DisenGaged
By Wee2E!s
John Gage
stirred in his bunk, unable to find the right position of comfort to lay
still. He tried to think of things other
than work, willing his mind to drift away and let him sleep, but it didn’t
work. After laying there for over an
hour, he decided to give up the effort and get up.
Slowly pulling on his turnout pants, he made sure to not snap his suspenders once he pulled them over his shoulders, not wanting to disturb the other men who found sleep so much more easily than he could.
As he walked towards the door of the dorm, one set of eyes opened, watching him as he left. Roy DeSoto sighed, sitting up as he stretched his tired muscles. He then yawned, bringing his feet down on the cold floor.
Johnny walked
through the apparatus bay slowly, making his way towards the kitchen as quietly
as possible. Getting himself a glass of
milk, he silently pulled out a chair from the table and sat down, sipping the
milk as he looked at the clock.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Suddenly Johnny looked up, startled to see his partner standing in front of him. He’d never heard the first approaching footstep.
“I’m sorry,” John apologized, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t wake me, I think I was
too wound up from the last run. It’s not
every day you get to deliver twins.”
Johnny chuckled. “Yeah, even the second
one couldn’t wait to get to the hospital.
That was some run.”
“Is that why you’re still awake?”
“Guess so. Just couldn’t sleep.”
He waited for Johnny to speak, to start any conversation - he didn’t care what they discussed. But his friend’s silence continued.
“You feeling okay, Johnny?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I don’t know. You’ve just been quiet today, and I was wondering if anything was bothering you. That’s all.”
“Nope, nothing I can think of,” his friend answered, then finished drinking his milk.
“Everything okay at the ranch?”
He looked at his partner, knowing he was sensing something was amiss, but John really didn’t want to talk about it. How was he to talk about “it” when he wasn’t sure of the thoughts that troubled him?
“The ranch is fine. The horses are good. Even the grass is cut. All’s well.”
Damn. He’d hit the
nail right on the head.
Johnny took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I don’t know. I mean, things were going so good for so long … you know, she and I had even started talking about settling down together and, well, she’s been acting different lately.”
“Different how?”
“Oh no – that’s the furthest thing from what she’s
thinking. She’s even been telling folks
that we’re unofficially engaged,” he stated with a slight roll of his eyes. He
waited for
“Is she just jealous?”
Leave it to
“That’s what it looks like.
But there’s been other things too. I don’t know
“I think it makes perfect sense, Junior. If something’s not right, you need to get to the root of the problem before you go any further in the relationship.”
“Well,” John Gage began as he stood, taking his glass over to the sink and putting it in there before continuing, “I think I’m going to try and get some sleep now. You coming?”
“You go ahead. I’ll be following you in a few minutes.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The wake up tones drew groans from all of the members of A-Shift. Johnny rubbed his eyes and looked toward the bunk across from him.
“
Gage got up and made quick work of readying himself to head
to the kitchen. He was certain that his
friend had come back to bed shortly after he did. He wondered when – and why –
“Thanks, Jo, I’ll try to get them there. Love you.”
“
“Yeah, Johnny. I was just thinking…well, how ‘bout you bring Gloria past for a cookout.”
“You called Jo this early in the morning to ask her to cook hotdogs?”
“No. I mean,
yes. I mean, you know Jo won’t serve
hotdogs.” A smile passed between the men
before
“If I’m over-reacting?” Johnny feigned a disgusted look. Hearing the other members of the crew heading
toward the room, Johnny moved closer to
“Thanks?”
“Yeah, thanks. That was a real offer, wasn’t it? You don’t have to…”
“No. I mean,
yes. Why is it always so confusing to
talk to you, Junior?!” Laughing,
“No, thank you!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“YOU’RE WRONG!!”
Jenny began to cry.
“Gloria!”
“Shut up, John. You know the little brat is wrong…”
“GLORIA!!!”
Jenny cried even harder as she ran away from Johnny’s girlfriend towards her Daddy.
“She’s just a whiny, little brat who is WRONG!” Turning toward
“Get the hell out of here, Gloria!”
“I came with you, asshole.”
John Gage had had enough. “Well you’re sure as hell going home without me. Joanne, call HER a cab. You – go wait by the curb. I’ll be out there to pay the driver when he comes. N-o-w g-e-t o-u-t o-f h-e-r-e!” Johnny couldn’t control his anger as he hissed between his teeth.
Turning toward Jenny, Johnny grabbed the crying little girl and picked her up into a tight hug. “Shhh. It’s okay, Jenny Bean. She’s just a mean, crazy woman. She doesn’t know anything.”
“But, she’s your girlfriend, Uncle Johnny.”
“No she’s not, sweetheart. She’s not anymore anyway.”
Jen started crying again. “She…<sniff> said I was…<sniff> ugly…”
“She’s ugly, Jenny. You aren’t. You are a beautiful little girl. There aren’t any little girls as pretty as you. Don’t I tell you that all the time?”
Jennifer DeSoto buried her head in
Johnny’s shoulder. Johnny hugged the
little girl even tighter. Giving her a
kiss on the head, Johnny walked over toward
“I’m sorry,
Both men laughed as Johnny passed the little girl into
Jennifer looked up at her ‘uncle’, a smile returning to her face. “I love you, Uncle Johnny.”
John Gage leaned over and kissed the little girl on the cheek. “I love you, too, Jenny Bean.”
The minute that Johnny turned to head to the front yard, his tenderness turned to pure, raw anger. Stomping to the front of the house, John Gage had to control his anger and regain some sense of control before he spoke to Gloria. The pause lasted a second too long.
“I’m sorry, Johnny. I don’t know what got into me. You know…”
“I KNOW that you are history. I don’t know what has happened to you but what just happened – what you just did – will NOT be repeated in my life.”
“Johnny…”
“NO, Gloria! I don’t want to hear it.” Johnny leaned toward the front seat of the cab as it pulled to a stop. “And, I don’t want to hear from you ever again. Lose my address. Lose my phone number. In fact, get lost all together. Got that?”
As Johnny leaned into the cab to pay the driver, Gloria’s eyes flashed with rage. Waiting until Johnny stood up again, she started to speak but was cut off by the paramedic.
“I’d open the door for you but I only do that for ladies! Now, get the hell out of here.”
“You’ll regret this, John Gage. And, you’ll miss me too. You’ll see.”
Johnny shook his head and turned on his heels, heading toward the side of the house. Once out of sight, he paused long enough to peer around the corner of the house and make sure that Gloria had gotten into the cab. Seeing the cab pull away, he headed back to his friends.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sitting at the kitchen table, Joanne just shook her head as Johnny apologized for the fourth time in as many minutes.
“Johnny, it’s not your fault – none of us knew she could behave that way. I never thought she could be so cruel to a child. Just be grateful she’s out of your life now.”
“Yeah Johnny,”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gloria paced her livingroom floor, unable to let go of the anger that dwelled within her. How dare he! How dare he possibly take that sniveling little brat’s side over her – the woman of his dreams? She’d been there for him whenever he needed her – hell, she’d even put many of her own needs aside so he could have someone to talk to. Just like the other day when he called on such short notice. She canceled her manicure just to be with him – and what did he do? He took her bowling. Bowling! Maybe she’d be better off without him after all.
“Oh hell no! I didn’t spend all this time winning him over and making him love me just to have him end it all now!” Gloria yelled to no one. She took the glass of water in her hand and threw it, watching it as it shattered against the wall. Staring at it for a moment, her eyes began to twinkle as a smile grew on her lips.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Johnny drove home, unaware how long he’d held the death grip on his steering wheel until he pulled his hand away from it, stretching the fingers which now complained from poor circulation.
He slowly got out of the Rover and mindlessly began wandering the grounds as his thoughts trailed back to Gloria. He remembered the first time he’d seen her, walking gracefully down the canned food section of the supermarket, looking like an angel as she glided towards him and smiled. He took her out the very next night, and she was everything he could have dreamed of in a date. Gracious, witty, and very, very charming. As their dates progressed, so did their relationship. It was perfect. Too perfect, he thought as he picked up a piece of gravel and threw it.
Walking into the ranch house, he turned on a lamp and slouched into the sofa, leaning forward only long enough to throw his keys on the coffee table before slumping back. He rubbed his eyes with his hands, letting them move to his temples before dropping them back to his sides.
Had he been too harsh? The anger had flared so easily inside him. Adults weren’t supposed to yell at children like that – especially not Jenny – and what was up with that, anyway? One minute they were all playing with the kids and having fun – then the next minute Gloria was arguing with Jennifer – sounding more like a five year old rather than the adult that she was supposed to be. He thought he’d reacted poorly – but he wasn’t wrong and he knew that. But had he been too hard on Gloria?
When the phone rang, it took a few seconds to shake the thoughts of the afternoon away long enough to bring him to the here and now. Grabbing up the receiver, he answered the annoyance gruffly.
“Hello?”
“Johnny?”
