A HERO IN ANY LANGUAGE IS STILL A HERO

By Canadagal
 

The A shift was sitting around the table drinking their mid day coffee when Captain Stanley walked in.  “Can I have your attention please” he said, in his most authoritative voice.

Everyone immediately quieted down to listen to their boss.

I just received a memo from headquarters concerning some future training we are going to be involved in.  The department feels that we need to expand our knowledge about the workings of other departments.  They are going to be sending different crews to various departments around the continent.  They will be notifying us within the week about where we are going to be sent to” he said.

Everyone started to speak at once.

“Hey maybe we can get Palm Springs, that would be great,” Chet said, as he pictured the beach scenery in his over active mind.

“It would be nice to go somewhere like Texas.  I have always wanted to see there,” Mike commented.

“I think Hawaii would be a great place to swap out with,”  Roy stated. .

Everyone had a different opinion of where they would like to go.  The trip was an exciting break from the routine for the crew and was being looked forward to with great anticipation.

The week dragged by as the men waited for the word on where they would be going.  Finally on the following Monday Captain Stanley called them together again.

“Well the official list came out today.  We are leaving on Friday, July 15th.  That is a week from tomorrow.   We will be gone for 10 days so you have to pack accordingly,” he began

“So where are we going Cap?” Johnny asked excitedly.

“We are going to Quebec City,” Captain Stanley said, reading the document in front of him.

“Where?” Marco asked, not knowing where that place was.

“Quebec City.  It is in Canada,” Captain Stanley informed them.  “It is a major city in their eastern region.  It is supposed to be a very historic city with lots of cultural opportunities”

“Sounds interesting,” Mike said, as he looked over the paperwork the Captain had placed on the table.

Everyone started to formulate their plans in their mind for the trip that was coming up. 

“Wonder why we got sent to this Qbec place” Chet said, (mispronouncing the city  name terribly)

“You heard the Cap, they want to expand the working knowledge about other departments.  This should be interesting.  Let’s get a map of Canada and figure out where this QBec place is?” Marco said, equally trashing the name of the city.

“I think it’s pronounced Quebec,” Johnny said lightly, as he headed out the door. 

“Oh what ever,” Chet said as he started to lay out the map of Canada.  “Like Johnny would know anything about a city in Canada”

“Let’s see, here’s Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal.  It has to be around here somewhere. The cap said it was east.” Chet started looking further east.  “Okay there’s a St John and a Halifax, hmm maybe it’s not this far east.”

Mike looked over his shoulder and started looking at the map.  “Here it is.  It’s in the state of Quebec.  See it’s the same name as that city we are going to,” Mike observed.

“Have any of you ever been to Canada before?” Roy asked looking around.

The others in the room all shook their head in the negative.  “This should be a real adventure.  I can’t wait to see what Canada is like,” Mike said.

The others were equally as excited about their trip. 

Soon the day arrived for the guys to head to Quebec.  They met at the airport loaded down with their luggage.  Marco, Roy,  Mike, Chet and Hank had all packed their winter gear along with their fire gear.   Johnny showed up soon after them carrying only a bag with his fire gear and one small suitcase each.

“Where’s your winter gear?  You’re going to freeze up there” Chet said, eyeing Johnny’s small amount of luggage.

“No I think I’ll  be fine,” Johnny said, rolling his eyes.    

Soon the 6 men were seated in the plane heading east.  The flight was quite long and the line up through customs was even longer.  The agents were quite surprised that the firemen had winter apparel with them, but refrained from commenting on it.  Soon they were all cleared through customs and on their way to their hotel.

They were met at the airport by the PR officer for the Quebec Fire Department.  His name was Marcel Dumont.  He was a friendly man, who greeted his international guests warmly.

“How was your flight?” he asked

“It was good.  No turbulence which is always a good thing for Gage over there.  He tends to turn green around the gills when we have air travel,” Chet laughed.

“What’s with all the winter gear?  The temperature today is 85 degrees here,”  Marcel asked, eyeing the large pile of gear.

“85 degrees?” Chet asked.

“You mean there isn’t any snow?” Marco said, shocked.

Johnny laughed at them.  “Told you I didn’t need my winter gear,” he said, as he raised his eyebrows in Chet’s direction.   Johnny strolled over to pick up his luggage and got a good laugh watching the others struggle to haul all their unnecessary gear to the awaiting vehicle.

Marcel laughed also, “we don’t get snow in July.  The weather here is usually around 80-90 degrees here in the summer”

Marcel  guided them to a waiting vehicle outside the airport .  They soon arrived at the Hotel Saint-Paul.   Marcel  checked the men in and soon they all headed to their rooms to stow their gear.  They had only an hour before they were expected at headquarters where the department was holding a reception in their honour.  They all changed from their travel clothes into their dress blues for the occasion.

Marcel  returned and drove them to the reception.

“Bonjour Messieurs,” (hello gentlemen), a very pretty lady said to them as she ushered them inside.

Ah hello,” Marco said, awkwardly.  Everyone was starring at the lady trying to figure out what she had just said. 

The reception was held in a large meeting room.  There were many people gathered around as they walked in. 

Soon they were surrounded by several people holding out their hands and introducing themselves. 

"Bonjour. Je suis Gérard Pelletier, chef du département des incendies de la ville de Québec." (Welcome and greetings)

The guys started to get more and more nervous.  Captain Stanley looked completely confused.  “What language are they speaking?” he finally asked quietly to his men.

“They are speaking French.  Weren’t you told that Quebec is prominently a French speaking City?” Marcel  Dumont asked, as he walked up to greet the group.

The group was escorted to a table up front.  The chief made an official speak, which brought a few laughs from the crowd.  Only Johnny smiled occasionally when he heard what the Chief was saying.  Then the Chief introduced the men and asked them to come up and say a few words.

Captain Stanley looked shell shocked.  “Want me to do it?” Johnny asked, looking at his very nervous captain.

“What are you going to do, use your Gage charm to help them forget that we are 6 men who can’t speak a word of French.  Don’t you dare make us look like idiots”  Chet shot him a nasty look.

Johnny just sat back down.  “Fine I will just stay put,” he said crossing his arms and sitting back.  He shook his head in annoyance.

The Captain stumbled through a response with Marcel Dumont translating for him as needed.

Soon the very awkward evening was over and they headed back to their hotel.  They were to report to Station 36 the next morning at 7 am.    The guys were bunking in pairs at the Hotel.  Roy and John were together, Marco and Chet and Mike and Hank.  The 6 parted ways with the plan to meet for breakfast at 6 am the next day.

