Switch Part Two - Inauspicious Beginnings by Kajakat & R Stull "I really appreciate your help, Johnny." A very pregnant JoAnne said. She was in her eighth month of a rather large, yet uneventful pregnancy. "Well, I know Roy and Chris needed the break before the baby gets here. Knowing my partner, he'd never leave you, so I volunteered to keep an eye on ya." Johnny said with a wink. "It'll give the two of them a chance to bond at the Boys Scout Father & Son weekend." "I'm glad my mom agreed to take Jen too. I love her dearly, but she's become so protective of me and the baby." JoAnne said patting her belly. "I really wanted to have some time to myself and do the little things I never seem to get around to doing." With a grin on his face, Johnny said, "Jen's just preparing her role as older sister." Johnny was helping JoAnne fix the room up for the baby, a task that excited him. With Johnny's amount of energy, JoAnne was certain the job would be completed in no time. Not knowing if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl made the job easy for JoAnne to set up the room. She used neutral colors. "Johnny, let's take a break. How about I treat you to lunch?" Johnny's stomach gave his answer away, as it grumbled. They both laughed. "But you're gonna have to drive, as it's getting harder for me to fit behind the wheel." "When do expect Roy back, Jo?" "He told me he'd be home for dinner. I think he'll be home earlier, just cause he worries. It's not that he doesn't trust you Johnny. Lord knows you're the next best person to be with if anything happens, but…" she didn't finish, but looked at him. "I know Roy's guilt very well!" Johnny was stopped in his tracks. He couldn't look JoAnne in her eyes any longer. His guilt about his actions one night eight months ago played on his mind. There were strong possibilities that this baby was conceived during the time that Johnny and Roy's bodies were switched. This idea weighed very heavily on Johnny's mind. Part of him was elated with the thoughts of having a little one of his own even if he could never acknowledge that fact. Then there was part of him that was terrified. If Johnny's betrayal was ever discovered, not only would he lose his partner, he'd lose his best friend and adopted family. If Roy had any doubts, he never shared them. Roy trusted his partner, but he too had also strayed from his fidelity while in Johnny's body. Roy often thought about his night with Suzanne. He also wanted, on several occasions, to get this dalliance off his chest. After many sleepless nights, he felt it was far better to just remain quiet about the whole matter. *^*^* Johnny and JoAnne left the DeSoto's home and went to Johnny's Range Rover. Johnny helped JoAnne get into the car. He made sure the seatbelt fit snugly around her belly. As he did this, he paused to touch her tummy. JoAnne saw Johnny's hesitation. She took his hand with her hand and placed it on her belly. No matter how many babies he delivered, Johnny was still in awe of the miracle of life. A smile spread across Johnny's face, pure delight about the little miracle growing inside JoAnne's belly. "She's kicking now." JoAnne said, with a growing smile. "She?" "I don't know how I know, but it's a girl." The grin Johnny sported only grew. But then he frowned. He though about a girl, possibly his daughter, was developing in JoAnne's belly. He didn't want to think of that possibility, but the thought entered his mind every now and then. The DeSotos were his adopted family and he'd do anything for them. He'd do even more for this little present. They drove to a luncheonette and had lunch. At first JoAnne was hungry, but the more she ate, the harder it became to breathe. Johnny noticed her discomfort. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. JoAnne looked at him and nodded. "I get so hungry, but can't each much. The doctor said I should eat small meals, that way my stomach and the baby won't compete for space. Don't worry, Johnny. I'm fine. Remember that I've had two other children." JoAnne said with a smile tapping his hand with her's. Awkwardly, Johnny moved his hand away then asked, "when I ask Roy what names you're thinking about, he just shrugs. Tell me, what names have you thought about?" JoAnne put her sandwich back on the plate before answering. "We haven't really decided. If it's a girl, Randi, and if it's a boy, Kevin. I kinda like both names. What do you think?" Johnny liked the names. He smiled in agreement with the choices and nodded. "And if it's twins?" he asked jokingly. "Don't even say that John Gage! My four kids are enough already." JoAnne admonished with a grin. "Four kids?" "Jen, Chris, Roy and YOU," she giggled. After lunch, the two walked slowly back to the Rover. Johnny held onto JoAnne's arm to steady her movement so she wouldn't trip over the uneven concrete. "Oh Johnny. I need to stop by the Quick Mart to pick up stuff for dinner tonight. I hope you're planning to join us." JoAnne said. Before committing, Johnny asked, "whatcha making?" "John Gage, since when do you care what I'm making?" "Boy, pregnant woman is cranky," Johnny said in a deep