“Gloria.” His tone was neutral; one she couldn’t read. But he hadn’t hung up, so that in itself was a good sign. Now she had to act quickly before he changed his mind.
“John – Johnny? I, I hurt myself … um, it was an accident. I was in the livingroom, and I was going to take myself to get some stitches, but I feel light-headed, and I, I didn’t know who else to call.”
“What happened? No – never mind, Gloria? Gloria!”
The silence that greeted his questions made him worry that much more. No longer thinking of the day’s previous events, Johnny hung up the phone and grabbed his keys in one felled swoop as he ran out the door.
She looked at the phone that lay beside her on the kitchen floor, smiling slightly through dazed thoughts as she heard him calling her name.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Knocking on her apartment door, Johnny was greeted with silence, and trying the door handle, he found it to be locked. Pulling his keys from his jeans pocket, he used the key she’d given him only two weeks ago and let himself in.
“Gloria?” Johnny called out, not seeing her right away as he entered the livingroom. Seeing the phone on its hook beside her sofa, he moved towards the kitchen, following the drips of blood he was now noticing on the floor. He was shocked at the sight of her.
Sitting in the corner, propped beside the bottom cupboards, she was half sprawled on the floor, the phone’s receiver dangling down beside her from the wall. The wall and cupboard were smeared with blood. Johnny grabbed up the phone and called the station, letting them know he needed a squad and an ambulance – knowing C Shift would get there quickly and notify dispatch for him. Hanging up the phone, he called her name, watching as her eyes fluttered at the sound of his voice and a slight sternal rub.
“Gloria honey, what happened? How’d you hurt yourself like this?” he asked, grabbing her right arm as he assessed the injury.
“I was so mad at myself Johnny, and, I, well, I threw my glass of water at the wall in the livingroom, hating myself for being so stupid and childish,” she stated with sluggishness. “ I, I went over to clean up the mess and I must have slipped in the water on the floor. The next thing I knew, I fell right into the glass and my arm was bleeding, and ..” she took a deep breath as her head swayed. “I’m so sorry Johnny … so sorry.”
“Shh,” he tried quieting her as he
took a kitchen towel and used it for a make-shift tourniquet above her right
elbow. “You lost a lot of blood, but
you’re going to be just fine. You probably wouldn’t be feeling so bad right now
if you’d eaten something over at
She smiled sweetly at him, her eyes half open as she shook her head ‘no’. “I wanted to look good for my man,” she whispered.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Johnny followed the ambulance over to Rampart, and waited patiently in the waiting room until Carol came out of treatment room 3, letting him know that after 18 stitches, it looked like Gloria was going to be just fine.
“She’s passed out on us twice though, and Dr. Morton’s going to keep her overnight. She’s being moved up to room 317. And Johnny, she’s been asking for you.”
“Thanks Carol. I’ll go up there in a minute.”
He sat there a little while longer, letting everything sink in from the days events. Looking at his watch, he stood and stretched. Visiting hours would be over in twenty minutes. His anger now dissipated, he simply wanted to see for himself that she was okay before going home and getting some sleep. He had to return to work in the morning and this day had already been too long.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tapping lightly on the door, Johnny walked in to find Gloria dozing. He walked over to the side of the bed, grateful that things hadn’t turned out worse than they had. No matter how mad she’d made him, he was fond of her and wanted no harm to come to her.
Her eyes opened at the sound of his movement, and she smiled at him. When he returned her smile, tears filled her eyes and she turned away from him, hiding her face.
“Hey, hey – what are you crying for? Are you in pain?” Johnny said quietly, pulling her left hand away from her face.
“I’m so ashamed of myself – for today, for the way I’ve been acting lately – I hate myself Johnny, and I’m embarrassed.”
“Let’s not get into that now, Gloria. Visiting hours are almost over and you need your rest and I need to get home and get ready for work in the morning. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Her tears flowed down her face as she looked up at him for a moment before turning away again. “I never wanted you to hate me, Johnny.”
His sigh was deep. “I don’t hate you. It’s just that I don’t know you like I thought I did. You’ve got to admit, today was a real eye-opener.”
“I’ll make it up to you – I swear I will if you give me a
chance.”
“I don’t know, Gloria. And besides, the
ones you really need to be apologizing to is Jennifer
and her family.”
“I know – and I will, I promise you that.”
Dr. Morton walked in, smiling at his patient as he walked over to the right side of her bed, checking the bandages he’d just applied.
“Hi John, how’s the patient doing?”
“I think she’ll be fine,” Johnny stated, looking from the doctor to Gloria, then back at Morton again.
Satisfied with the bandages and his patient’s alertness, Dr. Morton nodded his agreement. “Time for you to get some rest, Miss Hall.”
“Guess that’s my cue to leave,” Johnny said, grateful for the exit.
“Will you call me, Johnny?” Gloria asked quickly.
“Uh, yeah, okay. I’ll give you a call and see how you’re doing, okay?” he half asked, half stated as he made a hasty retreat.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As
“Hey partner – you’re here early. Eager to get started?”
Johnny smiled at his friend. “Eager for the distraction is more like it.”
“What’s going on? You okay?”
“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” Johnny began, standing as he talked. “But I ended up taking Gloria to the emergency room last night.”
“She okay?”
“Yeah. She fell and cut her hand and wrist real bad, but she’s okay now.” He looked at everyone else as the rest of the crew began filtering in. “We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As the day progressed, so did the number of runs Station 51
was called out on. The rescue squad was
constantly in service, making it hard for the younger paramedic to discuss last
night’s events. The entire crew finally
was able to sit long enough to enjoy their dinner, but soon after, the engine
was called out to the scene of a trash fire.
After clearing the plates and washing the dishes, the paramedics finally
managed to sit down and talk, and Johnny told
“So are you going to call her?”
“That’s just it
John Gage looked at his partner with a grin. Only
“Maybe,” John began, “But …”
When the tones sounded, both men stood up from the table, leaving their cups and conversation behind.
Called out to join their engine company at the scene of their last call, Roy and John hurriedly got into the squad, both wondering why they were needed at a trash fire.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gloria looked around the empty apartment, wondering what to do next. She’d cleaned up the mess from the night before, taking numerous naps thanks to the pain pills she’d been given at the hospital, and waited impatiently for the phone to ring. But it didn’t.
Oh sure, there were a few calls from her friends at work, wanting to know how she was and if she needed anything, but the one thing she needed most wasn’t happening, and that was a call from Johnny.
She hoped that it was because he was busy; hoped he wasn’t hurt; and most of all, hoped he wasn’t just avoiding her.
Feeling invigorated from her awkward one-handed shower, she dressed herself simply and took another pill for the pain her activities had caused.
Finding herself hungry and upset because Johnny hadn’t called, she decided to go out for some fast food, hoping he would call. Maybe if he called and got no answer, he’d be worried. Maybe he’d leave the station … come over to see for himself that she was all right … maybe he’d realize how much he loved her when his concern brought him back to her.
Smiling to herself, Gloria got into the little green car, her imagination going wild at the thoughts of Johnny possibly waiting for her upon her return. But her smile suddenly fell when she sat in the vehicle.
How was she going to drive a stick-shift with her hand all bandaged and stiff? Roughly getting the car in neutral, she started it, feeling her way with the gear shift and injured hand as she held the clutch in with her left foot. “Only one way to find out,” she stated to no one. Putting the car into reverse, she pushed down the emergency brake and let off of the clutch.
Damn it hurt, but she was managing. Now, as her stomach grumbled, she pondered where to go to find herself a decent meal. At least the dinner rush was already over. She could get something quickly and head back home.
When the siren approached from behind, she moved the car over, getting out of the way as red lights flashed, lighting up the inside of her car. When the fire truck passed, her eyes grew wide, seeing the number 51 on the truck. She looked behind her in the rear view mirror, hoping to see the squad following, but quickly grew disappointed when she realized it wasn’t. Pulling back out onto the road, she painfully shifted gears quickly, following the fire truck as her curiosity grew.
The county vehicle stopped only a few blocks ahead of her and she could see a few people standing around a dumpster, watching as a fire within it burned brightly. As the engine pulled to a stop, she passed by, knowing the squad wouldn’t be coming. Driving to the next intersection, she turned, relinquishing herself to finding some dinner.
Driving past several restaurants and fast food places, she stopped at none, her meal forgotten as thoughts of Johnny coming to her rescue the night before filled her warmly. He was so caring – so sweet. His voice was calm and full of concern and it was all for her – only her. Oh how she longed for his attentions. To have him caring for her … she needed that. She needed him to feel that way for her. If she were hurt seriously, he’d have to realize his love for her and ignore her shortfalls.
The next thing she knew, she had driven around a few more blocks and was coming up to where the engine had stopped. She didn’t know how long she’d been driving but she knew her hand ached from its use. Looking at the scene of the fire, she saw someone pulling a hose back towards the engine and noticed the flames from before were now gone. Looking just a little further, she noticed an area of bushes and trees yet untouched by the growing civilization surrounding it.
She smiled.