When Roy and Johnny went to their room they flipped on the television to see if they could catch a late movie but all they could find was French programming.  Roy decided to go to bed.  Johnny sat and watched television for a while. 

“Why don’t you go to bed?” Roy asked, after locking up the door. 

“I’m not tired yet,” Johnny said. 

“What’s got you bugged?” Roy asked,  as he started to unpack his luggage. 

“Chet and his smart alec attitude,” Johnny said.  “I could have. . . oh never mind,” Johnny shrugged. “It’s not worth getting more annoyed”

Johnny crawled into his bed and sat back as the two watched some sports highlights.  The rest of the programming was in French so there weren’t a lot of viewing options.

The next morning the group met for a quick breakfast at the coffee shop.  There must have been a universal language for coffee because soon 6 steaming cups appeared before them.  They ate in relative silence as they all were apprehensive about their assignment.

Soon they were on the way to the station courtesy of one of the firemen they had met the night before.  He dropped them off and wished them good luck.  “ Bonne chance mes amis,” (Good luck my friends)

They said a fumbled thanks and went into the station.  They were greeted by the men on shift that day.  They were shown to their lockers and headed into the kitchen area. 

““Bienvenue à la caserne 36. J’espère que votre séjour parmi nous sera plaisant. Nous allons commencer notre quart de travail dans quelques minutes. Vous aimeriez peut-être une tasse de café avant de commencer. (welcome to our station . Hope you enjoy yourself here.  We are going to start our shift in just a couple of minutes.  You might want grab a cup of coffee before we start”)

The only one to move towards  the coffee pot was Johnny.  He grabbed a cup and sat down.  The others saw what he did and headed over to help themselves too.

Roy leaned over to Johnny, “how did you know to get the coffee?”

“You would be surprised what I know,” Johnny said grinning.

The men were soon paired off with the men on the crew.  The paramedics were assigned to the fire crew because there were no medics or paramedics of any kind in Quebec.  They learned that it was ambulance attendants who transported and administered first aid to victims on route to the hospital.

The first day of their training was definitely challenging.  They didn’t know how to express themselves.  Johnny didn’t say much.  He nodded his headed to questions, but spoke very little.

By the time the guys got back to the hotel most of them had picked up a French/English dictionary hoping they could try to communicate better.   Johnny sat in bed reading one of the manuals an ambulance attendant had given him about their simple first aid techniques.  He was the only one who didn’t bother with the Dictionary.

Roy eyed him carefully.  “Are you actually reading that?” Roy asked, just as Chet and Marco walked in.

“Hey Gage whatcha reading?” Chet asked grabbing the manual out of  Johnny’s hand.

“Give that back,” Johnny snapped, reaching for the book.

“Why so you can look at the pictures,” Chet joked. 

“Just give me the book Chet,” Johnny said again, very annoyed.

“Let’s see,” Chet flipped the book open, “fracture  know what that is?” Chet flipped some more pages and rattled off some other badly pronounced French Medical terms.  Johnny was getting very ticked off because he wanted to get back to his book.

Chet give it back to me now” Johnny had gotten up off the bed and was approaching the much shorter fireman.

“Fine, here.  Hope you enjoy your picture book” Chet teased, as he tossed the manual back.

Johnny grabbed it and headed to the door.

“Where you going ?” Roy asked, not wanting his friend to leave.

“Think I will see if I can read in Mike and the Cap’s room.  It’s obvious I am not going to get any peace and quiet in here,” he said eyeing Chet with irritation.

Mike and Hank were trying to make sense of some of the schematics the engineer and captain had provided them with.  The language difficulty was posing a huge problem for them as well.   The knock on the door was a nice distraction for them.

“Hey Johnny,” Mike said, holding the door open for his crew mate.  “What’s up?”

“Mind if I read in here for a while.  Chet is on one of his sarcastic kicks and I really just want to read in peace,” he said.

“Sure no problem,” Cap said as he pointed out the other small couch that was unoccupied.

Johnny headed over with his manual and notebook and returned to his book.  He spent the better part of the evening totally engrossed in the book, making several pages of notes.

When 11’oclock approached Cap finally had to break his reading up and call for lights out. 

Johnny looked at his watch and was shocked.  He had been deep into the book for over 3 hours.  “Thanks guys for the quiet.  See you in the morning,” he said, as he headed out the door.

After he left Mike and Hank looked at each other.  “How could he spend that long reading a book in another language.  It must have had some pretty good  pictures to make things easier to follow,” Mike surmised.

The guys were doing their best to follow the routine of their French Counterparts.  They found that there was a universal language of fighting fires.  The hoses, gauges,  and the chaos that accompanied a fire were all the same. 

On their seventh day of their training they were sent to a rural station to see how they fought brush fires.  They were given a map and some good directions to the station.   After spending the first two days having to scrounge up rides, they decided to get a rental vehicle so they could get around themselves.    They took off at 6 AM to go to the station.  It was supposed to be a 2 1/2 hour drive.  They were enjoying the scenery as they traveled south.    The weather had been very pleasant the whole trip but on this day the skies opened up and it was raining pretty heavily.  Mike was behind the wheel while Hank was acting as the navigator with the directions.

They were about half way to the station when they came across a bridge that had been washed out. “Now what?” Mike asked as he got out of the car to look at the damage to the bridge.

“I guess we have to find another route.  Let’s see that map,” Hank said, grabbing the map that Chet had been looking at.

They examined it carefully trying to figure out an alternate route to the rural station.  They were finally able to determine a route that would take them there, all be it a little longer trip, but they would end up where they needed to go.

Mike backed up and turned around.  The rain had grown heavier and heavier as the traveled on. 

“Look for a sign that says Route 73 Sud, Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce,” Cap said, following their path with his finger on the map.

Johnny had been up late into the night reading that he was catching a nap in the car as they traveled.  He was oblivious to the problems they were facing.

They finally found a sign that seemed to say the name of the route they were looking for.  They weren’t exactly sure because it was in French but it looked like the right words.

Mike headed down the road.  They weren’t aware that the road they had decided to travel was one that saw very little traffic.

The road was rough and the guys were bounced around a lot as Mike tried to keep the car on the road.  It was a white knuckle ride for them.  Johnny woke up when his head bumped the window as the car hit a big hole. “What the heck are we riding a bucking bronco?” he asked looking around.

“We had to take a detour.  The bridge was washed out,” Roy explained as his eyes never left the road.  Mike was a great driver, but this road was more than even he wanted to tackle. 

