee was somewhat swollen. "What happened to your knee? Its' really swollen!"

"I was playing basketball with some of my friends, and Chet and I collided. I hit the court with it," he explained.

"You need this more than I do. Here! Take it!" she grinned, handing Johnny the ice pack.

He stopped her, handing it back. "I'll be fine. You keep on your face, ok?"

"Ok! Ok!" she sighed, placing it back on her cheek.

"I need to take a shower. Will you be ok?" he asked.

"I'll be fine. Go and take your shower," she said, smiling at him.

"Alright! I won't be long," he said, walking into his bedroom.

Grabbing some clean clothes, Johnny headed to the bathroom. A couple minutes, later Sara heard the shower turning on. Feeling somewhat tired; she fell asleep on the couch. Twenty minutes later, Johnny came out of the bathroom. He walked over to the couch, seeing Sara sleeping soundly. He knew that he should wake her, but decided to let her rest a while longer. Picking up the phone, he called Roy.

"Hello!" Roy answered.

"Hi! Roy, it's me! Something came up and I won't be able to make dinner tonight. I'm sorry."

"What's wrong? Is your knee worse?" Roy worried.

"No, it's ok," Johnny replied. "I'm just really wiped out. Tell Joanne and the kids I'm real sorry and I'll make it next time, ok?"

Ok, I'll tell them. I'll see ya tomorrow."

"Ok! See you then," Johnny said. He hung up the phone and limped over to the couch, gently nudging Sara awake.

She opened her eyes, "Ohhh! I'm sorry! I must have fallen asleep!" she yawned, sitting up.

"That's ok!" Johnny grinned widely. "How's your cheek doing?"

"It's still a little sore, but it doesn't feel as swollen," she winced as he looked a little closer.

"Yeah, it's going down but you'll have a bruise," Johnny nodded.

"I'll put some makeup on it then it won't be so bad," she said.

"I better take you home. Do you want me to tell your mom and dad what happened?" he asked.

"No, you don't have too," she answered, looking away from him.

"I don't mind! Really! They should know Sara what Wade did to you," Johnny replied.

"I know, but it's just...well." she hesitated.

"Well, what?" Johnny asked.

"They're not home. I told them I was staying at Abby's tonight. I really wish

I had stayed at Abby's; then none of this would have happened," Sara replied.

"Me too," Johnny grinned.

"Johnny, the next time I have the bright idea to do something stupid, can

I call you and have you talk me out of it?" she pleaded.

"You bet! You can call me anytime' no matter the hour," he said reassuringly.

"So if I call you at 4 in the morning, you'll come to the rescue?" she giggled. "I can't believe I just said that! You're a paramedic/firefighter on call! You'd have to come!"

"That I am! And even if I wasn't working and you needed me, I'd be there as fast as I could!" Johnny replied.

"My knight in shining armor! If only I was older, you wouldn't stand a chance!" she teased, causing him to blush.

"And if only I wasn't as old as I am, I'd take you up on it in a heartbeat!" he teased, smiling back.

The bright light faded. "You ended up taking her to Abby's later on. And her parents were none the wiser," Kyrie said.

"She didn't tell them about Wade," Johnny replied.

"She was afraid too," Kyrie told him. She was afraid.

"I know. She told me that he was bugging her at school and calling and harassing her on the phone. If only she would have told her mom and dad, maybe they could have done something," Johnny replied sadly.

"She confided in you and told you what was going on," Kyrie said.

"Yeah, I wanted to do something, but she didn't want me to get involved with it. She was afraid I'd loose my job," Johnny remembered.

"You would have taken care of Wade if she would have just said yes. Is that right?" Kyrie asked.

"Yes I would have," Johnny said adamantly.

"The career you love more than anything, you would have let it go, just like that," Kyrie said, snapping her fingers.

"In a heartbeat," Johnny told her.

"What did Roy think of all this going on?" she asked.

"Roy didn't know much about what was going on," Johnny admitted.

"Why?" Kyrie asked.

"Because I didn't think he needed to know," Johnny replied.