Grinning at her own cleverness, she mowed the car into the brush, making sure to swerve the car around in case anyone was watching. She braced herself as best she could, covering her face with her left arm as the car pushed easily through bushes and weeds, stopping only when it slammed into a tree. She was unconscious almost instantly, but not before screaming, hoping she’d be heard.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Captain Stanley had just returned the HT into his jacket pocket, making the engine available after putting out the dumpster fire. He knew someone had set it on purpose – the tell-tale smell of gasoline still lingered where none should be. But at least it had been contained before it spread to the apartment building it stood beside.
Opening the door of the fire truck, he stopped just short of getting into the engine when he heard the screeching tires. Looking up, he saw the small green car, its driver looking as if they couldn’t stop it from heading into the brush. He watched in horror as it plowed into the shrubs.
The scream he heard ripped into him, his inner alarm set off from the sound of someone’s pain.
Not even bothering with the HT, he grabbed the mic from inside the engine’s cab, calling for a squad, ambulance, and tow truck.
Looking toward the shrubbery that entombed the car, Cap headed across the street. “Chet, Marco – move!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gloria briefly opened her eyes without thinking. No, dammit, keep ‘em closed. She struggled to control her urge to
scream. She hurt. But overwhelming her own hurt was her desire
TO hurt. C’mon, John Gage. Are you coming
to my rescue?
“Chet, cut the bushes back on the driver’s side. We need to have free access to the victim by
the time Johnny and
YES!
“Marco, can you get in the car on that side?”
“I’m trying, Cap. The door is stuck. The window is cracked so badly I can’t see in.”
“Same here, Pal. All I can really see is…is the blood on the windshield.” Turning his attention back to the window, he was able to make out the outline of a body. It was still impossible to determine if it was a male or female – or if there was anyone else in the vehicle.
“Hello? You in there. This is the LA County Fire Department - can you hear me?” After getting no response, the crew heard the muffled “dammit” that escaped the captain’s lips.
Gloria sat still, straining to hear what was going on around her. A brief smile passed her lips before falling back into motionless silence.
“What’ve we got, Cap?”
“Don’t know how many victims are in the car, John. There’s no response at all.”
Turning toward Chet, Johnny didn’t even get the question out before the fireman anticipated the paramedic’s question. “Just another minute. It’s almost open.”
With a grunt and another push on the crowbar, the door popped open. At the same time, Marco got the passenger door open.
“Gloria?” The same name – same question could be heard from both paramedics.
Glancing at each other in a moment of disbelief, the paramedics returned to their work.
“Gloria? Can you here me, honey?”
“I’ll get the vitals, Junior. Get on the horn to Rampart.”
“Gloria?” Looking
across Gloria’s chest, his eyes met
“I know, Johnny. She’s breathing well though. Get on the horn to Rampart. Okay?”
Johnny paused a moment too long.
“Cap – get Rampart.”
“No, I got it,
“John?”
“I’ve got it, Cap.” Johnny
made quick work of getting in touch with Rampart.
While Johnny was getting the doctor’s instructions, Cap made
his way over to
“His most recent ex.”
“Yeah, Cap. Good idea.”
Both men moved to Johnny’s side of the car. “Junior, I’ll take care of the IV’s. Go to the other side and see if you can get her to come around.”
Johnny didn’t even notice he’d been removed from the primary caregiver position. Nor did he particularly care at that point. As Johnny moved to the passenger side, Gloria briefly smiled.
“Gloria? Can you hear me? I need you to come around now…okay?”
Gloria was beaming on the inside. She controlled her emotions and began to stir.
“Wha…”
“It’s okay, I’m here with you.”
“Johnny?”
“Yeah. Don’t move your head. You’ve been in an accident.”
“Hungry.” Gloria had planned this whole scene and it couldn’t be going any better.
“What? I can’t give you anything right now. You know I would if I could, don’t you?”
“Johnny, we’re ready to go. Chet, get the gurney over here, let’s get her loaded.”
“Don’t leave me, John.” Gloria began to cry.
“Shhh. I won’t.”
Cap looked from one paramedic to the other. “Marco, take in the squad. Johnny, you can go in with Roy and the victim.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The ride started off quietly.
Gloria’s head was spinning. But, not from the accident.
“Hungry.”
“What, Gloria?”
“Hungry. I was hungry.”
Johnny looked into the woman’s eyes trying to make sense of
what she was saying.
Getting no comments, Gloria continued. “I wanted something to eat. I probably shouldn’t have tried to drive with my hand like this. But, I was hungry…”
“I should have thought of that.” Johnny’s tone was apologetic, half talking to himself, half to her.
BINGO! Gloria had gotten what she wanted…or at least part of it. Looking away from Johnny, she mustered her tears again.
“Well, I hoped…or I thought…well, you didn’t call. And…”
“I’m sorry, Gloria. I should have called. I said I would. I didn’t even think…we’ve been on runs all day.” He rubbed his face with his hand. “I’m so sorry.”
Arriving at Rampart, Johnny followed Gloria into the
treatment room while
“How’s she doing,
“I think she’ll be okay. Johnny’s in there now with her.”
“He seemed pretty upset, didn’t he?”
“Yeah Marco, he did.”
Both men watched as the fire engine pulled round, Mike being careful not to block any of the ways in for the ambulances that would surely arrive.
Marco smiled back as he handed the keys to the squad to
Turning around, he walked in through the emergency room doors, ready to find his partner. He’d wait until they were alone before talking to his friend, but he was going to talk to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I can’t believe you’re saying that,
“Bet her kitchen is full.”
“
“And now she’s being awful to you. Don’t you see? To me, it looked like she couldn’t wait to make you feel guilty. All I’m saying is that this is not your fault, Junior. Don’t let her make you think anything else.”
Johnny was relieved when the station appeared before them. He didn’t want to continue this conversation. Hell, he hadn’t wanted to have it at all. He was confused. He didn’t need anyone else adding to that fact.
The rest of the guys were sitting around the kitchen table when the paramedics walked in.
“How is she,
“Okay, Cap. They’ll keep her the night. Only ‘cause Dr. Brackett was confused as to why she was out so long. She got quite a bump on the head but that couldn’t explain why she was out as long as she…appeared to be.”
Everyone noticed the looks that were exchanged between
Johnny and Roy at
“She has a mild concussion and a bruised shoulder. She’s also got a few bruised ribs and got six stitches where her head split open when it hit the windshield,” Johnny answered defensively.
“Yeah, things aren’t what they always appear to be, I guess,” Chet said softly.
Chet was now the focus of everyone’s attention.
“What the hell does that mean, Chet?” Johnny was angry. He’d take it from
“Calm down, Gage. Sheesh. I was just thinking about the fire. Everyone assumed the garbage had accidentally caught on fire. I mean, what kind of asshole pours gasoline into a dumpster then sets it on fire? People – WE – could get hurt by such a dumbass stunt.”
Johnny and Roy traded looks again. Johnny turned on his heels, left the room, and went to lay on his bunk. He had to think this out. Alone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The men were given a reprieve of sorts by having a peaceful night after such a long day. Sleep came easily to them – well, almost all of them.
Johnny had
gotten up once, and
After the younger paramedic returned to his bunk, he seemed
to sleep well. At least that’s how it
looked to
He couldn’t pin-point it, but something just wasn’t right about all this.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Johnny and Roy talked for a few minutes before they left the station, both ready for the weekend off they had earned. Neither man wanted to leave without both knowing the other wasn’t mad.
They stood out in the back lot beside their cars, fumbling
for words.
“You going over to Rampart?” There. He’d asked. Point blank. To the point.
“Yeah. If Brackett let’s her out I want to be there, ya know?”
“Sure, I know. You want me to come along?”
Johnny smiled. His friend was willing to go with him, be there for him, even if he didn’t agree with the way he felt. “Nah, it’ll be all right. Don’t worry, okay? I know what I’m doing. I thought about it a lot last night, and I know where you’re coming from. I won’t let my guilt keep me from thinking straight, you know?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gloria let the young nursing student walk her around. It was routine to get the patient up and moving around before discharging, especially after such jarring injuries, just to be sure. Dr. Brackett had told her she would be released if she had no complications today, and now Dr. Early had checked on her, agreeing with her other doctor’s assessment.
It hurt to move around, but what hurt worse was the thought that Johnny might not come by. He hadn’t called her yet, and she knew he should be off shift by now. She didn’t want to call her friend Sherry from work yet again to pick her up from the hospital – God, she was a pain in the ass – wanting to help her, wanting to stay with her. All Gloria wanted was Johnny. Besides, after the way she’d treated Sherry, would she even want to come get her again?
“Miss Hall, are you okay?”
The nurse had apparently been speaking to her, but Gloria was lost in thought.
“Miss Hall, are you feeling dizzy?”
Gloria looked at the nurse and out of the corner of her eye caught sight of Johnny walking down the hall towards them from behind her.
“I, I just feel real woozy all of a sudden,” she feigned, making sure to sway towards the wall, grabbing her head as if suddenly stricken.