voice. JoAnne looked at him and winked, "I'm making Mike's spaghetti." "Have you ever known me to turn down a meal?" Johnny helped JoAnne get into the car. He secured the seatbelt around her again and he was rewarded with a kick from the little one. Johnny inwardly smiled. Swiftly, Johnny jogged around and jumped into his Rover. Taking note as to where they were, Johnny promptly drove to the closest Quick Mart that was on the way back to the DeSoto's residence. Johnny knew JoAnne was tired and wanted to get her back home so she could rest. "Jo, let's go to this market. It's closer." Johnny suggested. JoAnne looked at Johnny and shook her head. She closed her eyes again and rested until Johnny was stopped. Once parked, Johnny helped JoAnne out from the car. They slowly walked toward the store. JoAnne had to stop once, feeling some discomfort in her lower abdomen. "Are you okay JoAnne?" Johnny asked with concern. "Yeah. The baby decided to give me a good kick, that's all." JoAnne answered smiling and continued, "I don't remember Chris or Jen being this active." Once inside the store, Johnny patted JoAnne on the arm. "JoAnne, I'm gonna get a cuppa coffee." Then he walked over to the coffee station. JoAnne didn't know her way around the store, so she had to browse the small aisles to find what she needed. While she walked around finding what she needed for dinner, two men came into the market with masks on their faces. The taller of the two went straight to the cashier with his gun in his hand aimed at her face. "Give me all of your money and no one will be hurt," he said. The cashier tried to do as she was told, but knocked a large display over, which made a crashing sound. Johnny, heard the noise, and ran over to where the commotion came from. "Hold it right there, skinny," the second gunman said pointing the gun at Johnny's stomach. John reflexively put his hands up, 'Okay, man, you'll get no trouble from me." "Good." The shorter man moved Johnny closer to the cashier while keeping his gun trained on the paramedic. The taller man looked around. "Is there anyone else in here besides them?" The smaller man went through the market. Johnny started to panic, as he knew JoAnne was in the back. Johnny tried to figure out a way to get JoAnne out of here safely. The smaller man found her in the back and moved her forward, using the gun to push here. "Don't do that." Johnny yelled. The taller man went over to Johnny and pistol-whipped him, knocking him down. JoAnne screamed at the action. "We'll do whatever we want. Got it!?" the taller man shouted. Johnny slowly got up from the floor, rubbing the spot where the robber hit him. He went over to be near JoAnne. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded her head yes. He then protectively put his arm around her. "Such a cute couple." "Yeah, if she wasn't expectin' I'd show her a good time." The taller man proclaimed. Hearing that made JoAnne shudder. Johnny held her tighter. "That never stopped ya before." The shorter man replied. The two masked men laughed and returned to their business. They cleared out the cash register till. "Gimme your wallet." Johnny complied. The taller robber went through it and found only $20. "You, give me your purse." Joanne took her bag off her shoulder and gave it to the man. He rummaged through it and found her wallet. He took out her $30. "Gimme your jewelry," the smaller robber said pointing his gun at JoAnne. She reached for her ring and struggled to take it off. Her fingers were swollen which made it difficult to remove. "Come on now. Hurry up! I ain't got all day, woman." "Her fingers are swollen. Let her keep her ring." Johnny said. The robber lifted his gun to smack Johnny again, but JoAnne succeeded in taking the ring off. She quickly handed it to the man. No one noticed another car pull up. It happened to be an unmarked police car that routinely stopped there for coffee. The driver stayed in the car while his partner went to the Quick Mart to get their beverages. When the unsuspecting man walked into the store, the shorter robber was startled and shot the man. JoAnne screamed and fainted. Johnny caught her and gently put her on the floor. "What did you have to do that for?" the taller robber asked. "I - he - I...I was surprised." Replied his accomplice. Johnny got up to go over to the cop. "Where are you goin, skinny?" "Let me see if I can help him?" "Why, you a doctor?" "No, I'm a paramedic." Johnny said face to face with the taller masked man. The criminal nodded his approval. Johnny walked over to the prone man. He saw the bullet entered the chest on the left side. Johnny bent down to feel for a carotid pulse. There was none. Johnny saw no signs of breathing either. He knew that this man was dead. Johnny put his bloodied hands to his face and shook his head. He got up and walked slowly back over to JoAnne, who was coming around. "What happened Johnny?" She asked. He crouched down to be eye level with her. "Shh Jo, everything will be okay." He said softly as he wiped his blood stained hands on his pants. While this was going on, the other police officer heard the gunshot and called