Going to Extreme
Measures
Chapter Twelve
by GCS
Mike and Johnny pulled up at the station last the next morning. Mike had to pick Johnny up and that made them later than he normally was. They weren't as late as Johnny usually arrived, but they were definitely later than Mike liked to be.
"Hey Roy get a look at that. Johnny and Mike must have had a busy day yesterday. They never even got back for Gage's car." Chet tried to get Roy to react. Roy simply glanced up and went back to reading the paper. "Aren't you even curious about what they were up to?"
"I know what they were up to Chet. Johnny called me last night and told me the whole thing. That's what friends do Chet. They share things." Roy didn't even look up at Chet. He just kept looking at the paper.
"Well?"
"Well what Chet?"
"Well aren't you going to tell the rest of us?"
"Chet if Johnny wants you to know what he and Mike did yesterday he'll tell you." This time he laid the paper down and glared at Chet.
"Okay Roy, don't get mad. I was just curious."
"Curious about what, Chester B?" Johnny asked as he came into the room and headed straight for the coffee pot.
"Nothing Gage."
"Well obviously you wanted to know something you've bothered my partner until he's mad about it. What do you want to know?" Johnny walked over and stood looking down at Chet who was now sitting on the couch petting Henry.
"I was just asking him what you and Mike did yesterday that caused you to be gone so long you didn't even get back for your Rover. That's all." Embarrassed he kept his head down.
"Why would you ask Roy? Why not ask me or Mike? We were the one's hanging out together Chet." Johnny was aggravated at Chet for bothering Roy with his questions.
"There was a drowning victim at the beach. Johnny and I had to do CPR until the squad got there. He was tired. I took him home and picked him up this morning. Any other questions Chet?" Mike was angry now too. He didn't like everyone knowing his business. Johnny was helping him and Chet didn't need to know about what he was helping with.
Chet knew better than to mess with Mike. "No. I didn't mean to upset you Mike. I just thought it was odd that's all."
"Odd Chet?" Mike was now standing beside Johnny. "What was odd?"
"That Gage didn't pick up his car." Chet was growing more and more uncomfortable.
"Roll call in five," Captain Stanley said from the doorway breaking the conversation. The men downed their coffee and filed out into the bay.
Mike came up behind Chet, placed his hand on his shoulder, squeezed, and quietly commented, "Don't pry into my business Chet, and when it concerns me you leave Johnny alone too. Got it?"
Chet pulled away from Mike's grip, "I got it."
After roll call everyone went about performing their assigned duties.
The tones went off sending the squad on a series of calls that kept them busy until late afternoon. The engine had several calls during that time as well, but they did manage to get back for lunch. When Johnny and Roy walked slowly into the kitchen and sat at the table without even looking for lunch the rest of the crew knew that they must have had a difficult run.
"Everything all right?" Captain Stanley asked. "You guys look beat."
"Yeah Cap just tired," Roy answered.
"You guys hungry?" Cap looked them over as he asked.
"Starved," Johnny looked up as he spoke. "Just too tired to get up and get it."
"Chet get their plates from the oven."
"Yes sir." Chet got up, got the plates from the oven and placed one in front of each of the paramedics. Marco got up and poured two glasses of milk putting them in front of Johnny and
Roy.
"Thanks," they both said and slowly began eating. They hoped they would get to finish the meal.
The afternoon was slower for the men. Captain Stanley spent time in his office doing paperwork. Roy and Johnny relaxed in front of the TV. Chet sat at the table studying for the engineer's test. Marco and Mike were polishing the engine.
"Man Marco you should have seen Johnny trick riding yesterday."
"Trick riding? I knew he liked horses, but what kind of tricks can he do?"
Mike told Marco about Johnny's abilities on a horse. Then he let Marco in on his secret about what the two friends had been up to. He told about the balance training and the surfing lessons. Finally he admitted that it was all for a girl. He didn't tell the part about how Johnny knew Lizzy and Gus, but he did tell Marco that Johnny ended up knowing them. "Man Marco she is really something. She's a professional surfer. I don't think I've ever been this attracted to anyone."
"Well Mike I guess you never know when you'll meet that special person that you want to spend the rest of your life with. Maybe Lizzy is that woman." Marco smiled at his friend.
"What? No I mean, I don't think so. Maybe, I guess. We haven't even been on a date. I, yeah, she is beautiful and kind. I…." Mike didn't know what to think about Marco's comment.
