Chapter Twenty Two
Both Johnny and Cody had finished their breathing treatments and were now resting comfortably. Johnny felt a lot better since the oxygen mask had been replaced with one of those green tubes that supplied oxygen to his nose. It itched some, but at least he didn't feel like he was smothering. He had fallen asleep soon after the respiratory therapist had left the room. He was still wheezing some, but his chest didn't feel as tight.
Cody felt much better too. He also had a green tube snaking around his head and sending pure oxygen into his nose. He slept soundly while Jim sat in the hard chair by his bed watching the TV; providing the show of support his brother needed. He would stay all night if Cody asked him to, even though he would have to leave in the early morning to go back on shift at the station.
Dixie had checked on the men again after the respiratory therapist had finished with them and promised Jim that she would bring them something to eat when they woke up, since dinner had been served while they were getting their treatments.
The room was quiet except for the low voices coming from the television. Jim had almost dozed off himself when he was startled by a knock at the door. He looked up just as a tall black man dressed in black peeked into the room. 'A police officer?' He sat up straighter in the chair.
"Excuse me. I was looking for John Gage." Officer Howard looked from one bed to the other.
"That's him over there." Jim said softly. 'Did he call you to report my brother? We don't even know if he did it. I won't let you do anything to him. He's already sick. I can't let you hurt him. I won't. Gage, what have you gone and done?' Jim glared at the sleeping man in the next bed.
Vince saw the uneasy look the man in the chair had when he asked which one of the men was John Gage. He didn't know why the guy looked so nervous. He wasn't here to arrest anyone. Just to get some information about a nail in the man's tire. Vince walked over to the side of the bed.
Johnny felt the presence of someone by his bed. He squinted up at the man and blinked a few times trying to clear his vision.
"Sorry to wake you Mr. Gage." Vince pulled a pen and pad from his chest pocket causing his badge to catch the light and flash in Johnny's eyes. Johnny's mouth opened; his eyes widened. He was already in a semi sitting position but he sat up straighter in the bed. He felt feelings of panic stirring like in the treatment room earlier when he had thought he was going to be arrested for something he hadn't done.
The fearful look on Johnny's face caused Vince to want to put him at ease. "I need to ask you some questions about an incident with your motorcycle."
Vince watched as Johnny's eyes shot over to the patient in the other bed and then to the man in the chair. "I don't know who did it." He avoided looking at the officer. He thought he knew who did it, but he wouldn't tell that to the police.
"I understand Mr. Gage, but still…"
Johnny interrupted the officer before he could finish, "I don't want to press charges. It's done. It's over now. The tire is fixed. It's not a problem anymore." Johnny's wheezing seemed to be getting worse.
Vince held up his hand in an attempt at calming the agitated man. "Hey relax. I just need to know when you realized the nail was there. Was the station unattended at all that day?" He pulled his hand away and scribbled something else on the notepad.
Johnny rubbed his hand on his chest. The tightness had returned. "I…I don't…" Policemen made him nervous. Well most of them did. Jimbo was the exception, but then he was retired. His breaths started coming in pants, and it seemed like he couldn't catch his breath.
Jim stood up and came across the room. "Um excuse me officer. My name is Jim Graves; this is my brother Cody. Maybe I can help. I'm a lineman on Johnny's shift. I can tell you, we were out most of the day and some of the night. It was a busy shift." He rested his hand on Johnny's shoulder, and took over his end of the conversation.
"I see." Vince made some more notes.
Cody had been listening from across the room. 'He didn't accuse me. Everybody else thinks I did it. He probably does too, but he didn't rat me out to the police.'
"Mr. Gage there has been some gang activity in the area. Your bike was not the only one hit that day."
Johnny tried to slow his breathing. He looked up at the officer. "It wasn't?" Thoughts of the morning he found the nail in his tire raced through his head. He remembered walking out the back door of the station and seeing the flat tire on his bike. He remembered the shock he felt and the immediate idea that he thought he knew who had put it there. In his mind he could see himself walking deliberately across the lot, scanning the tire as he approached. The nail that was buried deep in the top of his tire glistened with rain drops in stark contrast to the black tire. He remembered running his finger over the thin offending rod that had punctured the tire allowing the air to escape, much like he felt the air escaping from his lungs in an exasperated whoosh. Then reality slammed back into him as he realized he may have wrongly accused Cody. He remembered thinking that he had not picked up a nail on the way to work the day before; that he knew the nail was put there deliberately, but he had thought the worst of an innocent man. Johnny suddenly felt dizzy. In the seconds it took for him to remember that day Johnny almost missed the rest of Vince's explanation.
"No. In fact several of the motorcycles belonging to the police department were vandalized too. I've already talked to your Captain. He's aware of the situation. We will increase patrols in the area, but in the mean time you need to park your bike inside if at all possible. Your Captain seems to think that can be arranged." Vince finished writing in his notepad and returned it to his pocket. "Thank you for your statement, Mr. Gage. I hope you get better soon."
Not able to trust his voice Johnny simply nodded to the officer.
"Thank you, Mr. Graves, for your input." Vince extended his hand to Jim who shook it. "You've both been very helpful." Vince walked toward the door. "Oh and fellas, don't be so nervous. If you haven't done anything wrong there's nothing to worry about when a police officer comes looking for you. Okay?"
"Yes sir." Jim answered for all of them.
Johnny lay back against his pillow and closed his eyes. He concentrated on breathing through his nose. He didn't want to have to put the mask back on, but if one of the nurses saw him having trouble that would be the first thing they would do. He knew that from experience. After a few minutes he opened his eyes and looked over at Jim and Cody. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Jim asked.
"For thinking that…" He hesitated and fiddled with the edge of his blanket. "…that Cody had put the nail in my tire. I'm sorry."
"You thought that and you didn't rat me out, why? Why would you do that if you thought I did it?" Cody turned to face Johnny.
"Because you are a fireman, and firemen stick together. Besides, I heard some of the things you and Jim talked about. You've had a rough time since your dad died…"
"Whoa." Cody held up his hand. His voice rose, "Stop right there, Gage. I don't want your pity. Just because my dad died doesn't mean nothing."
"I know." Johnny said softly. "I understand."
Jim looked over at Johnny. 'How can he understand? Unless.' He watched Johnny nervously pulling at the hem of the blanket. His eyes looked dark, sad. "Your dad died too. Didn't he?"
Johnny didn't say anything he just nodded.
"He did?" Cody asked again.
"And my Mom." Johnny whispered.
"Oh man." Cody knew how it had hurt to lose his dad. He couldn't imagine losing both his parents. "That's why no one came to your academy graduation."
Johnny nodded again.
Now Cody thought he understood why Johnny had tried so hard at the academy. Just as he wanted to make his father proud, Johnny had to work extra hard to please both his parents. That was quite a burden for a young man to carry.
Johnny straightened his shoulders and lifted his head. No longer did he have sadness in his eyes. He had steeled his emotions and pushed it all back down where it belonged. "It's no big deal. It was a long time ago. Just know that I understand how you feel and leave it at that. Don't go discussing it with everyone. It's my business; no one else's, okay?"
"Sure Johnny." Jim turned to Cody. "Let it go bro. You need your rest and so does Johnny. Just know that he wasn't gonna turn you in even if you were guilty. Maybe you can let up on all the pranks now. Huh?"
Cody looked from Jim to Johnny who had closed his eyes again. "Sure bro. I can do that."
Another knock at the door broke the mood in the room. The door pushed open and Dixie came in with two trays. "I hope you boys are hungry." She came in smiling, but stopped in her tracks with the two trays suspended in mid air. She could feel the tension in the room. Johnny looked like he had before the breathing treatment, strained and exhausted; his breaths coming in wheezing gasps. Jim was standing in the middle of the room between the beds looking like he'd been caught doing something wrong, and Cody was raised up on his elbow; turned on his side facing Johnny. "What's going on in here?"
Jim moved over beside Dixie and took one of the trays. "It's okay Dixie. An officer just came and told Johnny that his motorcycle was vandalized the other day at the station by some gang members. We were all just kind of surprised at that. That's all."
Dixie looked at Johnny making eye contact to see if that was really all that was going on. He smiled at her. "I think I could eat a little bit." The crooked grin that reached all the way to his eyes melted any unease from the nurse's mind.
"Okay, that's what I like to hear." She placed his tray on the rolling bed side table and lowered it into place in front of Johnny. She lifted the cover from the tray revealing a plate full of soft foods. Johnny wrinkled his nose and put his hands on the tray to push it away. "Now I know it looks bad, but with the fever and congestion you need to be careful what you eat." She tried to encourage him.
