“Just a Regular Day” 

By: Wanda C.H.

It was a dark and stormy night when the door of the DeSoto house opened slowly.  Joanne DeSoto was sitting in the living room knitting a scarf for her father, and jumped at the sound. Who could be here at this hour?  Oh no, could something have happened to Roy?  The lady of the house finally decided to check out who was bold enough to walk into her home late at night.

“Roy, oh my goodness, you scared me half to death.  Honey, what happened to you?” 

The paramedic was scheduled to work that night at Station 51, and he never came home early.  He was wearing some sort of dressing on his head and looked like he was about to collapse from exhaustion.

“I’m okay, Jo…well, sort of okay.  Let’s put it this way, I had a battle with a step ladder, and unfortunately the ladder won.  It’s nothing that some TLC and a good night’s sleep wouldn’t cure!”  The fair-haired man looked at his wife with a twinkle in his eye, but she could tell that he was in pain.

“Talk to me, Roy, just what happened with the ladder, and how many stitches are in your head?”  Joanne knew that her husband was not one to complain, but she needed to know the details.

“It’s nothing, really, Jo.  We responded to a call for a warehouse fire.  The step on the ladder had gotten wet from the hoses.  My foot slipped and my head hit the corner of the ladder when my helmet fell off, and I have a little cut on my forehead.  Johnny helped me out, controlling the bleeding, and we went to Rampart.  Dr. Brackett put a couple of stitches in, and here I am with the rest of the shift off.  See, just a regular day at work.”

Looking lovingly at her husband, his mate touched his forehead, making the paramedic wince and jerk his head back.  The cut was still fresh and the numbing in the stitches was beginning to end.  He also had a few pills for pain.  “Well, how did Johnny feel about being the paramedic working instead of the patient?”

Smiling, Roy assured her that his partner enjoyed taking care of him for a change.  He also bragged about what a wonderful job Johnny had done getting the bleeding stopped.  I’d rather be the one working and let Johnny be the patient though.  Oh well, at least I’m home with my wife, so it’s not all bad.

“I see, just a normal day…no big deal… a gash on your head for Johnny to treat…an early homecoming…pain medication…nothing out of the ordinary at all.  Is there anything I should know?  Are you supposed to stay awake?  Do you have a concussion?  Oh, Roy, I’m just not used to you getting hurt!”

“Jo, please, you’re over reacting.  I see your points, but it really isn’t that bad.  Honey, it’s been a tough day and all I want to do is sit in my recliner with the newspaper and spend some time with you while I have the chance to do so.  Okay?”

“Okay, but if there was anything I needed to know you would tell me, right?”

“Of course, and I don’t have to stay awake, but I do have a very slight concussion.  Brackett wanted me to stay at Rampart over night, but I convinced him that your care would be better than any I’d get in the hospital. I just had to promise to let Johnny bring me here on his way back to the station.”

“Thanks, Honey, and speaking of care, would you like anything to eat or drink?”

“No thanks, I just need to get my wits about me.  Tomorrow I’ll need to fill out an accident form for Cap and I need to remember exactly what happened.  Ya’ know, come to think of it, I began slipping on that cardboard box in the floor, and the slide continued to the ladder.  Now I understand what people mean when they say…`it just happened so fast.’  That’s how it is.” 

The man sat down in his chair, and quickly jumped up.

“Jo, we’re gonna’ have to talk to Chris.”

“What has he done this time?”

The blue-eyed man held up a half-eaten PB&J sandwich which had been stuck in his chair and was now on the chair, his pants, and his hand.

“I’ll clean that up, Roy.  We’ll talk to him.  I don’t know what’s going on with Chris.  He’s so forgetful lately.”

“Well, when I was growing up, my dad would have taken his black leather belt to my backside if I’d left a sandwich in his chair.”

“Roy, let’s try talking to him first, okay?”

“Okay, but wait ‘till you sit in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  It’s not any fun.  Especially when you’re not feeling up to par.” 

“Since it’s been such a tough day, why don’t you let me take you up to bed and tuck you in?”  Joanne obviously had other plans in mind as she looked lovingly at her husband.

“That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.  I’ll take you up on it, but only if you let me tuck you in too.”  He winked at his wife, and they retired upstairs, hand in hand.  

The End

None of the characters in the story are mine, but belong to the 1970’s television show Emergency!  I just enjoy playing with them.  Thanks to *Ross for the challenge.  Also, thanks to Audrey for the beta!

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*Ross's challenge:

Use these five items in an E! story of 2,000 words, or less:
a step ladder
a black, leather belt
a cardboard box
a newspaper
and, a half-eaten PB&J sandwich

Also the story has to start with the words, 'It was a dark and stormy night'.