As soon as they were in range Miguel shoved the radio at Robby in the back seat, and said, "Channel 69."
"What?" Robby asked, turning it over in his hands.
"Turn it on, turn it channel 69, and get Mr. LaRusso on the radio," Miguel snapped, as he sent the car flying round the corner and onto Victory Boulevard. "Get him on the radio now and tell him what you did."
Johnny let out a groan as the movement of the car jostled him, and Miguel reached over and touched his shoulder. "Sensei?" he asked. "You waking up?"
"Where are we?" Johnny asked, his voice slightly slurred.
"We're on Victory," Miguel said. "I'm taking you home."
"Where's Robby?"
"I'm right here, dad," he replied, leaning around the seat back.
"Good," Johnny said, his eyes closing again. "Miguel, you OK?"
"I'm fine, Sensei," he replied. "More worried about you though. How are you feeling?"
Johnny head rolled onto his shoulder as he passed out again, and Miguel shook his head, putting both hands on the steering wheel, gripping it tightly, as he snapped, "The radio. Why aren't you calling them?"
"Oh," Robby said, as he remembered his task. Miguel watched him in the rear view mirror as he searched for the switch and turned it on, then twisted the dial to 69. "Hello?" he asked. "Is anyone there?"
There was nothing but static at first, then the radio clicked and a voice said, "Hey, what's up?"
"Who's that?" Robby asked Miguel.
"That's Bert," Miguel replied. "Tell him to go get Mr. LaRusso. He must be out of the kitchen."
"Hey, Bert, it's Robby. Can you please go find Mr. LaRusso for me, and tell him its urgent."
"Yeah, I'll see if I can find him, hold on."
Miguel glanced at Johnny, then turned the car left on Wilbur, gunning the engine, knowing he had a long straight path of clear road ahead of him.
"Robby, are you and Miguel OK?" Daniel asked over the radio.
"We're fine," Robby replied.
"Is Johnny there?"
"Yeah, he's here," Robby replied. "Mr. LaRusso... my dad's hurt."
"Hurt?" Daniel asked. "What happened?! Did he get bitten?"
"No," Robby said. "He fell off a roof."
"A roof?" Daniel practically shrieked down the radio. "What the hell was he doing on a roof?"
"H-he was trying to lead some zombies away from me," Robby stammered, his voice breaking. "It's my fault."
"Robby, no," Daniel said. "Just get home as fast as you can, and we'll be waiting for you."
Miguel had never been so relieved to see the gate of the house open onto the street, and he pulled the car inside. Eli, Demetri and Daniel were waiting in the driveway, looking on with stern faces, as Miguel turned off the engine, and climbed out. He pulled the seat forward, allowing Robby to climb out after him.
Daniel pulled the passenger door open, and crouched down next to Johnny.
"Hey," Johnny said weakly, his head resting against the edge of the seat.
"Hey," Daniel said softly. "Are you hurt?"
"Little bit," Johnny replied. "Nothing I can't walk off."
"Any pain in your back or neck?"
"Nah," he replied.
"Do you think anything's broken?"
"Think I might have cracked a rib," Johnny said, then he shifted in his seat and winced. "Maybe two."
"Stay still while I check you out," Daniel said, pressing Johnny back into his seat gently.
Daniel opened Johnny's jacket, unzipping it slowly, then pulled the sides back. He pulled the hem of his T shirt up, then winced at the bruising that was already mottling his ribs.
"That bad, huh?" Johnny asked.
"Well, you did fall off a roof," Daniel said fondly.
"Hey, I didn't fall," Johnny corrected. "I jumped, and I hit the target I was aiming for. Pretty badass, I'd say."
"You couldn't have picked somewhere a little softer?" Daniel asked, as he gently pulled Johnny's T Shirt back down..
"It was the car or land on Miguel," Johnny said, winking up at him.
Miguel let out a snort of laughter. "Pretty sure I could have caught you," he said with a smile.