“Maybe we should turn around.  This is crazy,” Chet said, as the car bottomed out for the umpteenth time.

“How far have we traveled down this road?” Cap asked.

“About 15 miles I think,” Mike said, not taking his eyes off the road.  “That sign said it was 30 milles,  I think”

“We are half way there.  Do we turn around or keep going?” he asked, eyeing his captain.

“Keep going I guess,” Hank said, running his hand through his hair nervously. 

Suddenly the car hit a huge bump and the back tire blew out.  Mike fought hard to maintain control, but the pull from the blown tire was too much and the car careened off the road.  It flew down the embankment and ended up at the bottom.  There wasn’t a sound from the car after it came to a stop.

The rain washed away the tracks and soon there was no evidence of the car ever leaving the road. 

Hours later the men in the car started to finally come around.  “Oh my arm, my head,” came the cries of pain from the passengers.

Johnny finally started to wake up.  He looked around and saw the rest of his crew mates in various stages of consciousness.   Roy was still unconscious.  Marco was holding a badly separated shoulder and holding pressure on a cut on his forehead.  The Captain was semi-conscious having a bad head laceration.  Mike was leaned into the steering wheel, blood evident on his face.  Johnny could tell by the way Mike was breathing he probably had some rib injuries.  Chet, who was just coming around, seemed to be the only one that didn’t appear to have any major injuries.  He had been looking down at the map when the car careened off the road.

Johnny crawled around the car and checked everyone out as well as he could.   He finally managed to get the door open.   Johnny stumbled around to the drivers door and grabbed the keys through the broken window.  He wanted to get into the trunk where their gear was stowed.

Chet saw Johnny stumbling and went to help him.  Johnny had blood dripping down his face from a cut to his forehead. 

The first person Johnny triaged was Roy. His hands shook slightly as he took in the severity of Roy’s injuries.  “Head laceration.  Probable fractured collar bone.  I suspect possible internal injuries, judging by his BP,” Johnny said, writing down all the vital signs in his note book.  He moved on to Marco and immobilized his separated shoulder.  He also bandaged his head laceration.  He moved on to the Cap.  “Probable fractured ankle, definitely a concussion, and I would suspect a possible wrist fracture,” he said, note taking all the vitals.  He crawled over to Mike, moaning in pain as he moved around too quickly.  He carefully assessed Mike’s injuries before he moved him back and looked at his face.  “Definitely some broken ribs.  Concussion and who knows what else.  The way he is breathing I would suspect that one of those ribs has punctured a lung,” Johnny said.  Chet was just listening while he did all his assessments.

Once Johnny had done all he could he crawled out of the car again.  “Marco, Chet and I are going to have to go and get some help.  There is no way anyone is going to find us down here,” Johnny said, as he stopped to cough.  “You are going to have to keep an eye on everyone.  Watch the bleeding and change the bandages if you need to.  We will be back as soon as we can” Johnny said, grabbing his coat to protect him against the rain.

“Okay I will do my best,” Marco said, as he watched Johnny climb out of the car.

“We have no idea where to go,” Chet said.  “All the signs are in French.  Hell we have no idea where we are” Chet said, as he watched Johnny struggle to get his coat on.

“Do you have another idea or would you like to just sit here and watch Mike die.  If we don’t get him some help soon that is what is going to happen,” Johnny said, worriedly.

“He’s that bad?” Chet whispered.

“Yeah he’s that bad  So is Roy.  I need to get them some help fast.  I can’t do anything more for them.  I have only basic first aid gear.  I am not authorized to administer drugs in Canada so we didn’t bring our drug kit,” Johnny said, as he and Chet started up the slippery embankment.

The climb was long and hard but finally they found themselves back on the road.  They looked each direction trying to figure out which way to go.  “Chet do you remember if there were any houses along this road?” Johnny asked.  “I slept through the first part of the trip”

“yeah there were some at the beginning of the road.  It’s a ways back through,”  Chet said, looking down the long desolate road.

“Well then we better move fast,” Johnny said, as he started to head back the way the car had originally come from.

The two set a very quick pace as they headed off to find help for their critically injured friends.  Johnny’s cough continued to get worse and Chet suspected that Johnny was hiding some injuries he has sustained in the accident.  “You okay Johnny?” Chet asked, as Johnny paused to take a breather against a tree.

“Fine Chet.  We have to keep going. I don’t know how long Mike and Roy can last without help,” he said, pulling his coat around him tighter.  He felt so cold.

They walked for over an hour before a house finally came into sight.  “There’s a house over there” Chet called, relief evident in his voice.  The two headed to the house.  Johnny had fallen behind so Chet went and knocked on the door. 

An elderly couple opened the door carefully, “Qu’est-ce que vous voulez? (What do you want?)  they asked very leery.

“We are fire fighters and we had a car accident down the road,” Chet said.  “We need some help”

The couple looked at him blankly. “ Je ne comprend pas (we don’t understand). ” the man  said, as they listened to the strange man at their door.

“We need help,” Chet pleaded again.  Firemen hurt” Chet tried to speak slower, trying to get them to understand.

Johnny finally made his way up to the door.  “Nous sommes des pompiers de Los Angeles. Nous nous dirigions vers la caserne 17 à Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce et on a eu un accident. Notre auto est sortie de la route et  est tombée dans un ravin. On a besoin d’un médecin et de plusieurs ambulances. Et aussi d’un camion de pompier pour nous aider.

(We are firemen from LA County.  We were heading to Station 17 in Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce when our car went off the road. We need medics and an ambulance.  We also need a fire truck to help us”),  Johnny said in perfect French. 

Chet’s jaw dropped. 

The couple ushered them inside and let them use the phone.  Johnny dialed the fire department number he had  memorized from the manuals.  “we have an accident on, he paused to ask the couple the name of the road, “Road 73.  We have 4 injured firefighters.  We need medics, ambulances and a fire rescue truck” Johnny said in French.  We are at 433 Cameron Road in Scott.    We will wait at the end of the drive way and guide you back to the car” Johnny said as he hung up the phone.  He took a step and sat down very ungracefully onto a chair.  He began to cough again.  His chest ached but he didn’t have time to worry about that right now.

The elderly couple were concerned about the nice fireman, “Est-ce que cà va? (are you okay)” they asked.

“Je vais bien. Merci de vous soucier de moi. Je suis juste inquiet pour mes amis (Yeah I am fine.  Thank you for your concern.  I am just worried about my friends),” Johnny said softly.

Chet hadn’t spoken a word from the minute Johnny started to speak in French.