"Relax Amigo; I'm sure if she is the one you will figure that out. If not just enjoy her company while you can." Marco patted Mike on the back.
"Yeah" Mike smiled back. "Yeah you're right."
In the dayroom Roy looked over at Johnny to see if he was napping. His legs were stretched out in front of the chair he was sitting in and his hands folded over his stomach. His head rested on the back of the chair, but he was awake. "Hey Johnny I have to fix that section of fence on our day off. If I can talk Joanne into inviting you to dinner do you think you could give me a hand?"
"Sure Roy what time should I come over?"
Before Roy had a chance to answer the telephone rang. Johnny got up to answer it. "Station 51 Fireman Gage speaking."
"Uncle Johnny!" Jennifer Desoto said over the phone. "Guess what Uncle Johnny?"
"What sweetheart?"
"I got an A on my spelling test!"
"That's great!"
"You haven't been over in a while to play with us. Can you come over soon?" Jenny asked in her sing song voice that Johnny could never say no to.
"Sure princess, your dad just asked me to come over and help him with some chores. I'll play catch with you and Chris when we're finished. Okay?" He smiled broadly.
"Okay Uncle Johnny."
"Would you like to talk to your dad and tell him about your test?" Johnny looked up at Roy who had come over beside him ready to take the phone.
"Yes sir." Johnny handed Roy the phone and went out into the bay to talk with Mike and Marco.
"Hey Mike did you call Lizzy yet?" Johnny asked. Marco and Mike both started laughing. Mike blushed. "What did I miss?" Neither man answered.
"I haven't called her yet," Mike finally said. "But I'm going to in a little while. I want to see if she would like to get together again on our day off. Do you want to come?"
"I promised Roy I'd help him with his fence and spend some time with Chris and Jenny."
"She said she was going to show me some of the magazine articles about her career. You sure you don't want to be there?" Mike asked knowing Johnny might also be in some of the articles and pictures. He hadn't told Marco about Johnny's surfing career. That was Johnny's business.
"Nah, I've seen 'em. I'm gonna go polish my shoes." Johnny turned and headed into the locker room.
He didn't get very far before the squad was called out again. They had a busy night.
The whole station was called out just after midnight to a fire at a storage facility that kept them out until an hour after their scheduled shift change. The tired group of men left the station, but would be back on duty in twenty four hours and then they would be off for three days.
Mike planned on spending his day off with Lizzy. They were going surfing again after he took a nap.
"Hey Roy get a look at that. Johnny and Mike must have had a busy day yesterday. They never even got back for Gage's car." Chet tried to get Roy to react. Roy simply glanced up and went back to reading the paper. "Aren't you even curious about what they were up to?"
"I know what they were up to Chet. Johnny called me last night and told me the whole thing. That's what friends do Chet. They share things." Roy didn't even look up at Chet. He just kept looking at the paper.
"Well?"
"Well what Chet?"
"Well aren't you going to tell the rest of us?"
"Chet if Johnny wants you to know what he and Mike did yesterday he'll tell you." This time he laid the paper down and glared at Chet.
"Okay Roy, don't get mad. I was just curious."
"Curious about what, Chester B?" Johnny asked as he came into the room and headed straight for the coffee pot.
"Nothing Gage."
"Well obviously you wanted to know something you've bothered my partner until he's mad about it. What do you want to know?" Johnny walked over and stood looking down at Chet who was now sitting on the couch petting Henry.
"I was just asking him what you and Mike did yesterday that caused you to be gone so long you didn't even get back for your Rover. That's all." Embarrassed he kept his head down.
"Why would you ask Roy? Why not ask me or Mike? We were the one's hanging out together Chet." Johnny was aggravated at Chet for bothering Roy with his questions.
"There was a drowning victim at the beach. Johnny and I had to do CPR until the squad got there. He was tired. I took him home and picked him up this morning. Any other questions Chet?" Mike was angry now too. He didn't like everyone knowing his business. Johnny was helping him and Chet didn't need to know about what he was helping with.
Chet knew better than to mess with Mike. "No. I didn't mean to upset you Mike. I just thought it was odd that's all."
"Odd Chet?" Mike was now standing beside Johnny. "What was odd?"
"That Gage didn't pick up his car." Chet was growing more and more uncomfortable.
"Roll call in five," Captain Stanley said from the doorway breaking the conversation. The men downed their coffee and filed out into the bay.
Mike came up behind Chet, placed his hand on his shoulder, squeezed, and quietly commented, "Don't pry into my business Chet, and when it concerns me you leave Johnny alone too. Got it?"