Cody looked at his brother when he lifted the lid from his tray. "Aw man, I could sure go for a cheese burger right now. That stuff smells as bad as it looks." Jim laughed at his brother who was acting like a spoiled little boy. Knowing this was all he would get; Cody picked up his fork and tried some of the mashed potatoes and gravy. "Well at least the potatoes aren't that bad." He took another bite.
Johnny having seen that Cody seemed to like the potatoes picked up his fork and took a small bite. He swallowed hesitantly with a scowl on his face. "I'm not very hungry after all." He pushed the tray away.
"You need to eat Johnny." Dixie pushed the tray back over and picked up the fork. "At least try the apple sauce." She scooped up a small bite and held it up in front of Johnny who nodded his head with his mouth clamped shut. "John Gage you open your mouth." She glared at the young man who rolled his eyes at her before slowly opening his mouth. She popped the applesauce into his mouth. It wasn't that bad. Johnny opened his mouth for more. Dixie giggled at him and handed him the fork. "That's better." She brushed the hair from his forehead. "I'll be back in a few minutes for the trays." She moved toward the door and thinking her two patients needed some encouragement turned back and gave them some hope. "If the two of you continue getting better. We may even let you go home tomorrow."
Dixie left both men eating more of the unappetizing soft diet, hoping it would help them to gain their freedom.
Both Johnny and Cody had finished their breathing treatments and were now resting comfortably. Johnny felt a lot better since the oxygen mask had been replaced with one of those green tubes that supplied oxygen to his nose. It itched some, but at least he didn't feel like he was smothering. He had fallen asleep soon after the respiratory therapist had left the room. He was still wheezing some, but his chest didn't feel as tight.
Cody felt much better too. He also had a green tube snaking around his head and sending pure oxygen into his nose. He slept soundly while Jim sat in the hard chair by his bed watching the TV; providing the show of support his brother needed. He would stay all night if Cody asked him to, even though he would have to leave in the early morning to go back on shift at the station.
Dixie had checked on the men again after the respiratory therapist had finished with them and promised Jim that she would bring them something to eat when they woke up, since dinner had been served while they were getting their treatments.
The room was quiet except for the low voices coming from the television. Jim had almost dozed off himself when he was startled by a knock at the door. He looked up just as a tall black man dressed in black peeked into the room. 'A police officer?' He sat up straighter in the chair.
"Excuse me. I was looking for John Gage." Officer Howard looked from one bed to the other.
"That's him over there." Jim said softly. 'Did he call you to report my brother? We don't even know if he did it. I won't let you do anything to him. He's already sick. I can't let you hurt him. I won't. Gage, what have you gone and done?' Jim glared at the sleeping man in the next bed.
Vince saw the uneasy look the man in the chair had when he asked which one of the men was John Gage. He didn't know why the guy looked so nervous. He wasn't here to arrest anyone. Just to get some information about a nail in the man's tire. Vince walked over to the side of the bed.
Johnny felt the presence of someone by his bed. He squinted up at the man and blinked a few times trying to clear his vision.
"Sorry to wake you Mr. Gage." Vince pulled a pen and pad from his chest pocket causing his badge to catch the light and flash in Johnny's eyes. Johnny's mouth opened; his eyes widened. He was already in a semi sitting position but he sat up straighter in the bed. He felt feelings of panic stirring like in the treatment room earlier when he had thought he was going to be arrested for something he hadn't done.
The fearful look on Johnny's face caused Vince to want to put him at ease. "I need to ask you some questions about an incident with your motorcycle."
Vince watched as Johnny's eyes shot over to the patient in the other bed and then to the man in the chair. "I don't know who did it." He avoided looking at the officer. He thought he knew who did it, but he wouldn't tell that to the police.
"I understand Mr. Gage, but still…"
Johnny interrupted the officer before he could finish, "I don't want to press charges. It's done. It's over now. The tire is fixed. It's not a problem anymore." Johnny's wheezing seemed to be getting worse.
Vince held up his hand in an attempt at calming the agitated man. "Hey relax. I just need to know when you realized the nail was there. Was the station unattended at all that day?" He pulled his hand away and scribbled something else on the notepad.
Johnny rubbed his hand on his chest. The tightness had returned. "I…I don't…" Policemen made him nervous. Well most of them did. Jimbo was the exception, but then he was retired. His breaths started coming in pants, and it seemed like he couldn't catch his breath.
Jim stood up and came across the room. "Um excuse me officer. My name is Jim Graves; this is my brother Cody. Maybe I can help. I'm a lineman on Johnny's shift. I can tell you, we were out most of the day and some of the night. It was a busy shift." He rested his hand on Johnny's shoulder, and took over his end of the conversation.
"I see." Vince made some more notes.
Cody had been listening from across the room. 'He didn't accuse me. Everybody else thinks I did it. He probably does too, but he didn't rat me out to the police.'
"Mr. Gage there has been some gang activity in the area. Your bike was not the only one hit that day."
Johnny tried to slow his breathing. He looked up at the officer. "It wasn't?" Thoughts of the morning he found the nail in his tire raced through his head. He remembered walking out the back door of the station and seeing the flat tire on his bike. He remembered the shock he felt and the immediate idea that he thought he knew who had put it there. In his mind he could see himself walking deliberately across the lot, scanning the tire as he approached. The nail that was buried deep in the top of his tire glistened with rain drops in stark contrast to the black tire. He remembered running his finger over the thin offending rod that had punctured the tire allowing the air to escape, much like he felt the air escaping from his lungs in an exasperated whoosh. Then reality slammed back into him as he realized he may have wrongly accused Cody. He remembered thinking that he had not picked up a nail on the way to work the day before; that he knew the nail was put there deliberately, but he had thought the worst of an innocent man. Johnny suddenly felt dizzy. In the seconds it took for him to remember that day Johnny almost missed the rest of Vince's explanation.
"No. In fact several of the motorcycles belonging to the police department were vandalized too. I've already talked to your Captain. He's aware of the situation. We will increase patrols in the area, but in the mean time you need to park your bike inside if at all possible. Your Captain seems to think that can be arranged." Vince finished writing in his notepad and returned it to his pocket. "Thank you for your statement, Mr. Gage. I hope you get better soon."
Not able to trust his voice Johnny simply nodded to the officer.
"Thank you, Mr. Graves, for your input." Vince extended his hand to Jim who shook it. "You've both been very helpful." Vince walked toward the door. "Oh and fellas, don't be so nervous. If you haven't done anything wrong there's nothing to worry about when a police officer comes looking for you. Okay?"
"Yes sir." Jim answered for all of them.
Johnny lay back against his pillow and closed his eyes. He concentrated on breathing through his nose. He didn't want to have to put the mask back on, but if one of the nurses saw him having trouble that would be the first thing they would do. He knew that from experience. After a few minutes he opened his eyes and looked over at Jim and Cody. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Jim asked.
"For thinking that…" He hesitated and fiddled with the edge of his blanket. "…that Cody had put the nail in my tire. I'm sorry."
"You thought that and you didn't rat me out, why? Why would you do that if you thought I did it?" Cody turned to face Johnny.
"Because you are a fireman, and firemen stick together. Besides, I heard some of the things you and Jim talked about. You've had a rough time since your dad died…"
"Whoa." Cody held up his hand. His voice rose, "Stop right there, Gage. I don't want your pity. Just because my dad died doesn't mean nothing."
"I know." Johnny said softly. "I understand."
Jim looked over at Johnny. 'How can he understand? Unless.' He watched Johnny nervously pulling at the hem of the blanket. His eyes looked dark, sad. "Your dad died too. Didn't he?"
Johnny didn't say anything he just nodded.
"He did?" Cody asked again.
"And my Mom." Johnny whispered.
"Oh man." Cody knew how it had hurt to lose his dad. He couldn't imagine losing both his parents. "That's why no one came to your academy graduation."
Johnny nodded again.
Now Cody thought he understood why Johnny had tried so hard at the academy. Just as he wanted to make his father proud, Johnny had to work extra hard to please both his parents. That was quite a burden for a young man to carry.
Johnny straightened his shoulders and lifted his head. No longer did he have sadness in his eyes. He had steeled his emotions and pushed it all back down where it belonged. "It's no big deal. It was a long time ago. Just know that I understand how you feel and leave it at that. Don't go discussing it with everyone. It's my business; no one else's, okay?"
"Sure Johnny." Jim turned to Cody. "Let it go bro. You need your rest and so does Johnny. Just know that he wasn't gonna turn you in even if you were guilty. Maybe you can let up on all the pranks now. Huh?"
Cody looked from Jim to Johnny who had closed his eyes again. "Sure bro. I can do that."