it in. Within minutes, police cars surrounded the Quick Mart. "You in the store, come out with your hands up." The shorter of the two robbers looked at the other. "What are we gonna do now?" "We got hostages, so we got something to use." The taller man snapped back. The taller robber grabbed the cashier and walked to the door. Using her as a shield, he hollered, "You listen to me, we got three hostages. You come anywhere near us and you'll have a blood bath." JoAnne was sobbing, terrified that she was never going to see her family again. Johnny was sitting next to her, holding her. He was scared too, but not for his life. He was scared for JoAnne, Roy, Chris, Jennifer and the baby that was yet to be born. The taller robber moved the cashier over next to Johnny and JoAnne. They left the body of the policeman at the front of the store. "Do you have any sheets that I can use to cover him?" Johnny asked the cashier. She just stared at him and didn't answer. Probably in shock, he thought. The phone rang. The taller robber went to answer it. "Yes," he yelled into the receiver. "My name is Detective Crockett. Let me first say that we don't want anyone hurt. How many hostages you have in there?" "We got the cashier, a guy and a very pregnant lady. Don't mess with me. I won't hesitate using my gun again." "What about the man who was shot?" The taller robber slammed the receiver down. Johnny was not used to sitting still. He was a man of action. He kept looking around to determine what his chances were. He was distracted when JoAnne let out a moan and clutched her lower abdomen. "JoAnne, what's a matter?" "Johnny, I think I'm going into labor." JoAnne said slightly panicking. Johnny reached over to her and went into paramedic mode. He took her pulse and listened to her breathing. He put his hand on her belly. JoAnne had another contraction. "Johnny, it's too early for this to be happening. Oh my G-d, not now" her voice shaking with fear. "Jo, calm down and breathe deep. You know sometimes these little fellas don't know it's suppose to be nine months," he said in his soft, caring voice. A little bit of excitement might be causing this. Lemme see what I can do." Johnny got up slowly, trying to make no threatening moves. The shorter robber moved over to him. "Where do you think you're going, skinny?" "Look you gotta let this lady out of here. She's gone into labor." The shorter robber smiled. "Oh yeah?" He took his gun and cold-cocked Johnny. "Now go sit down there and don't bother anyone." Johnny was a bit fazed from the blow. He put his hand to his face and felt the blood dripping down. His more immediate concern was for JoAnne. He went back over to her. "Oh Johnny," she said gently touching the side of his face. JoAnne's touch brought back a vivid memory from the night they spent together eight months ago. He paused to collect his thoughts before replying. "It's nothing Jo. Just typical Gage charm at work." They both falsely laughed. The cashier was still out of it but started muttering to herself. The shorter robber approached the taller one. "I think we may have a problem." "What?" The taller man snapped. "The pregnant lady. She's gone in labor." The taller man chuckled. "Oh really. Well now this could get a bit more interesting than I first thought." "What do you mean?" The shorter man asked. "Think about it. Have you ever done a Preggers in labor before," the taller man chuckled. "No! I don't think that's such a good idea, man." The taller man stuck his gun into the shorter ones face. "What's wrong with ya? Loose your nerve. I can guarantee it will be a lot of fun." "Look man. We came to grab the cash. We didn't come here to bang a Pregger. I think we should really think about getting out of this mess somehow." The taller man glanced at the hostages and then out the front of the store at the police. "How about you go check the back door?" "I'm sure the police already have that exit covered?" The taller man pointed his gun at the shorter one. "That wasn't a request." "Okay, man! Keep your shorts on. I'm going." Before the shorter man could move the phone rang again. The taller man picked up the receiver and growled into it. " What?" "This is Detective Crockett. We don't want to make this matter worse. We have a paramedic squad here that we'd like to send in to check the hostages. Will you let us?" The taller man said, "hold on a sec." He put the phone down. "Hey you, skinny. You said you're a paramedic. They want to send paramedics in to check on you. Why don't you talk to the cop and tell him how everyone is. No funny stuff or your wife gets it. We've already shot one person so any others are just bonuses." Johnny slowly got up. "I won't do anything to endanger her." He dropped JoAnne's hand and walked to the phone. "Hello?" "This is Detective Crockett. Who's this?" "This is John Gage." "John Gage? What the hell are you doing in there?" "Wrong place at the wrong time." "How is everyone in there? How's the policeman." Johnny paused before answering. He ran his hand through his hair. "He's a code F. There are two females - one is catatonic and the other is eight months pregnant. She's