The Let Down

Chapter Ten

by GCS



"As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let us down, probably will." -unknown

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Roy pushed open the door to treatment room 5 and looked into the dimly lit space beyond. The bright lights from the hall spread enough illumination to see the deep bruising on his partner's back. Knowing that Johnny always slept on his back, yet he now lay on his side, served as testament to the severity of the bruises. SCBA tanks pummeled with debris could do that. Not wishing to disturb his partner, Roy slipped back into the hall and slowly let the door close. He stared at the floor tiles as he made his way to the lounge to wait.

Dwyer came into the lounge with a thud of his newly casted arm banging against the door. "Damn that hurt," he spoke to his arm before realizing there was another person in the room. "Oh, sorry Roy, I didn't know you were in here." He stopped and looked over at Roy. "Earth to Roy." Dwyer reached for a coffee mug, but stopped before filling it to glance over at the still silent man. He watched as the paramedic stared into his empty mug. "More coffee?" Dwyer asked as pulled the mug from Roy's grasp.

The moving of the cup was the only thing that got Roy's attention. "Wha…? Oh, yeah."

"More coffee it is." Dwyer filled Roy's cup, slid it back across the table and sat in the chair opposite. "So, how's Gage?"

Roy slid the now full coffee mug over, turned it and hooked his finger into the crook taking time to think of an acceptable answer. "Haven't seen him yet."

That simple statement set off alarms in Dwyer's head. Everyone in the department knew of the closeness between those two. The things that he had witnessed today screamed of trouble between best friends. "Listen, I know it's none of my business, but what's going on between you and Johnny?"

Roy picked up his mug, slowly raising it to his lips and taking a quick sip. It was still too hot to drink. He sat the mug back on the table and looked over at Dwyer. He thought about denying that there was a problem, but decided against it. Truthfully, he wasn't sure he had an answer. He huffed a laugh that didn't quite come out as one, "I'm not really sure myself." Dwyer leaned back in the chair raising it up on two legs much like Johnny would do. A smile made its way across Roy's face. "One of these days you're going to fall over backwards."

"Nah, never happen." Dwyer laughed, but he lowered the chair. His balance was a little off with the newly casted arm. The last thing he needed was to break the carefully set bones again. He took a few drinks from his now warm coffee before sliding back from the table and rising. "Well, I think my ride should be here by now. Tell Gage to take it easy, and if there's anything…" He stopped before finishing the sentence and sort of waved his good hand. "Well, you know. See ya."

Roy watched Dwyer exit the lounge. Then he downed his own cup of coffee. Slid his chair back and put both cups in the sink. It was time to talk to his partner.

Back in the dimly lit treatment room, Johnny lay on his side starring at the wall. He knew people had been in and out of the room to check on him. They tried their best to be quiet and not disturb him. They thought he was sleeping. The muscle relaxer Brackett had given him to alleviate the tension in his neck and back should have knocked him out, but he was too wound up for it to have that effect. No stranger to bouts of insomnia, he hadn't slept well in over a week, ever since Roy had passed the engineer's exam. It wasn't so much that Roy had passed the test and would be moving on. Something just didn't seem right. Roy didn't seem to be happy about the transition. Not really.

Outside the door Dr. Brackett, Dixie and Dr. Early were discussing that very thing. "He looks like hell." Brackett said as he glanced at the closed door.

"He said he hasn't been sleeping well."

"I know that, Joe, but he's lost weight too."

"He has." Joe crossed his arms. "But then that is normal when something is weighing on him. You know that."

"Doctors," Dixie put a hand on the arm of each man. "The object of Johnny's worries is headed this way. Maybe he can shed some light on what is going on between them."

Kel looked at Dixie with his eyebrow raised, "What makes you think Johnny's problems are about Roy?"

Dixie sighed, "Because he's leaving."

Joe uncrossed his arms. "Is Johnny mad at Roy for his promotion?"

Dixie nodded her head and muttered under her breath, "Men!" She put her hands on her hips. "No, he's not mad. He's second guessing, and Roy is taking his uncertainty out on his best friend; probably Joanne and the kids too."

The two doctors looked at Dixie with open mouths and simultaneously they spoke, "What?"

Dixie smiled, "Just tell Roy what's going on with Johnny, and see what his reaction is." She turned her attention to the paramedic as he neared. "How're you feeling mister?"