Another knock at the door broke the mood in the room. The door pushed open and Dixie came in with two trays. "I hope you boys are hungry." She came in smiling, but stopped in her tracks with the two trays suspended in mid air. She could feel the tension in the room. Johnny looked like he had before the breathing treatment, strained and exhausted; his breaths coming in wheezing gasps. Jim was standing in the middle of the room between the beds looking like he'd been caught doing something wrong, and Cody was raised up on his elbow; turned on his side facing Johnny. "What's going on in here?"
Jim moved over beside Dixie and took one of the trays. "It's okay Dixie. An officer just came and told Johnny that his motorcycle was vandalized the other day at the station by some gang members. We were all just kind of surprised at that. That's all."
Dixie looked at Johnny making eye contact to see if that was really all that was going on. He smiled at her. "I think I could eat a little bit." The crooked grin that reached all the way to his eyes melted any unease from the nurse's mind.
"Okay, that's what I like to hear." She placed his tray on the rolling bed side table and lowered it into place in front of Johnny. She lifted the cover from the tray revealing a plate full of soft foods. Johnny wrinkled his nose and put his hands on the tray to push it away. "Now I know it looks bad, but with the fever and congestion you need to be careful what you eat." She tried to encourage him.
Cody looked at his brother when he lifted the lid from his tray. "Aw man, I could sure go for a cheese burger right now. That stuff smells as bad as it looks." Jim laughed at his brother who was acting like a spoiled little boy. Knowing this was all he would get; Cody picked up his fork and tried some of the mashed potatoes and gravy. "Well at least the potatoes aren't that bad." He took another bite.
Johnny having seen that Cody seemed to like the potatoes picked up his fork and took a small bite. He swallowed hesitantly with a scowl on his face. "I'm not very hungry after all." He pushed the tray away.
"You need to eat Johnny." Dixie pushed the tray back over and picked up the fork. "At least try the apple sauce." She scooped up a small bite and held it up in front of Johnny who nodded his head with his mouth clamped shut. "John Gage you open your mouth." She glared at the young man who rolled his eyes at her before slowly opening his mouth. She popped the applesauce into his mouth. It wasn't that bad. Johnny opened his mouth for more. Dixie giggled at him and handed him the fork. "That's better." She brushed the hair from his forehead. "I'll be back in a few minutes for the trays." She moved toward the door and thinking her two patients needed some encouragement turned back and gave them some hope. "If the two of you continue getting better. We may even let you go home tomorrow."
Dixie left both men eating more of the unappetizing soft diet, hoping it would help them to gain their freedom.
Chapter Twenty Three
The morning sun peaked through the thin slats of the window blinds sending a soft glow across the darkened room, Jim sat up carefully. He felt stiff from sleeping upright in the hard plastic chair beside his brother's bed. Cody had slept fitfully until his fever broke in the early morning hours. He had called out for Jim several times in the night like he had when he was sick with fever when they were younger. Even before their father died the boys had relied on each other, especially when their father was on shift at the fire station. Jim stood up, stretched his arms one at a time around his sides, reaching back and then rolled his shoulders. He smiled as he watched Cody sleeping peacefully. 'Maybe you will get out of here today, but you're still gonna call mom.'
A cough and soft groan from the other bed caused Jim to look over at Johnny. He had not been as lucky as Cody. His fever had remained high. The doctor had even ordered an additional breathing treatment during the night, and changed his medications. Jim walked over and picked up the cup of water from the bedside table. "Here Johnny, maybe some water will help."
Johnny looked up at Jim with glassy eyes and nodded his head. Then his eyes slid closed.
"Come on, you need to try drinking some." Jim tried again.
"Sick." Johnny uttered one word in a soft gravelly voice.
"Do you want me to call the nurse?" Jim reached for the call button.
"No…'m okay." Johnny looked up at Jim with pleading eyes. He didn't want any more nurses poking and prodding on him.
"I've got to leave in a few minutes. I don't want to be late for roll call. Can I get you anything before I go? Call anyone?"
Johnny nodded his head. "Tell the guys…be back."
"They already know." Johnny looked at Jim with questioning eyes. "They were all here. They already know you're in the hospital. Cody too."
"Here?" Johnny didn't remember anyone besides Captain Jones and Scotty being at Rampart, except for Jimbo. He did remember his friend being there. "Don't remember."
"That's the way it is when you're part of a crew." Jim shrugged. "You're part of a big family now Johnny. You're a brother in the department. We look out for each other. When one of us gets hurt we're all there for them." Jim chuckled. "Drives the doctors and nurses crazy when we fill up the waiting rooms and crowd into one of the rooms to stop by after we finish the run, but that's the way it is. All the guys were here yesterday when you were admitted. You were probably too sick to notice, but just about every guy on our shift came down here to make sure you were going to be okay. I know. They told me when I met them at McGill's."
For the first time in a very long time, Johnny felt like he belonged. His new friends had been concerned enough about his well being to come check on him. Scotty and Captain Jones had helped him with his tire. He had gotten to know Cody and Jim better and understood why Cody had treated him like he had. A lot had happened in the past few days. Some good, some bad, but Johnny felt pretty good about being a Boot with the fire department.
"Listen I know you wouldn't be sick if you hadn't gone in after my brother." Jim shifted nervously. "I'm really sorry you got sick. Thanks again…for saving him. He's my kid brother. Ya know?"
The corners of Johnny's mouth curled upward. "S'what we do for our brothers."
A smile slowly spread across Jim's face. "Yeah….yeah, that's what we do."
"Would you guys keep it down? I'm trying to sleep over here." Cody looked over at his brother and their new friend. He too was smiling broadly. Things were looking up for the men.
Captain Jones was first to arrive for his shift which wasn't at all unusual, but this morning he had some things on his mind that he wanted a little time to think through before meeting with his crew. There had been a lot of misunderstandings between his crew over the last few days, things he intended to clear up at roll call. He needed to bring cohesion back to the group of men in order to prevent problems on the job. A crew that gets along is better equipped to handle the situations they face on a daily basis. A crew at odds leads to unnecessary risk and injury. He wouldn't stand for that. Before he would allow things to get to that point he would transfer someone out.
He stopped by the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. He knew the station was out on an early morning call that must have been big since all of the equipment was gone from the bay and silence echoed through the station. He sipped the strong brew, though still warm it had apparently been on the now cooled burner for a while. He poured the remaining old coffee down the sink drain, rinsed the carafe and prepared to make a fresh pot. 'Too bad Scotty isn't here yet. His coffee would be perfect for milling over things this morning.'
'Hopefully after my "talk" with the men this morning no one will be moving to another station. I'd hate to have to do that.' Although three of his men were boots temporarily assigned to him, he already saw promise in them and wouldn't mind keeping one or all of them on his crew, especially Johnny. That kid had already made his mark among the crew. 'He's friendly, seems kind of shy and quiet…unsure at times, but not in his skills on the job… he clearly knows how to handle himself at a fire or rescue. No, if I can, I plan to keep that boy.' He tilted his head in thought…coffee can in one hand and a tablespoon in the other. 'Maybe someday the kid will consider training for Rescue.'
"Morning Cap."
Captain Jones jumped dropping the spoon making it clatter on the counter top and fall to the tile floor. He spun quickly around wide eyed and nearly bumped into Scotty.
"Oh sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I thought you heard me come in." Scotty reached a steadying hand to his Captain; then bent down to retrieve the errant spoon. "Want me to make that?"
Captain Jones smiled and handed to coffee container to Scotty. "That would be great. I uh…you startled me."
Scotty chuckled, "Yeah…I noticed." He grabbed a clean tablespoon and measured coffee into the filter.
"So, what brings you in so early?" Cap asked his friend.
Scotty shrugged and continued dipping the spoon into the aromatic grounds.
"Come on Scotty, we've been friends for a very long time. I can see that something is bothering you."
Scotty finished the coffee preparations and turned to sit at the table. He slowly pulled out a chair and hesitated before dropping into it. "There's been a lot going on around here that I think needs to be addressed." He looked into his superior's eyes to see if his statement had upset him. When he saw nothing but concern he crossed his arms on the table and continued. "Gage is in the hospital, Cody too, and I can't help but wonder if all the pranks and uneasiness around here didn't contribute to that. If Gage didn't have that nail in his tire he wouldn't have been walking in the rain. I mean yeah he would have been riding that bike in it, but it would have gotten him home and out of the weather faster." He paused and looked down at his hands.
"Cody didn't do it." Captain Jones got up and made his way over to the coffee pot and poured two cups. When he turned around he was met with a glare.
"Are you kidding me? You can't possibly think Cody is innocent Cap!"
"He is Scotty. I've already talked to the police. There has been some gang hits on other stations and police units. They think it is some sort of initiation thing." He paused and handed one of the coffees to Scotty. "He didn't do it."