Johnny thanked the couple for their help and headed out the door to wait for help.  It wasn’t more than 10 minutes later that the first fire rig pulled up.  Johnny and Chet jumped aboard.   The crew spoke only French so Johnny had to guide them back down the road to the accident site.  It took the engine only 7-8 minutes before they arrived at the scene.  Johnny was the only medically trained person on the scene so he was put to work assisting his friends with their medical conditions.  The fire crew worked smoothly to extricate the injured firemen and have them brought back up the hill.  Despite the language barrier, they were able to convey what they were going to do.  The injured firemen were laid in stokes on the road, waiting for the ambulances and medics to arrive.  Johnny had treated them as well as he could.  He was starting to shiver from the cold. 

Roy had begun to come around and was very agitated.  “Easy Roy, just lie still.  I think you have some internal injuries.  You have to lay still” Johnny said softly.

“Johnny?” Roy choked out.

“Just take it easy,” Johnny said, patting his  shoulder gently.  “You’re going to be okay”

Mike was having a great deal breathing.  Johnny could hear the air escaping from his punctured lung.  Johnny was growing more and more concerned about him.  He knew if they didn’t get him some medical help soon, he wasn’t going to make it.  Suddenly Mike stopped breathing.

“Il faut le décompresser maintenant. L’air ne passe plus. J’ai besoin de ma trousse.

(We need to decompress him now. He isn’t getting any air)” Johnny yelled out in French.  “I need my gear”  He winced at he climbed to his feet and searched through the trauma box he and Roy had brought along.  He grabbed the 16 gauge needle and prepared to do the procedure.

The medics arrived as Johnny was about to start.  Mike had already been hooked up to the oxygen but he wasn’t getting any air.  Johnny steadied his hand and did the decompression on Mike’s chest.  He could hear the trapped air release and Mike’s chest start to rise and fall again.

“Okay he’s breathing again,” Johnny said to Chet then seeing the shocked looks on the medics faces,  he repeated himself in French.

He sat back then and let the ambulance attendants continue with the care.  He was feeling very tired and his chest was really starting to ache.  Chet watched his colour continue to fade.  “Johnny you sure you are all right?” Chet asked again.

“Fine.  Just fine,”.  Johnny said, breathlessly.

He watched as his crew mates were loaded into the waiting ambulances.  He tried to breath a sigh of relief but a coughing spasm stopped him immediately.

Chet grabbed him by the arm and forcefully guided him to the ambulance.  “Room for one more” he called, hoping someone understood some English. The attendants waved them in as the doors were being slammed behind them.  Johnny sat on the jump seat watching as Roy and Mike were being treated.  He wanted to help but he knew they were already in good hands.

The trip to the hospital took over 20 minutes.  The world was spinning in front of Johnny Gage but he was determined to push it away.  He knew his friends needed him.  He was the only one that could speak for them.

When the ambulances started to pull up to the hospital he jumped out and followed the gurney transporting Roy into the treatment room.  The nurse at the door started to stop him, but he explained quickly that he was there as a translator for the injured man, and was allowed to follow them into the room.

Roy was assessed by the waiting physician.  He was semi-conscious and was having sharp pains in his abdomen.  “Johnny can you call Joanne,” he said, breathing erratically. 

“You got it,” Johnny said, patting his shoulder.    The doctors were speaking quickly in French.  Roy was becoming more and more anxious as the words were flying around him.  “Easy Roy.  They are saying you have some internal bleeding.  You will be going to surgery soon.  Just take it easy. Okay” Johnny said, softly.

“Thanks Johnny,” Roy mumbled, as he squeezed Johnny's  hand before closing his eyes and slipping into unconsciousness again.

Johnny rushed from the room and headed into the treatment room next door.  He saw Mike being treated by another group of medical staff.  Mike was starting to come around and he was getting very upset.  The nurse was trying to calm him down but Mike had no idea what she was saying and his rapid breathing was showing his anxiety level.

Johnny rushed over to the treatment table.  “Mike it’s okay.  You have had a pretty good hit to your chest area.  They have to go in and re-inflate your lung.  The nurse is just telling you that they are going to give you something to help you sleep.  You are going to be fine,”  Johnny said, gently. Mike reached up and grabbed Johnny’s hand and gave it an appreciative squeeze.   The nurse injected the medication into Mike’s IV and soon the engineer’s eyes started to close. 

Johnny watched them roll Mike down the hall towards surgery.  Johnny sighed with relief.

“Two down, two to go,” he whispered to himself.

He went out in the hall and asked where Hank Stanley was.  He was pointed to another treatment room.  He pushed open the door and saw the Captain fighting with a nurse who was trying to clean up the cut on his forehead. The nurse was trying to calm him down.

Johnny went to the treatment table and called out to his captain.  “Cap, it’s Johnny,” he said, calmly.    Captain Stanley stopped thrashing around. “Easy Cap.  You have a concussion.  The nurse is trying to clean up that cut on your forehead.  I am sure you have a broken wrist and ankle too” Johnny continued, “They are going to have to x-ray  and set them.  You need to keep yourself calm” Johnny said, trying to get the disoriented man’s attention.

“Johnny,” Cap said, confused.

“Yeah, it’s me Cap.  You take it easy,” Johnny said.

“We had an accident,” Captain Stanley said, wincing when he put his hand to his head.

“Yeah we had a little accident.  Don’t worry everyone is being taken care of,” Johnny said.  I will call your wife and tell her you are fine.  You just let these good people work” Johnny smiled at the nurse.   Johnny turned to the nurse and explained that the man she was treating was the Captain and he would need to be kept up to date on the conditions of his other men.  She nodded that she understood and said she would inform the physician on the case.

Johnny was feeling tired.  The adrenaline rush was starting to wane and he was starting to feel his own aches and pains.  He shook his head, “keep it together Gage, they need you right now,” he scolded himself.

Johnny headed out into the hall.  He made his way to the nurses desk.  He explained who he was and asked if there was a phone he could use.

“Bien sûr M Gage. Vous pouvez utiliser celui-ci.  (Sure Mr. Gage, you can use this one)” the pleasant nurse said, motioning to the phone on the desk beside her.

“Merci (Thank you),”  he said, smiling weakly.

Johnny phoned HQ and informed them about the accident.  He also phoned the wives, telling them all he knew about their husbands’ conditions.

He headed down the hall to find the surgical wing to wait for news on his friends.  He was feeling pretty sore but his determination was stronger than his body’s desire to give into the pain.

He paced anxiously for over 3 hours waiting for news on Mike and Roy.  Finally the surgeons came to see him.