“Whoa there, Gloria? Gloria!” Johnny’s stride had quickened when he saw Gloria with the nurse outside of her room, but soon it turned into a steady run when he saw her fall back towards the wall. The actions had also been seen by Dr. Early, who had been talking to a nurse down the hall and had heard the nurse’s concerned tone towards his patient.
Johnny caught her from the left as the nurse caught her from the right, both keeping the patient from hitting the floor with a thud.
God how perfectly timed was that? Gloria thought with glee.
“Let’s get her back in her room,” Dr. Early spoke quickly, his alarm evident as his worry grew. “Sheila, I want a full set of vitals as soon as she’s settled.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Well Miss Hall, I’m glad to see a little more color in your face,” Dr. Early spoke, looking over the new set of vitals the nurse had just gotten for him. “Were you in any pain when you got dizzy?” he asked, checking her pupils.
“No, no, I just, I don’t know, I guess I just lost my footing.”
“No you didn’t,” Johnny interjected. “I was coming down the hall when it happened, Doc. She wasn’t walking at the time.”
Gloria shot him a look that was not happy, playing her role to perfection.
“She was incoherent for a moment, Doctor, and when I questioned her about it she lost her balance – I thought she was going out on me,” the nurse stated.
“Well, I see no other recourse than to keep you here at least another day or two and run a few more tests – we need to find out what’s wrong - better to be safe than sorry.”
“No!” Gloria practically screamed. No way was she going to be cooped up in this damned hospital while Johnny had the weekend off. This, after all, was supposed to be the weekend he took her camping, before that nasty little brat had ruined things for her.
“Miss Hall,” Dr. Early began, his voice calm and gentle, “You live alone, is that right?”
“Yes, but what’s that got to …”
“Just hear me out for a moment. What if you have another incident like the one out in the hallway? If there’s no one around to help you, you could possibly fall and hurt yourself or something worse. I highly recommend you stay at least another night so we can be sure you’ll be all right. Just let me run some more tests.”
Gloria shook her head no. “You know doctor, I’ve never stayed a minute in any hospital before until now, and suddenly I’ve found myself in here twice in one week. And I don’t like it. I’d rather take my chances at home. I’ll sign any release papers you have.”
The good doctor frowned. “It really is against my better judgement that you leave, but I can’t stop you. Do you have anyone you can call? Perhaps a neighbor that can check up on you now and then?”
“No, not really. My friends from work are out of town for a company picnic,” she lied easily, “and my neighbors are pretty much weekend runners, you know, working all week and taking off each weekend. But I’ll be fine. I promise to rest and take it easy.”
“I’ll make sure she does just that, Dr. Early,” Johnny said, surprising himself as much as Gloria.
Inside, Gloria was screaming with glee. Outside, she shot him a dirty look. “I don’t need a babysitter, John Gage.”
“Who said I was your babysitter?” Johnny defended himself, his hand to his chest. “I just thought you’d like to spend some time with me since I’m off this weekend. Maybe we won’t go camping like we’d planned, but I’m sure we can watch tv or something.”
Gloria could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She barely suppressed the joy that flooded her with a look of surprise at his words. “Really?” she asked quietly, sounding almost scared to hear his reply.
“I’d rather you stay in the hospital. But if you won’t do that, someone’s got to look out for you.”
“Thank you, Johnny.” Gloria said, using her best innocent tone.
“Listen, why don’t you get dressed and
ready. I’m going to go down the
hall and give
Gloria smiled. “I am now.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
John Gage picked up the phone for the third time. Just
dial the number. You’re an adult for
God’s sake. It’s your decision. It’s none of his business. Dial the damn number!
“Hello?”
The silence on the line almost caused
“Roy, it’s Johnny. Listen…”
“Let me guess.”
“Now,
“If that’s what you want to do...”
“It’s what I need to do,
“Sure, I do, John.”
“That’s right,
“WHAT? No,
“Puhleeeze, Uncle Johnny? I wanted to sit next to you. I made your favorite cookies and everything.” The little girl sure knew how to lay on the guilt.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. You know I would be there if I could. I have to take care of a sick friend. You understand that, don’t you, Jen?” Johnny now rested against the wall, eyes closed, one hand rubbing his furrowed brow. He listened to the little girl for a few more seconds. “Okay, Jenny Bean, I’m sorry but I’ll make it up to you. I love you. Put your daddy back on, okay?”
Johnny turned and slapped the wall again as he waited for
“Did you tell her why?”
“I told her I needed to take care of a sick friend.”
“Did you tell
her who your sick friend is?”
“No, Roy. I didn’t. I mean…it’s not like…no, I didn’t” The defeat was evident in his voice.
“That should tell you something, shouldn’t it, John?”
There it was again. John. The pause seemed to last an eternity.
Johnny just stared at the receiver in his hand. After the initial shock wore off, Johnny
slammed the phone down so hard he almost broke it. Leaning against the wall, Johnny rested his
head on his forearm. How did this happen? What the hell am I
doing?
A few yards
behind him, Gloria sat beaming in her wheelchair. A witness to most of the conversation, she
wanted to get up and dance with joy.
While she couldn’t hear most of the conversation, it was obvious that
Roy – and his family – would be out of the picture even if only for the
weekend. That’s all I need. Just one weekend to get Johnny back. For good.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Taking Gloria to her apartment, Johnny waited patiently as she packed a few things to take over to his place. He figured it was best that she stay with him, and that way he could still take care of things around the ranch while looking out for her. At first she protested having to leave her home, but somehow, Johnny was able to talk her into it, explaining the things he needed to catch up on.
He had been very quiet during the ride over, but that was
fine with her, figuring he was still fuming over the conversation he’d had with
As Gloria moved from her bedroom to the bathroom, gathering
all her necessities, Johnny wandered into the kitchen. He couldn’t help but open a few cabinets. Bet
her kitchen is full. he heard
He leaned
against the cupboards as the memories of her lying against them haunted
him. He remembered the blood all over,
and wondered how difficult of a time she’d had cleaning all the mess,
especially with only one good hand.
Guilt plagued him when he figured she’d probably cleaned it up just
before going out to get some dinner the other night. The
night she totaled her car. The night she could have died.
“Johnny?” she asked, bringing him back to the here and now. “I’m ready.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Penny for your thoughts?” Joanne asked, knowing exactly what they were.
“Johnny.” He stated simply.
Joanne sat on the arm of the chair, her right hand rubbing
“Maybe I shouldn’t have been so hard on him earlier. Maybe I should just sit back and wait – you know as well as I do that once Johnny’s mind is made up …”
“I also know that Johnny is a sucker when it comes to seeing someone in pain.”
“You mean like Gloria.”
“
“No, honey,” she said as she stood, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I was talking about you. If Johnny could see the pain you’re in right now, you two would work things out. You two need to talk – get things out in the open. Maybe Gloria isn’t so bad – I know people without kids don’t have the patience with them that we parents do. And …”
“You’re not
defending her after she treated Jennifer like that, are you?” he asked, his
looking incredulous.
“All I’m saying is that there might be reasons behind her behavior – that’s all. And you need to talk to Johnny.” She paused for a moment and picked up his half empty tea glass from the end table. “Why don’t you go over there now?”
“He probably isn’t home. He did cancel our dinner plans this evening to be with her.”
“Dinner time’s over with now. And even if he’s not home when you get there, I’m sure he will be soon enough.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Johnny sat on the side of the bed, watching Gloria as she slept. The day had been long – well, at least for someone who’d just gotten out of the hospital, anyway. She looked almost angelic as she slept peacefully, the pain pills taking their effect easily.
He heard a car pulling into the driveway, but couldn’t see
who it was from the guest bedroom window. Quietly getting up, he left, pulling
the door to as he walked quickly down the stairs. Looking out through the screen door, he saw
“
“Johnny. Look – I’m so sorry about this morning – I was way out of line and, well, I just wanted you to know that I was wrong.”
Johnny waved his friend to sit down in one of the chairs on the porch, then went wordlessly inside. When he returned, he had two beers in his hand.
“She’s upstairs sleeping right now,” Johnny stated, handed his partner one of the beers.
“She’s here?”
“Yeah. Dr. Early wanted her to stay at least another night, but she refused because she hates hospitals. Out of the clear blue, I volunteered myself to look out for her.”
“And you brought her back here so you could take care of things.”
“Yep.” The pause was long before Johnny spoke again. “You think I’m going about this all wrong, don’t you?” he half asked, half stated.
“I really can’t say.”
“Yeah, yeah you can
“I have one question for you first – before I start talking. Do you love her, Johnny?”
Johnny looked around the grounds of his ranch, noting the
different shades as the sun set in the horizon before looking back at
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gloria laid in the bed, not quite asleep, but comfortably numb thanks to the drugs they’d prescribed at the hospital. She heard his footsteps as Johnny came in to check on her, but kept her eyes closed, letting him believe she was sleeping.