Scotty took the proffered cup and sat it on the table. He ran his hand through his hair. "Man…if Jim wasn't already upset about all of this I know he is now. How are we going to fix this Cap?"
"Well for one thing I think you better fill me in on what happened at McGill's yesterday." Captain Jones returned to his chair and waited.
Scotty and Captain Jones sat at the table discussing the confrontation between Jim and Scotty at McGill's.
"I blamed his brother Cap. He's never gonna get over that."
"I think there were a lot of people laying blame, Scotty. Jim and you have been friends for a long time. I think you may be surprised at his reaction. If you stop to think about it Jim had his doubts about Cody too."
Scotty looked up smiling. "Yeah…yeah he did. Didn't he?"
"He did." Captain Jones slid his chair back from the table. "I'm going to have a conversation at roll call with everyone about this situation. In order to perform at our best we need to have trust in each other. Given the circumstances I think that trust has been damaged." He refilled his cup and held the pot up in question to Scotty who slid his chair back and stood with his cup outstretched. "I guess I had better get my pre-shift paperwork done before I'm late to roll call." The two men shared a laugh.
Back at Rampart Cody had been released which left Johnny alone in the semi-private room. Dr. Early had once again changed the antibiotic he had Johnny on in hopes of finding the right mix to fight the infection in his lungs. Cody had responded well to the penicillin treatment he'd been on, but his being allergic to it made treating Johnny more difficult. He had finally drifted off to sleep again when he was awakened by a knock on the door.
Jimbo stuck his head in and called out to Johnny, "Hey kid are you up for a visitor?"
Johnny smiled weakly to his friend and tried to sit up higher in the bed. "Yeah," he hoarsely answered.
"Man you don't sound any better." Jimbo plopped a bag on the rolling tray table and moved it across the bed. "I brought something that might make you feel better." Johnny smiled at him and leaned forward to see what he had. Jimbo opened the bag and pulled out two thermoses. "Let's see. I have some of that homemade cream of chicken soup you liked the last time you were sick." He twisted the top off and poured some into the cup that he had unscrewed from the top. "And in this one we have a vanilla shake."
Johnny reached for the cup of vanilla shake and shakily lifted it to his lips. Drinking slowly, he savored the cool liquid as it coated his throat. He closed his eyes and sipped again. "Mmm."
"Okay kid. I know you like the shake the best, but I think you need to try some of this soup I slaved over just for you." Jimbo pushed the soup filled cup closer.
Johnny sat down the half empty cup in his hand and reached for the other and took a tentative sip. After he decided it wouldn't burn his mouth he took a bigger drink. He took several sips before setting it back down and reaching for the cold liquid instead. Jimbo couldn't help but smile at the young man. He knew how much Johnny loved vanilla shakes. He tried pushing the soup cup over again, but Johnny nodded negatively.
"Come on Johnny, at least finish that cup."
"Don't want to get sick. Antibiotic's making me sick." He whispered.
"Okay kid, maybe a little more before I leave." Jimbo took the cups into the bathroom and washed them out. Once back in the room he quickly put the thermoses back into the bag. "Don't want the nurses to know I snuck food in to you." He smiled.
Johnny got a mischievous grin on his face and glanced at the door. "No…we don't want that." He snuggled back into his pillow, his eyes blinking slowly.
"You just take it easy Johnny. Sleep is the best way to heal." Jimbo patted him on the knee. "I think I'll sneak downstairs and visit with Dixie."
"You know Dixie?"
"Know her? Well I'll have you know we dated for a while. I tried to get her to marry me, but she said no." Jimbo looked wistfully at the door. "I really love her, but we were both married to our jobs. Just wasn't the right time, but at least we're still good friends." Jimbo didn't know how much Johnny had heard. When his eyes finally left the door that would lead him to Dixie and drifted back over to Johnny, he'd fallen asleep with a contented look on his face. Jimbo chuckled. "Am I that boring?" He got up quietly and left to go find Dixie.
The elevator doors opened to an almost empty ER hallway, which was highly unusual at any time. Jimbo spied Dixie giving instructions to a couple of student nurses at the other end of the long hall. He walked slowly in her direction. She saw him coming and smiled. "Okay ladies, let's get those treatment rooms set up before the patients start arriving. Hello James."
"Hi there pretty lady." He placed on hand on her arm; bent over and kissed her cheek.
"How's our boy?" She asked. "Did he eat the soup?"
Jimbo sighed. "Some, but not even a whole cup."
Now it was Dixie's turn to sigh. "I thought for sure he would eat something from outside the hospital cafeteria. He's barely eaten anything in two days."
"Well he did drink a whole cup of vanilla shake." Jimbo smiled.
"I guess that's something, but a man can't live on vanilla shakes." She walked over to her desk and slid up onto her favorite stool. "He's so skinny already. I noticed it the first time he came in here. He can't afford to lose any weight. If anything I think he's barely within range for the fire department. That's why I called you. When we talked the other day you said you had helped him before."
"Relax Dixie, I put protein in the shake." Jimbo patted her hand and smiled conspiratorially.
"You did?" She smiled back at her long time friend. "That's great!" Just as Jimbo was about to ask Dixie if she wanted to take a break and let him buy her some pie and coffee a crowd of people came bustling into the ER doors. Several men in turnout coats helping other men in white uniforms push gurneys into the hallway. "Sorry Jimbo, duty calls." She slid off her stool and started giving orders to the different ambulance attendants and rescue men.
Jimbo smiled at the woman he'd loved for such a long time. He shoved his hands into his pockets and decided it was time to get back to his restaurant. He planned to come back later in the day and urge Johnny to eat some more.
When Johnny woke next he had a room full of brown turnouts with the smell of smoke drifting in the air.
"Man Dwyer I thought that fire had you this time. It's just lucky for you that whole wall didn't come down on you." One of the firemen said to the man in the next bed.
"What are you talking about Stoney? I got that kid out didn't I?" The prone man shot back at the black man with "Stone" on the back of his turnout coat.
"Yeah Tom I guess you did." The black man agreed. "I called your brother to let them know we had to bring you in."
"Aw Partner…tell me you called Burt and not Charlie…he'll freak out if he thinks I'm hurt."
The black man held up his hands and took a few steps backward. "Hey now don't get mad at me if your twin answered the phone?"
The bedridden man slapped his fist on the bed in frustration. "Great…just great. Why couldn't Burt have answered the phone. Charlie is such a worry-wart. He'll call mom and dad. The next thing you know they'll be on a flight here thinking I'm half dead."
"Okay men, we need to get back in service." The man at the end of the bed seemed to take control of the others. Johnny noticed that his coat said "McConnike". "Tom, you did real good out there today. You take it easy. We'll see you back behind the wheel of the rescue squad in about six weeks when that broken leg heals."
"Okay Cap. You guys be safe."
The group of firemen moved toward the door. Johnny noticed one of the men was taller than the rest. He had dark hair and looked a little bit like President Lincoln did in the history books from the reservation school Johnny had attended as a boy.
The morning sun peaked through the thin slats of the window blinds sending a soft glow across the darkened room, Jim sat up carefully. He felt stiff from sleeping upright in the hard plastic chair beside his brother's bed. Cody had slept fitfully until his fever broke in the early morning hours. He had called out for Jim several times in the night like he had when he was sick with fever when they were younger. Even before their father died the boys had relied on each other, especially when their father was on shift at the fire station. Jim stood up, stretched his arms one at a time around his sides, reaching back and then rolled his shoulders. He smiled as he watched Cody sleeping peacefully. 'Maybe you will get out of here today, but you're still gonna call mom.'
A cough and soft groan from the other bed caused Jim to look over at Johnny. He had not been as lucky as Cody. His fever had remained high. The doctor had even ordered an additional breathing treatment during the night, and changed his medications. Jim walked over and picked up the cup of water from the bedside table. "Here Johnny, maybe some water will help."
Johnny looked up at Jim with glassy eyes and nodded his head. Then his eyes slid closed.
"Come on, you need to try drinking some." Jim tried again.
"Sick." Johnny uttered one word in a soft gravelly voice.
"Do you want me to call the nurse?" Jim reached for the call button.
"No…'m okay." Johnny looked up at Jim with pleading eyes. He didn't want any more nurses poking and prodding on him.
"I've got to leave in a few minutes. I don't want to be late for roll call. Can I get you anything before I go? Call anyone?"
Johnny nodded his head. "Tell the guys…be back."
"They already know." Johnny looked at Jim with questioning eyes. "They were all here. They already know you're in the hospital. Cody too."
"Here?" Johnny didn't remember anyone besides Captain Jones and Scotty being at Rampart, except for Jimbo. He did remember his friend being there. "Don't remember."