"You couldn't have brought him back in the Audi?" Daniel asked, looking up at Miguel. "I've got no idea how we're going to get him out of this small space without hurting him. At least the Audi is more practical."
"Miguel knows better than to leave the Firebird anywhere," Johnny said with a laugh, then he winced. He leant forward, letting out a cry, as he grabbed his side.
"What's wrong?" Daniel gasped, holding a hand against Johnny's back.
"Muscle spasm," Johnny ground out, clenching his teeth together.
"What can I do to help?" Daniel asked, his hands hovering over Johnny, as if he was afraid to touch him.
Johnny shook his head, still bent over, gritting his teeth, then he forced himself backwards into the car seat, piping out a breath. "I think I'm going to throw up."
"You're going into shock," Daniel said, then he turned, to Miguel and said "Can you get a bucket quickly."
Miguel ran into the garage, frantically pulling open the cupboards that lined the side wall of the garage, until he found what he was looking for.
He ran back out to the car, and Daniel looked distressed as he spoke to Eli and Demetri, telling them, "Go get the key for 4256. It's hanging on the rack in the hallway."
Eli nodded, and asked, "What do we need?"
"Go through the non essential medical supplies," Daniel said. "I need some kind of heat pad so we can stop these spasms. If there's anything that you think might be useful, bring it back here as fast as you can."
"We're on it," Demetri said, and they headed towards the gate.
"Robby," Daniel said, trying to get his attention as he stood, still holding the radio, looking into the car as if he was in a trance. "Robby," he said again, louder this time.
"Sorry, yes?" Robby replied.
"I need you to go upstairs in the mansion," Daniel said. "In our suite, go through to the bathroom. On the right hand side of the room there are some cupboards. In the first one there's a safe. I need you to go in there and bring me the Oxycodone."
"Combination?" Robby asked.
Daniel let out a snort, and said, "I have to stop letting him pick these. It's 6969."
"OK," Robby said, as he took off into the house.
"I've got the bucket," Miguel said. As he looked into the car he couldn't believe how much worse Johnny looked in the minutes since he'd left. He looked pale, and Daniel ran a hand over his brow, wiping away the cold that sweat that had formed.
"Thanks," Daniel said, as he took it from him, and held it under Johnny's chin. "If you need to be sick it's OK."
"Don't want to," Johnny said, breathing quickly, as if he was gasping. "Know it's gonna hurt."
He retched, bringing up nothing into the bucket, then let out an agonised cry as he grabbed his side.
"It's OK," Daniel said, rubbing his back. "Eli is getting some heat pads and that'll help."
"Think I'm gonna pass out," Johnny said, then he retched again and let out another scream of pain.
Daniel grabbed his hand and said, "OK, just breathe. Hold my hand, and just breathe through it."
Robby came flying out of the house. "I've got the Oxy and I brought water."
Daniel grabbed them, and popped two pills out on his hand, then held them out.
"Two?" Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow. "I look that bad, huh?"
"Yeah, you kinda do," Daniel said softly.
Johnny put the pills in his mouth, and Daniel held the bottle of water to his mouth, letting him drink it.
"How long till they work?" Johnny asked, wincing again, as he pressed his hand up against his side.
"We'll wait about 20 minutes before we move you," Daniel said. "Just try to relax and let them do their job."
"OK," Johnny said, nodding, as he closed his eyes and breathed out steadily. He cracked open one eye. "Can we have some music?"
"I'll get it," Miguel said, and he walked to the other side of the car, and climbed in the driver's seat. He pressed the on button, and asked, "Which CD?"
"There's one in," Johnny said. "Track 6 would be good."
"OK," Miguel said, hitting playing and skipping the CD till he reached track 6.
The opening chords of Dude Looks Like a Lady by Aerosmith filled the car, and Johnny said, "They're playing your song."
Daniel frowned at him, and Johnny laughed, then clutched his side, wincing.
