"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

Johnny Gage managed to grab the purse from the thief just as the man disappeared over the garden wall. Any thoughts of further pursuit were quickly dismissed as he realized that he had achieved his main purpose. I’ve got the purse. That’s what matters, he thought as he paused momentarily to try and catch his breath. Man, I better be breathing easier than this by the time I get back to the squad or Roy and Ed are gonna give me hell for being out of shape on top of losing the perp." Suddenly aware of the pain in his hand, he looked down and shook his head and pushed aside the thoughts of the tetanus shot that was in his immediate future . Gripping the purse tightly to make sure he didn’t lose it, he took one last deep breath. But before he could turn around he heard an ominous sound.

"Grrrrrrrrrr"

Oh man!! I can’t BELIEVE this day! Gage turned around slowly to find himself staring into the face of a very nasty looking dog. The dog must have been 200 pounds with huge pointed fangs dripping with frothy drool. (That, at least, is the way the paramedic would later recall the creature as he described it to his crewmates.)

"Nice doggy," Johnny said aloud, in what he hoped was a calming tone, as he quickly scanned the area hoping to find something to use to ward off the attack. There was nothing.

"Nice, nice doggy!" he repeated. "You know, mutt, I don’t really taste very good. Nope. All tough muscles here. Now if you want some nice juicy fireman, well, I can lead you to a good old fashion Irish meal."

Johnny kept his tone light as he started to inch his way toward the gate. But every step he took toward the gate was blocked by the dog who countered his moves, not coming any closer, but not backing off. Johnny thought briefly of swinging the only thing he had handy, the purse. But he reconsidered when he looked at the size of the purse compared to the size of the dog’s mouth.

Desperate, and willing to try anything, Johnny reached down and picked up a stick, never taking his eyes off of the dog. He held up the stick so that the dog would see it, then threw it to other side of the yard saying "Fetch!" as the projectile left his hand. The dog did nothing but growl again.

"What’s the matter, you stupid mutt, don’t ya know how to play fetch?" This time Johnny's tone showed his anger and perhaps some fear because the dog growled louder and took a step closer.

"Hey, hey, only kidding," Johnny said, lightening his tone of voice. "I know you’re not stupid. You’re a very smart dog, aren’t you?"

"Grrrrrrrrrrr!"

Johnny thought about calling for help but then realized he had one untried avenue of escape, the same way the thief had gotten out. If he was fast enough, he could get out over the wall. Experimenting, he back up against the wall. The dog did not come any closer. Looking around, he laid his eyes on an old crate that looked strong enough to hold his weight.

Maintaining eye contact with the dog, Johnny started a patter that he hoped would keep the animal distracted. "Okay now doggy, we’re going to do this slow and easy. I’m going to move this crate here to get it a little closer to the wall, okay? I’m not hurting you or anyone, see?"

The crate now next to the wall, Johnny stood on it. He was going to have to make this a fast, fluid movement or he would end up with not only a scraped hand, but teeth marks in his behind and he had no intention of explaining that one to the guys.

"Nice doggy. You want me out of your yard and I want to get out of your yard, right? You don’t want me to use the gate, so I’ll just go over this here wall, okay? Then I can get back to work and you can go back to scaring innocent children and feeding on small animals, okay? Do we have a deal?"

With an injured hand and a purse to carry, Johnny wasn’t totally sure he could pull this off. But he was sure he couldn’t make it to the gate so this was his only choice. Putting the handle of the purse between his teeth he turned, jumped, and grabbed onto the wall with both hands and tried to quickly pull himself over. Behind him he heard the growl turn into a bark and he felt the dog lunge. While he tried to scramble up the wall, he prepared himself to feel the pain of the teeth and hoped that he wouldn’t lose his tenuous dental grip on the pocket book. After all, that’s why he was here in the first place.

But before he felt the teeth he heard a woman’s voice.

"Muffin, no!"

Johnny knew he should keep going, but there was something about that voice. He dropped back down the wall and turned, finding himself staring into the face of not one, but two women. One was a young, blonde with blue eyes that were dancing with laughter. The other, the woman who was now petting the dog pressed against her leg, was his partner’s wife.

"Jo… what…. why, … who …." Johnny sputtered around the pocketbook strap that was still in his mouth.

Joanne laughed. "You forgot ‘where’. I’m here visiting a friend. Should I ask you what you’re doing in her back yard? By the way, the pocketbook’s an interesting fashion statement, but I don’t think the department will buy it. It kind of does a job on the macho image of firemen, don’t you think?"

"Oh, I don’t know," the blonde said. "I think it speaks volumes. So this is THE Johnny Gage I’ve been hearing so much about? Well, Joanne, I know you wanted me to meet him, but you didn’t need to go to such lengths to set it all up." The woman was laughing and smiling as she spoke, but Gage immediately turned red with embarrassment.

"No… uh…. that’s not… um …. I mean, she didn’t…. "

The blonde turned to Joanne. "He’s got a real way with words, doesn’t he?"

"Usually we can’t get him to stop talking. So either Muffin here scared the bejeezus right out of him, or he thinks you’re pretty."

If it was possible, Johnny turned even redder with embarrassment. This time he managed to speak.

"No, I mean yes, I mean of course I think you’re pretty but that’s not… Oh, just forget it. Look, I’m Johnny Gage and I’d love to meet you again under different circumstances but I have to go." Turning to Joanne he added, "Your husband and our new trainee will be waiting on me and I have a little old lady waiting for me to return her purse. Hey, you didn’t happen to see what way the guy went who I was chasing, did you?"

"So, that’s your story, huh? Rescuing little old damsels in distress?" The woman with Joanne teased Johnny relentlessly, but never took her eyes off of him.

Johnny, now sufficiently recovered, bowed deeply and said, "Anything to serve my public." As he bowed, Muffin growled. As Joanne had a tight grip on the collar, Johnny growled back.

"I really do have to go. Hey Jo, when you tell Roy about this later, make him promise not to say anything to Marlow, okay? He wouldn’t dare break a promise to you."

"You got it. Oh, and I’ll call and figure out a more proper time and means of introducing you to Sandy, here. That is, if you’re interested."

Johnny Gage smiled his best crooked grin. "That would be great!"

Realizing that he had been longer than he had wanted, Johnny decided he best run back to the squad. It wasn’t a smart decision and he was winded again when he got back. Throwing the purse to his partner he moved to the squad to get a drink of water. Had he been alone with Roy, he would have surely told his partner of his encounter. But since Marlow was there and already giving him a hard time, he decided that part of the story would have to wait for another time.