"He could have helped you," Kyrie said.

"I didn't need any help. I didn't need him to bug me about being older than she was and all that static. I liked Sara for herself and who she was. She was alot more mature than most 16 year-old girls. She looked up to me as a brother nothing more," Johnny replied.

"That's true, she did," Kyrie nodded. "Didn't you think Roy could have helped you with what was going on with Wade?"

"It wasn't his problem it was mine," Johnny replied.

"He would have helped you, you know," Kyrie repeated.

"I'm sure he would have if I had asked," Johnny answered.

"He asked you several times if you wanted to talk or if you were having a problem. But you always said no," Kyrie said.

"I just didn't want to, ok?" he answered, growing agitated.

"I'm sorry," Kyrie answered softly. "I'm just trying to understand why you wouldn't ask the man you considered your best friend for help or advice."

"Ok! You wanna know? I wanted to handle it all by myself. Every time I have a problem I run to Roy to have him help bail me out. For once, I wanted to handle things by myself! I wanted to help her! I wanted to do something without his help, just one time! I guess I needed to show him and everyone else that I was capable of doing things on my own!" he broke down.

"I see," Kyrie nodded, looking up as if she was listening to something being said that only she could hear. Johnny was watching her. She then turned, looking back at him. "I'm supposed to tell you that no matter how bad things seem, that you aren't to try and handle it all by yourself; ask for help. Sometimes you need to."

"It's a little late now, isn't it? What happened, happened. And telling Roy about it now isn't going to make a difference," Johnny said grudgingly.

"No, but at least he can help you through it. All he wanted was for you tell him. That's why he has two ears," she said, getting a chuckle from Johnny.

"Yeah, he does have 2 ears," he laughed.

"Then take advantage of his ears; he will listen. The day before Valentines Day, Sara was excited about going to school on the 14th. She was hoping to get lots of flowers from her new boyfriend," Kyrie said, staring off t o her side, then back to Johnny. "She was sure she would get several red carnations from him. She had been seeing him for about a month."

"I know she did. She called me and told me," Johnny remembered.

"She called you also to say thank you," Kyrie replied.

"Ummm hummm," Johnny muttered.

"You had sent her 2 white carnations. They stood for friendship," she continued.

"Yeah, they did," Johnny replied.

"You told her that if she ever needed you, that you would be there for her no matter what the problem was," she said.

"Yeah, I said that," Johnny admitted.

"She was carrying them when she got into the car. She was so happy. She felt that everything was going her way. She had a new boyfriend and she had you. Then something happened that wasn't foreseen," Kyrie said.

"I don't wanna go there again! I can't! Not again!" Johnny cried out frantically. "Please!"

"The decision isn't yours to make. You have to face it. Once you do, then you can go on," Kyrie said, raising her arm. The light shone brighter than it had before.

Before they know it, Valentine's Day had arrived. Johnny and Roy are getting dressed in the locker room.

"So, what did you get Joanne for Valentines Day?" Johnny asked.

"I got her a dozen red roses and a small diamond necklace," Roy replied.

"Wow! Boy did you splurge," Johnny whistled.

"Yeah, I did. I really wanted to get her something nice this year. And I wanted her to know how much she really means to me."

"I bet she was surprised!" Johnny grinned.

"She was speechless!"

"Now that's gotta be a first for her!" Johnny teased.

"That she was, Junior" Roy smiled. "So, did you break the bank on flowers this year for your favorite nurse?"

"Let's just say I spent 30 bucks on a really nice arrangement," he said, finishing buttoning his shirt.

Chet came from behind the lockers, "Thirty bucks! Man, Gage! That's a lot of money to spend on a girl!"

"Don't you get tired of eves dropping?" Johnny griped.

"No! I rather enjoy it," Chet grinned like the Cheshire cat.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," Johnny groaned.

"You know John, I have enough material on you to write a book!" Chet exclaimed.

"Oh, really!" Johnny replied, raising an eyebrow. Even Roy stared at Chet.

"Only problem is, it would only be 20 pages long," Chet taunted.