She felt his weight as he sat on the edge of the bed, then felt his hand as he touched her forehead – the paramedic in him making sure her temperature wasn’t up. He was so caring; so gentle.
She realized at that very moment that all her efforts to make him fall in love with her were because she had already fallen in love with him. At first, he was merely a conquest. Her friends were envious of her with the good looking man at her side. He was always attentive to her needs and wants. And now she really had fallen in love with him. She should have realized it a few weeks ago when her jealousy flared up at that waitress at the restaurant. Or last week at the supermarket when that young clerk had smiled at Johnny and she’d totally lost it. And most of all, she should have known the other day, when she began arguing with Roy DeSoto’s daughter over who was really Johnny’s princess.
She heard the car pulling in down Johnny’s gravel driveway, and kept her eyes closed as Johnny stood, leaving her to tend to whoever had invited themselves over. Waiting a few minutes, she got up carefully, trying not to stir the pain from her injuries as she moved soundlessly into the hallway.
Stopping at the top of the stairs, she watched as Johnny went outside, carrying two beers out onto the porch. Very slowly, she made her way down, stopping just behind the front door; listening.
“I have one question for you first – before I start talking. Do you love her, Johnny?” she heard
Johnny’s silence stunned her at first, wanting him to reply quickly with the answer she knew she’d hear. Instead, she heard his deep sigh. “No.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Each man stared at one another for a moment. Until they heard the crash inside, followed by the shrill scream of Gloria’s raw anger.
“What the hell?” Johnny said as he and Roy leapt from their chairs, beer bottles toppling as beer flowed freely on the deck.
Both men ran inside as Gloria cried out in anguish again.
“How could you? I thought, no - I KNOW you love me John Gage!” she screamed, thrashing out her bandaged arm as she backed herself towards the kitchen, knocking over a lamp in her wake. Once the surprise of another lamps’ falling was over, she turned, running into the kitchen. Johnny and Roy quickly followed.
Gloria was cornered, looking like a deer caught by her hunters as the two men rushed in behind her.
“Stay back!” she yelled, tears streaming down her face.
“Come on, Gloria,” Johnny spoke softly, trying to calm her. “You need to calm down, okay honey?”
“Don’t you ‘honey’ me! You, you hypocrite! I thought you loved me,” she whimpered.
“Gloria?”
“Why are you even speaking to me? I know you despise me. You just stay away from me, Roy!” she said evenly as she reached behind her, grabbing the biggest knife from the cutlery set that stood on the counter.
“Gloria!” Johnny yelled, shocked at her latest move.
“I don’t despise you, Gloria,” Roy said, his tone soothing as he allowed himself another step closer to this woman who was obviously very unstable. “We haven’t even really gotten a chance to know one another yet. Johnny here says you’re a really nice young lady.”
Gloria looked at him, wishing what he said were true. But she knew it wasn’t. She’d just heard for herself that the man she loved didn’t love her.
She looked down from the caring eyes that
“Gloria, please!” Johnny called, scared of what her thoughts were leading to. “Please, give me the knife. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“You could care less,” she answered sharply, “unless you felt guilty about it. That’s the only way to get your attention, just get hurt, and good old Johnny will come to your rescue,” she said sarcastically.
“What are saying, Gloria?” Johnny asked, watching as his partner slipped closer to her, her own anger and pain making her oblivious to his actions.
“I’m saying that you care so much about doing your job that the only way to get you to pay attention to a woman is if she hurts herself! If I hadn’t done what I’d done, we wouldn’t be together right now!”
So caught up in the realization that she’d admitted harming
herself to get Johnnys’ attention, Gloria didn’t see
Blood oozed instantly from
All three people in the kitchen were stunned, albeit
briefly.
Johnny watched the actions as if in slow motion; his mind reeling at the incomprehensible deed done.
He watched as Gloria took off out of the back door, but
didn’t care.
Shifting his stunned gaze from Gloria to
“
Johnny made quick work of talking with LA dispatch. He absently dropped the phone to the floor as
he shifted his position, sitting on the floor leaning against the kitchen cabinets, Johnny shifted
“Roy, God Roy, I am so sorry. So very, very sorry. You hang in there. You’re going to be okay. I’m so…”
“J – Johnny”,
“Shhh. Just stay quiet,
“No…no, Johnny…please…”
“What? Please what, Roy? Where the hell is the squad?” Johnny broke the gaze but quickly returned to face his friend.
“Please…tell Joanne…”
“No, you tell her. You…”
“Johnny, please!”
John Gage was surprised at the sudden strength in
“
“Neck…”
“Yeah, so. Remember that little boy? The one when we were coming back from
fishing? You held his neck and he was
hurt worse than you, partner.” Johnny
was glad to see a slight smile cross
“Junior.”
His voice was barely a whisper.
“Look at me, Junior.”
Johnny turned to look at the man in his arms. “Where the hell is the squad? I need help here!”
“Johnny…not your fault…”
“Yes it is…”
“NO! No. Nothing to forgive. Just be there for Jo…for Jo and the kids.”
Johnny was about to assure
“NO! Get out of here, God dammit! Leave us alone. Just get out.”
“Easy, Gage.”
Johnny started at the male voice and the touch of a hand on
his shoulder. Not yet realizing what was
happening, Johnny crouched closer over
“John. Get up. We need you to get up so we can see what we have.” The two paramedics who had entered the house now scanned the room, not understanding all the blood.
When Johnny didn’t move, the hands of Bill Grayson, paramedic from 110, grasped both of Johnny’s shoulders and began to pull him up. “Where are you hurt, John?”
Finally understanding what was happening, Johnny looked up
at this peers. “Not me. It’s
Just as Johnny was about to pass out, Ron Hamber, Bill’s partner, grabbed
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Johnny was only vaguely aware of the activity around him at
first. Shaking his head and gathering
his senses, he was relieved to see that
Bill caught Johnny’s motion out of the corner of his eye. “Whoa there, Gage. You just stay still – we’ll be with you in a minute.”
Ignoring Grayson’s command, Johnny rolled onto his knees and
moved over to
“He’s going to be fine, Gage. Thanks to you.”
“Yeah, thanks to me.” Johnny’s voice was filled with disgust and self-recrimination.
“You did it, Gage. You kept the pressure. He’ll require some delicate surgery and a bit of recovery but he’s gonna be fine. Brackett will see to it.”
Johnny just looked at the men as he stood up.
“Wait a second, Gage.”
“I’m fine. Just get him in the ambulance. I’m going along too.”
“Damn right you are. Brackett is waiting for you too.”
Johnny started to argue the last comment but found he didn’t
have the strength or the will. He
quietly walked alongside the stretcher as
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The ride to the hospital was a blur – Johnny’s sole focus
was each intake and release of breath that
His mouth fell open when the ambulance doors flew wide, not
even realizing they had stopped. The
stretcher which held his attentions was pulled briskly from the vehicle and he
made his exit just as quickly, determined to keep
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Johnny awoke to find himself laying on a gurney with
The first thing he was aware of was his own confusion. The
next thing was
“What – what happened?” he asked, shaking his head briskly as if that could make his dizziness pass.
“You came in with
“Oh my God –
“He’s fine Johnny – do you hear me? He’s going to be just fine. Kel got him stabilized about thirty minutes ago and he’s in surgery right now, getting the damage repaired.”
“Joanne?” Johnny asked, letting his body relax a little as he laid back down.
“She’s already here.
Listen Johnny, do you remember what happened? How did
As if struck by a bolt of lightning, Johnny shot straight up from the gurney, trying his damndest to ignore the nausea that rose with him. “Gloria.”
“What?”
“Gloria did that – she went nuts – Roy was sitting out on
the porch with me, hell, I thought she was asleep upstairs, but she was
listening to us talking and she heard me tell Roy I didn’t love her. She just went ballistic, Dix! She was screaming and knocking over stuff,
then she ran out in the kitchen and we thought she was going to kill herself
with one of the knives out there. He was
trying to talk to her – I really thought he was getting to her, but then she
just lost it, and when she started yelling at me Roy snuck up beside her and
tried to take the knife. She turned on
him and jabbed out with that thing. The
next thing I knew I was holding
Johnny took a deep breath, looking down at the floor before
looking back up at
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next five hours were a mass of confusion, guilt, and exhaustion for John Roderick Gage.
Between explaining things to the police, calling the guys
from the station to let them know about
When Mike offered the paramedic a ride home, Johnny was grateful. Though his guilt plagued him, he knew there was nothing more to be done at Rampart, and truth be known, he was bone tired.
It was
Turning the knob, he opened the door slowly, too tired to think. Until his fingers moved over the light switch. It was then that his world turned began spinning again.
Shit! The door wasn’t locked! his mind was racing, knowing that Gloria could be anywhere, and since she had no car of her own, hell, where else would she go but back here?
Grabbing an umbrella from the coat rack beside the door, he let his hand wander back up the wall once more, never stopping his eyes from darting around the darkened livingroom. He was poised – ready to catch any movement, any sound. His hand reaching its destination, he turned on the overhead switch.