Roy smiled, "I'm okay, Dix."

"Good." She patted his arm as she slipped away. "That's good."

"Hey doc, how's Johnny doin'?" Roy looked to Dr. Brackett.

Kel exchanged looks with Joe, "Well, that is what I would like to talk to you about."

"What's wrong? Was he hurt worse than I thought?"

"No… no, you were right about your assessment today. But there's something going on with him. He said he hasn't been sleeping."

Roy scratched the back of his head. "Well, he has had insomnia before." Roy got a sinking feeling in his gut. He knew that Johnny's insomnia usually revolved around something that was bothering him. Once whatever was bothering him was settled, Johnny could sleep like a baby.

"He's exhausted and he's lost weight." Joe added. "It has us a little concerned about his ability to work. He's vulnerable."

Roy's eyes widened. "It's that bad?"

"Not yet, but it could quickly reach that point." Kel gripped Roy's shoulder. "Do you have any idea about what might be going on? Is he in some financial trouble?"

"No," Roy shot off a rapid response. "Doc, you know Johnny better than that. Johnny is great with money. We practically have to pry it out of his hands to pay for meals at the station."

"Okay, then what?" Kel crossed his arms. "There has to be something going on. I just thought maybe he'd had some trouble."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout." Roy looked at his shoes. "I don't know what's going on with him. We haven't exactly been talking. But, that's why I came down here. I wanted to talk to him before I left. Is he going to be admitted?"

"No." The response came from behind the three men who spun around to face the direction it came from. "He's not being admitted."

"What are you doing up?" Brackett reached for Johnny's arm. The man should be knocked out from that dose of medication.

Johnny stepped out of Brackett's reach. "You yourself said it was just deep bruising. I've had enough oxygen to clear my lungs, and I don't have an IV or a fever. There is no reason for you to admit me. Is there?"

Kel looked to Joe who chose to answer, "No, Johnny, there is no reason to admit you, but you've had a significant does of muscle relaxers."

"And I will go home and relax." He spun on his heel and reached for his turnout pants. "I'll just get a ride."

"Joanne and I can take you." Roy chimed in. Kel shot him an annoyed look. Roy shrugged. "He has to have a ride."

Johnny grabbed his turnout coat and slipped it on over his bare chest leaving it open; grabbed his shirt and undershirt wadding them with his fist. "Okay, where's Joanne?" He sounded angry. He was more than ready to go. When he heard voices outside his treatment room, he had gotten up and moved closer to hear what they had been discussing. When he realized it was him and with Roy, rage gripped his emotions. If the muscle relaxer hadn't slowed his reaction time he might have pulled the door from its hinges. Riding with Roy and Joanne only served to make him angrier, but at the moment it was his only option.

Roy took a step backwards. He hadn't seen Johnny this upset in a long time, probably since before the Paramedic bill passed.

"Joanne is right here." Not knowing what was going on she unknowingly stopped the explosion that was about to happen. "Are my boys ready to go?" She hugged Roy before stepping over to give Johnny a peck on the cheek.

Johnny shot a glance at Roy and without words let him know this was just a ride. He was still glad Roy was okay; they did need to talk, but Roy acting like he didn't know what was going on between them had tipped the scales back to the side of anger, and Johnny was boiling.

Chapter Eleven

Johnny pushed past the group and headed toward the exit. He didn't speak to anyone or glance their way when they moved aside to let him pass. His rage blinded him to anything except the path to freedom. A team of paramedics rushed in with a stretcher; one man riding on the rails performing compressions while the other raced behind administering life saving breaths of oxygen into starved lungs, Johnny simply sidestepped and continued outside stopping only when he found himself staring at the parking lot. He didn't know where Joanne had parked leaving him looking fixedly into a sea of multicolored cars, and that only added to his frustration; the grip he had on his shirts tightened while he waited.

The waiting seemed to take forever. He wanted to go. The bravado he'd started out with was fading leaving him drained and a bit unsteady, of course that damned shot Brackett had given him wasn't helping.

When Roy and Joanne finally exited the ER they found Johnny standing with his back to the door. He stood so straight and still that Roy thought he looked like a statue or one of those carved Native American poles. He almost chuckled at that thought. Almost, but nothing was funny about the way Johnny stood staring.