"What! 20 pages! You've got to be kidding me!" Johnny exclaimed.

"You're right! It would only be about two pages," Chet snickered. "How Johnny Gage gets dumped only five minutes after meeting him!"

"CHET!" Johnny growled, lunging after Chet, only stopping when Roy grabbed his arm. "Let go of me!"

"He's just goading you! As soon as you go after him, he'll either flour you or get you wet!" Roy replied.

"Not this time!" Johnny declared. "He's not getting away with that crack!"

He pried Roy's hand from his arm and took off after Chet. Roy shook his head, knowing that Johnny was going to get nailed, yet again. Just then, he heard Johnny yelling.

"CHET! You're gonna get it!"

Roy buttoned his shirt and shut the locker door. He headed into the kitchen, almost dreading to see what Chet had done to his partner this time. Roy opened to door, seeing Johnny standing back, covered with syrup

"Well Junior, he got you this time," Roy said, trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh shut up!" Johnny growled. Just as he's leaving the phone begins ringing and he's the closest one to it. Chet looked at Johnny.

"Hey John, mind getting the phone?" he grinned, handing Johnny a small piece of paper towel.

Johnny just glared, "Gee, thanks, Chet. Could you have gotten it any smaller?" he answered sarcastically, picking up the phone. "Station 51, Fireman Gage," he answered, sounding a little cranky.

"Hi Johnny! It's Sara. You sound mad!"

"You could say that," he replied, glaring at Chet.

"Do I dare ask what happened?" Sara said.

"No, you really don't want to know," Johnny looked at Roy. "Man, this stuff is sticky!

"Syrup usually is, Gage," Chet taunted.

"Shut up, Chet!" Johnny exclaimed.

Sara overheard the entire conversation and started to giggle, "I take it Chet got you again!"

"You could say that.ummm," Johnny looked at his watch. "Aren't' you supposed to be in class? It's 8:45 !"

"I don't have to be there until 9! I just wanted to call and see if you had gotten 'it'!"

"Gotten 'it'?" Johnny asked, bewildered. "What exactly is 'it'?"

"Oh nuts! You haven't gotten it yet," she pouted.

Johnny rolled his eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"I can't tell you! It's a surprise. I told them that I wanted it to be delivered first thing. Now I'll have to wait till schools out to find out if you got it."

"For crying out loud, what is 'it'!"

"Sorry! I can't tell you! I'll call you later to see if you got it," she teased him. "I'll call you after I get out of school. I better let you go so you can get cleaned up. We can't have one of L.A.s finest all sticky," she said, unable to stop giggling.

"Bye," Johnny said, looking at the phone. "Hahaha yourself," he says as he hangs it up. "I'm going to garb a quick shower."

"Who was on the phone?" Roy asked.

"Just a friend," Johnny answered evasively.

"Hmmmm, she's in school. Does she have a friend that likes firemen?" Chet teased, stroking his mustache.

Johnny looked at Chet, "Yeah, but you're too old for her!"

"I'm not that old!" Chet whined.

Johnny put a stick arm around Chet's neck, "Yeah, you are!" he replied, grinning at Roy, who looked back confused. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes. I gotta grab a shower!"

Chet felt the back of his neck when Johnny left, "Gage! Man, he left me all sticky!'

"Sara was walking to her locker when Abby came running up to her. "Sara!" she called out.

"Abby! What's wrong?" Sara worried.

"It's Wade! He's been drinking like a fish and mad as a bull.

"So?" Sara shrugged. "So Wade's drinking! Big deal! He's not my problem and never was. We went out for a couple of weeks and then he attacked me. I told him to get lost and now he thinks that I'm still his. He needs to grow up. I'm seeing Tommy now," Sara stated.

"We know that! But Wade can't seem to get it through his thick skull! He's been telling the kids that he's going to make you come back to him or he'll do something drastic to you and Tommy!" Abby said.

"He's just talking and blowing smoke" Sara replied.

"He's threatening you and Tommy! You shouldn't be taking this so lightly, Sara!" Abby worried.

"I'm not," Sara said.