“M Stoker va bien. On a pu dilater le poumon et à moins de complications, je suis certain qu’il va se remettre complètement.***  (Mr. Stoker is doing well.  The lung has been re-inflated and we are confident that he should be okay, baring any unforeseen complications.  The decompression in the field was an excellent piece of work)” the surgeon said to Johnny.

Johnny mentally checked off one in his head.  ‘now about Roy ,’ he thought to himself.  He had been forcing himself to keep calm, but in truth he was almost sick with worry.  He felt a little lost without the usual group of doctors treating his friends, especially Roy.

Soon the surgeon that was handling Roy’s case came out also.  “M DeSoto avait une petite déchirure au foie. On a suturé et il va bien. Il devrait avoir récupéré dans quelques jours.   (Mr. DeSoto had a small tear in his liver.  We sutured the liver and he is doing well.  He should be fine in a few days)” the doctor said.

Johnny sank back down in the chair.  The relief evident on his face.  “Quand pourrais-je les voir? (When can I see them?)” he asked

The surgical nurse smiled, understanding his concern.  “Vous pourrez les voir dans environ une heure. On va les mettre tous ensemble dans une salle commune.

(You can see them in about an hour.  We are going to put them in the same room)” she explained.

“Merci infiniment  (Thank you so much),” Johnny said, running his hands through his hair with relief.

Chet finally found where Johnny had been hiding.  He rushed up to him.  “Any news yet on the guys?” he asked.

“I know that Mike and Roy are both out of surgery and are doing okay. Cap has a concussion and a broken ankle and wrist.  Marco has a dislocated shoulder.  He should be fine also,” Johnny told him.

“How about you?” Chet asked, eyeing Johnny.  “Did you get checked out?”

“I am fine Chet.  I need to be here for them right now.  Don’t go making a big deal of things,” Johnny said firmly.

Chet saw how stone faced Johnny was and didn’t see any point in arguing with him. 

The two sat quietly and waited for the nurse to show them to their crew mates hospital room.  Finally she appeared. She spoke in French to Johnny, You can see your friends now.  They are just settled in from surgery so you have to keep it down” she explained

“Merci Beaucoup,” (Thank you so much)  Johnny said as he and Chet got to their feet.  They made their way down to the large hospital room.  Inside they found Roy, Marco, Mike and their Cap all settled in their beds.  Mike and Roy had many IV’s and other equipment hooked up to them.  Johnny went to Roy’s bedside. 

“How you doing Roy?” Johnny asked anxiously.

Roy had just started to wake up.  “not bad,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

“You look better than you did earlier” Johnny smiled.

Johnny went to Mike’s side, “Hey Mikey, how you doing?” Johnny asked.

“sore as hell but better,” Mike said, “I hear I owe you my life. The surgeon told me that you decompressed my lung on the scene.  Thanks Johnny, I uh don’t know what to say,” Mike stammered.

“No thanks needed.  Glad I was there to help,”  Johnny said, modestly.

The  men made more small talk for just a few minutes before they all started to fade off to sleep.  It had been a very gruelling day for them all.  Johnny was determined to remain with them to act as their voice.  He saw how scared they all were when they were faced with the language barrier and he didn’t want them to have to go through that again.   He stayed in the room for hours.  Chet had finally fallen asleep in a chair and one of the nurses had covered him up with a blanket. 

Johnny’s chest continued to hurt but he didn’t want to acknowledge it.  Deep down he knew he should be treated but his desire to be there for his crew mates was a stronger internal voice.

The pressure started to build in his chest as he made his way to the closest bathroom.  He felt extremely nauseous.  He started to vomit.  He hurled until the only thing he was hurling was small traces of blood.  He rinsed his mouth and washed his face and returned quietly to the room. 

The next morning he was summoned to the phone.  He picked it up and found Dr. Brackett on the other end of the line.  “Johnny it’s Kel Brackett” he began.

“Hi Doc,” Johnny replied.

“I am trying to find out the condition of your crewmate but I don’t speak French, apparently you do.  Can you find out for me if they are safe to travel home if it is under the direction of myself and Dixie? “

“Sure let me call you back in a few minutes,” Johnny said.  He moved quickly to grab a paper and let out a small moan. “oh” he gasped quietly.

“Johnny?” Kel asked, hearing the outburst.  “You okay?”

“Yeah fine, just fine,” Johnny said, clenching his teeth.  “Talk to you in a few minutes,” he said, hanging up the phone.  Johnny headed back to the bathroom again.  He was feeling the bile coming up again and was feeling very sick.  This time when he hurled the red blood was more in abundance.  He shook his head. “Not yet. Soon.  Let me get the guys home first,’ he told himself as he brushed away his concern.

He went in search of the ER Doctor and explained what Dr. Brackett wanted to know. He and Dr. Gilbert  headed to his office.  With Johnny acting as the translator, Dr. Brackett was brought up to speed on the condition of the 4 men.  It was decided that Kel and Dixie could arrange transportation for the group for the next day.  Because they were being transported back under the eye of a licensed physician, the Quebec Doctor was not worried about sending them home early.  He was comfortable with the progress all the men were making.

Johnny made his way back to the room where his friends were.  “Hey guys guess who’s going home tomorrow”  he said as he walked.

“Really?” Roy said weakly.  “That soon”

“I just talked to Dr. Brackett and Dr. Gilbert and they have it all arranged.  Tomorrow at 11 am we are all heading home on a private medical plane.”

The relief on the faces of the men was evident.  They were going home.  Back to a place where they understood what people said, and their families would be waiting for them.  They all looked at Johnny with undying gratitude.  He had been there for them from the minute they came into the hospital.  Explaining what the medical staff were saying to them.  Never leaving them feeling lost and alone. 

Johnny looked at his watch.  ‘20 more hours’ he thought., then I can hand them over to Dr. Brackett.  He took up the same post he had all along.  He pulled his blanket up over his shoulders and closed his eyes.  He could feel the ache in his chest as it had been since the accident.  He knew it was getting worse.  ‘come on Johnny, hang in there’ he pushed himself.

When the nurses came in a short time later, they all immediately turned to Johnny to tell him what they were going to do.  

“Vitals, Blood Work and X-rays of Mr. Stoker and Mr. Stanley.  We also have to have Mr. Stoker start his breathing exercises,” they said.    

Johnny replied to them that he would explain it to the guys.

He turned to his friends.  “Mike you are getting your chest x-rayed to make sure that lung is healing.  They also need you to start using a spitometer to make sure you are moving air.  Roy they need to check your incisions and change the dressings.  Cap they want another picture of your head to make sure the concussion is healing.  Vitals and blood work for everyone,” Johnny said, feeling like he had just read a grocery list.

