Twenty Minutes: Roy's World By tuna.dc 'Everything comes down to Twenty Minutes when John Gage's life is on the line. Or at least that's what it seems to me. Give or take a minute here or there. It's part of the divine plan, I guess. I don't know what happened, one minute we were looking for victims and wham, the floor gives way and Johnny disappears down into oblivion. My tank says I have about Twenty Minutes of air left and we both came into this thing together. Yeah, that's the truth, we did both come into this thing together, a long time ago now. Seems like yesterday, seems more than Twenty Minutes. Help should be coming right along. Good thing I was able to run out and tell the Cap about what happened. He's sending in everyone from 51, even Mike. We'll get him out of there soon enough. I took my helmet and mask off as I walk back to the Cap. He puts his hands on my shoulders. I tell him I'm okay. But my worst fears are realized; they can't raise on the HT. Cap must see the fear in my eyes cause he tells me not to panic.' "Roy were you injured at all?" "No Cap, I'm fine." "You're sure?" "Look Cap, I said I was okay!" 'Oops I shouldnta said it that way.' "Sorry Cap, I guess I'm stressed." 'There's not much I can do while I wait here. The fire's nearly out now, but this excavation is gonna take all night. First we gotta find a way to get some air down to him. I think we can shoot down a hose with some O2. It looks like it'll fit. The guys are bringing it in. For now, all I can do is wait and think and wonder. I don't like sitting here waiting, but I understand why the Cap needs me here. I can't tire myself out. I'm gonna need my strength to take care of Johnny if they find him in time. No, I mean when they find him in time. He's like my brother. Sometimes I don't think I even understand the bond that we have. Most of the time we both just go along, living in the present, not giving much thought to what came before or what will happen down the road. But it's these times; these situations that make me pause and think. I feel empty, I feel lost. Man, I just don't even feel anything at all. It hurts so badly. Twenty Minutes… Another deep breath escapes through my lips. The smoke is clearing, and my head wanders back to the last time I uttered those two stupid words. Twenty Minutes was the moment between life and death and again, Johnny's life was held in the balance. Some rattlesnake had got him up in the foothills. He was cleaning up after a rescue. I was already back at the hospital. I came in by copter. I felt the same way then, that I do right now, numb. I heard Doc Brackett tell Chet the anti-venom would react in Twenty Minutes. I must have repeated those words, because the next thing I remember, Dixie McCall was ushering me out of the treatment room. She has the sixth sense on what firemen go through. God bless her. God, I felt so helpless, so alone. Why couldn't it have been me? Just like all of the other times too. There was that Asian Flu. He was on that scaffold for nearly Twenty Minutes before I could get him topside. And every second mattered. One fireman had already died from that stupid monkey virus. And when that car took him out, we waited damn near Twenty Minutes for an ambulance to arrive. It was touch and go. I did everything I could; it just didn't seem like enough at the time. But Johnny told me after that, that he could just feel my presence, like it was my will that was keeping him going, seeing him through the pain. He said he felt it during each one of those instances. One night we were talking about it. He said the Man above held us in his hand and made us blood brothers and bonded us for life. Then he laughed at the Indian reference he'd just made and drank down the rest of the beer he had in the bottle. I looked away, avoiding his eyes, but we both believed it and it's ended up working for both of us. There are voices off in the distance. The guy's are getting close. It's less than Twenty Minutes now. I hear the Cap say, "Johnny if you can hear us, where almost there buddy." The pile of debris does not reply. My gauge is emptying fast. I hope he's hanging on. Here are the guys. "Let's get that O2 hose down there quick. He's gonna need air," my smoke-filled voice rasps out to the guys. "You got it Roy," Chet says, with that unflappable grin and twinkle in his eyes. Why do you do this to me John Gage? I want to shout at him, only he's not here to shout at. And I wouldn't shout at him anyway. I never do. Joanne says we're polar opposites and that's what makes us great partners. I just think John's right. God planned this whole thing, he put us together and even Twenty Minutes won't keep us apart. It hasn't yet. It's gonna be alright. I look up when I hear Marco found Johnny. I run over to see what condition he's in. Holding my breath, I bend down to check his pulse on his foot, not knowing what I'll find......... |