"That's the way it is when you're part of a crew." Jim shrugged. "You're part of a big family now Johnny. You're a brother in the department. We look out for each other. When one of us gets hurt we're all there for them." Jim chuckled. "Drives the doctors and nurses crazy when we fill up the waiting rooms and crowd into one of the rooms to stop by after we finish the run, but that's the way it is. All the guys were here yesterday when you were admitted. You were probably too sick to notice, but just about every guy on our shift came down here to make sure you were going to be okay. I know. They told me when I met them at McGill's."
For the first time in a very long time, Johnny felt like he belonged. His new friends had been concerned enough about his well being to come check on him. Scotty and Captain Jones had helped him with his tire. He had gotten to know Cody and Jim better and understood why Cody had treated him like he had. A lot had happened in the past few days. Some good, some bad, but Johnny felt pretty good about being a Boot with the fire department.
"Listen I know you wouldn't be sick if you hadn't gone in after my brother." Jim shifted nervously. "I'm really sorry you got sick. Thanks again…for saving him. He's my kid brother. Ya know?"
The corners of Johnny's mouth curled upward. "S'what we do for our brothers."
A smile slowly spread across Jim's face. "Yeah….yeah, that's what we do."
"Would you guys keep it down? I'm trying to sleep over here." Cody looked over at his brother and their new friend. He too was smiling broadly. Things were looking up for the men.
Captain Jones was first to arrive for his shift which wasn't at all unusual, but this morning he had some things on his mind that he wanted a little time to think through before meeting with his crew. There had been a lot of misunderstandings between his crew over the last few days, things he intended to clear up at roll call. He needed to bring cohesion back to the group of men in order to prevent problems on the job. A crew that gets along is better equipped to handle the situations they face on a daily basis. A crew at odds leads to unnecessary risk and injury. He wouldn't stand for that. Before he would allow things to get to that point he would transfer someone out.
He stopped by the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. He knew the station was out on an early morning call that must have been big since all of the equipment was gone from the bay and silence echoed through the station. He sipped the strong brew, though still warm it had apparently been on the now cooled burner for a while. He poured the remaining old coffee down the sink drain, rinsed the carafe and prepared to make a fresh pot. 'Too bad Scotty isn't here yet. His coffee would be perfect for milling over things this morning.'
'Hopefully after my "talk" with the men this morning no one will be moving to another station. I'd hate to have to do that.' Although three of his men were boots temporarily assigned to him, he already saw promise in them and wouldn't mind keeping one or all of them on his crew, especially Johnny. That kid had already made his mark among the crew. 'He's friendly, seems kind of shy and quiet…unsure at times, but not in his skills on the job… he clearly knows how to handle himself at a fire or rescue. No, if I can, I plan to keep that boy.' He tilted his head in thought…coffee can in one hand and a tablespoon in the other. 'Maybe someday the kid will consider training for Rescue.'
"Morning Cap."
Captain Jones jumped dropping the spoon making it clatter on the counter top and fall to the tile floor. He spun quickly around wide eyed and nearly bumped into Scotty.
"Oh sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I thought you heard me come in." Scotty reached a steadying hand to his Captain; then bent down to retrieve the errant spoon. "Want me to make that?"
Captain Jones smiled and handed to coffee container to Scotty. "That would be great. I uh…you startled me."
Scotty chuckled, "Yeah…I noticed." He grabbed a clean tablespoon and measured coffee into the filter.
"So, what brings you in so early?" Cap asked his friend.
Scotty shrugged and continued dipping the spoon into the aromatic grounds.
"Come on Scotty, we've been friends for a very long time. I can see that something is bothering you."
Scotty finished the coffee preparations and turned to sit at the table. He slowly pulled out a chair and hesitated before dropping into it. "There's been a lot going on around here that I think needs to be addressed." He looked into his superior's eyes to see if his statement had upset him. When he saw nothing but concern he crossed his arms on the table and continued. "Gage is in the hospital, Cody too, and I can't help but wonder if all the pranks and uneasiness around here didn't contribute to that. If Gage didn't have that nail in his tire he wouldn't have been walking in the rain. I mean yeah he would have been riding that bike in it, but it would have gotten him home and out of the weather faster." He paused and looked down at his hands.
"Cody didn't do it." Captain Jones got up and made his way over to the coffee pot and poured two cups. When he turned around he was met with a glare.
"Are you kidding me? You can't possibly think Cody is innocent Cap!"
"He is Scotty. I've already talked to the police. There has been some gang hits on other stations and police units. They think it is some sort of initiation thing." He paused and handed one of the coffees to Scotty. "He didn't do it."
Scotty took the proffered cup and sat it on the table. He ran his hand through his hair. "Man…if Jim wasn't already upset about all of this I know he is now. How are we going to fix this Cap?"
"Well for one thing I think you better fill me in on what happened at McGill's yesterday." Captain Jones returned to his chair and waited.
Scotty and Captain Jones sat at the table discussing the confrontation between Jim and Scotty at McGill's.
"I blamed his brother Cap. He's never gonna get over that."
"I think there were a lot of people laying blame, Scotty. Jim and you have been friends for a long time. I think you may be surprised at his reaction. If you stop to think about it Jim had his doubts about Cody too."
Scotty looked up smiling. "Yeah…yeah he did. Didn't he?"
"He did." Captain Jones slid his chair back from the table. "I'm going to have a conversation at roll call with everyone about this situation. In order to perform at our best we need to have trust in each other. Given the circumstances I think that trust has been damaged." He refilled his cup and held the pot up in question to Scotty who slid his chair back and stood with his cup outstretched. "I guess I had better get my pre-shift paperwork done before I'm late to roll call." The two men shared a laugh.
Back at Rampart Cody had been released which left Johnny alone in the semi-private room. Dr. Early had once again changed the antibiotic he had Johnny on in hopes of finding the right mix to fight the infection in his lungs. Cody had responded well to the penicillin treatment he'd been on, but his being allergic to it made treating Johnny more difficult. He had finally drifted off to sleep again when he was awakened by a knock on the door.
Jimbo stuck his head in and called out to Johnny, "Hey kid are you up for a visitor?"
Johnny smiled weakly to his friend and tried to sit up higher in the bed. "Yeah," he hoarsely answered.
"Man you don't sound any better." Jimbo plopped a bag on the rolling tray table and moved it across the bed. "I brought something that might make you feel better." Johnny smiled at him and leaned forward to see what he had. Jimbo opened the bag and pulled out two thermoses. "Let's see. I have some of that homemade cream of chicken soup you liked the last time you were sick." He twisted the top off and poured some into the cup that he had unscrewed from the top. "And in this one we have a vanilla shake."
Johnny reached for the cup of vanilla shake and shakily lifted it to his lips. Drinking slowly, he savored the cool liquid as it coated his throat. He closed his eyes and sipped again. "Mmm."
"Okay kid. I know you like the shake the best, but I think you need to try some of this soup I slaved over just for you." Jimbo pushed the soup filled cup closer.
Johnny sat down the half empty cup in his hand and reached for the other and took a tentative sip. After he decided it wouldn't burn his mouth he took a bigger drink. He took several sips before setting it back down and reaching for the cold liquid instead. Jimbo couldn't help but smile at the young man. He knew how much Johnny loved vanilla shakes. He tried pushing the soup cup over again, but Johnny nodded negatively.
"Come on Johnny, at least finish that cup."
"Don't want to get sick. Antibiotic's making me sick." He whispered.
"Okay kid, maybe a little more before I leave." Jimbo took the cups into the bathroom and washed them out. Once back in the room he quickly put the thermoses back into the bag. "Don't want the nurses to know I snuck food in to you." He smiled.
Johnny got a mischievous grin on his face and glanced at the door. "No…we don't want that." He snuggled back into his pillow, his eyes blinking slowly.
"You just take it easy Johnny. Sleep is the best way to heal." Jimbo patted him on the knee. "I think I'll sneak downstairs and visit with Dixie."
"You know Dixie?"
"Know her? Well I'll have you know we dated for a while. I tried to get her to marry me, but she said no." Jimbo looked wistfully at the door. "I really love her, but we were both married to our jobs. Just wasn't the right time, but at least we're still good friends." Jimbo didn't know how much Johnny had heard. When his eyes finally left the door that would lead him to Dixie and drifted back over to Johnny, he'd fallen asleep with a contented look on his face. Jimbo chuckled. "Am I that boring?" He got up quietly and left to go find Dixie.
The elevator doors opened to an almost empty ER hallway, which was highly unusual at any time. Jimbo spied Dixie giving instructions to a couple of student nurses at the other end of the long hall. He walked slowly in her direction. She saw him coming and smiled. "Okay ladies, let's get those treatment rooms set up before the patients start arriving. Hello James."