With the information about what was going to happen,  the men were more at ease as the medical staff started to fuss over them again.  Johnny accompanied Hank and Mike to the x-ray department.  He explained to them every step of the way what was going on.  When the actual x-rays were taken he had to step out of the room.  As he leaned against the wall, the fatigue was setting in.  He was in pain, he was feeling horrible and he was exhausted.  He looked at his watch, ‘only 17 more hours to go,’ he thought.

He followed the wheelchair with Hank and the gurney with Mike back to their room.  He helped them get settled in.  The rest of the day passed quietly.  He helped where necessary but he was becoming more and more quiet.  The guys didn’t really notice because they were resting mostly.  Finally the night passed. 

First thing in the morning, the men were being prepped to leave.  Chet had returned from the hotel with all their stuff.  He had packed everyone up and checked them out of the hotel.  He arrived at the hospital just before they guys were being released to the care of Dr. Brackett.  Johnny was still sleeping in the chair.  When Dixie and Kel walked the guys were thrilled to see them.  “Hey Doc,” Roy said, smiling.  “Glad to see you”

“If I had known you were going to have this exciting of a trip to Quebec Dixie and I would have planned our vacation here as well,” Kel joked.  He went to pick up Roy’s chart but blew out a breath.  “Johnny,” he called out.  Johnny’s eyes flew open.

 “Wha,” Johnny mumbled as he tried to orient himself.

“Easy Johnny,” Dixie smiled,  “ I think we need a little translation here.  How’s your written French?”

“Pretty good,” Johnny said with a slight smile.

Johnny took the chart and read the information for Kel.  He pointed out all the lab results and the post op notes.  Kel and Dixie  were busy transcribing the relevant information to English for themselves.

Johnny did the same for all the charts.  He just finished reading Mike’s when he felt another fierce burning in his chest.  He gritted his teeth and excused himself to the bathroom again.  Chet noticed him leave quickly and followed.  Johnny made his way into a stall and proceeded to vomit.  Johnny was getting used to seeing the brownish ting of blood.  He knew the clock was ticking.  He looked at his watch. ‘1 more hour’ he thought.

When he stepped outside the stall he was startled to see Chet standing there.  “You okay?” Chet asked.

“I am.  Breakfast didn’t agree with me I guess,” Johnny mumbled a feeble excuse.

You sure, you haven’t been yourself the last few days,” Chet said, pushing the issue.

“I am fine.  We better get back and help get the guys out of here.  We should be home in a few hours,” Johnny said, not able to hide his relief.

The next hour was spent finalizing the release of the guys to Kel’s care.  Hank and Marco were released outright with the understanding that they would follow up their care as outpatients.  Mike and Roy were going to be taken to Rampart to continue their recovery.  They were both doing well and their long term prognosis was good.

“Mr. Gage, it has been a pleasure getting to know you,” Dr. Gilbert said.   “Your friends were very lucky you were here”

“I am glad I was here too.  I want to thank you for everything you did”  Johnny reached out to shake his hand.  He locked his jaw as the movement of his arm caused pain in his chest.  He was getting too good at hiding his pain.

Finally they were all at the airport.  Mike and Roy were loaded on first and secured in their transport gurneys,  then Hank and Marco were settled in.   Johnny and Chet climbed aboard last.  Johnny stumbled up the steps as the pain of climbing several stairs was painful.  Chet was right behind him and caught him as he stumbled.

“Johnny?” Chet said, grabbing him as he stumbled.

“Sorry must have caught a step,” Johnny muttered as he kept moving.  Finally everyone was settled on board and the plane readied for take off. 

Kel was making sure his two main patients were comfortable.  Roy and Mike were both doing much better so the concern wasn’t as great.   They just needed to be monitored periodically.

Johnny was sitting in his seat dozing.  The burning in his chest and abdomen was getting more and more unbearable.  He was having trouble keeping it under control.  Johnny turned to Dr. Brackett.  “I am glad you are finally here.  I know everyone is in good hands now,” he sighed. 

“Hey John, how do we say thanks for all that you did.  You were there through everything.  I for one don’t know how I am ever going to thank you for what you did,” Mike began.

The others echoes their appreciation.  “Yeah Johnny, if it wasn’t for you, we would have had no idea what was going on.  You and Chet got help and then well you were just always there” Hank added.

“I am glad I was there.  I had to help you.  I had to keep it together.  You needed me.  Was up to me to talk for you . ., “ Johnny was starting to slur his words.  He was feeling such a sharp pain in his abdomen he felt like it was on fire. 

“Johnny?” Kel looked at him with concern.

“M okay,” Johnny replied but he felt nothing of the sort.  His world was shrinking to the head of a pin as his vision was dimming.  He started to breathe shallow as he felt his legs give way under him.  The last conscious thought he had was that he was letting down the guys.  “have to help, can’t show it hurts,” he mumbled as he finally gave into the pain and collapsed. 

Kel and Chet rushed to his side.  We need to get him lying down,” Kel said.

“Here doc lie him here,” Roy said, rising off his gurney.  I am okay to sit up,” Roy decided.  Right then all he could think about was his partner collapsed on the ground.

Kel didn’t have time to debate that point as he and Chet moved Johnny onto the newly vacated gurney.  Johnny was pale and having trouble breathing.  Kel grabbed the oxygen and placed it on his face.  “Dix grab me some vitals,” he said as he started to examine Johnny.

“BP is 70/40, pulse 130, respiration is 10,” she told him. 

“Damn it Johnny what’s going on with you,” Kel grumbled.  With Johnny being unconscious, he had no clear direction where to begin his investigation.  “how long until we land?” he asked the stewardess.

“Let me check with the captain?” she said, as she rushed up front.  She returned quickly.  “We won’t land for another 3 hours” she said.

“Damn that might be too long.  We have to know what’s going on here.  I have all this damn equipment but with no idea what’s going on it would be like a needle in a haystack” he took a deep breath.

Johnny started to come around a couple minutes later.  “Doc, what happened?” he mumbled.

“You tell me.  You collapsed.  Johnny where does it hurt. I have to know,” Kel pushed him.

“Don’t worry about me.  Have to be here for guys.  Counting on me,” he stammered out.  “Roy ’s counting on me”

“Johnny your friends are being taken care of.  It’s your turn now.  What’s going on with you?” Kel asked again, hoping to get through to him.