Abby looked down, seeing Sara's hand shaking.

Back at the station, Johnny was getting dressed when Roy came walking in, walking over to him.

"Hmmmm, the refreshing smell of maple. You're making me hungry for pancakes," Roy teased.

"Hahaha! No matter how much soap I use, I still smell like maple. What Chet do buy the extra strength syrup?" Johnny griped.

"You're talking about Chet Kelly, so it's possible!" Roy chuckled.

Johnny just finished getting dressed when Cap came into the room. "Hi Cap," he said.

"Hi Roy, John...ahhhh, Charlie called and said he could take a look at the squad and see what's causing that brake leak."

"Good! When?" Roy asked.

"He said to bring it in around 11.00," Cap answered.

"How long did he think it would take?" Johnny wondered.

"He wasn't sure," Cap shrugged. "So I'm going to stand the squad down and have 36 cover for you till it's fixed."

"Hey, Cap? A friend of mine said she sent me something, but she wouldn't tell me what "it" was. So if it comes while I'm gone can you call me at Charlie's?" Johnny asked.

"Sure Pal," Cap replied.

"Thanks, Cap!" Johnny said.

"Hey, Gage?" Cap called out.

"Yeah, Cap?" Johnny turned, answering.

"See if you can find a different aftershave will ya? The maple is making me hungry for pancakes!" he teased.

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do Cap," Johnny sighed deeply.

Cap grinned to himself as he left the locker room. Johnny slammed the door of his locker closed in frustration.

It is now 12:30 p.m., and Tommy and Sara are sitting on the hood of Tommy's car, in the back of the school's parking lot. Sara was holding the carnations that Tommy had given her and the white one Johnny got her. She's smelling them when Tommy finally asked.

"So you like the carnations?"

"Oh yes! Thank you, Tommy," she smiled, giving him a quick kiss then pulled away again.

"You're welcome," Tommy smiled. "Well, I know I sent you the 3 red
carnations, who sent you the white one?"

"A friend," Sara answered coyly.

"A he friend? Should I be jealous?" he asked.

"No, you don't have to be jealous! He's just a very special friend, that's all," she said softly.

"You're not going to tell me are you, are you?" he asked.

"Nope!" Sara said, her smile wide. "A girl is entitled to one secret, and this is mine!"

She sat teasing Tommy when Wade walked up to them. "We need to talk, Sara. Now!" he demanded.

"We have nothing to talk about Wade," Sara replied.

"YES we do!" Wade shouted, pulling a gun out of his jacket, which he pointed straight at Tommy and Sara. "Get off the car!" he ordered.

Tommy helped Sara down from the hood, putting his arms around her protectively.

"Get away from her," Wade demanded, waving the gun at him.

"No! I won't!" Tommy said defiantly.

"Move away, or I'll shoot you right here and right now!" Wade screamed, cocking the gun.

Sara moved in front of Tommy, "Wade! Stop it now!" she pleads.

"Not till we talk, Sara," Wade hissed.

"There's nothing to talk about, Wade! What you tried to do me was way over the line and you know that!" Sara screamed.

"I said I was sorry! Why can't you just forget about that! It wasn't that big of deal!" he exclaimed.

Sara turned red with fury as she took a step closer to Wade, "No BIG DEAL!" she yelled at him.

At that given moment, Abby was walking towards them. Her nose is buried in a romance boo, and she finally looked up, seeing Wade, Sara and Tommy. Sara and Wade were arguing, but she couldn't make out what was said. She ducked behind a car and peeked over the hood, watching what was going on.

"You were going to rape me, Wade!" Sara screamed, fighting. "Rape is a big deal, you son of a bitch!"

Sara hit wade with her fists as she screamed. He tried stopping her assault by grabbing her by the wrists. Seeing this as a chance to stop Wade, Tommy rushed him, knocking him to the ground. Sara watched as Tommy and Wade rolled over each other, when suddenly, a shot rang out. Wade slowly got up, looking at Tommy. He grabbed Sara, who was screaming wildly. Scared, Abby ducked down and covered her mouth, hoping that she wouldn't be discovered.