going through either false labor or the real thing." "Do you need anything?" "Well if it's the real thing, I'm gonna need the OB kit. Detective, be aware that it's Roy's wife and he doesn't know we're here." The taller man grabbed the phone away from Johnny. "Listen to me Detective Crockett," he said in a mocking tone, " we don't need anyone to check on these guys. You heard skinny say, they're okay." "At least send out the pregnant woman." "No deal - she's keeping skinny here in line." "What do you want?" "We just want to get out of here." JoAnne let out another, louder moan. "Johnny, I think it's the real thing." JoAnne said anxiously. Johnny moved closer to the robbers. The shorter man pointed the gun at him. "Look if you're not gonna let her go, at least let me get some gear to make her comfortable. The paramedics have all the stuff I need." Johnny's eyes pleaded with the robbers. The taller man picked up the phone again and handed it to Johnny. "Tell 'em what you need." Johnny looked at the robber and said, "thank you." He took the phone and spoke, "look I'm gonna need the OB kit, the drug box and the bio phone." "Consider it done. Tell them we'll leave it by the door." "Okay." Johnny put the receiver down. "They're gonna put the stuff I need by the door." The two robbers watched as two paramedics put three boxes at the Quick Mart's entrance. Johnny started to make a move to get the equipment. The shorter man quickly moved toward Johnny and butted him in the kidney. He went down hard grabbing at his back. Angrily, the shorter man said, "remember where you are skinny. No one told you to get the stuff." Johnny lay on the floor writhing in pain. But he thought to himself that he had to get himself together. JoAnne needed him. The shorter man carefully walked to the door and brought each box back into the store. He carried the boxes over to where JoAnne was sitting. The robbers looked at JoAnne suspiciously when she started to get up from the floor. "I'm just going to check on him," she said pointing to Johnny who was still on the floor. As she walked over to Johnny, JoAnne clutched her stomach. She knelt down beside her friend. "Johnny, are you okay?" she said softly, as she rubbed his back. Johnny coughed and looked up at JoAnne. He slowly repositioned himself so that he was sitting on the floor "I'm okay Jo. How ya feeling?" He continued to cough. "I think I'm gonna have the baby. Actually, I'm certain that I'm in labor," JoAnne groaned as she once again clutched her stomach. Johnny got up slowly. He leaned on the wall for assistance. His back hurt, but he couldn't let it show. He knew he had to be strong for JoAnne. He walked over to where the shorter man placed the equipment and found the boxes had been opened and rifled through. Some of the drugs, along with the BP cuff, were lying on the floor beside the drug box. Johnny glanced and narrowed his eyes at the two men. Picking up the stethoscope and BP cuff, Johnny walked back over to JoAnne so he could take her readings. Using his green pen he wrote the numbers down on a piece of scrap paper. He didn't like what he was seeing. He took the stethoscope, gently opened JoAnne's maternity blouse and listened to the fetal heart tones. "Is everything okay, Johnny?" Joanne asked between contractions. She was perspiring and kept making a fist with her hands to help alleviate the pain. Johnny displayed his crooked grin and replied, "everything looks good. I'm gonna get on the horn with Rampart." Johnny got up slowly and went to the biophone. "I need this to contact the hospital." He said firmly. He took the biophone and placed it on the floor next to JoAnne. He opened the box, put the antenna in and connected with Rampart. "Rampart this is squad, correction, John Gage." Kelly Brackett opened the line to reply and gave Dixie a peculiar look. "This is Rampart, go ahead John." "Rampart, we have a 32-year-old woman in her eighth month of pregnancy. She's gone into labor. Contractions are every five minutes. Vital signs are pulse 90, respiration 24 and blood pressure is 130/84. "How far away from Rampart are you?" "Ten minutes, Rampart." "Continue to monitor and transport." Johnny paused, looked at JoAnne, who was going through another contraction, then at the two robbers. "Rampart, be advised that we are being held hostage. Our captors won't let us go." Brackett looked at Dixie who paled. She then said, "Kel, Johnny is with JoAnne today. Roy took Chris to the Boy Scout weekend." Brackett opened the line, "Johnny, is JoAnne the pregnant woman?" "Affirmative Rampart." "Continue to monitor the baby's progress and prepare to deliver." "Affirmative Rampart." Johnny put the biophone down. He got up and looked around. The taller man looked at him. "What are you looking for, skinny?" "I need to find an area where this baby can be delivered." He ran his hand through his hair, grimacing when he touched his bump. Johnny looked at the shorter man. He felt that he was more sympathetic of the two men. "Look, I just wanna move her to give her some privacy." The shorter man looked at his partner and whispered, "Look man, we had better let