The guys were all watching with great concern.  They knew how much Johnny cared and he probably hid his own injures to take care of them.   Roy had Dixie help him over to Johnny’s side.  Roy  leaned down next to Johnny’s ear, “come on Junior, we have to know what’s going on.  Please let us help you”

“Roy, need to help Roy.  Counting on me,” Johnny’s unfocused mind was in a whirl.

“Johnny listen to me,   time to get you better.  Where are you hurting?  We want to help you,” Roy said gently as he brushed his hand on Johnny’s cheek. 

“My turn, guys okay?” he asked, almost confused.

“Your turn,” Roy smiled, “Okay what’s happening”

“Pain in chest, abdomen.  Throwing up blood.  Hurts bad.  Had to wait. Guys need me.  French. Didn’t understand,” Johnny rambled on and on.  He took a slow breath before he closed his eyes and was unconscious again.

Kel ripped Johnny’s shirt open.  He was hoping there would be an indicator what was going on. Kel was shocked to see multiple bruises on Johnny’s chest.  “I think we have a deep bleed somewhere inside his chest.  I just hope he can hang on till we get him back to Rampart” Kel said, looking at his watch.  ‘3 hours”

“Dix start two IV’s ringers, wide open.  Let’s boost that O2 to 10 litres,” Kel said, as he continued to examine Johnny. 

Dixie finished with the IV’s and sat back to monitor his vital signs.

The guys continued to watch in nervous silence.  Finally Chet broke the silence.  “I should have known there was something wrong.  Even the day of the accident he was pale and struggling.  He wouldn’t let me get him checked out.  He kept saying he had to be there for the guys”.

“Chet don’t be so hard on yourself.  We all know Johnny, he would have been more concerned about us than himself.  That is what makes him Johnny,” Marco said.

“Well I just hope his concern for us doesn’t cost him his life,” Roy whispered, not realizing his words were heard by everyone.

The rest of the flight was done in relative silence.  The only sounds were muffled conversations when necessary.

When the Captain announced the plane was landing everyone was relieved.  Johnny's  vitals had been dropping and the anxiety level in the plane had increased.

An ambulance was waiting at the airport to transport the men to the hospital.  Kel went in with Johnny. Dixie went in with Mike and Roy, who were still in relatively serious condition themselves.  The ride to the hospital was too slow according to Dr. Brackett.  He was relieved when the ambulance reversed direction, indicating it was arriving at the hospital.

Joe Early was at the ambulance bay waiting when the doors to the ambulance were thrown open.

“We have OR 2 standing by,” he said, as he grabbed a hold of the gurney and helped it out of the ambulance.

Johnny was taken straight to the OR.   Mike and Roy were admitted to the hospital and settled in their room.  The rest of the guys had followed in and were waiting also for news on Johnny.

When Joe Early and Kel opened Johnny up there were shocked to see a large amount of blood pooling.  “He’s been bleeding a long time,”  Joe noted.

Suddenly Johnny's  heart went into V-fib.  “Paddles,” Kel yelled.  They were successful after three attempts to get Johnny's  heart stabilized. “We have to get that BP up” Joe voiced his concern.  They ordered extra medications to boost Johnny's  falling BP.  Finally after several long, tiring hours, Kel and Joe completed the surgery.  They made their way to the room where the crew of Station 51 were gathered.  Mike and Roy had been resting but as soon as the door opened they were both awake again. 

“Well how is he?” Captain Stanley asked.

“He’s alive.  Beyond that we don’t know.  He made it through surgery, barely.  He has been bleeding for days it appears.  We were finally able to stop the bleeding but he has lost a lot of blood.  His heart stopped twice while he was on the table.  We were able to stabilize him but its still going to be a day or two before we know anything,” Kel explained.

“He could die, couldn’t he?” Chet said, finally putting to words what everyone was afraid to say.

“Yeah Chet he could.  The haemorrhaging went on a long time.  That coupled with the broken rib that was pressing on his lung, we were shocked that he was on his feet as long as he was.  I think the only thing that kept him going was his loyalty to you guys,” Joe commented.

“When can I see him?” Roy asked.

“We have him in the SICU right now.  He is being very closely monitored.  I don’t think he is going to be up to visitors for at least 24 hours,” Kel said.

“Could we just pop in for a minute,” Roy pleaded.

“Roy you aren’t leaving that bed.  You are still recovering from major surgery yourself,” Joe said firmly.

“But Doc,” Roy began.

“I know you want to see him, but you will do yourself no good if you aggravate your injuries.  I am certain that Johnny would understand you not being able to come down,” Kel added.

Roy shook his head. He knew the doctors were right, but at that moment all he could think about was his best friend lying in critical condition because of him, because of all of them.

“I will go and sit with him,” Chet offered, being the only uninjured member of the crew. He looked at Dr. Brackett.  “We really don’t want him to be alone.  He has been there for us through all this, he doesn’t deserve to wake up alone”

Kel gave in and allowed Chet to sit with Johnny.  When Chet came into the SICU he couldn’t believe the equipment being used to keep his friend alive.  He hesitantly sat down.

Chet watched the fussing around Johnny’s bed as the nurses came and went.  They checked the machines, the IV’s and Johnny's vitals continually.

“All this activity for you, Johnny,” Chet said quietly.  “You sure are garnering a lot of attention”

Kel came in shortly and did his own examination wanting to stay right on top of Johnny's condition. 

“How’s it look?” Chet asked.

“Still holding his own,” Kel said. “We really won’t know until we see his vitals stabilize more.  The blood loss is something that’s very hard on a body.  We have to just hope that he’s strong enough to get through this”

“Dr. Brackett I don’t understand something,” Chet began.  “The accident happened 4 days ago, how can he be this bad.  Wouldn’t his injuries have been noticed before now?”

“The bleeding wasn’t a gusher, but rather a slow steady trickle.  It wasn’t enough initially to cause him major distress but over time and with lack of medical attention the blood loss volume just became too much.   He’s also been battling a fracture rib that pierced his lung,” Kel explained.

“How can he have stayed on his feet with all that?” Chet asked, still not believing what Johnny had put up with.

“Because deep down he felt he had to,” Kel deduced.  “Johnny might be a wild spirit at times, but he can be very loyal friend”

Chet nodded.  “Yeah I know.  He was there constantly.  He never left the guys side”

The monitor suddenly started to squeal, “V fib” Kel yelled as he pushed past Chet and started chest compression.   The nurse came running into the room with the crash cart.

Chet backed up against the wall, making himself almost invisible, as he watched the frantic fight to get Johnny's heart started again.  Another nurse came into the room and spotted him.  “You’re going to have to leave” she said as she motioned for Chet to go.