"OK, that's enough of that," Daniel said, reaching over and snapping the radio off.
"No, come on," Johnny said. "Play anything that's not by Simply Red."
Miguel let out a huff of laughter, thinking back to when he first met Johnny, and how his first job was to skip the tracks on the CD player until he found what Johnny wanted. He dipped his hand into the pocket in the car door, and pulled out the Def Leppard CD. "This one's cool," he said, as he took out the disc, and pressed it into the player.
"Track 11," Johnny said, his eyes still closed as he concentrated on breathing. He still looked pale and sweat was beading on his brow again.
Daniel jumped as Undefeated started playing, and he said, "Haven't you got anything a bit more relaxing?"
"I don't have any Chicago CDs," Johnny said, smiling weakly. "Skip to the next track."
Miguel pressed the forward button, and as the opening piano of Kings of the World started playing Daniel nodded his head, and said, "OK, that one's a bit more like it."
"I like this one," Johnny said, quietly. "Reminds me of us."
"We're the protectors of the human race?" Daniel asked.
"I was thinking more of the 'I've been knocked to the floor' line when you kicked me in the face," Johnny said, a grin playing on his lips.
Daniel let out a chuckle, then turned as he heard feet pounding down the street outside the fence.
"Heat pads," Demetri said, as he shoved them at Daniel.
"Where's Eli?" Daniel asked, as he tore open one of the packets.
"He's just locking the house up," Demetri said.
"OK," Daniel said, as he peeled the backing away from the pad. "I'm gonna stick this to the inside of your shirt. Once it heats up it should help."
"OK," Johnny whispered.
Daniel brushed his fingers across Johnny's ribs, over his T Shirt. "Tell me where it hurts."
"There," Johnny said, as Daniel skimmed the bottom of his rib cage.
Daniel held the pad against Johnny's side, feeling the muscles treble under his fingertips, then he pulled Johnny's shirt back over the sticky pad. "That should hold it," he said.
"It's getting warm already," Johnny said, as he laid his head back against the rest.
Johnny was starting to look a little better Miguel thought. His skin didn't seem quite as pale as it did just minutes ago, and he seemed to be relaxing a little more as the music played quietly in the background. When the track ended Miguel skipped it back to the start, and Johnny hummed along.
"I think the Oxy is starting to work," Daniel said, as he brushed his fingers through Johnny's hair, separating the strands so he could see the source of the crusty blood that had trickled down his temple.
"How's his head?" Miguel asked.
"It looks like it was just a small cut. It's stopped bleeding now," Daniel said, patting Johnny's hair back down into place. "I don't think it's anything to worry about."
"Is he going to be OK?" Robby asked, as he stood by the car door, twisting the plastic water bottle in his hands.
"What do you care?" Miguel asked bitterly.
"Hey," Daniel warned. "Now's not the time for that."
Eli appeared at the gate, pushing a wheelchair ahead of him, and Daniel looked at him quizzically. "Where did that come from?"
"Johnny took it off some zombie grandma in Encino Hills," he replied. "He said we might need it one day. I thought it might be useful to get him into the house."
"Johnny," Daniel said. "How are you feeling now?"
Johnny cracked one eye open. "Bit better," he replied.
"Miguel, you wanna come round this side and help me?"
"Yeah," he replied, climbing out of the car.
"OK, Robby, you hold the chair still," Daniel said. "Miguel, you move his legs."
Miguel nodded, and moved down. "You ready to move?"
Johnny opened his eyes, then bit his lip. His eyes looked slightly glassy, then he nodded. "Yeah, OK."
"Sit forward a little," Daniel said. "Miguel, can you twist him?"
"Yeah," Miguel replied, as he took hold of Johnny's ankles and pulled them, so he turned round in the seat, and lifted his feet gently over the sill of the car.
Daniel slipped one hand under Johnny's armpit, then grasped his hand tightly with the other. "You ready? You're going to have to stand up."