him help her. We don't need to borrow any more trouble." The taller man laughed. "Trouble. Let me tell you about trouble. With you shooting and killing the cop, we couldn't get into any more trouble if we tried." The taller man looked at JoAnne just as another contraction hit. Then he looked back at his partner. "Fine. But if they pull any funny stuff, you're getting it. Understand?" The taller man said waving the barrel of the gun in the shorter man's face. The shorter man swallowed hard and nodded. He was beginning to wish this day never started. Walking back over to Johnny he said, "okay, move her to the back. But don't do anything stupid, skinny." Johnny walked over to JoAnne. "JoAnne, honey, do you think you can walk, if I help you?" JoAnne, looking exhausted shook her head yes. He helped her get up and they slowly walked to the back of the store. Johnny held her left arm and used his right arm to support her back. The shorter man carried the OB kit with him. Johnny helped JoAnne sit down on the floor in the back of the market. He went back to the front and picked up the biophone and the drug box then returned to the back of the store. The taller man was curious as to what was going on in the back so he strolled down the aisle toward Johnny and JoAnne. He temporarily forgot about his other hostage. The cashier kept her eyes on him and when he was just out of sight, she slowly got up and bolted for the door. A flash of clothing caught the taller man's eye. He turned and saw the cashier trying to escape. Bolting back toward the front of the store, he aimed his gun and fired at the fleeing girl. The gunshots shattered the door and the window and hit the girl, knocking her down. The police returned the fire hitting the taller man in the shoulder. Then, the gunfire subsided. Johnny held JoAnne in his arms using his body to protect her from the gunfire. JoAnne screamed from the noise and from her labor pain. Johnny couldn't take his eyes off of her. He wanted to make sure that she was safe. "I'm shot!" the taller man yelled and fell to the floor. The shorter man looked at his partner and then looked at Johnny. The phone began to ring again The shorter man raced over to Johnny pointing the gun at his head, and shouted, "go help him." Johnny looked at the shorter man and shook his head no. He didn't release his hold on JoAnne. The robber cocked the gun and aimed it at Johnny's head.. JoAnne groaned as another contraction hit and then started to cry. She was terrified that Johnny was going to be killed. She pushed Johnny away from her in order to save his life. She pleaded, "please! Johnny, go help him. I'm okay, for now." Johnny reluctantly nodded his head and walked over to where the taller man lay on the floor. He checked the gunshot damage and found an exit wound. He went into paramedic mode and took the vital signs of the prone man The phone in the store continued to ring. "Dammit, will you get that phone." Johnny shouted, startling the shorter man. The shorter man walked over to the phone all the while keeping his gun trained on Johnny. "Yeah?" he shouted into the receiver almost before getting it to his mouth. "This is Detective Crockett. Is everyone okay in there?" "Yeah" the shorter man yelled. Then, he slammed the phone down. Johnny got up and went to the biophone. "Rampart, this is John." "Go ahead John." "Rampart, we have a male gunshot victim. There is an exit wound. Vital signs are pulse 120, respiration is 30 and shallow, blood pressure is 100/70. "Commence treatment with………. How's the woman in labor?" "Rampart, contractions are 2 ˝ minutes apart." "Ten-four, John. Keep us informed." ## Roy and Chris arrived home from their trip. He was a bit surprised to find Johnny's Rover gone, but figured JoAnne sent him on an errand. Roy was glad that he had the time to spend with Chris knowing once the baby's born, he'd have even less time to spend with his son. Chris was behaving better and wasn't acting out as much. Roy thought it had something to due with the fact he was going to have another sibling. Whatever caused Chris' turnaround, Roy didn't question. He was just grateful. The two went inside and found the house empty. Roy was a bit taken back, figuring JoAnne would be home resting. Roy walked into the baby's room and smiled. He saw how much work his partner had put into preparing it. He recognized that Johnny took a lot of pleasure helping them out. Roy's children were already born when he met Johnny, so this entire baby process was a new experience for his partner and he appeared to be truly enjoying the education. Roy went to his bedroom to change out from his scout's uniform. He heard a car drive into the driveway and figured it was JoAnne and Johnny returning from their outing. Roy walked downstairs to greet the two. When he opened the door he was shocked to find Vince Howard and Hank Stanley standing out front. "Hello Roy, can we come in?" Vince asked. This feeling of dread overwhelmed Roy. "What's wrong?" He started wringing his hands. Hank Stanley answered Roy. "Everyone's okay, for now Roy. JoAnne and Johnny are being held hostage at the Quick Mart on