A paramedic squad was backing in, so they waited out of the way. "Hey Roy," Gil Robinson spoke as he rounded the rear of the squad to collect the bio-phone and drug box from the back of the ambulance where his partner had left them. He leaned his head in Johnny's direction with a raised eyebrow in question. Roy simply shrugged. "Hello Joanne." He motioned to Roy's uniform. "You guys are working late."

"Yeah we had a last minute call."

"What're you doin' here? Somebody get hurt?"

Roy glanced at Johnny and back to Gil, "Johnny and Dwyer were in a collapse. I got stuck in another one. We're all okay except for some bruises; Dwyer broke his arm."

"Well if that's the worst of it." Gil nodded. "Guess I better get movin'." He closed the squad compartment. "Take it easy. See ya Johnny." He called as he disappeared into the automatic doors. Johnny didn't respond.

Roy and Joanne stood for a second, both wondering what to do next, and both looking at Johnny's back. They saw him sway slightly and catch himself. Roy reached out to steady his friend, but Joanne caught his arm and pushed it back down. She nodded to her husband. She had only seen Johnny this angry once before and nothing anyone tried to do had helped. It was best they just let him work through it in his own way. "Okay boys," Joanne coaxed. "The car is over here." She led the way around the squad toward the visitor parking. Johnny fell in step behind the couple without a word.

When they reached the station wagon, Johnny slid in the backseat behind Joanne and turned his gaze out the window. He felt a yawn trying to escape, but he forced it back down. He did not want Roy to see how tired he was. He knew he was fading fast. He'd felt this kind of exhaustion before. The kind where he couldn't keep his eyes open no matter how hard he tried. He kept the white knuckled grip on his shirts willing his body to cooperate and stay alert until he could get back to his place.

Joanne glanced in the rear view mirror as she turned the ignition key. She could see the weariness in Johnny's face. She knew he was struggling to stay awake. She also knew the tension hung so heavy in the air between her two favorite men that she could cut it with a knife. Without a word she put the car in reverse, turned and headed down the row of cars.

Roy stared out the windshield for a few minutes before glancing over his shoulder at Johnny. The man was so quiet, unnaturally quiet. He couldn't even hear him breathing, a talent Johnny claimed he'd learned from his ancestors in order to be a successful hunter. He turned back to the front before Johnny could see him looking. His partner's stubbornness was exasperating at times; this was one of those times. Clearly the man was about to pass out, clearly he was hurting…well maybe not so much after Brackett insisted on something to help him relax, but he had to be exhausted. What the hell difference would it make to admit when you are so tired you can't keep your eyes open? Roy balled his fist and pounded it against his knee. Joanne reached over and halted the assault he attempted on his leg.

Johnny knew Joanne and Roy were talking, but when the words reached his ears all he could hear was buzzing. He blinked slowly. His head bobbed. He watched the fog from his breaths spread on the glass and disappear again, but he couldn't figure out why it seemed to fascinate him or why he cared why. His steadfast grip on the shirts was not near as tight. His hand hurt. He hoped that concentrating on the soreness of his hand would keep him grounded. The fogginess in his brain made him forget to concentrate. Confusion replaced anger. Sleep replaced wakefulness.

"I think he's asleep." Joanne said as she watched Johnny's head finally come to rest against the window. "I have to pick up the kids. I hope he's okay with our house."

"He doesn't have a choice." Roy said emphatically. "There is no way we're taking him to his place and leave him alone."

"I know that, Roy, but he is a grown man. I don't know what has gotten in to you the past few days mister, but you better figure it out." Joanne glanced at her husband. "The last thing you want to do is leave 51's with everyone mad at you."

"Mad at me? What have I done? All I've done is my job. I shouldn't have even been in that fire today! I had been relieved of shift. Dwyer was there in my place. The call came in at shift change. I was on the way home." Roy's tirade ended abruptly when he realized he'd just admitted to his wife that he risked his life out of choice today. Of course he chose to do it on the job all the time, but off duty was another thing. He could see the hurt on her face. He'd said way too much.

"We'll discuss this later." Joanne stated softly as she turned the car into the drive. "Right now we need to get Johnny to bed. I have to pick up the kids. I'll get the door unlocked while you get your partner." She slid from the car without looking at her husband.