"Hi there pretty lady." He placed on hand on her arm; bent over and kissed her cheek.
"How's our boy?" She asked. "Did he eat the soup?"
Jimbo sighed. "Some, but not even a whole cup."
Now it was Dixie's turn to sigh. "I thought for sure he would eat something from outside the hospital cafeteria. He's barely eaten anything in two days."
"Well he did drink a whole cup of vanilla shake." Jimbo smiled.
"I guess that's something, but a man can't live on vanilla shakes." She walked over to her desk and slid up onto her favorite stool. "He's so skinny already. I noticed it the first time he came in here. He can't afford to lose any weight. If anything I think he's barely within range for the fire department. That's why I called you. When we talked the other day you said you had helped him before."
"Relax Dixie, I put protein in the shake." Jimbo patted her hand and smiled conspiratorially.
"You did?" She smiled back at her long time friend. "That's great!" Just as Jimbo was about to ask Dixie if she wanted to take a break and let him buy her some pie and coffee a crowd of people came bustling into the ER doors. Several men in turnout coats helping other men in white uniforms push gurneys into the hallway. "Sorry Jimbo, duty calls." She slid off her stool and started giving orders to the different ambulance attendants and rescue men.
Jimbo smiled at the woman he'd loved for such a long time. He shoved his hands into his pockets and decided it was time to get back to his restaurant. He planned to come back later in the day and urge Johnny to eat some more.
When Johnny woke next he had a room full of brown turnouts with the smell of smoke drifting in the air.
"Man Dwyer I thought that fire had you this time. It's just lucky for you that whole wall didn't come down on you." One of the firemen said to the man in the next bed.
"What are you talking about Stoney? I got that kid out didn't I?" The prone man shot back at the black man with "Stone" on the back of his turnout coat.
"Yeah Tom I guess you did." The black man agreed. "I called your brother to let them know we had to bring you in."
"Aw Partner…tell me you called Burt and not Charlie…he'll freak out if he thinks I'm hurt."
The black man held up his hands and took a few steps backward. "Hey now don't get mad at me if your twin answered the phone?"
The bedridden man slapped his fist on the bed in frustration. "Great…just great. Why couldn't Burt have answered the phone. Charlie is such a worry-wart. He'll call mom and dad. The next thing you know they'll be on a flight here thinking I'm half dead."
"Okay men, we need to get back in service." The man at the end of the bed seemed to take control of the others. Johnny noticed that his coat said "McConnike". "Tom, you did real good out there today. You take it easy. We'll see you back behind the wheel of the rescue squad in about six weeks when that broken leg heals."
"Okay Cap. You guys be safe."
The group of firemen moved toward the door. Johnny noticed one of the men was taller than the rest. He had dark hair and looked a little bit like President Lincoln did in the history books from the reservation school Johnny had attended as a boy.
Chapter Twenty Four
Nurse Dixie McCall slipped into the room as Tom's Captain and crew mates were leaving. "It's a good thing you boys are leaving. I thought I was going to have to kick you out. We do have rules about how many visitors are allowed in a room at a time." She smiled affectionately at the group of firemen.
"Yes ma'am. We were just leaving." Captain McKonnike chuckled as she breezed past.
Dixie stopped and turned to the Captain while placing her hands on her hips. "Like I said, it's a good thing. You boys be safe."
"Hey Dixie, when are you going to accept my offer for dinner and a movie?" The man with Stone on his coat asked.
"I've told you before Stoney, I do not date firemen" She turned to him and batted her long dark eyelashes with a teasing glimmer in her bright blue eyes, "Or rescue men. Now scoot!" She waited for the group of men to finish filing out of the room before moving over beside Tom's bed and reaching for his wrist. "Hi Tom."
"Hey Dixie."
"Looks like they got you all settled. Can I get you anything?" She lowered his arm back to the bed and adjusted the pillow beneath his newly casted leg before grabbing the chart from the end of the bed to make a few notes.
"Nah, I'm good. How's the boy?"
"He's fine. A few scrapes and bruises and a little too much smoke, but we gave him a breathing treatment and sent him home with his parents." She smiled. "How in the world did he end up with a few scratches and you get a broken leg?"
Tom shifted in the bed and chuckled.
Johnny's curiosity had him listening to the conversation as well. From what he had already heard he knew Tom rode in a rescue squad like Tony and Joe from Station 10.
"Well you know how it is Dix. The kid snuck into an old abandoned house with his friends. They thought they could make it their fort, but somehow the camping lantern they were using for light got tipped over. Those crazy kids tried to put the fire out. They were throwing old blankets on it trying to smoother it out only that just fed the flames. Then they panicked and tried to leave, but the fire had circled around behind them and blocked their exit." He ran his hand over his face. "I gotta tell ya Dix, we could've lost them all. Anyways Stoney and I went in and pulled two of them out, but we couldn't find the last one. He had gotten separated from the others. Stoney took the two boys outside while I went back to find Tobey. One of the linemen went with me. We finally found the kid hiding in a closet."
"In a closet?" Dixie asked.
"Yeah can you believe it? Like fire wouldn't find you in a closet, crazy kids." Tom blew a breath between his teeth. "So I get the kid out of the closet and pass him to the lineman. We were on our way out when the roof fell in and caught me in the leg."
Dixie patted Tom's shoulder, "It could have been so much worse."
"Just knowing that kid is home with his parents makes it all worth it." Tom smiled broadly.
"Gives you a good feeling to be able to help people doesn't it?" Dixie winked at Tom and returned his smile. "Do you ever miss fighting fires?"
"Not the dumpster fires." Tom teased. "Oh we still get to fight fires when there is no one to pull out. I used to love to fight the beast, but the thrill of the rescue is way better than any feelings I had about manning the hose."
"I guess I can understand that. Get some rest." Dixie turned toward Johnny's bed and smiled when she saw him awake. "Hey there sweetie." She crossed the room. Johnny gave her a small smile. "How are you feeling?"
Johnny gave her a one shoulder shrug. His stomach growled causing his cheeks to redden. "A little hungry…I guess."
Dixie smiled broadly with a twinkle in her eyes. "That's the best news I've heard all day. My momma used to always say if a sick person says they're hungry then they aren't near as sick anymore." She absently brushed his bangs to the side making the redness in his cheeks spread to the rest of his face and neck. "It should be near dinner, but I could get you something now."
"No…no that's okay. I can wait," he said softly. Dixie fussed with his covers trying to make him comfortable. "Thanks."
"Hey Tom," Dixie turned toward the man in the other bed. "Have you met Johnny?"
Tom looked over and shook his head. "No, I don't believe so."
"Well Tom Dwyer this is Johnny Gage. Johnny, this is Tom." Dixie made the introductions.
Tom sat up straighter in his bed. "Hey you're that kid that graduated at the top of the last class at the academy. Aren't you riding with Scotty over at Ten's?"
Johnny looked over at Tom with an open mouth and a look of disbelief on his face. "Ye…yeah."
"What the heck happened to you?"
"He pulled one of the other men from his station out of some water and ended up with pneumonia." Dixie told with pride in her new friend.
"Hey I heard about that. It was Jim's brother Cody, right?" Tom seemed to know all about the whole thing. "That was some fast thinking. Tony said you just jumped in after him and didn't come back until you had him; pulled him up from the depths not even breathing. Man, that was a really brave thing to do."
Johnny couldn't believe that everyone seemed to be so impressed by his actions when he still felt so responsible for Cody being in the water in the first place, but Jim and Cody had expressed their thanks too. Maybe he really had done good. "I was just doing what anybody would."
Dixie glanced up from the notes she had been making in Johnny's chart and smiled at his modesty.
"Don't kid yourself Gage. Most guys would just call for the rescue squad. You're jumping in that water without hesitation, man that's rare." Tom fell back against the pillow on his bed and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Tom?" Dixie saw his grimace and moved back to his bedside.
"I'm okay Dixie, this leg is just paining me some. I forgot how much a broken bone can ache."
Dixie patted his shoulder. "Well I think we can help with that. Dr. Brackett left instructions for a pain reliever, but it'll make you sleep. Do you want it now or after dinner?"
"After dinner; we missed lunch and I'm starved." Tom smiled. "I'll just try to remember to be still until then. Besides now that it's casted it'll get better anyway."
"Okay. Let your nurse know if you change your mind. Now that I know you boys are doing all right, I need to get back downstairs." She glanced back at both men before slipping out the door. Johnny had closed his eyes again. She guessed that he would soon be back to sleep. He was still weak from the pneumonia. Tom had flipped the channel on the TV and found "The Family Affair" on. Every other channel had soap operas at this time in the late afternoon. She could hear Mr. French telling Buffy and Jody something about washing up for lunch. Tom had noticed that Johnny's eyes were closed and turned the volume low on the TV. She smiled as she let the door slide closed.