Chet pulled away from Mike's grip, "I got it."
After roll call everyone went about performing their assigned duties.
The tones went off sending the squad on a series of calls that kept them busy until late afternoon. The engine had several calls during that time as well, but they did manage to get back for lunch. When Johnny and Roy walked slowly into the kitchen and sat at the table without even looking for lunch the rest of the crew knew that they must have had a difficult run.
"Everything all right?" Captain Stanley asked. "You guys look beat."
"Yeah Cap just tired," Roy answered.
"You guys hungry?" Cap looked them over as he asked.
"Starved," Johnny looked up as he spoke. "Just too tired to get up and get it."
"Chet get their plates from the oven."
"Yes sir." Chet got up, got the plates from the oven and placed one in front of each of the paramedics. Marco got up and poured two glasses of milk putting them in front of Johnny and
Roy.
"Thanks," they both said and slowly began eating. They hoped they would get to finish the meal.
The afternoon was slower for the men. Captain Stanley spent time in his office doing paperwork. Roy and Johnny relaxed in front of the TV. Chet sat at the table studying for the engineer's test. Marco and Mike were polishing the engine.
"Man Marco you should have seen Johnny trick riding yesterday."
"Trick riding? I knew he liked horses, but what kind of tricks can he do?"
Mike told Marco about Johnny's abilities on a horse. Then he let Marco in on his secret about what the two friends had been up to. He told about the balance training and the surfing lessons. Finally he admitted that it was all for a girl. He didn't tell the part about how Johnny knew Lizzy and Gus, but he did tell Marco that Johnny ended up knowing them. "Man Marco she is really something. She's a professional surfer. I don't think I've ever been this attracted to anyone."
"Well Mike I guess you never know when you'll meet that special person that you want to spend the rest of your life with. Maybe Lizzy is that woman." Marco smiled at his friend.
"What? No I mean, I don't think so. Maybe, I guess. We haven't even been on a date. I, yeah, she is beautiful and kind. I…." Mike didn't know what to think about Marco's comment.
"Relax Amigo; I'm sure if she is the one you will figure that out. If not just enjoy her company while you can." Marco patted Mike on the back.
"Yeah" Mike smiled back. "Yeah you're right."
In the dayroom Roy looked over at Johnny to see if he was napping. His legs were stretched out in front of the chair he was sitting in and his hands folded over his stomach. His head rested on the back of the chair, but he was awake. "Hey Johnny I have to fix that section of fence on our day off. If I can talk Joanne into inviting you to dinner do you think you could give me a hand?"
"Sure Roy what time should I come over?"
Before Roy had a chance to answer the telephone rang. Johnny got up to answer it. "Station 51 Fireman Gage speaking."
"Uncle Johnny!" Jennifer Desoto said over the phone. "Guess what Uncle Johnny?"
"What sweetheart?"
"I got an A on my spelling test!"
"That's great!"
"You haven't been over in a while to play with us. Can you come over soon?" Jenny asked in her sing song voice that Johnny could never say no to.
"Sure princess, your dad just asked me to come over and help him with some chores. I'll play catch with you and Chris when we're finished. Okay?" He smiled broadly.
"Okay Uncle Johnny."
"Would you like to talk to your dad and tell him about your test?" Johnny looked up at Roy who had come over beside him ready to take the phone.
"Yes sir." Johnny handed Roy the phone and went out into the bay to talk with Mike and Marco.
"Hey Mike did you call Lizzy yet?" Johnny asked. Marco and Mike both started laughing. Mike blushed. "What did I miss?" Neither man answered.
"I haven't called her yet," Mike finally said. "But I'm going to in a little while. I want to see if she would like to get together again on our day off. Do you want to come?"
"I promised Roy I'd help him with his fence and spend some time with Chris and Jenny."
"She said she was going to show me some of the magazine articles about her career. You sure you don't want to be there?" Mike asked knowing Johnny might also be in some of the articles and pictures. He hadn't told Marco about Johnny's surfing career. That was Johnny's business.
"Nah, I've seen 'em. I'm gonna go polish my shoes." Johnny turned and headed into the locker room.
He didn't get very far before the squad was called out again. They had a busy night.
The whole station was called out just after midnight to a fire at a storage facility that kept them out until an hour after their scheduled shift change. The tired group of men left the station, but would be back on duty in twenty four hours and then they would be off for three days.
Mike planned on spending his day off with Lizzy. They were going surfing again after he took a nap.