Johnny took a shuddering breath, then nodded. He put his free hand on the car door, then pulled himself up onto his feet, gritting his teeth together as he let out a strangled cry.
"OK, stand still a second," Daniel said. "Get your breath back."
Johnny stood, piping slow breaths in and out, as Daniel kept hold of him.
"Robby, bring the chair and turn it so when we turn him he can sit straight down in it," Daniel said.
Robby moved the chair, holding it tightly, and Daniel turned to Johnny. "You ready to walk a few steps."
"Yeah," Johnny said. He shuffled one foot forward, and transferred his weight, then brought the other foot to join it. He shuffled again, turning slightly, and again until he was stood in front of the chair.
"OK, we're gonna ease you back down into the chair now," Daniel said. "Miguel, can you grab his other hand."
"Yeah," Miguel said, as he stood, and took hold of Johnny's hand.
Johnny's legs started to bend, and Miguel couldn't tell whether he was was no longer able to support his own weight, or whether he was trying to sit. He kept tight hold of Johnny's hand, as Daniel guided him backwards, until finally he was sitting in the chair.
Johnny's head dipped, as if he was falling asleep, then he lifted it, opening his eyes as he let out a small laugh and said, "Man, you better flush those Oxy 'cause I feel great."
Daniel smiled and said, "Yeah, they were definitely a one off so we could get you out of that tiny car."
"Hey, don't diss my ride, LaRusso," Johnny blearily, almost slurring his words. "What happened to the music?"
"We're going inside," Daniel said, then he turned to Eli. "Can you get the Firebird in the garage and make sure everything out here is locked up?"
"No problem, Mr. L," Eli said with a nod.
"How are we going to get him up the stairs?" Robby asked, still gripping the handles of the wheelchair.
"I can walk," Johnny said loudly.
"No!" Daniel said, putting a hand on his shoulder so he didn't get up. "We'll have to carry him in the chair."
"Why don't we use the elevator?" Miguel asked.
"I read the service history, and that thing has been checked by engineer in over a year now," Daniel said. "It's not safe."
"Yeah, but we've used it to take supplies upstairs."
"Supplies is one thing, a person is a whole other ball game," Daniel said. "If he gets stuck in there we'll never get him out."
"I'll go in it with him," Robby said.
"No way," Miguel said, as he pushed Robby away from the chair.
"Enough!" Daniel shouted, as he grabbed Miguel by the shoulder of his jacket and pulled him away. "Today is bad enough without you two fighting as well!"
Miguel stepped back, still glaring at Robby, then he heard Johnny humming, then he started singing, high pitched and vaguely out of tune, "We were born to rule the earth, Defenders of the universe..." as he lifted his head, and let it roll sideways against his shoulder.
"I'm doing it," Miguel said, as he grabbed the handles of the chair, and pushed it towards the elevator.
"Kick ass," Johnny mumbled. "You tell em, Miguel." then he loudly sang, "Victory is ours to taste, Protectors of the human race, We're the kings of the worlddddddddd!"
Daniel frowned. "I'm starting to think two Oxy was too many."
The elevator doors opened, and Miguel pushed the wheelchair over the threshold. He held his breath as he felt the floor dip with their weight, and tried to convince himself that was normal, yeah that was normal. Elevators did that, he hoped...
He turned the chair round so he was facing outwards, and as he leaned over and pressed the button, he said, "I'll see you upstairs."
"I hope you're right about this," Daniel said, looking worried as the doors began to close.
The elevator began it's slow assent, and through the glass sides he could see Daniel and Robby running up the stairs, keeping a check on their position. As it reached the top it slowed, and finally the doors opened, and Miguel pushed the chair out into the hallway, breathing a sigh of relief as the doors whooshed shut behind him.
"Told you it'd work," Miguel said, as Daniel arrived.
Daniel gave him a smile, then looked down at Johnny, and said, "Come on. Let's get you into bed."