Roy rubbed his hand over his face. He knew he'd screwed up again. Hopefully his transfer would come before their next shift. If he had to work another shift with Johnny or face another day in limbo with Joanne, he was afraid he might make a mistake that would leave him alone with no wife or friends…especially his best friend. He climbed out of the car and walked around to Johnny's door, carefully opened it and caught his friend as his limp body followed the door. "Okay Junior, let's get you into the house."

Johnny felt his body lurch sideways and tried to grab onto something to stop his fall. What he managed to grab onto was Roy's arm. He blinked up into his best friend's face and tried to right himself enough to get out of the car. "W…wh…where we…your place?" He stood shakily with Roy mostly supporting him. "Why?...tho…thought…I wanted to go home."

Joanne held the door open for them to pass through. "I know Johnny, but we had to stop here. I have to pick up the kids. You won't mind staying here while I get them will you?"

"Kids?" Johnny looked at Joanne with glassy eyes. "Okay." He shuffled past. When he had managed to get into the house he tried to brush Roy's hand off his shoulder. He was supposed to be mad at Roy. At least he thought he was. Roy held on and guided Johnny down the hall, helped him into the spare room and turned to leave without a word, closing the door as he left. Johnny sat heavily on the bed, dropped his shirts on the floor and stretched his hand to work out the stiffness. Then he lay back on the bed to rest a minute before taking off the rest of his gear. Sleep claimed him immediately.

"Did you get him some sweats?" Joanne asked when Roy returned to the kitchen a few minutes later heading for the refrigerator and a cold beer.

"He's a grown man." He stated as he popped the top.

"I can't believe you."

"Why? Because I didn't baby him?" Roy's voice rose. "You yourself told me he was a grown man. Well grown men can dress themselves…can't they? Besides, you saw him try to push me away. He doesn't want my help."

"Roy." Joanne uttered a one word plea for her husband to see that his actions were wrong. She knew he cared about Johnny, but she also knew how stubborn both men could be. She sighed deeply. She didn't have time to deal with this right now. Her children would be waiting on her. She was running late already. "At least check on him in a few minutes. I'll be back."

Roy watched Joanne hurry out the door. He slammed back the beer, draining it, and reached into the fridge for another.

Chapter Twelve

Roy slammed the refrigerator door and moved to pop the top on his second beer as he heard Joanne's car back out of the drive. He lowered his hand and looked at the beer he held; he let out a heavy sigh. This was not who he wanted to be. Coming home and drinking to oblivion was not in his nature. The last thing he wanted was for his kids to come home and find him drunk or passed out with empties around his recliner. Sure he drank on occasion after a bad day, to celebrate with friends or toast a fallen brother, but never to get drunk…never because of anger. He turned back to the abused appliance and gently opened the door returning the beer to the shelf. Instead he turned to the coffee pot and started a fresh pot. It had been a long night, but if he slept now he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

When the brew started its cycle, Roy turned and made his way down the hall to check on his friend. He slowly opened the door and looked through the crack. Johnny was sprawled half on and half off the bed. It looked like he had lain back for a minute before taking off his gear and fallen asleep. Roy pushed the door the rest of the way open and leaned against the door frame. The curtains blew softly in the wind from the window Joanne had opened. Johnny loved to sleep with the window open, but this was an unseasonably cool day. He had to be chilled.

Roy pushed off the door frame and walked over to stand by the bed. "Johnny?" After a few attempts to wake him up, Roy knelt and took off Johnny's boots; then he stood and pulled him into a sitting position. He was dead weight. Roy shifted, tugged and pulled at the turnout coat until finally it fell on the bed. Next, the pants had to come off. They smelled of soot and smoke…not to mention they were stiff and very uncomfortable to sleep in. "Come on Junior." Roy pulled Johnny up. Johnny leaned limply against him and rested his head on Roy's shoulder. That moment of intimate contact brought a smile. "I hope nobody finds out about this." Roy chuckled.

It was when he stood Johnny up that Roy got his first really good look at the bruising that spread down his back about the width of an air cylinder. "Wow, Junior, you really did a number there." He said in his friend's ear. Not that Johnny heard him, but somehow talking about it made Roy feel better. He reached for the sweats he'd grabbed from the laundry on the way down the hall. He lowered Johnny back to the bed and slipped first one foot and then the other into the legs, pulled them up as far as he could; then pulled Johnny back up to finish the job. Then he lowered his friend carefully so as not to hurt his back, pulled his legs up onto the bed and pulled the covers up. Johnny rolled over on his side toward the window. Even in sleep his back must have hurt. "Rest easy Junior, and then we're going to have a talk."