Just as he’d suspected, the livingroom had been torn apart. And he was sure the rest of the house would reflect the same. But he was too tired to care. He simply wanted to make sure Gloria was no where in the house.
He scanned the room quickly with his eyes, looking from corner to corner for anything out of place. It wasn’t until he had visually checked things twice that he relaxed his stance.
Finally allowing himself to breathe again, he leaned back into the wall, sighing heavily. Then he looked towards the kitchen – his body tensing again. Remembering that she had made her hasty exit through the kitchen door, he now realized that that, too, was probably unlocked. Then there was the barn, and the shed, hell, there were millions of places to hide in and around his small ranch.
Standing up stiffly, he made up his mind and took off throughout the house, assuring himself that she was not still there.
Once secure in his home, he practically fell into the sofa, which was the only apparent piece of furniture that hadn’t been ripped to shreds. His mind was weary and unable to process anything more. Sleep came almost instantly as he hoped for just a few hours rest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sitting under some trees in the distance, Gloria watched the lights come on. He’s home. After the initial glow of lights at the side of the house, room by room the rest of the lights came on. You won’t find me there, Johnny boy. Hope you’re sweating it out though.
Sweating it out. Gloria had spent hours sweating out whether
or not she would get caught. A time or
two, she considered walking right up to one of the many cops or sheriffs that
had been around the house. Should I turn myself in? Every time she seriously considered the act,
she remembered what she had done. For
all she knew, she would be arrested for murder.
What if
Staring at the house, Gloria thought about her rampage after everyone left. I still can’t believe the door was unlocked. Stupid. Really stupid. She played back the scene as she worked her way through the house. At first, she just broke the things that she knew were important to him…the bastard…how can he not love me? Looking around, she decided that there wasn’t enough damage, that she really wanted to hurt him. So, she broke everything that could be broken, cut every pillow and chair that she would find, upturned every piece of furniture in the house. All except the sofa. I’ll leave the sofa. Give him somewhere to sleep amongst the hell I’ve created.
Gloria closed her eyes and rested. She didn’t know what the morning would bring but she wanted to be ready.
The sound of a pickup truck roused
Gloria from her sleep. She moved a bit
to ensure that she was in the early morning shadow of the trees. Watching and listening, her mind was
spinning. Carefully moving to better
position herself, she watched as the person in the truck hesitated. Mike.
Mike Stoker
sat with the truck running. He was
unsure whether or not to disturb his friend.
It had only been about 4 hours since he’d dropped him off. But, Mike had worried about Johnny all
night. Finally, not being able to rest,
Mike decided he needed to check on Johnny.
He’d called Johnny’s number a few times but the phone was busy. Getting nervous, Mike decided to pay a visit
to his friend. He was sure he’d look
like a fool when he found out that Johnny had just taken the phone off the hook
so he could rest. But,
better safe than sorry.
Mike thought about it for another few seconds before deciding to make a quick trip to the door to see if Johnny was okay. I’m not going to stay. Not unless Johnny wants me to. Mike decided to leave the truck running so Johnny knew that he didn’t have to invite Mike in.
Johnny was startled by the knock on the door. Waking up and seeing the mess around him, Johnny yelled out in confusion.
“Johnny? You okay?” Mike was unnerved by the sound – the tone - of Johnny’s voice.
Regaining his senses, Johnny quickly made his way to the door. After seeing Mike standing on the porch, Johnny threw the door wide open. “Welcome to my world.”
“Holy shit!”
Johnny laughed.
“What can you possibly be laughing at?” Mike’s mouth still hung open in disbelief.
“You. I’ve never heard you say those words – or show that much surprise.” Johnny was glad to have something to smile about even if it was only briefly.
Taking in the view, Mike just shook his head. “Umm. Gosh, I didn’t expect that. I came over because I was trying to call you – you must have your phone off the hook.”
“The phone?” Johnny walked toward the kitchen. Without thinking, Mike followed him into the house.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gloria watched as Mike left and a smile spread across her lips as she realized the noise she heard was the engine of the truck, still running.
Thank you,
God! If I could have found Johnny’s or
Roy’s keys last night, I’d have been a helluva lot
more comfortable!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“The phone’s
not off the hook, Mike. Off the goddamn
wall! I didn’t even think to look at the
phones.”
“Thank God you didn’t need to use it. Look at this…”
The slamming of the truck door and the screeching of the wheels caused both men to stop.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” Johnny was the first one to reach the porch. Looking at the dust trail left as the truck pulled out of the drive, Johnny turned to his friend. “Sorry ‘bout your truck, Mike. Let’s call…oh shit.”
Mike just continued to stare at the dust hanging in the air.
“C’mon Mike,” Johnny said, pulling his keys from his pocket. “Let’s ride into town and call the police.”
He gently nudged his friend, one hand on Mike’s shoulder and the other motioning him to walk towards the Land Rover. Mike started to move, then stopped abruptly, pointing towards a piece of paper on the deck, laying a few steps away from them.
Johnny leaned over and grabbed up the paper, turning it over to read it. His face registered his disgust as he showed it to Mike.
It read
simply, “Consider us DISENGAGED, Johnny.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That Sunday morning, the police had come and gone and Johnny had been questioned once again as the case against Gloria Hall was further made. Mike gave his statement about his truck’s disappearing right from under his nose, and soon after he had fixed the phone line in the kitchen, he promptly called everyone to come over and help get John’s place back in some sort of order.
Captain Stanley had taken Johnny over to Rampart earlier that afternoon while the rest of the crew worked on the ranch, trying to ease the paramedic’s burden however they could.
Johnny was surprised to see
John Gage’s guilt hung heavily, something that all visitors
and the patient were aware of in the room, and nothing seemed to waiver that;
not even
When they were ready to leave, Joanne hugged Johnny,
thanking him for saving
“How could she possibly be thanking me, Cap??” Johnny asked incredulously as Hank drove them back to the ranch. “If it wasn’t for me, Gloria would have never been in our lives to begin with!”
“John, we can’t control the people that enter our lives every day, nor what they do. The most we can hope for is to control the situations they bring with them.”
Johnny sat quietly for the rest of the ride home, contemplating his Captain’s words.
By
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Taking a two-week leave of absence, John Gage became a walking target. With the help of the local police and sheriff’s office, the ranch and any trips Johnny made to and from it were being constantly monitored. Even his phone had been tapped, the police hoping that she would call, and hoping Johnny would be able to keep her on the phone long enough to trace her whereabouts.
Johnny went to the hospital at least twice a day while Roy
was still there, then over to Roys’ house once he was
released six days after his initial injury occurred.
During the whole time, Gloria had not been seen. She hadn’t been heard from. Nothing. It was as if she had vanished off the face of the Earth. But Johnny knew it couldn’t be that easy. They all did.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gloria Hall took off down Johnny’s driveway, slinging gravel in her wake as she stole away with Mike Stoker’s truck. It was too easy! How stupid was that man to leave his truck running outside of Johnny’s home?!
Quickly making her way towards her own home, she knew she’d have only a few minutes before Johnny would get to a phone. She’d made sure his phones were unusable, though at the time she didn’t have an exact reason why. Now grateful for her own cleverness, she ran quickly into her apartment, eager to grab a few things then get the hell out of there.
One thing her grandmother had taught her, and engraved in her mind, was to always keep money in a safe hiding place wherever she called home. The Depression had taught the older ones well that banks were unreliable. Though they promised to keep your money safe and insured, sometimes those promises were broken. Her grandmother had watched her family lose everything, and wanted her own children and their offspring to be wiser from her pain.
Gloria ran into her bathroom, reaching up under the sink where she hid the envelope taped tightly to the bottom of the porcelain fixture. Grabbing it up quickly, she ripped it open, counting the contents with an evil grin. Three hundred dollars. That would keep her going for quite a while.
Steadily, she went from there to her bedroom, grabbing up some clothes and personal items she felt she’d need. When she spied the wig box on top of her closet shelf, she grabbed it as well, smiling.
Throwing her hastily grabbed goods into brown paper bags, she was startled to hear someone at the front door. They weren’t knocking, either.
Listening carefully, she could hear her landlord talking with someone, complaining about finding the right key. Backing away slowly, she went into the kitchen and made her exit quickly, hearing the front door of the apartment squeak open as she quietly pulled the back door closed.
Once downstairs, first she noticed the police car parked
directly in front of her building. She’d
figured as much since
Walking casually, she got into the truck and started it up, smiling as she pulled away from what was once her home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As the days passed, she settled herself into a dumpy little motel in one of the lower income areas of town. Keeping herself as discreet as possible, she had managed to change her appearance, using the wig she’d had from a Halloween party years ago. She’d also cut away the bandages from her arm and forgone the sling she’d been given on her last trip to Rampart.
The truck she’d “borrowed” from Mike was now parked about a mile down from the motel. It was there she had found the perfect hiding spot in a secluded area where no one bothered to go into. The trees that surrounded the old abandoned car lot hid well its eastern side, where she had the truck parked in an open bay. If someone happened upon it, oh well. She really didn’t care. It wasn’t hers to begin with. But if no one noticed it, all the better – then she could use it when she needed to.