He nodded as he stepped out of the room.  He walked almost zombie like back to the room Roy  and Mike were in.

Captain Stanley spotted Chet come into the room.  “Chet everything okay?” he asked.

Chet slumped down into a chair.  “Oh god,” he said, as he buried his face in his hands.

“Chet?” Roy  asked, suddenly very scared.

Chet was shaking his head, trying to get a grip on himself.  “his heart stopped,” Chet choked out.

“It what!” Roy  said almost yelling.  “Did they get it going again?”

“I don’t know.  They were shocking him and stuff and they made me leave,” Chet stammered.

The minutes ticked by with no news.  Tick tick tick of the clock could be heard as everyone seemed to be holding their collective breaths. 

“I can’t stand this any longer,” Roy  said as he started to get out of bed.  “He’s been there for us for the last few days, he needs us now”

Roy  was about to pull out his IV and head to the SICU when Kel came in.  “Dr. Brackett” Roy  stammered out.  “How’s Johnny?”

Kel paused to take a deep breath before he started.  “He’s stabilized again” he began.  “We had some trouble getting his heart to stop but finally we were able to get it going again.  He’s so weak he just needs peace, quiet and lots of rest” Kel emphasized.

“But he’s going to be okay right?” Roy  said nervously.

“He’s tough, I think he’s got a good chance,”  Kel said.  “He just needs to knock off with this stuff and let his body heal”

“When will we know?” Roy  asked, with a voice that was barely audible, he was so scared, he could hardly breathe.

“24 hours,” Kel said. 

The hours on the clock slowly went by minute by minute, hour by hour, it seemed like Roy  never took his eyes off the clock, counting down the 24 hours.

When Dixie came into his room the next afternoon Roy  was already on the edge of his bed.  “It’s been 24 hours, I want to see Johnny now” he said. 

“Roy  relax, Johnny's sleeping,” Dixie said.

“I don’t care.  I am going to see him now!” Roy  said his voice raising slightly.  “Please Dixie”

Dixie saw the pleading look on his face.  “Okay,” she said softly.  “Let me get a wheelchair”

Mike had sat up at the same time as Dixie went out the door.  “Roy  make sure he knows how much we’re pulling for him,” he said.

Roy  nodded as he allowed Dixie to push him down the hall.  When Roy  went into the room he was stunned to find Cap, Marco, and Chet already there.

“I didn’t know you all would be here,” Roy  said solemnly.  He took up his seat beside Johnny.  The room was silent as everyone waited impatiently for Johnny to wake up. 

A couple hours later Mike joined them all.  Even though Mike and Roy  were in wheelchairs they were determined to wait it out for Johnny. 

Finally late in the afternoon Johnny started to wake up.  His first mumbled words were in French as he started to come around.  He kept trying to make himself understood by people he was seeing in his mind.  “Mes amis sont-ils bien ? ‘ (are my friends okay ?)

Roy grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, “It’s okay Johnny, we’re all fine” he assured him.

“Merci infiniment, (thank you very much)” Johnny mumbled.  

“Johnny wake up,” Roy  tried to coax him into consciousness.

“Je suis très fatigue, (I am tired)” Johnny said softly “ Je veux dormer (I want to sleep)”

“Johnny come on wake up,” Roy  tried again to encourage his friend to wake.

Johnny blinked his eyes several times before he finally opened them.  “Roy , guys?” he looked around totally confused.  He suddenly tried to sit up as he was immediately concerned about them.  “You’re okay?” he asked, worriedly.

“We’re fine Pal,” Captain Stanley said, “thanks to you”

Johnny shook his head. “I didn’t do much,” he protested.

Marco and Mike both shook their heads.  “You did plenty.  If it wasn’t for you, none of us would have known what was going on when we were in Quebec hospital. “You were our voice Johnny and we can’t thank you enough”

Johnny blushed slightly as he tried to dismiss his actions as nothing significant. “I did what I could” he stammered.

Kel and Dixie made an appearance just after Johnny woke up.  After a quick examination Kel was pleased with Johnny's progress.  “You rest okay” Kel said.  “Your body needs to recover from all you inflicted on it” he nodded to Johnny.

Johnny nodded, as he started to close his eyes.  “kay doc,” he said sleepily.  “bonne nuit (good night),” he mumbled as he went back to sleep.

The questions and the explanations that everyone was anxious to hear would just have to wait until Johnny was stronger.  It was almost two full days before Johnny was able to stay awake longer than a few minutes.

When he became aware of his surroundings again he discovered all his crew mates and Chief McConikee standing in his room. 

“Chief, guys, what are you all doing here?” he asked.

“Checking on you Johnny,” Mike said. “You’ve been out of it for a couple days now”

“Don’t remember,” Johnny admitted. “Last thing I remember is leaving the hospital with you guys”

“You collapsed on the plane,” Kel said stepping up.  “But you’re on the mend now”

“Johnny how the heck did you learn French that well?” Chet asked, “and why didn’t you say anything before?”

Johnny smiled slightly, “I haven’t talked about that in years,” he said.  “I was raised in a village on the border of Quebec and New Hampshire.  We spoke several languages there but prominently it was French and Lakota.  I went to French school and learned  the language as quickly as I learned Lakota” he told his friends.

“I was there until I was almost 14 and then I was relocated to Los Angeles,”  Johnny stopped talking.

“Why didn’t you say anything to us?” Roy  asked, surprised that he was learning something new about his best friend.

“It was a part of my past and I just wanted to leave it there,” Johnny said not elaborating on it, “but when we got to Quebec it all came back.  It was like riding a bike” he grinned.  “The words just flowed off my tongue so easily”

 
”So how come you didn’t say anything?” Chet asked.

“I tried to when we first got to Quebec, but you cut me off,” Johnny reminded his colleague, “after that it was just easier to keep it to myself”

“But when it came right down to the crunch you came through for us,” Roy  said. 

“I had to take care of my friends, you were counting on me,” Johnny said sincerely.

“John the department is very proud of you also” Chief McConikee stepped forward.  “We would like to honour you with an award for your efforts”

Johnny shook his head, “if its all the same Chief I would rather not,” he said.  “I was doing what I had to do, nothing more”

Chet shook his head, “Johnny you just don’t get it do you, You’re a hero.  You saved everyone’s lives”

Johnny protested, “all I did was speak a little French to make things easier”

“A hero in any language is still a hero” Roy  said warmly as he smiled at his partner.  “And you my friend will always be a hero to me. . .” Roy  looked around, “to us all”