"Tommy! Oh God, nooooo!" Sara's screams resounded across the parking lot. She turned to run, only to be grabbed by Wade. "Let me go! I have to go to him!" she fought.

"He doesn't need you, Sara, he's dead," Wade replied.

"No! He can't be! Please, let me go to him!" she pleaded, struggling to break free.

"He's dead Sara and you're coming with me," Wade sneered.

"NO!" she screamed, fighting.

Wade grabbed her by the arm once more, hitting her with the back of his fist. She fell to the ground, with Wade catching her. Without thinking, he carried her to his car, putting her into the front seat. He climbed in after her, slamming the door, unaware that Abby had been watching. He burned rubber as he screeched out of the parking lot. With her heart in her throat, Abby ran over to Tommy, gently turning him over. She feels faint, seeing the blood smeared all over his chest.

"Oh My GOD! TOMMY!" she screamed for help.

Meanwhile back at Charlie's garage, Johnny was on the phone with Chet.

"Chet, has anything been delivered for me?" he asked.

"Nope, why?" Chet asked.

"Just wondering," Johnny shrugged. "I thought maybe it had been."

"Would it be from the mystery girl that called you at the station this morning?" Chet asked.

"Yes, Chet, it would be," Johnny replied.

"Well nothing has been delivered yet, but if something shows up, I'll call you. Hey would it be candy? You know I have a sweet tooth when it comes to candy!" Chet teased.

"Chet, you leave my candy alone," Johnny warned, hearing the tones in the background calling them to a rubbish fire. He stared at the phone when he heard the click on the other end.

"I take it "it" hasn't come yet?" he asked.

"No, not yet," Johnny grumbled. "Whatever it is, I hope it's good. I just hope it's not candy. Chet will eat it all if it is and I won't get any of it."

"Chet wouldn't eat all of the candy, if that's what it is," Roy reassured him.

"Sure, Roy. He's going to be really nice and leave me the crumbs," Johnny said sarcastically. "Or he'll leave the dark chocolates. Man, I hate those."

"The kids don't like them either," Roy replied, looking up from the book that he was reading.

"Man, I hope Charlie finds what's causing the brake leek. I gotta get back to the station," Johnny whined impatiently.

"Charlie's working as fast as he can. You know you don't rush him. The squad's his."

"Baby," Johnny finished for him. He sat next to Roy, trying to be more patient. "I know all that. You want some coffee?"

"Sure," Roy answered.

"Great, would you get me some?" Johnny grinned, trying to ignore the glare Roy shot at him. "Gee, can't you take a joke?" he grumbled, getting up.

"No," Roy smirked, going back to his reading while Johnny poured their coffee.

Fifteen minutes later, the cops and paramedics are on the scene of the shooting. Abby told the police all she could about what had happened, while keeping her eyes on Tommy, who was being worked on by then medics. What seemed an eternity later, they finally loaded him in the ambulance. Just then, a call came over the radio, stating that the police had spotted Wade's car going at an excessive rate of speed, heading towards Topanga Canyon. The police were in hot pursuit. Abby listened to what was going on, hoping that Sara would be ok. Suddenly, the radio was so silent, that one could hear a pin drop. An excited voice then came over the airwaves.

"10-8, 10-8, pursuit has been terminated," Officer Edward cried out. "The car has gone over the side of the road and crashed. Respond fire department and ambulances. Repeat! Pursuit is terminated! 10-8, car has gone over the side of the road and crashed."

Abby slowly slid down next to the police car she was she was standing by as she listened.

"Oh God, please let Sara be ok. PLEASE!" she cried out.

Back at the garage, the HT came to life.

"Engine 51, Squad 36 in place of Squad 51, Engine 36, respond to car over the side of the road at Topanga Canyon. Police are on scene. Time out,13.01."

"Engine 51 responding, KMG 365," Cap replied, also hearing engine 36 and
Squad 36 also replying.

"Bet the engine will be out a while," Roy said.