A gust of wind rustled the curtains and rattled the screen; the slow pitter, patter of rain drops echoed into the darkened room. Dampness permeated the air. A clap of thunder woke the sleeping inhabitant.

Johnny rolled onto his back forgetting the soreness until he flinched with recognition. He slowly turned back onto his side and blinked at the flashing lightning outside. It was dark. The house was quiet. He sighed. Joanne had not woken him to take him home as promised. He knew she had tricked him into staying at their house. He couldn't help the anger that brewed inside. He didn't want to be angry with her. He knew she really cared about him. It was Roy he should be angry with, but harboring ill feelings toward his friends wasn't in his nature. It ate away at him and left him hollow.

Johnny got up slowly and made his way to the hall bath. He waited until the door was closed to flip on the light. Seeing his reflection in the mirror, he knew he had slept hard. He even had wrinkles on his cheek from the pillow. He turned on the tap and washed his face with cool water. If he wanted to make it home he had to be fully awake.

Returning to the spare room he looked in the closet for the extra tennis shoes he'd left there for helping Roy with the grass. Since they wouldn't be partners anymore, Roy probably would find a new friend to help out. Chris was getting older. It was time he started learning to help anyway. He slipped into the turnout coat to help against the rain, and gathered the rest of his gear. He tucked the turnouts into one boot and his shirts into the other. Then he quietly made his way to the front window to see if anyone had brought his Rover over. It wasn't parked out front so he would have to call a taxi.

With the phone call made and a rendezvous at the filling station a couple of blocks over, Johnny left.

Morning brought with it more thunder storms. Roy groaned when he realized that his yard work plans for the day would be delayed. He could smell the coffee Joanne had started in the kitchen. A quick shower and shave and he was ready to greet his lovely wife.

"Good morning." He whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close.

"Good morning." She giggled loving the feeling of waking up with her husband at home on his days off. "I made French toast casserole."

"Mmmmm I can smell it." He nuzzled her neck. "Is it ready or…" he left the sentence hanging as he kissed the back of her neck causing her to giggle some more.

"It's ready. Besides, we still have company."

"Oh yeah, is he up yet?"

Joanne looked toward the kitchen door. "I haven't seen him. He's slept a long time. I know Dr. Brackett gave him something to relax him, but do you think he's alright?"

"He's fine sweetheart. Yesterday was rough. I'm sure he was just tired." Roy followed her gaze to the doorway. "If it will make you feel better, I'll go check on him."

Joanne smiled. "Well breakfast is ready." She turned toward the table with a large casserole dish. "Why don't you get your partner, and I'll get the kids."

Just as they were about the leave the kitchen Jennifer came around the corner with tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Roy knelt down and scooped her up into his arms.

"You promised." Jenny whined.

"What did I promise?"

"You promised we could see Uncle Johnny this morning if we were good and played quiet last night. You promised daddy."

"You can." Roy hugged his daughter.

Jennifer pulled back from the hug. "Where is he?" She sniffed. "He's not in his room."

Roy looked at Joanne and back toward the hall. After Joanne had placed the dish in the center of the kitchen table he handed Jennifer to her and without a word left the kitchen in search of his partner. When he entered the spare room he found the window secured and the bed made. There was no evidence Johnny had ever even been there. Roy slumped against the doorframe. He knew he didn't deserve to be mad. They had after all tricked Johnny into staying. He knew he had been a jerk to his best friend. What did he expect Johnny to do? He knew he would have done the same thing. He pulled the door to and went back to the kitchen.

"Well?" Joanne asked. Jennifer and Chris were now seated at the table ready to eat.

"He must have woken in the night and left for home." Roy scratched his head. "I'll…uh I'll check on him later this morning. He might be sleeping. Let's eat."

Jennifer sniffled.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Daddy didn't mean to fib. It's just that Uncle Johnny didn't know you and Chris were so good last night so you could play with him. If he'd known I'm sure he would have stayed just to see you." Roy doubted anything would have kept Johnny there, but he wouldn't hurt his daughter's feelings anymore than they had already been.

"Eat your breakfast." Joanne urged her kids. "Maybe Uncle Johnny will feel better this afternoon. We can invite him for dinner."