After Dixie left the room came the quiet. The soft murmur of the TV lulled both men into relaxation.
Johnny felt himself drifting again. The achiness in his joints and tightness in his chest had dissipated somewhat, but he felt exhausted nonetheless. The light above his bed remained directed at the ceiling, but the one over the next bed seemed to be glaring in his eyes. He turned away from the offending light and waited for sleep to claim him. He knew he should try to stay awake and talk to Tom, but the thought vanished fleetingly as he pulled the blanket snuggly against his cheek.
In the recesses of his mind a memory took hold of his dreams.
He was twelve again. Huddled in the corner of the room at the reservation clinic; his father lay unconscious on the table. Doctors and nurses kept touching him and poking him with needles. They were hurting him and Johnny wanted them to stop. "Please stop hurting him. Please…just leave him alone." He pulled at the man he thought to be in charge. The man shook him off and yelled to the nurse to get him under control. She came over and pulled Johnny away from the man. He could feel her hands on his arms. He remembered her smile. She had a pretty smile. The kind that lured everyone into thinking she was good, but a lot of things can hide behind a smile, bad things. People can smile at you and all the time they can be thinking bad things, planning bad things. So many people in his life had smiled at him only to hurt him later. Smiles can lie. They can make you feel safe, happy and at ease with the person flashing it at you, but behind the fake smile they are really planning against you, tricking you. The pretty nurse had tricked him with her smile. She led him away from his father and jabbed a needle into his arm. She had sent him into the fog and that fog only lifted long enough for him to learn that his father had died and now he was alone in the world. He fought the sedative, but it always sent him back into the fog.
The fog smothered him, enveloped him and consumed him. When they finally let him come out of the fog his life had changed. At first he found himself with a family on the reservation. They kept him for a little while, but even though he was twelve Johnny was small for his age. The couple had hoped to take him in and let him help work their ranch, but he had no desire to do their work. At first the man had thought he could beat some sense into the young half breed, but the boy didn't seem to care. The couple packed his few belongings and told him to get out.
Johnny found his way back to the ranch that had been his family home. He hid in the barn for days before the new owner's found him passed out in the hay loft. When he awoke again he was back at the clinic with the pretty nurse whose smile lied.
Then he had been placed with another couple. They lived in town and took him in to show that they were good people and didn't hold prejudice against Indians. It turned out the man was a feed dealer and only wanted to gain favor with the ranch owners on the reservation so they would buy from him; when that didn't happen the couple who had pretended behind their smiles to like him sent Johnny away.
Johnny shifted in the hospital bed and moaned. He had trouble trusting people because of the things he had been put through at such a young age. Listening to Dixie and Tom tell him he had done something good had left him wondering if he could trust them now. Those thoughts had brought up the feelings of mistrust from his youth.
The memories in his dream continued to sift past.
Now he was older and had been sent to California to live with his aunt and uncle. He had never met them, but they had been willing to take him in. California was different than his home town. Back home the people from town looked down on the Indian population. In California he was just another kid, but he had trouble understanding and accepting that. He had already learned not to trust anyone. He did well in school and usually brought home good grades. His English teacher even made him editor of the school paper, but he still didn't have many friends. At the age of sixteen Johnny had begun jogging to keep in shape. The track coach saw him one day and asked if he might be interested in joining the team. Thinking maybe he would enjoy it, he did.
Then when things finally seemed to be looking up for him life betrayed him again.
His uncle got very sick and died. His aunt had to sell their house and they moved into a low income apartment in a seedy area. She had to work two jobs to keep food on the table. Johnny went to summer school to graduate early. His aunt and uncle had taken him in. Theirs were the only smiles he had trusted. He didn't want his aunt to have to work so hard to keep him any longer, so he moved out.
Things didn't go so well for him on his own. At seventeen it was hard to find a good paying job. He'd flipped burgers, dug ditches and mowed lawns. He couldn't get anyone to let him sign a lease for a place of his own, so he used an ID he had found on the street to rent a motel room which cost too much money. After a short time he was living on the street. That's where he found out how evil can lurk behind a smile.
He shifted in the bed again. He pulled at the covers…tugging them…trying to feel safe.
His mind took him back to the alley behind Jimbo's place. The group of guys that had pretended to be his friends now only wanted what little money he'd earned cutting lawns that week. He remembered their fists slamming against his jaw. He felt the punches in his belly and the force of their feet against his ribs.
He moaned and thrashed his legs tangling them in the covers.
He felt them holding him down while one of them rifled through his clothes for his money. His eye had swollen shut and his jaw hurt, blood leaked from his split lip. He fought hard, kicking and bucking, but there were too many of them. They smiled and laughed at him as they counted the money they found, his money. Then they left him in the cold wet alley, bleeding and barely conscious.
Johnny shot up in the bed gasping.
"Hey kid, are you okay?" Tom asked.
Johnny wiped his face on the blanket he had clutched in his hands. "Yeah," he whispered. "Bad dream."
"I can relate to that. I never had 'em until I joined the department. Some of the stuff we see out there can really bring on some doozies." Tom settled again and turned up the TV volume. The evening news was just beginning.
Johnny sunk back down into the bed and stared at the ceiling wondering if it was time to learn to trust again. He had let Jimbo into his life and hadn't regretted that. He was a good friend. Johnny trusted him. He trusted his aunt. Maybe it would be okay to trust Dixie and Scotty. Maybe it was time to trust others too. In his heart he knew that was what he wanted. He wanted to be a part of a family. Jim and Cody had called him a brother in the department. He liked that. Yes, it was time to let some people in, but he wouldn't let them get too close.
Nurse Dixie McCall slipped into the room as Tom's Captain and crew mates were leaving. "It's a good thing you boys are leaving. I thought I was going to have to kick you out. We do have rules about how many visitors are allowed in a room at a time." She smiled affectionately at the group of firemen.
"Yes ma'am. We were just leaving." Captain McKonnike chuckled as she breezed past.
Dixie stopped and turned to the Captain while placing her hands on her hips. "Like I said, it's a good thing. You boys be safe."
"Hey Dixie, when are you going to accept my offer for dinner and a movie?" The man with Stone on his coat asked.
"I've told you before Stoney, I do not date firemen" She turned to him and batted her long dark eyelashes with a teasing glimmer in her bright blue eyes, "Or rescue men. Now scoot!" She waited for the group of men to finish filing out of the room before moving over beside Tom's bed and reaching for his wrist. "Hi Tom."
"Hey Dixie."
"Looks like they got you all settled. Can I get you anything?" She lowered his arm back to the bed and adjusted the pillow beneath his newly casted leg before grabbing the chart from the end of the bed to make a few notes.
"Nah, I'm good. How's the boy?"
"He's fine. A few scrapes and bruises and a little too much smoke, but we gave him a breathing treatment and sent him home with his parents." She smiled. "How in the world did he end up with a few scratches and you get a broken leg?"
Tom shifted in the bed and chuckled.
Johnny's curiosity had him listening to the conversation as well. From what he had already heard he knew Tom rode in a rescue squad like Tony and Joe from Station 10.
"Well you know how it is Dix. The kid snuck into an old abandoned house with his friends. They thought they could make it their fort, but somehow the camping lantern they were using for light got tipped over. Those crazy kids tried to put the fire out. They were throwing old blankets on it trying to smoother it out only that just fed the flames. Then they panicked and tried to leave, but the fire had circled around behind them and blocked their exit." He ran his hand over his face. "I gotta tell ya Dix, we could've lost them all. Anyways Stoney and I went in and pulled two of them out, but we couldn't find the last one. He had gotten separated from the others. Stoney took the two boys outside while I went back to find Tobey. One of the linemen went with me. We finally found the kid hiding in a closet."
"In a closet?" Dixie asked.
"Yeah can you believe it? Like fire wouldn't find you in a closet, crazy kids." Tom blew a breath between his teeth. "So I get the kid out of the closet and pass him to the lineman. We were on our way out when the roof fell in and caught me in the leg."
Dixie patted Tom's shoulder, "It could have been so much worse."
"Just knowing that kid is home with his parents makes it all worth it." Tom smiled broadly.
"Gives you a good feeling to be able to help people doesn't it?" Dixie winked at Tom and returned his smile. "Do you ever miss fighting fires?"
"Not the dumpster fires." Tom teased. "Oh we still get to fight fires when there is no one to pull out. I used to love to fight the beast, but the thrill of the rescue is way better than any feelings I had about manning the hose."