Sepulveda." "Oh my G-d," was Roy's response. He started to feel faint and walked over to the sofa to sit down. "Dad, is everything okay?" Chris asked. None of the three men saw Chris come downstairs. Roy motioned for Chris to come over to him. Roy put his hands on Chris' shoulders. "Your mom is with Johnny right now. They're okay, but we're going to go see them." Roy answered with his voice wavering. Hank nodded. "Squad16 is there, monitoring the situation. According to Detective Crockett, Johnny asked for the OB kit." Roy gasped. "The baby isn't due for another month!" "Come on Roy, you know babies are on their own timetable - even baby DeSoto." "I know, Cap, but…." "And you know Roy, JoAnne is in very capable hands. How many babies have you and John delivered?" Roy had to think and then he relaxed a bit. "Lots of them." "John will take care of this as if it was his own." Captain Stanley didn't know his words had a ring of truth to it. The three men and one boy loaded into the sedan and pulled away. No one noticed that Roy was still shaking. ## The shorter man paced. His buddy was injured and unconscious. He didn't know what to do. JoAnne's moaning wasn't making it any easier. With each contraction, she moaned louder. "Can't you shut up!" the shorter man bellowed as he paced back in forth. Johnny looked up at the man. "Whaddya want her to do? She's gonna have a baby!" "JOHNNY!" JoAnne screamed as another, stronger contraction hit. "I'm here JoAnne, I'm here." JoAnne grabbed Johnny's arm tight, as once again a contraction gripped her abdomen. "I can feel the baby," she said between clinched teeth. "Uuuuunnnnnnggguuuhhhhh. JOOOHHHNNNNYYYYYYYY" JoAnne screamed. "Shh, JoAnne. It's going to be okay. I'm going to take a look." Johnny said, stroking JoAnne's forehead. He then went into full paramedic mode. JoAnne was moaning louder. The shorter man paced and began talking to himself. Johnny checked JoAnne. He picked up the biophone to notify the hospital. "Rampart, the baby is crowning." "Well, John, it's time to deliver the baby," came from Dr. Brackett. John arranged all of the birthing equipment. JoAnne was squeezing her eyes shut with the pain. Tears escaped her eyes and began to run down her cheeks. "JOOHHNNYY. PLEEAASSEE HHEELLPP MMEE." "Okay Jo, I want you to breathe deeply. I need you to relax. You've been through this before. " Johnny soothingly said. He was a nervous wreck, even though he couldn't show it. Johnny knew he had to remain strong for JoAnne's sake. It was bad enough to be held hostage, with an armed man nervously pacing nearby. But, to have JoAnne so close to giving birth to a baby that might be his, increased his anxiety. Once Johnny got JoAnne to relax some and control her breathing, he went about giving JoAnne more instructions. "Okay Jo, this is what I need you to do. I want you to take a couple of deep breaths and then when I say push, you push for a count of ten. Are you ready? Johnny asked. JoAnne listened to her coaching. She took two deep breaths and then held the third one. "Jo. Hon! When I say push, I want you to push really hard, Okay? " JoAnne nodded. Her face was red and beads of perspiration were on her forehead. "Are you ready, Jo?" She stared into John's eyes and he stared back with a crooked grin on his face. JoAnne had this overwhelming calm feeling come over her. She nodded again. "I am Johnny." He winked at her and gave her his famous smile. "Okay, now one, two, three, hold it. Push now." And she did. JoAnne pushed like she never did before. Johnny guided the baby's head out. With another contraction, Johnny helped rotate the baby's shoulders. Once the shoulders cleared JoAnne's body, the rest of the baby slipped out and the little one began to wail. Johnny smiled as he suctioned the baby's airway with the bulb and then applied the clamps. He proceeded to cut the umbilical cord and clean the baby. He smiled and spoke soothing words as the baby continued to wail. He wrapped the newborn in a clean sheet. "JoAnne, you were right. You have a perfect girl!" Johnny said. He left the biophone open so Dr. Brackett could hear what was going on. Both Brackett and Dixie beamed with delight that the delivery went well. Then they both prayed to a quick and safe end to the hostage situation. As Johnny started to place the infant on JoAnne's abdomen, JoAnne tensed up as she felt another pain shoot through her lower abdomen. She squeezed her eyes shut till the discomfort passed. Then she looked at Johnny who sported a confused look on his face. "Johnny, you're not going to believe this, but I think there's another one!" Johnny looked at JoAnne as he held the baby girl in his arms. "Another what?" He asked. "Another baby." JoAnne said matter of fact. Suddenly a hard contraction gripped JoAnne and she groaned loudly. For the first time, Johnny panicked. He took some deep breaths. He placed the swaddled baby on the floor next to JoAnne. It continued to cry. He checked on JoAnne and saw another baby crowning. "Well Jo, it looks like your four children fantasy is about to come true. Like before, when I say push, you push." "Johnny, I don't think I have