"Probably," Johnny agreed. "Man, I wished that Charlie would hurry up. There's nothing to do here."

"There's plenty to do if you're a mechanic," Roy grinned teasingly at Johnny.

Meanwhile at the Topanga Canyon scene, Engine 51 comes to a stop. Cap jumped out of the passenger's side of the engine. He looked over the road at the accident. He sees that the car has come to a stop on top of a fence post. Engine 36 and Squad 36 pulled up beside Engine 51. Both paramedics came up beside Cap.

"Man, it looks like it rolled a dozen times," Cade said, looking through the binoculars.

"Can you see any movement down there?" Cap asked.

"Negative, Capt. Stanley," Cade replied as Vince and his partner came running up to them.

"Vince, what happened?" Cap asked.

"Hi Hank," Vince replied, winded. "We had a reported kidnapping of a teenage girl and her ex-boyfriend. He shot the present boyfriend. He's in surgery as we speak. The ex-boyfriend grabbed the girl and shoved her into the car. One of our units spotted them and gave chase. Officer Edward said he was following them and that there appeared to a struggle going on."

"She was probably trying to stop the car somehow," Cap guessed. "Chet! Marco! Get some ropes and tie them to the engine. Cade! Cole! Get your repelling gear," Cap ordered.

"Right Capt. Stanley," Cade answered.

"Andy, have your men take down 2 lines down there and spray down the car," Cap continued.

"Ok Hank," Andy replied, running over to his engine and telling his men what to do. By now, Cade and Cole have their gear on.

"Cap, we're ready," Cole said.

"Ok," Cap nodded. "Take it nice and slow. Vince, you go down ahead of them."

"Ok, Hank," Vince replied. "Cassidy you come with me."

"Ok, Vince," Cassidy replied, following Vince down the rope.

They took it slow and easy while making their way down. Vince and Cassidy pulled their guns out and walked towards the car. Vince carefully looked inside.

"I don't see anybody in the car. They must have been thrown clear," Cade said, grabbing the HT.

"HT 51 to Engine 51. Capt. Stanley, we need some extra men down here. Looks like the occupants were thrown from the vehicle."

"10-4, HT 51," Cap answered, looking over at Andy. "We need some extra men down there looking for the driver and passenger.

"You got it Hank,"

Andy's crew descended down the ropes, also taking down the two hose lines. Chet and Marco started looking all over the site as well. Several minutes later, Cade yelled that he had found the male and that he was a Code F, and that the female had also been found but was barely alive. Chet, Marco, Andy's men, Cap, Vince, and Cassidy couldn't believe what they saw once they came to where Sara had been found. She was impaled on a fence post, which had punctured her chest. She was unconscious as Cade and Cole started treating her.

The bright light slowly faded. Kyrie looked at Johnny. He looked away from her. He wiped a tear away.

"Sara came to and asked for you. Capt. Stanley called you to come to the scene," Kyrie said, watching Johnny running a hand through his hair.

"I don't want to hear anymore," he said angrily. He sat down in the driver's seat of the squad.

"You need too," Kyrie insisted. "Once you arrived at the scene, everything was so somber. You got out of the squad just as they were bringing her up in the stokes. You ran to it when Capt. Stanley stopped you. He told you she was gone."

Johnny looked up at Kyrie, "We ran lights and siren and still didn't get to the hospital fast enough. If only we had gotten there in time."

"Johnny, her injuries were too severe. She wouldn't have made it to the hospital."

"I let her down. I wasn't there for her," Johnny said.

"Even if you had gotten there in time, it wouldn't have made a difference," Kyrie replied.

"It would have made a difference to me. She wouldn't have been alone," Johnny said.

"She wasn't alone. She had the guys from the station. You had talked to her about them. She may not have been introduced to them, but she knew them all from the way you described them to her. They all tried keeping her mind off of what was going on around her. Even Chet was telling jokes to her to get her to laugh," Johnny chuckled.

"She did laugh at some of them," Kyrie smiled.

"That's Chet," Johnny smirked. "No matter how bad something is, he'll say something funny to take your mind off what's happening."

