"Blast this tie! I never could figure these things out," John Gage grumbled to an empty room. He fidgeted nervously in front of the full-length mirror of his hotel room as he fumbled with his stubborn tie for the umpteenth time. His fingers felt thick and slow as they tried to maneuver the fabric into some recognizable form.

Sighing in frustration, he yanked the silky strip from his neck. He held the uncooperative tie in his open hand and stared at it, yet not really seeing it. Glancing up, he caught sight of his reflection and wondered where the years had gone. The luster of the glass, the mirrored image, mesmerized the man and his mind began to wander, without his permission...

The one thing that Johnny Gage had not bargained on – on that fateful day he’d walked into that small office to check out the newly formed paramedic program – was finding the best friend he could ever hope to have in his lifetime. To think that this friendship may never have been realized if he hadn’t followed his instincts, and his then-captain’s gentle persuasion, was, to Johnny, unthinkable.

As it was, there was Roy DeSoto, just a little older than Johnny, sandy-haired, determined, focused, and intent on persuading this younger man to join him in the challenge of becoming one of L.A.’s first-ever paramedics. The meeting was brief, but intense. Johnny asked point-blank questions, receiving nothing but point-blank answers in return. This, he appreciated from the start. Roy’s dedication and belief in his cause were the contributing factors in determining the outcome of that meeting. Johnny had no doubt – had Roy been selling ships that day, and been as focused – that he, Johnny Gage, would have been the proud owner of a fifty-foot schooner.

A quick smile came to John’s face as the memory of that first day lingered in his mind. That impulsive, energetic, and sometimes manic young man of yesterday possessed such a jest for life and love of his job. His exuberance and dedication complimented Roy’s level-headedness and equally committed loyalty when it came to job, family, and friends. John was proud, and considered himself a lucky man, to have been permitted passage to these facets in Roy’s life.

Gazing into the mirror, he saw not the reflection of the man standing before him, but the 20-something-year-old he had been that long-ago day...

Recognizing Roy’s depth of passion early on, it took nary a second for Johnny to jump on the bandwagon when Roy approached him about starting up a floor cleaning business with the same sense of enthusiasm. Unfortunately, they acted on the idea too late to realize those dreams. Over the years, Johnny came to realize that it never mattered if they ever started their own business – and there were more than a few ventures they had envisioned for themselves – because their long standing friendship and the trip along the way were the things that mattered the most to him.

And what a trip it’s been...John Gage smiled to himself, deeper than ever in thought.

He and Roy became steadfast friends throughout their years together in their partnership as paramedics. When Johnny ranted about his latest cause, or raved about the newest nurse, it had Roy who listened with endless patience. Roy was by his side when Johnny was stricken by an unknown virus; injured by a hit-and-run driver. To this day, Johnny suspected that Roy had never quite forgiven himself for not being there the day he was bitten by a rattlesnake.

All in all, Roy and Johnny grew closer than any two partners could hope to realize. There were times that Johnny regretted not being able to show his own emotions as readily as his partner had when Roy, in turn, was injured on the job. At the same time, Johnny chuckled to himself whenever he thought back to the times when Roy found himself on the examining table. If Johnny had gotten any closer when the doctors examined his partner’s injuries, he’d have been standing on their toes. He recalled the inner turmoil he felt when Roy was electrocuted at a fire scene. Trapped on the second floor of a burning house, Johnny had no way to reach his fallen partner. Mindful of the victim in his care, he was forced to watch from above as Roy was treated and brought back to life by one of their many trainees.

Shaking that disturbing memory from his mind, John grabbed his dress coat and slipped into it.

"All that’s behind us now, isn’t it, Partner?" John spoke quietly to his absent friend. "The rescues, the calls, the trips to Rampart, the insane schedules. We sure went through a lot together though, huh?"

As with any partnership over an extended period of time, there were the odd occasions when one or the other was forced to work with a temporary partner. Johnny had relished these times when he could finally take his turn and drive the squad - a rare occurrence. However, even Johnny knew, that although he enjoyed this temporary pleasure of being ‘in charge’, inside, he couldn’t wait until things were back to ‘normal’.

The day they both made captain was a bittersweet day for both men. The two achieved their long-held dreams in tandem, yet it meant the end of the partnership. As promised, Johnny and Roy kept up their friendship. While they no longer worked together or saw each other on a regular basis, it never seemed to matter whether it’d been hours, days, or in some odd cases, weeks, since they’d last seen each other. When they did meet up, they always, without fail, picked up where they left off. That is the test and beauty of true friendship.

Now, as John appraised himself in his dress uniform, he knew another crossroads was just around the corner. Years brimming with fond memories filled his thoughts as he steadied himself for the inevitable. John smiled at his lingering memories as he buttoned his jacket and set his cap on top of his head. The long black locks of his youth had given way to shorter, peppered hair years ago, but the infamous Gage grin was still in tact, as ever before. He flung the tie around his neck again, determined to conquer this last hurdle.

A sudden knock at his hotel door shook John from his reverie. He took in a deep breath and let it out with a puff. It was time....

John walked the short distance to the door and opened it to reveal the very man who had been occupying his thoughts all morning, if not for several days now.

"Well, Junior, are we ready?" Though the sandy-colored hair had long since turned white, Roy’s blue eyes sparkled with the same enthusiasm he’d exhibited on that day they’d first met.

"Ready if you are, Pally!" John flashed an easy smile for his ‘partner’. The two of them glanced down at the loose tie hanging from his neck. "Well, almost ready, that is..."

Without another word, Roy reached up and straightened John’s tie. He dropped his arms and looked as if he wanted to say something. No words came forth.

"Where’s...?" John broke the silence first.

"Joanne’s sitting with the rest of the family," Roy answered, anticipating John’s question.

"Well, let’s do it then," John said. "That retirement party isn’t going to wait for their two guests of honor forever, ya’ know."

And side by side, as they had been for most of their adult lives, these two men walked down the hall to enter the next phase, the next adventure of their lives....

Click here to send Di feedback

Guest Dispatchers          Stories by Dianne Bay