anything left in me." Johnny took JoAnne's hand in his. "Come on JoAnne, I know you can do it. How many times have you told that to me? I'm right here with you." "I'm gonna kill that husband of mine. Twins no less!" JoAnne said with clenched teeth. She freed her hand from Johnny's grip. Johnny laughed and then froze. He wondered if either or both babies were his. His head began to spin. For the first time, Johnny was close to losing it. He knew he had to keep it together for JoAnne, so he pretended to be busy setting things up. He took some deep breaths to control his anxiety. The baby girl was still crying as he gently took her from JoAnne's arms and placed her safely on the floor for the time being. "Johnny, are you okay? You look a little green." JoAnne asked before another contraction ripped through her. She continued, "take a deep breath now and HELP ME." JoAnne's guttural scream brought Johnny back to his senses. He put his mind back into his professional guise. "Okay Jo, just like before, when I say push, push hard." JoAnne nodded. She looked so exhausted. Johnny was glad that he started an IV to keep her fluids up. "Push, push now." Another shout came from JoAnne and she pushed. Johnny was in position and helped rotate baby number two. "Okay JoAnne, just a little longer. Push again." JoAnne gritted her teeth and pushed and her second baby was born. She screamed, "Roy DeSoto, I'm gonna kill you!" John went into action and aspirated the baby. He applied the clamps. The baby was a bit bluish. Johnny recognized the symptoms and started to massage the baby to help get it's circulation going. He cut the umbilical chord. With his gloved hands, he picked up the biophone. "Rampart, this is John." "Go ahead." "Baby number one is fine. Baby number two is cyanotic, limp, with sluggish response. Baby is dyspneic but has taken spontaneous breaths. I've cleared the airway and will start him on O2. He is low on the apgar scale. I estimate about 3. "Johnny, it's imperative that you bring that baby in." "Johnny, what's wrong? I haven't heard that baby cry." "JoAnne, everything's okay. This baby is just having a little trouble getting his motor started." "It's a boy?" "Yes JoAnne, you've got another son." "Another son." JoAnne smiled. She reached over to pick up her baby girl. Johnny went to the gunman. "Look I gotta get this baby and that woman to the hospital. Keep me, but let them go." The robber looked at Johnny and shook his head. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. We just wanted to get some money and go to Mexico. I'm so sorry. He looked at Johnny one last time and walked away. When he went to the front of the store, Johnny heard a single gunshot. He placed the baby boy down on the floor and ran to the front. The shorter man had shot himself in the head. There was nothing that anyone could do. The police heard the shot, but were paralyzed to do anything. When Chris heard the shot he cringed and looked at his father for reassurance. Roy had to keep his composure. He put his arms on his son's shoulders for comfort. The next thing everyone saw was John Gage walking out from the mart. His bloody gloved hands were in the air. Detective Crockett ran forward with other policemen. Roy started for the market, but was held back by Captain Stanley. "Roy, let the police give the okay and then I'll let you in with Squad 16." As much as he didn't want to do it, Roy stayed in his spot. Hank was holding him back by his shoulders. The detective went back in with Johnny. When Crockett secured the place, he signaled for the paramedics to come in. Roy ran in too, but motioned that Chris should stay with the Captain. "Johnny?" Roy shouted. "Back here Roy." Roy ran to the back where he found Johnny sitting down on the floor talking softly and holding a baby. He also saw his wife on the floor with another baby. "Twins?" Roy asked. "Twins." Johnny said triumphantly. Roy fainted. While everyone was bustling around, Johnny held the baby girl, wondering and worrying about her lineage. Johnny remembered the night of passion he shared with JoAnne. He tried not to remember it, but it was such an unexplainable wonder. For a long time after the switch, he was unable to look JoAnne in the eyes. He was ashamed of his behavior. But now, when he looked at the infant, he was in awe. He knew this girl was part of him. Somehow, his hereditary was in this baby. Johnny would have to live with the fact that no one could ever know this. This brought a huge sadness to his heart and soul. ## JoAnne, the babies, Johnny and Roy were transported to Rampart. Captain Stanley agreed to bring Chris to the hospital. JoAnne and the babies were examined by Dr. Brackett. Johnny, at first refused medical treatment. But found he was getting dizzy. "I guess the adrenaline is wearing off." Dr. Morton took Johnny into another treatment room. Dr Early took Roy to a third room. Everyone was checked out and found to be in relative good health, considering what each went through. JoAnne was sleeping comfortably. The babies were in the nursery ICU. Johnny had several stitches applied to his head and Roy was just giddy. Later