"Chet's a nice guy, all in all," Kyrie agreed.

"Yeah, he is," Johnny agreed. He stood up, stretching. "But if you tell him that, I'll deny it!"

"I won't be talking to him this round," Kyrie said. "You have my word I won't tell him," she smiled.

Again, she smiled, looking as if she was listening to something only that she could hear. "Your time with me is almost over. Before Sara was taken to the ambulance, you pulled the yellow blanket away. She was clutching a white carnation. The one you sent her."

"Yeah, she was." Johnny said, looking away.

"She was thinking of you up until she passed on. Your friendship meant so much to her. Later that afternoon, you received what she sent to you. It had been misplaced, right?"

"The 'it' she had called about was a white rose," Johnny replied. "The flower shop had misplaced the order on the counter under some papers. By the time they found it, it was 5:00 p.m." he finished, running his hand over his face.

"The white rose meant love and friendship. She loved you deeply as a friend. You were her knight in shining armor," Kyrie said.

"Some knight. I wasn't there for her when she needed me," he said angrily.

"Johnny, you couldn't have stopped what happened. None one could," Kyrie tried reassuring him.

"You can say that all you want. I know I couldn't have stopped it but I should have been there for her before she passed away. If only we hadn't have had to get the squad fixed. We would have been there," he said.

Kyrie looked up, then back at Johnny. "You have to go now."

"Go where?" he asked.

"To another road that has what you need," she explained.

"To another road? I don't understand," he said.

"You will when you get there. Goodbye, Johnny Gage," Kyrie said, raising her hand. The bright light reappears. She lowered her hand once again, seeing Johnny gone. Kyrie then looked up.

"How do you plan to get him to see that no matter what he did, that he couldn't have been there?" she asked. "That's not usually done. I know! I know! You decide what happens! But...if that's the only way for him to see, then I guess that's what will have to be," she sighed.

As Johnny drove, the exhaustion began taking its on him. His eyes started drooping. He shook his head to keep awake, but he just couldn't keep them open. Everything went dark. A moment later, Johnny heard the blaring sound of a horn. He slowly opened his eyes. The side of his face was pressed up against the steering wheel. He moved his head back; it is pounding and he can feel the blood trickling down his forehead. He raised his hand and wiped the blood away. He opened his eyes; things were blurry. He blinked continuously until come into focus, only now he had double vision, along with a massive headache.

"Oh man," he groaned. "What happened?"

He looked over to the passenger side, panicking as he saw Roy. Unbuckling his seatbelt, Johnny leaned over to Roy and checks him out. Near as he can tell, Roy didn't have any injuries. Johnny reached for the radio mic, when he saw a bright white light appearing before him. He watched as it slowly dimmed. He saw a lady all covered in white from head to toe. A white veil covered her face. Johnny called out to her.

"I need help! We've had an accident. We need an ambulance! I think I have a concussion. My partner seems ok, but he's unconscious. I don't know if I hit anyone!" Johnny called out, greeted by a lengthy silence.

He wondered if the lady in white was listening to what he said. He started to speak again, when the lady removed her veil.

"Sara?" he asked.

"Yes, it's me, Johnny. You haven't hit anyone, but you have had an accident. I can't stay long. What I have to say, you need to understand. You were there when I crossed over."

"No Sara, I wasn't," Johnny shook his head. "I tried to get there as fast as I could, but I didn't make it in time."

"That's where you're wrong," she replied. "Remember the white carnation I was clutching in my hand when you pulled the blanket back?

"Yeah I remember," Johnny said softly.

"As I lay there knowing I wouldn't make it, I held onto it thinking of you. I knew I would probably never see you again. I pictured your crooked smile in my mind, wishing that I could see you one last time. My knight in shining armor," she smiled.

"Some knight! I couldn't even be there for you," he said angrily.

"You may not have been there physically, but you were there, here," she said, covering her heart with her hand. "That's what matters, Johnny. So don't be mad at yourself any longer. You need to tell Roy about our friendship so that he can help you with my passing. He needs to know. He cares a lot about you and he loves you as a brother. Talking to him will help you overcome losing me. Now close your eyes, and when you open them, help will be here."