"I guess I can understand that. Get some rest." Dixie turned toward Johnny's bed and smiled when she saw him awake. "Hey there sweetie." She crossed the room. Johnny gave her a small smile. "How are you feeling?"
Johnny gave her a one shoulder shrug. His stomach growled causing his cheeks to redden. "A little hungry…I guess."
Dixie smiled broadly with a twinkle in her eyes. "That's the best news I've heard all day. My momma used to always say if a sick person says they're hungry then they aren't near as sick anymore." She absently brushed his bangs to the side making the redness in his cheeks spread to the rest of his face and neck. "It should be near dinner, but I could get you something now."
"No…no that's okay. I can wait," he said softly. Dixie fussed with his covers trying to make him comfortable. "Thanks."
"Hey Tom," Dixie turned toward the man in the other bed. "Have you met Johnny?"
Tom looked over and shook his head. "No, I don't believe so."
"Well Tom Dwyer this is Johnny Gage. Johnny, this is Tom." Dixie made the introductions.
Tom sat up straighter in his bed. "Hey you're that kid that graduated at the top of the last class at the academy. Aren't you riding with Scotty over at Ten's?"
Johnny looked over at Tom with an open mouth and a look of disbelief on his face. "Ye…yeah."
"What the heck happened to you?"
"He pulled one of the other men from his station out of some water and ended up with pneumonia." Dixie told with pride in her new friend.
"Hey I heard about that. It was Jim's brother Cody, right?" Tom seemed to know all about the whole thing. "That was some fast thinking. Tony said you just jumped in after him and didn't come back until you had him; pulled him up from the depths not even breathing. Man, that was a really brave thing to do."
Johnny couldn't believe that everyone seemed to be so impressed by his actions when he still felt so responsible for Cody being in the water in the first place, but Jim and Cody had expressed their thanks too. Maybe he really had done good. "I was just doing what anybody would."
Dixie glanced up from the notes she had been making in Johnny's chart and smiled at his modesty.
"Don't kid yourself Gage. Most guys would just call for the rescue squad. You're jumping in that water without hesitation, man that's rare." Tom fell back against the pillow on his bed and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Tom?" Dixie saw his grimace and moved back to his bedside.
"I'm okay Dixie, this leg is just paining me some. I forgot how much a broken bone can ache."
Dixie patted his shoulder. "Well I think we can help with that. Dr. Brackett left instructions for a pain reliever, but it'll make you sleep. Do you want it now or after dinner?"
"After dinner; we missed lunch and I'm starved." Tom smiled. "I'll just try to remember to be still until then. Besides now that it's casted it'll get better anyway."
"Okay. Let your nurse know if you change your mind. Now that I know you boys are doing all right, I need to get back downstairs." She glanced back at both men before slipping out the door. Johnny had closed his eyes again. She guessed that he would soon be back to sleep. He was still weak from the pneumonia. Tom had flipped the channel on the TV and found "The Family Affair" on. Every other channel had soap operas at this time in the late afternoon. She could hear Mr. French telling Buffy and Jody something about washing up for lunch. Tom had noticed that Johnny's eyes were closed and turned the volume low on the TV. She smiled as she let the door slide closed.
After Dixie left the room came the quiet. The soft murmur of the TV lulled both men into relaxation.
Johnny felt himself drifting again. The achiness in his joints and tightness in his chest had dissipated somewhat, but he felt exhausted nonetheless. The light above his bed remained directed at the ceiling, but the one over the next bed seemed to be glaring in his eyes. He turned away from the offending light and waited for sleep to claim him. He knew he should try to stay awake and talk to Tom, but the thought vanished fleetingly as he pulled the blanket snuggly against his cheek.
In the recesses of his mind a memory took hold of his dreams.
He was twelve again. Huddled in the corner of the room at the reservation clinic; his father lay unconscious on the table. Doctors and nurses kept touching him and poking him with needles. They were hurting him and Johnny wanted them to stop. "Please stop hurting him. Please…just leave him alone." He pulled at the man he thought to be in charge. The man shook him off and yelled to the nurse to get him under control. She came over and pulled Johnny away from the man. He could feel her hands on his arms. He remembered her smile. She had a pretty smile. The kind that lured everyone into thinking she was good, but a lot of things can hide behind a smile, bad things. People can smile at you and all the time they can be thinking bad things, planning bad things. So many people in his life had smiled at him only to hurt him later. Smiles can lie. They can make you feel safe, happy and at ease with the person flashing it at you, but behind the fake smile they are really planning against you, tricking you. The pretty nurse had tricked him with her smile. She led him away from his father and jabbed a needle into his arm. She had sent him into the fog and that fog only lifted long enough for him to learn that his father had died and now he was alone in the world. He fought the sedative, but it always sent him back into the fog.
The fog smothered him, enveloped him and consumed him. When they finally let him come out of the fog his life had changed. At first he found himself with a family on the reservation. They kept him for a little while, but even though he was twelve Johnny was small for his age. The couple had hoped to take him in and let him help work their ranch, but he had no desire to do their work. At first the man had thought he could beat some sense into the young half breed, but the boy didn't seem to care. The couple packed his few belongings and told him to get out.
Johnny found his way back to the ranch that had been his family home. He hid in the barn for days before the new owner's found him passed out in the hay loft. When he awoke again he was back at the clinic with the pretty nurse whose smile lied.
Then he had been placed with another couple. They lived in town and took him in to show that they were good people and didn't hold prejudice against Indians. It turned out the man was a feed dealer and only wanted to gain favor with the ranch owners on the reservation so they would buy from him; when that didn't happen the couple who had pretended behind their smiles to like him sent Johnny away.
Johnny shifted in the hospital bed and moaned. He had trouble trusting people because of the things he had been put through at such a young age. Listening to Dixie and Tom tell him he had done something good had left him wondering if he could trust them now. Those thoughts had brought up the feelings of mistrust from his youth.
The memories in his dream continued to sift past.
Now he was older and had been sent to California to live with his aunt and uncle. He had never met them, but they had been willing to take him in. California was different than his home town. Back home the people from town looked down on the Indian population. In California he was just another kid, but he had trouble understanding and accepting that. He had already learned not to trust anyone. He did well in school and usually brought home good grades. His English teacher even made him editor of the school paper, but he still didn't have many friends. At the age of sixteen Johnny had begun jogging to keep in shape. The track coach saw him one day and asked if he might be interested in joining the team. Thinking maybe he would enjoy it, he did.
Then when things finally seemed to be looking up for him life betrayed him again.
His uncle got very sick and died. His aunt had to sell their house and they moved into a low income apartment in a seedy area. She had to work two jobs to keep food on the table. Johnny went to summer school to graduate early. His aunt and uncle had taken him in. Theirs were the only smiles he had trusted. He didn't want his aunt to have to work so hard to keep him any longer, so he moved out.
Things didn't go so well for him on his own. At seventeen it was hard to find a good paying job. He'd flipped burgers, dug ditches and mowed lawns. He couldn't get anyone to let him sign a lease for a place of his own, so he used an ID he had found on the street to rent a motel room which cost too much money. After a short time he was living on the street. That's where he found out how evil can lurk behind a smile.
He shifted in the bed again. He pulled at the covers…tugging them…trying to feel safe.
His mind took him back to the alley behind Jimbo's place. The group of guys that had pretended to be his friends now only wanted what little money he'd earned cutting lawns that week. He remembered their fists slamming against his jaw. He felt the punches in his belly and the force of their feet against his ribs.
He moaned and thrashed his legs tangling them in the covers.
He felt them holding him down while one of them rifled through his clothes for his money. His eye had swollen shut and his jaw hurt, blood leaked from his split lip. He fought hard, kicking and bucking, but there were too many of them. They smiled and laughed at him as they counted the money they found, his money. Then they left him in the cold wet alley, bleeding and barely conscious.
Johnny shot up in the bed gasping.
"Hey kid, are you okay?" Tom asked.
Johnny wiped his face on the blanket he had clutched in his hands. "Yeah," he whispered. "Bad dream."
"I can relate to that. I never had 'em until I joined the department. Some of the stuff we see out there can really bring on some doozies." Tom settled again and turned up the TV volume. The evening news was just beginning.
Johnny sunk back down into the bed and stared at the ceiling wondering if it was time to learn to trust again. He had let Jimbo into his life and hadn't regretted that. He was a good friend. Johnny trusted him. He trusted his aunt. Maybe it would be okay to trust Dixie and Scotty. Maybe it was time to trust others too. In his heart he knew that was what he wanted. He wanted to be a part of a family. Jim and Cody had called him a brother in the department. He liked that. Yes, it was time to let some people in, but he wouldn't let them get too close.