in the evening the men from Station 51's A shift came by to visit both Roy and JoAnne. When they came into the room, they saw Johnny sitting in a chair in the corner dozing. Chris was sitting next to his mother and Roy was standing up beaming. Pink and blue cigars were poking out of his shirt pocket. "So Roy, you've doubled your station." Chet said and patted his coworker on the back.. Roy continued to smile and gave Chet two cigars, one with a pink band and another with a blue one. "What are their names?" Marco asked. "JoAnne and I named them, Kevin and Randi." "So, how are they doing?" asked Mike. Roy answered, "Randi is fine, but Kevin's a bit small. They have him on a ventilator, just to give him a little extra help breathing til he gets used to the outside world. Wanna go see them?" Everyone said yes. So Roy and Chris went for the umpteenth time to show off the babies. They walked down to the windows and Roy pointed out Randi's bassinette. "That one there is Randi." "Hey Roy, she's got a full head of dark hair. Where did that come from?" Chet asked. Roy just shrugged his shoulders. "You know, they lose that hair at some point." The nurse proceeded to gather the baby up bringing her closer to the window for the men to have a better view. Chet narrowed his eyes as he stared into the little ones face. Then he looked at Roy. "Say Roy, your daughter has brown eyes." "So….?!" Roy didn't know what point Chet was trying to make. "But Roy, you and JoAnne both have blue ones. Where did the brown eyes come from?" Again Roy shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. Maybe a relative on Jo's or my side of the family have brown eyes. Besides, who cares? She's beautiful and she's mine." Marco nodded in full agreement. Randi was beautiful. "What about Kevin, Roy?" Marco asked. "We can't see Kevin now, as he's in ICU. But they tell me he'll be fine. Right Chris?" Chris shook his head, "right Dad." Roy looked into the nursery, but his eyes didn't focus. He was wondering if Kevin's illness was his punishment for his night with Suzanne. Medically, he knew it couldn't be. However, for months after the switch, he worried if his sin would ever catch up with him. He knew at some point, he'd have to make amends and he really didn't mind it. He hoped that his punishment was not being taken out on his baby son. While this was going on, John stayed behind with JoAnne. On the one hand he was exhausted with the day's events, but on the other hand, he was exhilarated. He had taken notice of Randi's brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was more certain now this infant belonged to him in some manner. "Johnny?" "Yes Jo." "How ya doing?" "How am I doing? How are you doing?" "I don't know if I could have done this without you." She reached her hand out to grab his. "Thank you." "Come on Jo, you did all the hard work." "That's true, but you kept me together. It was just like the time nine months ago, when Roy suffered that concussion. I lost it, but you held me and gave me such strength." Johnny looked at JoAnne quizzically. He didn't remember doing that. Perhaps it was when he had the concussion, still inside Roy's body. If that was the case then Roy, in John's body, comforted his wife. "You know JoAnne, I'd do anything for you, Roy, Jen, Chris and now the twins. Wow, twins." "Well Johnny, if you think we kept you busy now, just wait." Johnny smiled as he wiggled his body in the chair to find a more comfortable position. Leaning his head back he closed his eyes and let his mind drift. 'Daddy. Daddy.' A little boy and girl called out in the DeSoto's large living room. Hoping to be rescued by their father, Roy and JoAnne laughed as they watched the goings on before them. The children giggled and tittered as they rolled around on the floor and played with Johnny. Johnny showed partiality to Randi, but no one noticed it. He loved spending every spare minute he could with the twins,even if he was the only one who knew of their true parentage. Johnny never thought he could be this happy. In all his adult life, having children, was only a dream. A dream he thought would never come true. Roy and Chris returned to JoAnne's room, which pulled Johnny from his day dream. He kept his eyes closed, but he couldn't help the smile that had spread over his face. Roy studied his partner briefly before speaking. "Johnny. Old pal. What's the smile for?" Johnny opened his eyes and looked at his partner. "I'm just happy, that all. What started out to be a horrible afternoon ended quite nicely if I do say so myself." Roy nodded in agreement. "I can't even begin to imagine what the both of you went through out there today, but I'm sure grateful that you both are fine and that things turned out okay with the babies. Babies! Isn't that something Johnny? Jo and I have twins. Who in the world would have thought?" Roy beamed with delight. A bit of sadness crept into Johnny's heart. He could see how happy Roy was about the new additions to his family. He knew his indiscretions from nine months ago would have to be held within his heart and mind, forever. To Be Concluded in……..The Sins of our Fathers |