"I.I can't. I have a concussion. I have to stay awake. I don't want you to go," he pleaded as she looked at him.

"I can't. Just close your eyes, Johnny. Help will be here," she smiled at him.

She raised her hand up to his face, gently caressing his cheek. Sara then leaned closer, kissing Johnny softly. She looked up at him, seeing that his eyes are closed. "Goodbye, Johnny Gage," she said, looking up at a flash of bright light that envelopes her, carrying her away. She slowly faded away as Johnny woke to the sound of his name being called.

"Johnny! Johnny, can you hear me? Come on Junior! That's it, open your eyes," Roy pleaded, bending over him.

Johnny woke to his very worried partner gazing down at him. "Wha...What happened? Ohh my head," he winces.

"We had an accident. You hit your head on the steering wheel. You may have a concussion, so you need to stay down and don't move," Roy said.

"An accident? Are you ok?" Johnny worried.

"I'm fine. I woke up just in time to see a family of deer walking across the road as we came around the corner," he told Johnny.

"Deer? Did I hit them?" he asked.

"No. You missed them. You swerved to miss them and hit the guardrail," Roy told him.

"I'm sorry," Johnny said.

"Why are you sorry? You had no choice! If you hadn't have swerved, you would have hit them!" Roy said.

"How bad is the squad?" Johnny worried.

"The right bumper is crunched a little and the door is scraped, but it's nothing that Charlie can't fix," Roy surmised.

"Wonderful! I can't wait to hear Charlie. I wrecked his baby," Johnny groaned.

"Well it's better to wreck his baby then us. We can't be replaced," Roy grinned.

Johnny raised his hand to his forehead, "How long was I out?" he asked.

"About five minutes," Roy shrugged. "You have small cut on your forehead, but I bandaged it. The engine is about 10 minutes away and an ambulance is in route."

"Well since they aren't here and we have time, I need to talk to you alone," Johnny said.

"At least it'll keep you awake till we can get you to Rampart," Roy shrugged. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"Sara," Johnny said quietly.

"We don't have too," Roy replied.

"Yeah, I do," Johnny answered.

Kyrie and Sara were standing next to the squad watching as Johnny told Roy he story of how they met. They can't be seen by Johnny and Roy.

"Will Johnny be ok?" Sara asked.

"He'll be fine," Kyrie reassured her. "He has a mild concussion and a cut that will heal nicely. Dr. Brackett is a pretty good doctor; he won't even leave a scar," she smiled at Sara.

"Does Johnny finally understand that he was there for me?" she asked.

"Yes, he understands that now," Kyrie answered. "You'll always be in his heart and his memory."

"Will I be able to see him again?" Sara wondered.

"Oh yes! You'll be there for him when he needs someone to talk too, or someone to watch over him during trying times," Kyrie reassured her.

"I will?" Sara asked happily.

"Yes, you will," Kyrie nodded.

"Will he know I'm there?"

"He'll know," she answered, smiling at Sara. "We need to go now."

"Before we go, can we see how Tommy's doing?" Sara asked.

"I don't see why not. He's been upset as well," Kyrie nodded.

”Will I be able to talk to him as I did Johnny?" Sara hoped.

"Yes," Kyrie smiled.

"I feel so bad," Sara admitted.

"I know you do, but both Tommy and Johnny will get better as time goes on. It won't be easy for them, but it will get better. They have your memory and that's what will get them threw all the sadness," Kyrie said.

They heard the siren from Engine 51. "We need to go now. Johnny is in good hands," Kyrie said to Sara, who looked at Johnny and then at Roy.

"Yeah, he is in the best," Sara smiled.

Kyrie raised her hand; two small white balls of light rose up in the air and hovered for a moment, then took off like a shot.

The End


Thanks to my muses MK for all the help with out her this wouldn't have been done or typed or tweaked. Thanks for all the encouragement. You're the BEST!!!:) And to Journey's Arrival CD for the inspiration. Pally