She sat in the room for days, her thoughts seething as she thought of ways to seek her revenge on John Gage. This would take time. And that was one thing she now had plenty of.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It had been almost three weeks since anyone had seen or even heard from Gloria Hall. But that was no relief to anyone – especially John Gage. Between the guilt he carried for her actions and the worry that kept him on edge, he was exhausted.
Each day he went over to
When it finally came time to go back to work, Johnny welcomed the distraction – even if it did mean working without his partner. But always in the back of his mind, he wondered when he’d be seeing her again. Knowing Gloria the way he did now, he was positive he hadn’t seen the last of her.
A week after his return to work,
That routine was put into full use, too. From morning until late afternoon, Roy and John were sent on numerous calls throughout the day, grabbing lunch on the go as their day progressed. The engine had been called out almost as many times.
For the men of station 51, it had been a good day.
In fact, the next 2 shifts had passed in the same way. Everything was finally ‘right’. Johnny suffered from uneasiness from time to time but that wasn’t anything unusual for John Gage.
Mike showed up for the start of the next swift driving a brand new truck. The endless string of rentals had finally come to an end.
“Pretty sharp there, Pal! And, red. Really red.” Cap shouldn’t have been surprised about the engineer’s choice of colors.
“Yeah. The insurance finally decided to declare my old truck a loss and pay up.”
Mike noticed a smudge on the front of the hood and quickly wiped the truck with his t-shirt. “Little Red.”
“Pardon me?” Johnny just joined the group gathering to look at Mike new truck.
Looking a bit sheepish, Mike glanced at the men standing around him. He certainly hadn’t meant to say her name out loud but the deed had been done. “Little Red. I call her Little Red.”
Mike had never been so glad to hear the tones sound as he was at that very moment. After quickly giving a thankful glance to the heavens, Mike took off at a dead run for his other truck – Big Red.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gloria had fairly quickly made up her mind as to her next move on John Gage. It would take a while to, literally, put the wheels in motion, but she didn’t mind. It gave her time to plan out every dangerous detail. She’d even planned the number. Four. It would be the fourth shift after the men had resumed working as a team. Give ‘em time to settle in, then rock their world. Four you, Johnny. Always four you! Gloria’s little twist on words still made her chuckle.
The day had finally arrived.
For the first time in weeks, Gloria left her dirty little hotel room
without her disguise. She wanted John
Gage to know beyond a doubt who was behind the wheel of Mike Stoker’s pick up
truck. Wonder which one you’ll notice first, Johnny. Mike’s truck or the fact
that I’m driving it?
Gloria drove
the pre-planned route. She made quick
work of running up to the house before continuing to the nearby gas station she
had scoped out. The bank of pay phones
was empty.
One for the money. Gloria went to the first pay phone and placed
a call to the operator. “Hello,
operator, there’s been an accident. I
think one of the cars is on fire. No, I
don’t know how many people are injured.
It looks bad though.” After
giving the location, Gloria hung up the phone and laughed. That
should keep the guys from 110 busy – and as far away from 51’s area as they can
get. One down…
Two for the show. Gloria quickly grabbed the second phone. This time, it was a fire. “Better send the paramedics too.” Gloria’s voice was 2 tones deeper than her previous call. 116 is busy, sorry boys, no one will be able to help you out. Two down…
Three to get ready. The last phone call. “Yes operator, the last thing she said was
that she had hit her head and was feeling really dizzy. Then it sounded like she dropped the
phone. They’ll probably have to break
in.” Gloria hung up the phone and
smiled. She was almost skipping as she
ran to the truck. Three down…
Driving about
3 blocks and stopping at a spot just around the corner from the address she’d
just called in, Gloria sat and waited.
She’d chosen a house she could see through the bushes. She knew neither the engine or squad would
pass her – they’d come from the other direction.
It wasn’t long before the sound of the sirens could be
heard. She watched as the squad pulled
into the drive and
Mike stayed by the engine while the rest of the men broke into the house. He waited for the request to come over the HT. A request for equipment or a call for further assistance.
“Spread out, men.” Cap’s orders were barely heard by Johnny, Roy, Marco, and Chet as they were already beginning their search.
Within moments, all of the men were back near the front door. Confusion showed on all their faces.
“Let’s make another sweep. Everyone take a different direction this time.”
It wasn’t long before the confused group gathered again.
“Anyone notice a phone off the hook?” Cap looked out the front door at the engine.
The guys looked at each other and shrugged. “No” was the common answer.
“Marco, check out the phones, Pal. The rest of you guys might as well follow me to the engine until we get this figured out.” Cap lead the way out of the house while Marco made a quick search of the rooms again.
No phones off the
hook. Having another thought, Marco
picked up the phone nearest the front door.
Dead.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dead. Gloria laughed as she watched the men file out of the house.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cap walked around the front of the engine and spoke with Mike before reaching in and grabbing the mic.
“Dispatch, engine 51.”
“51.”
“Please verify the address of our response. Have you been able to raise the victim?”
“Negative, 51, phone still busy. Address…”
After hearing that the address was indeed that of the house they were standing in front of, Cap told Dispatch of the confusion and asked if the number of the person reporting the incident could be traced.
Chet joined Cap and Mike.
Cap watched as Johnny and
Cap didn’t know that it wasn’t strange at all – it was, in fact, very calculated. Gloria had seen to it that the response be to this house on this street only after everyone on the block had gone to work. Everyone. Every detail had been planned. The only thing that she wasn’t 100% sure of was how exactly it would end. But she knew that it would end – at least for Johnny. That was the one definite part of her plan.
Johnny and Roy joined Cap, Mike and Chet at the front of the engine. Just as Cap was about to suggest the men head to the neighboring houses, Marco yelled from the side of the house.
“The phone line has been cut.” Marco began briskly walking towards his friends as they stood looking at him – confusion still not giving way to fear.
And, four to go. GO! GO! GO! Gloria saw her opportunity and she was not going to miss it. She hit the gas, flew around the corner, and headed straight for John Gage.
“What, Marco?” The rest of Cap’s words were drowned out by the sound of tires squealing.
As a group, the men turned toward the oncoming vehicle. Confusion and fear now combined to cause a moment’s hesitation. Marco stopped in the front yard and yelled but no one heard him.
Johnny looked straight at the driver. The look that crossed his face made Gloria
know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knew. The
bastard gets it. Well, get it all the
way, Johnny boy. This one’s for you!
Johnny registered that the woman was laughing. LAUGHING!!
The men had only a precious few seconds – and some of them were wasted on disbelief. As the truck neared, the men pushed each other - each one trying to get the others out of the way of the maniac in the truck. Shouting and screaming was heard but no one knew what was being said.
Bodies flew in all directions. The chaos was brought to a momentary halt by the sound of steel crashing into steel as Gloria drove the truck – Mike’s truck – into the front of the engine - Mike’s engine.
The only two men left standing were Mike and Marco. Mike stood looking at the scene immediately in front of him. His truck was up against his engine. And, the woman behind the wheel of his pick-up looked like she was very obviously dead. Marco stood on the front lawn still not believing what he saw…and was seeing.
The brief silence was interrupted by the sound of Dispatch coming over the engine’s radio. “51, be advised that there have been 2 other false alarms reported. Proceed with caution.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Shit!” Marco didn’t know if he’d said it out loud or not. All he knew was, well, nothing. He stood there in shock for a moment, observing the scene before him.
The red paint of the engine had been shamelessly sheered and its metal was ripped away like foil from a cake. The bumper of the engine had been crumpled like an accordion, its right side practically pushed into the passenger’s chair – the Captain’s chair. Their Captain.
“Shit!” Marco heard the word coming from his mouth this time as he tore his eyes from the engine. Looking beside him, he saw Mike, staring at his engine and his truck, his face showing utter shock and disbelief.
“Mike? Mike! You okay, man?”
Stoker looked from the demolished vehicles to Marco, then back again, his eyes glazed. When his eyes met Marco’s gaze once more, he was focused. “The guys – you go check the guys, I’ll call dispatch.”
Mike leapt into the engine’s cab, ignoring the broken glass and framework that sat helplessly inside her. He tried to grab hold of the radio, but in all the wreckage it was no where to be found. Jumping out of the mess, he ran towards the squad, hopping in quickly as he notified dispatch of their situation. As he requested the ambulances, another engine company, and police, he fully took in the scene before him.
The Captain lay not two feet from the wreckage, his leap out of harms way taking him on the other side of the engine and out into the road. He was trying to sit up, shaking his head as if it could clear the dizziness Mike was sure he was enduring. Blood ran down the side of his face, and the engineer could also see blood on Hank’s knee through a rip in his pants leg.
Looking on the other side of the engine, he saw Chet; also about two feet away - just on the opposite side, probably where Captain Stanley had thrown him to in order to clear him from harm. He was laying on his side, his face covered in dirt as he began sitting up.