"Yeah, I probably need to take him by the station to get his truck anyway." Roy said softly. He thought Johnny had probably already picked it up, but the kids didn't need to know that either.

"Okay daddy. We'll call him after breakfast." Jennifer smiled around a big bite of casserole. She loved French toast casserole. "Right after we eat."

"After we clean up." Joanne corrected.

Jennifer's smile faded a little, "Yes Ma'am."

"Hey dad," Chris put his fork down. "Can Uncle Johnny help me with my swing this afternoon? I struck out last game, and the coach said I need to practice. Uncle Johnny is real good at batting."

Roy felt a little jealous at Chris' wanting Johnny to help him, but he was right Johnny was good at baseball. "I'm sure he will, son, if his back isn't too sore." Chris smiled, picked up his fork and took a huge bite.

"Roy?" Joanne asked a few moments later. Roy looked up from his plate and noticed that everyone else had finished and their plates cleared. "What are you thinking about?"

He smiled at his wife's intuition. "Nothing much."

"Uh huh." Joanne crossed her arms.

Roy nodded his head. "Okay." He held his hands up in surrender. "I was thinking about how I can fix things with Johnny. For him to slip away in the middle of the night like that, he must really be upset with me."

"And?" She pressed.

"And he has every right to be." Roy slumped into his chair.

"And?" Joanne pushed a little further.

"And so do you?" Roy said with a hint of questioning in his voice.

Joanne remained standing with her arms crossed and her head tilted slightly to one side a blank look on her face. She was waiting for the apology she knew she deserved.

"Look Jo, I'm really sorry about the way I've been acting. I guess leaving the Paramedics is a lot harder than I thought it would be." He held up a hand as she started to say something. "Don't get me wrong. I know it is what we need. I know the extra money will be worth the move, but I love what I do. I am going to miss it. Moving up, leaving Johnny and the squad to someone else is like…like…" He didn't finish. If he told her it was like a divorce it might hurt her feelings, and he'd done enough of that already.

"Like the end of a relationship." She said knowingly. "Roy, Johnny is your best friend…"

"I'm not so sure anymore." He broke in. "Not after the way I've been treating him."

Joanne smiled. "One thing I do know for sure is that Johnny is your best friend whether you want him to be or not. Yes, he's hurting, because of the way you've been behaving, but he will always be a part of this family. Nothing you do could change the way he feels in his heart, nothing." She wrapped her arms around her husband and pulled him close. "And another thing mister, nothing you could do will ever make me stop loving you." She kissed the top of his head. "Now, why don't you help me finish this kitchen, and then you can call your partner and invite him for dinner. I think the two of you have some things to discuss."

"We do. I was planning on talking to him when he woke up, but he…" Roy waved his hand toward the door.

"Never mind that now." Joanne said as she handed Roy his dirty plate. He smiled and got up to help.

Johnny finally made it back to his place. Stopping at the station for his Rover had not been such a good idea. He had to go inside to get his wallet to pay the cabbie. His keys were inside which meant the only way he could get inside was to ring the bell. It was early, and he knew the crew would still be sleeping. He pressed the bell and leaned against the brick wall waiting for the tongue lashing the Captain would give him once he saw who was there.

"Gage?"

"Yes sir. Uh, sorry sir. I need to get to my locker to pay the cab driver and collect my keys." He gave explanation as he came through the door. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Relax, we just got back from a run. Squad's still out. How's your back?"

"It's okay. I'll just get my stuff." Johnny walked across the bay to the locker room. He paused before pushing open the door. He could hear voices inside. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to anyone, but he had to hurry. The cabbie was waiting.

"Hey Gage!" several voices called out. "How's the back?"

Johnny smiled. "Good…it's good, better." He hurried to his locker, dropped his boots in the bottom. Pulled off his turnout coat hanging it on the hook inside, pulled his duffle out and grabbed his wallet and keys from the shelf. "See you guys later." He ducked back out of the room before anyone had time to ask any more questions. "Thanks Cap." He said as he left again through the glass door to pay for the cab ride. Then he strode quickly to the back lot and his Rover hoping to beat rush hour traffic.

Now that he was home, he planned to take a long hot shower and hibernate until time for his next shift. As he unlocked the door he could hear the phone ringing. He tossed his duffle on the coffee table and walked right past it letting the answering machine do his talking.