Mike then looked over towards the house, praying to see the
rest of his crew while he continued relaying information to dispatch. He first
noticed
Not even hanging up the microphone, Mike jumped out of the squad, his eyes searching everywhere for the one person he had not found yet. Where the hell is John Gage?
“Marco! You see Johnny anywhere?”
Marco looked up from where he stood beside Captain Stanley and surveyed the scene once more with darting eyes. “No! Where is he?” Marco’s voice told his worry.
Chet stood shakily, immediately moving himself towards
“Chet pal! Stay down!” the Captain ordered, seeing his man awkwardly trying to stay standing. “Help’s on the way – I can hear the sirens.” But Chet continued on, his pace faster than the Captain could’ve kept up with if he had tried.
Practically falling on top of
“No Roy, it’s Chet. How’re ya feeling? Anything broken?”
“I don’t think so. You look rough,”
“Hey, I’m not the one who was knocked out!” Chet practically
shouted, knocking
Chet stood up again and then offered his hand to the paramedic. “I heard Mike and Cap talking – they haven’t found him yet.”
At the sound of those words,
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mike began running around the engine, looking, and praying.
“Mike?” Cap hollered, hoping his engineer had found the last of his missing men. He watched as Mike shook his head ‘no’, still looking.
Captain Stanley walked to the driver’s side of Mike’s old truck, looking inside as if to confirm the nightmare into reality. Gloria’s eyes were open, staring blankly at nothing, her last breath taken. Good riddance. he thought briefly before chastising himself.
Stoker looked towards the Captain and raised his hands in the air, as if giving up his search. Then, as quickly as his hands went back down beside him, so did the engineer, his knees to the ground.
“Mike!” the Captain yelled, seeing his man apparently fall.
Mike’s face was practically on the asphalt. “Here! He’s here! My God Cap – he’s under the engine!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Roy and Chet had been standing beside the house, looking around with bewilderment at the sight before them.
As
When
Chet was watching
The sirens the captain had heard were now blaring at all the men who now surrounded the crumpled fire truck. It had been coming from two police cars – the rescue squad and ambulances were, as yet, no where to be found.
“Where are the damned ambulances?” Captain Stanley yelled to no one.
“Chet,”
He could see fairly well under Big Red – her tall structure
allowing the light to come underneath.
Following Johnny’s feet up through his torso,
Looking at the younger paramedic’s face, he noted his eyes
were closed and the left side of his face was covered in blood from his scalp
practically to his chin. It seemed to
match the left arm which was extended out towards
Reaching a shaky hand towards Johnny’s wrist,
“He’s alive!”
More sirens approached as Vice Howard walked from his squad car over to Captain Stanley. “They traced the call that brought you guys out here, and the other false alarm calls that were made around the same time. They all came from the same row of pay telephones about three blocks from here. That Gloria woman must’ve planned this whole thing out. I guess she wanted to make sure yours was the engine company called out to the scene here, Hank.” Vince took off his helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Took away some much needed help from a lot of areas today - she’s a really sick woman.”
“Was.” Hank replied with disgust.
Vince nodded as he watched Mike running with Marco to the
squad, getting the backboard
When squad 36 pulled up,
As they pulled their equipment out, Captain Stanley was there in an instant.
“The woman in the truck is dead, and all but a couple of my men have injuries – but I think Johnny’s the worst of them – I think he was hit by the truck, and…”
“Slow down there, Cap – we’ll get everyone taken care of, but you look like you got hurt pretty good there yourself,” Bellingham stated, dropping the drug box he was carrying as he attempted to look at the gash on Hank’s forehead. “Were you unconscious? What do you remember?”
“I’m fine, dammit!” Hank retorted, pushing away the hand that attempted to probe his skull. “You just tend to Johnny and the rest of the guys,” he ordered, walking briskly away from the paramedic.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Dwyer knelt down on the other side of the prone
paramedic,
Pulling the stethoscope from his ears and releasing the
blood pressure cuff,
As if on cue, Johnny’s head started moving slightly from
side to side and a pain-filled moan began escaping his lips. When his eyes
opened,
“I’m okay. I’m okay,”
Johnny looked around as his eyes began to focus, wondering what the hell had happened this time to get him in the all too familiar predicament of being on the receiving end of treatment.
Worried eyes met his as he looked at the circle of men above him. He glanced over towards the engine and let his eyes fall on the blue truck that stood firmly embedded in its grill. He closed his eyes as he realized it was Mike’s truck – the one Gloria had stolen – the one his last memory told him was aimed directly at him, with Gloria behind the wheel.
The next thing Johnny realized was sudden pain.
“Johnny! John Gage! C’mon back to us now.” Johnny realized it was Dwyer’s voice, and soon after realized that the pain he was feeling was a sternal rub being embedded in his chest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Soon after, 36’s engine arrived, along with three ambulances, five police cruisers, and two tow trucks – one of regular size, the other massive enough to handle Big Red and all her destruction. All four of the injured men - much to the disgruntled mumblings of each of them - were loaded into two of the three ambulances,. The third ambulance was gratefully sent back on call.
As the ambulances left the scene, Mike and Marco brought both squads in behind them, leaving the mess and the confusion for the others. Though neither man would admit it out loud, they wanted to be as far away from this scene and this drama as possible. It was so unreal that neither could deny their own state of shock.
When the coroner’s wagon arrived, none of the original members of Gloria’s planned fiasco were there. Her last plan, just like her, done and over without the outcome she’d hoped for.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“It’s okay
“How’s Johnny, Doc? The rest of the guys? God, how long have I been out?”
“Johnny is going to be fine, too. Hank and Chet are already in a room for the
night.” Joe held his hand up, anticipating
“He saved my life today, Doc,”
“Well, it looks like your memory is intact, that’s a good
sign,
“When can I see the guys, Doc?”
“In a few minutes. I’m still waiting on your x-rays to confirm what I’m pretty sure we’ve got here. Once I’m done with that, you can go see Hank and Chet and then we’ll get you settled in for the night. Okay?”
“Uh, yeah, thanks. Oh – Dr. Early? Will Johnny be in that room with me?”
Joe smiled. “Yeah
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Johnny moaned as his eyes fluttered open, looking around though still not focused.
“Well, welcome back, John Gage,” Dr Brackett spoke with levity in his voice, having just read the paramedic’s x-rays.
Doing his best to concentrate on the voice he’d just heard, Johnny looked at the doctor’s face until it became clear. “How’re the guys, Doc?”
“They’re all fine Johnny, just fine.
Instead of looking happy to hear his friends were in good shape, Johnny looked upset as he turned his head away from the doctor.
“Johnny, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
“This was all my fault, Doc. They all got hurt because of me,” he answered lowly.
“No John, they didn’t. You’ve been out for a while here, and I’ve talked to Joe and Dr. Morton. I understand that Gloria did all this. You did nothing wrong.”
“If I hadn’t kept her in my life, if I had just paid
attention to things – like
“You stop that – none of us can tell what the other is going to do or how they’ll behave. You had no way of knowing she’d end up being so, so … unbalanced.”
“The guys will never forgive me – especially Roy.”
“Well Johnny, I think you’re wrong there. Joe just got done telling me that
“
“No Johnny, he’s not. Now how about relaxing a little so I can put you in a room upstairs and start tending to the really sick people down here?” the doctor chided.
Johnny grinned at Dr. Brackett’s comment. “Hey Doc? Can I be
in the same room as
Kel just smiled, controlling the chuckle until after he’d made his exit.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was five days later when the members of 51’s A Shift came to fully assemble once more for a shift.
It was the perfect morning – the sun was bright and the air clear with a light breeze. But no one stood in line for roll call. Not even the Captain, who was usually so particular about having his roll calls on time, every time.
No, today was the exception to the rule as everyone admired
the new Ward La
Mike found himself in the driver’s seat, enjoying the view inside and out. Hands on the steering wheel, he admired the craftsmanship surrounding him.
“Ya know,” Chet began, drawing the men’s attention beside the driver’s side door, “Mike is one lucky guy.”
“How so?” Mike retorted, not knowing where Chet’s words would lead him.
“Well, you know we’ve all been through hell and back, thanks to that wacko chick and all. Especially Johnny,” he said, glancing over briefly at the younger paramedic. “But you, Mike, you made out great in this fiasco.”
“Your point, Chet?” Cap asked, not sure if he really wanted an answer or not.
“Don’t you see? Mike got not one brand new truck – but two!”
The entire bay was silent for a moment, until one man began laughing. Mike. The rest of them began joining in, finally letting go of the tension that each held in the backs of their minds.
“Well if you feel that way, Chet, I could...”
“Uh-uh. Forget it, Gage. I’m perfectly happy with my car. I just want you to keep your chicks away from me and my car.”
“Well, only if you’re sure …”
The laughter from the men of Station 51 was drowned out by the tones sounding.
Back to their routines.
Back to their lives, though never quite ‘normal’.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The End
E51Writer Julie H.